] Hey everyone! We're back at it again with Sunny Skies And Butterflies! In the last chapter, our main protagonist has made her decision to go out on a date with our favorite Skywing! But what does he think about all of this?! Stay tuned to find out! Until then, we will continue onward with Sunny's third-person limited Perspective.

I also should've addressed this too: All rights reserved to Tui Sutherland. None of these characters or properties belong to me, they belong to her. With respect and dedication to her, I hope you all enjoy this disclaimer. On with the chapter! ]


It has been a couple of days since Sunny sent her response letter via The Dragonpress Company. Sunny had to wait for many weeks on end, determined to hear Sky's answer. She had expressed in great detail she was willing to go on her date with Sky and she will be coming to visit him before the month was over. Every day at sunrise, She would recline to a landing pad where the Express Riders would come and provide mail to Jade Academy.

One aspect that Sky and Wren had bought to the world was a courier service. This was something new to the lands of Pyrrhia and Pantala, as it helped drastically send supplies at a greater rate. Sure there were pros and cons to this service, such as weather and health affecting delivery deadlines but it was a game-changer to the supplies trade. Not only did this service help share resources between Pantala and Pyrrhia, but it also help start jobs for Humans and Dragons alike. The courier service went by many names (The Wing Express, The Dragonpress, The Dragonet Carrier) but it all had one thing in common: Both humans and Dragons work alongside each other, as a team, to help contribute. Sunny admired Wren and Sky's mail service because it was noble, helpful, and reliable. Even the name of the Dragon Couriers sounded cool: The Wings Of Freedom.

Most of the Wing Express were Skywings, for their long wingspan was most reliable for the faster parcel deliveries. However, this didn't mean that Skywings weren't the only dragon race to help. Sandwings, Mudwings, Icewings, and Nightwings were a part of the service too! There were even a couple of Silkwings that were a part of the service.

One important, however, stood out from Wren and Sky's delivery service. Humans helped contribute to the Mail carriers. It didn't matter if you were the faster flyer or could steer yourself out of a storm. It was required for all Dragons to have a human partner. It was the first rule in the service. A very important rule at that.

At first, Many dragons weren't too keen on the idea of working with scavengers. Sunny couldn't blame them, although she found it silly that there were such dragons that held moons-long grudges. The relationship between the two races was still a rocky province to walk on, but Sunny had faith that eventually the path would smooth out and the service will help the races' relationship will blossom into a mutual one. Sunny knew if both species desired to keep continuing their lives, then there must be peace between the two. Sunny hoped everything will work out soon.

If Wren and Sky can get along, so can others!, Sunny thought.

Sunny began to scan the skies, in hopes that the Dragonpress will be arriving soon. Even though she could see the faint outlines of the three moons, the bright sun was waking up soon. Sunny could feel the burning, red light flare her scales that faced the sun. It was quite relaxing for her, as she was enjoying the warm rays of light. Sunny began to close her eyes and let herself be basked in the restorative power. It was no wonder why Dune named her Sunny; After all, she was her Winglet's bright ray of sunshine.

Even though she knew it wasn't wise to rush or fret about such matters, Sunny still couldn't help but irritate scratch her tail. Sunny liked to consider herself a patient dragon but she couldn't help but wonder when will her response letter come forth. Not even the Sun's rays could soothe her, as she inadvertently began to pace back and forth. She had tried counting the number of pebbles that littered the ground or trying to make out pictures of the fat, fluffy clouds above but She still couldn't help herself. She had hoped her letter reached her in time.

What if the letter didn't make it?, Sunny began to thought. What if I didn't send it at all? What if It somehow got misplaced somewhere? Where will it be?! What if it got lost on the way to Sanctuary? What if I didn't write it at all?!

"You're doing it again, Sunny."

Sunny immediately jumped out of fright. She instantly recognized the voice that belonged to her invisible, older sister. Materializing right next to her, in a flashy-sort of wave was none other than her Rainwing friend, Queen Glory. Sunny didn't know how long she had stood there or when did she shown up but Sunny couldn't care less. After all, Glory was a pro at Stealth.

More importantly, why was her sister here?

"Glory!!!", Sunny cried. "When did you came here?! Have you been watching me this whole time?!"

An amused Glory was busy looking at a Talon of hers. Sunny watched as her sister inspected what seemed like the scales of her hands until she finally focused on her.

