To Befriend a Mailpony

To Befriend a Mailpony.

A story about the little mare in the background.

It's a warm fall day, an odd day that falls between the changing of the leaves and the end of summer. The Fall harvest is near and the farmers and food salesponies are pushing out the last of their summer crop to make room for the next rotation of crops. The Pegasi had set a soft blanket of clouds above the little town of Ponyville, and against that soft white background of the sky, a yellow streak looped and swooped around lazily, a yellow streak that when spotted by the residents of this usually quiet town made them both cringe and smile. For at the end of that yellow streak was the towns most famous, or infamous, mailpony, Ditzy Doo.

The gray coated pegasus giggled as she flew in a line that was never straight to anypony but her. Many a skilled flight teacher had tried to get the filly to fly straight, a skill that was expected every pegasi to master at an early age, yet they all failed. Most blamed her strange eyes or something in her head, a condition that for now was considered too unique by doctors to name, though some have muttered a name in private. 'Derpy's Eyes'.

Derpy was a nickname that some weren't afraid to say to her face. A name that meant 'mistake', 'accident', 'screw-up' depending on who said it. At first, it stung hard deep in the filly's heart but after a time, she grew to accept it as just another name, though not one undeserving. She stayed high above the buildings when moving from delivery to delivery, but it was her landings that warranted her nickname.

Pegasi who spent most their lives in Cloudsdale were already not used to using traditional doors, their home city built wide open so that it was easy to get in from any angle, that when approaching Unicorn and Earth Pony housing they sometimes can't help but ether crash though a window or the roof. But Ditzy had an almost unique way of landing. Rather than a straight crash and stop, she'd bounce and rebound around. Trying to fly even after landing causing more damage. But often, she'd find herself crashing though walls, holes harder to fix than the usual Pegasi entrances.

As Ditzy floated back and forth though the sky, she slowed down and half closed her eyes, letting her mind slip away into a daydream. She went back to what lead her to flying to the Library Tree where Twilight Sparkle lived, carrying a precious cargo. Somewhere in her mind, a voice said that she shouldn't, but today was one of those days and she went back to this morning. One of those crashy mornings.

It was especially bad this morning. She had skipped breakfast after waking up late and during a simple mail delivery, she got a big noseful of all the good food being set out in the market. Hot oatmeal ceral, fresh baked apple fritters, toast with lots of butter.. and MUFFINS! She had thought she was daydreaming as she slowly flew closer to a big stand of fresh muffins, but then saw how real it was when she crashed right into it and the sales pony behind it. There was a lot of angery looks and a bit of yelling after they untangled themselves.

It wasn't long after Ditzy had started getting a lecture from the muffin seller that a shadow appeared over them and before them landed a large brown coated pegasus. And Ditzy felt worse than ever. The mailpony boss Postal Mark would often have to come down and pay for the damages himself. When he did appear and set his deep brown eyes beneath a haircut straight from the Royal Guard on the ponies who's homes or businesses Ditzy damaged, they became eager to just forget the entire event, but he made sure to reimburse all damages that she caused. Then the both of them will fly back to the headquarters so he can see to it that her wounds are treated while leaving the rest of her deliveries to someone else like Post Haste.

Ditzy hated when it happened. He held her hoof like a filly so she would fly straight and the entire time, he didn't look at her or say anything. She often wished he would, like her boss from when she was part of a moving company. Anything was better than the silence she got. It was always the same. He fixed her up, then asked the usual questions:

'Have you been practicing your landings?' She'd nod yes. 'Did you remember to pay attention when flying?' She'd nod sometimes, but now she cringed. But it didn't change his questioning 'Did you try to aim away from anything that would cost lots to fix?' Again, nod. The entire time, she took her eyes off her hooves. The last question was always followed by a moment of quiet before he softly placed his hoof on her hair and held it for a moment before leaving.

