Vice thrashed and flopped before waking up drastically. He scratched his head and felt numbness spur from the pressure. He shook his head to clear his eyesight and slowly got up from an unknown bed. He stretched his body and wings, the metal creaked softly through the silent room. A scent of familiar fruit crawled into Vice’s nose and he sighed.
“So this is where I ended up.” He rubbed his head once more and walked sluggishly towards a shining window. The sun gently obscured Vice’s vision as he peered out into the bright outside. He shot his eyes towards various apple trees and greenery until he found what he was searching for. A black stallion was flawlessly bucking a tree and already moving onto the next.
Vice rubbed his eyes with hardness and whistled out of tune. “Looks like I really got roughed up back there. Maybe Enzo will have some answers.” Vice made his departure down a flight of stairs and past a strongly scented kitchen. Various apple products littered the ground; scraps of food were splattered across walls and tables. Vice carefully maneuvered his way outside and shut his eyes as the powerful sunlight reflected lightly on him. “Ah hey, Enzo!” he shouted with his eyes closed. “I’m not in heaven, right?”
“No.”
“Good, good.” Vice finally cracked his eyes open and saw Enzo continuously assaulting apple trees. “So, mind telling me what the hell happened after I temporarily bought the farm yesterday-wait, no pun intended!” Enzo chuckled faintly as he realized what Vice was referencing. “Man, if only that Applejack was here. Anyway, the spotlight’s on you.”
“Well, I explained what exactly happened,” Enzo said.
“Wasn’t fun, huh?”
“No, I had to go through the whole bullying thing which Fluttershy obviously did not like.” Vice sensed Enzo tensing up. “So, I told them the whole scenario and they got kinda angry at you.”
“I can see that very clearly, hehe,” Vice said stretching his hooves behind his head. “Not that I can blame ‘em. These guys obviously don’t like violence and that’s, uh-that doesn’t boat well with me and my persona.” Enzo nodded in firmness.
“They were mad, but they got over it quickly. We all agreed it would be best to forget the situation ever happened and that Clyde would have a word with those…bullies.” Enzo looked drearily at Vice.
“Maybe that’s their way of not breaking Fluttershy? I mean yeah ya gotta face your fears, but God forbid you be reminded of them constantly. Listen, I bet it’s nothing; they did it so that she’ll be alright.” Vice smirked his usual grin and pointed to himself. “It’s not like I got these wounds for nothing. Heh, and Applejack expects me to work in this condition. Brutal.” Both ponies shared laughs together in the soft, morning breeze.
“Thanks,” Enzo finally said. “For back there.”
“Damn, Enzo, you don’t need to thank me. It’s just natural that I protect my friends,” Vice replied coolly. “And it looked like you needed protecting back there.”
“I wasn’t the only one.” Enzo locked eyes with the ground and stopped his bucking as he remembered Fluttershy. Her terrified and embarrassed face kept flashing back and forth through his mind. He could almost hear her voice through the blowing wind that kept the morning lively. “I need to fight my own battles,” Enzo stated solidly.
“That’s true,” Vice agreed hesitantly. “But sometimes ya need a little help here and there. You shouldn’t go in alone,” he concluded more satisfyingly.
“Right.” Enzo continued his work as Vice watched with intent. A crack swung through his ears as his friend unleashed incomparable force upon a thick, hulking tree. The tree shook furiously and several apples fell on cue. Their fresh, bright demeanor taunted Vice as he shrugged.
“I still can’t do that magical kick of yours. Anyway, I better do my thing or Applejack’s gonna have an aneurysm.” Vice said with fatigue. and proceeded to unfold his wings. He clicked them back and launched them at a nearby tree, pummeling it with waves of wing smacks. Eventually the desired red apples were produced and Vice snorted with celebration. “Looks like I’m not useless after all. I think this marks the beginning of my life as a farm…horse-aw hell that’s not what I wanna be.”
“Well you’re stuck with it,” Enzo said with amusement.
“Don’t remind me.”
~~~~~~~~~~
A fresh scent of newspaper scuffled through Blitz as he entered his new job. He stood anxiously at the front of the memorable silver coated door and awaited his fate as a mailpony. The door creaked ever so quietly and before him stood a serious looking pony. “Ahh, I see you arrived just on time. Very nice, but not good enough. I expect you to be here at least thirty minutes earlier,” the pony said in his typical monotone voice.
“Yes, mister Post Pole,” was all Blitz could say. He struggled to look his boss in the eyes as the intimidation sunk into Blitz’s veins. He gingerly stepped forth into Post Poles office.
