Chapter 1: No muffins for Derpy.
Upon coming into the post office next day something was drastically wrong but Derpy couldn't put a hoof on the feeling as she turned to Ditzy, who was the only other pony in the meeting room.
"Trouble" Ditzy looked to Derpy after she voiced her concern with but a single word.
"Maybe" Ditzy and Derpy weren't the most talkative ponies alive but they communicated well enough.
"Guys sorry I'm late, but I couldn't bring any muffins for some reason there's not a muffin or mix for one to be found anywhere within a mile of Ponyville, so I made cookies as I was out of muffin mix this morning as well" Dixie looked highly apologetic and she would try to figure out how to make muffins from scratch later, she didn't want to disappoint Derpy as she was her best friend and the mail pony she looked up to despite the few flubs Derpy had caused.
She watched Derpy take a cookie and ate it, but noted that Derpy didn't seem to look entirely pleased even if she did like the cookies.
It had a nice berry flavor, soft and freshly baked but Derpy felt off as cookies did not a void fill, a muffin in the morning was her prescribed breakfast item as well as for lunch and dinner sometimes.
"No muffins?" Derpy looked really sad and Dixie hugged her in an attempt to cheer her friend up and Ditzy joined in just because it looked fun.
"I'm really sorry Derpy, truly I am but like I said no muffin making stuff within a mile of Ponyville which is strange considering Ponyville is usually loaded down with enough muffin mix to last the entire population two winters over" Dixie had a thoughtful look as she brought a hoof to her chin, in fact this morning was strangely quiet especially after the mayors announcement yesterday.
It was an announcement of open season on THE PACKAGE, which the mayor never specified what was exactly in it or what it looked like but every pony in Ponyville seemed to know what it was as they all started chatting excitedly.
A few ponies like a unicorn with a mostly purple mane and a sparkling star symbol on her rear had no idea what it was all about that got all the ponies in an uproar, the mail ponies gathered there were the ones all backing slowly out of the crowd with a very frightened looks on their faces.
Slowly there was a single knock on the door and Derpy rolled one of her eyes as the other went in a random direction, opening the door she found Dipsy asleep on the floor outside.
Walking around Dipsy, Derpy slowly rolled her into the meeting room and took the cookies for her and started to one at a time dropped them into a snoring Dipsy's mouth as she snoozed on her back hooves in the air.
Ditzy was thanking Dixie on the wonderful cookies in her own unique way of a full on body slam, though that didn't knock Dixie down at all Ditzy was still quite heavy to lift.
After a few minutes they began to wonder where their boss was as her cookies might get cold before she finally made it to the meeting room.
Dolly was team forty's boss and dispatcher, she would warn the four of any unplanned weather conditions and she would tell them all where to go and what to do before she set about to her own job as a weather pony.
Like all of the mail ponies on the team Dolly had other miscellaneous odd jobs around town that she would do when they were having a slow mail day.
Unplanned weather conditions usually meant heavy fogs which the weather controlling winged ponies can't do anything to or other weather conditions which can only be altered slightly but not entirely stopped.
"I'm getting a little worried Dixie, do you think Dolly is sick" the fact that Derpy just spoke an entire sentence was telling everyone in the room how worried she actually was and the fact that Dipsy immediately woke up looking alert as she possibly could get meant that there really was something wrong.
Suddenly Dolly ran into the room heaving heavily and shut the door behind her and locked it.
Dolly looked to be incredibly panicked and tired, she was noticeably carrying a small red box with black ribbons wrapping around it held in a simple knot and it wasn't in the form of a cute bow either.
"Dolly" Two of the mail ponies cried out exactly at the same time in the same worried tone.
"Good-bye cucumbers" Despite the fact that no one was leaving the room or had cucumbers for that matter Ditzy loved being the icebreaker sometimes and Dipsy yawned in relief before settling down and falling back asleep on the floor instead of finding a nicer place to rest.
"Girls here's the package now It's time I showed you a secret exit out the back of this room. This building is currently swarming with ponies after this package and their trying to butter up any mail pony they can find into giving it to them and… why aren't there any muffins today Dixie you know Derpy really doesn't settle for less very well" Saying this Dolly started eating her share of the cookies Dixie made for them while giving a cheerful hum at the taste, before it turned into a defeated sigh once she learned why there were no muffins at this meeting.
