0730 Hrs. Avalon's Shadow.
"Dad get up!"
"Ugh, what?"
"It's snowing!"
"Ugh, cold white stuff falling from the sky?"
"Yea, get up!" Morgan said as she was practically jumping on your bed.
"Fine I'm up."
"Great, let's go outside!"
"Ugh. Fine." you say as you roll out of bed, and the moment you do, Thunderbolt steals all the blankets.
"Fuck it it's too cold."
"Yea, just stay warm dear."
"Don't track any snow into the hangar."
"Don't worry dear, I won't." You say as you walk out side still trying to wake up but it is snowing lightly and there's a whole bunch of ponies out and about looking at what is the first snow of the year.
"Ugh, should have known that it'd snow again. Man I hate this."
"Shut up, did you forget we live in an area that snows?" some of the guard squadron ponies were saying as they were all out and idly milling around.
Morgan's out and prancing around with a bit of a smile, and then she giggles a little bit. "Here comes the snow." She says with a bit more of an eerie tone behind her voice.
"What did she just say?"
"Here comes the snow." You say as you're still kind of waking up, but you know what she said, and know there was a little bit of conflict going on in her. These ponies are a little flustered that Morgan seemed to be a little trigger happy this morning.
"And you're not alarmed by this?"
"Why should I Blunderhead? She's my daughter she listens to me." You say as you try to shake the snow off of yourself. This is your first winter as a pony after all, all previous ones you were human. So this is a bit of a new experience.
"What is all of this stuff falling from the sky?"
"It's snow Falken, have you ever seen it before?"
"No, this is my first winter Purple. What is snow?"
"Frozen precipitation, ice crystals basically."
"Oh, this is rain practically? I don't like it." Falken said as he and Twilight were now outside with the ponies that were still somewhat reeling from Morgan's comment.
"Oh great they're here."
"Yea, Dad, I'm taking Twilight home, and perhaps get out of this snow as it's called."
"Yea sure, just remember Ponyville's on the same longitude as us."
"Well, I doubt it is snowing there." Falken said as he was leaving
"Whatever Falken, go enjoy being elsewhere."
"Actually we were going to pick up her friends."
"Fuck me." You say as Falken is out of earshot of you and everypony around you who is nagging at your for what Morgan said.
"Are you not taking this seriously Rex?"
"Of course I am, it's just an episode. It's gonna pass."
"Rex,"
"I don't give two fucks what you think. Your jobs are to protect my family and the city from foreign attacks, if for some reason Morgan goes on a homicidal rampage it's my job to stop her not yours clear?"
"Very but what if you can't stop her?"
"Then she gets to kill to her heart's content." You say as Morgan had long ago walked away from this conversation and was now playing with the snow near your shop to keep herself distracted. Your conversation drags on for a few hours.
 
0930 Hrs. Your home.
Thunderbolt is awake and wrapped up in blankets while she's got the heat cranked up to a toasty 85F. The entire time she's in your home she's just muttering to herself.
"Fuck the snow, fuck how cold it is, Winter needs to be warmer." rather repetitively until she passes out on the couch wrapped up in blankets, and that is how she stays.
1000 hrs. VTOL hangar.
"Ugh great. Snow."
"There problem with snow?"
"Not really, it's just I was raised in a warm part of Avalon, so I'm not used to the cold."
"No be big baby." Sasha said joking with Lightning.
"Mama, want outside."
"Of course Lilya. We'll go outside and play in the snow."
"YAY!"
"Alright, just let me put a scarf on you." Sasha said as she pulled a scarf off the hook by the door and wrapped it around Lilya.
"Why?"
"You don't need to catch a cold my little one."
"No wanna."
"Lilya, do you want to get sick?"
"No, but."
"Then wear the scarf." Sasha said as she sweet talked Lilya into wearing the scarf outside into the snow.
"How'd you get her to do that?"
"Was nothings. She listen to mama."
"Yea, you are a sweet one." Lightning said as Sasha put a scarf around him.
"Not needings you sick too."
"Thanks Sasha. You should take the same precautions." Lightning said as he noticed that he had a Yakovlev family scarf on while Sasha took his Lockheed scarf.
"Well, let's go out into the snow." Lightning said as he chases after Lilya who managed to get out while her parents were putting their scarves on.
"Da, but you needings to watch Lilya."
"Of course dear."
"Spasiba." Sasha said as Lightning went trotting off after Lilya.
1200 Hrs Avalon's Shadow.
You've managed to calm down everyone that was bothering you about Morgan's little outburst, so you were just clearing snow around your shop when Ark lands and drops off Twilight and her friends. He didn't stay long but he looked rather distraught as he unloaded his GLEX before buttoning it back up and taking to the sky once again.
"Dad, can we have a word with you?"
"Sure, you can talk while I work right?"
"Of course, Twilight your concerns." Falken said handing the baton to Twilight.
"Rex, Ark's pretty upset."
"I noticed, Pinkie do something stupid?"
"Why is that your first response, but no, Belle has been grounded, and she's been sent home because another pony by the name of Dream Liner blackmailed Ark into trying to fly Dream liner instead of Belle."
"Why should I care if Belle got grounded and sent home. Her home's in Garuda."
"No, Troluse."
"Morgan," You say with a slight calm but with a rising anger.
"Yea dad?"
