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// An Unexpected Mailmare 
// Story: The Sixth Element 
// by Lets Do This 
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Morning came to Ponyville, and Twilight Sparkle was up early as usual, preparing to open the Golden Oak Library for the day. The lavender unicorn trotted quickly round the main room, purple bangs and tail whisking, as she made one last check for any books out of place. Finally satisfied, she took a deep breath and trotted to the door. With a flash of magic from her horn she flung it open.

"Hey, Twilight!"

THUMP. A moment later, Twilight looked up from where she'd tumbled over backwards on the floor. Standing in the doorway was Derpy Doo, the gray pegasus mailmare. She was wearing her official hat and her multi-pocketed carryall. The carryall was stuffed with letters and packages, and had slots to each side to allow her wings to fit through. Derpy smiled down at Twilight, her unkempt blond mane falling over her crossed eyes.

"Oops, my bad! Sorry I startled you! I just get so worked up 'cause I know I'm going to see you again when the door opens!"

"It's all right, Derpy," Twilight said, picking herself up again. "But... how long have you been standing out there?"

"Only fifteen minutes."

"You could always have knocked, you know!"

Derpy shook her head. "You open at nine every day, on the dot. That's when the door opens. So I waited."

"But I would have invited you in! I don't want to leave you standing out here! What kind of friend would I be if I did that?"

"What's wrong with out here?" Derpy glanced around happily. The sunlight was shining through the green leaves of the tree the Library was built into. A light breeze was passing down the street outside, carrying pleasant breakfasty aromas from the bakery nearby. And above was a brilliant blue sky. The cloud-clearing pegasi must have gotten up early as well. "It's nice! I didn't mind waiting."

Twilight shook her head. Even after all this time, she was still amazed by Derpy's one-track optimism. "You want to come in for some tea?"

Derpy shook her head. "Nope! Gotta deliver the mail!" She reached around with her snout and grabbed at the corner of a parcel with her teeth. For a long moment she worried it, threatening to upset her entire load, until it finally came loose from the pocket.

She held it out for Twilight to collect with her unicorn magic. "'Nother book, right? I can always tell because they're heavy! This one must be real important!"

Twilight decided not to mention it was the Daring Do "Best of the Best" Omnibus Edition she'd ordered as a bedside reading copy. "Sorry to make you lug it all the way over here, Derpy!"

"Not a problem, Twilight!" she replied. "That's why the Library is my first stop! It's how I get my exercise every morning. And I love saying hi to you! 'Specially if you fall over like that. Can we do it again tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah. We'll see."

"Great! Any mail going out?"

"Nothing today, thanks!"

"O-kay! Well, gotta go post! See ya!"

Twilight watched as Derpy swung away from her door and trotted onward to the next stop on her route. After a while, the mailmare fluttered into the air and flew for a while on wing power. Then suddenly her wings collapsed under the weight and folded up. She landed with a thump, sprawled on the ground, legs sticking out in all directions.

Twilight had asked her once whether that hurt, and Derpy just laughed. "I like falling on the grass! It tickles!"

Twilight smiled at the memory. It was hard not to like Derpy once you got used to her. Whenever she fell down, she just picked herself up, dusted herself off, and got on with things as if it was no big deal.

And there was another memory... one that Twilight hadn't told anyone in Ponyville about. One that explained exactly why everyone in Ponyville put up with the wonderfully scatterbrained and klutzy pegasus pony.

Because the historians had slipped up. In addition to the five known supporting Elements that accompanied Twilight to the castle in the Everfree Forest, there was also a Sixth Element... and it wasn't Magic.

Twilight hadn't known all of the story at first. She'd had to piece it together by asking around Ponyville. Fortunately Derpy liked talking with everyone she met in Ponyville, so there were a lot of pieces.

Most of them even fit together.