"Huff huff"
You run as fast through the dark hallway, looking behind you for your pursuer... no one in sight, relieved you look back in front and continue running not taking any chances, you try to spread your wings but the hallways too small to properly unfold them.
"Ah buck... Does this hallway ever en-" Before you could finish your sentence you feel your weight shift landing on the ground on your back. "G-get off of me!" you scream at the shadowy pony on top of you, he instead lowers his head closer to you staring at you with bright white eyes, slowly opening his mouth as he gets closer.
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"
The sound of the alarm going off wakes you abrubtly out of your sleep, you quickly give it a whack to silence the devil machine. "And stay dead." Sadly this wish will never be granted...
You rub your eyes as you slowly move to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast; a quick peek into the fridge revealed it was rather empty.
"Better go to the store soon." You thought aloud.
Disappointed with the fridge you search through some cabinets, you reached for the bread and the box of muesli you found.
"Ugh... bread, better than nothing I suppose but there better still be butter...” You said as you reached back into the fridge picking up the small pack of butter going back to the table to eat your breakfast.
After you gulped down the last of your 'feast' you started cleaning up the table as you end up picking up the recently used butter knife and stare at it as quick thoughts run through your mind... 'Too small, not sharp enough to cut through skin.' You quickly shake your head to dismiss the thoughts you've become familiar with over the years continuing the cleanup.
After tossing everything into the sink you give the clock a quick glance realizing that breakfast took you longer than expected you rush to the bathroom to get ready for work, having Derpy as your boss helps a ton, but you still managed the reputation as the latecomer of the crew.
A quick glance in the mirror before leaving shows you your cutie mark, a light grey triangle with a red lightning bolt running diagonal through it surprisingly it’s still quite noticeable over your dark grey coat, after it your tail.. Grey in the middle surrounded by yellow.
"Looking good." You said as you open the door to your house.
As you lock your door you gave your house a last quick glance, not to small, not to big, just right. You spread your wings and take off into the morning sky, it's still dark with the moon still high giving you some light to see, not that you needed it, almost no ponies are out this early so no one to look out for. You close your eyes enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through your mane.
As you open your eyes again you look at the clock tower of Ponyville realizing how late it is you panic slightly.
"Nonono... Not again" You speed up leaving a white strike of lightning behind you not wanting to be late again for work, you've been trying to get rid of your reputation but been failing miserably, ironically despite being the pony being late, you are the fastest of the crew, you remember some pony mentioning that the only problem keeping you from a promotion was the arriving late.
With a loud bang you crash through the employee door of the ponyville post office you slide across the floor into a mountain of envelopes, followed by screams a cheer and a groan.
"He made it! You owe me 10 bits Plum." Feather Dust cheered giving the lime colored mare a bump on the shoulder.
"You got lucky this time... Fine, here." Groaned Lemon Plum handing over the bits to Feather Dust.
"Don't be such a sore loser Plum you win this far more than me." Said Dust slightly agitated as he put away his prize money.
"Guys!? Little help?" You call out to your friends from under the envelope avalanche.
Both snap out of their bickering as they hear you calling out to them quickly making their way over to you reaching each a hoof into the mountain of envelopes. You eagerly grab each one of them as you feel them lifting you out.
"Took you guys long enough, nice to see you value money more... " you said to them.
"Well unless you magicly form food and cider out of thin air then by all means, besides it’s not like it was a heap of rocks Dust answered.
"Well obviously you never had a paper cut... and what in hays name are they doing in here?! Don't we have storage for these?" You said to them mockingly as you started removing envelops from out of your wings "Pesky things..."
"Yea... about that" Plum spoke up before getting interrupted by Dust "Basically Derpy made a mistake with the re-ordering of the supplies and ordered a ton of these, now the storage filled to the brink with them that we had to move some out here."
"Derpy... I should have known..." you chuckle lightly as the thoughts of the ditzy grey mare come to mind.
She's the one that got you this job to begin with, and taught you the ropes after she found you flying over Ponyville looking worried, you just got to Ponyville, running away from your family in Cloudsdale... you had no place to work or to stay, not like you got any work experience for that matter. You asked around if there was any place willing to hire a pegasus, most would say sweet apple acres with a pony named Applejack, but you just didn't like the amount of physical labor so you asked for a more pegasus specific job like a local weather team on which they pointed you towards the house of a pegasus called Rainbow Dash, on the way to her house in the clouds you bumped into Derpy as she was doing her mail delivery, or rather.. She bumped into you.
~Few months back~
"Oh! I’m so sorry... uhm, I don't think I have seen you before mister...."
"That would be hard considering I just got here, and the name's Valiant not mister" You answered the gray mare as you examine her, she looked cute, but the eyes where offsetting. Then you noticed her saddlebags, they had the insignia of the post office, she must be a mail mare then.
The grey mare held her hooves behind her back smiling innocently "In that case please don't forget to register your new home to the local post office, don't want your mail send to the wrong address do you? Oh and my name's Derpy, nice to meet you." as she reached out one of her hooves.
You responded her gesture, shaking her hoof quickly answering her "Nice to meet you Derpy, but the registering will have to wait I’m afraid, I just got here and have no place to call home yet, matter of fact I was just on my way to apply for a job."
