"So, that's how you do it. I've always wondered your level of intelligence, Derpy." Glittermind was currently talking to an off-duty Pegasus-mail-carrier. It was an hour after the alicorn, Fairy Dust, had treated the teal unicorn to lunch. After that special, birthday lunch, Fairy Dust and Shly had taken off, pleading being busy. The green and blue-maned alicorn was most likely planning a surprise party for Glittermind. The two horned ponies knew each other like that, and it was a challenge to keep any secret truly a secret.
"Yep, even though I was born with a lazy, misaligned eye, I'm truly quite smart. I also know your favorite color hasn't a name yet because it's a shade between teal and aquamarine." The slate grey pegasus giggled shyly.
"Wow, you're one very smart pegasus, aren't you, Derpy. I'm impressed. How'd you figure that out?"
"Your mail envelopes are uniquely colored." The yellow-eyed pegasus nodded.
Glittermind had, after Fairy Dust and Dragonfly and Shly had taken their not-so-secret leave, wandered through Ponyville on her own. Having really nothing to do, Glittermind had finally managed – after the five months in Equestria – to pin down the famed Mail-Carrier, Derpy Hooves. The two struck up a really intelligent conversation and became good friends.
"Ya don't say?" Glittermind sat comfortably on the ground as the pegasus sat next to her.
"Yup, I was cursed with this annoying habit of retaining pointless details like that. I don't know how it works, but small details stick with me." The smart, but shy grey mare looked down, dragging a hoof in the dirt. Derpy's personality was humble and modest, with a dash of goofiness.
"Wow, I didn't know anyone would pay attention to the color of my envelopes. I've only sent, what, six letters."
"Seven. You sent one to Princess Celestia AND Princess Luna." Derpy giggled again, feeling silly correcting a unicorn.
"Ah, right. You ARE really sharp and smart, I almost feel bad telling you how my world portrayed your personality."
"Awh, that's ok, Glittermind." Derpy had politely asked the teal unicorn about her other-worldly origins, after finally working up the courage to. Glittermind, being naturally spontaneous, shared the small story about how Derpy Hooves was viewed on Earth. It wasn't a flattering comparison, since Earth Derpy was portrayed as being retarded.
"I'm so glad you busted their bubbles." Glittermind tittered at her silly joke. Derpy's Cutie-Mark was indeed, a patch of bubbles over an envelope.
"Hahahaha! That's funny, Glittermind. I like bubbles." Derpy chuckled and looked at her Cutie-mark envelope and the soapy, shiny bubbles which surrounded it. "I remember the day I got my bubbles. I was playing with a bottle of bubbles and spilled it on my grandmother's letter. I was so fascinated by the bubbly letter, I knew right then I would become a Mail-Carrier who would deliver mail with bubbles."
"That is….very interesting. How does one deliver mail with bubbles?" Glittermind was now curious.
"Very messily." Derpy giggled back. "I tried to do it every time, but my mail-boss told me to quit it, since ponies really don't have time for bubble-o-grams."
"Awh, you can do your bubble-o-grams for me every time, Derpy Wonderhooves!" Glittermind nodded resolutely. I'll figure something out to inform me when its mail time!"
"You're too kind, Glittermind, really you are." Derpy's slate-grey face blushed with modesty. "I couldn't possibly mess your mail up with bubbles."
Glittermind only shook her teal-maned head and drapped a hoof over the pegasus. "Maybe I'll write mail just for you, and then you have to send it to yourself and write me back, thus allowing mail delivery for me – of which you can put all the bubbles you want on it!"
"Really!" Derpy's yellow, misaligned eyes brightened. "I suppose that could work. But what if I'm not the one to deliver it? I'm not the only mail-pegasus you know."
"Well, maybe you can do you bubble-o-grams whenever you DO deliver my mail."
"YES! I would LOVE to do that!" Derpy cheered in her adorable voice.
"Then it's settled, whenever you deliver my mail, you can do your bubble-o-grams with it too!"
"You are the best ever!" Derpy smiled brightly and nodded. "I'll do that."
Sharing friendly laughter with each other, the two friends were interrupted by Twilight and Spike.
"THERE you are, Glittermind, I was looking ALL over Ponyville for you." The lilac unicorn sighed dramatically. Spike stood next to his mentor, looking shamed.
"Hi guys, what's wrong Spike?" Glittermind nodded a farewell to Derpy, who informed the unicorn she would return to her mail deliveries.
"Spike here has something he wants to say to you." Twilight Sparkle looked sternly down at her protégé.
"Twilight Sparkle. Seriously. Don't be putting poor Spike in the light like that, if you want him to say something – and from his body language, I'm thinking he is probably in trouble over something – then making him feel worse is just rotten of you."
"Ugh, Glittermind, stop judging me, I'm having a busy day and don't need you to talk down to me like that."
"Oh." NOW it was Glittermind's turn to feel bad. The teal unicorn read Twilight's body language and understood the unicorn's nerves were frayed. "I'm sorry. I'll shut up now."
"Ok, Spike, tell her what you told me." Twilight Sparkle nudged the poor, nervous dragon closer to Glittermind.
"Hi, uhh…" Spike's hands were clasped together in consternation. "It's about your gemstone collection…I kinda…uhm…ate some of them."
