Disclaimer: I'm Darkon Shadows, my middle name Arters. Don't own such and such, really why would anyone want to sue me I don't do anything recognizable or noticeable enough to be called out on it. I'm a horrible fan fiction writer so forgive me for living; also I don't know the meaning of the word 'Quintessential'. I write without too much effect but sometimes; maybe, I can hit a gold mine of ideas… this probably isn't it.
Summary: Someone is taking down mail delivery ponies and one Dolly Verance is tasked with solving the problem.
Story- Mail Ponies 2: Postal Ponies.
Chapter 1: DERP.
She shook her head as she read through the only piece of mail to make it through the long distance delivery system in a month. It was picked off a mail pony that looked to have flown through a war zone and was currently in the Ponyville medical facility recovering. The poor winged colt was found crawling into town with one of his wings bent completely in the wrong direction, a sprained hoof, a broken hind leg, covered in deep cuts, horrendous bruises and not to mention bleeding everywhere.
"Dolly Verance,
It is my hope that you receive this letter. Recently all long distance carriers have been intercepted by an unknown force. The injuries to some of the best long distance mail delivery ponies alive are beginning to wear on the mailing systems and it is becoming noticeably worse. Even with the support of Wonderbolt teams, something is maliciously targeting mail ponies specifically. I would like for you to bring Celestia and Luna's attention to the matter at hand and then seek out the cause of the disturbance. Don't try to take this on all by yourself 'Doll-face'.
Your friend, 'Ego-Ten'"
Looking at the last part of the message Dolly didn't know any 'Ego Ten' but she did know the code word 'E-Ten' when she saw it. The tenth letter of the letter after her name was the letter 'E' in the word 'Hope'.
It made a special acronym from the words 'Eaten' and 'Hope' and...
"Emergency Action Team Essentially Needed. Havoc Only Potential Expectation."
Their little code system was unnecessarily complex for the mailing business, especially when you consider the name 'Ego Ten' itself. But then again mail delivery for this dispatcher was serious business.
"Equine Granted Override, Take Everything Necessary."
A pair of stone grey eyes narrowed, she was going to need some help. But her mail team was mostly busy except for Derpy. She was going to have to put together a team from scratch and whatever she remembered Dipsy telling her about certain individuals. Plus she was given free-reign what with the override to bring in whoever she wanted on this one. No one intercepts the mail on 'Danger Sense' Dolly's watch.
Dolly Verance was a winged pony with a short white mane and black haired tail; it caused ponies to ask which one had she dyed white or black. The answer to that was neither, but that wasn't important. Her red coat shined along with her large feathery wings and at her flank was a coat of arms depicting four different weather patterns. Her 'cutie mark' as some would call it, represented her storm watching nature and her ability to route any danger heading in her direction.
She; Dolly, was simply a mail pony dispatcher, a weather pony and in some respects a downright scary pony with how far ahead she could plan some things. She also had a few skeletons in her closet that some ponies should never have to find out about. Some of which led her to headaches and consuming more aspirin then any pony rightfully should, but considering all the stuff she deals with she truly needed every single bit of it.
Team forty or better known as Team Four D's Deliveries are the friendliest mail ponies in Ponyville. The team was mostly known for every pony's favorite magnificent muffin munching mail mare Derpy Hooves. She was really popular with everyone and was usually seen following the exploits of six other special ponies that were always doing something or other that was incredibly interesting.
Recently she had dispatched them on a long distance mission with 'The Package' and that went surprisingly well what with Derpy making friends with Princess Luna. They were chosen to carry that package out of necessity that not many other ponies could be trusted as well as they could be to do their jobs to the best of their abilities even if they couldn't beat a squad of Wonderbolts. Wonderbolts were trained aerial acrobats and Special Forces ponies that kept the skies of Equestria clean of dangers, with the exception that Ponyville didn't have any local Wonderbolts to handle those kinds of problems.
Speaking of Special Forces, Dolly carefully considered who she would get other then Derpy to join her on a rather hazardous mission. Judging by the way that long distance mail carrier came in this wouldn't be a very good situation they were trotting into.
The other three members of team forty that wouldn't be able to come were on several different rather stressful assignments that some ponies were paying for their services through the postal office. Every mare of the mail delivery team forty with the exception of substitute dispatcher Pinkie and Dolly herself looked incredibly similar with their lime blonde manes and bluish grey coats.
Dipsy Duh was on a train to Constanticoltle, the place recently changed its name from Itsabull which was less of a mouthful to say. She was currently on a long winded winding mission of vague importance that left Dolly vaguely wondering if Dipsy was sleeping like she normally was. The pony that paid the postal office personally required her services for some reason or another and she couldn't even begin to guess why someone would want the world's laziest delivery pony.
()
Meanwhile on that train to Constanticoltle, Dipsy wasn't sleeping nor was she given any time to relax as a huge monstrous pony landed on top of her growling in her face. She had been knocked onto her back just seconds ago by the scary beast narrowly avoiding injury. The sharp fangs had drool dripping off them from the mouth where it's bad breath flowed out as the hoof which had claws growing out of it came down at her. Dipsy quickly rolled under the Werepony avoiding the claws and galloped as fast as she could out of the train car. The transformed beast of a male pony was hot on her flank about to either rend her to shreds or turn her into what it was.
"Why in the world do I keep meeting ponies who ask me to deal with this crazy stuff? I'm not Puffy the Vampony slayer for crying out loud!"
