Back over in Hornet:
"So what brings you two out to our humble little hangar?"
"Needed some time away from the kids."
"Well you could have sent them here instead."
"And trouble you with their friends mom? No, I mean I don't like some of the things you had me do, but I'm not going to force them on you."
"Huh?"
"Falken brought his crush over for a week after being rejected, frankly I didn't want to be around."
"And Morgan?"
"Luna I can put up with, in fact she's actually quite fun whenever I get dragged along by Rex and Morgan." Thunderbolt said as you smile a little knowing now that Thunder has fun when Luna's around.
"Well news about your family doesn't travel past the borders of Avalon's Shadow. So what's going on?"
"Rex, your turn." Thunderbolt said passing the conversation off to you.
"Right, So Falken likes book horse, and recently delivered a letter to her asking her out, which more or less flopped into him getting friend zoned. Though he's remarkably upbeat about getting friend zoned we're a little worried that he's not understanding that he just got rejected, doesn't help that for the next week book horse and her friends are in our hangar with Morgan and Luna watching over them."
"Who is this book horse?"
"Twilight Sparkle"
"That new Equestrian princess?"
"Yea, short purple and a nerd." You say as Skye is slowly putting things together.
"Huh, but wouldn't it make sense for him to go for another royal pony?"
"I don't consider myself royalty to you all."
"Still though you and your family rule over all of us, wouldn't it make sense that he would chase other high class ponies?" Skye said as that was her understanding of the situation.
"Well, I guess that makes sense. It's also that the two of them have a lot in common. Both can be very shy and they both read in what I'd consider excess about random and pointless subjects."
"Well there you go, sense has been made why he likes her."
"I knew that much Skye, but what's bothering us is that Twilight and Falken are hanging out after he's just been friend zoned. I'm surprised that he's not really upset." You say as you're trying to figure that whole situation out too.
"Maybe he's just happy to still have his best friend."
"They've got rather cutesy nicknames for each other."
"Really? What are they?"
"Falken calls Twilight Purple and she calls him Copper."
"Hm, color based."
"Yes and primarily Falken's doing." Thunder said while you're doing your best not to gag.
"How so?"
"He refused to learn Twilight's name so he just called her what color she was, and now that they're close she returned the favor and calls him Copper due to the coppery red color he has."
"Well that is kind of cutesy, but why would that drive you two out here?"
"Mom, we don't want to hear it. Falken always calls Twilight Purple." Thunder said explaining the situation at home.
"Oh, that seems a little more reasonable. Have you talked to your sister at all?"
"No why?"
"I haven't heard from her either, I just hope she's alright." Skye said as you laugh a little.
"She's with the Wonderbolts, Celestia's taking care of her, if there was a problem Celestia couldn't fix, she would have called me by now." you say with a little bit of a laugh, as that was an entirely true statement.
"Oh so Warthog should be alright?"
"Yea she should be unless she jumped ship and went to go blow shit up."
"Unlikely she's just as stubborn as Thunder is." Skye said which made you laugh.
"Rex, that's not funny you know Warthog is more more impulsive."
"Yea I know, but I can't believe your mom flipped impulsive with stubborn." You say laughing and slightly embarrassing Skye.
"Well I am old. I do make mistakes." Skye said as she was laughing a little bit too.
 
Avalon's Shadow, up by the dam.
"Why'd dad have to leave me in charge of all of them?"
"He trusts you."
"There's more than that Luna."
"I understand that, but he does trust you. You said he does have the ability to pry into your mind and see what you see, and from what you've told me he has not done that in a very long time."
"Yea, well maybe because I've gotten a little older." Morgan said as she was looking off the top of the dam down towards Avalon's shadow.
"See you do not know do you?"
"Luna, I don't know a lot of things, but I do try to understand what dad does."
"Which is a good thing, but have you not been bored just sitting around and talking with me?"
"Just because I'm a fighter jet doesn't mean that I can't have friends and have fun with them. I'm supposed to be a research platform, but I don't have a clue how to do that."
"I see, but perhaps it's just your father letting you have a little more independence." Luna said giving Morgan a little bit of advice.
"Who knows. Maybe you're right Luna."
"Perhaps, your father does seem to trust my judgment over my sister's."
"Well that's because you didn't lock him in a dungeon for a couple of years."
"Even without that, he seems to trust me more than Celestia."
"Maybe because a lot of ponies misunderstand you and he himself is misunderstood." Morgan said as she turned to now look at Avalon Lake.
