Chapters A rare cool summer breeze made its way through south Las Pegasus, rustling bushes, trees, and helping tumbleweeds continue on their wind-powered journey across the desert. Jet Stream took in the mountain ranges that surrounded the valley that could truly be appreciated on a clear morning like today. But he only let his eyes wander for a few moments before they were brought back to the sign above the entrance to the fenced property in front of him.
Vee's Junkyard and Pressure Washing Service Same Day Service Available
Ever since it had been stripped and repainted, Jet had never seen so much as a spec of dirt or rust on it, like Delta had allowed to happen over the years after she had first gotten the place. It wasn't just the sign either; the fences, the workshop, her trailer; they had all been immaculately sprayed down and looked brand new. The piles of junk were also sorted and cleaned.
It was all too apparent that Apogee had done absolute wonders.
His teenage daughter was the light of his life, and now she had managed to do something similar to Delta's life. Since working out joint custody three months ago, she had managed to convince his ex to get a new outlook on life. It was helped in large part to the new glasses she had ordered. It reminded him of their college days. Every Monday, Apogee came home with a small bag of bits, from helping her mom out with pressure washing. He wasn't sure if she was saving it or spending it on things, but her room didn't seem to fill up with any new things.
Another positive note was her schoolwork. For the last quarter of her sophomore year, her grades had skyrocketed ever since she was spending two to three days a week with her mother. She was going to be a junior in the fall, and Jet could honestly see her on the honor roll if she continued putting in the effort.
But for as much as Delta's life seemed to improve with Apogee's involvement, the resentment she harbored towards him seemed as obvious as ever. But he respected whatever boundaries she set, which was why he was standing out here, off of her property, patiently waiting for his daughter. He figured if he respected her wishes, she might let her guard down sooner or later, and stop being so cold. For now, Apogee seemed happy, and that's all that mattered.
Still, it would be nice having the whole family under one roof again...
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the trailer door open and Apogee exited and descended the stairs, just ahead of her mother.
"I had a great weekend, mom." Apogee said, looking back at her.
"Same here, Apogee. Oh, and don't think I forgot..." Delta replied, tossing her a small bag of bits, tied with twine.
"Mom, you know you don't have to do this every week." Apogee replied, before putting the bag in her small saddlebag.
"If I didn't do it every week, all you'd get is a heavier bag of bits every other week. You do a job, a great one at that, and you get paid for it." Delta replied, popping a piece of nicotine gum into her mouth, as the two of them walked to the front entrance together, where Jet was waiting.
"Hey, kiddo. You can go ahead and start home, I'll catch up. I need to have a quick word with your mom." Jet Stream said after he greeted her with a hug.
"Sure, dad. See you next week mom!" Apogee bid Delta goodbye with a hug, then took to the sky with a few flaps of her wings. Delta looked to Jet, an eyebrow raised expectantly.
"Well, I'll be quick, so she doesn't get too far ahead of me. I'd like to invite you over for drinks tonight. Apogee's going over to a friend's house for a sleepover tonight, so I was wondering if we could talk." Jet explained.
"Talk about what?" Delta asked, adjusting her glasses on her snout.
"Well, I guess you could say it's about Apogee's future. I figured you should have a part in that, with how we've been shared custody for the past few months."
Delta fought back the urge to roll her eyes.
"Fine. What time?" She asked.
"Anytime around 7 would be great." Her ex replied.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Delta answered, before walking back into the junkyard, and Jet turned and trailed after his daughter.
As she went and closed the sliding door to the workshop, she wondered what Apogee's future had to do with inviting her downtown. She hadn't been to Jet's top-floor penthouse since Apogee's 16th birthday party almost a year ago. It had gone, well, like most of her other visits had gone; her not really hiding the fact that she didn't want to be there, sneaking sips of booze when she could, and being a minimal level of cordial for Apogee's sake.
But now things had changed. Her relationship with her daughter had blossomed, and because of that, nearly every other aspect of her life had improved almost immeasurably. This junkyard had turned from a place she kept barely functional just enough to make enough bits for her next drinking binge or high, and it had become a living space and business she was proud of. Her income had more than quintupled, even more so on the days that Apogee was here to help, and she was more than happy to pay her daughter for her time.
She came up to her trailer and opened the door, and stepped inside. It was much more of a home now. Gone was the near constant smell of cigarette smoke. Repeated passes with a steam cleaner had erased all the beer and whiskey stains on the carpets. In fact, the only improvement left she figured she could make to this place was if she tore up the worn brown carpet and replaced it with a color that was a little more lively. It was pretty much the last thing she could do to tear this trailer out of the 70's permanently.
Her mind lingered on what Jet wanted her to fly downtown for tonight, but there were also things to take care of between now and then. Even without Apogee, there were five appointments set for today; she'd get done with the last one around 5, and she'd have just enough time to get cleaned up and presentable enough for her ex.
Then she could finally find out what his angle was.
With Jet Stream, there was always an angle.
Delta had never really gotten into the habit of making herself presentable when she went out for a night on the town, not with her regular places she got wasted at. The company she used to bring back to the junkyard for a night of debauchery never really gave a damn about her appearance. But now, she figured if this discussion concerned Apogee, she might as well put in a little effort.
So she ran a brush through her mane for thirty seconds, and headed out the door.
She had seldom made it as far downtown as the main strip with the biggest hotels and casinos that made up the majority of the Las Pegasus skyline. Her bars were usually on the outskirts, much closer to the junkyard. So when she did make it up all the way to the strip, she made sure to enjoy the lights and fountains that were in front of most of the main establishments.
Jet's penthouse occupied the eighth and ninth floors of a luxury apartment complex closer to the north end of the city. The building had purple neon lighting going up the corners and balconies all the way up to the top. She turned up the complex's front walk, came up to the double glass doors, and pressed the tip of her hoof against the call button for the penthouse, getting a buzz in return.
"Hello?" She heard Jet's voice greet through the speaker.
"It's me." She answered, glancing back at the clock on the gas station sign on the adjacent corner. She was five minutes early.
"Come on up." Her ex replied. The line went silent, and the lock of the front door clicked open. She pulled it open and stepped into the lobby. There were an assortment of lounge chairs, sofas, and coffee tables that ringed the outer windows, not unlike the lobby of an upscale hotel. On the left wall there were mail boxes built into the brick. Towards the center of the lobby were the two elevators that serviced the first seven floors. Delta made her way around them both and went around to the back, where the private penthouse elevator was. She pressed the call button, and the doors opened immediately; Apogee must have already gone off to her friend's house for the night. She stepped into the elevator, the doors closed, and it whisked her up to the top floors in just a few moments. The elevator opened with a ding, and she stepped off onto the eighth floor into a small receiving area. The penthouse's 'front door' was just a few feet away.
She stepped up to the door, reached up, and tapped the knocker against the door three times. A few moments passed, and the door opened to reveal Jet Stream, in his usual white collar and tie.
"Evening, Delta. Come on in." Jet greeted, stepping aside and opening the door all the way, letting his ex into the home he shared with their daughter.
The kitchen and den were what you'd expect to find in a luxury penthouse like this; deluxe fridge, plenty of counter space, a center island with seating and a full wine rack, and for tonight, two empty glasses. Out in the den there was plenty of seating with a fireplace, currently not lit. A large flatscreen TV was mounted on the wall adjacent to the sofas.
Jet went over to the center island and began to peruse the selection he had.
"So what'll it be?" He asked his guest, who took a seat at the center island.
"No thanks, I've been sober for two months. And I also remember what happened the last time you offered me drinks. I'll have water."
Jet couldn't hide the twinge of frustration as he glanced back at where Delta had sat down. He went to the cabinet, grabbed a tumbler, pressed it to the ice dispenser, then opened the fridge and poured her some purified ice water from a pitcher, before returning to the center island, setting the glass in front of her.
"You look great, Delta." He said, before uncorking the wine bottle of his choice, and poured himself a glass, before taking a seat across from her at the center island. "So how's the pressure washing business?" He asked.
"I don't know why you think I'm in the mood for light chatter, but you brought me here because you wanted to talk about Apogee? If you have a point to make, then make it." Delta rebutted, taking a swallow of ice water.
Jet cleared his throat.
"Fine, Apogee. I've certainly noticed how your fortunes have improved, vastly, since she came back into your life on a regular basis. Your junkyard is certainly something to be proud of now. I'm sure that you know that she's hoping against hope that she can bring the two of us together again, so she can have a family under one roof. I'm... I'm wondering if you'd be willing to indulge that... I'm wondering if you'd be willing to give us a second chance."
