Home Delivery

I was cleaning out my GDrive, and came across the following. It is a fragment of a story that will probably never be completed. But I liked the situation and the characters, so I decided to share it.

Home Delivery

This takes place several decades after the current show. Princess Twilight Sparkle has grown into the full bloom of her alicorn powers. Her friends are accomplished, respected, and retired.

A magenta bubble grew in the sky over Cloudsdale, then popped, depositing Twilight Sparkle at her teleport destination. She snapped her wings out to maneuver, spotted Rainbow Dash’s home on the cloudscape below, and dove. She left a long, trail of purple magic as she flew, a testament to her speed.

A visitor had already landed at Rainbow Dash’s house before she appeared, a Royal Air Defense pegasus in full uniform, carrying a meal bag. Twilight landed between the pegasus and Rainbow’s door, “I can take that lunch into Captain Dash. That is what you’re here to do…”

“Lieutenant Star Wing, ma’am.” The pegasus snapped to attention. It had taken Twilight years to get the military to stop addressing her as “Princess”. “Ma’am” was as good a compromise as she could get.

Star Wing took in, then let out, a deep breath and looked Twilight Sparkle in the eye, “If you want to deliver this food ma’am, you’ll have to take it away from me.”

Twilight cocked her head and looked over her muzzle at the flyer, "Really? And how do you think that would turn out?”

“You took me out in the first minute of the Great Canterlot Turkey Shoot, ma’am,” Star Wing said, “Red Arrow squadron. We all thank you for letting us down easy.”

Turkey Shoot was the service name for an encounter about a year ago. Do to circumstances and misunderstandings that included time travel and body swapping, Twilight had to fly into Canterlot Castle in haste, and the entire Royal Air Defense apparatus had orders to stop her at all costs. A wing of pegasus, a squadron of griffons, an experimental flight of manticore, and a division of Air Defense Unicorns defended Canterlot Castle that day. It had taken Twilight Sparkle about ten minutes to swat them out of her way; and most of that time was spent making sure no one got hurt.

“I’ve been working toward this since I first fluttered a wing, ma’am,” Star Wing continued, “and if you’re want to stop me delivering lunch to Captain Rainbow Dash today, then you’re going to have to take it away by force.” She returned to full attention.

Twilight had forgotten what an honor among flyers it was to assist Rainbow Dash in her convalescence. But why was today’s delivery worthy of a confrontation? Then recognition dawned.

“Your first Rainboom?” Twilight asked.

“Yesterday afternoon, ma’am,” Star Wing answered. Her face was impassive, but her chest puffed out just slightly.

"You're the... fifth pegasus to ever do so?"

"Fourth."

Twilight nodded. That’s how Star Wing had earned the honor of serving Rainbow Dash today. “I can come back after lunch,” she said.

Star Wing let out a breath she likely hadn’t realized she was holding. Twilight stepped aside, and the pegasus walked past.

“Lieutenant,” Twilight said, “if circumstances ever again require me to fly to Canterlot Castle, against the wishes of the Royal Air Defense?”

Star Wing looked back at her and smiled. “It’ll take you more than ten minutes next time, ma’am.”

Twilight smiled. She loved RAD flyers, they were so cocky. “Until after lunch then,” she said. Twilight encased herself in a magenta bubble, and teleported away.