“Please, have a seat.” The dry voice stung Blitz as he obeyed obediently. He positioned himself somewhat comfortably in a wool chair and made the straightest face he could muster. “So, let’s get down to business shall we? Not a lot of ponies like the mail business, you’re one of a select few who signed up for the job.” Post Pole was now at his desk, his face was masked by darkness despite the sunny day outside. “Even if it was by somepony else.” There was a certain gloomy essence in Post Pole’s voice, but Blitz swept away the feeling as he listened to what his boss had to say. “Workdays are all seven days of the week. Now, you will be arriving roughly at sunrise, just after Celestia’s sun has reached the horizon. You will work until Celestia’s sun has reached the midpoint in the sky, then you shall have a short break. You must return within thirty minutes to resume work until Luna’s moon has appeared before us.”
’Oh Celestia, he can’t just have normal times? And since when was working all day part of the job?’ Blitz thought annoyed at his work schedule. ’I guess he really is an old fashioned pony.’ Blitz nodded clearly and silently. “Okay, I think I got it.”
“Think?” Post Pole asked coldly. “No, no, you must know.”
“I know,” Blitz confirmed in order to prevent anymore conversation with the pony.
“Very well, you may start today and end early before Celestia’s sun reaches the midpoint of the sky as your first day. But, I expect you to be here as stated tomorrow morning,” Post Pole concluded still retaining his calm, unnerving voice.
“Right, thank you, Mister Post Pole.” Blitz put up a hoof reluctantly and expected a shake. The pony eyed him suspiciously, but accepted the offer and Blitz left the room feeling more packed than usual. ’That’s annoying, seven days a week all day? Honestly. But hey, I guess this is what it’s like to have a job.’ Blitz walked towards a shining new desk with a bronze label of his name slapped on the front. ’Well at least I got a warm welcome…I think. Geez, even Fuzzy Fry didn’t work this long.’ Blitz examined his desk thoroughly and found that it was a simple wooden desk with no drawers whatsoever. One letter was promptly sitting atop the sturdy desk. “I guess that’s my delivery.”
Blitz picked up the letter and read the name printed neatly on.”Roseluck?” He then came to the conclusion that he did not even know where to start looking, let alone find the location. “Wait…is that it?” Blitz awkwardly tilted the letter and examined every bit of it in a vain attempt to solve his crisis. The name was the only information on the blank letter. It was then Blitz came to a conclusion he didn’t like.
“I have to open it.” He knew the opening of a letter was a taboo in the mail services, but he felt he had no choice. “I can’t just go in there and ask Post Pole what to do. He’d think I’m useless which I’m trying to avoid being.” Blitz shook his head and stared at the red, heart shaped seal. He cautiously lifted up the end and the letter slowly opened up. He could barely make out a few words before shutting the letter violently.
“To Rose, from Bloom.” Blitz managed to spot multiple hearts surrounding the name and made the assumption that he was delivering a love letter. He quickly sealed back up the letter and looked around skittishly. “Okay, so opening it did absolutely nothing, perfect.” Sensing no one around, he sighed a breath of defeat and held the letter awkwardly. ’Wait, so do I get a mailbag or something?’ he thought with unneeded worry. Still holding the letter, Blitz paced around the room and eventually came upon an old, leather bag. Its strap was torn at places and the bag reeked of old newspaper. Blitz picked up the equipment and flung it over his shoulder and across his body. The bag fit nicely on Blitz’s torso and he gently inserted the letter into the bag. With his new demeanor, Blitz hopped shamefully outside and made his way into town.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Yes, Roseluck, I’ve heard of her. She lives just over there, you can’t miss her house. It’s covered in, well, roses!”
Blitz thanked the mare who gave him directions and made his merry way towards his destination. The sun shined brightly and vividly on Blitz’s blue coat of fur, his dark purple mane was sagging slightly. He finally spotted the house with roses and scanned the area for some sort of mailbox. He found his target and took one last look at the love letter before plopping it into the mailbox and turning the red flag up to signify new mail.
