//------------------------------// // Apogee Abroad, Part II // Story: Repair Attempts // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// "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 ACRES Come 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 SISTERS The 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.