Pilot Betrayed

by Split Scimitar

That Can’t Be Good

“What have I done now?” I retort innocently looking at Twilight.

“Just come over here.” He says with a chuckle.

Twilight shrugs at me as we both step outside. Night Light then shuts the front door behind us.

“Whoops. Locked us out. Listen, I want to make something clear. I’ve seen the way you look at Twilight, and only one other person has ever given her that kind of look.”

“Oh? If you’re thinking I’m interested in her, then that is a complete misunderstanding. I’m married.”

“Well, she’s a grown woman who will make her own decisions. I can’t really stop her from choosing who she takes interest in.”

“Oh?”

“That being said, Twilight is my baby. I’ve seen the way she looks at you too, and I can tell there’s definitely something there. If you ever hurt her or cause harm to her, I will personally find you and make your life a living hell.”

“Oh.” I say brushing my hair back. “Of course.”

“I mean, the fact that you’re married changes everything though.”

“Well, that’s where I have to stop you.”

“What do you mean?”

“My days as a married man are numbered. Been going through the paperwork these past few weeks.”

“Gosh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I'm fine about it. I just wish there was a way to make it work, but she made it clear.” I shrug.

“Well, I wish you the best.” He says as he offers his hand.

I shake it and respond with a firm grip, “I’m a man of my word. I can guarantee you that what Twilight and I have is an admiration for someone who beautifully married passion to career.”

“I’m sorry?” He asks knocking on the door.

“Twilight is someone who I admire because she displays a passion rarely exhibited: that is to say, the fact that she is doing what she loves and still gets excited about it like a kid in a candy store. That’s a rare sight, and it’s truly a gem in a minefield for me to see something like that, so forgive me if I’m charmed by her for that.”

“I’m glad you find that so, especially because yes, it is quite a rare find these days, but this is my daughter, my baby, my Twilight you’re talking about.”

“I completely understand, and I thank you for your sentiment, but I want to be clear where I stand: we bonded over our mutual marriage of career and passion, and we’re friends bonding over the fact that we’re doing what we love. As I’m sure you could already tell, I feel the same about airplanes the same way Twilight does about math.“

“Sure, I can understand that.” He nods as he knocks on the door again. “But remember what I said.”

As Twilight opens the door, her face drops.

“Oh! Dad, Max. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. I accidentally locked us out.”

“One more thing, before I forget.” I say after stepping in.

“Yes?”

I make sure Twilight is out of earshot before I whisper, “now, about what your wife said right after we came in?”

“About the whole couples club thing?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, she says that all the time. She’s just anxious to see both of her children giving her lots of grandkids.”

“Okay, because that was rather… off-putting.”

“Sorry. She just really, and I mean really, wants more grandkids.”

“Clearly.” I chuckle back. “Why Twilight though?” I ask myself, “was she like this with Shining Armor?”

Eventually, dinner makes its way to the table. Through the evening, we all make conversation about our lives, I personally surprised that Flurry has been able to sleep through all this.

After dinner, I offer to do dishes, but Velvet and Cadance shoo me away, even after loading the dishwasher. After that, I check on the guys, who’ve turned on a basketball game. No real interest from me, I send some texts to Rosalina.

“Hey, I made it to Anchorage a couple days ago, but the airplane is definitely grounded. In fact, she’s stuck in Anchorage for the time being. Because of this, I will need at least 24 hours notice if you want to be picked up.”

Surprisingly, she responds almost immediately. “Okay. How are you doing? Must’ve been pretty bad if the airplane is down.”

“We’re all fine, but I expect to be here for a while. I can still pick you up, but I’ll need extra time to get from here to home to grab you.”

“Can you come in 2 weeks?”

“Yeah. Just beware, because I don’t know when the repair will be complete, the possibility of me cancelling is definite. But again, it could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.”

“Just let me know.”

“Okay, thanks. See you in two weeks!”

“Twilight?” I ask.

“Yes?”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but how long do you plan on staying?”