"Tell Brezhnev and Echo to find this Dream Liner, I've got a message for her. When you're done with that, meet me in the shop, you and I are going to Troluse." You say getting Morgan to giggle in the same manner as she did earlier when it terrified your own guards
"Yea, I'll be back soon"
"Twilight, Falken, thanks for passing this information on to me, now if you'll excuse us, we've got some business to take care of" You say as you stop working and head into your shop to arm up
 
1400 Hrs. Your shop
"Rex, incoming aircraft, callsign Talisman."
"You know to let him in right Thunderhead?"
"Yes sir, Yellow's escorting him in now"
"Great, Thanks Blunderhead" You say now knowing that Ark has apparently stolen the F-5 that you crashed. Though by this time you and Morgan are fully armed, you both leave the shop when you hear the wine of the F-5's J-85s
"Nice to see the F-5 again, but fuck those roundels are fucking ugly, so is that flight suit. Let's make that little bird a little more intimidating shall we?" You say as you walk out
"Intimidating? Oh. Yes. Let's. I want to put the fear of whatever god or goddess she prays to into her. Because blackmail does not fly with me."
"So I've been told Ark, let's go see what Antonov has to spare. Morgan and I have a little business to attend to in Troluse, Echo and Brezhnev are getting a fix on Dream liner as we speak."
"Good. I want to make sure she understands that what she did crossed not only the line with me, but with you, and the rest of Avalon ' s Shadow. I expect her flight paths to stay extremely far away from Avalon after this. And away from me. Every time she sees this F5 in Garuda, I want her to be in the air so fast it makes radomes spin."
"She crossed the line with me when she got Belle sent back to Troluse, I am NOT redoing all the work I had just put into her. Also I'm frankly offended that the idiot mechanics out at Garuda didn't recognize my work. I'll make sure that you scare the living daylights out of her." You say as the three of you reach Antonov's store and Ark leaves the F-5 running
"Scare her?! If I had my way, I'd make sure she was blown out of the fucking sky, but that's just me."
"And then I would put you down as well. I'm getting a report from Echo that she's just entered our western border, destination of Hornet. Don't do anything too rash in my Airspace. Yellow Squadron is going with you, they've got a message to deliver. She's now got a 150nm exclusion radius around Avalon's Shadow, if she enteres that airspace, loaded or not, I will not hesitate to have her shotr down. Antonov, I need all the spare sidewinders you've got for a little F-5!" You say as you start searching for armaments for the little F-5 that Ark will be flying.
"I know. Last thing I need is to be shot down. I would rather keep my job and record spotless. As for that, I completely agree. For the record, this conversation never happened." Ark said as the three of you go back outside to arm his craft and fuel it.
"Of course, I'll have Belle sprung out of Troluse before the end of the day, if they don't listen to me, they'll listen to Morgan."
"And if they don't listen to her? She also has some kind of tracking device locked to her. They fitted it to her and said only the factory can remove it."
"Ark, how could you say no to an adorable little filly like her? Tthey'll listen." You say as one of Morgan's eyes is not her normal blue, and it does look like she's got Heterochromia at the moment as the F-5 is now fueled, armed and ready for it's new task of intercepting Dream liner.
"Yeah, you got a point. Though what's up with her eyes? Little bit of bloodlust? And once I'm done with Dream, I'll rendezvous with you en route. I'll be using callsign "Talisman". You already know this was my callsign in the real world."
"Well, Morgan can on occasion have a few 'issues' shall we call them that? As for the change in color, well she's just really mad and really ready to go. Yea, and you're not getting mine, though I'm sure you can take a guess by the F-5's colors, and Morgan's. The F-5 can't supercruise like us, so we may have Belle back to you before you can arrive." You say as Ark climbs back into the F-5 and follows you and Morgan to the runway to get into the sky
"Well then. I'll rendezvous with Echo and the rest of Yellow. See you back here, Rex." He says, saluting before he rolled to his side and banked off.
"Right, see you in a couple of hours. We'll rescue your princess." You say as you and Morgan throw yourselves into supercruise to Troluse.
 
1650 hrs. Troluse.
"Morgan, I don't think you and I can land immediately."
"Dad, you go ahead and land, I'll take care of some of these little pests."
"You do that sweetie, now just remember if I call you to me, I'd like you there."
"I know dad." Morgan said the two of you both strafe the runway before you end up turning around to land. All the ponies there are holding some sort of white cloth on a stick, surrendering
"And this is why everybody hates you. I'm looking for Belle Carbone. Anyone know where she is?" You ask as Morgan has committed to non lethally destroying as much of this facility as she can until she either winds herself or gets sick of property destruction. These ponies point off to a hangar far down the line.
"Your chief mechanics, the ones who do all the paperwork, I need to speak to them right now."
"And if ve refuse?"
"You do see the pony flying around right?"
"Oui."
"I'll let her destroy this entire area, and I'll even join in." You say as there's a laser strike on an auxiliary runway.
"Were you in need of maintenance?"
"Not me, but one of the ponies sent here, Belle Carbone, she's here and frankly shouldn't be. She's here for a flameout, which I repaired, I want her cleared for flight and the letter saying so sent to Garuda." You say as these ponies are frantically writing the letters clearing Belle for flight and removing the restrictions.
"And on who's orders?"
"Rex Tremendae, if she's damaged, then I'll fix it. Now are we done, and that whatever they put on her, I want it removed now."
"Non, we cannot."
"I'm sorry?" You say as you fire your cannon spraying them with chunks of concrete.
"Pardon, Ve will do it right away."
"That's what I thought." You say as you follow them to the hangar where Belle is being kept.
