DILLY MIX AND THE QUEST FOR SWEETNESS

Chapter One

The thing about the sun is, while it can be a truly majestic and awe-inspiring sight to behind, it really does have a way of hitting your face in just the right way to tear you away from your sweet dreams — and in my case that term is literal.

Not that I was about to let it stop me, of course. I dived back under the covers, encasing myself in a cocoon of fluffiness which would shield me from the intruding light, and went back to sleep. My dream was the usual — an endless avenue of sweets as far as the eye could see, with a chocolate river flowing alongside.

But eventually the sun found a weak point in my defences and overwhelmed me, forcing me to sit up and shield my eyes with a forehoof as the sun streamed in through a crack in the curtains. I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn that I heard Celestia herself laughing at the rude awakening she had graced me with. It was either that, or perhaps she was laughing at the really bad case of bed mane I found myself with.

I dragged myself out of bed and went through the standard morning ritual of shower, breakfast and fetching the copy of the daily newspaper — which had been shoved haphazardly into my mailbox. If Scootaloo thinks she is getting a tip from me this week, then she's in for a bit of a shock.

I exchanged a polite greeting with Colgate, my neighbour, who was collecting her own mail. She simply nodded at me and allowed a grin to grace her lips. As a dentist, she doesn't approve of my love of sugar — but she doesn't complain about the bits I pay her to make sure said love isn't causing me any problems.

Extracting the paper from its metal prison, I sat at the table and set about smoothing it over so that I could actually read it. As soon as I was done I glanced at the front page and — well, if I had been drinking anything, then the paper would have been ruined.

SUGAR SHORTAGE CONTINUES

By Free Press

Ponies everywhere continue to find themselves at the mercy of a serious lack of sugar, which has left bakers across Equestria suffering — although dentists are reported to be happier than they've ever been. The cause of the shortage is believed to be a problem with the annual sugar cane harvest, which comes from a farm on the outskirts of Trottingham.

The shortage has led to strict sugar rationing across Equestria, with many bakers and confectioners calling for immediate action. One of these ponies spoke exclusively to the Ponyville Express.

"Having no sugar for sweets is not very fun," Pinkie Pie, who works at Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville, is quoted as saying. "Everypony likes a sweet treat now and again, because sweet treats make them happy! No sugar means no treats, and no treats means that there will be mopey faces everywhere! And mopey faces everywhere means that I'm going to have to throw lots of parties in order to cheer everypony up... I can't wait!"

Miss Pie then went off on a tangent regarding how she was going to cater for so many parties without using any sugar, and was thus deemed unavailable for further comment.

Whatever the cause of the bad harvest, we can only hope that it is resolved soon. A team of ponies, led by Ponyville's very own Applejack, has been sent to Trottingham in order to ascertain the cause of the problem, as well as to do whatever they can in order to safeguard future sugar production in the area.

"It's all very well and good helping to protect the crops," I muttered. "But how are the bakers and sweet makers supposed to cope?" My voice began to rise. "And, more to the point, how am I supposed to cope if I run out of sweets?!" I slammed a forehoof on the table, tossing the paper onto it, and let out a sigh as I rubbed my temples. "All right, Dilly, settle down. You've got plenty of sweets to last for a few days. Hopefully by then this whole sorry situation will be resolved."

Getting up and stretching my legs, I decided that a walk around town would provide some form of distraction from my current dilemma. I walked outside, casting a quick glare at the ball of rudeness in the sky, and then went on my way. I opted for a stroll around the outskirts of Ponyville, which would allow me to take in the sights and sounds of this truly unique place.

As I stepped out of the house, I resolved to stay away from the centre of Ponyville — where all the sweets are made. The last thing I needed was to be reminded of what I'm being forced to live without. Turning my back, I started walking towards the outskirts — or, more specifically, the lake at the edge of town.

I figured that skipping stones or even chucking myself into the cool water would take my mind off things. But since Fate likes to screw with me, something else had to interfere and so I heard somepony calling my name. "Dilly Mix! Hey, Dilly!"

I stopped and turned around to find myself looking into the eyes of one of my friends — a jet black pegasus mare with a flowing blue mane, whom I smiled at warmly. "Hi, Teasle Twirlz," I said jovially. "What brings you out today?"

"You, actually," she replied. "I wanted to see how you're coping, what with the sugar shortage and all."

I shrugged. "About as well as can be expected," I mused. "I've got some sweets left, but I don't see it lasting a few days. I guess all I can really do is wait for them to fix the problem."

Teasle smiled. "That's the spirit," she said, patting me on the back. "I thought for sure you were going to try and solve the problem all by your lonesome."

She failed to see my eyes widen in realisation. That's actually not a bad idea, I thought. Why wait for the 'experts' to do something when I can simply... find a way to create more sugar?

"Well, I've gotta go," Teasle sighed, stretching her wings and hovering above my head. "We'll catch up later, 'kay?"

I nodded as she took off towards town, a plan already formulating in my head about what I was going to do. But in order to make it work, I had to make a little stop first.

***

After going home and ransacking my cupboards for every sweet I had, I made my way out of town and towards the Mirror Pools. Although the entrance had been blocked up after the 'Too Many Pinkie Pies' incident, it was a simple case of levitating the rock to the side — thus gaining access to the waters below.

Clutching my bag of sweets closely I closed my eyes and walked into the pool, reciting the old rhyme which had caused so much trouble in Ponyville all that time ago.

And into her own reflection she stared

Yearning for one whose reflection she shared

And solemnly sweared not to be scared

At the prospect of being doubly mared!

I opened my eyes slowly and looked around for a moment, before my gaze fell upon my duplicate. She was beaming from ear to ear, and was also clutching a bag of sweets. I put mine down on the ground and approached her.

"Hi there!" I said. "Now, first of all there is the matter of your name to attend to — since we don't want everypony getting confused. My name is Dilly Mix and yours... yours will be Dolly Mix. Is that all right?" She nodded. "Good. Now, if you would be so kind as to open that bag... you can show me what treats you have."

Dolly put her bag down, opened it with her teeth and watched as a plethora of sweet treats spilled forth. Both our grins broadened, and we quickly shoved the contents back into the bags — which I then picked up with my magic.

"Hey, wait a minute," Dolly said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going back to Ponyville," I replied. "I only came here to get some more sweets."

"But those are my sweets," Dolly snapped. "Who said you could just take them from me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I provided the original bag," I retorted. "So that means they are actually mine." I turned to leave. "And I will be taking them and going back to town."

"B-but what about me?" Dolly whimpered, forcing me to turn around and face her again. "You can't just leave me here!" She pointed at the pool. "And I sure as sugar don't want to go back in there, either!" She widened her eyes and stuck her bottom lip out, which began quivering. "Can I come back with you? Please?"

I tried to look away from her, but I found to my dismay that I couldn't. "Ugh, fine," I said. "But only if you stop looking at me like that." She returned her face to normal and I beckoned her with a forehoof. "Come on, you might as well come back with me — at least until I can figure out what I'm going to do with you."

Dolly squealed with glee and bounded up beside me. A small smile graced my lips, and I began walking back to Ponyville — my scheming intensifying throughout the entire trip.