//------------------------------//
// Walking to work 
// Story: I Am Derpy Hooves 
// by defender of the herd 
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Walking to work

The sun was just peeking up over the hills and trees and the light started to slip into Ponyville.  This early in the morning shopkeepers and flouriest were the only ponies in the streets busy preparing for the day.  Welcome mattes were placed with care on stoops of bakeries, quill stores, and a dozen other venders.   An orange mare with a fin stetson on top of her golden straw mane  rushed to set up their vending stall in the best spot, the best spot according to her anyhow.  The streets were alive with hustle and activity.  This was just another morning in Ponyville. Around a corner walked a large steel colored stallion, and as he purposely marched down the street that air seemed to shift away from him and grow cold as it fled.

The stallion was a tall and grim figure as he trotted down the street.   The Cake family quickly darted inside their store to avoid his cold brown eyes. Roseluck shifted uncomfortably in her stall trying to stay out of sight of the icy earth pony. The stallion marched down the street and made a perfectly strait line to the apple stall.  “Oh no” breathed Applejack.  Applejack cursed herself for not letting Granny Smith or Big Macintosh set up the sales cart.  This cursing and uncomfortable feeling  had become part of her morning routine, she would always head into town worried about her morning encounter with Overnight and leave in the afternoon promising herself to let her brother or sister set up the stall the next day. Well maybe not her sister. She saw the pony heading her way and and could feel his entrancing eyes fall upon her and the air in her lungs grew cold. A long shadow came from the metallic pony and Applejack's vender cart grew dark.  Overnight was larger than Big Macintosh and his shadow could take up its own barn.  His candy apple mane was cut short with a professional look to it and was tucked neatly into a Postal service hat.  Everything was prim and proper not a hair out of place or a step taken without knowing exactly knowing where it would land.      

Overnight purposely and quickly stepped up to the Apple family cart. "One.” He said in a very dry and deep voice.  “The one I always get.”  Applejack gulped, that voice had a weight to it.  Every word was carefully analyzed and dissected to find the way to convey the most meaning and lest amount of warmth.  That voice sounded as if it had come from a deep hollow place inside the pony and rushed out when the chasm filled with stone.   “Heh Heh, o’ourse Overnight, one red delicious, to match your mane coming right up.”  Overnight’s eyes narrowed on Applejack and she shivered.  “The useless  commentary is not what I’m paying for Ms. Apple. I only require one apple. I assumed you being an apple farmer could supply me with one.  If I wanted something else from you I would ask.  Please Ms. Apple let us keep this professional and stick the normal routine.  Now, my apple please, and your bits.”   Applejack swallowed hard and looked around awkwardly. “Course Mr. Overnight, y’all have a fine day.”  Applejack cursed herself under breathe for the dumb comment. Overnight walked off eating his breakfast.   By the time Applejack turned back to apologize, all she saw was a flank with a letter over a full moon on it turn round the corner.  

Overnight stopped a few steps down the street at his place of work, the Ponyville post office.   He slipped the key into the lock and entered with a grumble.  He looked to the back wall behind the sales counter and saw the normal morning mail waiting for him.  A row of mail slots ten feet high and fifteen feet wide sat there jammed to bursting with mail.  Packages, parcels, letters, and cards all gushed out of the mail slots towards Overnight.  The towering earth pony sighed and went to work sorting the mail into satchels of the delivery ponies.  The express packages and letters were placed into the first satchel labeled 'Raindrops'.  Next, came the fragile mail and they were gingerly tucked into a satchel with the name 'Shipping'.  The normal letters were all that remained. The ones ponies sent all the time to each other and were the most common in to the post office.  Overnight sighed and hung his head. He wondered how a pony like Ditzy survived.  How somepony could be so careless, so clumsy, and so utterly useless and still hold a job and have a family.  Her existence boggled Overnight’s mind.  He cursed under his breath every time he looked at the mail bag.  He gathered the last letters and tossed them in a huff into the mail satchel labeled 'Derpy'. 

