these wings get me from point 'a' to 'you'

“I don’t need a lot. Some more flour, cocoa, aaand sugar crystals from the caverns of the southern badlands. You can get those, right?”

Decked from head to hoof in wraps and shawls, Dunes Cinnabust stood before the entrance of a dark cave. The mouth was wide as a dragon’s maw, with rows of sharp teeth coming from every direction, and heat lurking deep within the cavern.

It was only a little intimidating, but nothing that Dunes hadn’t seen before. He adjusted the bags on his saddle and trotted inside.

--

The cavern, from what Dunes learned at the bordering town, was home to small reservoirs of sugar crystals. The further one went, the more small craters in the ground they would find where hundreds of sugary spikes shot up.

“Ponies can make it in and out of the caverns fairly quick. I would say you’re looking at two hours, at the very most. Maybe more, if you’re feeling greedy or meet up with a critter.” The earth pony that briefed him gave a light chuckle.

He stops at decent sized crater, where the sugar crystals spiral up high enough to reach the ceiling. Dunes walks up to a small, knee-high formation and gives it a couple gentle taps with his hoof.

The small column of crystal breaks cleanly. Dunes gently picks it up with a hoof and settles it into an empty bag.

--

He’s collected about 20 of the sugar columns when a low rumble gets his attention. It sounded close, but maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

Still… No matter how far it actually was, Dunes took that as a good sign to head back to home. He tugged on the straps of his bags and saddle, double checking to make sure everything was secure, and started to trot back to the main path of the cavern.

Rrrr…

 Another rumble, but this one was close.

Dunes turned his head to look over his back. 

In the dim cave lighting, he could only see the sugar crystals and the whites of a pair of large, unpleasant eyes.

“The only critters around the badlands are tiny things, though, ‘less you’re afraid of bunnies or lizards.”

[x]

“Knock, knock~” a voice sings into a cluttered kitchen from an open window. The visiting neighbor props them self up on their front hooves against the window sill. There are bowls and cups filled with a variety of dry and liquid ingredients taking up every inch of counter space, and splatters of flour and sugar on the floors and walls.

There’s a soft clinking of wood on glass coming from the ceiling.

“Oh, hey there!” A tan and pink pegasus with a mixing bowl in his hooves beams down at his friend.

“Would you mind passing me some peanut butter chips and toffee bits?”

“Of course.” The unicorn nods. Their horn glows and two small bags lift into the air. The bags reach the mixing bowl and tip a bit of their contents out into it.

“Perfect! Thank you!”

Their friend hums. With their horn still glowing, they open a refrigerator door and a few cupboards to gather some utensils to help them self to a huge, fluffy cake slice.

“Say, MC, is Dune around?”

The pegasus floats down, pouring the mixture from their bowl into a large empty baking tray. They toss the bowl backwards—the unicorn catches it in their magic and sets in what resembles a kitchen sink—and lift the pan to place in the oven that his friend smoothly opens the door of.

In return, MC swoops by a portion of his kitchen counter that’s stacked with plastic fruit containers. He takes the first container and pours some of the berries on top of his friend’s cake. 

“I sent Dune out to get me a few things. He should be at the badlands by now, I think!”

“The badlands?” his friend squawks. “Aren’t they, well, bad around this time of the year?”

MC’s ears pointed up straighter at the sound of that, but he gave his best smile.

“Well, even if they’re bad-badlands, I’m sure Dune’ll be fine!”

[x]

Dunes isn’t the fastest flyer, but his wings have gotten him out of more than one sticky situation. The large creature gallops behind him at a quick pace, beating against the ground hard enough to shake debris from the roof of the cavern.

He wonders if he should have gotten a better look at it. Make a few mental notes so when he gets back into town, he can let the inhabitants know there’s something bigger than a bunny or lizard is hanging around the cavern.

A growl dares him to test his luck.

[x]

A ding goes off from the oven.

A door opens and closes.

“Dune!” MC zips from the kitchen to the front room. They loop around the other pony once before rubbing their muzzle against his cheek.

“How was the cavern? Did you get the sugar? Ooh, did you take pictures?”

“It was warm, kinda dark, and cavern-y.” He points to a bag on his saddle and MC plucks it off with their hooves, flying into the kitchen.

“All of the sugar is in that bag. I have the flour and cocoa in this other one,” Dunes explains as he follows them into the kitchen. 

“And I’ll take pictures when a weird cave beast isn’t trying to nip my tail.”

“A what,” MC exclaims, turning so hard in the air that the bag fumbles in their grasp.

“A cave beast?” Dunes starts to explain as he shimmies out of his saddle.

“I didn’t get a good look at it, but it was big and looked angry. It chased me right out of the cavern.”

“Ohmygosh!” In the blink of an eye the two are muzzle to muzzle. Dunes can clearly see the colorful sprinkle-like freckles decorating MC’s cheeks, and the hearts in their wide, nervous eyes. 

“Dune! Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure, I’m sure,” he smiles lightly. With ease, Dunes takes the items from MC’s hooves and places them on the floor. (They were going to go on the floor, one way or another.)

The lifted weight allows MC to dart around their partner, inspecting every inch of him.

“No bite marks?” They ask, poking his hind legs.

“Nope.”

“No bumps?” Dunes feels his short tail being fluffed up.

“Maybe one or two, but they’re small.”

“Hmm…”

“Although,” Dunes watches as MC stops inspecting his wings to give him their full attention.

“My stomach is pretty empty. Flying for my life took a lot outta me…”

MC’s ears slowly raise up. “Yeah, I can imagine. And I bet you flew straight home, too, so you must be…”

They pause, blink, and shake their head as a fit of giggles waves through them.

“Oh, look at me! I’m such an anxious appaloosa that I must be makin’ your stomach ache! It’s, um, lunch time? Ooh, we could make some maple biscuits? How’s that sound?” 

Dunes laughs along with them.

“Biscuits sound great. Let me clean up- ah.”

Dunes catches himself. He can hear MC trying not to laugh louder.

Cleaning? In this household?

“I mean, let’s get started?”

“Let’s get started!!”

end.