Twilight organizes the Summer Sun Celebration and Derpy is important for the festival!
It's been a year since Princess Luna's return and the Summer Sun Celebration is back again. Princess Celestia has decided to not only to commence the ceremony of the longest day of the year but to also include a tradition to allow Luna to rest for a full day. Her organizer for the event, though, has retired which leaves Princess Celestia without a task master. Twilight, her most faithful student, is a candidate for a task master and thrusts the role to her as a sign of trust.
As Twilight organizes the event, Derpy Hooves delivers a certain package for the event which makes her a very special pony.
A new year has passed in Equestria where the Summer Sun Celebration is coming to pass. With Princess Luna ruling beside Princess Celestia, the celebrations for the festival has become to learn to add the tradition of giving Luna rest for one day and are in need of a task master to organize the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. The previous tasker for the celebration has retired and Princess Celestia has begun to decide who will lead it. As she appointed an official taker for the job, Princess Luna offered an idea.
Princess Celestia listened carefully to Luna's proposal of who the new task master should be. The two stood side by side on the patio of the Canterlot Castle tower and overlooked all of Equestria. Celestia stared at the glowing lights of the cities as the ponies slept for the evening. The moon glowed over the lands uncivilized by ponies and the sounds of the growling beasts of the Everfree forest rolled over the hills of the Badlands.
The moon that is raised by Luna every night provided natural light to the dim citadel of Canterlot. Celestia wore a warm comfy scarf around her neck to protect herself from the frigid ice of winter. The celebration marked the end of the freezing spring and into the warm summer. Princess Luna embraced the coldness of the night by wearing no article of clothing for winter.
Now, back to the two princesses. Princess Luna gave a suggestion to Princess Celestia on who the new manager should be for the Summer Sun Celebration.
"I think Twilight Sparkle should be appointed task master for this year," Princess Luna said to Princess Celestia. "I think she is great for the job."
"I don't know about that one little sister," Celestia replied back with a sigh. "Last year I allowed her to oversee the celebration but I had a task master back then. Now with you as part of the celebration, there's more to organize."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Luna bumped her shoulder against Celestia's to give some assurance. "She has her friends by her side."
"You're right sister, I shouldn't worry as much."
And so, Twilight Sparkle was appointed task master of the Summer Sun Celebration. That night, with quill and paper at hoof, Princess Celestia officially documented Twilight's role.
Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am proud to inform you that, above all my possible contestants I have thought of, that you are the one most capable of being a task master for this year's Summer Sun Celebration. With this being the first celebration with Princess Luna, we have incorporated a new tradition into the event but we need someone to run it. Last year, you made sure everything ran smoothly for the celebration but we had somepony else organize the festivities. Since you managed Prince Cadence’s wedding and you are my faithful student, I think you could handle the Summer Sun Celebration. I hope you have an enjoyable time setting up the celebration. Luna and I will see you in two days. I am so proud of you.
From yours truly, Princess Celestia
P.S. A list of things will be included with the next incoming letter.
As she rolled the letter up into a scroll, she casted the teleportation spell on it. She breathed a small green flame from her mouth to the scroll and watched as it whisked away into the Equestrian winds.
Twilight received the letter from Princess Celestia nearly instantaneously. Spike spat the scroll in a vibrant green burst of flames and handed the scroll for Twilight to read. She placed the book she was reading about folklore of earth ponies on her bedside and took the scroll from him. The paper of the scroll crunches in Twilight’s magical grasp. As she read the letter, Spike spat out another scroll with detailed instructions for Twilight to follow on Summer Sun Eve.
"Remind Applejack about the zap apples that were ordered months ago, the sun dresses for the dancers to be crafted by Rarity, have the Cupcakes and Pinkie Pie cater the event with sun themed sugar goods, and Rainbow Dash to direct a Wonderbolt Show the evening of the events,” Twilight said to herself as she read the list of the things required for the Summer Sun Celebration. “Besides asking the mayor to decorate the town, I think I can handle this festivity.”
Twilight dropped the list on the ground and headed to the door to get the Summer Sun Eve started. She was confident that the organization would be a piece of Pinkie Pie Cake and that nothing could go wrong. When she was several hooves away from the door, Spike looked at the list one more time and notices that there was more.
“Wait Twilight!” Spike yelped as Twilight began to head outside the door. He took the scroll with him and showed her the backside of the list to do for the Summer Sun Celebration. “There’s more on the back!”
Twilight read the last tid-bit on the back of the list as Spike held it up for her to read. “There is going to be a new addition to the celebration where we will have something called the Rest of Winter. A glass orb containing magic will be delivered to Ponyville by…” the delivery service name was smudged out. “It is important that the orb be kept safe until midnight of the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“I wonder who is delivering the orb to Ponyville?” Spike asked as he lowered the list.
“Let’s just hope that its somepony who is careful,” Twilight said. “I’ve got to get to Applejack’s to check on the zap apples for the event. Summer Sun Celebration only comes once a year.”