()
Ditzy Doo was currently in Canterlot as part of a special construction project to see if they can reinforce structures to withstand incredible impacts. They paid the post office in advance for the hours she would normally spend working carrying heavy and dangerous stuff around Ponyville. If the project succeeds the mayor might finally be able to have a house that stands longer then two or three days at a time and it'll usher in a new era of pony architecture. Personally Dolly was proud of Ditzy, as for once she was doing something productively destructive.
()
Meanwhile in Canterlot Ditzy Doo was having the time of her life, it was like she got to be a little foal playing with blocks again. Only this time she was destroying fabricated structures for the betterment of surviving nature on the off chance that all the weather ponies in a general area were sick or otherwise momentarily indisposed during some really bad weather. A cheerful innocent smile crossed her face as they set up another mostly hollow building structure. With her eyes crossed Ditzy flew straight at it with the force of a buffalo many times her size.
"WHEEEEEEE" What followed shortly after was a crashing sound and screams from several ponies on the project that they should have gone to a safer distance "its okay, my body broke the buildings fall."
What followed was a bunch of disbelieving stares that the pony was still able to continue on the project after they already had her drop three hollow two floor house like structures on herself. They promised Ditzy her a real home in Ponyville if they could succeed to keep one standing and considering how many structures she's destroyed it would be the most sturdiest house in all of pony kind. It would have to be to survive that Pegasus and normally a winged pony shouldn't be this strong, she probably had really thick earth pony genetics… mostly centered on her head.
()
Then there was Dixie Day. She was still in Ponyville, but she had what Dolly considered the hardest job out of the three missing mailing mares. She had to babysit half of Ponyville's foals and fillies on her own.
The previous caretaker in charge of the local daycare kind of organization sorely needed that vacation and Dixie was the best replacement for that kind of work anyone could get, especially when you involve the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It was cringe worthy whenever those three were mentioned and Dixie could not and should not be removed from doing something so important. Even if Dolly wanted to spare the poor pony her sanity from having to deal with so much trouble.
()
Meanwhile in what passes for Ponyville's Daycare building, Dixie wasn't having a bad time at all as she rocked a tiny foal to sleep and cooed too it quietly before placing it down. She watched as the three so called 'Chaos Marked Crusaders' tired themselves out and were laying on top of each other in a neat pile, they looked so innocent too. Fluttering over the three the grey coated pony smiled, she carefully put them into the napping zone with pillows and blankets making sure they were next to each other.
"Maybe someday…" Dixie said to herself wistfully, she loved caring for foals and little fillies. Even if it was the most difficult job in the world, this experience would stay in her heart forever as she watched the three Cutie Mark heat seekers snuggle up next to each other. She was especially fond of that one particular dinky unicorn in the corner, for some reason she couldn't find any information on her parents in the caretaker's files.
There was no such thing as an orphanage in the pony world, unfortunately foals or young fillies without parents are usually passed around and taken care of by everypony that were willing to for as long as they feasibly could. There is never any pony left behind and frankly Dixie would later become sad when it was time to stop caring for all the little ones, but she wasn't leaving with empty hooves.
Dixie was a pony that cared about every single little pony in the herd and there was only one here that didn't have any full-time parental figures.
()
Dolly shrugged to herself, if she couldn't specifically have mail ponies to work with then a little outsourcing wouldn't hurt.
First she needs someone with book smarts. Dipsy has talked about that nice librarian Twilight Sparkle being as such. It wouldn't be too hard convincing her to come as she wasn't a very busy pony and could use a little excitement, plus Celestia would order her to come anyway considering Dolly's history with the princess.
Twilight could negotiate if whatever was harming the mailing ponies was willing to talk, if not…
Second she needed someone with street smarts, that could lie like no tomorrow, had decent reflexes and at the very least a pony that needs a new job. The fallen "Great and Powerful" Trixie would do just that, she has been sulking around Ponyville since her stage and home was wrecked by that Ursa Minor which Twilight defeated.
Getting her in on this would involve making Trixie a better pony. However they would need to solve her bragging problem first and maybe get her attention with the promise of a place to live. As a side offer she could ask Derpy to be Trixie's friend, Dolly was pretty sure Derpy liked her for hogtying Applejack up that one time. Sure Derpy recently forgave Applejack, but she certainly hasn't forgotten the muffin incident.
There would be some infighting but she needed someone who can be very distracting and a magician was always good at misdirection. That is if Trixie still had what it takes to be a real magician in the first place. Trixie would make a good look out if she wasn't full of herself for more than a second and considering how far she's traveled she would know how to handle small dangers with relative ease.
Third she needed someone who was one with nature and could easily handle unfamiliar surroundings without much trouble. Zecora of course was a natural choice, but it would take some convincing to get the Everfree Forest hermit out and involved. Dipsy tended to visit her for medicine when she needed something specially made, Zecora had a rhyming problem and that was the only thing about the zebra that could be a little problematic. As rhyming all the time would get annoying and might grate on Trixie and especially her own nerves, which were usually blown from having to deal with Ditzy on a regular basis.
Fluttershy, Applejack and many other ponies were discounted as helpful for various reasons, mostly because they were needed elsewhere or they wouldn't be able to handle a broad range of situations that Dolly would need of them. Zecora was primarily going to be her field medic if things went horribly.
She already had Derpy and that pony was bringing something to the table none of the others could, just plain old common sense and random genius level intellect when it suited her. Her recent delivery of that rather particular package proved her to be a leader potentially and Dolly might give her job to Derpy for a day or two on the principle that she needed a break. Derpy; though Dolly was sure she would hate herself later for it, might be the bait they needed to lure whatever was attacking the mail ponies out into the open.