"Well, isn't this a surprise Belle?" You say as the door is opened.
"R...Rex....Morgan? What...are you doing here?"
"Oh, you know, someone said you were groudned on a bullshit reason, I though I'd come and clear things up." You say as Belle looks rather confused.
"But who would do that...? Ark...got himself grounded until I was ruled airworthy... I feel as he's disappointed in me.."
"Dad, I'm bored, there's nothing else for me to smash" Morgan said as the mechanics were removing the tracking bracelet from Belle.
"Far from it my dear, he's actually really pissed off at Dream liner and is on an intercept with her as we speak."
"Morgan, we're going just as soon as Belle gets her papers." You say calming Morgan slightly from her disappointment in not having more things to destroy
"He is...not going to...is he..?"
"Belle, he's in my airspace, if he does, he will be shot down in return. I've got one of my more aggressive squadrons with him, He'll be fine. Just going to scare the daylights out of her" You say as Belle is given her clearances. With that the three of you head out, and Morgan's apparent Heterochromia has now disappeared, her eyes once again the calm blue they always are.
"Oui...I just dont...know I would do without him. I...don't know how to..Thank you Rex...this is twice you have given me a new lease on life."
"No problem, I'd hate to see all my work go to waste Belle. Once we're clear of Troluse, contact him and greet him, he should be somewhere beteween Hornet and Avalon's Shadow. Morgan, let's go home." You say as the three of you walk out to the runway and take off in order, though You and Morgan are orbiting about waiting for Belle to clear the airspace, and when she does, you launch your burst missiles above their radar and communications facilities, turning them into ruins.
You and Morgan both laugh as you give one more pass over the Troluse airport before breaking off and flying home.
"Hey dad?"
"Yea sweetie?"
"Thanks for letting me smash that place."
"Eh, we both kind of needed to blow off some steam." You say as Morgan's flying off your three.
"Still, thanks, it was either that or I take it out on Falken."
"Yea, that purple thing that follows him around bothers me just as much as you if not more, so you happy we left that place a mess?"
"Yea, they better not try to give you the repair bill, I'd hate to see what'd you do in retaliation to that." Morgan says as you just laugh. You'd send Bear and his buddies over there to level it while everyone's out. Then again they lost to you so what does it matter?
"So why'd you take out their communications and Radar?"
"Cause I felt like it, can't let you have all the fun can I?"
"So that's why you blew that up?"
"Yup, that and I felt like blowing shit up." You say as you're joined by Yellow squadron on the journey home.
"Man you guys smell like piss."
"The Boeing chickened out and pissed as she left."
"Commercial what do you expect? She get the message?"
"Yea, she got the message, at first she didn't take us seriously, then the human you sent with us made her believe. He seemed a bit angry."
"Thirteen, he was pissed, so I do hope you all didn't anger him." You say as you've now got a trailing squadron.
"Rex, I've got to ask, what'd you do in Troluse?"
"Oh, nothing really. Though I thought they'd have a nicer facility."
"Really?"
"Yea, they have no radar, their control tower looks like it's been hit with a JDAM, the grass and some of the taxiways look like they've been shot to shit, and there's a whole bunch of white cloth floating around." You say giving them an accurate picture of the damage that you and Morgan (mainly Morgan) has caused.
"Sir, sometimes the two of you scare us."
"As we should. But you really should be more afraid of my wife." You say getting Thirteen to laugh
"Yea, I'll consider her a threat when I see her shoot somepony down."
"You didn't hear? She perforated Sidney into nothing more than a whining piece of cheese."
"Shit, but I said see, not hear about." Thirteen said as you just shake your head as you head into Avalon's Shadow for a landing.
 
1800 hrs. Avalon's Shadow.
Ark so graciously parked the F-5 outside of your shop, though before you can check out the black box, you feel a tug on your right wing. As you look to see who's trying to get your attention, and it's none other than the youngest pony in Avalon's Shadow.
"Wex, can I ask you a qwestion?"
"Of course little one, what is it?"
"Wewer did you go?"
"Oh, I had to go and help a friend who had a few problems." You say with a smile as Lilya is asking you questions.
"What problems?"
"Oh, some ponies thought she needed repairs when she didn't, I went in and stopped that. No unnecessary repairs for her."
"Oh, what was she?" Lilya asks with such a curious tone.
"Well, she's an A350, a commercial passenger pony."
"Oh, you know ponies that carrwie other ponies?"
"Very few, but yes I do. Oh look there's daddy." You say hoping to distract her before she asks about your armament. It worked, when she saw Lightning she turned and ran to him, giving him a hug, then climbing on him like a jungle gym
"Hey where'd you do?"
"Some dumpy place called Troluse."
"That airbus center?"
"Yup, did a favor for a friend."
"Ah, same one that brought in that F-5?"
"Yea, same one. I owed him at least for that." You say knowing that it was brought out from under Celestia's nose.
You and Lightning talk for a little bit before he allows you to do some work on the F-5. Primarily replacing it's black box, your new prize, the aircraft itself is absolutely unusable to you, though the black box should have all the information from your crash on it
"Bingo, let's see what's on this sucker." You say as you pull the box from the fighter and replace it with a brand new one while Ark was away. Though before you leave, you write Ark a note letting him know what you've done to the F-5.