… At the Equestrian delivery service…
“Now Derpy,” Derpy’s father said to her. “I want to make sure that NOTHING happens to this package. Understand?”
Derpy Hooves, the Chief Deliverer of Ponyville, stared blankly at her father who was the boss of the Equestrian Post Office. Her crossed eyes searched around the room but she was staring at her father with a straight glare. Everypony thinks that she would mess up and it secretly makes her angry inside. Sure some of her deliveries caused the parcels to be either destroyed or incinerated, but they were still delivered on time.
At least she still had her job in the Equestrian Post Office. With a happy sigh and a salute to her father, she accepted the delivery request.
“I don’t know what could possibly go wrong Papa,” Derpy sighed as she left her father with the package in her mouth.
“Why can’t Papa see that I try hard at work?” Derpy said to herself as she carried her precious cargo in her mouth. “It’s not like I was born to look stupid. I pay the bills, I take care of Dinky, but it isn’t enough for him. He always pushes me to do more like carrying pianos without dropping them or to actually not break a package.”
Derpy walked down the dirt path that was the straightest path to Ponyville. The road winded around the hills and it didn’t look straight to Derpy but she knew it was a fast way. She didn’t want to risk dropping the package she held dearly in her mouth and she made sure that nothing could go wrong. She walked instead of flew and held the package by the string with her teeth.
What she could really have a hunger for was for a muffin. She skipped breakfast in order to answer the phone call from her father and she could hear hers stomach growl from hunger. Derpy looked down at her rumbling tummy and looked around for a cafe or something. She realized she was still on the road and nowhere near a town.
She sighed in dismay and continued to walk down the path.
Twilight directed everypony in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration so it could be one exceptional event. Everything was nearly in place. In a matter of hours, she organized Ponyville’s best painters to paint the new designs of the banners, she got Octavia and Lyra Heartstrings to play orchestrate the classical music and Vinyl Scratch to play some rocking dub-step music after midnight, got the Apple family to cook and bake enough zap apple pies and apple fritters for twenty Ponyvilles and had Rarity design costumes for the day and night performers.
All she was missing was that orb Princess Celestia requested be kept safe. She had observed the on-going mail service of mail Pegasi the entire morning and she did not see any packages fly in and out of Ponyville. She didn't like how there was no mail for her or for that fact anypony. After compiling the last of the few errands for the Summer Sun Celebration into a notepad, she put the notepad in her saddle and went to the post-office.
She went to the receptionist at the post-office desk and requested for her package. The receptionist pulled out a clipboard and flipped through the pages of orders for Twilight Sparkle. Twilight waited nervously to see whether or not it came. It didn't.
"I'm sorry Twilight," the receptionist said to Twilight as she allowed the pages of the order book to fall flat on the table. "Your deliverer hasn't returned yet with the package that was sent to you."
"I still got plenty of time before tonight," Twilight muttered to herself while looking away from the receptionist. Once she made a decision, she turned back at the receptionist behind the counter. "Who is delivering my package? I'll just look for him or her."
"The one bringing your package is," She opened her order book again. "is Ditzy Doo. I hope she brings your package to you safely."
Twilight made a tiny scowl that was nearly invisible to the naked eye and stamped her hooves onto the ground as she left. She couldn't believe that out of all the delivery Pegasi that could bring her the orb is Derpy. She was stressed from the possibility that Derpy could break the orb before even reaching Ponyville.
She sat unpleasantly angered on the Town Hall steps after leaving the post office. She watched as Pegasi and unicorns lifted banners into the air to attach them to poles that are struck onto the ground. She at least enjoyed that all the ponies were cooperating together. The earth ponies helped build the concession stands along with party games and story time. Earth ponies, like Granny Smith, told the best stories.
Twilight wanted to listen to a fascinating tale told by Granny Smith and she took it up upon herself to listen to one story to relieve her of stress. She got up from the Town Hall steps and walked over to the group of fillies and colts that surrounded Granny Smith.
"Granny Smith," Twilight politely asked Granny Smith. "Can I sit next to you and listen to one of your stories?"
"Why sure Twilight," Granny Smith replied. "Just come on down and sit right here. Nearly a thousand years ago, the Summer Sun Celebration was coordinated by nopony, in fact there wasn't any events for the first day of summer."
"So what did ponies do back then to celebrate summer?" A colt asked in the audience.
"We did nothing. Isn't that great?"
"That's not great, that's horrible!" A filly yelped.
"Well listen here Missy, I ain't finish yet. Well, along with the longest day, it would have been the shortest night of the year. After working tirelessly for over half a year, it was time for Princess Luna to rest but she had to lower the moon one last time. Her strength was exhausted, almost like Big Mac after hauling twenty-five acres of apples. She couldn't lower the moon that night and if she didn't lower the moon, summer wouldn't happen.