"!" Glittermind's eyes went wide at Spike's confession. "You what!"
"I ate some of your gemstones. I'M SORRY! I couldn't help myself that day. I was on a rampage and got into your house and ate some gemstones animals."
There had been an adventure in Ponyville which Glittermind had missed, because she was in Canterlot. Spike, having his first birthday, had learned the effects of greediness and turned into a huge, hording dragon. While Glittermind hadn't been there to witness the rampage first hand, the word-of-mouth informed her of the materialistic disaster of Ponyville. Having knowledge of her growing collection of things – and her tree house being closest to the library - Spike had hit her residence the hardest, stealing everything off the shelves and her bedroom. It was like a tornado had ripped through town; up-heaving most materialistic possessions of Ponyville onto the nearby mountain. It was a disaster to dig out the mess and return the items to the proper owners.
It had taken a few weeks for her pony friends to finally tell her of Spike's robbery – the ponies did their best to make it look like nothing had been touched in the Tree-Barrow home – but a few delicate things were broken in the process. Now it seems that Spike chosen to eat a few gemstones from her collection as well.
"So…that's what happened to my carved blue sapphire swan, ruby shard and my emerald stash. Spike, why didn't you just tell me before?" Glittermind sighed and shook her head. "I went crazy trying to find them again. I thought they mysteriously vanished."
"I'M SO SORRY, Glittermind!" Spike threw himself on the ground and groveled. "I couldn't help it."
Across the distance, over Spike's head, Twilight looked pleadingly at Glittermind.
"I forgive you Spike. You are one odd little dragon, and have a good heart." Glittermind nodded at the pleading dragon with a nod. "What did they taste like, the red blue and green jewel figures?"
"What?" Spike looked lost.
"Nothing." Glittermind sighed, she was used to speaking from tangents in her brain. She knew Spike couldn't read the thoughts of 'what DO gemstones taste like?' from her mind.
"Well, Spike and I have things to do, don't we Spike?" Twilight Sparkle suddenly got vague.
"Oh yea, THAT!" Spike stopped being sad and worried. "It's going to be one big-"
"SPIKE!" Twilight Sparkle's voice rose, cutting off whatever the dragon was going to say. "Let's GO!"
"Ok, fine…" Spike now was pouting, looking like whatever what was left unsaid was bursting to get out. The pony and young dragon turned and trotted off. A piece of white paper fluttered from the yellow saddle pack Twilight was wearing.
"Hay, Twilight! You dropped something!" Glittermind called out. The lilac unicorn faltered in her step and nearly – infinitesimally – stopped.
"Uh, no I didn't!" Twilight called back, after pointedly staring at the dropped slip of paper. "See you later!" the magical unicorn coughed once, put Spike on her back and ran off.
"Ooooooooooooooookay." Glittermind twitched in a passing annoyance before trotting up to the paper. Using her horn magic, she lifted the paper to read:
'Clue # 1:
The next clue is to be found in the place where a pony can go to begin her search for the thing she likes to do most. It may be old and wooden, but it's the best of places to be with young friends.'
"What the hayseed!" Glittermind looked dubiously at the paper again. "Either this is something completely random or…"
Sighing to herself, Glittermind giggled at the writing, which had to be Apple Bloom's scrawl and headed towards the place Clue 1 riddled of: The CMC club house.
Looking up at the old oak tree on a lonely corner of Apple Acres farm, Glittermind smiled. The tree house for the CMC stood proudly, having been refurbished by Apple Bloom and her friends. Having been here only twice before; Glittermind had been inducted as a Cutie-Mark Crusader because of her unusual adult 'blank-flank' status.
Now, it seemed that 'clue number 1' had brought her the CMC clubhouse. Climbing the slender ladder, the unicorn poked her head into the single room and looked around. The room, an impressive ten feet by twelve feet, was empty of any pony. On one wall was nailed a Wonderbolts poster with Rainbow Dash's picture glued on. That would be Scootaloo's handiwork.
The orange pegasus filly was completely fan-crazy about the rainbow flier. The other rainbow flier (Color Jam) picture had fallen to the floor; its anchoring glue dried up and useless. Climbing in the room, Glittermind smiled to herself as she used her horn's magic to lift the thrice glued Color Jam cutout and placed it back on the wall, using a tack to pin it on the corkboard sitting on the second wall.
Looking around, the teal unicorn also saw a little red wagon, three safety helmets and a wooden crate. The crate was upside down, providing a table-like place for the CMC's list making. Stepping over to the paper, G.M. smiled at the checked off list of possible Cutie-mark activities. Taking a closer look, she saw the last box unchecked and read the entry: Turn over for clue. She did so with a smile.
'Clue #2:
White and fluffy is the way to go. Being a friend is a full time job with this gentle charge. You better listen to what she has to say, or you'll get the STARE.'
"Oh lovely, just what is going on here? I really hope this isn't another 'find your Cutie-mark' thing. Would a scavenger hunt even count as a talent?" Glittermind looked up out the hole/window in the third wood wall and spoke to a squirrel. The woodland creature chittered and wiggled its nose.
"Ha, I guess I'd better go pay Fluttershy a visit and see if she knows anything about this." The unicorn left the paper there and backed out of the clubhouse. "Next stop; Fluttershy."