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Chapter 1: A Day in the Life 3,139 words
Chapter 2: Good Intentions Gone Awry 2,305 words
Chapter 3: Form and Finesse 3,166 words
Chapter 4: Close Encounters 2,797 words

Chapter 4: Close Encounters

Derpy Hooves shivered in the cool morning air, wings wrapped tightly around herself to keep warm. She had gotten up extra early to finish her mail route, saving the rest of the day for her new quest. The grey mare checked her “don’t-forget” list, skimming through it to make sure she had gotten all the right houses. Everything appeared to be in order. She reached into her mail bag to retrieve her last delivery, an odd brown parcel with foreign writing on it, and dropped it on the doorstep of Doctor Whooves. Suspiciously, she eyed the blue telephone booth in front of his house. She would never understand that strange stallion.

With a few flaps, she rose into the air, Ponyville shrinking beneath her as she flew higher. She winced as a cold gust of air hit her and scanned the town below, searching from the familiar, spired roof top. There, on the far side of town, she finally spotted Carousel Boutique, seemingly glowing in the light of the rising sun. The elegant building that served as a fashion boutique also doubled as a home. Flaring her light grey wings, Derpy glided lazy over the roof tops of PonyVille, flapping only on occasion to maintain altitude.

Dropping back down to ground level, she stumbled slightly as she landed on the front step of the boutique. Shuffling her wings so that they lay comfortably against her sides, Derpy checked that she had the right mail then proceeded to knock on the door, a basket of Coconut Cream Muffins held tightly in her mouth. For a moment, she merely stood in uncomfortable silence, the air seeming to grow heavy around her. She pawed at the ground, her nerves taught as hurried hoofsteps echoed from behind the door. There was the jingle of lock and chain, and the door swung open, revealing a sleepy, white unicorn. Her hair was arranged in a haphazard bun behind her ears, and small curls had fallen loose from either side.

“Derpy? Good gracious, what are you doing here? And at such an early hour?”
Derpy gave her a nervous smile, depositing the fragrant basket on her door step.
“Good morning Rarity! Your hair looks lovely. I mean, it always looks lovely of course, but most ponies look really bad in the morning. You don’t. I like your mane.”
Rarity stared at her blankly, blinking slowly.

“I brought your mail, and some homemade muffins. I have a favor to ask.”
Rarity’s indigo eyes widened, and she lowered her head to nose the basket at her hooves. Derpy smiled to herself. You learn some interesting things about ponies, being a mail mare. One of those things was that Rarity had a major sweet tooth. The pegasus retrieved Rarity’s mail from her saddlebags and proffered it to her. The letters in Derpy’s hooves floated away in a pale haze of magic, along with the basket of muffins, as Rarity cocked an eyebrow.

“A favor? Well, certainly darling! I’d be happy to help. What is it you need? A dress for a formal dinner? A new mane style? A more—”
Rarity paused, glancing at the bright blue mail bag draped over Derpy’s back.
“ermm, flattering saddlebag?”
Derpy blinked and shook her head.
“No, none of those things! You see, I have this book— what’s wrong with my mail bag?”
Rarity flashed a brilliant smile, laughing too loudly.
“Nothing at all dear! Come inside and I’ll make you some tea.”

Rarity turned and trotted back into the house, muffins and mail bobbing along behind her. As the pegasus followed her inside, she heard her muttering something about not having time to fix her hair.
“Take a seat darling! I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

The idea of Rarity’s plump furniture was ideal after a rushed morning, and Derpy quickly found her way to the living room, flopping onto Rarity’s couch and studying her surroundings. Rarity kept her house incredibly tidy with absolutely flawless decor. Derpy had never seen a house so well coordinated. Even the magazines that were artfully spread across the coffee table matched the color of the furniture and wallpaper. Derpy was comfortably sprawled out on the sofa when Rarity re-appeared.
“GAH!”

Cups rattled on a silver tray as Rarity’s magical grip jerked in her surprise, and Derpy turned to see the unicorn staring at her, her mouth open in horror. At first, Derpy couldn’t seem to figure out what had upset her, then she spotted it; her muddy hooves were on the red velvet sofa. Tumbling off couch, the grey pegasus scrambled to her feet, apologizing profusely.
“I’m so sorry Rarity! I wasn’t paying attention!”

Rarity raised a hoof in dismal, regaining her composure and shaking her head resolutely.
“No no, don’t worry. That mud should come right out. I hope.”
Rarity set the tea tray on the glass coffee table returned to the kitchen, fetching a washcloth and bucket of water to clean with. Dabbing delicately at the velvet, she spoke to Derpy over her shoulder, intent on her task.
“Now then, while I take care of this, you ought to explain that favor you mentioned earlier.”

