"I'd complain about having your spit in my hair now, but eh, what should I care." You say as the doors to the hall are opened for the two of you by Cadence's guards.
"You two could make it. I'm very pleased that you two could. I'd like you to meet my husband, Shining Armor." Cadence said as the white and blue maned pony stood up and nodded to you.
"Rex Tremendae, Thunderbolt." You say as you raise your hand saying your title then pointing to Thunder. You feel a little under-dressed for the occasion, but Cadence seemed very happy to just have you there.
"Rex, I've heard the story of how you got here from Twilight, did you really bail out of a pony?" Cadence asked and to which you feel the fire at your legs again.
"It wasn't a pony, if it was, I would have gone down with her. It was a normal plane, like the one I got here in. Just a machine. Since you've heard the story, can we not talk about it?" You say as Thunderbolt had asked you about the burns on your legs, and you had to tell her the entire story. Twice. You did it out of Thunder's need to understand, where as Cadence didn't.
"Why?" Cadence asked.
"Because that's a very sore subject for me, and a very dismal time for me." You say as you turn your attention to the food before you which Thunderbolt has already helped herself.
"Well, it seems your wife is very hungry." Cadence said almost as an insult, but the two of you knew better than to take it as one.
"Well, if plane ponies aren't drinking fuel, they need to eat a lot of food, as it's not as energy rich as the fuel is. So, I do hope you don't mind, she can sometimes have a very large stomach." You say as Thunderbolt blushes at your very thoughtful explanation of why she was eating almost everything in sight.
"So they can run on fuel and food?" both Cadence and Shining Armor asked.
"Yes, though normal pony food isn't as energy rich as Jet-A, which is her preffered fuel, they do have the capabilities to eat normal food. You say
"This pasta is wonderful though. I don't care much for grasses. Unless this is hay." You say as that's really about the only appetizing thing on the table other than the fruit, that you've had a bad history of the runs with from eating only fruit
"Oh, no that's not hay, it's actual pasta. Not made from grasses. I asked Twilight what you humans ate, and there's a few things here that aren't murder." Cadence said as you knew she was talking about meats.
"Yea I know. Us weird humans eat the flesh of other creatures. Guess that takes a while to get used to. I can see how it would, and why you're giving me that look." You say as she'd compete with the PETA assholes for condescending about meat.
"Do you know" Cadence said
"Don't even start that crap with me Cadence, I've heard almost every argument back home. Don't worry about it. I rarely if ever get a chance to have meat." You say as the thought of your rare treats makes your mouth water only to be covered up with you cramming food into it.
"Wonderful, so you've changed?" Cadence asked.
"Out of necessity, not want, but yes. Can we have dinner like civilized ponies and not talk about political crap?" You say wondering why she invited you.
"Alright, so Rex, what do you do for fun in Avalon's Shadow?" Cadence asked.
"Fix ponies, watch Morgan play with Falken, go for a flight, or enjoy the bar and everyone's half drunken antics." You say as drunken antics and watching your kids play are your two greatest sources of entertainment.
"That's very simple." Cadence said almost let down by your response.
"What about you Princess? What do you enjoy?" You ask as you accidently unleash the floodgates, to which Shining Armor was shaking his head at you and you realized what you had done.
Three mind numbing hours later, you and Thunderbolt are in a slight haze, and Cadence finally stops talking about herself.
"Well, it looks like the two of you are tired, I myself should retire to bed. We have a very busy day ahead of us." Cadence said
After Cadence left, it's your turn to leave.
"Hey Rex, could you stay behind for a second?" Shining Armor asked.
Thunderbolt looked at you with a hint of concern on her face, and out of Shining's view you make the shape of a gun with your hand then point to your shoulder, meaning the one thing you kept in a survival kit was on you, due to the fact that you just don't trust certain ponies on occasion.
"Sure, Thunder, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes." You say allowing Thunderbolt to leave, and give a time period for her to come back and look for you if something goes wrong.
You look back at Shining Armor and you frown, you remember seeing him before, and you didn't want to say it at the table in front of everyone.
"About your past," Shining said as you twitch, resisting the urge to cap him right now.