Overnight stepped into his office and sat down at his desk.  The office was his home away from home, a place where order and work were the law of the land.  His desk was arranged by color, size of item in question, and how often he would use it.   It was a triumph of order, efficiency, and organization.  Overnight leaned back in his chair and sighed to himself.  His mind wandered back to the name Derpy.  He had learned in his time at the post office that Ditzy Doo was a klutz, and a buffoon,  and that this Derpy Hooves name was a title that reflected that.  Her so called friends used the name as a form of affection he reasoned.  It was a very dumb thing to do Overnight concluded.  His eyes glanced over his calendar to see what the rest of the week would hold. The word evaluation was written in large red letters 5 days from now.  Next to it was the name Ditzy.  A thin cruel smile crossed Overnights lips.  Many thoughts raced through his head.  Overnight knew this was his chance.  If he could get Ditzy to fail, then she would lose her job and he would be free of the menace of Ditzy Doo.  

A soft screaming could be heard from outside the office window.  Over the course of a few seconds it grew louder and sounded closer.  Overnight stood up and walked over to look out at the source of the noise. As he reached the window a loud crashing sound followed by breaking glass greeted him. A blond, wall eyed, grey mare, with a series of bubbles for a cutie mark, landed into the room and bounced off of Overnight’s face and sent him flying into his desk.  He came flopping down on top of it scattering all of the items off of it onto the floor.  A sicking, and soft  snapping sound entered Overnight's ears as his back stuck his office desk.  
“My back…” croaked Overnight.  “My back Ditzy, What have you done?”  

Ditzy recovered in midair from the tumble and reached our her left hoof with all her might and grabbed and object out of the air and saved it from hitting the glass on the floor.  She gingerly and sweetly brought the object up to hers and inspected it thoroughly for blemishes, dents, dings, or any other signs of imperfection.  Finding everything was in perfect order she took a large bite out of it.
“I saved my muffin from falling! I got a free one from Sugar Cube Corner and I threw my arms up in the air from all the excitement!  Next thing I knew my free muffin was flying away and I had to catch it.”  Ditzy looked around the room for the first time.  “Oh dear, I’m sorry boss, I don’t know how this happened. Do you need some help?”

“No I don’t. Grab your satchel and get to work!”  Overnight hissed.  Ditzy stood up wiping the glass out of her mane.  She walked out of the office before her boss could get any angrier.  In the front part of post office Shipping was coming in. “Hiya Shipping!” Ditzy said with a gigantic smile while waving ecstatically at her.  “Good morning to you too.” Shipping said in a soft smooth voice. Shipping was the newest addition to the mail team, and she would handle the rush orders.  She was the fastest mail pony in Ponyville.  Her Cyan mane bounced around her head, while her tail would always seem to get wrapped oh so very cutely around her back left leg.  Her rainbow colored coat has very beautiful to look at.  Shipping also had the softest red eyes of any pony.  Shipping’s cutie mark was an often talked about item in Ponyville. The mark was two ponies... hugging.  This had given rise to rumors if postal work really was here special talent.

“I seem to have quite a few large packages that need my special attention today”, cooed Shipping as she wrapped her silky tail around her leg, “I can’t wait to get my hooves on them.”  A soft warm smile appeared on her lips while she thought about it.  
“I hope you a have a super great day then!” beamed Ditzy, as she scooped up her satchel and threw it on.  She stepped outside and cracked her wings.  She jumped up into the warm morning air and took off down the streets of Ponyville with a shining smile on her face and a slight giggle coming from her throat.  

