Manehatten Misshap

“That's a great idea Duke.” Fruitcake says. “But how will I afford this apartment without you?”

“Don't worry,” I reply. “I have a savings account that should cover rent for the next few moths, and by then, I can send you money if you need it.”

“But Duke,” She says with the same tone of voice. “What are you gonna do when you get there?” she asks.

“What I do best.” I say, the grin on my face growing ever larger. “Make music.”

I sat at the train station with my sax in it's case, my ticket in hoof and a small bag of bits to get me by for a few days til I sorted something out. It would have seemed grim except I was so unbelievably happy that I didn't care. I'd get a job if I needed to, but leaving Seaddle just, at the time, felt right.

I looked at the time, my train would leave in five minutes. I picked up my things (well, thing, I guess) and headed off to station 14, where my train was waiting for me.

It was a small train, not many ponies traveled to Ponyville, being such a small town. But, through Ponyville was the cheapest way to get to Manehatten, and it still left my small bag of bits feeling a little to light (a bit to light, if you will).

A brown earth pony wearing a brightly colored outfit took my ticket as I got on the train. I'd never been on a train before, no reason to. So I looked around a bit and finally took a seat in the second to last car. Even with the size of the train, few ponies were on it.

I leaned back in my seat and let the tension of earlier today fade, preparing myself for the long trip.

()No use in being over exited, might a well relax a bit, eh Dukie?() I thought.

As the train started to pull out of the station I heard a voice outside the car.

“Wait for me.” the voice shouted. “Wait wait wait WAIT!” it shouted louder.

The pony who had taken my ticket looked out to see the voice. “Hurry miss, were leaving!” he shouted back.

Then I heard a thump and something breaking.

“Oops, my bad.” said the voice.

“No problem, miss.” said the brown pony.

Ah well, I thought. Now back to relaxing

I heard hoofsteps coming towards me and I opened an  eye to see a gray mare with bright blond hair and some bubbles for a cutie mark sit down beside me. I closed my eye again.

Twenty minutes into my ride I heard a voice.

“Hiya!”

I opened and eye. “Hello.” I said.

The gray mare took this as an invitation to a conversation I was not prepared for. “I'm Ditzy,” she says. “But most people call me Derpy.”

I remain silent. I wasn't in the mood for conversation, and hoped that Ditzy, or Derpy I guess, would get the message.

Nope. “Whats your name?” she asks, not at all put off by my lack of enthusiasm.

This time I open both eyes. “Duke, but please, I'm trying to sl-”

“Woah, whats up with your eyes.” she says innocently.

Ah yes, my eyes. I'm not the most normal looking pony out there, I'm orange in color, but parts of my mane and tail are black, along with what look like black tiger-stripes on my body. But the oddest thing about me is definitely my eyes. One is a very pale gray and the other is a very deep scarlet. I saw a cat once with one amber and one green, but never have I ever seen anypony with either a gray, or red eye.

But taking my first good look at this mare, I noticed something.

“I could ask you the same question, deary.”

Her eyes were the color of her hair, pretty cute, if you ask me, but what made me say what I probably shouldn't have said was that one was looking up and the other was looking down.

I probably shouldn't have said anything because a look of sadness passed in front of those lop-sided eyes.

“Um..uh..” Ditzy stammers.

I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep.

Not a minute later I hear a little sob. And I realized what I had done.

I hate being mean, it always makes me feel awful.

Ditzy sat there, eyes closed, quietly crying at the mean old colt who had just pointed out her 'difference.'

I reach out and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“It's fine.” she sniffs. “I asked you about your eyes.”

“Yeah.” I say, more confidently. “But I feel all bad now.”

She looked up at me. “It's okay, really, I just wasn't ready, you know?”

I nod. “Hey, lemme make it up to you.” I say. “Howabout I buy you one of those muffins I saw in the little buffet they have.”

Her eyes immediately lit up. “They.... have.... MUFFINS?!?!?”