"With the help of Starswirl and Princess Celestia, the moon was lowered one last time. Princess Luna slept that night for the first time in a thousand years. Celestia saw that everything got exhausted, even if they were goddesses, and they needed rest. And so the term 'summer' meant 'Luna's rest'."
"That's amazing! It's a good thing Princess Luna has returned for this year's celebration that was made for her."
"It wasn't made for her, it was meant for her. Now fillies and colts, do you want to hear a funny filly story about Applejack?"
"Yeah!" All the children yelled.
Twilight sat on the ground next to the fillies and colts, engrossed in the thought of Granny Smith's story of Princess Luna. "Was it even true?", she constantly asked herself. In reality, besides reading about her in books, Twilight didn't know Princess Luna. The books about her were exclusive and she was forbidden to ask Celestia about it. In the theme of the celebration, Twilight was going to learn everything she could about Princess Luna's past. It might not only help with the preparations of the celebration but to also help encourage a better relationship with the princess. As far as Twilight was concerned, they were acquaintances since they only met on Nightmare night once. Learning about Luna would potentially increase their friendship bonds, according to Twilight's engrossed thinking. Twilight enjoyed making new friends.
The first and good place to look would be the library. A lot of Canterlot and Crystal Empire books were in her library and some of those books once restricted from her could be read that day.
"Mmmm...muffins!" Twilight heard behind her ear. She turned her head but she didn't see anyone behind her but a wagon with a pile of hay on top of it.
Twilight shrugged her shoulders and trotted off to her library. Just as she left, the wagon was pulled away by a stallion and behind it Derpy was sitting in a SugarCube Corner chair admiring a muffin she acquired.
"That muffin was good!" Derpy giggled. She was delighted to have had one of the most delicious lunch snack ever.
She didn't really know which it was, once she thought about it. She didn't know if the muffin she just had was considered her lunch or just a snack. She wanted to eat more food, maybe another muffin or a pizza slice with daisies on top, but she needed to do a job. It was important that she delivered her package.
Speaking of which, her package was gone. She desperately looked around for the square box that was just next to her. It was gone. Did somepony take it while she was eating?
"Hey! Where did my package go?" She asked out loud.
"Um, is that it over there?" A random pony replied from a table next to her. She pointed in the direction where she could see Derpy's package.
Derpy slightly turned her head in the direction she pointed at. She found her package that she had to deliver on a wagon that was rolling away. Derpy gasped and took off into the air.
"Thanks miss!"
"No problem Derpy."
She stopped in midair before chasing the package down. A random knew her name? She had to know why. It was strange.
"You know my name? I don't even know yours," Derpy asked the stranger.
"My name is Flora and I run a Florist shop downtown. I know you from the delivery service," the mare replied. "You better get your package or else you'll get in trouble."
"Okay! I'll get it. See you later Flora!"
And with that she took off into the air. As fast as her pegasus wings could, she followed the wagon. She zipped through buildings, alleyways, streets, and even restaurants to catch up. All she needed was an epic music track as she was flying and it could have turned into an exercise flying montage. She liked exercise training videos. She was thinking of what song would be great with flying.
After thinking of a song, she kind of crashed soon afterwards. She wasn't paying attention to where she was flying and she crashed into a pony. She was slightly dizzy from a mild concussion but she would be alright after a few shakes of the head.
Always concerned about everypony, she wanted to check up on the pony she crashed into. It was the Doctor or Doctor Whooves by his real name. He was a time traveler with an hourglass cutie mark who travels around in a time machine called the TARDIS. He was a very close friend of Derpy. He always helped her daughter, Dinky, at home and also with her deliveries. Some deliveries even took Derpy and the Doctor through time. That story is for another time and place.
"Ditzy!" The Doctor greeted. "If you wanted to get my attention, you could have asked."
"Doctor! I'm sorry," Derpy apologized. "I didn't even see you."
"Its quite alright Ditzy. I'm not hurt at all. Would you care for a spot of tea since you're here."
Derpy blushed at the offer. A lot of rumors were spreading around Ponyville that she liked the Doctor. It was true but Derpy never liked to tell ponies her secrets. "I can't right now. Later I can. Have you seen a wagon lately? It was carrying hay and a package in the back."
"I think it went down the street. Are you doing a delivery right now?"
"Yes Doctor, I am. I have to hurry though. The package is a high priority package so I must be going. The package I am delivering got taken away by the wagon."
"Okay, I'll leave you to your work. Take care Ditzy. I'll see you tonight."
"Tonight?"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"Ah yes. I mean no. What about Dinky? I can't leave tonight because I don't have a foalsitter for her."
"She'll be fine. You'll be only absent for a couple hours during her bedtime."
If he was right, then Dinky would be fine. It was a time of celebration and she needed a break from work. Some time with the Doctor wasn't bad but good for her. She trusted him, despite almost dying to lasers from crazy robots and stupid aliens from time traveling. But despite all that, she still liked him. She liked being his assistant. She liked being with him.
"Actally, I want to ask you something..." Derpy shyly asked.