As hard as he tried, he couldn't discern any kind of reaction on Delta's face.
Until she forcefully exhaled through her nostrils in a chuckle as she picked up the glass of water and took a gulp before setting it down again.
"It must be comforting to know that if EquestriAero ever goes under, you'll always have a gig in stand-up comedy." She replied, her words dripping with disdain and sarcasm.
"Delta—"
"You know why I bought that worthless lot? Because I needed a place to vent. A place to call my own. A place where I could get away from you and your inability to let go."
She picked up the glass of water again and finished it off in two more gulps.
"I knew it was a good idea to have some backup errands to do, because I thought this was going to be a big waste of time. I'm outta here."
Delta got up from her seat and turned towards the front door. Jet set his glass of wine down and started towards her, getting his front hoof on her left flank.
"Delta wait—"
That was as far as he got as she whipped around, right hoof raised, and delivered a solid right hook to his snout, sending him reeling back and almost into the center island.
"I've spent years slowly getting over what you did to me, and clearly I'm nowhere close to done. You took my life from me. " Delta spoke loudly and slowly, emphasizing each word to get her point across. It took noticeable restraint for her not to throw her glasses at him in an act of deja vu. "You were so obsessed with your dreams of a family and company of your own that you stepped on my dreams to get it."
Jet's shocked expression showed he clearly didn't expect a reaction like that, as he brought up a hoof to his snout to confirm his nose was bleeding.
"Apogee was the one who convinced me to fix that place up; that living as well as I could would be the best revenge I could get against you. But as that week passed, I became more motivated by what she would think and less about what you would think. My renewed relationship with my daughter is just that; mine . I'm going to continue to put all of my effort and willpower into strengthening my bond with her. But you and me... That's going to stay in the past where it belongs. I don't know where the fuck this nostalgia trip came from; stupidly wishful thinking or finally , maybe some inner need to confront and face what you did sixteen years ago. But you'll do it alone, just like I have."
Delta turned and opened the front door, stepping halfway out into the hall, before turning back to her ex a final time.
"And you better get your side of the story straight. Because she wants to know what happened between us, and when I think she's old enough and mature enough to understand, I'm going to tell her my side, and I swear to Luna, you'd better count your teeth if you lie to her when you tell her your side."
With that, Delta exited the penthouse and slammed the door closed, leaving Jet leaning against the kitchen island with his glass of wine and bleeding nose.
It had taken just about two years, but Delta Vee had finally come to the conclusion that bloodying Jet's nose was one of the best things that had happened to her in quite some time.
After that short but sweet confrontation that night, Delta would have put 50 bits down on getting a visit from Gavel, or having to go into court to defend herself against an assault charge, having gone so far as to rehearse her defense of 'the fucker invited me in', but nothing of the sort came of it. In fact, since then, she had seen far, far less of her ex. The week after, he suddenly decided that Apogee was old enough to make the trip between her parents' separate homes herself, a freedom she relished.
Delta wasn't content to let Jet be the only one giving Apogee more personal freedom as she approached marehood. She had cleared away a quarter of the workshop, and had an insulated wall and door installed to give her daughter her own bedroom, as her one-bedroom trailer wasn't adequate for the privacy she wanted to give her. Before long, Apogee's 'loft' was furnished with a bed, nightstand, and full-sized desk, as her grades in school had only continued to climb.
The pressure washing business had also continued to gain traction and revenue as well. It had gotten to the point where Delta had to go purchase a second washer so she and Apogee could split the workload as more and more customers came to have their businesses, sidewalks, and patio furniture cleaned.
But today, the two of them were taking the day off; they always did for special occasions, such as today. Her Apogee was now legally a mare, though you certainly wouldn't guess it to look at her. Apogee's most annoying feature about herself was her stunted growth which had stuck with her through her teenage years. It was very slowly starting to wear off, but she had barely grown two inches in the last two years, and could still easily pass for a filly half her age. She had already made a note to carry around not only her ID, but a copy of her birth certificate as well to prove her marehood to any age-restricted gateways.
The two of them had celebrated in style at one of the closer, cheaper resorts, spending the day at buffets and swimming pools. Now, it was time for dessert, as Delta opened the fridge and removed a large white box and set it on the kitchen table. She opened the top flap and carefully lifted out a dome cake, which had been expertly covered in green and blue frosting to look like Equus. Using the tips of her wings, she inserted 18 white birthday candles.
Apogee came through the front door just as she was halfway done getting them put in.
"Maybe I should've asked for ten minutes instead of five." Delta said, glancing back at her with a smirk. Her daughter approached the dining room table and sat down as she nearly salivated at the inviting-looking cake.
She had already done presents this morning; the big one was a pair of tickets to next month's rocket launch at Cape Caneighveral, and already Apogee couldn't wait. It would be such a fantastic way to start the summer, especially since she had largely spent the last three months working, lounging around, and looking at brochures for various universities, since she had graduated high school a semester early.
After she got the candles placed around the dome, Delta lit a match and expertly lit all 18 of them in a matter of seconds, then carefully pushed the cake towards her daughter.
"Happy Birthday, Apogee." She said.
Apogee looked over the cake, watched the flames dance on the tips of the wicks, like satellites in orbit. She put her hooves on both sides of the platter, took a breath, and started to rotate the cake as she forcefully exhaled on the candles to blow them out.
She impressively got all the way around in one breath, but Delta began to snicker as she pulled her head back and saw that nine of them were still aflame.
Trick candles.
"Mom!" Apogee whined playfully as she now set to giving the remaining candles prolonged blows to extinguish them, as Delta went to the drawer to get a knife and serving spatula, chuckling the whole way.
"Well, pretty soon you're gonna be off to college and I'm gonna have to find new ways to amuse myself, so I've gotta get my shots in while I can." She said as she began to slice into the cake. "You have fun today?" She asked as she plopped the first slice down on a small plate and served it to her daughter.
"Absolutely. I can't wait for next month." She replied, going in for her first bite of cake.
"You give any more thought of where you'd like to go to school in the fall?" Delta asked, starting into her own slice as well.
"Right now I'm leaning towards the University of Neighvada. They've got a decent rocket science program, and it's still local. I don't want to get too far away from you and dad just yet." The freckled pegasus answered.
"Well, we've all got to leave the nest at some point. It'll be nice still having you close by, but don't feel like you have to stay close for our sakes. I know your scholarship offers will go a long way, but I know your dad will do whatever he can to help, and so will I for that matter." Delta assured her.
Apogee was silent through her next three bites of cake, before she swallowed and finally looked up at her mom again.
"Mom, what happened between you and dad?" She asked.
The question brought a pause to Delta's current bite of the molten chocolate cake, as she set fork down and went to the fridge to pour two glasses of milk.
"I mean, I don't want to put a damper on the whole day..." Apogee continued.
"Don't think like that. I know you've been curious for quite some time now, and... Yeah, I think you're old enough to understand, and you have the right to know."
Delta came back to the table with both glasses of milk in her wings, and sat back down, taking a deep breath.
"Your dad and I met in college. And the way he used his words... If smooth-talking could build and launch rockets, we'd have colonized the moon by now. We talked at a diner about where we thought the rocket science industry was heading, how we could start to disprove all of the old Celestia's tales that everypony always believed in... Your dad was set on creating his own company to compete with EQSA, creating a reusable rocket engine that could bring down the cost of launches to just the cost of refueling. We started dating as we continued through college. Talking about it was one thing, but drawing up designs and blueprints, creating a working prototype... That was going to take a lot more than words, and a lot more time."
Delta paused to take a couple bites of cake, and Apogee listened intently.
"Finding employment and paying bills soon got to the top of my list of priorities. Not too long after graduating, I got a job offer from EQSA. Your dad was adamant on trying to hold onto me, tried to convince me to move in with him, start the company up... Ever the smooth talker, he convinced me to go out for drinks one last time... I got drunk, he took me back to his place..."
Apogee noticed her mom's brow furrow as she took her through the past, taking another bite of cake and a sip of milk.
"I was so hungover that I missed the interview the next morning. They wouldn't reschedule. Two weeks later, I discovered I was pregnant with you. Your dad swore it was an accident. I figured I'd try to make the best of things. I moved in with him, and we started to build EquestriAero."