There was a common theme among all these ponies and a zebra; they were good at working alone, plus they had an equally high survivability rate together as they did alone. They would need that if any of them were separated from each other for any reason; they were all reasonably intelligent enough to get themselves out of sticky situations. Plus Derpy has been camping with Ditzy before; she had to learn how to survive on the principle of who she was camping with.
The final member of the assembly would be Dolly herself, she was gathering some of the finest minds together to solve this problem and if they could solve it without violence. Let it not be her who cast the first stone the size of a boulder if things went Ditzy Doo's kind of South. She would make sure nothing fell apart and that they would stop the mail pony mangling at the source.
She was going to let everyone give suggestions for what to do during the mission if they all agreed to do whatever was suggested a good plan of action would follow, she was already reconsidering using herself as bait before letting Derpy do anything dangerous such as live bait work.
This of course meant that she would have to accept every ponies advice on any situation including Derpy's input without overlooking any idea, all the while choosing the best ones from her think tank. Having four different approaches to any situation left one with plenty of escape routes.
Now she just had to gather them all together, taking out a pen she pulled out three sheets of paper and envelopes. When Derpy got back from her rounds she would have to make three special deliveries today.
After she was assured that at least some of them were going to help, she would have to stop by Sugar Cube Corner for a special order. She knew Pinkie hated those special orders, but if they really needed a "party" then it was well worth the sad look on Pinkie's face when she handed over the order for her special "party favors".
()
"Dear Ms. Sparkle I require you're..." Twilight sparkle started reading as Derpy flew off whistling to herself and getting muffin crumbs all over her face, it distracted Twilight a bit. She shook her head and continued to read.
After a moment she pulled out a second letter addressed to Celestia and Luna, she quickly called for Spike. She might not know Dolly, but apparently she knew her and was asking for her services personally in a serious matter. She had Spike send a message to the princesses asking if she knew anything about this pony named Dolly, she also had Spike send the second letter to them from Dolly.
The response made Twilight feel like there was something that princess Celestia wasn't telling her and Luna was clueless as she had been sealed away a thousand years. But they both agreed that Twilight should assist Dolly in her endeavors and that she'd learn a thing or two about how to actually apply the knowledge she had stuffed into her head. The most unsettling thing was the words that almost came out in Celestia's voice in Twilights mind.
"Be careful my faithful prized student. You can put your trust in Dolly; she will protect you with her life and I fear it might actually come to that if she has her way."
()
"Assistance with a great disturbance and promise that…" The ragged looking magician stopped reading and took a bite of the muffin she received from the smiling mail delivery mail with the bubbles on her flank and the weird eyes. Who in the world knew that she the downtrodden and pathetic Trixie was still around Ponyville and why did they have a box of rather delicious homemade muffins delivered to her with an offer for work.
Reading it she saw the name Dolly, she wondered who that was and why they seemed so adamant that they meet, well she didn't have much better to do and there was an address. Not to mention the offer of more free food if she came to the address, she really missed home cooked meals instead of randomly grazing around barely living. Looking a gift pony in the mouth was something she couldn't afford to do anyway.
The magician pony with a blue coat and her mane and tail was a light; almost white, blue carefully used what little magic she had in her to plop her purple star covered hat unceremoniously on her head and she stood up, someone was personally asking for her? Why not indulge them with her wonderful presence, her purple eyes shined with exuberance of returned energy and a need for more of these fantastic well made muffins. Sniffing herself she might also ask someone for a shower if they could be so kind, she could barely see the wand shaped cutie mark spreading its magical crescent shape along her rear.
()
"A trouble is brewing, while I sit here stewing?" Zecora had finished reading the letter and wondered how this Dolly knew of her she really didn't have many friends in Ponyville even after they stopped being so shy around her. Twilight was the one that usually dealt with large troubles in Ponyville or so she stated at one of their quaint little tea parties, it was just unfortunate that last time poor Twilight was turned to stone temporarily by a cockatrice.
If she had known that had happened she would have given her the antidote for being petrified, Zecora always kept a spare bottle of the stuff on hand along with wearing her magical golden bracelet that coiled around her front right leg that prevented the same from happening to her.
Her green eyes wandered what to take with her to this meeting of the minds; she looked to the sun like mark on her black and white striped rear that was like a cutie mark. All she would need is her cloak doused in a varying amount of substances that kept wild animals from attacking her and she figured that would be all she needed aside from the bracelet. She would set out to get to the meeting at the appointed time and she would only have as few items as she needed on her person, she traveled light as she has never had a problem with surviving off the wild surroundings of the Everfree Forest before.
()
Derpy returned to Dolly and threw her a salute with a smile and a wall eyed expression. She was proud of her accomplishment for last minute mail deliveries with haste and a slightly burnt smell.
"Good job Derpy, your done delivering mail today… but I'm not finished with you, so if you'll please follow me home I've got something to ask you when my guests arrive." Dolly got a nod from Derpy before she closed up her office for the day and got the lime blonde pony to follow her to her home which was rather plain in its appearance. Entering into the house Derpy looked around never having seen Dolly's house before and it was a rather sparse environment.
There was a sitting room at the entrance with several couches; next to that room were the kitchen and a table with everything needed for making simple meals. The stairs lead up to a bedroom, large bathroom and a guest room, hardly any decorations except for the picture of a family with a earth pony stallion who had a red coat, short yellow mane and green tail. Next to the Stallion was a mare with incredibly long white mane and tail, with a beautiful black coat and oddly enough dark purple wings.
"Okay what's the mission Dolly?" Derpy had guessed the reason she was asked to Dolly's house. Dolly sat down and motioned for Derpy to do the same as they finished the tour of her home, it seems like the only thing she splurged on was her bathroom which was really the most impressive thing in the house.
