"Sadie, you look ok. There nothing wrong with you. Why care how you look?" Mriya asked as she glanced over at Sadie.
"Mriya, can't a lady care bout how she looks? Then again, ah am talkin to the pony who wears stains and leaks like badges of honor." Sadie said trying to get Mriya to focus more on her.
"Sadie, used that before, try harder. But you look fine." Mriya said trying to cut it off before it got worse.
"Well ah know I've used that one before, ya keep tellin me. Ah jus want to make sure I look good for a friend of mine." Sadie said as Mriya was still uninterested.
"Well, ain't ya gonna ask who it is?" Sadie asked.
"Nyet. No care, have fun." Mriya said slightly surprising Sadie
"Usually ya bug me about this? Why ain't ya?" Sadie asked.
"Sadie, I don't care. You have fun. You got Buran job, figure if I stop arguing with you all time it help." Mriya said as Sadie smiled.
"Well thank ya Mriya. Ah'm glad you're startin to stop bein such a stick in tha mud. Ah'll be going over to KC's later today." Sadie said causing Mriya to smile
"Knew you would like him." Mriya said with a little giggle
"An what's that supposed to mean missy?" Sadie asked as there was a sonic boom over the airfield of course followed with your screaming for that rule being broken
"Oh, Discovery's here." Sadie said as Columbia and Challenger went running through the hangar to go outside to meet their brother.
 
1250 hrs. Main Runway
Upon seeing that it was a shuttle that broke the sound barrier, you lose interest in chewing him out for breaking the rules and return to your shop.
"Discovery!" Challenger yelled out as he and Columbia went out to hug him.
"Hey Challenger, Columbia. How've ya been?" Discovery said as he could see Sadie and Mriya walking towards them.
"We've been good Discovery. How's Atlantis and Endeavor?" Columbia said her voice hardly above a whisper.
"They're coming down after Buran and Challenger go up. So the day after tomorrow. But they're doing pretty good Columbia."
"That's great Discovery." Columbia said smiling as Sadie and Mriya finally reached them.
"Hey mom. Ms. Mriya." Discovery said greeting the two of them.
"Privet Discovery." Mriya said actually being a bit cheerful instead of the usual dreary self.
"Discovery, how are ya? Not to banged up from orbit are ya?" Sadie asked with her motherly instincts kicking in.
"I'm fine mom. It's going to take a lot more than going up and coming down to hurt me. This is what I was meant for. I mean I know you're going to be mom and all, but still lay off it a little would ya?" Discovery said speaking his mind as he normally would.
"Discovery, ya know ah try an let you all do what you want." Sadie said
"Well, yea, but what's with you ma? You've cleaned yourself up a bit." Discovery said forcing Sadie to go into cover mode.
"I was going to catch lunch with a friend. Hey Lightnin, Sasha, you two mind showin Discovery around?" Sadie said calling out to the first two she saw.
"Lightning?" "Why not?" "Da, Sadie, we show Discovery around." Sasha said as the two of them came over.
"What?" Discovery said as Challenger and Columbia backed away slightly.
"You three have not been properly shown Avalon's Shadow. Perhaps Lightning and Sasha could show you all of it?" Sadie said as Lightning and Sadie started to herd them away towards your shop.
"That was a close one." Sadie said as the five of them got out of earshot.
"They don't know you going on date?" Mriya said a little surprised that she'd be hiding this.
"Yea, ah prefer to keep my life separate from theirs. Probably because ah've such bad luck with stallions. Ah try to keep them away from the little ones." Sadie said as Mriya nodded.
"I just don't bother. Who wants big, leaky, perpetually broken me?" Mriya said.
"Well, Mriya, it sounds like you need a bit of maintenance. Perhaps it's time for you to come to the shop, for a bit of a check. On me of course." You say as you walk by after hearing that.
1330 hrs. KC's home above Edge of Space.
Sadie stood at his door for a second before knocking, she was nervous about all this, then again so was KC.
"KC, ya home?" Sadie asked as she knocked on his door.
"Sadie? Ya here already?" KC said as he moved to the door as quickly as he could.
"Well, ah thought ya said one thirty KC, an it is one thirty. Ah uh..... can come back lata if that's betta for ya?" Sadie said
"Naw, stay. Ah uhh, was just finishin up here." KC said as he opened the door.
"Well how ya doin KC?" Sadie asked rather timidly.