Delta finished off her glass of milk, and made a quick trip to the fridge to pour another glass, and returned to the table and her half-eaten slice of cake.
"Four years later we had a fight, and he confessed that it wasn't as much of an accident that he had originally led me to believe. He knocked me up to keep me around."
Apogee barely remembered that night. She was too young, but she remembered the yelling and screaming... And she also remembered that it had been the last time that her mom and dad had been under the same roof regularly.
"I left, and never looked back. I went to the closest bar and... Crawled inside a beer bottle and stayed there for 12 years."
Apogee felt her stomach churn, and found that she had almost instantly lost her appetite. Delta noticed her lips start to tremble.
"Now you listen to me," Delta told her daughter firmly but gently. "What your dad did... None of it is your fault. That's why I was so distant for most of your life. I never, ever wanted to risk blaming you for something you had absolutely no control over. I know that was wrong of me, and I'm sorry. I really am."
Apogee swallowed, and forced back the tears threatening the corners of her eyes.
"Did..." She had to pause to swallow another lump in her throat as the inevitable was delayed further. "Did he ever apologize?" Apogee asked, her voice shaking.
Delta leaned back in her chair as she continued into her cake.
"I honestly don't know, kiddo. I spent a very long time wasted, high, or both... Trying to make myself forget how I had been used. It probably wouldn't have mattered because I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him after that."
Deciding that she wasn't going to let her mom see her like this, she got up from the table.
"I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll be back." She said, sniffling all the way to the front door.
"Apogee, wait!" Delta objected, getting up to give chase.
Too late. She wasn't even off of the front steps before she was airborne, and Delta lost her against the setting sun as it dipped below the Las Pegasus skyline.
Deep down, she had been afraid of this. You couldn't just unlearn a revelation like that, no matter how much you think you're ready to hear it. But it also wouldn't have been fair to keep the truth from her any longer.
With a sigh, she turned away from the front door, and went over to the coffee maker to start a fresh pot. She probably wasn't going to make it far past midnight due to the early mornings she and Apogee had long gotten used to, but if she came back, she wanted to try and be up for her.
Jet Stream waited patiently at the dining room table in front of two plates, two glasses, and a birthday cake. He made sure to have Apogee promise to not be too late to celebrate with him after finishing up with Delta, and he figured she'd keep it; after all, what teenage filly could say no to birthday cake twice in one day?
He was so fixated on the front door and scrolling through his phone periodically that the thud of hooves landing on the patio behind him gave him a decent startle as he almost dropped the phone on the cake. He turned and saw Apogee glaring at him, wings flared, and tears streaming down her face.
He quickly got up and went over and opened the sliding glass door.
"Apogee, are you alri—"
"Is it true?" She interrupted, blinking away tears, immediately replaced by fresh ones.
"What are you talking ab—"
"Is it fucking true, did you seriously do that to her?!?" She screamed at him, her chest heaving, forgetting all about the open patio door.
Jet was too shocked for words, and it took a moment for it to finally sink in. It had finally happened. Delta had told her. But before he could get a single word out, Apogee bit her lip.
"It is. I can see it in your eyes..." She said through gritted teeth.
Without another word, Apogee galloped passed him down the hall, into her room, and slammed the door. After standing there dumbfounded for a moment, he followed her down the hall, tried her bedroom door handle, and found it locked. He heard muffled sounds of rummaging on the other side.
"Apogee? Sweetheart, it was a long time ago and—"
"No! I don't want to hear it!"
Jet sighed and decided to leave her be for now. It would be easier to talk to her when she calmed down.
'So much for a birthday celebration...' He thought to himself.
He went back to the dining table, and put the glass dome back over her uneaten birthday cake, and returned it to the fridge. He had just closed the fridge when he heard her bedroom door open, and heard quickly approaching hoofsteps.
Apogee came out of the hallway into the common area, saddlebags strapped around her midsection.
"Apogee, where are you going?"
"None of your business."
"You can't just take off in the middle of the night."
"Last I checked, I've been out of school for three months, I just turned 18, so good luck telling me what I can and can't do." She shot back, turning and heading towards the patio.
"Apogee, I think you need to take a few deep breaths, and—"
"Stop!" Apogee shouted, turning back towards him. "Just stop, alright dad? I don't want to hear whatever excuses you've fed yourself over the last 18 years. I can't even look at you right now. This may be ancient history to you, but this is fresh to me. Now I've finally got some answers as to why I never had a family under one roof growing up. No, the only thing I want you to do is dig down, really deep down, and confront what you did. Then, find some way to make amends. If she keeps turning you away, well, then you're gonna have to come up with something that gets her attention. Until you figure it out, don't call me, don't text me, don't follow me. I don't want anything to do with you right now."
With that, Apogee exited onto the patio, and vaulted over the railing, spreading her wings and disappearing into the night Las Pegasus sky.
Celestia damn it all, it wasn't supposed to feel like this.
Delta stood in the middle of her junkyard, staring into the workshop, towards the back corner where Apogee's bedroom had been built. The door had been closed since last night, since she had arrived back from Jet's penthouse in tears, this time with saddlebags strapped to her midsection.
She had imagined it differently, much differently. Like, her daughter running out on Jet just like she had nearly a decade and a half earlier? She'd have thought they'd go drinking together or go to a night club in celebration. Both of them free from the fuckface, hell yeah!
But the reality was far more depressing. Something inside had sapped her daughter's indomitable spirit, whatever amazing tenacity that had kept the freckled pegasus bright and full of life amongst all their fighting and bickering had now faded.
For Delta, seeing her daughter lost like this was gut wrenching.
Worse still, she had no idea what to say.
It was very similar to the fog of helplessness and anger she found herself in when she had run out on him. But it's not like she could offer any guidance; her decisions back then had merely led her from one bar or one night stand to the next, and the next; not exactly sage advice. But at the very least, she could give Apogee a roof over her head, and the washing appointments she had were manageable on her own for the time being, if she wanted more time to herself.
Glancing up at the sun overhead, she figured the best thing she could do right now is go and make the two of them some lunch, whether or not she wanted to eat it alone.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup sounded delicious right about now...
Jet Stream raised the glass containing an inch of scotch to his lips and took another sip, as he lounged on his sofa looking out at the Las Pegasus skyline as the sun began to dip behind the hotels and casinos on the strip, casting rays of light across the greater downtown area as evening gave way to dusk.
"I had a feeling it was bad when you took a personal day without notice, and immediately invited me over," Diamond Gavel said, having poured herself a glass of chardonnay at the kitchen's center island, as she looked at her boss sit motionless in the den, watching the sun set. "But I'm afraid she would be correct; Apogee turned 18 last night, and with her out of school, there's absolutely no legal precedent to return her home. It's probably a good thing you didn't go after her, either. You set one foot on Delta's property without permission, and she could shoot you for trespassing, what with all those signs on the fence. I'm fairly certain she wouldn't even have to give you a warning shot."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Diamond, but I didn't call you over here for legal counsel or potential trespassing consequences. I need another point of view, and not from an employee, but from a friend." He said, finally looking back at her, bags beginning to form under his eyes from the lack of sleep. His stubble was also noticeably darker as he hadn't shaved since yesterday morning.
The lawyer smiled gently at him as she made her way over to the den, glad that the years that they had known each other professionally had transformed into a friendship... Their occasional one-night flings when Apogee was at a sleepover notwithstanding.
"Fair enough. Then as your friend..." Diamond paused to take a sip of her wine. "If you had anything to do with putting Delta in her current situation... Yeah, I'd say you have some pretty serious amends to make. As a friend and employee, I'd also suggest that you find a way to do it without impacting your company or the ponies that work for you and depend on you to put food on their tables."
Jet leaned forward, letting out a deep breath, setting his scotch on the glass coffee table and running a hoof through his tri-colored mane.
"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this..." He mused.
"Life seldom turns out the way we think it will, but I'd say you've done alright for yourself." Diamond offered.
"Yeah, and my family despises me for it." The stallion countered. "EquestriAero was supposed to be so much more... We were supposed to be a pioneer of space exploration and rocket science... Now we might as well be an EQSA subsidiary. I always imagined my company would be one of its competitors... The only reason we're in the black is because we're their suppliers. The craft prototyping slowly but surely went belly up after Delta left. I didn't get my cutting edge aerospace company, she didn't get her rocket engineering career... And Apogee never got her loving family..."
