Star Wars: The Blockade Runnerby BarrobroadcasterChaptersChapter 1: The OddsChapter 2: The MissionChapter 3: The OppositionChapter 4: The DeliveryChapter 5: The BestChapter 1: The OddsThe Imperial cruisers seemed deceptively small from a distance. They didn't appear to move or give any indication that they had detected the Rebel starfighters. They hung in space facing out from Equestria, spaced equidistant from each other, as if held together by some invisible force. Between them were smaller grey ships and vessels that appeared only as flicks of color against the backdrop of the colorful world behind it. The entire collection of Imperial warships stood between them and Equestria, as if daring anyone bold enough to attack it. Bretton Macer smiled at the blockade before him. He dared. Gunning the engines on his custom BTL-A4 Y-Wing, he accelerated right towards the array of steel and firepower. "So... whaddya say, sixty-forty?" "More like eighty-twenty," Gary Decker, Brett's gunner said from right behind him. Brett's smile grew a little wider. "I like those odds." The bigger Imperial cruisers didn't fire right away. A single squadron of Rebel fighters wasn't a threat to them, and didn't call for such an overwhelming show of force. Groups of TIE Fighters that had been patrolling between the larger warships started to bank towards the oncoming Rebel fighters. A full wing of TIEs, they formed into rows that maximized their firing coverage, a wave that even the some of the fastest ships wouldn't be able to avoid. But the Rebels had no intention of avoiding them. "Dice-two and three, break and come in from the sides." "Ha! What are you planning on doing, Brett?" Brett chuckled. "I'm blowing right past these guys. See you on the surface, Jana." His wing mates broke away from him as he pushed straight at the squadron of TIEs. In the middle of them were a group of five flying at him like a big, black X. A few of them fired even though their lasers were easy to dodge at this range- a warning and a way of testing his mettle. Bretton wasn't planning on giving them a fair test in return. He juked his Y-Wing to avoid their opening fire- an easy feat at that range. The oncoming TIEs didn't break formation or accelerate to pursue him; it was their goal to present just a massive wave that would eventually wipe him and his wing mates out. It was a typical Imperial strategy to display their full strength in numbers, display an insurmountable amount of ships and use them to utterly destroy any opposition and send a clear message to the rest of the galaxy. Nothing he hadn't seen before. Bretton carefully lined up his Y-Wing's nose with the lower-starboard edge of the giant X of TIEs. He even pulled harder in the same direction, making it look like his ship was planning on running. Though eager, the TIEs remained in tight formation as he advanced, unwavering. Just as the TIEs were almost upon him, he pulled up and blasted the lower-starboard TIE Fighter to pieces. Faster than the TIE pilots could react, he pulled up on the controls and blasted the top-starboard TIE, and then the top-port side one. He then quickly pushed down on the controls to blast the lead TIE Fighter right in the center of the formation, blasting it to dust. The final TIE broke from formation, desperately banking away. Bretton fired a final burst into the fifth TIE Fighter, destroying it. By the time the other TIEs in the formation had closed in, Bretton and Gary were already past it. Now, directly in front of them were the Imperial cruisers, the last obstacle between their Y-Wings and the surface. Unprepared for the small fighter, the cannons on the larger ships desperately attempted to track them as they blazed towards them with the TIEs on their tail. "So, our odds looking better yet?" Bretton asked jokingly. "If this is too easy for you, I could always just ignore the pursuers to make it more of a challenge." "Yeah, but then I'd go home with the most kills. And you don't want that, do you Gar-bear?" Gary sighed. "Can't argue with that, Brett." His gunner activated both the top-side and underside laser turrets on the M9 Y-Wing. The TIEs following them had been too eager to give chase and had abandoned any semblance of formation. They now flew in even neater rows now, closer together to maximize their speed. They weren't prepared at all for return fire. The turrets on the Y-Wing opened up and blasted one chasing TIE after the other. Lasers ripped through two and three TIEs each as the turret blasted one TIE and then the TIE behind it. Debris from the first TIEs obscured the vision of the next pilot, making them easy targets. Within moments, the entire wing of TIE Fighters was a cloud of space dust. "I got five. How many did you get?" Gary smirked. "The rest." "Heh. And you said our odds were eighty to twenty." "Well, maybe next time they will be. After all these blockades we've busted, the Empire's bound to learn something new sooner or later," Gary said. But Brett shook off the notion. "You know these Imps, Gar. They never learn." He gunned his ship towards the line of Imperial cruisers. Just before they had a chance to blast him, his wing mates hit the larger ships from the sides, catching them completely off-guard. Dice-two and Dice-three, his wing mates, fired ion torpedoes at the enemy ships. At close range, they weren't able to evade or shoot down the torpedoes. The ordinance collided with the cruisers' hull, exploding in surges of lightning that paralyzed the ships. The cruisers fired a couple poorly-aimed shots but nothing else. They fell out of formation as their engines failed and they lost power, helpless as the Y-Wings approached. Dice Squadron could have easily finished them off but they were no longer a threat. Besides, they prided themselves on a timely delivery. "See? What'd I tell ya, Gar?" "You said sixty to forty." "I said those odds were nothing for the best blockade runners in the galaxy! Haha!" The three Rebel ships pushed forward to Equestria's surface, three dots of light in the distance. Chapter 2: The MissionThe trio of Y-Wings from Dice Squadron landed in the middle of Ponyville Town Square to a festive celebration. Ponies cheered as the orange-jumpsuited pilots disembarked from their craft. Bretton waved to the crowds- from the assembled unicorns and earth ponies gathered around their ships on the ground to the pegasi filling the sky overhead all the way to Cloudsdale. Far above Cloudsdale, Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Prince Shining Armor took turns casting spells that covered all of Equestria in a massive shield, a shield that had only briefly lowered for the pilots. "You just love this, don't you?" "I love meeting the locals! You know that- remember that time back on Barkesh?" Brett said, waving while standing on on their ship. "No, I mean playing the hero," Gary said, accepting Brett's help as he pulled himself out of the gunner's chair. "You do this because you love playing the hero." Brett shrugged. "Well, that's not the only reason I do this." "Yeah? What's the other reason?" A pair of pegasi flew down and hung a wreath around his neck. An earth pony hoofed him up a drink while a unicorn levitated a cupcake for him. Brett accepted all these gifts with a natural fluidity in his movements. One moment he was a fighter pilot, the next he was a celebrity. He smiled back at Gary and said, "I do it for them!" A gray mare with a yellow mane hovered gracefully down to their level. Slung over her back was a satchel of mail, her iconic and trusted method of delivery. She reached in and pulled out a letter. "Heya, guys!" "Derpy!" "Hey Derpy," the pilots greeted her. "Got some mail for ya. Here ya go!" "Thanks Derpy," Brett said, accepting a letter. The mailmare saluted and took the skies again. "Who's it from?" Gary asked. "Eh, another letter from Grex at Sigma Base. He hasn't had much luck since he bombed that soap factory." "Ah. I'll have to send him and Reena a care package when I get a chance," Gary remarked. "Yeah, they're gonna be happy to get these supplies. I heard Sigma's down to reconstituted protein rations." "Bleh. Brutal." Brett climbed down from his fighter. "Welp, time to play the delivery boy. Let's get these supplies loaded off and get back to base." "Uh, we already did that," Jana, one of their wing mates said. "Tovin and I unloaded everything while you two were busy basking in glory again." "Hey, hey, it was just Brett. I don't do that," Gary said. "Or at least, I wait until I have some real glory first." Brett slapped