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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Insufficient Postage
Humming a sweet tune, Derpy trotted up to one of the many residences on her daily route. It was a typical townhouse with a white picket fence, and a simple mailbox stood in front of the gate. She expertly flicked her wing and twirled the mailbag hanging around her by the strap, sending the exact letter she needed flying up into the air. She skipped, doing a playful little dance to accompany her song, and pulled open the door of the mailbox. She held onto it and rocked on her hooves, waiting for the letter to flutter down which she then, with a little puff of air, blew into the mailbox.
The letter bounced off something inside, falling out and onto the ground. That hadn’t happened before. She stared at it for a second, baffled, before picking it up and trying to push it inside. But her hoof bounced back. She furrowed her brow, trying her best to jam it inside, but it was no use. Dumbfounded, she lowered her head to peer inside and found there was, infact, something in the way.
She stashed pulled the obstruction out and realized it was a box. A bit of a heavy one, as a matter of fact. No matter! This was her job, after all. She just had to take the box back to the postoffice and—
She blinked. She couldn’t put her eye on it, but there was something off about it. Something strange. Something that made this box so utterly different than all those she’s taken before. It irked her, and she knew it’d drive her insane if she didn’t learn what. So she stood there in stony silence, staring down at the box in her hooves, determined to figure out what was wrong.
Lyra stuck her head in the kitchen. “Hey Bon Bon, what’s for dinner?”
Bon Bon stood in front of the counter, their entire pantry and refrigerator emptied and their contents on display. Her legs buckled. “I don’t know!” she cried, falling onto her rump. “I’ve been trying to take part in the year-long, a-new-dish-a-day challenge, but I’ve run out! A friend was supposed to lend me her cookbook so I can keep going, but we haven’t gotten our mail yet!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Bon Bon, calm down. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”
“Bon Bon dropped out of the cooking club?!” came the startled gasp of several members.
At the center of the group, Mrs. Cake hanged her head. “She had to for... health reasons, or so I’ve been told,” she said, giving them all solemn glances. “And as you all know, our funding comes from the city, so long as we keep an active membership. But now we don’t have enough ponies to fill the membership quota, so with a heavy heart I must close the cooking club until we find a new member.”
“Hey, Rarity!” Applejack quipped. “Did you hear? Cooking club’s looking for a new member, and I’d say they seem pretty darn desperate.”
“Please, Applejack,” Rarity said with a sigh. “Cooking isn’t exactly my forté, but I appreciate the information nonetheless.”
Applejack chuckled. “Alrighty then. Just thought you’d be interested.”
From across the room, Sweetie Belle’s ears twitched.
“Go ahead!” Sweetie Belle chirped. “Try it!”
Mrs. Cake looked down at the bubbling tar in front of her.
Pinkie Pie sniffled. “I don’t get it!” she cried. “That’s the lowest health rating Sugarcube Corner has ever gotten!”
“You’re worrying over nothing,” Twilight said with a smile. “Mistakes happen all the time. I’m sure nothing bad will come of it.”
The head chef frowned. “A ‘C+’?” He scoffed. “I’m sorry, but we can't accept this place’s cuisine in Canterlot Castle any longer.”
Princess Luna quietly opened the bedroom door. “Sister? I have a surprise for you...”
Princess Celestia buried her head in her pillows. “Unless it’s my favorite cake, I’m not coming out!”
Luna frowned. “You are acting like a foal!”
“Cake first, sun second!”
Carrot Top walked out of her house, confused that the sun hadn’t come up yet. She could hear the distant screams of panicking ponies, but what stole her attention was Derpy standing in front of her house. She walked over and saw her holding a box.
“Derpy?” she asked. She looked down. “Huh? I thought I sent that out days ago.”
Derpy blinked. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “You forgot to use a stamp!”
The letter bounced off something inside, falling out and onto the ground. That hadn’t happened before. She stared at it for a second, baffled, before picking it up and trying to push it inside. But her hoof bounced back. She furrowed her brow, trying her best to jam it inside, but it was no use. Dumbfounded, she lowered her head to peer inside and found there was, infact, something in the way.
She stashed pulled the obstruction out and realized it was a box. A bit of a heavy one, as a matter of fact. No matter! This was her job, after all. She just had to take the box back to the postoffice and—
She blinked. She couldn’t put her eye on it, but there was something off about it. Something strange. Something that made this box so utterly different than all those she’s taken before. It irked her, and she knew it’d drive her insane if she didn’t learn what. So she stood there in stony silence, staring down at the box in her hooves, determined to figure out what was wrong.
Lyra stuck her head in the kitchen. “Hey Bon Bon, what’s for dinner?”
Bon Bon stood in front of the counter, their entire pantry and refrigerator emptied and their contents on display. Her legs buckled. “I don’t know!” she cried, falling onto her rump. “I’ve been trying to take part in the year-long, a-new-dish-a-day challenge, but I’ve run out! A friend was supposed to lend me her cookbook so I can keep going, but we haven’t gotten our mail yet!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Bon Bon, calm down. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”
“Bon Bon dropped out of the cooking club?!” came the startled gasp of several members.
At the center of the group, Mrs. Cake hanged her head. “She had to for... health reasons, or so I’ve been told,” she said, giving them all solemn glances. “And as you all know, our funding comes from the city, so long as we keep an active membership. But now we don’t have enough ponies to fill the membership quota, so with a heavy heart I must close the cooking club until we find a new member.”
“Hey, Rarity!” Applejack quipped. “Did you hear? Cooking club’s looking for a new member, and I’d say they seem pretty darn desperate.”
“Please, Applejack,” Rarity said with a sigh. “Cooking isn’t exactly my forté, but I appreciate the information nonetheless.”
Applejack chuckled. “Alrighty then. Just thought you’d be interested.”
From across the room, Sweetie Belle’s ears twitched.
“Go ahead!” Sweetie Belle chirped. “Try it!”
Mrs. Cake looked down at the bubbling tar in front of her.
Pinkie Pie sniffled. “I don’t get it!” she cried. “That’s the lowest health rating Sugarcube Corner has ever gotten!”
“You’re worrying over nothing,” Twilight said with a smile. “Mistakes happen all the time. I’m sure nothing bad will come of it.”
The head chef frowned. “A ‘C+’?” He scoffed. “I’m sorry, but we can't accept this place’s cuisine in Canterlot Castle any longer.”
Princess Luna quietly opened the bedroom door. “Sister? I have a surprise for you...”
Princess Celestia buried her head in her pillows. “Unless it’s my favorite cake, I’m not coming out!”
Luna frowned. “You are acting like a foal!”
“Cake first, sun second!”
Carrot Top walked out of her house, confused that the sun hadn’t come up yet. She could hear the distant screams of panicking ponies, but what stole her attention was Derpy standing in front of her house. She walked over and saw her holding a box.
“Derpy?” she asked. She looked down. “Huh? I thought I sent that out days ago.”
Derpy blinked. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “You forgot to use a stamp!”