“A week or so I think. You’ll have to ask my parents.”

“Okay. I’m asking because I’m trying to plan my return trips. If the airplane comes out of maintenance before you need to leave, then obviously I can take you home. Otherwise, I’ll have to get you home via airline.”

“Mhmm. You can ask them.”

“Night Light, Velvet?”

“Yes?” Velvet responds.

“Any idea on how long you want to stay?”

“Do you have somewhere else to be?”

“No, no. Not for another two weeks. Depending on how long my airplane is down, I may just have to send you home via airline.”

“Well, If you’re giving us the choice, I’ll wait until you’re all good to go. Gives me an excuse to see my beautiful little angel!”

“It’s a little too early to make a decision,” Night Light continues, “I’ll trust you to take us back anyway.”

“I’m flattered, despite the adventure getting here. That should be most if not all your evidence to the contrary.”

“It wasn’t your fault. And it’s kind of nice to be the only people on a plane.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I ask giddily.

“Take us up once Flurry’s old enough to fly!” Cadance pleads having caught wind of the conversation.

“Of course! Though at 7 months, she should be fine. Just give me a minimum of 4 hours notice.”

“Duly noted. We’ve just been so busy with Flurry Heart’s recent arrival.”

“Absolutely. I’ll make sure to bring a good and reliable plane.”

“Yes, please do.” Shining Armor says appearing out of nowhere behind my back.

A few moments later, Flurry Heart starts whining. Cadance and Shining Armor hold her, but she doesn’t stop. Grandma? No. Grandpa? No.

Twilight then shyly offers to hold her, which calms her down. As she rocks her in her arms, I smile and head for the bathroom. When I emerge, everyone is gathered around in the main room, letting Flurry Heart crawl from person to person. Just as I sit next to Twilight, Flurry then immediately crawls to me, which makes everyone laugh.

“Wow!” Shining Armor exclaims. “Flurry Heart really likes you.”

“I don’t know why.”

“She must have a sense for you or something.” He shrugs.

“Weird. Just after my wife and I started dating, the children that she spent a lot of time with said the same thing to her. Which is really ironic, because I’m not good with kids at all.”

“You may be better with kids than you think.”

“I get that a lot.” I respond just as Flurry climbs onto me. I reach for her, but she grabs my hands and starts playing with my fingers, cooing in excitement as I run my free hand over the top of her head.

Eventually, Cadance asks for her so she can put her to bed. I decide to get ready for bed, so after I change and prep for bed, I pass out and set an alarm for 8:45.

Next morning, Shining Armor reports early, with a call time of 0900. After he leaves for base, I wake up to the sound of their Cadenza leaving. I hop in the shower and warm myself up for the day, then fire up MTCHS and sneak out to breakfast. A local diner giving me a nice pick-me-up, I soon return to Velvet and Night Light robed up, cuddling on the couch watching the morning news.

“Morning.” I respond with an air of professionalism.

“Hi dear!” Velvet responds in a distinctly motherly tone. “You’re up early this morning.”

“Unusually, I’ll admit. Did Cadance or Shining give you any recommendations or pointers for the city?”

“No… unfortunately, we had hoped they’d be willing to show us the city, but with Shining Armor on duty and Cadance taking care of Flurry Heart, we don’t have any set plans at all.”

“This is the perfect place for you though. Outdoorsy adventures, fishing on the Kenai, climbing the Chugach. You’re right at home here.”

“That all seems interesting, but I’m not really here to have fun for myself. I’m here for the same reason Twilight chartered you.”

“Fair point, but since the move is complete, how many days would you take with Flurry Heart before you had to return?”

“Well, we’re pretty free. Twilight is obviously slave to academic schedule, so she too needs to be back by the end of the month.”

“Quarter or semester system?”

“Semester.” Twilight answers groggily as I sit down next to her parents.

“Morning, Twilight!” I greet in a mock-chipper tone.

“Hi.” She responds unamused.

“Why don’t you get ready?” Velvet then asks her daughter.

