The Same, But Very Different
It seemed like just a normal day. I was laying on a park bench, playing my flute for my fiance, Jenny Appleseed, watching her listen calmly, mesmerized as I play my song.
"No wonder your talent is the flute. Your music is just so beautiful!" I take my lips away from the flute for a second and stare into her beautiful, comforting eyes with a warming smile.
"Not as beautiful as you." Right there, we both lock lips in a kiss before I start playing again.
"Woody, I've actually been thinking for a bit, and I was just wondering, have you ever thought about all the talents out there?" I put my flute down again.
"Not really as of late. All I know is that there are talents unique for every pony." Knowing Miss Jenny is going to go into theory explanation mode, I start packing up my flute to hear what she has to say. I've always been interested in her theories.
"Well, that's what I've been thinking about. What if every ponies' talents aren't unique?" I lower an eyebrow in question.
"What do you mean?" Jenny looks off into the horizon.
"Sure there are millions of ponies, but there are only thousands of talents. Don't you ever wonder if there could possibly be a pony just like you who has the same exact skill at a flute as you?" I never really thought about that. She does make a good point too. Maybe she's right about this cutie mark mystery?
"So, what you're saying is there might be a pony somewhere who could 'share' my talent?"
"Not only that, but a pony could 'share' my talent as well." I run deep in thought when I realize the time.
"Celestia should be lowering the sun soon. We should go." Jenny gets up and stretches before giving me another kiss. I pick up my flute case with my wing while using the other to hold her close. "You know, sometimes I wonder if you're cutie mark should be for philosophy." Jenny chuckles and starts resting her head on my shoulder. Unfortunately, these warm feelings didn't last long.
"GET OUT! And take your stupid flute with you!" Jenny and I started fighting a few days later.
"Please, Jenny, if you'll just give me a chance...!" I had to start performing for some bits or I wouldn't have food on my table. I was going broke.
"No! You had you're chance! Now get out of my sight!" She kept calling and texting me, but I didn't have the time to respond. She thought I cared about my job more than her.
"But Jenny..." She slams the door in my face. after throwing my flute on the ground along with it's case. No respect. Worst part is she understands the value of that flute to me. Not giving up yet, I knock."
"Piss off, Woody!" Ouch. First time I heard her say that.
"Jenny, I do care about you. I care about you more than anything. You're my life! If there is anything I can..." She swings the door open, still furious, glaring at me.
"You want to know what you can do? Okay! Leave! Get out of this bucking town, because right now, I don't want to hear your music or see your face right now! Good bye!" She slams it again, only for it to fall down in front of her. "GAAHHH!!! Now I have to replace the bucking door!" She starts to storm off into her room.
"You want me to leave? Then I will." She stops and looks back at me. "If that's what you want, then you got it." She starts laughing.
"Don't try making me laugh with reverse psychology. It never works on me. You know that."
"I wasn't kidding you." Her amused smile turns into a questioning look as I turn around and pack my flute and head home to pack up. "At least I care enough to listen to you."
After packing up, I arrive at the train station to see the doors open to let ponies out. I look around as I hear a distant voice calling my name.
"WOODY!!!"
"JENNY!!!"
"WOODY!!!"
"JENNY!!!"
"Woody!"
"Jenny! What are you..." Jenny rudely interrupts me with a worried expression on her face.
"Woody, you don't have to do this. Where are you going, anyways?" I try to calm her down.
"Hey, calm down, Jen. I'm just going to Ponyville for a while. I have bits on me so I can afford rent for a while. I'll be okay." I stroke her mane, holding her close in embrace, feeling her heartbeat dieing down to a normal pace.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Every time I try to keep us together, it always seems as though we will only drift farther apart. I'm leaving because I realize I can't do it alone, but you're not going to help me." Her heartbeat starts picking up.
"What, so you just lost faith in me?"
"No, that's not what I..."
"You..."
"Jenny."
"You...!"
"I'm trying to find a way to..."
"You son of a sea pony!" She slaps me so hard, it feels like my jaw was dislocated.
"Ow!"
"I thought you had more faith in me than that! We could have been happy together, but you're just throwing it away because I just simply won't co-operate? I would have if you tried!"
"I have tried!"
"Well you haven't tried enough! Now you just made a huge mistake because now, we're through." Those words hit me like stone. All those months spent with her, making memories, having laughs, those romantic dates we would never forget, they all flooded me. Gave me shame. That very moment made me feel like I had lost everything I have ever known. She was the world to me, and now she's gone. I can't help but blame myself. What a moron I was to say that.
"Good luck finding another mare." She burst into tears and starts galloping home as fast as she could. Then the train whistle blows.