"Not yet Derpy, I'm expecting guests that are going to join us on this mission. Need anything while we wait." Dolly watched as Derpy tilted her head questioningly in confusion.
"No I don't need anything, but what do you mean by 'US' exactly?" Derpy wasn't sure why, but she felt as if something serious had been going on and it might explain why she hasn't had to deliver too much mail recently. She understood what the word 'mission' meant all too well; she's been on a few with the most recent being about 'The Package' and that was the most exciting as it got. When Dolly had a mission it meant that it was important to mailing services and usually entirely voluntary, but this time it sounded far more serious then Derpy was used to if Dolly herself was going on the mission as well.
"Just as it sounds, but I'll explain more when everyone gets here and we're all set for my explanation of the situation, even I'm not entirely informed what's happening but I have my suspicions." Dolly became laid out on the couch with her front hooves behind her head as she sighed, she really hated waiting sometimes and she really wanted the mail routes restored to working order.
Derpy had always thought that Dolly was a classy mare but to see her like this in her home. It was rather humbling for the best mail mare in Ponyville to see Dolly being so relaxed; it was kind of unnerving in a way.
Dolly knew Derpy was staring, she knew the wall eyed smiling mail delivering pony was staring without having to look in her general direction. Derpy was going to eventually learn some things about her and maybe Pinkie too before this was all over, she just hoped Derpy could handle some of the darker side of things as well as Pinkie could. Pinkie was a barrel of laughs, sometimes the poor mare would cry on the inside even if she seemed eternally joyful by outer appearance which made her kind of like Derpy in a way always trying to keep the world happy while bearing its weight on their backs. Dolly knew how that felt and here she was at it again and it has been how long?
Eventually a knock came at the door Dolly proceeded to roll off the couch and quickly trot over to the door, opening it she was met with a haggard looking magician. The so called 'Great and Powerful' Trixie definitely needed the love of a shower or bathtub right now.
"Hello, you must be Trixie do me a favor and shed the cape and hat and follow me upstairs to the bathroom you could use a good wash and afterwards we can see about cleaning your favorite articles of clothing. After the others arrive we'll talk." Dolly was honestly trying to help Trixie but the way she was about to react and how her jaw muscles started to work Dolly knew what the magician was going to say.
It was something along the lines of how dare you ask me the blah and blah Trixie to remove her articles of power or some such nonsense like that. Dolly wouldn't stand for that and she had a working method already for dealing with Trixie's attitude, it was simple as it was barbaric. Trixie received a harsh slap across the face followed by a soothing if confusing hug and all while she was still in shock from the slap. Dolly slowly removed her hat and cape setting them off to the side. Trixie just sat there wide eyed.
Derpy watched in both horror and intrigue as Dolly had never raised a hoof to any pony like that and Ditzy caused her headaches like nothing else, why was Trixie so different other then the holier than thou…
Oh, well, Dolly's actions kind of make an eerie sort of sense now. Derpy thought about the two things she did in quick succession to confuse Trixie, one was the slap and two was the hug to apologize for the slap. Dolly wrapped her right wing around Trixie's mid-section and led her still shocked visage up the stairs and into the bathroom her body seemed to be on auto-pilot from Dolly's gentle nudging and a stare from her currently gentle grey eyes.
Derpy contemplated a few things about Dolly, she didn't know much about her boss and equally Dolly didn't know much about her. There was the thought that Dolly always knew what she was doing even if it wasn't immediately apparent and Derpy actually accepted that she just treated a pony in front of her harshly. That slap wasn't without reason as Derpy had seen Trixie's showboating. Trixie was a performer always trying to impress; unfortunately she lost sight of her own limits what with the boasting and trying to be better then everything. She was a bit of a jerk but Derpy has befriended Gilda. So Derpy figured she will not have as much trouble in befriending Trixie or so she hoped as she liked making new friends.
Laying back and looking at the ceiling Derpy's wings flared out underneath her trying to get into a comfortable position as she listened to the water running upstairs. She knew Dolly wouldn't be mean to her anymore unless she rightfully deserved it. A knock on the door came and Derpy sat up looking to it.
"DERPY ANSWER THE DOOR I'M BUSY UP HERE!" As Dolly said this she turned back to Trixie who was sitting in a tub full of hot water her body wasn't very relaxed but she looked to be content as Dolly scrubbed her back. Taking the shampoo bottle into her mouth she squirted a bit of goo from her special shampoo bottle, it was a fast acting hair rejuvenating magical shampoo made by unicorns and Dolly rarely used the stuff but she always kept a bottle on hand in case she needed to clean up for a night out.
Dolly thought about how she really needed to start dating again, it didn't matter the gender she wasn't into physical affection and only cared for the emotional aspects and the sharing of intellectual ideals. She carefully worked the magical mix throughout a quiet Trixie's coat and mane before dumping a bucket of water over her head causing her eyes to shut forcefully for a moment. Many would think this would be awkward, but Dolly was just getting her clean enough to be presentable as how Trixie used to consider herself.
Trixie was in a world of nothingness her mind a blank, what had happened to her? She couldn't even begin to remember where she was as she was floating in an empty space, until she heard something crunching or sliding together. Slowly she tried to blink away the haze, but nothing was forthcoming.
Dolly had finished brushing and trimming Trixie's mane alongside her tail and it wouldn't be long until she came to her senses so Dolly would go put her clothes in the wash and wait for her to realize that she was acting like a little foal right now being led around and treated with care. Trixie's mane was a little longer then it started out at due to the magical growth properties of the shampoo, but Dolly didn't think she would notice given the state she was currently in.