"Well," Diamond began, taking another swallow of wine. "You can sit here and rehash the past with your scotch, your whiskey, and your wine rack... Or you can do what she did, and figure out a way to do something about it. So what's it going to be?"
Delta was doing some tinkering on the opposite side of the workshop when she heard Apogee's door creak open. She turned to see her daughter come out of her room for only the second time today, save for a short trip to the closest library and the occasional bathroom break.
She had put her saddlebags back on.
"Hey, kiddo. Heading back to your dad's?" Delta asked, setting her wrench down.
"Um, no..." Apogee answered, averting her gaze as she came up to her mom. "Look, I know you're trying your best to not act like you're worried about me. Thanks for that, but right now I think I just need to get away for a bit. I need time to think and just... I don't know, get a little lost I guess. It won't be for too long, don't worry. There's no way I'm gonna miss Cape Caneighveral with you next month. I just need to be alone for a little while, ya know?"
Delta did her best to swallow her concern, and slowly nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do, sweetheart. Do you need money to get out of town?"
Her daughter shook her head.
"Nah. Those bits you paid me over the last couple years? I've been saving more of those than you think. I'm just going stir-crazy here right now, and I need a change of scenery while I try and figure some things out."
Delta knelt down and pulled her into a hug.
"Well, just be safe, and come back if you need anything, alright?" Delta said as her daughter returned the hug.
"I will, promise."
Delta released her from the hug, and Apogee gave her a peck on the cheek before she began to trot to the gate. She gave one last wave before taking off into the dusk. When she lost her against the skyline, Delta turned back to the open bedroom door, and slowly walked towards it, slowly pushing the cracked door open all the way. Inside was her neatly-made bed, her nightstand, and the messiest part of the small living space, her desk. All the college brochures and pamphlets had been pushed to the far corners of the desk, and a single open book was front and center under the reading lamp.
Delta got a wingtip under the left side, and closed the book to see the cover.
The Elements of Harmony
Author's Note
Well, I suppose now the cat is starting to come out of the bag.
Ever since I've started writing MLP fanfiction, my best work has always been when I've harnessed my uncanny knack for cramming AU and official canon together.
So let's see how I do this time...
By the time the last train due east for the night out of Las Pegasus Station began to pull out just before midnight, Apogee had already stowed her saddlebags, and was fast asleep in her small roomette aboard the second car. When she awoke the next day, she felt the morning sun warming her face through the window. She sat up, looked outside her window, and her eyes widened at the rolling hills of forests and prairie that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. Her dad had taken her as far east as Appleloosa for summer vacation one year, but other than the town's apple orchard, it had still been more of the same rocky, desert scenery that she saw in Las Pegasus, and that was when she got out of the city, which admittedly wasn't often.
This, however... She had never seen so much green in her life, and it was breathtaking.
"Next stop, Ponyville Station. Ponyville Station, next stop, ten minutes! Ponyville Station, ten minutes!" She heard the conductor's slightly muffled voice move through the corridor outside. She jumped off of the bed, stretched her wings, leaned down to reach underneath, and came out with her saddlebags, before strapping them on securely. Rather than rush out and mingle with other travelers waiting to get off, she was content to sit on the bed and look out at the scenery as she nibbled on a chocolate-covered granola bar for breakfast.
After the train crested the next hill, she felt the train start to slow, and saw buildings begin to come into view. Tossing the granola wrapper into the small trash can next to the small sink, she unlocked the door and slid it open. By the time she made her way down the corridor, she heard the train brakes hiss as it finally came to a complete stop, and the doors opened to the platform.
"This stop, Ponyville Station. Next stop is Canterlot Station in 90 minutes."
That was the last announcement she heard from the conductor as she took in the rustic-looking boarding platform. About a dozen other passengers had disembarked with her and went on their way, a few of them stopping at a small magazine rack. Apogee walked over, and seeing the 'FREE - TAKE ONE' sign, helped herself to one of the small booklets.
PONYVILLE SUMMER DAYS
The cover was an aerial shot of the town. Nearly all of the buildings were of the same thatched-roof cottage design, save for a few landmarks, like the large pavilion in the center of town, and the crystal-like castle all the way in back. Stepping off of the platform and finding the closest bench, she flipped open the cover and read the introductory page.
Greetings, traveler, and welcome to Ponyville!
This year, our fair town in central Equestria is celebrating our Diamond (75th) Anniversary, and whether you've come to see the town founder's Sweet Apple Acres apple orchard, or one of the newer landmarks such as Princess Twilight Sparkle's Castle of Friendship, we're thrilled to have you here, and we hope your visit is one to remember. The following pages detail all the sights and things to do in and around our town.
Ever since stepping off of the train, Apogee felt so out of her element. Gone were the sounds of the city. There were no planes to be seen anywhere on the horizon, though she did see one leg-powered helicopter fly overhead, and she rolled her eyes in disgust as she turned to the next page.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHYPonyville was founded 75 years ago as a family of farmers attracted settlers from far and wide from the sales of a homemade jam. After the Apple Family staked their claim from the land granted to them by Princess Celestia of Canterlot, the center of town was marked a half-mile from the already present railroad, just off the bank of the Canterlot River, which runs through the town, and is our primary source of freshwater. Unlike nearby locales like Cloudsdale, with an understandably exclusive pegasi population, and Canterlot which is populated heavily by unicorns, Ponyville prides itself on being home to all manner of ponies hailing from all three races.
The towering mountain where the millennium-old Equestrian capitol of Canterlot is built into, can be seen from almost anywhere in town.
LANDMARKS
THE CASTLE OF FRIENDSHIPMagically created last year by the Elements of Harmony, the Castle of Friendship is the home of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and it has marked Ponyville as her de facto kingdom's capitol. Since its sudden appearance, it has overtaken Town Hall as the tallest structure in Ponyville. Free public tours are available on Saturdays, pending Princess Twilight's availability.
Getting up from the bench, Apogee turned to the very last page, the map of the town, to get her bearings, figuring she'd make the castle her first stop.
When she had stumbled upon the Elements of Harmony Reference Guide at the library yesterday, at first she was intrigued, then that had quickly turned into fascination. Both her mom and dad had science backgrounds, and they treated the old Celestia's tales with high amounts of skepticism. As she got deeper into the book, she decided that if she was going to continue to try and figure out how to help her family, she wasn't going to approach it scientifically. In just several hours of reading yesterday, she was able to easily separate the information into two categories; near-mythical lore that was more than a millennium old, and the revised content, which was only years old at most, and almost all of it was centered around this town and the surrounding area, and she wanted to see it firsthoof.
Finding her way to the castle almost didn't require use of the guide's map; next to Canterlot and the mountain it rested on, the Castle of Friendship was probably the easiest thing to see no matter where you were in town. It was a ten minute walk through the center of town, and coming up to it made her feel incredibly tiny.
The first thing she noticed was that the castle did not at all reflect its rustic surroundings; it resembled a large, crystalline tree. Off to the right, built into the nearby hillside, was an entirely separate building that she hadn't seen in the guidebook yet.
A single, wide flight of stairs led up to the giant double doors that served as the front entrance. There were a pair of armored guards out in front, one at the top of the stairs by the doors, and another on the dirt path in front of the stairs. Taking a deep breath, Apogee approached the guard at the stairs.
"Um, hi there." She greeted.
"Hello there, little filly. What brings you to the Castle of Friendship?" The orchid unicorn asked in an authoritative, but welcoming tone.
Apogee's uncertain facial expression momentarily deadpanned.
"First off, I'm eighteen. And, uh, I'm not sure how often you get this, but, how do I meet the princess?" She asked, looking up at the unicorn mare.
"Oh, Princess Twilight is holding a lecture right now, but it's not too difficult, though there may be a little bit of waiting involved." She replied, looking back at the guard at the top of the stairs. "Hey Thunderlane, could you go find Spike? Tell him to bring Princess Twilight's visitation schedule."
The charcoal pegasus gave a crisp salute and headed inside.
"So you visiting? I haven't seen you around before." The guard asked.
"Yeah, I'm from Las Pegasus. I start college in the fall, so I'm getting away for a few days."
The large doors cracked open again, and the armored pegasus returned to his post, with a small purple dragon coming out behind him before the doors shut again.
"Morning, Major Fizzlepop. You rang?" He greeted, skipping down the stairs to her side, a rolled scroll in his right claw.
"This young mare is interested in an audience with Princess Twilight. What's her next available opening?" She asked the dragon.
