The Birth of Mercy

I literally just stopped breathing.

I wrote a very long story in this description.
and it's gone.
i.

WHAT THE EFF DEVIANTART HOW DID THIS HAPPEN IT WAS THERE WHEN I SUBMITTED THIS WHERE DID IT GO OMG

EDIT: The first version was way better (and probably longer) but I rewrote most of it so you could get an idea UGH

The vets and scientists that worked with the horses of Starstruck Stables were anxiously awaiting the newest arrival. The last time Strain X was line bred (Gen 1 being bred with Gen 2), the resulting twin foals were found to have a heritable mutation of their agouti genes that gave them stripes like tabby cats. With that track record, it was hard for them not to get their hopes up. Due to ultrasounds, we already knew that the mare was only carrying one foal and that the foal was healthy, but beyond that it was impossible to know.
Brandy waited one. Two. Three days past her due date. It was as if she knew how much anticipation there was surrounding her foal. Finally on the third night, a stable hand fell asleep on his shift of foal watch, and when he woke the foal's pristine white legs were already emerging from the dam. He barely had enough time to go rouse everyone before the slippery filly landed softly on the hay bedding. Murmers of excitement and confusion passed between those that had watched the birth. Soft questioning sounds that became more distinct. "Maybe recessive sabino? Or dominant white?" "No way for a gray horse to be that white at birth, right?" "Did she take from the right stallion? Maybe this was an accident..." One woman on a cell phone with one of the barn managers kept asking what color it was, but no one knew.
Finally the owner tired of the noise and stood up, shooing everyone but the essentials out of the barn to continue their yawning and murmering as they headed back to the buildings or back home. Once the rabble was gone, she and a vet, who happened to also be the head researcher at Starstruck Stables, entered the stall to check the foal's health. Brandy whickered low and snorted her warning, but Kate clucked at her and whispered soft and soothing nonsense, rubbing the mare's ears and forehead to calm her. The vet, wearing her lab coat over sweat pants and a t-shirt with barely tied boots on her feet, settled next to the foal and began checking her over. She got to the foal's eyes and hesitated.
"Oh Kate. This isn't good."
The shorter woman quickly made her way over and kneeled near the foal's head, seeing what the vet saw. The foal's eyes were clouded over, a dark blue-green rim of an iris that faded into flat color in the middle.
"What's going on?" The red-haired woman at the stall door asked, leaning over the edge and watching carefully. "What's wrong with her eyes?"
"I think she's blind." Kate said, looking over at the vet, who nodded.

SS Merciful Judgement
Barn Name: Mercy
Sex: Filly
Breed: Norwegian Warhorse (Strain X, Gen 2)
Color: Black Double Merle (EE aa MrlMrl)
Lineage: LPPS Smooth Criminal x SS No Rest For The Wicked (Breeding Pic: fav.me/d6lf7di )
Personality: Quiet, cautious, but very trusting. She is very aware. She is blind in both eyes, though we think she can see very vague lights and shadows, as she tends to keep them open unless it's pitch black or very bright out. Luckily her condition seems to have had no effect on her hearing - she quickly learned the voices of all the friendly horses and people on the property. She's surprisingly bombproof, she only spooked and ran once - running into a low-hanging leafy branch immediately. If she hears a sound that is unfamiliar and in a heightened state of awareness when she recieves a touch she can't identify, she will react and buck and probably scare the daylights out of you in the process.

"I dunno, dontcha think the name you picked issa little... ironic?" The slow Australian drawl wasn't ignored by the foal, who pricked her ears to full attention and approached, her velvety nose searching for a sweet sugar cube treat. Kate smiled a little.
"I think it suits her."
The foal was licking Lisa's hands as the vet approached, wearing the same lab coat but with slightly more appropriate daytime clothes underneath, and shoes tied tightly. She tucked her manila folder up under her arm and put a hand over the fence to fuss over Mercy - who's ears pricked at the familiar voice before she snorted and defiantly took off towards her dam, who called her with a soft chuff. Lisa spoke first.
"What's the news, doc?"
"Well we ran the genetics tests and found that her coat color is definitely not caused my any white patterning. No sabino, no dominant white, nothing like that. As you know, the silver dapple pattern was caused by a mutation of the PMEL17 gene" Kate nodded while Lisa rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head "which is thought to be at least somewhat related or comparable to the dilution of black pigment in other species, such as mice, chickens, and dogs."
Mercy reared up, pawing at her dam's flank with tiny little kicks and whinnying. She dropped and bucked, tossing her head with a snort.
"We tested her for Z and found something interesting. She's technically homozygous for silver - she actually should be a silver dapple like her sire. But the genes on that locus mutated instead. And they look remarkably similar to the mutation that causes the merle pattern in dogs. She is, for all intents and purposes, a double merle."
Lisa's jaw dropped. "You're telling me that Strain X has given us cat-horses and now DOG-horses? What are the chances of that?"
The vet shrugged and smiled. "Dunno. But it's a funny coincidence. Course Exe is such a goldmine for genetic material and information that I would be surprised if Mercy's ears flopped over like a dog's." She coughed. "Obviously she has some health concerns. We'll be giving her regular check-ups and put her on a special diet to avoid her eyes getting infected or developing cancer. But as far as we can tell her mutation is stable and heritable. Double merle dogs have a host of medical issues that often includes blindness. But I think we can reasonably expect any foals from her to be healthy. She'll never pass on a regular silver gene - but her foals will end up with a pretty interesting pattern if merle dogs are anything to go by."
Lisa turned to Kate immediately. "I want one."
Kate laughed. "You and I are way too alike. And do you even have to ask?"