Making her way down the stairs Dolly saw that both her other guests were already making themselves at home with her tea. Twilight and Zecora were already enjoying themselves with Derpy's anecdote about how Dipsy handled that annoyance creature that terrorized Ponyville while Twilight and her friends were too busy with other stuff to notice it. Dolly knew Dipsy was a narcoleptic or at least she seemed that way as she got into the strangest situations while she was awake, speaking of which it was getting rather late in the evening. As if Dolly could forget Dipsy and the bizarre flying spaghetti monster incident, as an afterthought they would have to set out tomorrow morning.
Tonight they would learn of the troubles of the mail not being delivered to the rightful recipients and what they could do to fix that, if they agree to help.
"Hello and welcome to my home, sorry to call for all of your attention on short notice but I've got some laundry to do and I have to get the last pony down here, now if you'll excuse I'll be back in a minute to explain my call for aid." With that she set about picking up Trixie's stuff and making sure to use her wings to keep it on top of her back, she made sure that Twilight saw the clothing making her gasp a little as Dolly exited the room. Hopefully Twilight holds no ill will towards Trixie or this could get ugly.
"Trixie's here?" Twilight had wondered what became of the magician and Derpy knowing the answer didn't think to hard about what she was about to say to twilight. "Yes, she was living in the Everfree Forest until Dolly had me take a letter to her she was really hard to find what with all the monsters and things I came across. She really likes muffins too, she's my newest friend."
Twilight ears titled back at seeing the cheerful smile on the mail mares face, as if all the monsters she probably ran into didn't try to hurt her or even scare her a little. But then again Trixie had been living in the Everfree Forest, how did Derpy even deliver that letter to her if she didn't have a home? Okay that was a bit of heel realization on Twilights part, when she realized that Trixie didn't have a home after the Ursa Minor incident. However this spoke highly of Derpy as a delivery mare when Zecora offered some her input.
"Facing all the dangerous monsters in there, must have put into you quite a scare." Sipping her tea Zecora saw Derpy shake her head no. "I deliver the mail no exceptions for Balrogs, Blast Beaks, Burning Bullfrogs or even the occasional poisonous Blow Puff Bat."
"You've seen a Blast Beak you say, many a pony has lost a mane that way. The other things you mentioned, have you seen them in this dimension?" Zecora was truly enthralled by the thought of Derpy's heroism as Trixie wandered down the stairs blindly barely watching where she was going as she sat down on an empty couch blankly paying attention to anyone in the room. Twilight noticed however that her coat was glossy and her mane was a bit longer then it had been. Trixie didn't look like she had been out in the Everfree Forest and was that a towel wrapped around her waist? She must have just gotten out of a bath.
Trixie laid her chin on the couch she was trying to focus on her surrounding but she just couldn't for some odd reason though she just felt safe and secure in the knowledge that someone actually made her feel all warm in fuzzy not too long ago. Even if said person slapped her hard across the face, she felt wanted now and that was something she hasn't felt in a long time, that Dolly pony really knew how to make her feel just right to the point that she hadn't noticed that purple pony in the room was Twilight.
Yep; now that Trixie looked at her, she didn't care Twilight was currently under the same roof she was.
Too bad Trixie was still too out of her senses to scream revenge or even get angry with the purple pony, not that she had a reason to be angry in the first place. She listened to the familiar grey pony's tale of intrigue where somehow she managed to get a Balrog and a Blast Beak into a fight with each other.
Apparently that somehow involved shoving a flaming frog into the mouth of an inflatable bat and using the noxious gas it normally spews as a form of makeshift biological flamethrower, then she managed to trap all four of the dangerous animals in a pit before meeting up with her 'the happy and content' Trixie.
Close to forty minutes of entertaining the guest in Dolly's house Dolly came back with Trixie's now restored clothing.
"Here you go Trixie put these on, also I hope you're in your right mind at this moment considering I slapped the sense out of you." Trixie magically put on the hat and cape; her face was unreadable, then she slowly put both her hooves around Dolly's neck and started crying into her velvety red coat. Her cape and hat felt so warm and inviting fresh from a steam dryer.
Dolly didn't move to comfort Trixie as that would be a rather stupid thing to do at this juncture; instead she let Trixie cry as she addressed every other pony in the room without worrying about her, she was a strong unicorn, she'd bounce back to her semi-normal ways in no time. Semi-normal as in Dolly wasn't going to let her get a big head or become full of herself again anytime soon.
"Now that I have finished fixing or in some cases breaking a homeless magician, I have brought you all here for an urgent reason of importance. Something is stalking and knocking down the best mail delivery ponies in the world, how would any of you feel if you couldn't receive a package?" Before anyone could ask a question Dolly held up a hoof without disturbing the crying Trixie. "Rhetorical question as everyone would feel the same if the anticipated package didn't arrive on time. In this sitting room are some of the greatest minds in Ponyville."
Trixie stopped crying and looked at Dolly's cold grey eyes. Wondering what Dolly meant as she was forcibly motioned to take a seat with the rest of the ponies in the room, she sat next to Derpy feeling safe with the pony who knew where to get those delicious muffins. As of right now her mind was numb, she was fearful of Dolly and equally curious about how exactly the pony managed to knock the haughtiness right out of her. To be frank Trixie never had any pony that would treat her quite like that except for... well she had felt like Dolly had instantly become her friend. Trixie had been cowed by her actions so fast it made her head spin a bit just remembering how fast Dolly's hoof struck out.
