Dirty Birds

by TheFlyingHippogriff

Playing With The Stallions (She's Got It)

We had start getting everything ready from our headquarters to the building site in Baltimare. It required several trips to get the excavators to the site, and an extra one to get the dump trailer as well since Greta is going to be transporting the overburden to reclamation areas. It took a few hours to get our machines to the site, and get ready.

I shook hoof and talon with Rivet. He is the fore-pony in charge of the site. He is the one who hired our serivces, "Good to have you with us, Billie," said Rivet, scratching his chin at the machines we presented to the site, "I'm not one to believe the hoopla everypony is saying on griffons and hippogriffs, I just ask that you do your part here,"

"We will, Rivet, we will," I said with a tip of the hardhat, and introduced my workers to the fore-pony, "this is Gilda and Greta, they will be working with you guys as well," they shook talons to hooves with Rivet's workers, "a'ight ladies, the workday starts bright n' early tomorrow, let's check our machines, get some food and settle down here,"

We checked in to a local motel near the work site. We were up bright and early to begin our day at the construction site after a pancake breakfast at the motel. Our workday hours were to be from seven in the morning to five in the evening. From the creaking of tracks to the rumble and noise of engines, we were directed to our places by Rivet.

"Get that trackhoe over near that pile of rubble and start filling trucks, the stone will be crushed for our concrete, get the other one on the other side of the sight too," Rivet instructed to Gilda and I. We smiled and nodded ready to go to work. Rivet and Jackhammer were outside my cab as I got to work, "let's see if the big girl's still got it in her,"

"You got it!" I said sliding the door closed and working the buttons and joy sticks in the cab. I had just oiled and refurbished the swing drive yesterday. She moves as smooth as silk, and hasn't lost any of the muscle in her hydraulics. I got a pat on the window of my cab as Rivet and Jackhammer went off the catwalk to see to other areas on site.

I saw from my cab that Gilda was getting her first dump truck, and it was Greta. I heard the backing-up beeping, and I was getting my first truck of the day. Soon this area will be turned into an apartment building. Scrapers and bulldozers were going by flattening the ground while front-end loaders and big crawler loaders did similar jobs as us.

With a 8 and 1/4 cubic yard bucket, it filled the Kenworth W900L dump truck with ease. With a light tap on top of the pile in his dump bed, I signaled that he was good to go. I got a bump from his horn as his way of saying 'thank you'. Trucks came up to my side of the site like an assembly line, "How're you holding up there, Gilda?" I radioed her.

"This is the ultimate toy, I feel we're gonna need more machines and more workers," Gilda radioed back, and she had a point. More griffons are moving into the surrounding areas of Equestria looking for work. There was good money to be made in the mining and construction industry. Only two days in, and we were working on a very big project.

With our first day in the books, we knew there was more to be done. Cantorlot was not built in a day, and neither will this big project. I listened to Gilda, and looked on the internet market for machines. These things take time, and I had to make do what I have right now. Weeks went by, and the start of the building foundation was beginning.

My arsenal of machines still has to grow. Our two Northwest 100DHs have permanent places in the inventory and on the construction site. To Gilda and Greta, they're named 'Ma Deuce' and 'Kaiser'. I enjoy seeing these machines getting back to work again. Both of these machines prove to still have the muscle needed for working in the big time.

There was more rock and dirt to carry off. My last truck before the 'lunch' horn sounded was a Peterbilt with a dump end trailer. From there and over a cup of lobster chowder and half a chicken-pesto sandwich, I made a list of machines to purchase later one seeing all the machines on the site, "Hey, what're you up to, Billie?" asked Greta curiously.

"Just making a list of machines we will need for future jobs," I replied, to me Gilda and Greta are two of my best friends. They take pride in doing the best they can. I gave them a chance to work when nopony else would. I also feel good that the local Holiday Inn and Suites offered a workers discount for us or else we would be paying full price.

"For now, we will have to work with what we've got," I explained to Greta. She nodded in understanding. These two griffons are more than just workers. We share a sisterly relationship. It goes the same with our truck, and our machines. I would never trade these excavators for any more modern ones. I put a lot effort to make them run again.

My list included items like bulldozers, front end and crawler loaders, a 50 ton crane with a lifting, clamshell, and dragline unit, and a front face shovel. There were more that I may need, but those machines will have to do. The Golden Eagle Construction and Mining Company was here to stay. Rivet and Jackhammer seemed to approve of us as well.