"Hm," the dragon mused as he unfurled the scroll, going down the list. "Well, things are pretty busy this week with finals before school lets out for the year... I think she has a half-hour free early Saturday afternoon after the tour. Can you wait until then?" He asked.
Apogee nodded. It was Thursday morning, and two days wasn't that long of a wait. "Just as well, I think I'd like to go on that tour."
"Your name?" Spike asked?
"Apogee."
"And may I ask what is this in regards to?" Spike asked, filling in the spaces on the scroll.
"Um, friendship?" Apogee replied. What else would she see the Princess of Friendship about?
"Right..." Spike replied. "Well, if you're visiting, there's certainly no shortage of things to do to kill the time. I've got you down, and I hope to see you on Saturday for the tour!"
Apogee nodded and smiled at the dragon and guard before he turned to head back inside, and the pegasus got the tour guide back out as she turned back towards town.
What to do first?
"I should've done this ages ago..." Delta mused as she used her pressure nozzle's wide setting to clean off her old LR79 rocket engine that she had been tinkering with for years. There was more grime than rust, due to it almost always being kept under the workshop roof and wasn't exposed to the elements. It would be time for a shower after this, though, due to the water runoff pooling to the dirt underneath, turning it muddy. But it was one of very few things in the junkyard that hadn't been cleaned recently, and with no appointments until tomorrow, Delta had grown considerably bored.
Seemingly satisfied with her work, she released the trigger and looked at the engine, nearly good as new. She hung the nozzle on the base of the pressure washer, and walked around to the rear of the engine to get ready to wheel it back into the back corner of the workshop.
"Hey, Delta?" She heard an unfortunately familiar voice back by the front gate. She turned to look, and there stood Jet, just on the other side of her property line.
"She's not here." Delta stated, slowly shoving the wheeled cart the engine sat on back into the workshop.
"I'm... I'm actually here to see you. Can I come in?" Jet asked, a leather portfolio tucked under his right wing.
Delta finished pushing the LR79 into the workshop, and came back out, dusting her chest off before quickly pulling the pressure washer dolly into the front corner of the workshop.
"Fine." She answered, resisting rolling her eyes as she headed to her trailer.
"Though, now that you mention it, where is she?"
"No clue." Delta replied, opening the door to the trailer and stepped in. "Took off late last night, I would assume to the train station. With the bits she's saved over the past two years, she could be anywhere."
Jet quickly followed her into her trailer.
"You just let our daughter take off in the middle of the night? Why?" He asked incredulously.
Delta turned to him and fell into the far kitchen table chair, propping her back hooves up on the table.
"Because she's an adult now, and she said she needed to get lost for a bit. Quite understandable, considering what she just learned about you. And unlike you, I've realized that when you really love somepony, and they want to leave, you fucking let them go. "
"Well, excuse me for wanting to make sure she's safe." Jet shot back.
"You can't watch over her forever. She's a grown mare, and she's got a good head on her shoulders. She said she'd be back, and I trust her."
"Would you have come back?" Jet asked her, closing the front door and taking a couple steps towards the kitchen table.
"What?" Delta asked.
"If I had let you go to the EQSA interview. It sounded like you weren't planning on coming back."
Delta put her back legs on the floor as she leaned forward on the table and leered at her ex.
"Really? Do you really want to rehash the past with me, right here, right now?" She asked, her tone rather threatening.
"Yes. I do." Jet replied matter-of-factly.
Delta's gaze slowly widened in surprise. She was honestly not expecting such a straightforward answer.
"Oh. Well... Alright." She said, sitting back in her chair.
"When Apogee left last night, she said I had to dig down, realize what I did, and find a way to make it up to you." Jet told her, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table, setting the portfolio down in front of him.
"You knew full well what you did. That much is clear from the night I took off."
"I didn't want to lose you. I thought for sure it would be over if I let you go. I wanted a family."
"And what about what I wanted? What about my career?"
"I thought we could do it together."
"This is nothing we haven't already said to each other. Admit it Jet, deep down a part of you knew that what you did was wrong. That's why you came clean that night. You used me and you couldn't keep it inside any longer."
Jet waited a moment before replying.
"Yeah, maybe."
"There's no 'maybe' about it. You know what your problem is? You don't know when to let go. You never have. Even now, when I started to get myself back on my hooves, there you were, line out, ready to reel me back in. This is a pretty piss poor apology so far. You can't just come out and say you're sorry?"
"Because I'm not!" Jet exclaimed.
Delta's eyes looked like they could melt steel.
"I mean, yeah I'm sorry for some of it, but not all of it. That girl is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don't want to regret the circumstances of her birth. The only thing I regret is that it cost me my... My best friend." Jet said, motioning to his ex across the table, his voice wavering momentarily. He took a deep breath, running a hoof through his mane. "I was so afraid you wouldn't come back if you went to EQSA. Not that things stayed good for much longer... You and I... We've been arguing like this for damn near fifteen years. She deserves better than that..."
"She does deserve better than that. Honestly, she deserves better than us . That's why I took off, Jet. Not only because I needed to get away from you, but because I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to separate her from what you did to me. It's not her fault , and I was afraid that I was going to blame her anyway. For a time, I did. When I was cleaning this place up two years ago, I realized that I could have gone anywhere if I wanted to, but I didn't because a part of me still wanted to be in her life. Because we're all she's got."
Jet nodded in agreement.
"And she's all we've got."
SWEET APPLE ACRESCome visit the farmland owned by the founding family of Ponyville, the Apples. True to the name, the vast majority of Sweet Apple Acres is apple orchards, but produce such as carrots, celery, cabbage, and lettuce are also grown here.
Summer is also cider season in Ponyville, and Apple Family Cider is by far the most popular choice among residents. Lines used to go over the hills and would last all day with supply not meeting the overwhelming demand. Fortunately, recent modernization to the Acres' cider production has solved virtually all supply issues of the past (as well as limiting servings to 1 per customer), and time spent in line rarely goes over an hour nowadays.
Visitors are encouraged to go on self-guided tours of the orchards, and hayrides are offered on the weekends. A hearty breakfast is available for 10 bits from 6AM to 10 AM.
Apogee wasn't sure why they called them flapjacks instead of pancakes, but these apple fritter flapjacks were better than any she'd had at a restaurant before. Paired with a couple waffles, hash browns, and a glass of the farm's famous apple cider, this last-minute breakfast she caught just before the 10AM deadline blew a bowl of Boop 'O Roops out of the milk, that was for sure.
After absolutely clearing her plate, Apogee took her plate and glass up to the serving window, where it was taken by a large red stallion.
"Thank you so much, that was delicious!" She thanked with a smile.
"Eeeyup." The stallion replied, taking her plate to the others waiting to be washed.
Now that she wasn't hoping on a granola bar to hold her over until lunch, she got the guidebook back out and looked at what to do next.
CASTLE OF THE TWO SISTERSThe mystical Everfree Forest was the primary reason behind the surrounding area never being settled before the first Ponyville settlers set down stakes. The Castle of the Two Sisters was the original home of Princesses Celestia and Luna, where they kept watch over the Elements of Harmony and made sure the creatures of the forest did not threaten the rest of Equestria, which many ponies consider unnatural.
The castle now lies abandoned and in ruin after a catastrophic conflict between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon that destroyed most of the structure.
Though the simple dirt paths are usually clear, the Everfree Forest is not actively patrolled, and visitors enter entirely at their own risk. Travelling with experienced guides is highly encouraged. The entrance to the Everfree Forest can be found on the far southwest side of town, past the Ponyville Animal Sanctuary.
Apogee found this landmark entry a bit confusing. Where was Princess Luna during this battle with Nightmare Moon? What about all the guards? Was it really just the two of them? But it could be pretty cool to see the castle ruins. She was so engrossed in the guidebook that she didn't see who was in front of her and bumped into a pair of legs.
"Oof. Whoops, sorry." Apogee apologized, looking up at who she bumped into, first noticing the dark gray and light gray striped coat.
"Ooh, a zebra! I had a dream about zebras once. I was having my picture taken on a couch, and there were zebras all around me. I don't remember how it ended."
"Hello there, my little mare. You might want to walk and read with care."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm visiting Ponyville for a few days, and I thought it'd be cool to see the Castle of the Two Sisters, but it highly recommends a guide to go with."
"I am Zecora, and my home is in Everfree. Your personal guide I can certainly be."
"Nice to meet you, Zecora, and that's fantastic! Oh, what do I owe you?"