"I just recently got here," Glory answered with a smile. "I decided to pop by for a visit and see how are you holding up. I wanted to surprise you, I'm sorry. You were going back and forth like that time when you thought you ate Clay's snacks." Glory began to chuckle.

Immediately, Sunny rushed over and wrapped the wings around her sleek body. Glory took a moment to process what had happened, but she did return the gesture.

"It's so good to see you again, Glory! How are you? How's the tribe doing? Is Deathbringer here? Is Tsunami doing ok? I wan-"

"Whoa, whoa there, Sunshine!", Glory began, stopping her train of questions. "Easy there. I know you got a lot of questions and all, but one at a time. It's early in the morning!"

Sunny awkwardly laughed. Sometimes, it was in her nature to blurt out questions to anyone she hadn't seen in awhile, whenever she was in excitement. "Sorry Glory. It's just so nice to see you again!"

Glory snickered. "I can tell. Has it really been that long you've seen me? Maybe next time I'll wait for another year to stop by for a visit."

"Glory!!", Sunny shouted, out of shock.

After realizing Glory was just teasing, Sunny began to laugh alongside with her. One thing that hadn't changed about her was her playfulness. Sunny wouldn't change anything about Glory's personality. After all, it was her cynic mind helped set everyone straight during their adventures.

"So... what's up, Glory?", Sunny asked.

"Nothing much going on here," Glory answered with a sigh. "Still in charge of the Rainwings and The Nightwings. Deathbringer is still... deathbringer. He's here but he's talking witu Clay and Starflight. Keeping me on my toes per usual but other that that, it's smooth sailing."

"That's it? Anything new?"

Glory shrugged. "I know it isn't much but things are running smoothly. Jambu is getting married soon. He finally popped the question to his boyfriend, that mango-head. I guess that would be the only difference. We also set communication between a group of Scavengers. Apparently, they been living in the Jungle far from us. Thanks to Wren's teachings, we were able to talk to them. They're actually not bad. They respect our space and they don't seem to mind us. I think it is because they haven't ever seen a dragon. Same goes to The Rainwings. Apart from that, we are on equal terms."

"Scavengers in the Jungle? That's new. I'm glad you getting along with them. Congratulations for Jambu! Please be sure to give my warm regards to him, won't you?"

Glory smiled. "Sure. Anyway, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"Ok. What is it, Glory?"

It was at this moment Sunny regretted all of this.

Glory's face twisted into a sly smile. "I heard you got asked out on a date!"

She wasn't sure why, but immediately Sunny felt her face warm up and turn slightly red. She didn't like the way Glory was looking at her. "What about it, Glory?"

"Oh, nothing... Who's the lucky dragon? Anyone, we know?"

Sunny began to look away, pretending to take notice of a lonesome rock. She also began to play with her talons. She wasn't sure why she was doing this but Sunny didn't like the teasing tone of Glory's voice now.

"I-It's... Er, Um... Just a friend."

"Just a friend ?"

"Y-yeah! It's a friend!"

Glory slanted her eyes at her, but she still had her sly smile. "May I ask if I know this friend of yours?"

Before Sunny could think of a way to avoid the question, a huge shadow cast over them. Causing them to look up, Sunny gasped at the sight before them.

A squad of Skywings soared above them as Sunny realized who they were. Amazed at the sight, Sunny couldn't help but notice the silvery sign that the leader of the patrol wore. On top of each dragon was a human being, wearing what looked to be some form of eyewear and had leather bags around their waist. Not that she had noticed, she realized that the Skywings also wore leather totes as well. Sunny smiled at the awe-striking sight.

The Dragonwing Express!

The mail-carrying squad circled above the two. Sunny and Glory watched in silence as they both gazed at the sight. To think that Sky and Wren presented a sight to behold to the world was astonishing. Not to mention that two intelligent races were working together for a noble goal. Honestly, it was also wholesome for Sunny to think that this was all for the sake of mail.

The battalion of couriers landed in front of the duo, with a respectable amount of space between them. Immediately after landing, the human riders got off each of their Skywings and began to unhook the bags of letters their dragon partners were carrying. Sunny began to notice some of them were affectionately petting the skywings and murmuring small words of encouragement. In response, each Skywing nuzzled their human co-worker. It lasted only for a few moments but Sunny couldn't help but smile at the sight.