"You seem just as upset about that as your father."
"Well why wouldn't I? I've seen what happened to him."
"Yes but that is the past. Why not let it lay there undisturbed. I do try to forget the time that I went against my sister." Luna said as she turned to join Morgan in looking out over the lake.
"Perhaps we should check up on them."
"Do we have to?"
"Your father left us in charge correct? What if something has happened?"
"Ugh, we take the blame for not preventing it." Morgan said as Luna climbed up onto her so they could make the very quick flight down to your home.
 
Meanwhile, in your hangar.
"Falken I'm bored. I've got nothing to do here."
"Then go and race Sully, I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it."
"Uh that big black one?"
"Yes, the SR-71."
"Uh no thanks, Twilight told me that he's faster than your dad and Morgan." Rainbow said as she was complaining about being bored.
"Well Purple I'm surprised that you're reading into what we can do."
"Well, I have to know about these things Copper, I am the princess of Friendship after all."
"Still, that is a lot of innate facts that you are choosing to know about us. Most of us don't know what each other's top speed is unless you're my father, who has to know nearly everything about everypony."
"Your dad's a mechanic he's supposed to know all of that."
"Yes, but for somepony that does not work with us on a daily basis that's a lot of superfluous knowledge." Falken said as he looked up from a book to correct Twilight ever so slightly.
"Still with how much time I spend with you Falken, it's better that I know all this information." Twilight said causing Falken to also project a very large pair of glasses so he could look over them with a bit of disdain.
"Right, and if I do remember, you and your ponies are very tiny compared to even our smallest pony. BD is the smallest one I've seen. Other than some of the drones."
"Still that's no need to condescend Falken." Twilight said as Morgan and Luna came in
"Everything going alright here?"
"We're bored."
"Falken we do have games that you all can play, don't just sit there all day and read books with Twilight. It's not fair to her friends." Morgan said as she tried to exercise some authority over him.
"Dad may have left you in charge, but I do not have to listen to either you or Luna."
"I'm sorry buddy, but you'll listen to your sister."
"Dad?"
"You forget I could do this?"
"You heard what's going on?"
"Yea, now if all of her friends came over you do something with all of them, they're your friends too Falken." Morgan said imitating your voice out of her own frustration with her brother.
"Right, I'll find a few of the board games."
"Yea, just remember that they're all over, not just Twilight. Try not to lose sight of that would you?"
"Yes dad." Falken said as he closed the book very rapidly and went to get the board games from a closet.
"Did that just?"
"Luna, I'll tell you later."
"Oh. Perhaps you and your father aren't so different after all." Luna said making Morgan giggle a little.
"Maybe. But he's still got a lot to learn about being a pony." Morgan said as the two of them left after seeing them all the ponies playing a game.
"So you tricked him?"
"Doesn't want to listen to me so he'll listen to dad."
"So Rex has no clue of what just happened?"
"Yea, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."
"I understand, but what shall we do?"
"Well, I should probably check on Raptor and Nora." Morgan said as she was walking towards their hangar
Well, Luna and Morgan were going to check on Raptor and Nora if it wasn't for an old outdated radio stack that went flying through the window.
"Uh, I think I'll come back later."
"Yes, later would be a very good idea." Luna said as the two of them stopped and just stared at the broken radio.
"Whoa what happened here?"
"I don't want to know Lightning. Hey! How are you doing Lightning?"
"Oh Morgan, I haven't seen you in a while. I guess I've been pretty busy taking care of Sasha. What have you been up to?" Lightning said as he realized that he was standing next to Morgan
"Oh not much, trying to put up with Falken sometimes when he's around Twilight"
"Must be fun. At least you're not losing sleep"
"Well isn't Sasha close to giving birth to your little one?"
"Oh Celestia, don't remind me. Lilya will be here before I know it, and then boom both of us will feel like I do right now. Wiped out"
"Wow, Falken's nowhere near that bad. On the bright side you and Sasha brought a little filly into this world"
"Yea I guess you're right Morgan. I didn't look at it like that"
"Yea, I'd just make sure that she doesn't grow up to be a brat like your sister" Morgan said as she Luna and Lightning walked away from Raptor's hangar
"There is to be a newborn pony here?"
"Yes, there is. Oh, Princess Luna, I didn't see you. Were you here the entire time?"
"Yes, in Morgan's shadow safe as I can be"
"Well it's going to be my little filly. All I know is that she's going to be a lot like her momma is"
"And her mother?"