him on the back. "What's more glorified than a job well done? And now, we don't have to do any work, either." "Great, we can get back to base and maybe get some R&R before-" "Can't hear you over the crowd! Sorry, Gar! You need me, I'll be at Sugar Cube Corner signing autographs!" Brett said. He practically let the crowd carry him through the streets, all the way to the bakery. After a couple customary hours of celebrating, Dice Squadron returned to their ships and made the trip back to the Rebel Alliance outpost on Equestria's moon. The moon's revolution around Equestria was largely controlled by Luna herself but because she was preoccupied, the moon matched the planet's rotation. The pilots fully expected to have to fight their way back through the blockade, a task that was usually easier for them having broken it before, but the Imperial warships were not in their positions. "Huh," Brett remarked at the site of vacant space, "the cruisers are gone." "We must've hit 'em harder than we thought!" Tovin, Dice-three commented. "Haha, yeah, probably!" "All this means is they'll put something bigger in their place, like a Star Destroyer or a Golan," Gary said. "Eh, they'll never stop us. We're the best blockade runners in the galaxy!" "You said that once already," Gary reminded him. "Heh, well, it's true, isn't it? We just took out a blockade without even trying!" Gary shook his head. "The cruisers probably hyperspaced out for repairs. They're probably switching them out, but at least we made a nice window." "It'll be one to tell 'em back at base," Brett said. The three ships flew around the moon, banking around the satellite to the dark side. They were briefly engulfed in the shadow and only the flares of their engines were visible in the darkness. From the outside, Equestria's moon looked the same as it always did, until the three Y-Wings approached it and broadcast the Rebel clearance code. Then, the surface transformed. The outer layer of dust shifted and a part formed in the rocks. A line split apart in the side of the moon, right in the center and opened outward. Dice Squadron flew their Y-Wings into this opening, which quickly closed behind them. Though the dust had shifted, it wouldn't be noticeable to any other passing ships on the dark side of the moon. The interior of the moon was a stark contrast to the outside. The walls were illuminated with gold-colored light which lent color to the matte-black floor beneath. Dice Squadron passed through the pink-blue magnetic containment field that protected the hangar from the outside of space and landed in the center of the vehicle poole. Flight crews of mixed pony and rebel technicians jogged up to the fighters to service them, remove the astromechs and give them the congratulatory back-slaps and high-fives/hooves. Such rituals were a happy obligation. Bretton triumphantly led his squadmates through the corridors of the Rebel moon base. He saluted most of ponies, rebels and even droids that passed them by, even the ones that didn't really notice them. Gary shook his head; his squad leader was still 'victory mode', which would probably last until the next mission started. It was routine, more or less, something they'd been through dozens of times by now. But it wasn't something Gary or the others complained about; being able to go through it again meant they had survived. They arrived at the control center deep inside the moon's surface. Massive window-like monitor screens lined the high walls of the dome-shaped room broadcasting feeds from Equestria and a few other hotspots from neighboring planets. One monitor displayed a feed of the arcade game Galaga for some reason. Ponies and droids hovered in front of the screens, jotting notes or keeping an eye on the activity. The entire room was a wave of constant motion, almost resembling the inside of an enormous hive. In the center of this was Commander Spitfire. With the princesses on the surface, the duty of monitoring activity and managing the fighter squadrons fell to her. Dice Squadron saluted as they reached her command chair in the middle of the room. "Commander," Brett began, "we're happy to report another successful supply run has been made." "I saw that," Spitfire said, not turning around to them. Her attention was focused on a monitor on the back wall. "You did an excellent job getting through that blockade, very commendable." Brett smiled. "Well, ma'am, that's what you get when you roll with Dice Squadron." Her chair spun around. Spitfire's face was contemplative, one of consideration. "What I didn't see was what happened to the blockade after you got through it." The words hung in the air for a few moments. The pilots shifted a bit, none of them having any answer to the question she hadn't asked. "Your attitude hasn't exactly been the most professional thing I've seen," Spitfire continued. "But you do get results. I'm advising you all to be cautious." "Ah-of course," Brett peeped out. "We're sending you on another mission. Another supply run, bigger this time. We've got three automated transports loaded with some special munitions, we need to get them to Ponyville," Spitfire explained. She turned around again and gestured to one of the monitors. "While you were getting here, it appears the blockade has already reformed. Same makeup as before, so it doesn't seem like they've been able to tighten their defenses yet. This is the time to really reinforce our troops on the ground, so we need to get this done now while we have the chance." Brett smiled. "Dice Squadron's always a safe bet, ma'am." She nodded. "Let's hope so. We're taking a pretty big risk with these supplies. They're critical if we want to eliminate the Empire's presence on Equestria soon. Punch a hole through that blockade again for our transports and we'll be that much closer to freeing the planet. Questions?" "No, ma'am. You can count on Dice Squadron to-" Her chair spun around again. "Dismissed." They dropped their salutes carefully. Without another word, they exited the control room as quickly as they had entered and made their way to their quarters for a little rest while the mission was prepped. Before long, their ships had been re-prepped and they were deployed again, making their way back to the hangar. "Hey guys!" Derpy said, passing them on the way. "Hey Derpy!" "Hey Derpy." Gary turned back, looking over his shoulder. "Derpy?" "What about her?" Jana asked, right behind him. "How did she get up here that fast?" Jana shrugged. "Maybe she caught a ride while the blockade was broken and we were partying." "Maybe..." Gary said, picking up the pace again. They arrived in the hangar and got aboard their ships again. One at a time, they lifted off and proceeded out, leaving the glowing-gold interior of the moon behind to enter the inky blackness of the night once again. Chapter 3: The OppositionIt didn't take long for the automated transports to appear from hyperspace. Three GR75s appeared just behind the moon. Dice Squadron rendezvoused with them and they began their approach to Equestria. "Looks like the transports aren't programmed for a lot of risky maneuvers," Gary said, linking up with the convoy from his gunner's console. Brett nodded. "Let's not give them any surprises, then. Form them up behind us but at a distance. We'll make a nice gap for them to slip through just like this morning." "What are our odds this time?" Gary asked. "I'll tell you after we make it to the surface," Brett replied. He gripped the controls tightly. They came around the moon and saw Equestria once again, a shining blue orb in space. The Imperial cruisers were back in the same place they had originally been in just a few hours ago. They still looked deceptively small, almost harmless from this distance. Were they the same cruisers they'd disabled earlier in the day or entirely new ones? There was no way to know for sure; Imperial ships all looked identical down to the tiniest details. But now, Dice Squadron had a group of transports behind them. Three slow, unarmed, unmanned bulky cargo ships full of supplies for the war effort on the ground. They wouldn't be able to use the same strategy again. "What's the plan, boss?" Tovin asked. "Same as before, with a few twists. You and Jana come in from the sides again, but this time, you'll each have a transport with you. We're gonna ignore the fighters this time until the cruisers are disabled- they're the biggest threat to the transports," Brett said. "You got it, Brett!" "We're with you!" "Let's roll, Dice!" Brett said, and accelerated