One of the Scavengers approached her. Glory immediately blended among the earth, out of surprise. However, the scavenger didn't seem to mind as he smile at the sight. Immediately relaxing after noticing it meant no harm, Glory returned to her normal colors.

"Pardon me, miss!", the Scavenger asked politely. "Are you..." He stopped to look at a tiny book he was carrying. He appeared as if he was scanning a page. "Are you Miss Sunny? Sunny, Daughter Of Queen Thorn of the Sandwings?"

Sunny was taken aback by the fact that a Scavenger was speaking perfect draconian (the language the humans referred to when speaking to Dragons) and how polite it was. The tiny being didn't seem to mind as it held a grin on his face. "First time, eh?"

"Y-Yeah...," Sunny answered with a nervous chuckle. It was a bit awkward for her to be communicating with a scavenger perfectly. She knew it would take time for her to adjust to this new change.

"It's ok, miss Sunny!", the scavenger exclaimed. "This isn't the first time for me. A lot of dragons we meet have the same reaction. You are not alone. You are not the first and you won't be the last." The scavenger smiled at her warmly. "The same could be said to my buddy Cloud! It's new and all to both of us, but..." the scavenger turned to look at his Skywing partner.

Sunny looked up and saw the gaze of the two-legged creature. In front of them was a young-looking Dragonet, probably just turned into a fully grown adult dragon. He was busy with his other fellow dragons, sorting out mail, prepping scrolls, and making sure packages were sorted and ready for shipment.

"... but I wouldn't have it any other way, especially with a Skywing, like Cloud by my side. How are you holding up there, Cloud?!", the human asked his dragon friend.

Cloud looked up from the pails of letters. Sunny almost shivered at the sight. Cloud's muzzle had burn scars all across him as if he had stuck his jaws in pits of fire. He looked like he faced many battles before, despite there hasn't been any wars in years. Surprisingly, the Skywing smiled at his human buddy and Sunny noticed the warm, understanding, generosity behind its beady-red eyes.

"Doing good, Rock. Are we going to rest here before we leave?"

Sunny watched intently as the two began to converse with one another. She wanted to learn all about the relationship between these two creatures right before her eyes.

Rock nodded. "We deserve one. We've been flying since resting up at Pantala. I'd say we deserve a nice break. After all, this is going to be our last flight until work calls us in again. I'm sure Jade Academy won't mind us resting here for a couple of hours." Rock stopped for a moment to look at Sunny. "You won't mind it if we relax here?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. As long as you don't invade anyones' business here. The students shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you, Miss Sunny. Oh, before I go, let me check..."

Sunny watched as Rock began to search through his bag. Sticking his long, tiny arms into the satchel, Rock scrambles through the collection of paper. A few moments later, Rock pulled out one special letter that Sunny immediately knew what it was.

Sky's response!!!

Rock took a moment to check if the letter was accurate info-wise and smiled at her. Sunny stretched her hand forward and Rock placed the letter in her palm. Cloud approached her and motioned her to the bottom of an unrolled scroll.

"Signature here, Miss," Cloud said, with an inkwell in one of his hands. "The bosses like to make sure everyone gets their deliveries on time and is satisfied. Your signature is proof."

Sunny dipped a talon tip in the Inkwell and traced her name onto the scroll. "Thank you, Cloud. Thank you, Rock. Thank you for everything."

The two smiled at Sunny. "It's all part of the job, miss. We enjoy this job. Seeing satisfied smiles on many faces makes it all worthwhile!"

"If you need anything from us, such as water or food, please let us know! Rest up as long as you need to."

"Thank you Sunny!"

Sunny watched as the two of them respectively left to their devices. The Mail Patrol immediately began to settle down around the landing platform and set up shop. Sunny noticed that some of the dragons and humans wore makeshift stalls while others sat in circles. They began to swap stories, sing songs, play games, drink and dine and socialize with one another. The thing was that it wasn't humans and dragons separated. They were all together in groups, with an even number of scavengers and dragons.

Suddenly, Sunny felt a gentle nudge, snapping her away from her train of thought. Realizing it was Glory's tail, Sunny relaxed and felt embarrassed. She had forgotten that her sister was there. But the look of Glory told her she was more interested in what she was carrying.

"Go on, Sunny!", Glory exclaimed out of excitement. " Open your letter!! I want to hear about your date!!"

"So you do know what this is all about!!"

