Learning the Town

Learning the Town

I've found over the years that emotions can be a baffling thing. They can send us into a fit of giddyness, they can make us seek revenge...or they can make us have an utter breakdown, crying in the hooves of a pony you just met, and desperately hoping they understand.

Miss Hooves...I mean Derpy, had ended up crying herself to sleep over the course of a few hours. By then my legs were asleep, my butt hurt from sitting on it, but I held her still...because I learned quickly she liked being held. Try to let go of her once, she lets out a quiet whimper and holds onto you even tighter, which I must admit was rather cute at the same time.

But all of this made me wonder what got her like this in the first place. Of course, just by looking at her, I came up with my own ideas, hoping to Celestia I wasn't right. Unfortunately, I slowly got a feeling that I was.

As I started to let her go to do a few things, she actually let go of me, still asleep. I gave her a quick rub on her back and that seemed to make her happy. Hmm...maybe all this little mare wanted was someone to hold her through a bad breakdown. This is one heck of a way to find it, though. I mean, come on, this was only my first day in Ponyville!

I stood up and trotted off, pausing to look at her still asleep, but now having curled up a bit and shivering, so I trotted up to my bedroom and came back with a blanket and pillow...and a plush pony my parents gave me when I was young. It's helped me before, worth a shot.

As I started to lift her head to sneak the pillow under, she stirred.

Aww, man...

“Oh...hi there, Mister Torch.” She let out a rather cute yawn and stretched...then her eyes went wide as she realized what happened earlier. I quickly hugged her again. Surprised, she took a moment and hugged me back.

“For the record....I don't mind that you fell asleep, it was nice to see you at peace.”

“...I broke your chair, didn't I? I can fix it, I swear!” Her ears lay back again as I heard a few sniffles, thinking she was gonna break out into tears again.. This mare was so scared she broke my chair...wow. I was just glad she was okay and didn't break something for real.. Though as I looked at her, I noticed a bruise on her leg.

“The chair can be replaced...besides, I got it at a yard sale for, like, 5 bits on my way here yesterday. Not a big loss, and...I don't think you broke it anyway.” She looked a little relieved after I said that, so I let her go and she sat back down.

“Well...maybe I should get going, before I ruin anything else for you.” And with that, her head drooped a bit as she slowly started toward the door.

“No, you can stay, it's quite alright...would love the company. Tell ya what, you can help me if you want, you can sit and chat...and if you get tired, I'll letcha sleep on my bed, okay?”

Mental note: If she likes the bed, offer it to her. Besides, you've been trying to get rid of that stiff thing for how many years now?

“Oh...well, okay then.” She smiled a bit and stopped, turning back to me. I stood up, having been sitting, when all of a sudden my back legs slipped and planted me right back on my butt.. I blinked in surprise as she chuckled, and I couldn't help but laugh myself.

“Well then...that was random.” I started to stand up again and walked back to the kitchen, never having finished putting the dishes away. "Looks like we're a little alike, huh?"

“Yeah, I guess we are.” I stopped and looked back at her as she promptly crawled up on the couch and curled up with a yawn.

“You sure you don't want the bed?” She just shook her head a bit and started to doze off. I waited a few minutes before I walked up and draped the blanket over her once more.

“Goodnight, Miss Hooves.” I picked up the little plush pony in my mouth and gently set it beside her.

I heard a faint “Goodnight, Tink”, then a few snores. I smiled to myself and curled up on the floor as she snoozed, just wanting to be close by in case she needs somepony to talk to. Well, that and my bed is horrible.

Though, I never did really sleep. I just laid there, old memories running through my head of myself in her sort of position. Of course, trying not to think about it only made it worse. A few tears fell as memories of some really bad times had crossed my mind. I tried to shake them out of my head, but it was no use.

I was just glad she couldn't see me.

I calmed down as Celestia's Sun started to rise, as well as the little gray mare on my couch. She yawned, stretched, then saw me sitting quietly, and gave me a surprised look that I just happened to catch a glimpse of.

“Why'd you sleep down here?”

Okay, time to think now...don't let her know you were almost crying, too

“Well...one, my bed is not good for me, and two....if I'm honest, I'd feel bad for leaving you down here all by yourself with what happened last night.” Her ears dropped. She hoped it was all just a nightmare, I'm sure. I would, too.