towards the blockade. The three Y-Wings shot at the Imperial ships like arrows with the slower transports behind them. Just as before, a wave of TIE Fighters began swarming towards them. Brett smiled. "And you were worried they'd try something new." "Well, we are. So that's something." "I guess we are. Let's see if they like it." Brett angled his craft at the large X of TIE Fighters once again. Despite his confidence, he was still cautious, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing that changed in their patterns; they were still the same standard TIEs that fired the standard Imperial weaponry at them, which they easily dodged. Brett used the same strategy of before and "crossed" the "X" by blasting three of the corner TIEs, then the center one and picking off the last one as it ran. "Heh, as predictable as TIEs are, you'd think they were automated." "They definitely get pissed off fast," Gary said, as the TIEs banked around to pursue them. They were already through the wave of TIEs and Gary was lining up shots at their pursuit. With the cruisers directly ahead of them, everything was going exactly as it had before, but with the transports still behind them. A few TIEs tried to engage the transport but its heavy armor and shields absorbed their shots and Gary was able to pick them off. Just as before, Jana and Tovin came in from the side and hit the cruisers with ion torpedoes. The cruisers sputtered and dipped downward, falling out of formation as their engines failed. Once again, the blockade had crumbled. "Hahaha! That's the stuff, right there!" Bretton exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at the disabled warships behind them. His wing mates formed up and began heading for the surface. "Transports are all clear! The Imps might as well have rolled out the welcome mat!" "Uhh, Brett? Something's wrong," Gary said, concern in his voice. "What's the matter?" Gary swallowed almost audibly. "We've got additional contacts!" "Where?!" "Incoming- port and starboard!!" Two additional Imperial cruisers jumped in from both the sides. Dice Squadron's Y-Wings were already clear of the blockade... but the transports were just barely crossing the line. The Imperial warships came out of hyperspace with their bows aimed right at the incoming transports. They opened fire without hesitation. Gary had a full view of the massacre but Brett and the others could only see the fringe. The cruisers opened fire with their main batteries and blasted the sides of the transports. Their lasers tore into the transports' shields and armor, being designed specifically to do so, and blew them to pieces. Supplies spilled out of their pierced and burning hulls to float freely in space, half-charred and ruined. The port-side transport collided with the one in the middle, causing both to explode. All three transports were transformed into flaming wrecks and burnt debris. Not a piece of them made it past the blockade. "Holy shit..." "Deep shit..." The pilots watched, as best as they could, their mission literally disintegrate under the withering fire of the Imperial cruisers. The cruisers sent no TIEs after them, nor did they attempt to pursue them. Instead, they took up position in the blockade, joining the other two that were recovering. In an instant, the blockade had doubled in strength and closed the gap the Rebels had made. "I think those are the two cruisers from before," Gary said. Brett shook his head in disbelief. "That's... that's gotta be the worst luck I've seen... ever." "What do we do now?" Gary asked. "Pull around and head back to base. Tell them the blockade has been doubled," Brett said. He led Dice Squadron in a long bank out of Equestria's orbit, avoiding the blockade while they had the chance, and flew back to the moon base. Chapter 4: The DeliveryThere was no celebrating when Dice Squadron arrived back. Bretton's eyes were almost glued to the floor, unable to raise his head as he passed by the same techs and ponies he'd bragged to earlier. The interior of the moon looked the same but defeat hung in the air like an invisible fog, filling the space from floor to ceiling. Out of respect for his friend, Gary made no chiding remarks, chastised Brett not about his transparent demeanor as he led them back to the control room. The control room itself was a bit different. The level of activity had increased, though not by much. It had gone from casually frantic movement to hurried frantic, not quite panic but overdrive. Ponies and droids worked faster to relay information and were a bit louder in doing so. The biggest difference, however, was that most of the display monitors now displayed Equestria and the newly-reinforced blockade above the planet. A few of the displays even showed replays of the battle, the transports being destroyed from cameras mounted on their Y-Wings. Bretton couldn't bring himself to look up. He and the rest of the squad filed out once again in front of Spitfire's command chair. They saluted, with Brett being the last to do so. "That's about... six months' worth of supplies," Spitfire said. "For Ponyville, Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Not an ounce of it salvageable." "Yes, ma'am," Brett said, his voice not hiding a single bit of his disappointment. "This has set back a lot of our plans," she continued, still not turning to face them. "Not entirely your fault, of course. Bad time for additional reinforcements to jump in." "Reinforcements?" Gary asked. "I thought those were the same cruisers from before." Spitfire finally turned around. "We're still not entirely sure on that. Regardless, three transports have been lost and we're looking at a new blockade. I'm not sure Dice Squadron was the safe bet you promised me." That hit home with Brett. "I... yes, ma'am. I understand." "We're going to have to reevaluate using just three M9 Y-Wings for blockade busting and escort duty. I know this was your run, Macer, but our risk didn't pay off. It's back to the drawing board," Spitfire said, spinning around again. "You did good getting through those TIEs and your flight status is still green. Just going to take us a bit longer to deal with that blockade. Again, not entirely your fault, Dice." "I know, ma'am. Thank you." "We're gonna go through this again and when we're ready, we'll let you know. Dismissed." They turned around and filed out of the control room. When they returned to their quarters, there would be no free beverages or cakes waiting for them like there had been at Sugar Cube Corner. They walked, now all of them with their heads a bit lower back through the halls of the moon base. "Heya guys," Derpy said as they passed by. "Hey Derpy..." "Hey Derpy," they said. And this time, the mare turned around and flew back to them. "You guys okay? You don't sound all right." "Our last mission didn't go over so well," Brett said. "Awww, what went wrong? Do you know?" she asked. "The blockade got reinforced at the last second, took out our transports," Gary explained. "The worst possible timing." Brett nodded. "Now we won't be able to make the next delivery. It sucks." Derpy gasped. "What?! You can't make a delivery?!" She flew into Brett's face. "What was it?! I can take it with me on my next run! It's no problem, honest!" "Derpy! STOP!" Brett yelled. "THAT'S MY FACE!!" She unlatched from his head and he took a moment to readjust his hair and his trademark thick mustache. "Sorry! But really, you guyyyyysss! If you have something to deliver, that means you gotta deliver it!" Derpy exclaimed. "Just imagine those ponies waiting for their stuff!" "We know, Derpy," Jana said. "Believe me, when know." "But we can't get through that blockade," Tovin said. "Not without the supplies turning into swiss cheese." "It's okay, I can take 'em!" Derpy said proudly. Gary smiled. "Derpy, we appreciate the sentiment, really." "But that blockade would turn you into swiss cheese. No offense." She batted away the notion bashfully. "Nah, not a chance. I'm an official postmare! They can't stop me from delivering the mail!" Brett lowered his head. He put a hand on the gray mare's shoulder. "Derpy, we love you, all of us. But there's no way those supplies could make it through that blockade." Derpy's head lowered as well. "Oh... okay," she said, sadly. She turned around and walked away. It was almost heartbreaking to watch her go. "We'll get 'em through next time, Derpy." "Okay then..." she said, sadness still in her voice. She turned the corner heading back to the hangar. "I guess I'll tell everypony in Ponyville their packages will arrive late." The squad looked at each other. "Everypony in Ponyville?!" they exclaimed. In a flurry, they all ran to catch up with her. "Derpy!!!" Brett yelled. "Yeah?" "Derpy," Brett said, him and his squad catching their breaths, "you're still going back to Ponyville? Is that what you said?" She looked towards the magcon field in the distance. "Well, yeah. I still have a few deliveries to make and-" "Wait," they stopped her, "you mean you're going back through the blockade?" "Did you get through the blockade the first time? When we first broke it?" Gary asked. She giggled. "Of course I did, sillies! How else do you think ponies get their mail?" The pilots all shared an expression of disbelief, which they then exchanged with one another. "Derpy, how exactly did get through the blockade?" She giggled again. "I flew through it! Like you guys with your starshippy thingies. 