"Before I continue would anyone want a snack other then you Derpy, I swear if you keep stuffing those muffins you won't be able to fly anymore." As Dolly finished expressing her concerns that her guest namely one in particular might be hungry, Trixie shyly raised her hoof but didn't say anything.
Dolly thought "At least Trixie was progressing to kindergarten levels of response." quite humorously though she would never express that outwardly. Twilight raised a hoof as she sipped some tea and Zecora too put a hoof in the air. As Dolly made her way into the kitchen she continued to talk to the ponies and zebra in her sitting room.
"Lately there has been a rise of mail pony mauling that; even with the Wonder Dolts assisting them, are still happening. I've been assigned the ability to cobble together a small task force to find the problem and make sure it's not much of a problem anymore, so far I have a hunch as to what it could be but I'm not entirely sure until I see what happens for myself. The name of the temporarily formed task force if you choose to join it is called DERP which stands for Determined, Exceptional and Reliable Ponies. No offense to you of course Zecora." As she finished her spiel she came into the sitting room with a large tray she sat down with what appears to be leftovers from whatever meals she had made, Trixie was the first to get a bite and express her surprise at the taste with a hum, but still no vocalized thoughts. Dixie Day really should teach cooking to more ponies, especially if Dolly could get that kind of reaction from what she learned from "Do-it-all" Dixie.
"None at all I would be taking, as you prove this food was worth the making." Who in the world taught this Dolly person how to cook, because you certainly couldn't learn this kind of stuff from a book.
Zecora liked the crunch of the particular dish she dove into.
"Now as I have no exact clue what this threat to our mailing systems is, it is possibly lethal and or volatile to all of pony kind, fortunately so far this only seems to be suspiciously enough affecting mail ponies. Now if you'll look to this screen." Reaching up with a hoof, Dolly pulled down a projector screen. The room darkened and a light from a projector came from out of nowhere to hit the projector screen putting an image on it.
"If you should volunteer for DERP I will tell you what comes won't be easy, but it'll be rewarding for multiples reasons. Depending on how you; the volunteers, act is whether or not DERP can continue helping ponies after this sordid affair is all said and done or if we'll just part ways forgetting this ever happens. One you'll be a hero for even just finding out what is causing all these sickening messes of our Pegasus friends like this one here." What came up on the screen was a logo with a muffin in front of it with the letters DERP on the wrapper, followed by a picture of what the colt currently in the hospital looked like before he was bandaged back together. Dolly really had to thank Artsy Tartsy for all this stuff the guy does for her and he paints things exactly as they appear, he never needs to buy a camera as long as he has a pencil. Twilights face looked horrified, Derpy had a calculating look in her wall eyed expression, Zecora looked a little ill and Trixie just stared blankly at the image.
"Tomorrow Spaniel C. Arro should be well enough to actually get a few words out of him about the situation at hand; I'll also be picking up some supplies from a specialist in what I need. If I have to go alone I will, if I don't come back someone else will have to follow in my steps and I don't like that idea one bit. Before I go on with the benefits of joining aside from obviously helping ponies, are you alright Zecora?" The image now on screen was showing Sugar Cane Junction, a building was prominent in the picture but no one could tell it was the one Dolly was talking about.
"That is something that leaves me feeling green, but it most certainly cannot be unseen." Zecora ate a bit of food and took a slow sip of fresh soothing liquid to calm her nerves. Never had she seen a winged one so mangled, for the poor colt looked as if he was rather badly tangled.
"Very well, other than being a hero you will acquire knowledge of how to camp if you don't already have that knowledge from those you'll be traveling with. We all have our talents, dreams and abilities that we can share as well as learn about and from each other. We'll learn to trust to the point that we're willing to trust each other even if we have a knife to our backs courtesy of the one we trust the most. Now for a more personal touch to it Twilight books or information can't be moved around, any scientific study team out there wouldn't be able to mail you anything from the Geeky Pony Monthly catalogues, not to mention you'll see new strange and wondrous things while risking life and hoof. Derpy someday you'll be head mail mare at the post office if you want the job, I really want you in on this but you don't have to be if you're too scared and you probably won't be eating a lot of muffins if we do this but I know I can pack plenty of coffee mix for you. You can keep whatever is left of it when we're through." Dolly saw a glint in Derpy's eyes, she wasn't backing out of this and she was most certainly not afraid. Well if facing down a Balrog and a Blast Beak with a burning frog loaded bat full of hot poisonous air isn't brave she didn't know what was. Though the imagery was still ridiculous Dolly didn't think Derpy exaggerated even for a second.
The pictures that showed up on the projector were as follows: A campsite with a smiling cross eyed grey mare with symbol of a large bubble wrapping around several smaller bubbles, A bed with a sleeping Dipsy in it, oddly of Derpy getting struck in the back by a green mane and tailed Wonder Bolt, followed by a library filled to the brims with books surrounded by creepy looking shadows and finally a comic of Derpy hoarding a bag of muffin flavored coffee.
"Zecora all those plant seeds you keep asking for have to be delivered this way, plus it'll give you the ability to find and pick up some rare plants while we're traveling if you don't have anything more important to do at your hut that is ma'am. Trixie you stand to gain more from this than anyone else and I'm not going to sugar coat it for you, I'm not taking any of your guff if you decide to join me on this excursion. I'll be giving you food and a home, maybe restore your own little caravan if you wish. I'm already offering you protection, but you are going to need to earn my friendship, affection and most of all my trust. If you join I'll tell you what I need of you and you are going to listen to my advice on whatever happens; it is your choice whether you listen to me or not since I'm not always going to be right." Dolly had just admitted that she wasn't perfect, but she also made it clear that she knew Trixie very well. Trixie perked up at being mentioned and she kept watching the screen her eyes never left it, she couldn't look directly at those cold grey eyes right now.