"Ark, I've gotten what I wanted from it, I've got my black box, and replaced it with a brand new one. As I said the F-5 is yours, you've held up your end of the bargain, I shall hold up mine. If there's anything you need to trick Celestia or anything, feel free to use the equipment in the shop, but if you don't know what it is or does, do not touch it. -Rex." you write and stick on the instrument panel before taking the black box and your robot back into your shop so you can access the box and see if it has your crash data on it.
"Dad, what are you doing with that orange box?"
"Black."
"Huh?"
"It's a Black Box, it has crash data on it. When planes like the F-5 out there crash, this bright orange box contains all the data from the crash and everything prior to it."
"Oh, that's kind of morbid, why would you be looking at what's on it?"
"Because this was in the F-5 that I crashed, I wanted to review it's data to see if it was possible for me to save the craft or if what I did was appropriate." You way to Falken, who you know probably has purple smart nearby.
"Rex, you could have asked me for it, I could have lost it."
"Of course you could have Twilight, but frankly I don't trust Celestia, which is why I'm going over this one." You say as you think of what's actually on the other black box, an Independence Day style Jolly Rodger skull that's going to be laughing, should be a nice system shock to whoever checks it.
"Then can I see what's on this one as I did see the origi....."
"And that tells me this is the original." You say as Twilight is a little shocked to see the same data on the screen that she saw when you first crashed here.
"Rex, are you sure you want to see that data?"
"Yup. Can't stop me now." You say as you're scanning through looking at the electrical system which confirms that you were struck by lightning repeatedly and that light your hydraulic systems on fire
"Huh, so there was no way for me to save the fighter."
"Rex, what do you mean?"
"Look, the hydraulics were on fire and had no pressure. I had fuel flowing, very low, but fuel wasn't a problem, avionics were ok, their shielded systems survived the lightning strikes, but the hydraulic system didn't." You say partially explaining it to Twilight as she looks over what you were pointing at in the data.
"Oh, now I see what you're talking about. You really didn't have any control over the plane other than varying the thrust on the engines."
"Yea, but an F-5s engines are practically center line, that wouldn't do much, but it would turn, looks like I was right when I punched out."
"You were, and Celestia didn't like that assessment I gave her either. From what I understood, you were on fire, had no control and were sitting on a bomb, so you did what you had to for survival, which was leaving the craft." Twilight said confirming that what you did was correct, and the only option you had.
"Huh, so everything Celestia told me was a lie, I now understand why you cannot trust her dad."
"Took you long enough. I know she trusts Twilight, and maybe you, but she sure as hell doesn't trust me. Either of you going to tell her I have this?"
"No, I will not tell her, and I shall make sure that Twilight does not either." Falken said ending that conversation on a particularly high note for you
 
2000 Hrs Your home
When you finally end up going home you find Thunderbolt on the couch, wrapped up, well more of tangled up in blankets
"Rex, can I get a little help here?"
"Sure, you enjoying how warm you've set the hangar?"
"It's nice in here, and fucking cold out there." Thunder says as you help untangle her from the blankets with a laugh.
"And I bet it's even better in those blankets if you weren't so tangled up in them." You say getting a little bit of embarrassment out of her.
"Well, I've heard you and Morgan had a busy day, so what were you two up to?"
"Oh, you know, blowing off some steam, destroying things that we shouldn't."
"I missed that?"
"You'd have to have gone outside."
"Ya know what, I can scrub winter missions."
"For one who doesn't mind the rain you sure do hate it's other forms." You say as Thunder is now free of the blankets.
"Oh shut up you. You hate both forms."
"Yea, because I could have caught pneumonia or something like that."
"Quit being a baby."
"I'm not, I'm fine with the snow, I just don't like it on my wings."
"Who does?" Thunder said as you're attempting to fold up the blankets.
"I dunno you tell me, you would know better than me."
"True, but really nopony really likes snow on their wings, especially when it's heavy."
"I'd say that's why we've got anti ice systems, but, it kind of doesn't help very much." You say as two of the blankets are folded terribly
"And you wonder why we don't stay outside."
"Very funny Thunder, so you going to help me fold these blankets or wha........ Thunder, please get off my back."
"But your turbines are still warm."
"Thunder."
"Warm!" Thunder said as she tries to get you to let her stay sucked up to your back.
"Ugh, fine. Just try not to hinder me too much."
"Uh huh."
"Alright, after I get this done, you and I can go and cuddle on the couch." You say as Thunder has practically climbed up on to your back, but knows to keep most of her weight off of you sparing you from having a damaged air frame.
 
2027 hrs.
You and Thunderbolt are passed out on the couch, with her holding onto your back as you were the warmest of the two of you
Though you're passed out on the couch, Morgan is still up and walking around outside, as there really wasn't much to do, and the last time she woke the two of you up accidentally Thunderbolt yelled at her, at least she had learned to not wake you. Since it's still pretty early in the evening most of the residents are still awake, and a couple of Morgan's friends in particular, Nora and Alyona.
Which makes what she's going to do rather easy, go and hang out with her friends.
"Hey Nora, has Raptor finally gotten over her fears?"
"No, and it doesn't help when I'm here with the both of you at the same time."
"Yea, but she really does need to stop being such a chicken." Morgan said getting a laugh out of the both of them.
"Morgan, you not know how scared she is of harmless me."
"I've heard Alyona. Thanks to Nora."
"Da, but I cannot helpings but to feel bad for her."
"You really shouldn't she managed to drive her own younger brother away, and if she's not careful her elder brother too. Alyona, don't feel bad for her." Morgan said getting Alyona to sigh out of quiet disagreement, as Terminator relayed Morgan's mood prior to having flown out to Troluse, which was hair trigger at best.