“Did Shining Armor leave already?”

“Yeah.”

“You know when he’ll be back?”

“Probably late again.”

“How late is late?” I ask.

“His shifts tend to end at midnight, so anywhere from then till 1.”

“As commanding officer, would he not have priority?”

“Yeah, that would make sense. But I guess even he has to show up to work. It’s not like he owns and operates Elmendorf.”

“Fair enough, so what are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go anywhere, but if the only reason for you to come out here is to see the baby and help move, your list is complete.”

“When you put it that way, Yes.”

“Like I said though, there is absolutely no pressure. If you want to head home before the airplane gets out of maintenance, then I just need to know so I can get your tickets.”

“I’m more than willing to wait.” Velvet says.

“She’s not alone.” Twilight adds shyly. “Unless it does take longer than a couple of weeks.”

“Flying someone else would be a slap in the face.” Night Light finishes.

“Well, thank you, but it is still a definite possibility.”

A few minutes later, Cadance brings a still-sleeping Flurry Heart into the room. She sees me and asks, “did you go somewhere?”

“Yeah, I went to grab a little pick-me-up for ‘breakfast.’”

“Oh. Where’d you go?”

“That diner in town.”

“Oh, okay. Well, if you wanted to cook, we have plenty of food in the fridge.”

“Speaking of, did you empty your fridge at your old place?”

“No we didn’t! How could we forget?”

“That’s what we’ll do today then. Clean sweep the house again.”

“Then we can list it.”

“You have a realtor?”

“Not yet.”

“One more thing to do today.”

Wasting no time, we head for house and clean the fridge. One more clean sweep leaves the house entirely gutted of their belongings. After locking the door for what I assume is the final time, Cadance asks us to stop by a realtor office. She returns after about 10 minutes asking to borrow a car so she can make her viewing appointment tomorrow.

That evening, when we return home, Twilight takes Flurry to her room to play as I step outside for an e-cigarette. My wife may not have been blowing smoke when she said she wanted a divorce, but I am now.

Eventually, as I go through 2 whole sticks, Shining Armor rolls up to the front door and look at me just as I start my 3rd.

“Hey Max.”

I respond with a salute, to which he replies “at ease. You smoke?”

“I started at 15, then I quit on my own at 18. Relapsed at 23, with e-cigarettes. Can’t touch real cigarettes anymore.”

“I’m still under obligation to say that you really should quit.”

“Twice I did, and failed. But at least this time I have e-cigarettes. I also run the lowest possible nicotine setting. I do this literally just for the dragon’s breath.”

Shining lets out a light chuckle.

“Besides, I was on the path to quitting a third time when I met my wife. I can pick it back up fully once we finalize our divorce.”

“I would strongly advise against it, especially if my sister does decide to give you a shot.”

“What?!”

“I’m just teasing. She does like you though.”

“And I her, but I don’t have any feelings. It’s just me enjoying her childlike wonder from being able to make a career out of what she loves most.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that. She is very lucky to have that.”

“I don’t mean to sound…” I pause to inhale, “narcissistic,” I finish with a rather smoky exhalation, “but that reminds me of me, before my accident.”

“Accident?”

“Long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“Not much of a story really, just your typical kid who dreamt of flying airplanes for a living. Then the universe finds every which way to fuck you over when you’re most vulnerable.”

Shining takes an awkward breath as I finish with, “as I always like to say, ‘I’m that dude with the keys, a chip on his shoulder, and an albatross around his neck.”

I pause then continue with, “but I’m not here to bum you out. I’m out here for some fresh air, and so that your little girl doesn’t get sick.” I say taking another puff.

“Well, why not join us now? We’ve been really lucky to have you. I know most tenant-landlord relationships don’t go beyond rent collection, but from what Twilight has told me, you’re a… a real OG.”

“I’m honored.” I say with another salute.

“At ease.” He responds with a one-eyed ‘right back at ya’.

With one more huff extinguishing the light, signaling the end of its life, we head in to the sight of Cadance and Flurry both giving us an equally unexpected thousand yard stare.