Overnight had finally gotten to his feet in time to see Ditzy fly off into Ponyville.  Overnight swore she was going to be the death of him.  Thoughts raced thought Overnights mind.  He had to do something. She had to be stopped.  A flash came to his mind and then his seemed to smile and his lips curled into a twisted smirk.  He remembered that Ditzy's evaluation was coming up at the end of the week. He rushed to the office door and locked it.  He took out a pen and paper and began to craft his master plan. He had an epiphany, Ditzy needed to grow and take her proper place in the world. She needed to see what was important, what mattered.  Overnight was determined to mess up this evaluation and make Ditzy realize being Derpy Hooves was a bad thing. Overnight was convinced that he could then sweep in and save her from herself. He gave a grim chuckle as he worked out a master plan to get Ditzy fired.  “Yes, yes, yes, first her family, then her peace of mind, then her confidence. All of it will need to be taken in order to be ride of her.  If I can get this plan to work, not only will she be out of my hair, but I can get her to be a better pony!” With the soft scribbling of an ink pen one of the cruelest plans in Ponyville was written out.  It would only be a matter of time until Overnight would unleash his full force on Ditzy Doo.  Of course Overnight thought he was doing Ponyville and Ditzy Doo a favor.  

Ditzy began to make her rounds around Ponyville just like she did every morning.  First stop was the Cake’s, then she would fly down the street and give mail to all the shops along the way.  When she finished this she found an unusual letter in her bag.  It was addressed to a Ms. Twilight Sparkle.  “Oh neat, I hardly ever get to deliver mail to Twilight Sparkle! She’s like, the most magical unicorn ever!  I bet she’ll be so excited to get this!  Oh the return address says Canterlot on it! Maybe is from her family!”

Ditzy flew on towards Twilight’s home.  She was whistling a joyful tune and doing loop-de-loops due to the feelings of happiness and anticipation.  she could see Twilight's face when she gave her the letter and how happy she would be about it.  That was Ditzy's favorite part of the job, pony's who got letters and it made their the world a bit brighter.  She especially loved the part that she had been the one to make them that happy. “I can’t wait to give it to her!”  The wall eyed pony zipped on down the street with her mind on the letter.  The grey pegasus was in the middle of another beautiful loop-de-loop when she smashed into Twilight’s second story balcony.  She sent a telescope flying into the wall, and a baby dragon end over end into the air.

“Aaahhhhh!” yelped Spike the purple baby dragon as he tumbled down. He landed a full ten feet from his original spot with a loud thunk.  Spike wobbled to his feet and shook the stars from his eyes.  “Watch what you’re doing Derpy!  You could have really hurt somepony, or yourself.”  Spike said the words in a harsh and chiding manner, but his eyes gave  to a soft concerned look.  “I’m sorry Spike; I was excited about delivering this letter to Twilight. I didn’t mean to knock over everything.”  
“It’s ok Derpy; I’ll take the letter for Twilight, she out in the Everfree Forest meeting with Zecora.  I’ll make sure she gets it as soon as she gets back.”  At that the mare seemed a bit crestfallen.

“Ok, Spike tell Twilight I said hello!”  Ditzy jumped up and flew out the same way she came in.  Spike sighed to himself and surveyed the new mess he was going to have to clean up.  He was just about to start on the pieces of the telescope when a stern knocking sound came from the main door to the library.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” huffed Spike as he grumpily waddled to the door. When he opened it he was shocked.  Standing before him was the scariest pony he had ever seen.  “What happen?” said the stallion in a very numb metallic voice.  The eyes of the stallion cut into Spikes own and the feeling made Spike visibly unnerved.  
“The mare that was just here, a loud crash was heard when she entered, and then she left shortly thereafter, so again I will ask. What. Happened.”  
Spike gulped hard, and creaked out one word, “te…tel...telescope” and then pointed upstairs.  The stallion entered the house and walked in the direction the little purple dragon pointed.  A few minutes latter he returned with a small bag with a few telescope pieces in it.  	
“She broke it.” The steel coated stallion said in a matter of fact voice. Spike gave a meek nod, and after that the mystery stallion left.  Spike stood there for a few minutes just trying to get his breathing under control.  After what he could only guess to be an hour Spike regained his faculties.
“What the hay was that all about?”