"Hay bales, their already getting to you and they don't even know it yet. Remember don't let it go or get opened by anyone no matter what, also try to find someone who won't try to take the package from you that can support you, you have three days after this one before it has to come back. Good luck team forty or should I say team Four D's Deliveries" With that she shoved them out the back door of the building into an alleyway, Dipsy woke up because of the slightly not so fragrant smell and rolled onto her hooves while yawning as they were asked to repeat the motto.
"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, no one can stop a mail pony on the go!" they all threw a salute to Dolly as she closed the door.
This time Dixie was standing on the opposite side of Ditzy only for her to summarily throw up her opposite hoof knocking herself into Dixie who fell into Derpy who fell on top of Dipsy leading them to becoming a groaning pileup.
"Well this is a bothersome situation, I say we be careful and keep the package well hidden from sight Derpy, I'm going to… find a place to eat something I'm hungry see you guys later" With that Dipsy crawled out of the pile of downed flying ponies and trotted off sleepily leaving the three mail delivering ponies to carry the package.
Derpy had the package between her hooves and she was looking at it, why was this package so important to all the ponies in Ponyville? No matter to her, so she just stuffed it in her empty mail bag. Derpy had a job to do even if it was to deliver one thing and it was unusual for her to have to wait to deliver mail instead of delivering it as fast as she possibly could while having fun with it.
A few hours into holding the package and the mailing team became highly aware that every pony in Ponyville was searching high and low for it; they were all sitting at a table for lunch when Dipsy strode on up to them watching the chaos.
"Derpy I found out why there's no muffin mix anywhere in Ponyville, needless to say you're not going to like what I have to tell you" Dipsy lazily yawned, sat down at the table and ordered the tomato basil special with carrots and an extra side of guacamole.
The fact that Dipsy has eaten fourteen meals in the past few hours meant she considered this to be one of her binge eating days, the day where she was only awake to consume food before going back into a average; for her, sleeping schedule and since she didn't have any large amounts of mail to deliver...
"What is it Dipsy" Dipsy didn't exactly want to tell Derpy this so she decided to tell Dixie, she wouldn't tell Ditzy because she'd just blurt it out to everyone in the area and make a scene.
Dixie's face seemed normal for a moment but as the whispers from a bored looking Dipsy continued on her face started to grow pale, then paler and then straight grayish white.
"Derpy you're better off not knowing what she just told me" Derpy had a confused look on her face at what Dipsy couldn't tell her or why Dixie wouldn't tell her after hearing about it, plus it had to do with muffins so it had to be very important to her.
"What, what is it?" Derpy had a worried look on her face and Dixie really didn't want to be the one to tell her this.
"It's nothing that important, but are you sure it was all of it and is that even possible" When Dixie had turned her question to Dipsy, she just stared blankly at her making Dixie realize that Dipsy hadn't stuttered one bit with her information.
"What! What!" Ditzy said joining in with Derpy wanting to know as well what information Dipsy had given to Dixie it sounded like a fun secret depending on the looks on their faces.
"Err… maybe we should go to some place quieter after we eat before I tell you" Dixie looked around the market place at all the ponies looking high and low grilling each other on any information they had found on the package, so far no one had a clue they had it.
"Okay, but what kind of quiet" Derpy had posed a good question; Dixie wracked her brains and finally thought of a place just outside Ponyville where the quietest pony alive named Fluttershy resided, they wouldn't be bothered there.
After lunch all four of the Pegasus ponies took off for the outskirts of Ponyville, to a very quiet and serene meadow where the worst news you could deliver to Derpy came out in but a whisper from Dixie.
What followed was the wail of a crying Pegasus with three others similar in appearance trying to calm the one down with hugs and gentle words of encouragement that it would be okay, it wasn't like it was the end of the world.
For Derpy the world had well went past ending and went straight to living survivor's guilt nightmare for her, NO MUFFINS IN ALL OF PONYVILLE! The words were the most horrifying thing for Derpy to hear and accept, in fact she was almost willing trade in the package just for a muffin right about now.
There weren't really any left after the post office raid and bribe frenzy by all of the ponies trying to get the package. Dipsy knew things like this and so it has to be all true as she never lied unless there was something she didn't know.