“Honey, I’m home.” Shining says rather dryly.

The stares continue for some time, before Cadance finally snaps out and says, “you’re early.”

“Really? It’s midnight.” Her husband quips back.

“Max, you smoke?” She then asks me.

“Only recently. This is my first in years.”

“Well, in any case, please be wary of our Flurry Heart. I don’t want her getting poisoned.”

“Absolutely. Besides, as much of a refresher as the smoke is, I don’t give smoking much thought aside from “hey, I want some dragon’s breath.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only reason I love smoking is because of the dragon’s breath. Nicotine, tar, lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, it’s off-putting enough, but I love the dragon’s breath too much. This is an e-cigarette custom ordered for the lowest level of nicotine possible.”

“I’m not quite sure I follow.”

Shining and I then come closer to her so she can see the stick. “This is an e-cigarette which I’m sure you’re familiar with.”

“Of course.”

“Well, these sticks are custom ordered with a nicotine level so low, you may as well call them lung humidifiers. Essentially, I’m just inhaling water vapor with a nearly negligible amount of nicotine.”

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“Would I lie to you?”

“You’re our landlord. Who knows what you might be hiding.”

“Fair enough.”

“Can one of you take Flurry Heart? I need to go.”

Shining takes her as Cadance runs off, so he heads for their bedroom. Twilight then meets me a few seconds later as Velvet and Night Light decide to go on another grocery run.

“Do you have the keys to one of the trucks?”

“Which one would you like?”

“Not the big one.”

“They’re both big trucks, but I assume you want the yellow one.”

“Yes...” he responds hesitantly.

“Here you go.” I say handing him the keys. “Where you headed?”

“Grocery store.”

“Cool. Um, would you mind picking up some razors?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” I respond as I give them some money, which they accept. “Have fun.”

As they leave, I head to my bedroom for my third afternoon nap, but just as I get comfortable on the bed, Twilight walks in.

“Max?”

“Oh, hello Twilight. What’s up?”

“Not much. I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Me? Of all people?”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I know you’re interested in me.”

“That obvious, huh? Despite the fact that I’m on my way to a divorce.”

“Eww.”

“Sorry. It’s the truth though.”

“Still, I think you’re a pretty great person.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t suppose you’d want to make my mother happy, would you?” She responds bashfully.

“What?” I respond more confused than shocked.

“I mean, she’s been incessantly wanting me to find someone and get married.” She says with clear exasperation.

“Twilight, your offer is very flattering, but we barely know each other. I wouldn’t want your first time to be ruined by someone who doesn’t know you, or understand you, that way. Besides, your mom sounds like my dad. “Dude!” He’d always tell my brother and I, “it’s! Practice!”

Twilight poorly stifles laughter but responds with a blush and a, “I’m open to experimentation.”

My heart rate immediately skyrockets as my face drops in equal proportion. Before I can even give any further thought, Velvet walks back in and asks me, “do you know anyone here who knows how to fish?”

“I do, but we haven’t talked in forever, not that he liked me anyway. Wish I could help otherwise. Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I just found Shining Armor’s old fishing rod and thought I’d give it a whirl.”

“You need a truck for that?”

“Why? Should we take the big one?”

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. You can take the yellow one if you want.”

“Alright! Do forget the condom!”

“MOM!!!!!” Twilight screams back.

But before she can say much else, both her parents are out the door and out of earshot.

“Oh my gosh! I’m never gonna live that down.”

“Even if you actually... do it?”

“I don’t know!”

“I don’t keep any around, not even my wallet. Since you hinted at it earlier, would you want to… get her off your back?”

“Well, that’s not what I was expecting, but…” Twilight says but is cut off when I lay my lips on hers.

The kiss lasts for about 10 seconds before I give her that look. I then swallow the last of my pride and shamelessly say, “You know how every body of mass has its own small gravity field?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you’re definitely pulling me in right now.” I whisper as I pin Twilight against the wall.