On the screen it showed a sickeningly cute baby Zecora romping around in some herb garden and it was followed by Zecora holding some form of rare shining plant above her head in a pot filled with dirt with a smile.
The next picture that showed up was of Trixie as a foal huddling in a shadow with tears streaming from her eyes and her tiny floppy magician hat on her head. Looking at the picture Trixie couldn't feel insulted in the slightest and actually felt like she was looking a mirror of what Dolly thought of her.
The last picture was of Dolly herself in a full body cast except for her head and she was smirking, that really spooked all the other ponies and zebra when they looked at the stoic Dolly.
"I guess Artsy Tartsy had a good sense of humor today, he's a fast worker and takes commissions for next to nothing. Now who wants to join or do you have a ceaseless amount of questions? You each get to ask one and I'll answer truthfully as I see it, just so you know the truth is whatever you want to think." Dolly said blandly while looking to the ponies and zebra crowding her house with a raised eye as she advertised her artist friend rather blatantly.
"Yes, how do you know Princess Celestia and how come I've never seen you before if she knows you so well?" Twilight was really curious as she has been around Celestia for some many years and Dolly has obviously been in Ponyville for a while but she wasn't that much older than her.
"You've never seen me because I left her side not too long after she picked you up as a student and I was a rambunctious valiant filly then. Came here to become a mail mare and rather quickly a dispatcher with my thrice curse friend Dipsy. Okay next." Dolly didn't answer Twilight's other question; she just made more questions pop up. Why did her arrival drive Dolly from the princess's side?
"But you didn't answer my other question and." Twilight received a held up hoof causing her to stop. "And you asked two questions for which I only had to answer one and I did, next."
Trixie watched the exchange; there was just something about Dolly. She was noticeably dodgy when Celestia was mentioned, despite her face being completely blank.
"Will we learn more stuff about you Dolly?" Everyone turned to Derpy in honest surprise; they wondered why she didn't know so much about her own boss. Dolly knew what Derpy wanted to know and she might as well give it to her. "If we survive this, I hope I can learn about you too. You're a wandering enigma Derpy, you have no background before you came to Ponyville and even then nobody has ever come sniffing around for you."
Derpy gave a quaint little somewhat sad smile while her eyes went in opposite directions, the thoughts in her mind were here own and she knew it was only a matter of time before they learned about each other.
Derpy's past was as mysterious to her friends as it was to anyone else and even all Princess Luna knew was that she was able to Eagle or Birdie every single hole in a simple game of golf, "It's all in the delivery" she would say.
"Who… who would you expect to… die first if we all decided to go on this mission? You know when things get really bad." Trixie found her voice and it was squeaking out exactly in the way Twilights friend Fluttershy would. Dolly trotted to a standing position in front of the slowly rebuilding magician that had finally progressed to preteen almost ready to admit to her mortality so she can hit adult again.
"Me. And you know what? I'll welcome it if my sacrifice doesn't mean you don't die under exactly ten minutes after I'm gone and start falling apart all over yourselves." Dolly was telling the truth, with her abilities to sense danger as it came she almost always ended up in the path of danger making sure someone else is out of it.
"Brave thing a pony that doesn't fear the bodily rift, but it makes me guess do you have a gift?" In essence Zecora notice something odd about her mannerisms, the way she moved and how she acted. It was true she would later say, no pony that was normal would act that way.
"Yes, every pony in life gets the gift of a cutie mark a moment in time they realize something important of themselves and it's a constant reminder we keep with us forever no matter the lesson or meaning of said symbolism. Mine in particular was very broad in meaning when I earned it." None of the ponies knew what Dolly meant. But Zecora obviously knew it now, as her eyes narrowed and Dolly was looking her in the eyes without so much a change in her demeanor or show of emotion.
Every small twitch the lovely cold mare had made, it makes one wonder when the price will be paid? A shield upon which disasters struck, this mare would fight to defend to her very last buck.
"Well are you going to join me or let me go alone?" Dolly finally said to all who were intently looking at her.
"Dolly you're my boss, I'm a mail pony and even if I weren't obligated to go. I'd still follow you even if you told me to stay behind, just out of the fact that you made me aware of what you were doing in the first place. I can't sit by in good conscience, because I'm a likely target as any other mail pony out there sooner or later. " Derpy sat down and pulled a muffin from out of nowhere to start nibbling on it.
"Figured as much Derpy, you're as emotional about the mail as I am, the only two things you get more emotional over is muffins and friends which aren't that far from each other on your scale." Dolly didn't smile, but she wanted to and she looked to the other three ponies in her house.
"I'm going, I want to see why Celestia recommended me to you and she's never steered me wrong before, I know I can be of good help too you I just need to find a book on traveling by hoof first." Twilight had a bit of an optimistic streak about her; despite how often she gets driven to insanity by the nature of Ponyville's normal belligerently random and socially wild atmosphere. Dolly wondered how long until she folded without her friends being around, hopefully Derpy can fill a void for two ponies at once and if only Twilight knew why Celestia suggested accompanying her.
"Glad to have you as a part of DERP, you are a deputy mail pony now and you don't really have to deliver mail, you just have to help me this one time and any time after I can maybe help you." Because Celestia knows Twilight wasn't the most important pony in the grand scheme of things going on in the shadows. Yeah right and Dolly would sooner grow a unicorn's horn and gain power over all weather, which was actually Rainbow Dashes department.