'cept I have wings! And my mailbag." Brett shook his head in disbelief yet again. "You fly from the moon to Equestria-" "And sometimes from Equestria back to the moon." "-with your wings?" "And my mailbag." She said happily. "And I've had to get past those blockadey-guys like... a guzabamillion times already!" "Guzabamillion?" Gary asked. "I'm pretty sure that's not a real number." "Haha, I know," Derpy admitted. "But, I mean a lot. I've had to go back and fourth a lot of times, now. You guys sure you don't need me to deliver anything?" They looked at each other one more time, a plan forming between their eyes. "Derpy, you think we could come along for one of your deliveries?" "Sure!" Derpy said, delighted. "And afterward, we can get muffins!" Chapter 5: The BestThe hardest part about setting up the next mission wasn't convincing Spitfire- it was convincing Derpy to wait for them. Fortunately, they were able to get a green light for another supply run, though Spitfire made it clear she wasn't going to make the same risk as last time. She only sent them one transport to escort, and made it clear that it this would be their last chance. Dice Squadron formed up with their last shot transport and waited on Derpy. To their surprise, she did not fly out of the hangar, but simply walked out of the hangar doors and onto the moon's surface. "Is she...?" "I don't think she's going to walk to Equestria, no," Gary said, having a bit of trouble believing what he was seeing as well. Derpy hopped along the surface of the moon in a space suit with her mail saddlebag strapped to her back. She emerged from the dark side of Equestria, still hopping merrily all the way. Coming around to the side of the moon facing Equestria, she adjusted her saddlebags and prepared to leap off the moon. "Is she...?" "Okay, this time, I have no idea," Gary replied. Derpy ducked down and leapt up from the moon, a big leap. At the height of her leap, she activated a pair of jets from on her mailbags and accelerated from the moon. She was aimed right for Equestria and right at the blockade. Brett, Gary and the rest of Dice Squadron watched Derpy as she jetted away from the moon. She flew with a decent speed- not as fast as their Y-Wings but faster than the transport. Derpy soared through space between Equestria and the moon with all the grace and elegance of a pegasus flying through the clouds. And she was flying right towards Imperial warships. "What kind of odds do you give her?" Brett asked. "Eighty-twenty?" Gary gulped. "I dunno. Million to one, maybe. We could ask Weaver to calculate it." "No, no... let's just watch," Brett said. "Be ready with the transport in case it's that one, whatever the against is." Derpy came into range of the blockade. Against the backdrop of space, she seemed incredibly small, like one of the stars twinkling in the distance. And that star grew as it approached Equestria. Just as before, a wave of TIE Fighters swarmed in and around the warships and banked towards her. They formed a huge wave, a massive approaching net of dark metal. They came into range of Derpy Hooves and fired. But... their lasers didn't hit her. For at the very moment, Derpy reached into her mailbag to check one of the letters and examine the first address she'd be visiting. The small act of reaching into her own saddlebag was enough to alter her course, causing her flight path to spin and dance as she reached into her bag. The green lasers came close to her, but not a single one struck her or her mail. Did she even know she was being shot at? Before she had finished reading the address and put the letter back in her bag, she was already past the TIEs. Dice Squadron stared in awe of the feat unfurling before their eyes. Now, the Imperial cruisers were vectoring towards her and the TIEs were realizing the small pony had simply bypassed their net formation and slipped through them. They spun around as best they could and gave pursuit. The cruisers opened fire. And that was when Derpy's mane drooped in front of her eye. It was difficult to adjust her mane inside her own spacesuit and she shook her head and blew her bangs to try to clear her view. Doing so, she twisted and turned, barreling and spinning and actually dodged every turbo laser blast fired at her. The barrage from the cruisers would have hit Derpy if she hadn't been trying to fix her hair. Instead, the lasers blasted the TIEs chasing her. Brett was stunned. They were all stunned; their jaws hung open in silence. "I... I think her odds just improved." "Yeah," Gary agreed. "She still has to get through the cruisers, though. Alone." Brett shook his head. "She's not alone. She's got us." He gunned his Y-Wing with his wing mates in tow and arced right towards the blockade. Four cruisers were now aiming their guns at Derpy. Miraculously, not a single one hit her. With her mane finally adjusted though, her flight path straightened out again. The cruisers' cannons tracked her. And that was when Derpy decided to stop for a break. She flew down to the closest object she could stand on: an Imperial cruiser. She landing on the hull and took a moment to open her mailbag and check to make sure she didn't lose anything. The guns on the opposite cruiser aimed right at her and fired. That was when Derpy kicked off again. Breaks for mail ponies were usually short, as deliveries had to be timely. She jumped off the deck of the cruiser and headed right towards Equestria. Behind her, the gun batteries on the cruiser she'd been on and the one facing it fired. The third cruiser on the other side also fired at her... or where she had been. Their lasers, instead ripped into the cruiser's hull. Shots from the cruisers on the outside hit each other and the one in the middle. All three of them were destroyed in a brief flash of green. And Derpy soared down towards Ponyville. Her silver spacesuit burned hot with the heat of reentry but the mare inside was protected, as was her mail in her specially-lined saddlebags. But behind her, one last object advanced upon her. The fourth and final cruiser, unscathed was now pursuing her. Derpy saw its enormous shadow stretch over her, blocking out the light above. She gasped as she finally realized it was upon her. But it wasn't for long. Explosions of blue electricity hit the sides of the craft. Dice Squadron hit it from both the back and the sides, blasting the cruiser into pieces with heavy ordinance. It fell apart in mid-flight, spiraling down and crashing on the shield over Ponyville. The impacts the debris made were harmless. Derpy was the first to land in the center of Ponyville, followed by Dice Squadron and the supply transport. The crowd of ponies returned as if the celebration from just a few hours ago was still going on. Brett and Gary climbed out of their Y-Wing amid cheering ponies. Some of them were cheering for Dice Squadron but the vast majority, from the pegasi high above to the earth ponies and unicorns assembled around them below, they were cheering Derpy. Gary was surprised to see his squadron leader still waving at everypony, the brightest of smiles plastered on his face. "You really do love this, don't you?" "Haha, I do," Brett said. "Let's hear it for Derpy Hooves- the greatest blockade runner in the galaxy!!" And they all cheered at that response. Derpy, bashfully accepted all their praise. Pegasi flew down to present Brett with a wreath... which he in turn presented to Derpy. An earth pony and a unicorn each offered Gary a drink and a muffin and Gary, in turn, passed them to Derpy. Which she delightfully accepted, eating the muffin first. "It's just like you said," Gary remarked. Brett smiled back, he and Gary holding Derpy up on their shoulders. "We do it for them."