"Oh course! Clay and Starflight informed me. They were going to let you know but we were excited about hearing you got a date!! Thank moons you finally got asked out!!"

Sunny stood in shock. This was a lot to take in. While she didn't mind her older brothers telling Glory about Sky asking her out on a date, she didn't like the fact that Clay and Starflight didn't ask for her permission, nor consult with her about telling who about her business. Who else did Clay and Starflight told them?

But alas, this was a matter she will deal with later. Sunny glanced at the letter with a grin. It looked exactly the same as the first one, only this time the seal was golden. Breaking the seal and discarding the envelope, she opened up the letter and pulled Glory closer to her. She didn't want no one to overhear her discussion.

Dear Sunny,

It's so nice to hear you again! I'm hoping you are doing all right. How are you and your friends? Seeing any cute baby animals today?

Since I'm trying to focus on paying attention, I'm going to answer your response right off the bat! Well, not literally right off a bat, especially not a baby one. But you get my point, hopefully.

If you like to, stop by Sanctuary by tomorrow morning! As soon as you get this letter, you can gather some belongings to take with you. Our date shouldn't be long but It's nice to have supplies on hand. Never hurts to be safe than sorry, am I right?

Sorry, Wren is teasing me right now. She's telling me that I should suggest coming to you, in case you can't make it here. She's right though. If you don't wanna make the long trip here, I can fly over to you. How about we meet at Valor? It's a scavenger community near Jade Mountain. If you need help trying to find it, ask one of the couriers. I know Mr. Rock and Mr. Cloud are actually from there.

So the choice is yours. Send me a letter if you want me to meet you at Valor. If not, come right on over! I informed the guards about you so just tell them who you are and they'll let you in.

I hope we can have a fun time together! I know being headmistress of a school had gotta be tough but I'm hoping this will help you find some peace. Maybe some time away from the Academy and the responsibilities will help you, Sunny! I hope so. You deserve it.

Snail, Sky!

P.S: Wren here. I guess this will be my part of the letter, haha. Not going to keep this too long but I wanted to let you know I'll be waiting for you at the gate each morning in case you do come. I want to make sure you get in safe. The guards here take their job a bit too serious. No shame in that but they're more into discipline than reason. Thought you should know. Love you, Sun. See you soon.

Sunny looked up from her letter. Immediately, she noticed the sly grin of Glory, In which it grew into a teasing smile.

"Someone had an admirer...!!", She sang.

A blushing Sunny glared at her Royal Rainwing sister.." Glory!!!", she hushed. She didn't want no one to hear her business, although she was doubtful that the Courier team did. From the looks of it, they didn't seem to care about her squabble but occasionally one or two heads would notice her.

"Someone is crushing on you!!", Glory snickered. Immediately, Sunny decided to do something she never did before. Slamminy her foot slightly, she stomp it upon one of Glory's exposed talons.

Immediately falling quiet, Sunny wrapped her hand around Glory's snout, preventing her from talking.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you but you left me no choice. Listen, will you be quiet and listen once I let go of you?"

Glory nodded and Sunny obliged. Shaking her head, Glory immediately looked back at her and resumed her sly smile.

"So... what are you going to do?," she asked.

"Easy. I'm going to make my way over there," Sunny answered.

"Who will take care of the Academy while you're gone?"

"Starflight and Fatespeaker has got that covered. They agreed they would take my place for the day and overseer my responsibilities if need be. They want to make sure I have a good time so they sorta demanded it... Well Fatespeaker did, Starflight politely asked. I think she's been taking lessons out of Tsunami's book."

"Yep, that's Tsunami all right. I will never understand what she sees out of Riptide but I guess the same could be said about me with Deathbringer."

The two sister burst into laughter and smiled at one another. As soon as Sunny's giggles died, Glory suddenly wrapped her wings around Sunny and pulled her together.

"I'm proud of you, you know?", Glory began. "I know I don't see you guys a lot. That's the downside about being a queen. I'm glad that you guys actually take the time to see me. It makes my life a whole lot better and worth the while. Tsunami visits too. Clay and Starflight does as well. They always bring their spouses with them too. Honestly, I don't mind they bring their partners with them but I feel like I should be the one to tell you this."

Sunny turned her gaze to Glory. "And what would that be?"

For a moment, Sunny saw Glory hesitate but she took a deep sigh.

"We were actually worried about you, Sunny. About the topic of love."