“Derpy...I only say that because I've been in about the same position you were in last night....so afraid I messed up big time that I just had a breakdown...unfortunately, it was in my room, all alone. If you're anything like me, I don't want to do that to you, too.” She looked up at me with a bit of surprise.

I just got an “Oh...” out of her. She looked away a bit.

“Hey, you want some breakfast or something? I think I've got a hayburger in the fridge from my trip here, you want it?” She looked up at me and nodded a bit, so I trotted off to the kitchen to get her one, popped it in my little oven I still haven't thought up a name for.

By the time her burger was warm, she was already standing beside me, in awe of the contraption.

“Ooooh...what's that do?”

“It warms up leftover food..rather quickly, might I add.” I had a bit of pride wash over me and I gave what was probably a sort of smug smile. She just chuckled at me.

“Cool! Can I have one?” I thought for a minute, as she sort of bounced on her hooves in excitement.

“Sure! Might take me a bit to get the parts, but I could probably build ya one.”

She leapt in the air and let out an excited scream, pulled her hayburger out and sat at the dining room table, then started nibbling on it. She has energy!

“So, why'd ya decide to move here?” She sure sounded perked up from last night, that's good.

“Slower pace of life...Canterlot's just a little too crowded for me, too many people know me there. That, and I'm a bit of a country pony at heart. Why'd you move here?” Her ears dropped again.

She swallowed the last bite of her hayburger. “I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough. So...whats the town like, anyway?” She started rambling on about a few events that went on, some of the nice ponies around, but I wasn't entirely listening. My mind kept going back to last night, her breakdown, and wondering what might have made her so scared.

When I was still in school, Miss Gentlehoof always told me to ask questions and get to know a pony. She also said to be caring to somepony who's upset, listen to what they have to say, and try to help. That's never been a problem for me, but it worries me when somepony doesn't want to talk about something so...well, seemingly simple, like why they moved to a certain city. Probably something in her past she doesn't want to remember.

“...so I just had to ask if she could make me some more of those blueberry muffins, they were just so good!” Have I really not been paying attention for that long? Great.

“Oh, really?” She nodded with a smile “Well, that's always good to hear.”

My mind drifted back to my days in school...particularly my first couple years in college when I had Miss Gentlehoof's class. I was always the kind of pony to keep to himself, stay in the back of the class and stay quiet. The first few days, I was intently paying attention to her class...after that, it just sort of dropped off. Even worse, my teacher noticed it.

She never said anything to anypony else, but she knew something wasn't right. Especially when you're a psychology teacher, it's not hard to spot. The worried look, barely ever looking up from their desk, slumped back in their chair. The signs were obvious to her...and the one time she wanted to talk to me after class, I thought I was in trouble for not turning in my latest homework.

I walked into her office and she looked at me like she usually does. Happy to see me, for some reason. I've never understood that.

“Tinker, I've been noticing you haven't been quite yourself lately...everything alright?”

Oh, no...

“Uhh...yeah, I'm fine, why?”

She started to explain a few things, and unfortunately for us both, it was hitting way too close to home. She told me that when she sees a pony sad, she knows something's wrong, and she's desperate to help them. She knows I've been single, and had no special somepony (which, as a side note, wasn't all that uncommon in that college), so that couldn't be it. When she asked me what was on my mind...I just cried.

She pulled me in for a hug, which I wasn't expecting, but I clung to her tight just the same. It was almost like a mother holding her crying filly...which, in hindsight, is one screwed-up way to compare this.

I had told her I had no idea what was wrong, and she understood completely. She said she's had a few students like that in the past, at it wasn't anything new. She also vowed to help me any way she could, to try and get me to feel better.

Ever since that little episode of mine,, we've always been in contact through letters. Miss Gentlehoof has been asking how I'm doing, what I'm up to and such, and I must admit that I do like it. It's kept me sane sometimes, too.

I had no idea, however, how much that experience would stick with me, and I never expected for me to be in the same position as my old teacher was with me. Especially with someone I had never met before.

This would be an interesting town indeed.