Chapter 1: The OddsThe Imperial cruisers seemed deceptively small from a distance. They didn't appear to move or give any indication that they had detected the Rebel starfighters. They hung in space facing out from Equestria, spaced equidistant from each other, as if held together by some invisible force. Between them were smaller grey ships and vessels that appeared only as flicks of color against the backdrop of the colorful world behind it. The entire collection of Imperial warships stood between them and Equestria, as if daring anyone bold enough to attack it. Bretton Macer smiled at the blockade before him. He dared. Gunning the engines on his custom BTL-A4 Y-Wing, he accelerated right towards the array of steel and firepower. "So... whaddya say, sixty-forty?" "More like eighty-twenty," Gary Decker, Brett's gunner said from right behind him. Brett's smile grew a little wider. "I like those odds." The bigger Imperial cruisers didn't fire right away. A single squadron of Rebel fighters wasn't a threat to them, and didn't call for such an overwhelming show of force. Groups of TIE Fighters that had been patrolling between the larger warships started to bank towards the oncoming Rebel fighters. A full wing of TIEs, they formed into rows that maximized their firing coverage, a wave that even the some of the fastest ships wouldn't be able to avoid. But the Rebels had no intention of avoiding them. "Dice-two and three, break and come in from the sides." "Ha! What are you planning on doing, Brett?" Brett chuckled. "I'm blowing right past these guys. See you on the surface, Jana." His wing mates broke away from him as he pushed straight at the squadron of TIEs. In the middle of them were a group of five flying at him like a big, black X. A few of them fired even though their lasers were easy to dodge at this range- a warning and a way of testing his mettle. Bretton wasn't planning on giving them a fair test in return. He juked his Y-Wing to avoid their opening fire- an easy feat at that range. The oncoming TIEs didn't break formation or accelerate to pursue him; it was their goal to present just a massive wave that would eventually wipe him and his wing mates out. It was a typical Imperial strategy to display their full strength in numbers, display an insurmountable amount of ships and use them to utterly destroy any opposition and send a clear message to the rest of the galaxy. Nothing he hadn't seen before. Bretton carefully lined up his Y-Wing's nose with the lower-starboard edge of the giant X of TIEs. He even pulled harder in the same direction, making it look like his ship was planning on running. Though eager, the TIEs remained in tight formation as he advanced, unwavering. Just as the TIEs were almost upon him, he pulled up and blasted the lower-starboard TIE Fighter to pieces. Faster than the TIE pilots could react, he pulled up on the controls and blasted the top-starboard TIE, and then the top-port side one. He then quickly pushed down on the controls to blast the lead TIE Fighter right in the center of the formation, blasting it to dust. The final TIE broke from formation, desperately banking away. Bretton fired a final burst into the fifth TIE Fighter, destroying it. By the time the other TIEs in the formation had closed in, Bretton and Gary were already past it. Now, directly in front of them were the Imperial cruisers, the last obstacle between their Y-Wings and the surface. Unprepared for the small fighter, the cannons on the larger ships desperately attempted to track them as they blazed towards them with the TIEs on their tail. "So, our odds looking better yet?" Bretton asked jokingly. "If this is too easy for you, I could always just ignore the pursuers to make it more of a challenge." "Yeah, but then I'd go home with the most kills. And you don't want that, do you Gar-bear?" Gary sighed. "Can't argue with that, Brett." His gunner activated both the top-side and underside laser turrets on the M9 Y-Wing. The TIEs following them had been too eager to give chase and had abandoned any semblance of formation. They now flew in even neater rows now, closer together to maximize their speed. They weren't prepared at all for return fire. The turrets on the Y-Wing opened up and blasted one chasing TIE after the other. Lasers ripped through two and three TIEs each as the turret blasted one TIE and then the TIE behind it. Debris from the first TIEs obscured the vision of the next pilot, making them easy targets. Within moments, the entire wing of TIE Fighters was a cloud of space dust. "I got five. How many did you get?" Gary smirked. "The rest." "Heh. And you said our odds were eighty to twenty." "Well, maybe next time they will be. After all these blockades we've busted, the Empire's bound to learn something new sooner or later," Gary said. But Brett shook off the notion. "You know these Imps, Gar. They never learn." He gunned his ship towards the line of Imperial cruisers. Just before they had a chance to blast him, his wing mates hit the larger ships from the sides, catching them completely off-guard. Dice-two and Dice-three, his wing mates, fired ion torpedoes at the enemy ships. At close range, they weren't able to evade or shoot down the torpedoes. The ordinance collided with the cruisers' hull, exploding in surges of lightning that paralyzed the ships. The cruisers fired a couple poorly-aimed shots but nothing else. They fell out of formation as their engines failed and they lost power, helpless as the Y-Wings approached. Dice Squadron could have easily finished them off but they were no longer a threat. Besides, they prided themselves on a timely delivery. "See? What'd I tell ya, Gar?" "You said sixty to forty." "I said those odds were nothing for the best blockade runners in the galaxy! Haha!" The three Rebel ships pushed forward to Equestria's surface, three dots of light in the distance.
Chapter 2: The MissionThe trio of Y-Wings from Dice Squadron landed in the middle of Ponyville Town Square to a festive celebration. Ponies cheered as the orange-jumpsuited pilots disembarked from their craft. Bretton waved to the crowds- from the assembled unicorns and earth ponies gathered around their ships on the ground to the pegasi filling the sky overhead all the way to Cloudsdale. Far above Cloudsdale, Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Prince Shining Armor took turns casting spells that covered all of Equestria in a massive shield, a shield that had only briefly lowered for the pilots. "You just love this, don't you?" "I love meeting the locals! You know that- remember that time back on Barkesh?" Brett said, waving while standing on on their ship. "No, I mean playing the hero," Gary said, accepting Brett's help as he pulled himself out of the gunner's chair. "You do this because you love playing the hero." Brett shrugged. "Well, that's not the only reason I do this." "Yeah? What's the other reason?" A pair of pegasi flew down and hung a wreath around his neck. An earth pony hoofed him up a drink while a unicorn levitated a cupcake for him. Brett accepted all these gifts with a natural fluidity in his movements. One moment he was a fighter pilot, the next he was a celebrity. He smiled back at Gary and said, "I do it for them!" A gray mare with a yellow mane hovered gracefully down to their level. Slung over her back was a satchel of mail, her iconic and trusted method of delivery. She reached in and pulled out a letter. "Heya, guys!" "Derpy!" "Hey Derpy," the pilots greeted her. "Got some mail for ya. Here ya go!" "Thanks Derpy," Brett said, accepting a letter. The mailmare saluted and took the skies again. "Who's it from?" Gary asked. "Eh, another letter from Grex at Sigma Base. He hasn't had much luck since he bombed that soap factory." "Ah. I'll have to send him and Reena a care package when I get a chance," Gary remarked. "Yeah, they're gonna be happy to get these supplies. I heard Sigma's down to reconstituted protein rations." "Bleh. Brutal." Brett climbed down from his fighter. "Welp, time to play the delivery boy. Let's get these supplies loaded off and get back to base." "Uh, we already did that," Jana, one of their wing mates said. "Tovin and I unloaded everything while you two were busy basking in glory again." "Hey, hey, it was just Brett. I don't do that," Gary said. "Or at least, I wait until I have some real glory first." Brett slapped him on the back. "What's more glorified than a job well done? And now, we don't