“Love letter...who does those anymore?” Blitz said out loud. “I’m not that old.” Blitz turned around and initiated his way back to the post office. He kept his eyes on the dusty ground and watched as his forelegs hit the ground. “Love.” Blitz bit his lip as he contemplated his own love life. “Can’t say I don’t miss it…or even had it.” His ambiguous statement made him stop to think. ’All my life I’ve only ever liked one girl. One of my only friends besides Fuzzy, she was so real.’ Blitz smiled to himself and laughed distantly. ’Well, I can’t say only friend. I’ve made so many more here in Ponyville, but I can’t help remembering her.’ Blitz shifted his eyesight to the side of the road and he watched a patch of grass sway fluidly in the breeze. ’Bluebelle, the girl I never had enough courage to be with.’ Blitz felt his heart sink into the ground, but lifted his head up and gave a stern face. “No, I can’t keep thinking about the past. I made a promise to keep moving forward, to lead a better life. I will stay positive, no matter what!”
~~~~~~~~~
Blitz reentered Post Pole’s Wonder Mail Emporium and was greeted by a very angry looking stallion. “Mister Blitz, what have you done?”
“Um, Post-I mean Mister-“
“You opened the letter!” Blitz felt his entire hopes being crushed in an instant; he pictured the scene with detail in his head. He stepped backwards and bumped into something. He creaked his head shakily and noticed a gray mare looking confused at him. “And you!” Post Pole pointed straight at the mare behind Blitz. Both ponies showed equal amounts of fear as they shook together. “You’re late as usual! You were supposed to be finished with the order an hour ago!”
“But, I got lost…again,” the mare responded softly. Blitz sensed real fear in her voice and tensed up against Post Pole.
“That’s the third time this week, miss Ditzy-Doo. We can’t afford to have any more accidents like this, understand?” Post Pole said in a calm, but angered tone. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.”
“Good, as for you, Mister Blitz. I understand this is your first day and you may not have exactly known what to do. You should have asked me.”
’This is why I can’t have nice things, because I’m always wrong-can’t be negative!’ Blitz thought conflicted. “You’re right, I should’ve asked. I’m sorry.”
“Excused, both of you. I expect no more incidents from here on out.” With that bold statement, Post Pole left the room with an air of fear behind him. Both Blitz and Ditzy-Doo stopped their shaking and turned to face each other.
“Are you the other mailpony?” Ditzy said quietly.
“Yeah, I’m Blitz. You must be-”
“Derpy Hooves.” The pony smiled and saluted clumsily. It was then Blitz finally noticed that her golden eyes were walled; one was facing up while the other was facing down. Her short, blonde mane flopped upwards as she brushed her hair with her hoof. Her wings seemed to still be fluttering out of shock from Post Pole’s Outburst.
“Wait, it’s not Ditzy…” Blitz mentally face palmed as he forgot the last part of the mare’s name.
“No, it’s Derpy Hooves. That’s what all my friends call me,” Derpy concluded quickly.
“I see.” Silence followed and both ponies stood looking at each other. “Is he always like that?” Blitz saidwith a nervous laugh.
“Only with me,” Derpy said with a hint of sadness. “I’m kinda clumsy so I tend to get lost sometimes. But, usually I’m okay. I can’t help it.”
“Well, um, if he ever freaks out at you again I can stick up for you. Being a mailpony isn’t easy,” Blitz reassured with feigned knowledge. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
“Oh, thanks.” Derpy tried to kick the ground shyly, but almost ended up falling over. She smiled and spread her gray wings. “I have to go.”
“Right, don’t want to make him mad again.” Blitz watched as the pegasus flew away in a rush and frowned as the pony was already looking around apprehensively.
“Wish I could’ve helped her.” Blitz uttered to himself. “But, Post Pole would probably strangle me if I did so. I guess that’s what it’s like to be the head of a business.” Blitz made his way towards his desk and found another package lying on top. “And old.” Blitz inspected the rectangular brown box and lifted it up. It was small, but surprisingly heavy. Blitz turned the box over and noticed the address and name. “Twilight, Twilight Sparkle!” Blitz looked around to see if anyone heard his cry of joy and resumed his inspection. “At least I can do this,” he concluded happily.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Twilight?” Blitz knocked lightly on a large wooden door and called out for the mare. “Are you there, I have a delivery to make.” The door swung open and before Blitz stood a furious looking dragon.
“You can leave that right there. I’ll take it in for Twilight,” Spike said harshly.
“Hey, let’s not fight again. I just wanna see Twilight,” Blitz argued back.
“Well, if you make it worth my while-”
“Spike!” A voice rippled down the staircase behind Spike and sent him into a state of worry. “Please let Blitz in.”
“Yeah alright, Twilight.” Spike turned to Blitz with an annoyed expression and ushered him to enter with a wave of his small hands. Blitz proceeded and was greeted by a smiling purple mare.
“Hello, Blitz. I heard you had a delivery for me?” Twilight said.