"Oh, so you do remember my face." You say in a way that let him know you were not happy.
"Look, about what happened, it was out of my control. Celestia bypassed me, told the guards under my command to ignore any orders I gave regarding your imprisonment." Shining said as you're filled with thoughts of calling Nazi bullshit on him and playing the victim of cruel and unusual punishment.
"Just following orders like the good soldier you are?" You say which shocks him.
"What? No! You argued your case against Celestia, but it fell on deaf ears, well mostly deaf. I didn't want to believe it myself, every other human who's arrived here has been nothing but kind and very warm. But what happened with you, it seems like a dream." Shining Armor said as you're a bit confused
"Bad dream for you and a total fucking nightmare for me, guessing Twilight Sparkle told you what was in those data recorders?" You say to which he nods.
"Yes, and I am deeply sorry of what they have done to you." Shining Armor said, his words heartfelt and sympathetic.
"You had to turn a blind eye to not let it affect you. I understand. Some things are not for the weak." You say
"What do you mean weak?" Shining Armor asked as you understood why he would simply walk past and do nothing despite his rank.
"You knew what they were doing was wrong, though you could have stopped them, you chose not to. You have a very weak will when it comes to standing up for what you believe is right. Sure those guards beat the living hell out of me, but they never broke me, never made me believe what happened was my fault. It's why I'm still here. I had to spite those bastards, I hope when I escaped it haunts those fuckers who had to keep watch." You say as hearing that from you gives Shining Armor a little relief from you calling him weak.
"You were an eye opening lesson to me, one that I would not forget." Shining said as you nod.
"And sometimes all it takes is a kick in the pants. If you're asking for my forgiveness, you're not going to get it, but I will over look that you did nothing." You say which is a relief to him.
"I'm going to go to bed now, if they come for me, I'm going to let Thunder rip through them. All the damned magic in the world can't save you from 30mm of armor piercing hell." You say as you leave.
"Rex," Shining said as you turn to face him.
"Thank you, I needed to hear that you weren't mad at me." he said making you laugh.
"Not mad, just indifferent. Try to keep it that way." You say as you continue out to find Thunderbolt walking back.
"So?" Thunder asked.
"It's fine, just a chat, not a single shot fired." You say which is a relief to Thunderbolt, and the two of you head off to bed, as you were going to be lead around by Cadence again tomorrow.
0800 Hrs. Crystal City
You and Thunderbolt are up and eating breakfast with Cadence and Shining Armor. With Cadence's prying into your life, you can't feel that this is a punishment for asking for this from Celestia. But you're better than that so you man up and deal with the shit.
 
0930 Hrs. Avalon's Shadow, Formerly abandoned MiG hangar.
Blue Angel had taken to cleaning up the abandoned hangar first off to get away from the other Hornets, and secondly to have a private place to herself where the Marines wouldn't find and harass her. Unknown to Blue, the hangar was where Strizh went to think when his mind was clouded.
Blue was dusting the front room when Strizh walked in and very much to his surprise found Blue dusting his former home.
"Blue? What in name of Celestia you doing here?" Strizh asked shocked to see Blue Angel cleaning his former home. Though Blue jumped when she heard Strizh behind her.
"Damn it, I had to get away from those idiot Marines. I needed a place to get away, and ave for myself. I was going ta call ya over when I finished up here." Blue said explaining why she was there.
"Da, but why clean? If temporary get away?" Strizh asked.
"Ah, well I needed more of a permanent place to stay, and since this wasn't being used I thought I'd take it mate." Blue said a little embarrassed as to why she's there.
"How much you clean?" Strizh asked
"Enough ta make the place livable again. Still workin on makin it to my standards." Blue said as Strizh sat on the only non dusty couch in the whole hangar.
"Ok, so almost clean. Very good. I needed place away from others. For few minutes." Strizh said as he watched Blue get back to cleaning.
"So why did ya need to get away from the otha MiGs Strizh?" Blue asked as she continued to dust the now inhabited hangar, even if it was only herself for the moment.
"Am being teased by others. Say you are too much of problem for me. I no see it that way." Strizh said as he was trying to relax.
