> Apples and Muffins
>  by Superkat
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> Chapter 1
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It was a rainy in Ponyville as the young ponies of the town went to their first days of school. In a house a few miles away from the middle school, a young mare in a yellow rain poncho, made her way along the familiar route towards where the school buildings were. She shook herself off as she entered the large school. The gray mare then began to trot towards her classroom with her book-satchel on her back. She had bright yellow eyes though the two didn't look in the same direction.

She happily went into the classroom and sat down in her seat that she had last year and waited for the rest of the ponies to come and sit.

Ms. Cheerilee smiled as the young pony looked at the board with the same excitement that she had last year even though she wasn't always the best at what she did. "Hello Ditzy. How was your summer?"

Ditzy smiled as she spoke. "It was great!"

After a few minutes the rest of the ponies began to file into the room and sit with their friends and caught up on what each other had done over the summer. No one talked to Ditzy though, than again, no one usually spoke to Ditzy unless it was to poke a jibe or some scornful comment. She never let it get to her though, she had dealt with the insults to her eyes and klutziness since she had ever came into public education.

Cheerilee stepped to the front of the class. "Alright class settle down... we have a new student today."

Almost as if on queue the entire class silenced itself, it was very rare that they had a new classmate.

Ms. Cheerilee looked at the new student. "Would you like tointroduce yourself?"

He stood in the doorway and looked at all the ponies in the classroom. "Eeyup."

The new student was a large scarlet colored pony with a huge green apple as his cutie mark. "Name's Big Macintosh."

"Where did you move to?"

"I moved in with my little sister to Sweet Apple Acres."

Many of the students whispered to each other, some of them weren't that far from where the farm was. Ditzy felt a bit crestfallen, the new students never moved near someplace where she was.

"Well thank you Big Macintosh for introducing yourself, you can go and sit in that empty seat by Ditzy if you would like."

"Eeyup."

Ditzy felt very nervous, usually she screwed up when new ponies would sit beside her and they wouldn't want to speak with her. Macintosh plopped down in the seat and unloaded his book-satchel.

Ditzy looked at him and nervously held out a hoof. "H-hi... my name is Ditzy Doo."

Big Macintosh looked at the hoof and took the shake. "Howdy."

Ditzy tried to spark a conversation. "So where did you guys move from?"

Macintosh frowned. "We moved from Manehatten."

Ditzy looked at him with wonder. "How was it?"

Macintosh put his head on his desk. "Eenope."

Ditzy felt a little disappointed that she couldn't make this new pony her friend. She heard one of the ponies whisper. "Man I feel sorry for Macintosh, having to sit beside Klutzy Derpy."

Ditzy's head fell to her desk as she would normally do when the other ponies began to speak insults. Man... barely five minutes in and I get picked on. Macintosh looked at Ditzy to try to figure out what they were talking about. He wrote a note and passed it over to her. 'I don't see anything wrong with ya.'

Ditzy wrote back. 'They are talking about my eyes.'

When the note got back to Macintosh he looked at her eyes, she was surprised that anyone would make direct eye contact with her.

He wrote. 'Still don't see anything wrong with 'em."

Ditzy couldn't help but smile a little. He dosen't care about my eyes being funny!

Class proceeded like usual with barely anyone listening to what Ms. Cheerilee was saying but Ditzy and now Big Macintosh. When they let out for lunch, Ditzy looked at Macintosh and whispered, "Would you like to eat lunch with me?"

Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup."

When they got out into the hallway two mares walked up to Macintosh and barely noticed Ditzy. "Hey big pony you want to come sit with us at lunch?"

Macintosh shook his head. "Eenope."

The two mares looked abashed, they had never seen somepony deny any of their requests. "Why not?!"

Macintosh looked at Ditzy. "Already promised I'd sit with her."

The two mares snickered. "Why in Equestria would you want to sit with Derpy Hooves?"

Macintosh looked them square in they eye. "There a reason why I wouldn't?"

They began to laugh some more. "Well, look at her, now look at you. She's a kluts and your handsome."

Macintosh gave them a dead pan look. "Why in the world does that matter?"

The two ponies looked quiet surprised that anypony would stand up for Ditzy. "Well whatever! Do what you want!" They galloped away towards where they were going to have lunch.

Ditzy looked saddened by the conversation that Macintosh had with the two mares. "You now... you don't have to defend me if you don't want to." Tears began to creep towards Ditzy's eyes.

Macintosh lifted a hoof and raised Ditzy's head. "No. I did that because ah wanted to, no more. You deserve to be treated like anypony else."

Ditzy wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thanks."

Macintosh began to swing his head. "Eeyup. Now where are we gonna have lunch?"

"I know of this really great place that sells some of the best muffins! Does that sound nice?"

Macintosh smiled a little at Ditzy's excitement and nodded his head, "Eeyup!"