"ALL ABOARD!!!" The conductor shouts. I get on the train, heart-broken, wings drooping down in sorrow, just waiting for the day to end. From Fillydelphia to Ponyville in bust.
About two days pass by before I arrive in Ponyville. Such a shame. there were some nice ponies on board. I wish I could have met them all. I remember one pony in particular who helped me a great deal.
"Hey, are you okay? You seem a little down." I looked to the table at the right in the dining cart to see a brown-hooded pony looking at me.
"Uhh...yeah. I'm fine. Just a little..."
"A little what?"
"A little depressed. My... my marefriend dumped me. She meant the world to me and now she's just... gone." My head dropped down on the table with a slight bang at the thought of our departure.
"I know how you feel." I lift my head and look over. "I once had the love of my life. She was the most beautiful mare I had ever met. Something didn't seem right though. Despite her beauty, we always argued. Soon enough, I figured she just wasn't the one for me." I bang my hoof on the table in rage.
"But my marefriend was. I still feel there is something between me and her. How dare you tell me this!"
"Calm down there. The next relationship I had was just the same. I said one little statement and she just left me to wallow in my mistakes. Unfortunately, I will probably never see her again. We left each other in Prance. Would you believe it?" The stallion starts chuckling as my anger starts dieing down.
"That does seem ironic. In one of the most romantic cities too?"
"Yeah! She just dumped me out of the blue! I don't even remember what we were fighting for. Say, what's your name?"
"Woody. Woody Wendel."
"Nice to meet you. Wanna hang out sometime when we get to Ponyville?"
"Sure. I could use a friend." I can see a smile cracking from inside the dark cloak.
"I can tell."
After that conversation, I had a better attitude. It was nice of him to notice I was depressed. I'm pretty sure other ponies noticed as well, but they must not have shown it or noticed I was doing better because they started to say hi to me more. I never really got his name. When I asked he always distracted me with something else. I feel like that stallion is hiding something... I probably shouldn't worry about it now though. After the train arrives, I exit the doors feeling happier than I would have. The first thing I do is go to the information desk at the train station to get a map. The first thing I have to do is buy rent. Examining the map, i head over to the town hall.
"Welcome. The mayor will see you shortly." I nod to the secretary before busying myself with a magazine, laying on what seems to be a rather comfortable couch. After a few minutes, the secretary calls me over. "the mayor will be seeing you now. Just head through the door on the right."
"Thank you, miss." I put the magazine back and head into the mayor's office, amazed at how neat and organized everything is.
"Please make yourself comfortable, sir." I look forward to see the mayor.
"Right." I sit down on a chair to feel the same comfort coming back to me.
"I haven't seen you around. Are you new to Ponyville?"
"Yes, I am."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you." The mayor holds out a hoof. "The name is Mayor Mare. I reach out to shake hooves. "So what brings you here to Ponyville?"
"Well, it's actually quite a bit of a story. I came from Fillydelphia to get away from my former marefriend. I was just trying to give her some alone time after having been through quite a lot of fighting, but I kind of slipped up."
"Hmm... Such a shame when relationships go bad..." I notice Mayor Mare staring at a photo on her desk and possibly a tear forming in her eye, but that all disappears when she changes the subject. "So I'm guessing because you're new, you need a place to stay, right?"
"Correct."
"Well, we have a few houses available currently. If I could see your map, I'll mark them down and you can check them out."
"That would be great." I hand over my map and watch as she pulls out a pen and circles random locations on my map.
"None of them are currently furnished, but if you are ever in need of a job to afford some furniture..."
"Actually, i kind of have a job already. Assuming my flute isn't broken..." The mayor gives a confused look.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Sometimes I play my flute for donations. The ponies in Fillydelphia were often quite generous and I heard the same for the ponies here too."
"Oh, a street performer! That's certainly new here in Ponyville. Well, occasionally there's this pink pony named Pinkie Pie who always seems to entertain the ponies here and always gets them in good moods. I don't even know how she does it. She doesn't play an instrument or anything. She... well there was the one time... oh, never mind. You can see for yourself. She's guaranteed to make you laugh. Other than that, you're the first actual musical street performer. Welcome to Ponyville."
"Thank you, Mayor Mare."
"Anyways, go ahead and check out those houses and return when you found the one that suits you.
"I will. Thanks again."
"Any time for a newcomer." I get up and exit the town hall to check out those houses. Wow. Such hospitality. Exiting the town hall, I gallop off to check out the houses. When I return, I have an idea which house I want. "Welcome back, sir. I take it you found a house of your liking?"
"Yes, ma'am. I would like 24 Mane street."
"But of course! I'll just need you to sign this deed and give the correct pay which would be about 350 bits." Pretty pricey. Lets see... I have about one 500 on me, so I should be good for now. I can use the rest for food and maybe a couple souvenirs for when I return. Not to mention I'll need soap for when I shower so... "Umm, sir? The signature and money?" Shoot!