"Uh, Morgan, is it alright to talk about earlier with Alyona here?"
"Sure, I don't mind. Dad likes Alyona being here, so I don't see any issues with it."
"Alright, so what happened?" Nora asked which got a little smile from Morgan.
"Nothing huge really. I was just kind of venting some pent up anger towards my brother."
"No I mean when you managed to frighten the guards."
"Oh, I kept in that anger for a while, I guess some of it slipped out."
"Oh, so that explains why your left eye went amber."
"My eyes don't change colors silly." Morgan said blatantly unaware or really caring that one of her eyes changed colors on her.
"Alright, so that was you just venting a little?"
"Yea, giving those guys a little scare. It was kind of funny honestly." Morgan said with a bit of a laugh.
Morgan, Nora and Alyona talk for a while before Terminator joins them in their idle banter. Though what happens with Terminator in the group annoys Nora, since there are now three ponies that speak Russian and one that completely doesn't understand.
"Alyona, you're not trying to get Nora to help you smooth things over with that cunt she calls a marefriend are you?"
"Terminator, can't I just have normal friends?"
"Yes you can, but I would like to meet them." Terminator said as Nora was bothering Morgan for a translation
"What are they saying?"
"Apparently Terminator doesn't think you and I are and I quote 'normal'"
"Oh you're definitely not normal Morgan."
"Oh don't make Alyona feel bad Nora." Morgan said knowing that she was insulted slightly, but turning Nora's words to make them a compliment.
"Morgan what's she complaining about?"
"Nothings, She say you callings me not normal, I knowings I awesome." Morgan said in her broken Russian, which got a laugh out of both Terminator and Alyona.
"Yea. you are pretty awesome Morgan, I mean you're probably my best friend here." Alyona said getting Morgan to blush and an inquisitive look out of Nora who wanted to know what was going on.
"Alyona seriously? Morgan is your best friend?"
"Yea, other than her it's mostly just the family that talks to me. I've been trying to get to know Nora better, but it sounds like you're not too happy with that."
"I want you to be happy, if having oddballs as friends will make you happy then so be it." Terminator said as he was doing his best not to resign over the silliness Alyona was extruding about her two friends.
"What I do with you? But very happy you here and not in Kubinka." Terminator said this time in English for Nora to hear and possibly understand.
"Terminator, it much nicer here, not as cold."
"Not havings to tell me twice."
"Da, is much warmer here." Alyona said as Nora gave them a questioning look.
"Morgan?"
"They're Russians, you think the cold here bothers them?"
"Oh, but what about you?"
"Part Russian, snow doesn't bother me too much."
"I need a vacation somewhere warmer than this." Nora said getting a laugh out of the other three.
"Then why you not go to Edwards? It warm there in sandy hell."
"Terminator that would require me to suffer through my socia..... Morgan, you think your dad would like to go out to Edwards with me? Just for a day or two?" Nora asked as she had an idea, and also remembered that you asked her to see if you wanted to tag along the next time she went down to Edwards, primarily so you could meet Glennis.
"I dunno I'd have to ask him about that. I don't think he'd mind, and I know Mom would love to escape the cold for a few days. Can I get back to you tomorrow on that? They're both asleep on the couch."
"Sure, don't want to wake them?"
"Yea, last time I did, mom nearly chewed my ears off with her GAU-8."
"Yikes, I've heard she shot down Sidney."
"Yea, but she whacked him with a Sidewinder allowing dad to finish him." Morgan said as Nora and Terminator cringed a little at the thought of getting shot at by Thunderbolt, though it was a verbal assault, Morgan just did that to embellish the details, as it makes the story a little better than her just getting yelled at.
 
1000 hrs. Your home.
You're awake and Thunder's still wrapped up in a blanket on the couch.
"Hey dad?"
"Yea?"
"Did you want to head out to Edwards anytime soon?"
"Eventually why?"
"Well, Nora asked if you wanted to tag along with her for a couple of days so she could escape the cold." Morgan said waking up Thunder.
"Rex, are we going somewhere warm?" Thunder said as she perked up
"Well, we are now. You don't mind if we go with Nora out to Edwards do you?"
"Hell if I care who we're going with as long as it's warm where we're going."
"Great, then the three of aw fuck, what are we going to do about Falken?" You say as you were about to say that the three of you were leaving.
"Well, we've left him here alone before right?"
"Yea, but Morgan was here with him."
"All of that tumor's friends are here too, they should keep him out of trouble." Thunderbolt said as Twilight happened to be walking through the area.
"I do take offence to you calling me a tumor on your son. If I truly was a tumor I would be attached to him and growing larger."
"Twilight, shut your trap before I have a bad mental image." You say as Morgan shudders, sometimes Morgan gets the bad picture, and sometimes its you, though how it usually goes is when you say it, Morgan gets the bad image, and when she says it you've been hosed.
"I'm gonna go tell Nora, you three can have fun."
"Yea, go do that Morgan." You say as Morgan leaves your home rather quickly to go and tell Nora that you're all clear to go to Edwards.
"So the three of you are leaving?"
"Yea, Thunder wants to go warm herself up, so we're gonna go down to Edwards. Besides there's a pony there that I really want to talk to." You say getting an odd look from Thunder
"Glennis, I want to talk to Glennis."
"Oh you want to go talk to Glamorous Glennis, the X-1 pony."
"Yea, that's who I wanted to talk to. I wonder if Pancho's is there." You say derailing your own train of thought as you're going through a history of Edwards in your own head.