have to do any work, either." "Great, we can get back to base and maybe get some R&R before-" "Can't hear you over the crowd! Sorry, Gar! You need me, I'll be at Sugar Cube Corner signing autographs!" Brett said. He practically let the crowd carry him through the streets, all the way to the bakery. After a couple customary hours of celebrating, Dice Squadron returned to their ships and made the trip back to the Rebel Alliance outpost on Equestria's moon. The moon's revolution around Equestria was largely controlled by Luna herself but because she was preoccupied, the moon matched the planet's rotation. The pilots fully expected to have to fight their way back through the blockade, a task that was usually easier for them having broken it before, but the Imperial warships were not in their positions. "Huh," Brett remarked at the site of vacant space, "the cruisers are gone." "We must've hit 'em harder than we thought!" Tovin, Dice-three commented. "Haha, yeah, probably!" "All this means is they'll put something bigger in their place, like a Star Destroyer or a Golan," Gary said. "Eh, they'll never stop us. We're the best blockade runners in the galaxy!" "You said that once already," Gary reminded him. "Heh, well, it's true, isn't it? We just took out a blockade without even trying!" Gary shook his head. "The cruisers probably hyperspaced out for repairs. They're probably switching them out, but at least we made a nice window." "It'll be one to tell 'em back at base," Brett said. The three ships flew around the moon, banking around the satellite to the dark side. They were briefly engulfed in the shadow and only the flares of their engines were visible in the darkness. From the outside, Equestria's moon looked the same as it always did, until the three Y-Wings approached it and broadcast the Rebel clearance code. Then, the surface transformed. The outer layer of dust shifted and a part formed in the rocks. A line split apart in the side of the moon, right in the center and opened outward. Dice Squadron flew their Y-Wings into this opening, which quickly closed behind them. Though the dust had shifted, it wouldn't be noticeable to any other passing ships on the dark side of the moon. The interior of the moon was a stark contrast to the outside. The walls were illuminated with gold-colored light which lent color to the matte-black floor beneath. Dice Squadron passed through the pink-blue magnetic containment field that protected the hangar from the outside of space and landed in the center of the vehicle poole. Flight crews of mixed pony and rebel technicians jogged up to the fighters to service them, remove the astromechs and give them the congratulatory back-slaps and high-fives/hooves. Such rituals were a happy obligation. Bretton triumphantly led his squadmates through the corridors of the Rebel moon base. He saluted most of ponies, rebels and even droids that passed them by, even the ones that didn't really notice them. Gary shook his head; his squad leader was still 'victory mode', which would probably last until the next mission started. It was routine, more or less, something they'd been through dozens of times by now. But it wasn't something Gary or the others complained about; being able to go through it again meant they had survived. They arrived at the control center deep inside the moon's surface. Massive window-like monitor screens lined the high walls of the dome-shaped room broadcasting feeds from Equestria and a few other hotspots from neighboring planets. One monitor displayed a feed of the arcade game Galaga for some reason. Ponies and droids hovered in front of the screens, jotting notes or keeping an eye on the activity. The entire room was a wave of constant motion, almost resembling the inside of an enormous hive. In the center of this was Commander Spitfire. With the princesses on the surface, the duty of monitoring activity and managing the fighter squadrons fell to her. Dice Squadron saluted as they reached her command chair in the middle of the room. "Commander," Brett began, "we're happy to report another successful supply run has been made." "I saw that," Spitfire said, not turning around to them. Her attention was focused on a monitor on the back wall. "You did an excellent job getting through that blockade, very commendable." Brett smiled. "Well, ma'am, that's what you get when you roll with Dice Squadron." Her chair spun around. Spitfire's face was contemplative, one of consideration. "What I didn't see was what happened to the blockade after you got through it." The words hung in the air for a few moments. The pilots shifted a bit, none of them having any answer to the question she hadn't asked. "Your attitude hasn't exactly been the most professional thing I've seen," Spitfire continued. "But you do get results. I'm advising you all to be cautious." "Ah-of course," Brett peeped out. "We're sending you on another mission. Another supply run, bigger this time. We've got three automated transports loaded with some special munitions, we need to get them to Ponyville," Spitfire explained. She turned around again and gestured to one of the monitors. "While you were getting here, it appears the blockade has already reformed. Same makeup as before, so it doesn't seem like they've been able to tighten their defenses yet. This is the time to really reinforce our troops on the ground, so we need to get this done now while we have the chance." Brett smiled. "Dice Squadron's always a safe bet, ma'am." She nodded. "Let's hope so. We're taking a pretty big risk with these supplies. They're critical if we want to eliminate the Empire's presence on Equestria soon. Punch a hole through that blockade again for our transports and we'll be that much closer to freeing the planet. Questions?" "No, ma'am. You can count on Dice Squadron to-" Her chair spun around again. "Dismissed." They dropped their salutes carefully. Without another word, they exited the control room as quickly as they had entered and made their way to their quarters for a little rest while the mission was prepped. Before long, their ships had been re-prepped and they were deployed again, making their way back to the hangar. "Hey guys!" Derpy said, passing them on the way. "Hey Derpy!" "Hey Derpy." Gary turned back, looking over his shoulder. "Derpy?" "What about her?" Jana asked, right behind him. "How did she get up here that fast?" Jana shrugged. "Maybe she caught a ride while the blockade was broken and we were partying." "Maybe..." Gary said, picking up the pace again. They arrived in the hangar and got aboard their ships again. One at a time, they lifted off and proceeded out, leaving the glowing-gold interior of the moon behind to enter the inky blackness of the night once again.
Chapter 3: The OppositionIt didn't take long for the automated transports to appear from hyperspace. Three GR75s appeared just behind the moon. Dice Squadron rendezvoused with them and they began their approach to Equestria. "Looks like the transports aren't programmed for a lot of risky maneuvers," Gary said, linking up with the convoy from his gunner's console. Brett nodded. "Let's not give them any surprises, then. Form them up behind us but at a distance. We'll make a nice gap for them to slip through just like this morning." "What are our odds this time?" Gary asked. "I'll tell you after we make it to the surface," Brett replied. He gripped the controls tightly. They came around the moon and saw Equestria once again, a shining blue orb in space. The Imperial cruisers were back in the same place they had originally been in just a few hours ago. They still looked deceptively small, almost harmless from this distance. Were they the same cruisers they'd disabled earlier in the day or entirely new ones? There was no way to know for sure; Imperial ships all looked identical down to the tiniest details. But now, Dice Squadron had a group of transports behind them. Three slow, unarmed, unmanned bulky cargo ships full of supplies for the war effort on the ground. They wouldn't be able to use the same strategy again. "What's the plan, boss?" Tovin asked. "Same as before, with a few twists. You and Jana come in from the sides again, but this time, you'll each have a transport with you. We're gonna ignore the fighters this time until the cruisers are disabled- they're the biggest threat to the transports," Brett said. "You got it, Brett!" "We're with you!" "Let's roll, Dice!" Brett said, and accelerated towards the blockade. The three Y-Wings shot at the Imperial ships like arrows