"Ah, Ah'm doin alright. Bit busy tryin to balance today out, but ah got the time. How are ya Sadie?" KC said returning the nervous smile from Sadie.
"Ah'm Ok, a little worried about Mriya an the launch tomorrow. Then again, she always says that their place is up above us, where as we are hea on the ground an such. But Mriya, she can be ah bit sentimental." Sadie said as she went into a nervous talking fit.
"She sounds like a fine friend Sadie. Why don't ya come in? Ah got lunch all ready for us." KC said as he moved from the doorway to let her into his home.
"That's wonderful KC, ah didn't know you could cook." Sadie said as she entered his clean home.
"Ah don't get what's so hard about cookin. All we eat is Jet-A. Even then, ah just make solid versions of tha fuel. Ain't that hard." KC said as they both walked towards his kitchen.
"Well for some of us, we don't have such a sense of it. Ya have a lovely home KC." Sadie said as she looked out an upper window to see your shop and the runway. Mriya was just outside your shop, as she was a little too large.
"Thank ya Sadie. Ah usually don't have guests, so this ain't the most normal situation for me. Can ah get ya anythin before we sit for lunch?" KC asked as he went over to the same window as Sadie.
"Actually lunch would be great." Sadie said
"Well, follow me miss, lunch is ready." KC said
KC lead her to the table, which was rather simply laid out, nothing glaring or over complicated.
"What a lovely set up KC. So simple." Sadie said as she looked upon the very simple spread of solidified fuel, and assortment of random actual foodstuffs.
"Well thank ya Sadie. Ah try an keep things simple. Ain't many ponies that appreciate that." KC said with a slight smile across his face from the compliment.
"Ya look lovely by tha way Sadie." KC said making her blush.
"Oh stop, ya just sayin that." Sadie said with some of the nerves wearing off.
"Ah mean it Sadie, ya do look lovely." KC said moving the cushion for her to sit on.
"Well, your hospitality is somethin ah haven't experienced in such a long time KC. It's really nice ta feel like ah'm back home. Ain't been out nea home for a long time." Sadie said making KC very happy and smile.
"Well, ya can take the pony from the country, but ya can't take the country outta the pony. Ah'm glad ya like it. Most ponies don't get tha southern hospitality thing, cept for anon. He tends to treat like with like. Now, how about lunch?" KC said as he sat down and plated up Sadie first.
"That would be wonderful KC." Sadie said as she reached for the plate KC was handing over to her.
 
1345 hrs. Your shop.
"Mriya, did you do most of these repairs I see?" You ask, rather impressed with some of the work and disappointed with other aspects.
"Some yes. Most no. Few good ones I did. Can you tell?" Mriya asked as you redid the bad repairs to her engines which were the causes of the leaks.
"Yea, I can tell, some really shitty mechanic did temporary fixes to your turbines. Those are horrible, don't worry I'll get them all back in good order Mriya." You say as you wonder who or what worked on Mriya before you.
"Those gryphons. They may have hands, but skill and full understanding they do not." Mriya said as you looked at some of the hoses.
"Explains the nicked fluid lines. Don't they know to cut their damned nails?" You say as you work
"The gryphons what you expect?" Mriya said.
"Good point. I mean they can get along with everyone else if they chose to. Usually they don't. Stick to their old ways." You say as you think back to the few times you've seen gryphons cooperate with anyone other than gryphons.
"Da, but I worry about paying you." Mriya said.
"Don't worry about it Mriya. I told you This one's on me. When I first started working I told them, if you've got the tools and materials I can do the work. I made due, slowly getting tools then materials and finally a shop, which used to be my home for a while before they let me build the one I have now. I'm happy I made it big enough for Morgan and Thunderbolt." You say as you move to the next turbine down her wing.
"I still want pay you back." Mriya said
"In time, save your bits, get enough to live off of first and then pay me back, if you want to. I frankly am doing this from the kindness of my heart." You say very much occupied with her turbines that the gryphons messed up.
"Thank you Anon." Mriya said.
"No worries Mriya. Nobody who lives here should suffer ya know? It bothers me to see any of you in pain, well that is if you don't try to kill me." You say as you move to the third of six engines.
"Da, is good you don't want us hurting." Mriya said with a smile.
"Great. Halfway done with the turbines." You say as you continue your work.
 
1500 hrs. Your home.