"A job?!" she gasps, "Then you're in luck, we're actually in need of a new mail pony, you're going to love it! The hours are great, the ponies who work there are so friendly to and...”
"B-but I was just on my way to Rainbo- oh nevermind... “You sigh as you realise the struggle is useless, surprised at the strength of this mare as she drags you along leaving you to ponder whether all mares in this village are as strong, they certainly aren't back in Cloudsdale
A few days followed after that, thanks to Derpy you are now the newest mail pony for ponyville and until you had enough money to afford your own place you stayed at Derpy's place as she thought you the ropes of being a mail pony, amongst her, you also met Feather Dust and Lemon Plum who both worked as sorting ponies, with these 3 as your friends, a job and a house to call your own, your peaceful life in Ponyville could begin.
~Present~
You wake up at the feeling of being shaken wildy "Hey wake up dude! This is no time to spaz out."
"Okay! Okay! You can stop shaking my brains now." You grumble at Dust.
"Sorry, you were doing that 'staring into oblivion' thing again." He answered. “And as I said Derpy needs you in her office."
"She does? Better not to keep her waiting then, I’ll see you guys later." You said to your friends as you turned around grabbing your mail saddlebag on the nearby wall, then walking across to the sorting room filled with packages and mail busy getting sorted out district by district by the sorting ponies to the grey door with the name "Derpy" on it. As you slowly open the door you go inside the dark dimly litted room, you notice only 1 light is dimly shining, over the desk across the room; behind the desk is a red office chair with its back to you.
As you close the door you ask "Eh, Derpy I heard Dust said you needed to see me?" The chair slowly turns around, inside the grey pegasus comming into view only barely making out her eyes and mane having her hooves together infront of her face. "No mister Mane, I want you... to eat this muffin!" She sais slowly speeding up the last bit as she puts down a muffin ontop of her desk. "Oh and to turn on the lights, it's kind of dark in here"
You can't help but laugh as you switch on the lights walking over to her desk, grabbing the muffin of her desk. "I'll keep this for later, already this morning" you say to her as you put it in your saddlebag "Anyway you had something for me?"
She looked a bit disappointed when focusing back on her after putting the muffin away, but as she noticed she quickly changed back to her usual self quickly answering you "Ah yes, a costumer came by yesterday with a special package for a rather special somepony and it needs to be delivered today."
You raise an eyebrow at that last part. "Who?" you asker her curiously.
She leans a bit closer towards you talking in a softer tone "Fancy Pants"
At hearing this you slam your two front hooves on her desk in excitement and shock leaning even closer to Derpy trying to talk in a hushed way "THE Fancy Pants?" You always admired the Canterlot elite... living the good life without any problems or anyone to judge you, and Fancy Pants was amongst the top of the top.
"Now Valiant, don't forget that this package most likely is very valuable and this does have to be delivered to Canterlot this afternoon, there's no other courier I’d entrust this with, not only the company but our own personal reputation is on the line, please don't forget that." She said to you in a serious tone.
"Don't worry, Derpy, I'll do anything to get this safe and sound to him." You try and ensure her.
"I know you will Valiant, now get going Canterlot's far away even for you." She says while picking the tiny package from inside her desks drawer putting it inside your bag making sure it's secure giving your flank a quick slap "Now get going."
You yelp at the slap but take it as your sign to get moving, without a second thought you start running out of the door but before yelling "Cya around, Derpy, I'll get you back for that!" Before leaving you decide to pass by Dust and Plum to share the news of your excitement, having spotted them working at a sorting station you quickly slide across the floor bumping into Plum.
"Well you're excited, something good happen in there?" She asked.
You nod your head franticly "Hay yea it did, I need to go to Canterlot for an express for none other then" - you lean in closer to them "Fancy Pant's birthday."
Both their eyes widened at hearing this as they whisper to you "Really? You lucky bastard."
"Yup! Anyway guys, got to run!"
As you dart past the sorting stations towards the exit you check if everything’s secure and present when upon arriving at the door you slam it open and shut as you step outside to be greeted by Celestia's rising sun.
"Ah, never get tired of this view, beautiful as ever, and no clouds, perfect!" You say as you admire the sunrise.
"And now for the second stage of pre-flight check." You say as you check your grey wings, removing some pesky pieces of envelop you missed earlier before giving them a good stretch. Being satisfied with the result you spread you your wings and take flight into the morning sky flying straight up to get some height and to take a look of your surroundings.
"Nothing more then Ponyville coming to life slowly." You say as you peer from Sweet Apple acres to the town center, it's still somewhat early, but around this time the merchants start setting up their wares in the market, the Apples working their orchard and young foals heading to school all with grunting and disappointed looks on their faces.
"But mooooom I don't want to go to school, the new gameboy's coming out today!"
"Be quit young man, or you won't be getting it till a week from now!" You hear a family bickering beneath you, quite a funny sight, the young foal being dragged by his backpack by who could only be his mother.
"Now... Canterlot... Canterlot...” you mumble as you put your foreleg above your eyes as you search the horizon for the castle.
You facehoof, "Duh... princess of the sun, of course the sun would rise where she is."
After realizing that what every foal out there knows you start your journey towards canterlot, into the sunrise.