Lavender the Inadequate Flier

by SketchyDrunkard

Lavender the Mail Pony

A familiar grizzled old stallion sat on the porch of his shack near the edge of the Everfree. The bright yellow paint from the windowsills and the door frame was chipping away and termites had gone through some of the railings around the porch. As I walked closer, I noticed the snoring buzzing from his open mouth and his eyes closed tight. I’m guessing he had heard the sounds of my hooves nearing the front steps, as his ears twitched and his eyes shot open. He sucked in a large amount of air to silence his nasally snoring, still making an ugly noise.

He had a blue coat that had faded grey over time. His mane was a curly white mess that stretched over his face in a beard. He wore a crimson wizard’s hat now, to hide his horn from curious onlookers.

This old sir was Screech Aura, my tutor. Well, he started out as my babysitter when my dad was away, but then after that, I was infatuated by the stories he would tell me, so i would sometimes return to his hut after school. Rather than play with other fillies my age, I’d do my homework while he told me stories and performed tricks. Sometimes, I could catch him casting a spell or making a potion, but he hasn’t made one since he caused an explosion that shattered all his windows.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t a very social foal, it’s just that other students would make fun of my… disability. My wings hadn’t grown at the normal rate. In fact, they were still too small to this day.

When i had gotten my cutie mark, I was ticked. It was as generic as any other pegasus mark. It was a crimson feather over a white cloud. I don’t even know how I got it. I didn’t feel it or notice it appear. One minute I was walking home from Screech’s house on a cloudy afternoon, and when I got home, my dad was the one who pointed it out. He was ecstatic. He threw a party that weekend, but it went by in a blur as I pondered as to what it meant.

As the years passed, I forgot about it and believed I was ignoring destiny. It did bother me some, when I would see other ponies that had their whole lives paved out for them. I got a job, delivering mail. It wasn’t as fast as the traditional pegasus route, but I got paid. Not a single citizen of Ponyville had paid any mind to me. I would get a wave, or a small formal chat every now and again, but I never had many real connections.

My father, on the other hoof, was somewhat well known. He sold journals. His shop was small, but the shelves were packed with crisp and fresh books in nearly every direction. But one day, he grew very ill. He was in bed for seemingly weeks on end. I had trouble keeping up with my workload of delivering, but whenever I had finished my already shortened shift, I’d spend the rest of the night working late at home to take care of my father and do the chores he couldn’t. It was one night where I noticed something was wrong. He seemingly stopped coughing very abruptly. I dashed to his room, only to find him lifeless in his bed.

I lived alone after that. I emptied out the downstairs shop of all his journals, except for a few that I kept for myself. I’d wear a cloak so that every time other ponies would look at me on the street, they’d recognize me as Sketch Novel the humble earth pony’s daughter. I only wanted to be associated with him.

I was still pretty alone after his death. I had Screech and I had made a mutual bond with Pizza Slice, the pizza delivery pony. He didn’t get a lot of customers, as his father’s pizza shop was infamous for making horrible, cheap pizzas. But, because they didn’t cost too much, I had grown accustomed to the taste. We’d exchange at the door, and his chill attitude was enough to calm me on my most stressful of days.

He, like Screech, was a unicorn. His coat was all grey and he had golden locks of hair hidden under a backwards cap. His mark was a slice of mushroom pizza with cheese sloppily dripping from the bottom.

Screech lifted his hat off his head, revealing his messy mane and horn. He used his magic to lift the saddlebags off my back and I collapsed at the foot of his rocking chair.

"Long day, heh?" He chuckled.

"You've got no idea..." I grumbled, stretching my back as it emitted horrible cracking noises.

"You know, you could still take me up on those potions lessons. Then you wouldn't have to break your back everyday. You could be great, you know..."

"Potions won't pay the bills will it?" I sighed. I caught a glimpse of a pegasus filly in the sky, racing another pegasus I presumed to be her father. The father held back his speed to encourage his child, and they zoomed laps around the horizon. I felt a sinking sadness in my chest as I watched. Screech must've seen my gaze fall onto the family, as he tried his best to gain my attention.

"I've lost my knack for potions, and I'm no longer one for them myself. But Scarlet must be, for sure." He said. I knew who he was talking about. Scarlet Pearl was his first student. He told me all about her. She, like me, was also a pegasus. He used to tell me that she would love to meet me and that I reminded him so much of her. "She could probably find you a way to fly. A potion that would stretch your wings, maybe?"

"Screech, I appreciate your optimism, but I should really head on home..." I sighed. And not another word was said between us in that moment. I put the saddle bags back on and stomped my way home, my head in the dirt. Thunder rumbled in the gray clouds above and shook the earth beneath my hooves slightly. Rain began to pour exponentially onto the streets of Ponyville and few stray drops fell onto my yellow coat as I entered the front doors of the dusty, abandoned shop.

Author's Note:

This isn't my first experience writing, but it's a first for this website! Lemme know what you think!
- Fin.