"Nonsense, my little pony. I will gladly show you through for free. Shall we?"
"Delta... I'm sorry for how things turned out between us. I really am. It was stupid and cruel of me to go about it the way I did. But the truth is, I wouldn't trade Apogee for absolutely anything. I can't turn the clock back, so I did the only thing that I could consider even remotely comparable." Jet told Delta, who sat across from him at her kitchen table, somewhat unconvinced.
Jet took hold of his leather portfolio, unbuckled it, and reached inside with a wing. He came out with a slip of paper, and slid it across the table to Delta, who merely glanced at it at first, but then did a double take, and her skeptical look slowly faded as she failed to keep her mouth from slipping open.
It was a check for 1.7 million bits.
"Just what the fuck is this?" She asked, nearly a whisper, her eyes widening.
"Half of my life savings, and my fiscal bonus from last year. No strings attached." Jet answered, before reaching into the portfolio again and coming back out with a file folder of papers, sliding that across to her as well.
"Everything you'll need for an expedited hiring process at EquestriAero, if you ever feel that you want to come back. Name your department, and I'll personally see to it that you get an office, matching my own salary."
With that, he buckled the portfolio, and put it under his wing, getting up from the table.
"I know it doesn't make us even or clears my conscience. It's just the only thing I can think of that even begins to make up for what happened between us. When you see Apogee, please tell her I'm sorry. She means everything to me."
Without another word, Jet turned and quietly left the trailer, leaving the pegasus mare alone in the kitchen, staring dumbfounded down at the fortune on her table.
Apogee had never been in such a dense forest before. The thin rays of sunlight that made their way through the branches and leaves were eerily beautiful, and served as their only source of light, making the entire forest somewhat hazy. Wind rustled the leaves, branches lightly tapped against one another, and all manner of critters could be heard in the distance.
It was like a whole other world.
She walked alongside Zecora, and so far her zebra guide had been correct; the dirt path had been clear, aside from having to duck from the occasional low-hanging branch. But she was also trying to grasp why considerable portions of Equestria considered this place supernatural. So far she had seen nothing to suggest such a thing.
Suddenly, she heard a howl in the distance, and Zecora immediately stopped in her gait, reaching her left leg over to stop Apogee in hers, leaning down towards her right ear.
"Quiet my little friend, carefully we must tread. A timberwolf, watcher of the woods, is there up ahead." She whispered, pointing up the path.
Apogee squinted, not sure what she was pointing at. All she saw on the path was what looked like a bundle of sticks about a hundred feet further up...
...Which then moved.
"The first sign of a timberwolf is always the breath. The cloud from the mouth, it smells of death. It's eyes detect movement, chase you they will, the way to stay safe is to keep very still."
Apogee watched the wolf-shaped gathering of wood check its surroundings, effectively a living canine skeleton made of sticks, branches, splinters and leaves, its eyes glowing a fiery green. Zecora quietly and slowly released her hold on Apogee, and dug into her own saddlebag, coming out with a Dancing Star, a small hoof-held alchemy bomb that would ignite a small area around it. Catching a timberwolf in its radius would effectively blind and stun it for a few moments, just long enough to get away.
Luckily, it didn't take any more steps closer to them, and made it's way back into the thicker forest after a few moments of studying the surroundings.
The zebra glanced at her tourist companion, and didn't see fear or worry, but rather wonder and astonishment in her eyes.
"Wow. So that's why this place isn't natural. And you live in here?" She whispered back.
"With care and attention, certainly I do. Respect the forest, and it respects you." The zebra replied. "Now, come along now and stick close to me, not far now to the castle you want to see."
Delta had been cigarette-free for two years, relying on nicotine gum since fixing her place up, and now she was down to one piece a day. But never had the urge to light up been so great than right now, as she stared at the check that rested on the file folder on her kitchen table, her inner conflict still broiling.
She was certain that he had only made such a gesture because Apogee had told him to. He had always been so smooth and suave with his words, yet that apology was the least confident she'd ever seen him.
Thanks to her daughter, her junkyard was now a very livable place, and the pressure washing business they started up together was the first time that Delta had ever seen four digits in her checking account, never mind the seven that were sitting on her table.
Regardless of Jet's 'no strings attached' claim, Delta felt that taking that money would be akin to forgiveness, just like she considered accepting any of his job offers would be effectively forgiving him. Jet had never been worried about she thought of him, he did this because of what Apogee thought of him when the truth came out.
If she took that money, she felt like she wouldn't have a right to be angry at him anymore.
'But what has being angry at him for fifteen years done for you?' She thought to herself. Her getting a new perspective on her life had literally all been Apogee's doing. She reluctantly understood Jet when he said that he didn't want to view Apogee as something that wasn't supposed to happen. As much as she hated his guts sometimes, even she wouldn't be able to say to his face that he didn't love his daughter. She was even coming to the conclusion that Apogee took off because she herself was perhaps feeling like a mistake.
She wouldn't even be able to do the noble thing and put that money towards Apogee's education. Even without all the scholarship offers she'd received, paying her tuition in full for any rocket science major would barely be a fraction of that check, even without help from Jet.
And she'd also have to face facts; with Apogee going to school in a couple months, even locally, it wouldn't be right to ask her to keep up with the pressure washing, and without her, it wouldn't bring in quite as much money as when they could split the jobs and do more than any single pony possibly could. Income wouldn't quite be cut in half, and it would still be better than when she traded and sold junk.
That fortune on the table was only half of the issue. She had been turning down Jet's job offers at least once a year ever since she bought this place. Jet was right, there was no turning back the clock. EQSA was beyond her reach; she hadn't exactly kept pace with the last 15 years of innovations of rocket building.
But it's not like she couldn't play a little bit of catch-up at EquestriAero...
With a sigh, she picked up the check in one wing, and the file folder containing the application in the other.
'Would you have come back?' Jet's question that she had never actually answered echoed in her head. Honestly, she wasn't sure. She was sure of one thing, though. Before that fateful night, before that job offer... She and Jet were great together. Would she have been a career mare, or would she have eventually wanted a family?
There was really no answering that. The choice had been made for her, and there was no taking it back. She had spent the last fifteen years angry. But when she had taken that anger and put it towards something productive, like doing spring cleaning on her property, she wasn't as angry.
Maybe it was time to be just a little less angry.
"Well, Delta," She began to herself, sliding the check into the file folder and dropped the whole thing into her saddlebags. "Ready for a trip to the bank to make yourself an instant millionaire?"
Apogee slid the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open and looked at her room for at least the next two nights in Ponyville. It was a small, rustic single bed room. A bathroom and tub was just to the right of the front door next to a small closet. A dresser, night stand, and two-seat dining table completed the room. If she could pick one word to describe it, it would be 'cozy'. It certainly wasn't as upscale as some of the hotels in Las Pegasus, but she certainly couldn't argue with the price, at 20 bits a night, it was a quarter of the prices she saw on some advertisements in the city.
Today had absolutely been the most adventurous day of her life. After her country homestyle breakfast, Zecora had led her to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and she had even taken a look inside. It was rather strange; it looked like somepony had started to actually restore the place, but then just quit unexpectedly. After that, Zecora had taken her to show the pegasus the hut she had lived in, and all the potions she brewed to make a living. Upon returning to Ponyville, she had lunch at one of the local hayburger places.
But by far, the most amazing thing she had seen today was the timberwolf in the Everfree Forest. It was something that no part of her brain could come up with a scientific explanation for. It was a sentient collection of sticks that patrolled a supernatural forest, because animals and weather doing their own thing was apparently supernatural to a lot of Equestria. But since she laid eyes on that timberwolf, suddenly, ponies that believed in the unbelievable didn't seem so out there.
She dropped her saddlebags on the table, turned off the light, leaving the room faintly illuminated solely by the moonlight, and cracked her window, letting in a cool breeze and the sounds of a country night. It got so much darker out here in the hills and prairie than it did in a city that never, ever slept. With a yawn, she threw herself onto the bed, got under the covers, and quickly fell asleep to the chirping crickets, wondering what tomorrow held in store.
The Ponyo and The Princess
"And here we have our castle library. After Golden Oaks Library was razed in Tirek's attack, Princess Twilight opened this library to the public while the Ponyville Public Library was built to replace Golden Oaks, then she donated a third of the books she had to their shelves. What followed was her second largest book shopping spree since she moved to Ponyville." Spike announced as he lead the small tour through the east wing of the castle.