Sunny made a confusing look. Love? What was this about?

"If you guys are talking about love, I love you guys! Don't worry about-"

"Not that type of love, Silly! We're talking about you finding a mate."

Sunny was taken back by this sudden revelation. "A mate?"

"Yes, a mate...," Glory began, with her voice trailing behind. "We were worried about it. Clay, Tsunami, Starflight and I were concerned that you wouldn't find someone. You see, since we are all older now, We've been thinking about starting families of our own. Clay wants to marry Peril, even if I'm not too keen about it. I'm still trying to get used to her. The two of them really want to start a family. I can tell from the way they treat their students and the looks they give each other. I wouldn't be surprised if Clay and Peril haven't lost their Dragonhood yet. Tsunami wants Riptide to come home so they can be together. It won't be before long He'll come to his sense. It's impressive that the two of them manage this long, despite their long distance. Deathbringer is considering becoming the King Of The Nightwings. Mastermind's reports say that the Nightwing territory is slowly coming back to life. It's thanks to the scavenger scientists, assisting him. I don't know much about Terra-Expansion and all of that but their intelligence is spot on. Deathbringer wants to help re-establish the glory and pride of the Nightwings there, then pass on his title to a successor there and return here with me. We want to start a family too. For Moons' sake he's been telling me these corny dad jokes. I can understand the hint but it's getting annoying. Starflight keeps practicing his proposal secretly, whenever he thinks Fatespeaker isn't around in the Library. Fatespeaker is going along, but knows that he's going to pop the question. Can't wait to see how that will turn out." Glory stopped to chuckle. "The point is that we were worried about you. Who's going to take care of you after we seperate for a little while. You have your mom, yes, but we want to make sure if you have any idea on the concept of having a boyfriend. Or a Girlfriend, if you are into that. We have no qualms with it here. We just don't want you to be alone forever, you know?"

Sunny nodded in understanding. Her friends did have a point. Each time she had visited Tsunami, it seemed like that She was pushing her into start seeing dragons differently. Sunny had always viewed everyone as either friends or family but this was different. Glory was right; She did need to start considering dating. Her friends weren't going to be here forever for her. Clay and Peril longed to have a family, that's all they ever talk about. She would find Starflight with his nose stuck in a scroll about love.

"Well...," Sunny said. "I'm glad that I'm doing this now. I'm going to have a fun time with Sky. Don't you worry!!! I'm sure of it!!!"

Glory smiled. "I hope so. You deserve it. I should let you go now. Don't want you to miss your date and let another female dragon snag Sky away from you. By the way, if this does start being a thing, you make sure to introduce Sky to me and Tsunami! We raised you too, ya know! We should have the right to meet him."

Sunny nodded. One thing Sunny was grateful was that Glory didn't know the truth about Sky's connection to Peril. She had a feeling if she did learn the truth, Glory would freak. So she intended to not let Glory know until she did eventually.

Sunny gave one last embrace between the two and they both smiled into their respective, individual, green eyes. Without another word, Glory released Sunny and Sunny took off. She waved her hand goodbye as she looked behind. She gasped as the sight. Clay, Peril, Starflight, and Deathbringer had made it just in time to see her go. Clay was weeping silently and smiling at her. That was Clay for her. Starflight dipped his head in respect, as a way to say, Good luck. Deathbringer gave her one of his cheesy smiles and a talons' up, much to Glory's amusement. In response, The Rainwing just rolled her eyes and smacked her wing in his head. She simply gave Sunny a wink. Fatespeaker was jumping around with a sign that said Good Luck, Sunshine!!

Sunny couldn't help but to cry in awe at the sight. Her friends had her back. They were in support.

She also noticed that Qibli, her father Stonemover and Thorn was among the crowd. Stonemover and Thorn however were keeping a respective space, with Qibli in the middle. Stonemover's expressions didn't say much but Sunny knew her dad wasn't the most expressionable when it came to the idea of love. He did seem to be okay at the idea of her going on a date.

Her mother, however was a different story.

Sunny immediately knew that her mother was screaming out the most provocative things she had ever heard, in case Sky did something bad to her. Qibli's tensed expression was the same one Sunny had. All the more reason Sunny had to leave now.

And So, she did. With the wind in her face and the sunlight guiding her path, Sunny soared hight above the sky, towards Sanctuary.

She couldn't wait.