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.