"Well, it looks like Rex is gone."
"No, he's still with us you Tumor, his brain just isn't fully here."
"I don't like being called a tumor."
"I know, but it bothers you so I'm going to keep doing it, you purple lump."
"Would Falken get you to stop calling me that?"
"No, only Rex could, but he's sort of distracted." Thunderbolt said with a smile on her face as Twilight could only frown at her
1100 Hrs. Avalon's Shadow.
"Great, are we all set to go?"
"Yea Nora we're good, let's get out of here before my hooves freeze to the tarmac." Thunderbolt said as you only sigh, it's not snowing, but there's still plenty of snow on the ground.
"You won't freeze, you'll just get cold." You say as you're waiting on the two ponies who can get up into the air first to go and take off before you and Morgan who need a little more speed to climb. Once the two of them were clear you'd ascend into the sky with Morgan, and you hardly need to play the catch up game once you're in the air to catch your wife and Nora.
"Alright, let's get going to Edwards." You say as you and Morgan take the lead and fly in the one direction you haven't. South.
 
1130 Hrs. Your home.
"Mom? Dad? Morgan? Anyone home?"
"They went to Edwards for a couple of days."
"Ah, well I guess that means we've got run of the hangar. Provided we stay out of the others' rooms and not burn it down." Falken said realizing that you had left him alone and this time without any sort of supervision except for the residents of Avalon's Shadow.
"Well, your dad's rules aren't exactly hard to follow Falken." Rainbow said as she flew in and dive bombed the couch.
"Yes, I understand that Blue, but please try to respect our things."
"Yea yea yea, I get it. Don't break anything." Rainbow said only for Falken to sigh with discontent.
"Well, just try to keep the rules in mind. If something is broken, please try to replace it before they get back." Falken said as he and Twilight went into his room to continue their work on electronics.
 
1230 hrs. VTOL hangar.
"Mom, where is Morgan going?"
"Lilya, where they go is not our concern."
"Why?"
"Because she's our princess, and more than capable of taking care of herself."
"But, I want her to teach me to fly."
"You've got me and dad for that, she doesn't know how to take off vertically" Sasha says as she tries to answer Lilya's questions
"Morgan's not a VTOL?"
"No, she's not" Sasha said
"Then why are her wings backwards?"
"Because that's her design. She's a forward swept fighter. She's agile, and fast. Faster than me and your dad, but slower than Sully."
"Oh, so she's a fighter like us?"
"In a way yes. She's got a much better payload than us because she doesn't take off vertically, but we can land where she can't." Sasha said very cleverly hiding the fault with being a VTOL.
"So how are my two favorite girls doing?"
"Daddy!"
"Hey, what are you and mom talking about?"
"Morgan."
"Oh, that's interesting. What about her?" Lightning asked as Lilya switched what language she was using.
"Her wings."
"What about them?"
"They're forward. Why?"
"It's so she can turn sharper than us, You've seen Berkut right?"
"Yea."
"Well, Morgan can turn with Berkut and not be thrown from his tail."
"Oh, wow, she can turn." Lilya said getting Lightning to laugh a little.
"Yea, Morgan can move when she's in the air." Lightning said as Sasha looked at him with a bit of a confused look.
"What? Morgan can out turn us any day of the week."
"Da, but why you care?"
"I don't. That's her strong suit, not mine. Mine happens to be being unstable past mach 1.6, and having a commonality with my counterparts."
"But you not worst." Sasha said getting Lightning to smile a little.
"Yea I could be worse." Lightning said as Lilya got bored with the conversation and again climbed up onto Lightning. Lightning and Sasha both laughed a little while Lilya was on his back.
"Lilya why did you climb up on me again."
"I'm sleepy."
"It's hardly 1300, how can you be tired?" Lightning asked getting Lilya to giggle a little.
"I'm tired daddy."
"Okay then, I guess you'll be taking a nap while your mom and I go play in the snow."
"NOOOOOO! I'm not tired!" Lilya said just before yawning.
"I think somepony is tired."
"Mom NOOOO, I 'm not tired."
"Oh yes you are, you're going to yawn just you wait and see." Sasha said as if on command Lilya yawned as Sasha pulled her off Lightning's back and too little Lilya to her room.
"Mom I wanna go play. I don't want to take a nap."
"Lilya, you said you were tired, and you are sweetie. Just sleep for an hour and I'll come and get you okay?"
"But I wanna go and pway."
"Not now Lilya, you need to take a nap." Sasha said as she had tucked Lilya into her bed.
"I no wanna."
"Hush, my child." Sasha began before she began to sing a lullaby to Lilya, getting her to slowly go to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, Sasha walks out and sighs.
"She finally sleep."
"Only took fifteen minutes dear."
"Only fifteen?"
"Yup. So, what do you want to do?"
"If you not mindings, I want drink, and heavily."
"She wearing you out?"
"Da."
"Go, I'll take care of her."
"Spasiba, Lightning, I love you."
"I know, I love you too, now go before she gets up." Lightning said as Sasha somewhat slowly makes her way to the door and then leaves for the Edge of Space.
Sasha leaves Lightning alone in the hangar with Lilya,, since Sergei and Ludmila made way to go and visit Ludmila's parents. So Lightning goes and sits on and only sighs as he turns on the local broadcasts.
"There's never anything good on" Lightning said as he flipped idly through the channels.
"Daddy?"
"Yes Lilya,"
"I can't sleep."