with the slower transports behind them. Just as before, a wave of TIE Fighters began swarming towards them. Brett smiled. "And you were worried they'd try something new." "Well, we are. So that's something." "I guess we are. Let's see if they like it." Brett angled his craft at the large X of TIE Fighters once again. Despite his confidence, he was still cautious, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing that changed in their patterns; they were still the same standard TIEs that fired the standard Imperial weaponry at them, which they easily dodged. Brett used the same strategy of before and "crossed" the "X" by blasting three of the corner TIEs, then the center one and picking off the last one as it ran. "Heh, as predictable as TIEs are, you'd think they were automated." "They definitely get pissed off fast," Gary said, as the TIEs banked around to pursue them. They were already through the wave of TIEs and Gary was lining up shots at their pursuit. With the cruisers directly ahead of them, everything was going exactly as it had before, but with the transports still behind them. A few TIEs tried to engage the transport but its heavy armor and shields absorbed their shots and Gary was able to pick them off. Just as before, Jana and Tovin came in from the side and hit the cruisers with ion torpedoes. The cruisers sputtered and dipped downward, falling out of formation as their engines failed. Once again, the blockade had crumbled. "Hahaha! That's the stuff, right there!" Bretton exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at the disabled warships behind them. His wing mates formed up and began heading for the surface. "Transports are all clear! The Imps might as well have rolled out the welcome mat!" "Uhh, Brett? Something's wrong," Gary said, concern in his voice. "What's the matter?" Gary swallowed almost audibly. "We've got additional contacts!" "Where?!" "Incoming- port and starboard!!" Two additional Imperial cruisers jumped in from both the sides. Dice Squadron's Y-Wings were already clear of the blockade... but the transports were just barely crossing the line. The Imperial warships came out of hyperspace with their bows aimed right at the incoming transports. They opened fire without hesitation. Gary had a full view of the massacre but Brett and the others could only see the fringe. The cruisers opened fire with their main batteries and blasted the sides of the transports. Their lasers tore into the transports' shields and armor, being designed specifically to do so, and blew them to pieces. Supplies spilled out of their pierced and burning hulls to float freely in space, half-charred and ruined. The port-side transport collided with the one in the middle, causing both to explode. All three transports were transformed into flaming wrecks and burnt debris. Not a piece of them made it past the blockade. "Holy shit..." "Deep shit..." The pilots watched, as best as they could, their mission literally disintegrate under the withering fire of the Imperial cruisers. The cruisers sent no TIEs after them, nor did they attempt to pursue them. Instead, they took up position in the blockade, joining the other two that were recovering. In an instant, the blockade had doubled in strength and closed the gap the Rebels had made. "I think those are the two cruisers from before," Gary said. Brett shook his head in disbelief. "That's... that's gotta be the worst luck I've seen... ever." "What do we do now?" Gary asked. "Pull around and head back to base. Tell them the blockade has been doubled," Brett said. He led Dice Squadron in a long bank out of Equestria's orbit, avoiding the blockade while they had the chance, and flew back to the moon base.
Chapter 4: The DeliveryThere was no celebrating when Dice Squadron arrived back. Bretton's eyes were almost glued to the floor, unable to raise his head as he passed by the same techs and ponies he'd bragged to earlier. The interior of the moon looked the same but defeat hung in the air like an invisible fog, filling the space from floor to ceiling. Out of respect for his friend, Gary made no chiding remarks, chastised Brett not about his transparent demeanor as he led them back to the control room. The control room itself was a bit different. The level of activity had increased, though not by much. It had gone from casually frantic movement to hurried frantic, not quite panic but overdrive. Ponies and droids worked faster to relay information and were a bit louder in doing so. The biggest difference, however, was that most of the display monitors now displayed Equestria and the newly-reinforced blockade above the planet. A few of the displays even showed replays of the battle, the transports being destroyed from cameras mounted on their Y-Wings. Bretton couldn't bring himself to look up. He and the rest of the squad filed out once again in front of Spitfire's command chair. They saluted, with Brett being the last to do so. "That's about... six months' worth of supplies," Spitfire said. "For Ponyville, Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Not an ounce of it salvageable." "Yes, ma'am," Brett said, his voice not hiding a single bit of his disappointment. "This has set back a lot of our plans," she continued, still not turning to face them. "Not entirely your fault, of course. Bad time for additional reinforcements to jump in." "Reinforcements?" Gary asked. "I thought those were the same cruisers from before." Spitfire finally turned around. "We're still not entirely sure on that. Regardless, three transports have been lost and we're looking at a new blockade. I'm not sure Dice Squadron was the safe bet you promised me." That hit home with Brett. "I... yes, ma'am. I understand." "We're going to have to reevaluate using just three M9 Y-Wings for blockade busting and escort duty. I know this was your run, Macer, but our risk didn't pay off. It's back to the drawing board," Spitfire said, spinning around again. "You did good getting through those TIEs and your flight status is still green. Just going to take us a bit longer to deal with that blockade. Again, not entirely your fault, Dice." "I know, ma'am. Thank you." "We're gonna go through this again and when we're ready, we'll let you know. Dismissed." They turned around and filed out of the control room. When they returned to their quarters, there would be no free beverages or cakes waiting for them like there had been at Sugar Cube Corner. They walked, now all of them with their heads a bit lower back through the halls of the moon base. "Heya guys," Derpy said as they passed by. "Hey Derpy..." "Hey Derpy," they said. And this time, the mare turned around and flew back to them. "You guys okay? You don't sound all right." "Our last mission didn't go over so well," Brett said. "Awww, what went wrong? Do you know?" she asked. "The blockade got reinforced at the last second, took out our transports," Gary explained. "The worst possible timing." Brett nodded. "Now we won't be able to make the next delivery. It sucks." Derpy gasped. "What?! You can't make a delivery?!" She flew into Brett's face. "What was it?! I can take it with me on my next run! It's no problem, honest!" "Derpy! STOP!" Brett yelled. "THAT'S MY FACE!!" She unlatched from his head and he took a moment to readjust his hair and his trademark thick mustache. "Sorry! But really, you guyyyyysss! If you have something to deliver, that means you gotta deliver it!" Derpy exclaimed. "Just imagine those ponies waiting for their stuff!" "We know, Derpy," Jana said. "Believe me, when know." "But we can't get through that blockade," Tovin said. "Not without the supplies turning into swiss cheese." "It's okay, I can take 'em!" Derpy said proudly. Gary smiled. "Derpy, we appreciate the sentiment, really." "But that blockade would turn you into swiss cheese. No offense." She batted away the notion bashfully. "Nah, not a chance. I'm an official postmare! They can't stop me from delivering the mail!" Brett lowered his head. He put a hand on the gray mare's shoulder. "Derpy, we love you, all of us. But there's no way those supplies could make it through that blockade." Derpy's head lowered as well. "Oh... okay," she said, sadly. She turned around and walked away. It was almost heartbreaking to watch her go. "We'll get 'em through next time, Derpy." "Okay then..." she said, sadness still in her voice. She turned the corner heading back to the hangar. "I guess I'll tell everypony in Ponyville their packages will arrive late." The squad looked at each other. "Everypony in Ponyville?!" they exclaimed. In a flurry, they all ran to catch up with her. "Derpy!!!" Brett yelled. "Yeah?" "Derpy," Brett said, him and his squad catching their breaths, "you're still going back to Ponyville? Is that what you said?" She looked towards the magcon field in the distance. "Well, yeah. I still have a few deliveries to make and-" "Wait," they stopped her, "you mean you're going back through the blockade?" "Did you get through the blockade the first time? When we first broke it?" Gary asked. She giggled. "Of course I did, sillies! How else do you think ponies get their mail?" The pilots all shared an expression of disbelief, which they then exchanged with one another. "Derpy, how exactly did get through the blockade?" She giggled again. "I flew through it! Like you guys with your starshippy thingies. 