Finished at last, Rarity sat on the newly cleaned red velvet couch, legs crossed in a lady-like manner and a cup of tea floating front of her. She watched Derpy intently, and other than the occasional sip from her steaming mug, her attention was completely fixated on the clumsy mare, who poured out her entire story, grateful for someone who would listen. As Derpy concluded her monologue, the white unicorn placed her empty cup on the table, delicately hopping down from her seat as she spoke.

“Well, you certainly came to the right mare for help! As you may have guessed, I know almost everything there is to know when it comes to proper behaviour. I’ve read several books on the subject! I’m sure I can find some way to be of assistance to you.”

The mug clasped between Derpy’s front hooves was yanked away and Rarity levitated dishes onto a tray, carrying the arrangement into the kitchen.
“Actually, this should be rather enjoyable! I have always considered a side career as an Self-Image Consultant. This would be a wonderful opportunity to try my hoof at the idea! This is simplement magnifique!”

Rarity reappeared, prancing excitedly as she used her magic to move all of her furniture to the far edges of the room, including the couch Derpy was sitting on. The sudden shift of the chair beneath her caused the grey mare to tumble from her seat with an ”oomph!”
“That’s, ‘simply magnificent’ in French, by the way. We’ll need maximum floor space for our first session!”

“We’re starting now?”
Derpy scrambled to her hooves, tripped, and fell back on her haunches. Rarity eyed the blonde mare with a calculating look.
“I believe our first lesson should be grace.”

“No! Derpy— Ugh... I’ll tell you again, the key to training up good posture is keeping your weight equally distributed between all four hooves. You can’t use your wings to help you balance!”

The grey mare stumbled around on the plush carpet, struggling to keep a single book balanced atop head while Rarity called out instruction. The elegant unicorn stood off to one side, her carefully coifed mane some what ruffled and her pale face unusually flushed. Rarity sighed, running a hoof over her forelock and enveloping the book in a cloud of magic, catching it as the Derpy tripped for the umpteenth time. Blushing, the pegasus regained her footing once again, shaking out her mane with a mumbled apology.

Rarity set the book on the coffee table and disappeared into the hallway, muttering under her breath. She returned a moment later with a silken scarf clenched between her teeth. Using her magic, she tied the scarf firmly around Derpy’s ribcage, effectively pinning both wings to her sides.
“Now, try again. Start out nice and slow, and don’t take a step forward until you feel confident. Your goal is to cross the floor. That’s all.”

Rarity balanced the book atop Derpy’s blonde mane and stepped back, watching carefully as the pegasus focused all of her attention on the thick volume perched between her ears. After a moment of painful silence, she took a singular step forward, concentrating on keeping the book from toppling to the floor yet again. Feeling the book start to slip, Derpy shifted her weight, trying her hardest to keep her balance.

I've got to get it right this time. I can do this! Concentrate, concentrate.

Derpy tentatively took another step.

So far, so good. You’re doing great, just relax…

Wobbling slightly, she took a deep breath and slowly lifted a front hoof. Rarity cheered her on.
“Wonderful, Derpy! You’re doing marvelously!”

Derpy lowered her hoof, releasing the pent up air in her lungs. She now lifted a back hoof, and as she did so, the book began to slide forward. Panicking, Derpy leaned backward, her wings straining against the scarf around her waist. The book slipped even further, and Derpy desperately tried to re-balance, but it was too late. The book hit the floor with a dull thud, and, tripping on her hooves, the grey pegasus fell heavily on her rump. Again.

“I’m sorry Rarity, I just can’t seem to— ack!”
Derpy gasped in shock as Rarity practically strangled her in a hug.
“Oh don’t apologize! That was excellent! So much better than the last time. You see, you don’t have to rely on your wings!”
Rarity released the pegasus from her death grip, and Derpy stumbled backward, tilting her head in confusion.
“That was… good?”

“It most certainly was! Your progress is already evident. I’m very proud of you!”

As Rarity used her magic to untie the scarf, Derpy felt a smile creeping across her face. “I… I was good!” She turned to Rarity, who was returning the scarf to a hall closet.
“So what do we do next?”
Rarity glanced over her shoulder in surprise.
“What? You want to practice even more? Derpy, darling, it’s already past one! You’ve been here for hours! Don’t you think we should pick up on this another time?”
Rarity let the scarf fall the floor, walking to Derpy and placing a hoof on her shoulder.
“Dearie, I admire your enthusiasm, but you mustn't—”

Rarity froze in mid-sentence, mouth agape, her eyes locked on the clock hanging on the far wall.

“MY GOODNESS, MY LUNCHEON!”

The grey pegasus found she was being roughly shoved out the door as Rarity spoke in a rush of words. “It’s one o’clock! Oh goodness, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten! I’m terribly sorry, but you must excuse me. I have a very important luncheon with some very important ponies that I simply must attend to. Keep practicing your balance! Oooohh I’m going to be late!”