The afternoon sun was speeding its way into evening when Ditzy Doo landed on the stoop of her home.   She looked over her lawn and saw a bunch of toys strewn about, no doubt left there by her daughter, Dinky. A Saber Spark action figure, a Wooden Toaster, a Paleo Ponysaurs, and a dozen other toys strewn across the yard.  She gave a contented sigh as she surveyed the mess.  Dinky may have left the toys out, but some of them where hers, she had a soft spot for toys.  She loved them and enjoyed playing with them to no end.  Her and Dinky would sit for hours and hours playing. Going on adventures, saving the world, and even having simple tea parties were all things the two pony's shared a love of.  No other mother and daughter had more fun, and more, between each other than Ditzy and Dinky. While she was looking about the duplex door right next to her and another mare trotted out.  She a soft golden coat and a red orange mane and tail, with a pair of carrots for her cutie mark.  

“Hiya Carrot Top!” chirped Ditzy to her friend and neighbor. She waved a front hoof in greeting and almost tripped and fell over.   
“Hey Bubbles nice to see ya.  How was work?”  Asked her friend in a high pitched nasally voice.  The two mares chatted for a few minutes talking about their work that day.  Golden Harvest told Ditzy about a stamped of bunnies and Ditzy spoke of the letter to Twilight, and her crashing around town.
“You gotta be careful about that Bubbles, you don’t wanna get hurt. Think of Dinky.  What would happen to her?”
“You would be there in 10 seconds flat to help me and her out!” replied Ditzy with a large smirk.
Golden Harvest sighed, “Yeah I would, but what about after that? What if you couldn’t work anymore?”
“Um…deliver the mail anyway?  I mean come on Carrot Top, it’s the mail! Through rain, sleet, dark of night, or broken face, the mail must go on! So I guess I must go one too!”  Ditzy responded with a confident giggle.
Golden Harvest giggled as well.  
“OK Bubbles sounds like a plan. So you and Dinky wanna come over?”
“Of course we do!”
“Fine come on in, I made carrot muffins. The butter is one the table, so you don’t need to go looking in the fridge, ok.”
Ditzy let out a squeal of joy and shot into her house through the front door.  A few seconds later a grey blur making a high pitched whee sound with a little unicorn on its back shot out of the house and strait into Golden Harvest’s home.  

“Is this your home?” said a deep cold voice from behind Golden Harvest.   The voice had come from nowhere and almost made her jump out her coat and onto the roof of her home.  
“My intention was not to scare you miss. I would like an answer to my question though.”  Golden Harvest slowly turned around to see a large steel colored coat and a fire red mane behind her.  She gulped hard and opened her mouth to speak.
“Yes”,   was all she was able to squeak.
“Are you the neighbor to a Ms. Ditzy Doo then?”
“Yes”, cracked Golden Harvest again. She was having a very hard time pulling her eyes away from the large imposing stallions.  His leathery brown eyes seemed to have locked onto hers and she could not get away.
“Who’s toys are these? Do they belong to Ms.Doo’s daughter?”
“They’re Ditzy’s too.”  Came a voice as soft as a breeze through a curtain.
Overnight surveyed the mess with a solemn and disapproving gaze.  ‘She lives like a child.’ thought Overnight to himself.  ‘She needs to grow up and put these little pony things behind her and be an adult mare for once in her life.’

“Thank you Ms.” With that the monstrously powerful gaze of those brown eyes disappeared as the steel giant trotted away.  Golden Harvest was stunned for a few minutes. Her stupor was broken when she heard a metallic click from the direction of her kitchen. Somepony had opened her locked fridge.
“Ditzy! I told you to stay out of my fridge! Don’t you tell me Dinky did it! Stop giggling you two!”
Golden Harvest bolted into her home like she had received a jolt of electricity to her hind quarters.  

Overnight trotted down the lane towards the outskirts of Ponyville.  He would have to work late to finish his project. He needed to set up something that would win Ditzy's trust, and put in a position of influence.  He came to a large open field and stopped.  Here is where he would build it, this location was perfect.  The first part of Overnight's plan was put into action, and the one of the most cruel pony's ever smiled, knowing that this is what was best for everypony.