“Yep, right here!” Blitz laid down the rectangular package with intense care, but he also did so with enthusiasm. “What’s in that anyway? It’s so heavy.”
“Just some books I ordered from Canterlot. Sorry if they were too much for you to handle,” Twilight teased playfully.
“Not at all,” Blitz said trying to flex his muscles. He failed to show any depth whatsoever and lowered his foreleg in defeat. “Glad I was the one to deliver,” he repeated in attempt to shift the topic. Twilight merely kept her smile on and spoke with delight.
“It’s good that you finally got the job you wanted. You seem much more happier than before…with Trixie.” Twilight added a sort of sassy, disgusted tinge to the name.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to try to be more positive, you know? Think about the good things in life instead of wasting time roaming around in the past,” Blitz said powerfully. Twilight gave him a serious nod.
“That’s a very important thing to cherish, Blitz. I always tend to think positive even if, well, things aren’t looking so great. It’s helped me get through a lot of sticky situations. Never give up and more importantly, never give up on your friends. Hold those dear to you close and never let them go, learn to have faith in them. That’s what I’ve always been abiding by and so far I’ve been a very happy mare.” The powerful speech left Blitz speechless and stunned. He took in Twilight’s words very carefully and meaningfully, deciphering each sentence and each word as an important piece of information to always have. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to go on like that. It’s a habit of me,” Twilight apologized with a short laugh.
“Oh, no it’s fine. That was a very well thought out speech. I think I needed that,” Blitz said confidently. “So, uh, do you need help with anything? My boss said I have the rest of the day off…I hope.” Blitz wandered towards a nearby crystal clear window and peered out into the shiny brightness of the outside. He noted the sun’s position as being in the middle of the sky and walked back to Twilight eager for an answer.
“No, not really.”
“Not even sorting books? Searching for missing books?” Blitz sighed as he was trying too hard to find work for himself.
“Surprisingly, no. Spike has been working more than usual to keep this place in tip top shape,” explained Twilight. “I guess he’s just trying to prove he’s-”
“A better assistant?” Blitz broke in nonchalantly.
“Mmm, I don’t like it. It feels wrong that he has to work himself silly just because you showed up. Not that there’s anything wrong with you.” Twilight gave Blitz a wry smile. “You are one of my friends after all.” Blitz felt shivers spawn at the word. He made sure to make clear eye contact before speaking.
“Friend, am I really your friend? I mean after Trixie and all,” Blitz said feebly, but with intent. Twilight gave Blitz a dirty look before giggling. “What?” Blitz asked somewhat seriously.
“You’re very interesting.” Blitz was taken aback by the compliment. “I firmly believe in second chances no matter the pony. I even gave Trixie a second chance the moment before she tried imprisoning me,” Twilight joked darkly. “But, yes you are my friend. You could certainly use a lot more since you’re new here, but I think you already have that covered. To simply be kind and caring towards others goes a long way and I think friendship is an important-” Twilight stopped talking and burst out laughing. “I’m going on again aren’t I?”
“Uh, by all means, continue,” Blitz blurted out. “I mean, if you want to.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve already bored you enough today,” Twilight protested strongly. Blitz raised a hoof to speak, but Twilight waved it off with her own hoof. “You don’t have to be polite around me all the time.”
“But-I. Okay, you’re the boss and I’m the assistant.”
“Hardly. How’s that leg of yours. Doing fine, I presume?” Twilight said circling around Blitz.
“Never been better. Well at least now. Hopefully it will fully heal up soon.” Blitz watched Twilight finish her motion and waited for her to respond. As time passed without an outcome, he spoke up as he realized something. “Do you know where my snow globe is?” Twilight showed a face of certainty as she pointed towards a nearby desk. Blitz trotted slowly towards his treasure and saw it sparkle in the book filled room. The circular glass world sat with still life. Blitz received the piece and lightly shook it. The snowflakes fluttered endlessly in a trance as Blitz stared in deep thought into the globe.
’I guess my life really is turning into something great,’ Blitz thought as he continued to stare into the snowy land. ’I keep telling myself this, but now I truly believe it. With Twilight’s help, Clyde’s help, even Vice and Enzo’s help, I’ve accomplished so much.’ The snow globe stopped sprinkling its white bliss and Blitz gave it another gentle shake. The artificial snow resumed its departure and showered the globe with delight. ’Just keep moving. That’s what she told me before she left. Just keep moving; me and Fuzzy. I will move forward and I will succeed, I am determined. These ponies around me, this new life; my chance. It’s time to restart.’