"Sorry, I was just managing how I would use my money. I'm in a little bit of trouble right now as is. I have enough though, but one question. Why am I signing a deed? I only need to rent a house until I go back."
"Oh, I must have forgotten. Here's a rental claim then." She takes the deed and swaps it with a rental claim. "Just sign there and you should be good."
"Very well." I sign the claim giving myself access to the house for a week then slapping a sack of 350 carefully counted bits on the desk. "Thank you kindly, Mayor Mare."
"It was a pleasure. Have a nice stay in Ponyville!" With that, I walk out of the town hall, bumping into that pony with the dark hood again.
"Oh, hey! Didn't I see you on the train?" The pony checks me out for a second before smiling under the darkness of his hood.
"Right! You're that guy I had a meal with. Nice to see you again."
"Renting a house as well?"
"Yeah. I was thinking of the one on Mane Street."
"Oh... Which one?"
"24 Mane Street. It's such a nice house." I chuckle nervously.
"Heh. I know, right?"
"Let me guess. You already rented it out." I nod yes, the pony hanging his head low in disappointment. "Shoot. Well, I guess I'll find another one then." I then get an idea.
"Hey, you could room with me! There's two bedrooms anyways and I only need one." The pony lifts his head up, his face untraceable in the darkness of his hood.
"Really? You barely know me though."
"Least I could do for someone who stopped making me feel sorry for myself."
"Thanks a ton! I'll pay for the other half."
"You really don't need to."
"Don't worry. I can pay for it. it's only 175 bits." His confidence makes me curious. I just shrug it off and let him follow me to our temporary home. Then my curiosity of his name overcomes me.
"Who are you anyways?"
"I'll tell you when we get their." Mysterious stallion. This will be interesting. Honestly, kind of frightening too.
We get ourselves situated in our home before getting dinner ready. While we make ourselves a meal, I decide to ask him again.
"So...your name?" He gives me a glimpse before taking off his hood to reveal a horn, yellow skin and a golden mane matching the tail under a cape he had been wearing the whole time. How did I miss the cape?
"Does this look ring any bells?" I can't quite put my hoof on it... who is this stallion standing before me? "No?"
"Umm...Sorry. I can't say I know you." The stallion gives me a surprised look.
"Well this is a shock. You're the first pony I met that doesn't know anything about me. I am Fillmore Flooterson. The most famous flute player in the mild west, Ponyville, Canterlot, and many other places including Los Pegasus."
"Is Fillydelphia included in that list?"
"Well...no. Not really."
"That would be it. Nice to meet you though."
"Likewise. So, what's your talent? I've been kind of curious, but you always wear those jeans."
"Hmm? Oh! I play the flute." Fillmore drops his plate on the floor, eyes shrinking.
"You just said... flute?"
"Well, yeah. I packed my flute with my luggage. It's in my room right now. Is something wrong?"
"That's impossible."
"Wha...no it isn't. look!" I take off my jeans to reveal my cutie mark shaped like a flute, only to see Fillmore's eyes shrink in shock even more.
"That's even more impossible!"
"Why do you keep saying that?"
"Because that is my talent as well!"
"What...?" It takes a moment before I realize the whole time I was being a bit stupid. He's a world-cl... well, soon-to-be world-class flute player! Obviously his talent is the flute! "Oh my Celestia..." After hours of confusion and pondering, we decided to continue on with our lives. I gotta admit, Fillmore is a very nice stallion. One of the best friends I have had in a really long time. I missed having a set best friend.
After two days of hanging out, I ask Fillmore if he can help me out when I get back to Fillydelphia. He said he would half to pull a few strings considering he was on tour, but he would find a way. The rest of the five days were mainly just parties thrown by one of the greatest hosts I ever met. She's quite pink and I think her name was Pinkie Pie. I need to remember her name in case I bring Jenny here on vacation. I already knew Apple Jack because she's Jenny's cousin. She gave me one heck of a slap for the break-up! It still hurts. Anyways, Fillmore and I head to the train to depart for Fillydelphia. I already know that Jenny won't be so welcoming at first, but I have an idea that will blow her mind.
"I hope this works. It was really nice of you to help me out, Fillmore. I appreciate it."
"Hay, anytime for a good friend. Trust me, if your marefriend only heard one flute player in action, wait until she hears it with another with the same talent." That's reassuring.
"I don't doubt our abilities one bit. Thanks for making my weak fun too. I was nice to play with you. I must say, you truly are just as good as me. It's kind of freaky because..." Fillmore gives me a curious look under his dark cloak.
"Because what?" I start to explain Jenny's repeated-talent theory or whatever she called it.