"Well, just join me here on the couch Lilya." Lightning said as he patted the space next to him.
"Where'd mommy go?"
"She needed some time to herself Lilya. She'll be back in a little while."
"Oh, why'd she do it?"
"She's just very tired. She went somewhere quiet to take a nap." Lightning said as Lilya was leaned up against him, fighting to stay awake.
"Why?"
"Lilya, it's the same reason you're falling asleep out here, she's tired. We do a lot making sure that you're ok, and it makes us tired too." Lightning said as his voice seemed to be soothing Lilya to sleep, so he talked idly until Lilya was asleep, propped up against him and that's how they stayed, until Lightning got a call.
"Lightnin, it's KC. Come an get yer wife. She done tried ta out drink Ivan, an she's passed out on tha bar."
"I'll be there in a few minutes KC. Thanks for the call though."
"No problem, jus come an get her before anythin happens." KC said as he hung up leaving Lightning to reposition Lilya and then head out to go and get Sasha.
 
1500 hrs. Edge of space.
"Lightnin, ya know it was only 1245 hrs when she came in hea an started drinkin like it was 1700?"
"Yea I know, she wanted to drink" Lightning said with a sigh.
"An ya need ta get her home."
"KC you think I don't know this already?"
"Ah know you know, but yah gotta get her home, she can't stay here like that." KC said making Lightning sigh.
"I'm taking her home right now KC."
"Thank ya kindly Lightnin." KC said as Lightning half draped Sasha over his back and began to carry her home, and when he got home, he placed her in their bed and then went back out to the couch to be with Lilya.
"Daddy where'd you go?" Lilya asked sleepily as Lightning moved her so he could be back where he was.
"I had to go get mommy from a friend's home, go back to sleep my dear."
"Mmhmm." Lilya said in agreement as she very quickly passed out on Lightning again.
1400 Hrs. Edwards
You, Thunderbolt, Morgan and Nora have finally arrived in Edwards.
"Ahh, warm air, warm sun, oh fuck, hot pavement."
"And you wanted to be somewhere warm."
"Warmer than home, but not burn my hooves off hot."
"Heh, quit whining." You say as you just get a stare out of Thunder as you all walk with Nora to her hangar which is where you'll be staying.
"Well, it's not the greatest hangar in the world, but it'll work." Nora said as she dusted off the door to her old hangar.
"Thanks for letting us stay with you."
"No thank you all for coming out here with me." Nora said getting a smile from you as you're looking around for anything that would look like the Edwards you knew.
"Oh, Rex, aren't I supposed to introduce you to Glennis?"
"If you'd be so kind Nora."
"Yea, though I think she'll be coming here, not often I come back to this place." Nora said as the four of you are cleaning some of the dust off the furniture when there's a knock on the door.
"Well hey there Nora, long time no see. How've ya been girl?"
"Hey Glennis, I've been okay. I"
"Now, being OK isn't a good enough answer Nora, I know that answer from you, an it means you ain't okay."
"Glennis, I'm fine honestly, besides I brought some guests, and one of them would like to meet you." Nora said as Glennis looked at you and the other two in the hangar before speaking.
"Aw ya brought Rex and part of his family out here. Which one wanted ta meet me?"
"That would be me."
"And you are?"
"Rex, the one with the red wing is my daughter Morgan, and the A-10 is my wife, Thunderbolt. It is a pleasure to meet you Glennis."
"Naw, pleasure's all mine Rex, it ain't often when the king of Avalon comes out and says he wants to meet somepony. Hell, I heard that you busted a pony out of Troluse yesterday." Glennis said getting you to laugh a little, apparently word spread about how you busted Belle out of her 'prison'.
You can only shake your head and laugh.
"Na, that was a favor for a friend."
"Must be some friend if you're willin to go and bust a pony out of a factory lockdown."
"Glennis, who's not to say I didn't have my own motives for doing what I did?" You say with a little smile as Thunderbolt and Morgan are both dusting things off
"Think ya can take a walk with me?"
"Sure. Hey I'm going for a walk with Glennis." You say as you step outside and begin to look around.
"Hey there wouldn't happen to be a place called Pancho's here would there?"
"How'd ya know where I was takin ya?"
"Lucky guess." You say with a slight laugh as you follow Glennis off to the bar here. Her bright orange paint made it really easy to spot her, and she was still very bright orange, she took care of herself obviously, as you could tell by the paint and some of the fresher patch jobs.
"For somepony who doesn't fly much you're in remarkably good shape."
"I'd take that as an insult, but knowin you're a mechanic, I'm sure that's the first thing you noticed."
"Well, you got me there Glennis, but why not fly more?"
"Well, I'm just waitin on my carrier to feel better. I can launch from the same carrier as X-15, but he and I don't get along too well."
"Well, I understand that so what's wrong with the B-29 that carries you?"
"She had an engine melt down on her."
"Ow. that had to hurt."
"Yea, we got the parts, and we've fixed her up good, but she doesn't want to fly."
"Afraid that she'll start on fire again. She could fix that if she dumped the Curtis-Wright engines she's got and go with Pratt&Whitneys."
"But wouldn't that require a modification to her cowlings?"
"Minor, but the Pratt&Whitney engines are much more reliable, a little heavier, but they won't start on fire."
"One problem, nopony makes them."
"I could, on one condition Glennis." You say wanting to see Glennis fly or join her in flight, and to get her carrier back into the skies after suffering a burning engine which you feel for.
"And that condition is?"