"Thunderbolt, what do you think Anon's doing right now?" Morgan asked as she was laying on the couch.
"Well, he's probably either repairing a pony or checking on everyone. He's not too good at the administrative duties. I've got to remind him of that." Thunderbolt said as she was flipping channels on the TV.
"Oh, well it's nice to know what he's up to." Morgan said as Thunderbolt gave her a funny look.
"Can't you see through his eyes like he can see through yours?" Thunderbolt more said than asked.
"Yea, but he knows whenever I look through his eyes. So it kinda stops me from doing so. Though I know he looks through my eyes on occasion. I don't mind it very much." Morgan said with a sense of boredom weighing her light voice down.
"Are you bored Morgan?"
"Kinda. Why do ya ask?"
"Isn't the Princess still here?" Thunderbolt asked
"Yea, but she's a bit busy writing reports back to her sister, so I can't really do much of anything." Morgan said as she rolled onto her back.
"Isn't there anyone around you could go and play with?" Thunderbolt said wondering if there was some way to occupy Morgan.
"No, Nora and Raptor are absorbed in eachother, Lightning's almost always busy with Sasha, Sergei's always with Ludmila. The Migs and most of the Sukhois have other things going on. Guess everybody's busy." Morgan said
"Well stay here I'm going to go have a word with Anon." Thunderbolt said as she got off the couch and went out to you.
"You know I don't have to leave to hear what you're doing." Morgan said.
"Then don't do anything. Play with his game systems I don't know."
"Thunderbolt, they're tiny I'd break them, and daddy'd be mad if I broke them." Morgan said
"I know sweetie. Just, find something to do around the hangar." Thunderbolt said concerned for Morgan's boredom
"I'll try. Just don't hurt daddy." Morgan said giving Thunderbolt a friendly reminder to not hurt you.
"Morgan, I love him. Why would I?" Thunderbolt said questioning
"Oh right, you do. Guess I forgot. Daddy's been so busy lately and the ponies didn't help with it." Morgan said just before Thunderbolt left leaving her alone in your hangar.
Morgan rolled off the couch and went into the kitchen looking for some fuel.
 
1515 hrs. Outside your shop.
"Hey Anon, can I have a few words with you?" Thunderbolt said as she came up to you as you were working on Mriya's 5th turbine.
"Sure, got a little more work left to do. Whaddya need Thunderbolt?" You say continuing to work.
"Well, I'd prefer if we can talk in private." Thunderbolt said.
"Alright. Mriya, take a break, go get a drink or something. Or we can finish up after Buran goes up tomorrow morning." You say as you finish and close up her #5 turbine.
1520 hrs. Inside your shop
"So Thunder, what did you want to talk about?" You ask a little concerned about why she's here.
"It's about Morgan." Thunderbolt said as you go into concerned parent mode.
"She didn't do anything did she? Nobody's hurt, she's not hurt. What's going on?" You ask trying to as every question at once.
"Calm down Anon, she's fine, everyone's ok. She's just bored, everypony's busy and with you being busy too it makes things a little difficult on her." Thunderbolt said with her concern a major relief to you
"Thank god. I thought she did something stupid." You say as you sit on a stool that was close by.
"How can you say that? Do you really not care?" Thunderbolt asked.
"I can say that because boredom is something better than killing ponies. I would rather her be bored than killing ponies. I really do need to find her something to do. I can't have her here in the shop with me, it's going to bore her. Sitting at home isn't helping. That's worse. Thunderbolt, for once I don't know what to do. I don't want her bored, but I don't want her getting hurt. What do I need to do?" You ask as you put your face into your hands.
"What?" Thunderbolt asked confused as to why you're asking her.
"What should I do? I honestly don't know what to do." You say looking up at her with confusing and unknowing on your face.
"You're asking me? Anon, I don't know what to do either. She's your daughter you should know what to do for her." Thunderbolt said
"Thunderbolt, I don't know what to do, but what I do know is I can't do this alone. I need you." You say as there was a pounding on the hangar doors.
"What the fuck is going on out there?" Both you and Thunderbolt say.
"Rex, there's a bunch of gryphons out here that want to talk to you." Echo said as you sigh and get Morgan off the couch to see what's going on outside.
"I'm kinda busy Echo. Do they need to talk to me today?" You ask putting emphasis on need.
"Not really, but it is like 4 gryphons." Echo said