Learning the Town

Learning the Town

“Hey, Derpy.” The gray mare I've come to know so well over the past...well, technically two days, walked right back in my door.

“Hi, Tinker!” She smiled big as she walked in, sitting on the couch and getting comfy.

A few hours ago, she said she had to leave for work. I had also told her she's welcome back anytime, I just didn't tell her why.

While she was gone, I had to take care of some paperwork...owning a business can be rough on a pony. Wrote some letters, filled out forms, even wrote Princess Celestia to see how everything was going there. Just a little thing I like to call "Customer Relations."

But now, I was working a letter of a more personal matter, rather than business

Dear Miss Gentlehoof,

I never thought I'd use any lessons I learned from you, I must admit. But, I suppose Ponyville can hold many surprises for anybody.

I doubt that you've met her, but I've met a nice mare named Derpy –

“Umm...I'm sorry to say this now, but...I...prefer Ditzy” I looked over my shoulder, blushing a bit as I saw her flushing bright red, obviously embarrassed for having been reading over my shoulder. I let out a slight chuckle and scratched out what I wrote

Ditzy...local mail-mare around town. One of the nicest ponies I've ever met, if I may say.

“Who're you writing to, anyway?” I blushed bright red at this question.

“Oh, umm...j-just an old psychology teacher of mine...she kinda wanted me to keep a diary and send it to her, so...yeah” She giggled a bit with a smile, as I just looked away in embarrassment.

“What, do you like her?”

Seriously, Ditzy?

I just sighed a bit. “Nah, just a good friend who helped me through college”

Ehh, I'll save the letter for later, I guess.

“Oh.” She blushed a little and looked away.

“Hey, it's okay...I don't mind ponies asking questions.” She perked up a bit. “I mean...how else do you learn things, huh?”

“...what do you see me as?”

….oh, why'd she have to ask that...

“...umm...” I looked away as my ears laid back. I heard a slight whimper as she saw that.

Damn reflexes...

I turned back to her.

“I see you as a really good friend...really”

“But we just met...” She tilted her head a bit, intrigued by my answer.

I just let out a quiet sigh...truth time.

“Der....Ditzy..” She dropped her ears a bit as I caught myself. “Ditzy...maybe we should sit?”

She nodded just a bit and sat on the couch as I sat beside her.

“Ditzy....you're probably never going to believe this...but I was like you once...still am, really. Nervous, shy, scared of upsetting somepony...had breakdowns in front of random ponies...wait, didn't I say this last night?”

“Yeah, I think so. Why?”

“Moment of deja vu, sorry."

She let out a quiet chuckle as things seem to click with her.

"You see me as a good friend because I trusted you so quickly?"

“Pretty much." I just nodded a bit

“Cool!"

“Listen...I know you really seem to like me.” She blushed bright red. I just chuckled a little bit. “No, I mean as a friend, silly.”

“I knew that!”

“It's alright, don't worry. I just want you to know...you can come to me for...anything at all, okay? Promise...don't even have to knock, just come find me.” She smiled brightly, like she's happy to have finally found somepony to trust.I just pulled her into a tight hug to try and help her feel comfortable with me, and I knew she did when she hugged me back just as tight.

“Thank you...so much” She sniffled just a little, nuzzling into my neck.

“umm...Tinker?”

“Yeah?”

“...umm...can I stay with you?”

I blushed a bit at the suddenness of the question...and the previous conversation.

“Uhh..i guess...you want my bed?” She shook her head a bit.

“...everything okay at home?” I looked over at her curiously.

“...i don't want to talk about it.” Her ears fell as she turned away from me

“Need me to help get your stuff?” She just nodded a bit in reply, seeming almost shameful in a way.

I followed her out the door to her house, drifting off into a flashback moment once more, as I seem to do a lot lately.

“Tinker, come on...please, tell me what's going on.”

“I really don't want to, Miss Gentlehoof...”

She pulled me into a tight hug. Here I was...green stallion, blue mane...crying in the shoulder of a blue mare with a yellow mane, and a few hearts as a cutie mark. So much for being a strong stallion...

“Tinker, please...I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on.” I just cried harder...I couldn't bear to tell her my best friend had just died, I just couldn't.

“Tink...”

oh, no...not the nickname...please don't use that...not now...

I just looked up at her with a light sniffle.

“...is this about Wind Turner?”

She had her answer as I just cried into her shoulder even more.

Wind Turner was one of my best friends. He stuck with me through thick and thin, he was the one waiting just outside Miss Gentlehoof's office when I had my first breakdown with her. And now, he was gone...gone from this world, by nothing more than a heart problem gone worse.

Nobody could have predicted it, but...the question remains to this day.

Why him? Why so soon?

I let out a slight sniffle as the memory hit me, and Ditzy turned to look at me.

“You okay?”

no...

“Yeah, Ditzy, I'm alright...thanks.” She just looked at me and nodded slightly, still trotting along.

“...I suppose I should tell you why I really don't want to go home, shouldn't I?”

...wasn't expecting that

“Only if you want to, I'm not going to force it."

She sighed a bit and talked as we walked on down seemingly random roads. She told me how her house was right in the middle of town, how the club right by her house was loud at night and wouldn't let her sleep, how she didn't have any other choice, since that was the only place she could afford.

We stopped as she told me about a few drunk ponies trying to break in, and how her house was slowly falling apart because she couldn't afford to fix it.

I just held her for a while as she calmed down.

We got going again after a few minutes and walked into her house. As soon as we did, I could understand why she wouldn't want to stay there. The bass from the nearby club that, from what I've been told, a miss Vinyl Scratch had opened, was ridiculous. All the windows vibrated, and Ditzy was looking around, panicked.

“What's wrong?”

“...this place is going to fall down soon, I just know it.” I looked around for a bit and instantly had the same feeling.

“Yeah...umm...i guess, you could stay with me for a while...we'll get you a new place, I promise...one that's much quieter.” She smiled a bit at the implied promise...suddenly realizing how hard that would be to hold true to.

“Thank you...so much....I owe you one, really.” I just shook my head. I found a good friend, that's more than enough for me.

“Let's get some stuff for now, alright?” She smiled a bit more and nodded, walking and gathering a few things. I did the same thing, putting a few things in my saddlebag, and helping put some stuff in hers.

“Umm...ok, I think we've got everything”

“Alright, I say we go back to where it's quieter.” The gray mare nodded slightly as we started the walk back to my house.

“I've got an extra key I can give to you, by the way.”

She didn't say anything as we kept walking. I was taking in everything still...within 3 days (it was 1 AM by the time we got back to my place), I already comforted the mailmare, made friends with her, and invited her to stay with me so her house doesn't just collapse right on top of her.

Never would have expected that, if I'm honest.