"If I make the new engines and install them on your carrier, would you fly, at least once for me?"
"That it? No payment or anythin?"
"No, just fly once, that's all I ask. I just want to see you fly, and perhaps fly with you."
"Well, if you can get her back into the air, a lot of us X-Ponies will be mighty happy." Glennis said as you reached the bar, and from the exterior alone, it looked like the black and white pictures you've seen of Pancho's.
"You look like a kid in a candy store Rex."
"Try more like a kid who's seeing pieces of history before his own eyes."
"Whaddya mean?"
"Where I'm from there was an Air Force base called Edwards, it was also for test pilots, and there was a bar there also called Pancho's, though the name was longer, I just feel it's a little inappropriate to repeat it here. Though I visited Edwards, the bar was not there, it had burned down, a long time ago."
"An this would be the first time you've seen it?"
"Yea," You say as You open the door for Glennis then walk in yourself.
There definitely was an older tanker pony behind the bar, as you're staring at the pictures on the back, you know very well how they got their pictures there, all of them part of a test family that didn't make it. Just a reminder to everyone that not everything works as intended.
"Glennis, you having the usual?"
"Yea, whisky will do fine."
"Who's your friend?"
"You idiot you don't recognize him?"
"Well, if it ain't our king. What'll it be Rex?" The barkeep asked.
"Same as Glennis, keeping it simple."
"That I can do." he said with a laugh as you join Glennis in a corner.
"You'd go through the lengths of making four new engines for my carrier just to fly with me?"
"I like Radials, they're a challenge. I like those challenges."
"Well aren't you a stubborn one." Glennis said getting you to laugh.
"Yea, my adoptive mother's a B-17, and I have four spare engines for her in my shop. Those four engines are in remarkable shape." You say with a smile.
"Sounds like you've got quite a bit of experience with radials Rex. Thanks Pancho."
"Yea, I rebuild them for fun, their complexities are no longer complex to me, they're just part of the process, besides I let them run until there's a problem developing, then I'll swap them out or rebuild a motor if I have to." You say as the old tanker has dropped off the whisky and let the two of you talk.
"Well it's nice ta see somepony care that much about us."
"It's just what I do. I went to learn how to repair and maintain aircraft back where I'm from. Always wanted to work on the old ones, which were far and few between, so I ended up workin on experimentals." You say as you're the one pouring the drinks for both you and Glennis
The two of you talk for a couple of hours before Thunderbolt and Morgan come looking for you with Nora's help.
"I thought the two of you would be in here."
"Well hey there Nora, what brings you here?"
"His family wants him."
"Why don't y'all just join us? It's kind of late in the day. Just stay and have dinner here with me." Glennis said being very welcoming of your family.
"I guess we could it is 1800 hrs, and we kind of missed lunch." Thunderbolt said as you are now flanked by your wife and daughter.
"Hey Pancho! It's time for dinner, bring a couple of menus over would ya?"
"Quit your blabbering Glennis, I can hear the conversation from here."
"I know you can, so get over here and give us those menus." Glennis said as Pancho brought them over with a sigh, and then partially stared at Morgan.
"You're the one who shot down the T-50 right?"
"Yea so?"
"You look like you couldn't hurt a fly." Pancho said getting Morgan to giggle in the creepy manner she used to scare the guardians of Avalon.
"I take that back, anypony with that kind of a giggle is messed up."
"Oh you're just saying that." Morgan said as there was a slight heterochromia swap, which you pointed out to her to keep her in check.
"Yea, I guess I am. So what will y'all be having?" Pancho asked. In short order he had the orders and then he disappears to leave you all to talk.
 
2000 Hrs. Mobius' hangar
Ironically Mobius got a call from Blaze, which means a conversation of few words has begun
"Hey."
"F-5 at Sand Island?"
"Yea."
"Why?"
"Rex said to."
"Oh."
"Yea. All good?"
"Mostly."
"Raptor?"
"Raptor." Mobius said as he sat and talk to Blaze on the long range radio.
"What'd she do this time?"
"Nothing, that's the thing."
"Finally learned?"
"Unlikely."
"Yea, unlikely."
"Got to go She's here."
"Bye." Blaze said as Mobius cut him off due to Raptor being the only other pony in the hangar.
"Can you believe she left without me?"
"Yea."
"HEY! She took Rex and his family over me!"
"Perhaps she wanted a get away."
"Without me?"
"You don't understand get away do you?"
"No I understand what it means, it's just I thought she'd take me with her, not be the one she's trying to get away from. Damn when did it snow?"
"Two days ago. She went somewhere warm." Mobius said as he moved himself to the couch so he can put up with Raptor's tirade in some minor form of comfort.
"FUCK, why'd she choose to go somewhere warm?"
"The snow."
"I know I know! But Hell where'd she go?"
"Edwards."
"FUCK!" Raptor said as she realized that she went to the one place that depresses her the most.
"Of all the places in Equestria why Edwards?"
"Ask her."
"She's not here smart ass!"
"Go to Edwards."
"Fuck no, it's hot there."
"Your loss." Mobius said with a shrug as Raptor went back outside in a huff. Mobius only let out a sigh and then got back to doing absolutely nothing.
 
Outside:
Raptor's looking up at the clear night sky and she can only sigh, there's maybe a few lights from the commercial ponies making their last flights for the day, and the occasional buzz of a drone flying past.
Raptor can only think to herself and wonder, why'd Nora go out to Edwards when she knows that she hates that place.