Apogee had joined seven other ponies on a small late Saturday morning tour at the castle. They had covered both wings of the castle, stopping between wings for a lunch buffet in the dining room.
"The room is large enough for all manner of magic duels, and I should note that with a combination of spells, our School of Friendship's guidance counselor can perform a complete re-shelving in 4.3 seconds." Spike added as they exited back to the hall and headed back to the main foyer, before turning down the central hallway and headed towards the rear of the castle to the set of large double doors.
"And to conclude our tour, the most well known feature of the castle..." Spike began, pushing open the doors to reveal a very large, round table, with six thrones. "The throne room, containing the Map of Friendship."
The table came to life as a holographic map of nearly the entire hemisphere came to life on the surface.
"From here, the Tree, through frankly completely unknown means, identifies friendship problems that need addressing, and sends an Element of Harmony or other associated party to help remedy the issue. The first time, the map sent all six Elements to a village in eastern Equestria to help liberate it from dark, cutie-mark-affecting magic."
The dragon gave the tour group a few moments to take a few pictures, then prepared to move on.
"That concludes the castle portion of the tour. For those of you who would like a guided tour of the School of Friendship next door, that begins immediately. Miss Apogee, if you would like to remain here, Princess Twilight will be here in just a moment."
"Thank you very much." Apogee replied, giving Spike an affirmative nod. As the rest of the group left the room, the pegasus was left alone to stare at the map. It was quite beautiful. She traced her way down from Ponyville down the tracks down to the small holographic skyline of Las Pegasus, and got an idea of how far she had come.
She heard the door open behind her, and turned to see a purple pony come into the room. Her mane was a dark violet, with purple and raspberry streaks going down the middle of her mane and tail, and her cutie mark was a six-pointed pink star with five other smaller white stars surrounding it. When she saw the horn and wings, she immediately lowered herself into a respectful bow.
"Oh, you don't need to do that, my little pony. You must be Apogee. I'm Twilight. Spike tells me you're visiting Ponyville, and wanted some one-on-one friendship advice. So what can I do for you, little filly?"
Apogee fought the urge to roll her eyes in front of royalty.
"I'm eighteen..." She grumbled. "And... Honestly? I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to ask when I first came here, and, with what I've seen the past couple days... I'm still not sure. I came here because I felt I needed to get lost for a little bit, and I found a book about the Elements of Harmony in the library."
"Well, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, and then we can get an idea of why you wanted to talk. Sound good?" Twilight asked, walking over and sitting down at her throne, inviting her over. Apogee slowly nodded and made her way over to the small throne that was attached to the side of Twilight's throne, and took a seat, gazing out at the holographic map.
"Well, my name's Apogee, suppose you already know that. I was born and raised in Las Pegasus. For as long as I can remember, my mom and dad never really seemed to get along. No matter what small things I tried to get them to do something together... A meteor shower, a birthday party, even something as simple as taking a picture together... They always seemed to be at each other's throats."
"What do they do for a living?" Twilight asked.
"My dad runs an aerospace engineering and supply company. My mom used to work with him on it, but they split up when I was four. Now she owns a junkyard, makes a fraction of the money my dad does."
"And what do you want to do with your life?"
The pegasus glanced up at the purple princess, before turning back to the map.
"I want to go into space." She answered, looking up at the princess again. "I mean, I don't know how much you're involved with Celestia's propaganda, but I know we're gonna get there one day."
"Propaganda?" Twilight asked, confused. Apogee gave her a quizzical look.
"What, you don't know that Celestia has been downplaying and denying the advances that rocket science has made for the past three decades? That there are ponies dotted all around Equestria calling themselves 'Orbiters' because they don't believe Celestia and Luna raise the sun and moon, and that it's all an old mare's tale?"
Twilight swallowed, trying to mentally prepare her answer as fast as possible.
"Well, you seem like an awfully smart mare, and before I became the Princess of Friendship, I also dabbled in science and a bit of astrology. Even one of my friends, Rainbow Dash, came to our last Nightmare Night party dressed as an astronaut. But let me tell you, Apogee... The 'propaganda'? It's not to encourage ignorance or anything like that. It's to prevent panic."
"What do you mean?"
"Over a thousand years ago, a demigod with reality-warping powers found Equus and went on an uncontested rampage across our world, all for his own fun and amusement. It took Celestia's and Luna's combined magic, along with the Elements of Harmony, to ultimately stop him. But in some cases, there was no reversing the damage he had done. The two of them inherited a great burden from entire groups of powerful unicorns."
"Burden?"
"Celestia and Luna don't control the sun and moon. When you consider their sheer size, it is, of course, ludicrous. No. Their magic maintains and protects Equus' axial tilt."
"Without them, the planet would stop turning?" Apogee asked, her eyes widening.
"Well, without them, it would take entire groups of very talented unicorns again. But yes, because of the damage Discord did bending the laws of gravity and physics, it takes magic to keep Equus' axis intact. Without it, there's no telling what would precisely happen. Most likely, the planet would stop turning. One side would always be in the sunlight, the other, in complete darkness. Like that, the planet would be unable to support life."
"Huh." Apogee replied.
"With the advances of science, it's only a matter of time before more ponies start questioning that. It wouldn't surprise me if the two of them have a speech prepared for when the time comes to disclose it publicly. For now, I guess it's easier for ponies to believe they control night and day. So you're here about your mom and dad?" Twilight asked.
"I... I guess. I turned eighteen a few days ago, and I asked my mom what had happened between the two of them. When the two of them started dating in college, she got a job offer from EQSA, and my dad took her out for some drinks to celebrate. One thing lead to another and..." Apogee trailed off for a moment, swallowing the tears that were approaching. "Four years later, he admitted that he got her pregnant with me to keep her around. They've been split up since."
"That's... That's awful, I'm so sorry." Twilight said, listening intently.
"I went home, confronted him with that information, and the way he reacted... I knew it was the truth. I haven't seen him since. I was going stir crazy at my mom's, so I went to the library, and I found a book about the Elements of Harmony. All my life, I've surrounded myself with solvable problems, subjects that could be approached scientifically, things my mom and dad were passionate about. But these past two-and-a-half days... I've seen things I can't explain. Like the Timberwolf in the Everfree Forest. Or what happens to the candy that the kids leave at the Nightmare Moon statue for Nightmare Night. Or... Or this." Apogee said, motioning a hoof to the table they were sitting at. "Has this thing ever sent anypony to Las Pegasus?" She asked.
"Hm..." Twilight thought back, tapping a hoof to her chin. "I think so. I think it sent Applejack and Fluttershy to a resort to reveal how the owner was using all his performer's friendships against them." The Princess of Friendship told her.
Something inside started to squeeze at Apogee's heart.
"I... I see." She said, biting her lip. "So whatever powers this thing thought some ritzy resort needed better management, but a family under one roof wasn't as important?!" She said, her voice slowly climbing to a yell as she slammed her hooves down on the edge of the table.
"Apogee..." Twilight began as tears began to run down the pegasus' face.
"All this magic, all this omniscience, and this map couldn't send somepony to help my mom and dad?!" She asked incredulously as she lowered her head into her hooves as she began to cry. "If they love me so much why can't they love each other?" She whimpered.
Twilight's heart began to ache for this poor young mare. The Princess of Friendship had been exposed to magic nearly since she was born, but for a pony who hadn't been, all of this could be a considerable system shock. Slowly, she put her right wing around Apogee's heaving shoulders.
"You've clearly been through a lot," Twilight began softly. "More than any words could most likely justify. It's a wonderful thing when two ponies fall in love, and it can be heartbreaking when they fall out of love. You've been caught in the middle of this feud and all you've done is try to make things better, to no avail. I can absolutely understand how that can make you feel lost, or feel like a failure, but that's not the case."
Apogee lifted her head and wiped her eyes, and she felt herself go weightless as Twilight lifted her up with her magic as she stood up, and set her on the table in front of her. With that, the pegasus and alicorn stood at equal height.
"You know what I see? I see a troubled, flawed, bright young mare who's going to do great things for the future of Equestria. The circumstances of your birth doesn't make you any less of a pony, you understand? Ponies like me and my friends may spread the magic of friendship and fend off supernatural threats from time to time. But you..." Twilight paused, putting her hoof on Apogee's chest.
"Ponies like you are going to reach the stars one day."
Apogee sniffled, and managed a smile at the princess.