'cept I have wings! And my mailbag." Brett shook his head in disbelief yet again. "You fly from the moon to Equestria-" "And sometimes from Equestria back to the moon." "-with your wings?" "And my mailbag." She said happily. "And I've had to get past those blockadey-guys like... a guzabamillion times already!" "Guzabamillion?" Gary asked. "I'm pretty sure that's not a real number." "Haha, I know," Derpy admitted. "But, I mean a lot. I've had to go back and fourth a lot of times, now. You guys sure you don't need me to deliver anything?" They looked at each other one more time, a plan forming between their eyes. "Derpy, you think we could come along for one of your deliveries?" "Sure!" Derpy said, delighted. "And afterward, we can get muffins!"
Chapter 5: The BestThe hardest part about setting up the next mission wasn't convincing Spitfire- it was convincing Derpy to wait for them. Fortunately, they were able to get a green light for another supply run, though Spitfire made it clear she wasn't going to make the same risk as last time. She only sent them one transport to escort, and made it clear that it this would be their last chance. Dice Squadron formed up with their last shot transport and waited on Derpy. To their surprise, she did not fly out of the hangar, but simply walked out of the hangar doors and onto the moon's surface. "Is she...?" "I don't think she's going to walk to Equestria, no," Gary said, having a bit of trouble believing what he was seeing as well. Derpy hopped along the surface of the moon in a space suit with her mail saddlebag strapped to her back. She emerged from the dark side of Equestria, still hopping merrily all the way. Coming around to the side of the moon facing Equestria, she adjusted her saddlebags and prepared to leap off the moon. "Is she...?" "Okay, this time, I have no idea," Gary replied. Derpy ducked down and leapt up from the moon, a big leap. At the height of her leap, she activated a pair of jets from on her mailbags and accelerated from the moon. She was aimed right for Equestria and right at the blockade. Brett, Gary and the rest of Dice Squadron watched Derpy as she jetted away from the moon. She flew with a decent speed- not as fast as their Y-Wings but faster than the transport. Derpy soared through space between Equestria and the moon with all the grace and elegance of a pegasus flying through the clouds. And she was flying right towards Imperial warships. "What kind of odds do you give her?" Brett asked. "Eighty-twenty?" Gary gulped. "I dunno. Million to one, maybe. We could ask Weaver to calculate it." "No, no... let's just watch," Brett said. "Be ready with the transport in case it's that one, whatever the against is." Derpy came into range of the blockade. Against the backdrop of space, she seemed incredibly small, like one of the stars twinkling in the distance. And that star grew as it approached Equestria. Just as before, a wave of TIE Fighters swarmed in and around the warships and banked towards her. They formed a huge wave, a massive approaching net of dark metal. They came into range of Derpy Hooves and fired. But... their lasers didn't hit her. For at the very moment, Derpy reached into her mailbag to check one of the letters and examine the first address she'd be visiting. The small act of reaching into her own saddlebag was enough to alter her course, causing her flight path to spin and dance as she reached into her bag. The green lasers came close to her, but not a single one struck her or her mail. Did she even know she was being shot at? Before she had finished reading the address and put the letter back in her bag, she was already past the TIEs. Dice Squadron stared in awe of the feat unfurling before their eyes. Now, the Imperial cruisers were vectoring towards her and the TIEs were realizing the small pony had simply bypassed their net formation and slipped through them. They spun around as best they could and gave pursuit. The cruisers opened fire. And that was when Derpy's mane drooped in front of her eye. It was difficult to adjust her mane inside her own spacesuit and she shook her head and blew her bangs to try to clear her view. Doing so, she twisted and turned, barreling and spinning and actually dodged every turbo laser blast fired at her. The barrage from the cruisers would have hit Derpy if she hadn't been trying to fix her hair. Instead, the lasers blasted the TIEs chasing her. Brett was stunned. They were all stunned; their jaws hung open in silence. "I... I think her odds just improved." "Yeah," Gary agreed. "She still has to get through the cruisers, though. Alone." Brett shook his head. "She's not alone. She's got us." He gunned his Y-Wing with his wing mates in tow and arced right towards the blockade. Four cruisers were now aiming their guns at Derpy. Miraculously, not a single one hit her. With her mane finally adjusted though, her flight path straightened out again. The cruisers' cannons tracked her. And that was when Derpy decided to stop for a break. She flew down to the closest object she could stand on: an Imperial cruiser. She landing on the hull and took a moment to open her mailbag and check to make sure she didn't lose anything. The guns on the opposite cruiser aimed right at her and fired. That was when Derpy kicked off again. Breaks for mail ponies were usually short, as deliveries had to be timely. She jumped off the deck of the cruiser and headed right towards Equestria. Behind her, the gun batteries on the cruiser she'd been on and the one facing it fired. The third cruiser on the other side also fired at her... or where she had been. Their lasers, instead ripped into the cruiser's hull. Shots from the cruisers on the outside hit each other and the one in the middle. All three of them were destroyed in a brief flash of green. And Derpy soared down towards Ponyville. Her silver spacesuit burned hot with the heat of reentry but the mare inside was protected, as was her mail in her specially-lined saddlebags. But behind her, one last object advanced upon her. The fourth and final cruiser, unscathed was now pursuing her. Derpy saw its enormous shadow stretch over her, blocking out the light above. She gasped as she finally realized it was upon her. But it wasn't for long. Explosions of blue electricity hit the sides of the craft. Dice Squadron hit it from both the back and the sides, blasting the cruiser into pieces with heavy ordinance. It fell apart in mid-flight, spiraling down and crashing on the shield over Ponyville. The impacts the debris made were harmless. Derpy was the first to land in the center of Ponyville, followed by Dice Squadron and the supply transport. The crowd of ponies returned as if the celebration from just a few hours ago was still going on. Brett and Gary climbed out of their Y-Wing amid cheering ponies. Some of them were cheering for Dice Squadron but the vast majority, from the pegasi high above to the earth ponies and unicorns assembled around them below, they were cheering Derpy. Gary was surprised to see his squadron leader still waving at everypony, the brightest of smiles plastered on his face. "You really do love this, don't you?" "Haha, I do," Brett said. "Let's hear it for Derpy Hooves- the greatest blockade runner in the galaxy!!" And they all cheered at that response. Derpy, bashfully accepted all their praise. Pegasi flew down to present Brett with a wreath... which he in turn presented to Derpy. An earth pony and a unicorn each offered Gary a drink and a muffin and Gary, in turn, passed them to Derpy. Which she delightfully accepted, eating the muffin first. "It's just like you said," Gary remarked. Brett smiled back, he and Gary holding Derpy up on their shoulders. "We do it for them."