"Is a Yak-141, kind of like Lightning here, but sleeker and has a different tail" Morgan said butting into Lightning and Luna's conversation
"Yea, I guess so. I'd ask if you'd like to meet her, but she's kind of moody"
"Tis fine I have dealt with my sister. How much worse can she be?"
"She hates visitors because of her pregnancy"
"We shall make due I would like to see her" Luna said making Lightning very thinly smile and look to Morgan for help who only shook her head and shrugged
"Well follow me then. I just hope that she doesn't go ballistic." Lightning said as he lead Luna towards the VTOL hangar.
"Oh, watch out for bottles, Sergei has been drinking pretty heavily lately."
"I should be surprised by this why?"
"It was a warning for Luna, not you Morgan."
"Well I thought for her safety she should be on my back. You know in case Sergei has a problem?"
"Yea, that's a good idea." Lightning said as the three of them arrived at the VTOL hangar.
"Morgan why must I ride on your back into his home?"
"It's kind of a mess and Sergei, Sasha's older brother, well chances are he's drunk right now. So to keep you from being crushed or hit by a bottle it'd be better if you're on my back."
"Oh I see, does this happen often?"
"Well, he doesn't drink as much as Ivan, but yes, he is frequently inebriated, and no you may not lecture him about his drunkenness." Morgan said sighing a little as it did sound like Luna had a problem with that.
"Well, I just hope Sergei's not in." Lightning said as he opened the door.
"Lightning you home?"
"Yes Sasha, I'm back. I've brought a couple of guests."
"Nyet. Nyet guests."
"It's Morgan and Princess Luna."
"Still not happy with you."
"I understand but can they come in or not?"
"Da, just this once."
"Thank you Sasha, but you know when Lilya is born we're going to be bothered with everypony wanting to see her." Lightning said as Morgan walked in.
"Hello Sasha, you're looking well."
"Many thanks to your father."
"Of course. I doubt he'd let any of us fall into disrepair, well maybe a few of us."
"Da, would been better if you come at different time."
"Oh it's not me who wanted to see you, it's Luna." Morgan said as she walked over towards Sasha so Luna could talk to her.
"Princess of Night want talk to me?"
"Yes, I would like to talk to you Sasha."
"Is honor to meet you. Wish I was more mobile."
"Tis not a worry, I just wish that I was able to walk on your floor."
"Is much safer that you on Morgan than on ground" Sasha said
"I believe I can see your concern. Thy floor is a mess."
"Very sorry. Again wish was cleaner." Sasha said with a slight smile, as the surprise of Princess Luna in her home was actually well received.
"Perhaps I shall have to come back when your little one is born."
"If you are comings back, I will be very happy to introduce you to Lilya."
"Wonderful. When is the little one due?"
"December."
"So soon?" Luna asked getting Sasha to laugh, something Lightning hadn't heard in quite a while due to her moodiness and yelling for him to do something.
"Da, is very soon. Two month for preparing, not very much time Da?"
"I am having a little trouble with your mannerisms, Da does mean yes correct?"
"Da, uh yes, Da means yes."
"Yes, I foresee things moving very quickly for the two of you. Though you need to rest, and you need to not worry so much." Luna said sounding very much like you in regards to their health.
"Did my dad tell you?"
"No, tis very obvious. Sasha worries too much, I can see that in her dreams, and Lightning has a severe lack of sleep."
"Right, you can see dreams. How'd I forget that?" Morgan said as she remembered and felt a little silly for forgetting about that.
"I don't tell you much about that, so you do not have much to remember about me and dreams."
"Well I guess." Morgan said as Sasha for once got up.
"Can I get you anythings?"
"Oh no thank you. Many things that you ponies have does not sit very well with me. Unless it's very plain."
"Then many things here not plain, many have strong taste."
"Thank you for understanding Sasha." Luna said as Sasha smiled and disappeared off to the kitchen to get a drink for herself for once since being pregnant and having made Lightning do everything.
"I don't get it, why did Sasha listen to you and not Rex?"
"A long time ago, she would stay awake at night, hoping that some pony would be able to fix what damage she had. That pony just happened to be Rex, she does listen to him due to the work he did. I interfered with the guard which allowed Rex to escape."
"So, she listens to you because you gave her hope in that she'd get repaired?"
"Yes." Luna said as Morgan now had a little more information to go with what you knew.
"Oh, so you made that gap in the guards that dad took advantage of to get the hell out of there." Morgan said as Sasha came back with two drinks, one for her and another for Lightning.