"Wow. Sounds like her talent should be in philosophy instead of the farm." I start chuckling.
"That's what I said." We soon arrive at the train station. "Well, here it goes. I pray to Luna it works..." We both head to Jenny's house. When we arrive, I ready my flute while Fillmore readies his. I then knock on the door.
"Who is it? Is it you, Woody? I know you're coming back today."
"Yes it's me. Still need some space?"
"My heart still aches. You hurt it real bad."
"Then let me mend it." I begin the opening of the song.
"No, Woody, that won't work anymore. I already said we're..." Right then, Fillmore joins in, making the song sound more majestic and enchanting. "What..." Fillmore and I continue playing when Jenny opens her door to see the both of us in her surprise. "Woody..." We're now about halfway through our song when a crowd starts gathering to listen. I can tell in Jenny's eyes that she is shocked and getting that small feeling of joy. She just has that sparkle in her eye. That's when I know she feels joy. A secret I discovered a while back. Her expression is unchanging when we finish our song with the audience clapping their hooves and stomping the ground in praise.
"Well?" Jenny gets choked up.
"That...That was beautiful, but how did you both..."
"Well, you know that theory you came up with about the millions of ponies but thousands of talents?" Jenny raises an eyebrow.
"You mean he..."
"Eeyup. Fillmore, please show the nice mare your cutie mark." Fillmore takes his trousers off to show his flute cutie mark while I take off my jeans to reveal mine. "See? Exactly the same. Every detail, every color."
"I was right..." I nod yes while we both pull up our pants.
"Meet my friend, the world-famous flute player in places other than here, Fillmore Flooterson!" Fillmore holds out a hoof to shake. Jenny hesitantly accepts.
"Pleased to meet you."
"World famous?"
"Yes. Speaking of which, how would you like your idea to be known throughout Equestria? I have contacts and I can get a hold of the pony in charge of philosophy. You can make millions yourself."
"But...how?"
"Let's say she's a personal friend of mine, if you know what I mean. Speaking of which, Woody here went through so much trouble trying to get you back that I had to help him out. We are waiting for your response." Jenny thinks for a moment before smiling and saying one word that made my whole week.
"Yes." In a split second, I find myself in a loving embrace with Jenny, kissing her. "Just... don't go breaking my heart again."
"Oh trust me. It's never going to happen again." I drop a medium sized sack full of bits to the top causing Jenny's eyes to shrink in surprise again.
"Do I even bother asking?"
"Well, considering Fillmore is a renowned flute player and he was in Ponyville for a concert, I was offered to play with him. I must say, the audience was amazing! Way more than I was used to."
"He showed me a great time so I had to let him play with me. Don't break up with this stallion. He's one to hang onto. Also, if my tour ever makes it here, I'll be sure to let you play again and I'll give you a shout-out, Jenny. Anyways, gotta go. Bye!" He waves bye before heading off back to the train. Jenny lets me in and prepares lunch while I relax at the table, enjoying her presence again.
"You did all that just for me?"
"Of course!"
"How did you two meet anyways?"
"Well, I was sitting on the train car, still feeling sorry for myself that I was stupid enough to say what I said and he just happened to be nice and..." You already know that much. Anyways, after that, Fillmore withheld his promise and made us millions because of Jenny's idea. Fillmore eventually got to play in a concert at Fillydelphia and I was able to play again, making Jenny the all-time VIP of the concert. She seemed to have really enjoyed it, more than when I play for her alone.
"As of today, we still stayed together, obviously. I miss my gold old friend. He's on the other side of the world right now, but he occasionally sends letters of his travels. Now how about a good night, son?"
"Alright, daddy." I take the covers of my son's blankets and tuck him in. After doing so, I kiss his cheek.
"Good night." He soon falls in a deep sleep. I then head to my room and lay on my bed, thinking. I turn to my end table to see an old newspaper article I kept for years. I pick it up and look at the main headline.
Three Ponies, Different Races, Same Talent
"You miss your old friends, don't you?" I turn to see Jenny getting in bed next to me before looking at the article again.
"Yeah. They were amazing. The greatest friends a stallion could have." I then look into Jenny's eyes, smiling. "But I can't say how lucky I am to have you. Nothing is better than that." We kiss before I put the article back in its place.
"Good night, my dear."
"Good night." With that, I turn off the light to drift into a deep sleep. It's amazing how one friend can make a difference in life. Thank Celestia he came otherwise I wouldn't have been here at all. A few days, I was curious and asked a couple of ponies if they ever encountered a pony of the same talent as well. I even started a blog about it. Almost no pony said they have, but the very few who have always mentioned how their lives turned around, and it filed me and Jenny with joy every time we heard about it.