The door of Carousel Boutique slammed shut behind her, and Derpy frowned, concerned with the sounds of mayhem that issued from the open window in the kitchen.
“Good heavens, what happened to the time? I was sure I had hours! Oh I’m going to be so late! I can’t miss this meeting. Where is that hat? Opaall! Opal, darling, have you seen my— EEEEEEEAUGH!”

Derpy decided it would be best to leave Rarity to her own devices, turning and trotting toward the Ponyville Post office. She still had to turn in the mail she had collected and claim her paycheck. After hours of balancing a heavy book on her head, the mare couldn’t help but notice that her feet felt lighter, and she naturally held her head higher. Her smile broadened, and she tossed her mane happily, stretching her wings. She waved jauntily to ponies she passed, her mail bag bouncing across her back. Early fall leaves skittered across the road, carried along by a light breeze. The Running of the Leaves would take place soon. Perhaps Derpy would participate this year.

As the post office came into view, Derpy stopped short, catching sight of a familiar pale pelt entering through the double doors. Her smile faltered, and her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of another encounter.
Why do I keep running into him? It’s ridiculous.
For a moment, she debated hiding in the bushes until Blue Skies had come and gone, but she knew it was a ridiculous notion. There was no reason for Derpy to be shy, she was perfectly capable of controlling her own hooves! The blonde mare shook her head, chiding herself as she determinedly strode forward.

Pushing the tall double door open with her nose, Derpy entered Ponyville Post Office with confidence. This was her workplace after all, why should she be timid? Cooly, she nod to the pony behind the counter, pointedly avoiding the gaze of certain stallion.
“Good afternoon First Class! I have the mail, and I’d like to pick up my monthly pay.”
Derpy emptied her mail bag onto the counter, and a posh, sea green unicorn with a curled, pale mane, levitated the stack of letters off the counter, disappearing into a back room with a curt nod. In a few moments, he returned. The letters had vanished.
“You’ll have to wait a few minutes. Love Letter’s in a meeting, and as you know, she has to approve the check before I can give it to you.”

Derpy nodded, taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs that really served more for decoration than for actual furniture. She shifted uncomfortably as the silence overtook the large room, the only sound being the scratching of a pen as First Class filled out a form. Nervous, she looked up at Blue Skies every few seconds, stealing glances when he wasn’t paying attention.
I should say something...
No, no, NO. Do NOT be awkward. Just enjoy the silence.
But this is could be perfect opportunity to start a conversation…
No, this is the absolute worst opportunity to start a conversation. It would be painfully awkward. Silence is golden.
I should probably say something.

“So… picking up some stamps?”

Damn it...

Blue Skies looked up in surprise, brushing his pale gold forelock out of his eyes. He glanced to his left and right, as if checking to be sure Derpy was definitely talking to him. After a painful moment of silence— Derpy was convinced she was going to shrivel up and die right then and there— he responded.
“Um, no, actually. Though, now that you mention it, that might be a good idea! Derpy, isn’t it?”

Derpy nodded eagerly, and the blue stallion gave a nervous chuckle that definitely did NOT make her blush.
“Well, actually I’m—”

First Class cleared his throat pointedly, glancing up for the form he had been reviewing.
“Paperwork’s all good, just sign here please, and I’ll turn it in for you.”
Blue Skies quickly stood, trotting to the counter and jotting down a quick signature.

“Love Letter will contact you at her nearest convenience. Have a nice day, sir.”

The light blue pegasus nodded his thanks, then turned to shoot Derpy an apologetic smile. “Now that that’s taken care of, I really have to get going. I have a lot of work to do. Have a great day!”

Derpy gave her best impression of a smile and nodded. “You too!” She couldn’t help but sigh as the golden eyed pegasus disappeared out the door. Well, that certainly hadn’t gone as planned. But on the bright side, at least she managed to start a conversation! That was a good first step. She was startled from her train of thought as a light pink earth pony emerged from her office.
“Derpy?”

The pegasus in question scrambled to her feet, throwing a hasty salute at her employer. “Here, ma’am!”

The tall, lanky earth pony cocked an eyebrow, but made no comment. She held out a small, manilla envelope. “I have your pay check here. Don’t forget to turn in your paperwork at the end of the month, okay?”

Derpy smiled, taking the envelope from the cherry maned mare. “Yes ma’am! Thank you very much!”

Turning on her heels, she hurried out the door, her empty mail bag significantly lighter. For a moment, she considered the pay check in her mouth. It was a sunday, and there were still a few hours of daylight left. She was going to go shopping.

Author's Note:

Made and effort to combine chapters 4 and 5, and I must say I like the out come!

Exciting news.....

NEW WRITING FROM NOW ON EHEHEHE.

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