He was so busy, she thought as she watched him leave and get swarmed by people needing things signed, approved or reviewed.. The same thought as she always had every time she watched him  Yet, he took time to help a pegasus who can't fly in a straight path fix the problems she caused. The other pegasi didn't bother to try and cheer her up. Usually new arrivals would try and help, but it wasn't long before they too saw it was a lost cause and stopped trying. There was one exception though. The rainbow haired weather manager. No matter what she'd cause, what damage she'd do, Rainbow would not give up on her. She'd get mad at Ditzy, sometimes yell and tell her to go wait away from everyone for a little while. But then she'd always come back and try again. 'Don't give up.' She'd tell Ditzy while the blond haired pegasus looked up at her in awe. 'You will find your stride sooner or later.'

Remembering that, Ditzy walked right up to Postal and did something out of the norm for her. She got right in his path and demanded to be let out to fly again. Postal didn't even bother to answer, giving her a look that usually sent her home to try again tomorrow. But today, she didn't leave. “NO! I want.. I want to try again. I can get it right, I know I can!”

He spoke this time, his deep voice echoing across the wood walls and floors of the post office. “You did a lot of damage today. Did you forget it isn't the town or city who covers the damages? I'm the one who does. Why should I take the risk again today?”

“Because I won't crash again!” It was one of the rare moments Ditzy had. Where her mind wasn't floating around like the bubbles on her flank, but was focused on what she wanted and she wanted to go out again.

Postal Mark looked at the firmness in her eyes and listened to it in her voice before he nodded. “Alright. I have a very special route for you then.” He leads her to the mail room to the prepared saddlebags, brown and blue where the usual colors. Blue for flight routes and brown for land routes. But away from them all was a very different one. A white one. He lifts it up and puts it on Ditzy's back while giving her the delivery route. “You should know the six who this goes to. I doubt anyone doesn't at this point.” Ditzy nodded, six very famous ponies in this town indeed. “This is a very special bag. A magic bag, holds more than it looks. But as you get to your destination, you will be able to get out what you need to. However, you can't get it wet or it might stop working. Understand?”

Ditzy was starting to grow misty eyed. Even after what she did, he still trusted her this much. She nodded rapidly and saluted. Something that usually Postal would not like his employees doing because it reminded him of his Royal Guard days, but on Ditzy it was acceptable. When the bag was secure, she took off, giving the weather chart a quick look to make sure it's good flying weather before heading out into the town. Ditzy flew high up to the cloud, letting a hoof touch the layer of clouds as she felt even more weightless than usual.

As the bubbly pegasus neared the Library Tree, it looked like it was going to be one of her common entrances, a pony sized hole right into the library. Ditzy was so deep in a trance from the warm sun leaking though the clouds and cool wind that by the time she realized that she was already on a crash coarse, it was too late. She could already see herself knocking over a few book cases sending books flying everywhere, maybe even catch Twilight herself in the whole mess. She could see the famous unicorn and her boss giving her that look of disappointment. They won't yell at her like they would with anyone else, but that look that showed they wanted to and it was only because of her eyes that they didn't.

As she could start to make out the cracks in the trees, she could already feel the pain in her heart at messing up and disappointing them again, worse than any physical pain she should feel from the impact....

Her train of thought of interrupted the moment before she impacted as a purple flash engulfed her. She closed her eyes as the flash blinded her and braced for impact, the crashing the hurting the yelling the crying the looks the... silence? The not moving-ness? She opened one eye to find a familiar face, a purple fur coated face framed with black hair, a purple streak going though it and a warm smile. “Twilight!” Ditzy called out happily and giggled as she floated in a purple bubble, turning and spinning as it held her suspended above the ground..

Twilight smiled wider and returned the greeting. “Hello Ditzy. Enjoying yourself, I see?” She said amusingly as she watched the pegasus float around in the bubble, weightless, for a moment before  her  horn glowed as she eased the bubble down to the floor and evaporated it, much to the pegasus' disappointment. But it was short lived as she gasped and rushed over to grab Twilight's shoulders.