"Oi, your mates sayin I'm a fukkin problem? I'll blow their fukkin brains out I swear on me mum." Blue said much to the amusement of Stizh.
"You alone could not do that. Maybe one or two of them. But not alone." Strizh said with a laugh carrying though his statement.
"Ah who am I kiddin, you're right I couldn't do much but get one or two of 'em if I was lucky." Blue said as she sat next to Strizh on the couch.
"Da, not much we can do. But move out of our hangars." Strizh said as Blue flushed red with embarrassment even her warning indicators light up.
"What I say?" Strizh asked when he noticed the small flashing of red behind Blue's eyes.
"I may ave already moved in here." Blue said as she pointed to a bag on the floor and the sound of the fridge running.
"Hornets that bad?" Strizh asked with a bit of concern.
"Yea, eva since I admitted I liked ya, the other navy hornets fell apart an that left the marine hornets to swoop in an take my spot. They run tha nest now not me. I ad to get out." Blue said confessing this to Strizh.
"The MiGs, not driving me away, but want me to get place with you. Or have you in with us, but you would not like. The others, can be very cruel." Strizh said full on letting Blue know what was bothering him.
"Well, since I've done enough cleanin around here to last a while, why don't I help ya move some of your stuff here? At least tha others 'll get off ya back." Blue said as she put a hoof on Strizh's.
"Good idea. Least stop one of our problems." Strizh said as the two of them walked to the current MiG hangar to pick up Strizh's things and he could finally shut the other MiGs up. Which it did when the two of them walked into the MiG hangar and took Strizh's things before walking out.
"Fuck you guys I'm going to go live with Blue." Strizh said as he walked out, of course Blue couldn't understand him. That was however met with cheering and praise for Strizh, being the only one of the MiGs brave enough to actually go out and track down a girl
"What was all that noise about?" Blue asked as the two of them walked back to the hangar they were not to inhabit together.
"Mostly talk of me getting girlfriend before them." Strizh said with a slight smile.
"I though we were gonna take it slow?" Blue said as the two of them walked.
"We are. They won't know." Strizh said making Blue smile.
"Good cause I ain't that type of mare Strizh." Blue said as she gave him a playful push.
"Never said you easy, but I do like challenge." Strizh chuclked as they went to their new home.
"Well, ya got one mate. Just hope you can keep up with me."
Strizh laughed as he, a MiG-29OVT, could keep up with her, Blue is a standard F/A-18, very basic where as he was thrust vectored, he could match every maneuver she made without trying. Though keeping up with Terminator or let alone some of the Flankers is a challenge.
"Well, ere we are."
"Da. You helpings me set up things?"
"I can mate, so where did ya want ta sleep?"
Strizh just gave Blue a questioning look for her question.
"How about with you? Promise not to touch, unless you want cuddling." Blue looked at Strizh with a bit of confusion.
"What? You not like?"
Blue only laughed at what she assumed was his attempt to be cute.
"Na mate, I jus didn't expect ya to be so cuddly." Blue said making Strizh laugh. The two of them joked around while they set up their home.
 
1600 Hrs. Raptor and Nora's.
Nora's sprawled out on the couch as per her norm, while Raptor's up doing something.
"Hey Raptor?"
"Yea Nora?"
"Why do you not like Morgan? I mean she's really sweet and careful. Why do you like borderline hate the little filly?" Nora had a questioningly worried look on her face as she looked at Raptor who had stopped cleaning.
"Nora, she scares the daylights out of me."
"She's not going to hurt you unless you say something bad about Rex, which you don't tend to say because of what happened to the last pony that said something bad about him" Nora said reminding her of Sidney, who literally got his brains shot out by Avalon's AA and T-50's gutted cannon.
"Yea, Rex took care of it himself. That guy is scarier than Morgan when he's mad."
"So don't worry so much about the kid, sure she's bound to have fits now and again when she doesn't get what she wants, but she's still just a kid. You can't hate her for that."
"Well I guess you're right. Do ya know how old she is?"
"Five."
"She's five?" Raptor asked in disbelief.