Part 1: Ponyville in Disarray
Oh my! The Heroes of Harmony have been defeated! With no one left to oppose him, Discord has the full run of Equestria! It would seem our dear home Equestria is to be the home of chaos, and ponies are starting to leave. Who will stand up to this new overlord? Who has the power? Who has the determination?
" Mommy, It's dangerous to go out, I hear that he changes ponies into animals when they leave after dark..." Dinky said to her mother.
" Dinky, I'll be alright. I'm a mail mare after all, and no matter what, the mail gets delivered." Derpy Hooves stated confidently, her mailbag sitting across her flank.
" I worry when you go out, the furniture starts acting funny and the things wont stay where I put them..." Dinky said, working on drawing a picture, since school had been canceled indefinitely.
" I'll try to hurry my darling Dinky. These letters are important, ponies telling their families where they're going and how to find them!" Ditzy said, opening the door and exiting it.
The entirety of Equestria was in constant flux with the exception for a small area around Ditzy Doo at any given time. Towns and trees would pop in and out of existence, sometimes changing altogether when they reappeared. Night and day were now more inconsistent than the pudding somepony would have made yesterday.
" Twilight Sparkle, I have mail from your family! Where are you, did you leave already?" Derpy Hooves said, knocking on the door when she couldn't find the mail box.
The Library was empty, not only of Twilight Sparkle and her Trusty assistant Spike, but also of the books it had once housed. It seemed to Ditzy that Twilight Sparkle wasn't going to be the only Pony not getting her mail today. After leaving the library, she tried the homes of some of Twilight's friends in the hope that one of them would know where she'd gone. But Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were nowhere to be found either. It was at last, at Sweet Apple Acres that Ditzy finally found Applejack.
" It seems that most Ponies figure on stayin' around now that discord has the run of the town, and the elements have failed." Applejack said, her snout bunching up and her eyes darting back and forth.
" Applejack, didn't you used to be Orange? Now you're almost as gray as I am!" Ditzy Doo observed, with an astonished hop.
" Nope, I've always been this way, I don't know what you're talkin' about." Applejack said, her face making that disturbing shape again.
" Do you know where I can find one Twilight Sparkle? If I can't deliver this mail to her I have to read it!" Ditzy said frustratedly.
" Why do you have to read it? I don't know where Twilight is!" Applejack said, her face still scrunched up.
" You know if you keep doing that, your face is going to stick that way... And I have to read it because it says I do! See? Written right under Twilight's name, and if this letter cannot find Twilight Sparkle, the mail mare known as Ditzy Doo must read this letter in her stead."Ditzy Doo said, reading out the small text crammed between the name and the address line.
" Well, nope can't help you, I've got more important things to do, like buck apples! And find new friends." Applejack said, wandering off, her face finally relaxing.
Ditzy Doo sighed, it looked as though she'd have to read the letter after all. And with her wandering eyes, that was no easy feat to do! She delivered the rest of the mail, and returned home where she could use her magical reading glasses to read the letter as it was meant to be read. As she opened the door to her home something other than the usual disorder struck her as off. The lights we're rearranged, and some things simply didn't make sense, but her pride and joy, Dinky, was nowhere to be found. The one thing that shouldn't have moved or changed, should've been Dinky, but where was she?
" Dinky, I'm home! I hope I wasn't out too long, did the bookcase try to alphabetize you again?" Ditzy called out, growing anxious when only silence answered her.
" Dinky dear, mama's going to bake some tasty muffins! You want to stop playing hide and go seek so you can try some?" Ditzy called again, this time searching Dinky's usual hideouts, under the sink, behind the couch, and on the ceiling.
" By the muffins!" She said, seeing a message scrawled on the ceiling of her home.
For the duration of the message, Ditzy Doo was startled into seeing correctly. She was able to read the contents aloud to herself, committing them to memory. Dear Ditzy Doo Mail Mare extrordinare, I have kidnapped your daughter Dinky Doo. She was far too orderly to keep around in Ponyville, so I've decided to modify her so she can stay with you my wayward subject. P.S. stop delivering mail to the right ponies, it's much more interesting when you deliver it to the wrong pony and watch the fun ensue! Signed, Yours Truly, Discordious 'Discord' Q. McMayhem.
Reader's Note: My first stab at having Ditzy/Derpy as the main character. And also one of my few attempts to completely dodge Grim Dark tales. No one maimed or killed yet. At least. Reviews as always are welcome, I'm not some sort of evil Grinch that's going to hunt you down and gut you like a fish.