“Twilight! You won't believe what happened! I was flying over, to here and I was getting close and it feels so nice outside with the warm sun but cool wind feels so nice on my wings that I closed my eyes for a bit but my boss hates when I do that so I opened them and I was going so fast to the wall and I knew I was going to crash and break everything then you'd be mad and my boss will give me that look but he won't yell, he's nice to me like that but I can see how I disappoint him but then there was a purple flash and I couldn't see so it wasn't my fault then when I closed by eyes and I thought I was going to crash and you'd be mad and my boss will have that look, I hate that look, but then nothing happened so when I opened my eyes you were there and then.. and then..  Hi Twilight!”

The unicorn in question nodded and smiled as she listened to the rambling mailpony. Unlike her friend, Pinky Pie, Ditzy's ramblings only needed a moment to take out the times she repeats herself to understand. “So you liked my gift for you then?” Her question left the pegasus confused, tilting her head and making a confused sound that could only be described as cute. “The saddlebag you are wearing. I missed your birthday this year due to just learning about it not long ago. So I made it for you as soon as I could.”

Ditzy looked at the white saddlebag with gold trimming in question. “You did?” She looked at it for a moment longer before jumping up in the air in realization. “OH! I have a delivery~” She sung as she floated around the unicorn in a pattern far from a circle before returning to her spot to reach into the saddlebag and pulling out a book and clipboard with her mouth, muttering past them “Sign here please.”

Twilight lifted the items out of Ditzy's mouth with a little of her magic and , after a moment of shaking to get Ditzy to let go, she signed for the delivery with the smooth flow of a red quill. “Ditzy,” Twilight asked after returning the clipboard to the mailpony “do you have any other deliveries to complete today? If it's not too much trouble that you make a delivery for me.” Twilight lifted a collection of scrolls, six in total, all tightly wrapped in a red ribbon with a gold 'C' holding it tight.

“Um.. Yes!” The mailpony nodded rapidly. “I gotta go make more deliveries!” She looked to be about to take off before Twilight stopped her.

“Wait!” She pulled her back with a bit of magic and slipped the scrolls into her saddlebag. “I want you to remember this, ok? These scrolls have to go to Canterlot and straight to Princess Celestia. Spike is sick so he can't send it. So you have to take these scroll straight to Canterlot and Princess Celestia after you are done working.” Twilight made sure to keep the blond haired pegasus focused on her while she explained.

“Got it! But I have to finish my other deliveries first, ok?” She nodded and floated to a window. “I won't forget Twilight. I promise!”

“I know you won't, Ditzy. And remember this also. The spell that I put on your saddlebag will only work a few times. It's meant as a last resort, so don't stop trying to well... Stop yourself from crashing.”

Ditzy nodded eagerly. “I won't! I'm getting better, last week I only broke two walls, instead of three!” She giggled and bounced off her window exit before remembering to open it.

As Twilight watched her leave, she thought back on the contents of the letters:

Dear Princess Celestia,

You will, with any luck, be receiving these scrolls from a blond haired mailpony named Ditzy Doo. I sent them with her instead of having Spike send them because.. Her story is one meant to be seen to be believed. When you see her, you will understand better than anything I can write I hope.

I first meet her during the process of learning the lesson of choosing to believe in things that can not be explained. She had accidentally dropped a few items onto me during the process of moving. I had just arrived at the local clinic when she showed up with a bundle of flowers. After I took them, she spent the next hour crying and apologizing. I already knew it was a accident, but she takes everything to heart. It was then I learned about her disabilities. It reminded me of a few similar people who use them as an excuse when they make mistakes. But she never allowed them to hold her back.

She had to pay for all the damages, but still used part of what little money she had left to get me the apology gift. I try my best to return the favor, but nothing I will do will ever repay the feeling I got that day.

Each of my friends also had a personal experience with her, and they each wanted to tell them. I hope you have the time to read them all, it's quite the collection of adventures.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle..