//------------------------------// // A Fractured Family // Story: Repair Attempts // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// 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 A Reference Guide Revised Edition