All the wailing brought the ever kind if exceedingly shy pony known as Fluttershy out to investigate what had scared off her cute bunny rabbits; miraculously she had the only thing that would quiet Derpy right about now on hand.
Fluttershy was a quiet little Pegasus, yellow coat and long pink mane and pink tail, in her mouth was a basket of muffins which suddenly had Derpy looking in her direction pathetically begging for a muffin with her eyes.
Dipsy raised an eye, she had said that there were no muffins in Ponyville and technically Fluttershy did live outside of the limits in her peaceful estate so she hadn't lied technically.
"Excuse me, but what's all the crying about" The way Fluttershy placed the basket on the ground and the way both of Derpy's eyes followed it, had her friends worried. This meant Derpy really wanted to act on an impulse but she was resisting it quite well with every fiber of her being, as the muffins just didn't belong to her.
"Oh, erm… our friend here is having a horrible day and we're busy calming her down, nothing to worry about… by the way who are those muffins for they smell nice" Dixie got in front of the three other ponies making sure that Derpy didn't do anything unpleasant with the muffin basket like charge it face first not caring who those muffins were for.
Derpy was busy being held down by Ditzy and Dipsy to make sure she didn't do anything hasty and she most certainly understood their reasoning, well maybe not Ditzy's but Dipsy always had sound reasoning skills.
After having a nice chat Fluttershy finally decided to leave seeing as nothing was horribly wrong here, she picked up her basket and left because there wasn't any more crying to be heard.
"Well okay have a nice day Fluttershy… are you… are you going to be okay Derpy" Letting Derpy up they three mail ponies watched as the assigned leader of the group broke down crying silently into her hooves. Those were muffins and they were so close yet so far away, they waited a little and she calmed down.
"Dixie, Dipsy and even you Ditzy… thanks" Derpy felt Dixie give her another comforting hug one of many she's received in the past few minutes until she finally calmed down even further, they might not hang out all that often but they were good friends.
"It'll be okay Derpy, we'll be able to have muffins again… in another week maybe…" Derpy frowned sadly at Dixie's estimates but she was all out of tears to cry today.
The rest of the day went without a hitch with them staying under the radar just outside of Ponyville where ponies were searching high and low not having found the mail pony that was carrying the package. So they thought it might have been hidden somewhere around Ponyville and thus the search would start anew sometime later as it was getting late.
The Four D's stopped by the apple orchard ranch for some dinner after Dixie did an entire afternoon's work for them in a timely manner with a bit of help.
Soon it was nightfall and they didn't go home. Ditzy went to go get her camping equipment and the reason Ditzy had camping equipment is because she doesn't own a house in Ponyville; certain zoning laws couldn't handle the amazing calamity causer known as Ditzy Doo.
They were all going to be camping out tonight just to enjoy the stars and the outdoors a little longer because quite frankly they wanted to give Derpy a calm serene surrounding to stay in as Ponyville didn't seem so safe for them or any mail pony all of the sudden.
"Muffins…" Looking at the stars Derpy dreamed of a day when there would be a mountain of muffins for her and her friends to share before she finally drifted off to sleep and was slowly put into a sleeping bag by a calmly smiling Dixie as Derpy snuggled into it.
Today just wasn't a good day to be Derpy Hooves lover of all things muffin, Dixie and Dipsy felt sad about it and Ditzy, no one knew how she felt as she was a tad random at times.
Currently Ditzy had her body rammed through a tree where she proceeded to fall asleep after exclaiming the words "share share, I'm roughing" in a rather sing song voice despite the painful looking way she had impaled herself through a poor innocent tree.
Dipsy didn't need to be told twice and fell asleep as soon as she was in the tent, though it was going to be a tight squeeze Dixie managed to get Derpy into the tent while squeezing herself a little room in the corner of the tent as well.
"Tomorrow's another day, but why in the world do all the ponies in Ponyville want that package, I mean what could be so important that they'd use up every muffin making resource in town, not to mention poor Derpy just isn't herself without a muffin to fawn over or a lesser incident to cause because of her silly eye problem" Dixie was being introspective and started to wonder what could be in the package they're holding on to or why it was required that four of them watch it at all times.
Not that Dixie or any of them for that matter would try and open it. They'd find out what this was all about once they finish this delivery.