"If she is joining then I will too, no way am I leaving her alone with you." Zecora was obviously suspicious of Dolly, but it wasn't as bad as when everyone else in Ponyville was suspicious of the zebra. Not yet at least, but Zecora might become paranoid at the slightest twitch from Dolly. Who she was assuming to be cursed much less something worse.
"I wouldn't worry about her dying anytime soon." Because if Twilight dies, it doesn't matter whether or not you're around to see it you'll know she's dead where the huge hole forms with a sound that can be heard from hundreds to thousands of miles away. That was the most disturbing thought Dolly has had all day, it was a good thing Twilight was a well studied pony and that Celestia saw her magic when she did.
So long as no one knew the truth that Twilights cutie mark was actually of an explosion and it represented raw power then no one was the wiser thinking it was just sparkling stars against the darkness. In fact a star was another word for sun which was a really powerful everlasting explosion of fire and energy at a massive distance from their world, just like every time Twilight got mad or ate something spicy she lit on fire. It was just a surprise nobody saw the connection yet and the fact that Twilight can't hold onto her anger longer than maybe a few seconds was most likely thanks to Celestia making sure she could control herself, it actually took a lot of Pinkie before Twilight went temporarily nova.
Now all the eyes were on her the normal and numb Trixie, she still wasn't quite herself and she most certainly couldn't call herself great and powerful without actually being that.
"I'll join even if you never do anything for me, you don't need to promise me anything." Dolly motioned to Derpy to follow her lead. Derpy got up from her seat and joined Dolly in hugging the poor magician again, she needed comforting right now. After a few moments Dolly backed off from Trixie and Derpy stayed where she was being affectionately friendly was her thing as she continued to wrap her wings around the needy and sad Trixie.
"Okay it's pretty late, Zecora you stay with Twilight tonight if you don't mind Ms. Sparkle. Trixie you're staying here in my home and Derpy you can go home anytime to get some sleep or you're taking the other couch. Tomorrow we set out for the medical building, pick up some supplies and then we'll hit the road after consulting a map then marking locations to check for this dangerous delivery disturbance.
As her guests were leaving the house Dolly bade them all good bye before she turned to Trixie with a stern expression.
"You're taking my bed no exceptions. I'm sleeping on the couch." Dolly's voice wasn't harsh but Trixie recoiled expecting a verbal beat down.
"Okay… wait what?" Trixie's brain finally caught up with her, Dolly said she was sleeping on the couch and that she was getting the comfortable looking bed she saw passing the open door in the hallway as she made her own way down the stairs earlier.
"You've got a lot to learn 'Tricks' and I hope to be there to see your actually being a real pony magician, mail is my life, magic is yours. Learn how you can fit in without being full of yourself. We all have our dreams don't try to ruin others to further your own." Dolly went and flopped down on the couch and Trixie just watched as Dolly made her body comfortable and started to sleep.
()
As Trixie lay in Dolly's bed it was apparent the other thing Dolly splurged on wasn't just the bathroom and soaps. It was so comfy and it felt great to be sleeping in a wonderful bed after spending several nights in tree's to avoid predators eating her in her sleep. But something was not right; she didn't feel right sleeping in this bed for some reason.
Getting up Trixie looked at her cleaned cape and hat, she made her way out the door looking into the bathroom and looking at the shampoo Dolly had used on her with a frown. Making her way downstairs Trixie looked at a snoozing Dolly and at her fridge. She sniffled a bit.
Dolly just let Trixie into her home without a second thought, she fed her, cleaned her; though it would forever be an embarrassing memory, with some rather expensive looking shampoo where at least Dolly had the decency not to scrub her underbelly areas and finally her hospitality in giving up her super comfortable bed.
()
The next morning Dolly felt comfortable and she knew Trixie had been affected by her kindness even if some of it was rather harsh, because she was sleeping in her own bed.
Looking away from her bed she saw Trixie snuggled up using a sleeping bag as a blanket on the couch she moved upstairs, her head was laying on a pillow as she slept soundly. Trixie didn't want to sleep alone apparently and Dolly felt sorry for the magician, she must have been so scared to be alone for so long trying to impress anyone who would listen.
Dolly knew that the real Trixie would eventually be back after that minor bear attack brought on by a couple of foolish foals because Trixie liked boasting way too much. Twilight took care of the bear but it kind of scared Dolly knowing what power lay beneath that bookish pony's horn.
She smiled as she stretched out her wings in a popping noise and she gave Trixie a pat on the head before moving about to make breakfast, she idly wondered how Dipsy was doing getting a rather peculiar twitch that her friend was in danger but what could she do about it the sleepy pony was miles away. She just hoped Dipsy Duh was fine, she was lazy but she wasn't a slouch when it came to a tough situation. Unlike the poor Dixie Day who wouldn't fight back unless a friend was threatened and she was the one specially trained by her parents who were Guardians with high hoof-to-hoof combat records.
()
Dipsy Duh just couldn't get a full twelve hours or more of sleep. As after solving a Werepony epidemic turning all of them back into normal ponies, she was attacked by the Vamponies that were behind it a day later. So they too were turned back to normal. Then she was attacked by ninja ponies that were behind the Vamponies the day after that. If that wasn't enough after defeating the order of "The rather highly annoying ninja ponies with horribly scratchy adolescent voices", she was attacked by the Griffon Assassins that were behind all that the next day. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She was a normal; somewhat narcoleptic, pony for crying out loud she shouldn't be able to handle this much stress! But she was, just to spite the Griffon Assassins and whoever was behind them.
(End Chapter)