"You're eighteen now, Apogee, an adult, your own pony. You have to look at the effort you've been putting into helping your mom and dad, and you're going to have to make the call on when it's no longer worth the effort. Because you're the only one with the experience necessary to make that decision. Maybe the pegasus in front of me isn't meant to be caged by their parents' fighting... Or maybe the reason the map didn't send anypony to help your parents is because they already have the pony they need."
Apogee sniffled again, smiled, and threw her front hooves around Princess Twilight's neck.
"Thank you, Princess."
With a twist of her right wing, Delta expertly flipped the pancake she currently had in her frying pan. With that, she sprinkled in some chocolate chips. After a couple more minutes later, she picked the pan up, and slid the finished product on top of three others already on the plate. After dropping a knob of butter on top which immediately began to melt down the sides, she added some generous dribbles of strawberry syrup, before sitting down at the dining table for breakfast. She was just two bites in when the door opened, and Apogee walked in.
"Hey." She greeted, coming up to the dining table as her mom swallowed the pancakes she had in her mouth.
"Hey, hun. I honestly wasn't sure when to expect you back." Delta replied, setting her fork down on the plate. "Do you want me to whip up some more pancakes?" She asked. Apogee shook her head.
"Nah, I had a bite to eat on the way here after I got off the train." She replied, taking a seat across from her mom.
Delta noticed that she had gotten a little bit of her spark back.
"So how was your 'getting lost'?" Delta said, continuing into her pancakes.
"It was... Enlightening." Her daughter began. "I've seen a couple things you wouldn't believe, some things I wouldn't believe, saw some beautiful landscapes, and even had a little heart to heart chat with a princess."
"You actually went and hobnobbed with unicorns in Canterlot?" Delta said, resisting the urge to chuckle. "Which one, Celestia or Luna?"
"No, not quite. Ponyville. And neither, actually. It was Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship." Apogee replied, digging into her saddlebag and coming out with a photo of her and a purple alicorn. It was signed down in the corner.
"So now we not only need Princesses to control the sun and moon, but now we need one to show us how to be friends." Delta commented.
"Ironic, coming from someone who's been having a feud for nearly fifteen years." Apogee shot back, smirking.
Delta smirked back. She knew Apogee wasn't trying to be hurtful, just snarky.
"Point taken. So what did you and this Princess Twilight talk about?" Delta asked, adding more syrup to her pancakes.
"That I have to accept that maybe it's not my job to try and help the two of you. I'm starting college in a couple months, so either something has to give, or I have to start focusing on my own life and future."
Delta merely nodded in acknowledgement, as she didn't quite know what to say to that. For as long as she could remember, Apogee was always trying to get the two of them together in small, usually annoying ways. For her to step aside after all these years of trying...
"So... Have you heard from dad at all?" Apogee asked. Delta nodded.
"He came by the afternoon after you left."
"Did he say anything? You know, apologize?"
"Nothing he says will instantly make up for the past fifteen years. But, if I'm honest, he did take a half decent first step while you were gone. So, what do you say we go and see if I can take my first step?"
With that, Delta put her plate in the sink, strapped on her saddlebags, and exited the trailer with her daughter, and the two of them went airborne towards the Las Pegasus skyline.
Jet Stream tried his best to not worry about his daughter, but he couldn't help it; she had never been gone longer than three days when she was at Delta's junkyard, and at least he knew exactly where she was; now it was going on five, and even Delta didn't have a clue where she had gone off to. He guessed he should consider himself fortunate; he had never had the urge to get lost like that, like Delta had fifteen years ago, and how Apogee had five days ago. At least physically. Whenever things didn't go right, he didn't run off, he merely threw himself deeper into his work... Or on occasion, into bed with Diamond.
He hadn't heard a peep from Delta since he had dropped off his 'apology'. He had figured it was a long shot, even if it was more money than she had likely dreamed of in years. If she wanted to stay mad at him, so be it, but as long as it was a step towards getting Apogee back.
He was about to start into his late breakfast of eggs and hash browns when there was a knock at the front door. He got up and went to go answer it. Opening it up, he was greeted with the faces of his ex and his daughter.
"D-Delta... Apogee... Hi." He said, a bit stunned.
"Hi, dad." Apogee replied, not exactly in her most enthusiastic tone. He could tell she was still clearly upset.
"Come in, come in." He said, stepping aside and letting the two mares enter the front doorway.
"Sweetheart, why don't you go unpack your bags in your room. Your dad and I need to talk." Delta told Apogee, who nodded and headed down the hall to her bedroom. With that, Delta took a seat at the center island counter in the kitchen, and Jet sat across from her with his breakfast. Delta opened the left flap of her saddlebags with a wing, and took out the file folder she had been given days ago, and set it down on the counter, sliding it towards him.
"Everything's filled out." She said, helping herself to a bottle of wine from his rack, pouring herself a morning glass. "When do I start?"
"Well, whenever you want. I... I honestly wasn't sure if you'd come around." Jet answered, starting into his breakfast.
"I stand by what I said," Delta began, sipping at the wine. "She deserved better than us, and we have to be better for her, even if it's in her college years. I think the easiest way to do that is to try and be under one roof again. So I'll take a window office, and the guest bedroom next to hers. I'm not going to even begin to consider being lovers again yet. But I'm willing to try as roommates, and co-workers."
Jet swallowed the current bite of his breakfast.
"I can accept that, absolutely."
Delta gave a small smile, and downed the last of her wine.
"Now, I've got to get that junkyard ready to rent out or close for the long term, so I believe you have to go make up with our daughter. I'll see you in a bit."
With that, Delta put the empty wine glass in the sink, and left through the front door. Jet quickly finished his breakfast, put his dishes in the sink as well, then walked down the hall, where Apogee's bedroom door was closed. He knocked gently, and tried the door handle, which was unlocked. He pushed the door open, and saw his daughter laying on the bed, staring at the family photo she had tried for months to get the three of them to take.
"Hey, kiddo." Jet greeted, walking up to the bed, and taking a seat.
"Hey, dad." Apogee replied, rolling over onto her back and sitting up, the photograph resting in her hooves.
"Apogee, what I did to your mom was wrong. I've accepted that. But I've never wanted to think, nor do I want you to think that you were a mistake. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. It's gonna take more than one day, or one weekend, or one apology, to make up for what I did."
Apogee finally looked up at her father.
"I'm really glad you realize that. And I hope that mom is the second best thing that's happened to you."
"She is," Jet began. "So, would it be a good first step if I told you that she's gonna be moving back in here?"
Apogee's eyes widened when she heard that.
"R... Really? Seriously? You're being serious right now?"
"Absolutely. She brought up a good point, we should have been better for you when you were growing up. Now that you're going off to college, no matter how close, it means we're not going to have as much time with you from now on, and it'll be easier if we get what time we have under one roof. And, perhaps, when you're not here, we can start to work on our own problems bit by bit. It definitely wasn't helping being 40 miles apart."
Apogee couldn't believe what she was hearing. Princess Twilight had been right; maybe she was the pony they needed, and perhaps, the way she was needed was to just... disappear for a few days.
She scooted over next to her dad and put her forelegs around him.
"Thanks dad. Thanks for being willing to try."
As her father returned the hug, Apogee was now looking forward to the things they could finally try as a family in the couple months they had before she went off to school.
This could possibly be the best summer ever.
"We are go for launch! 10... 9... 8... 7..."
Apogee listened to the countdown on the loudspeaker, grabbing hooffuls of popcorn as her eyes were glued to the rocket a few miles away on the launchpad.
"3... 2... 1..."
Fire erupted from all corners of the launchpad as the rocket slowly rose off the ground. Plumes of smoke and flame continued outward as it cleared the tower.
"We have liftoff!" The loudspeaker announced over the volume of cheering spectators as the rocket became smaller and smaller among the endless sea of blue sky.
Apogee felt a wing around her shoulders, and she looked to her left, where her mom sat beside her.
"Pretty soon, kiddo, that's gonna be you going up there." Delta said, her gaze falling from rocket down onto her daughter.
"You said it." Jet said, who was sitting on her other side.
Apogee smiled at them both, then looked back up at the rocket trail vanishing into the sky.
"Just you wait..." She began, swallowing what popcorn she had in her mouth.
"I'll go farther than anypony has before."
Author's Note
Well, that ends this story.
Once again, thanks to Shino for his blessing of this story. And thanks to all of you for reading!
