Barrier groaned as he stretched on the platform, having finally escaped the metal monstrosity. The others followed suit, stretching in much of the same manner, glad to be free of the cramped contraption.
“So,” Hat Trick was the first to speak. “Where shalt we be staying for the night? Methinks it be a little late to be house-hunting.”
None of the cadets answered immediately, most of them focused on the passers by, many of which pointing out that Swiftsword was toting around a blade as long as she was.
“Thou does have a plan, I assume?” Fleetfeather asked from directly to the unicorn’s left.
Daring Do was the one that answered. “I know a pony at Delta Hotels. I can get us rooms easily enough.”
“Daring was my plan.” Barrier half-grinned at the blue pegasus.
“Daring?” Fleetfeather’s eyebrow was raised upward in askance.
“I’m Daring,” The mare in question answered. “Just… refer to me as A.K. Yearling in public, okay? I’ll explain later.”
“Why not sleep in a park, or field outside of town?” Swiftsword interjected herself into the conversation, having stepped away from the others. “It would save what funds we have and we are all quite capable surviving without an inn or a warm bed for a night.”
“Not gonna happen,” Barrier stated with slight zeal. “After the shitshow you’ve all been through, I’m not putting you all up in a park. Especially when I have more bits than I could spend in a frugal lifetime.”
“Besides that, we won’t have to pay for a room,” Daring stated. “I’m owed many favors by many ponies.” She half-smirked. “Now, let’s get our flanks moving. If we wait too much longer, my contact will be off work.”
“You heard the mare,” Barrier exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of his cadets and the scant few remaining ponies around the platform. “Form up and let’s go!”
With the movements of a well-oiled machine, the cadets and Fleetfeather did just that, falling into an arrowhead formation seemingly without thinking.
Daring whistled. “That’s gonna be hard to break.”
Barrier grunted. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t already well aware of.
***
“And with this, we’re even.” Daring grinned widely at the irritated pony across from her.
“Yes, I dare say we are, Miss Yearling.” The pony took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “You can pick up your room keys at the front desk.”
The mare grinned widely and waved before she trotted out of the office, quickly returning to her group and loudly proclaiming, regardless of the somewhat late hour: “And like that, we have rooms!”
Barrier met her eyes. “But…”
“...Buuuut, they’re nearly full up. Only three rooms were available, so some ponies are gonna have to share a bed. We’ve got two rooms with two beds and a room with one.”
Fleetfeather nodded firmly and turned to Hat Trick and Winter Gem. “I shall take Hat and Gem.” She stated before sparing a glance at her still-dozing daughter. When she was certain that she was still asleep, she turned back to the two. “Thou will not fornicate while in our room, is that clear?”
“Yes ma’am.” They said together almost in unison, gulping afterwards in fear of drawing her wrath.
“Then Verdant, Forge, and I, will take a room as well.” Swiftsword declared. “That will leave the last room for the Captain and Miss Yearling.”
“Lucky…” Hat Trick half-whispered.
Barrier’s eye twitched slightly but he didn’t call the pegasus out. “Very well.”
He turned to Daring who was retrieving their room keys from the receptionist.
As soon as she had the keys, Daring doled them out and pulled the ponies further into the hotel. “Hey, after we find our rooms, why don’t you take the cadets out to get something to eat?” Almost on cue, five stomachs growled in response to Daring’s question, earning a slight chuckle from her, “Maybe introduce them to pizza. And make sure to bring something back for Fleet and I.”
“You and Fleetfeather will stay here then?” Barrier asked.
“Yeah,” Daring confirmed. “I can’t imagine why she would want to take her filly back out,” Daring looked over to Wind Whistler who was utilizing Barrier’s mane as a blanket.
Fleetfeather nodded her consent and her eye moved to the filly on Barrier’s back, “She is right. It will also allow Miss Yearling and I some time to talk with one another.”
Barrier nodded understandingly and fell silent as they climbed a flight of stairs.
“And we’re here,” Daring said with a yawn.“Your room numbers are on your keys.”
“Take a short while to explore your rooms. We’ll meet up here in the stairwell in ten minutes to go get something to eat.” Barrier stated as he plucked the sleeping filly from his mane and placed her on her mother’s back.
With a short round of affirmations and a single salute from Swiftsword, the group had temporarily dispersed.
***
“I… was not expecting such opulence.” Swiftsword stated to her companions as she poked her head into the bathroom.
“What do you think these are?” Verdant asked as he removed the mints and chocolates from the pillowcase and examined them.
Even Iron Forge was unable to stay silent, choosing to try and puzzle out the coffee pot. “Tis certainly better than camping outside.” Forge moved from the coffee pot to test the beds.
One room over…
Winter Gem and Hat Trick both stood on the small balcony of their room, glancing out at the pinpricks of light near and far denoting the night life of their new home.
“I never thought I would see such a sight.” Winter Gem stated softly, leaning into the pegasus. “To think, only a few days ago we were in a pitched battle with the undead, fighting for our lives.”
Hat Trick wrapped a wing around the mare, blanketing her in warmth. “This is the future we fought for.” He finally replied. “Is this what peace looks like?”
After another brief silence, Winter Gem nodded. “Aye, I believe it is, Hat Trick. I truly hope it lasts.”
Fleetfeather maintained her silence, watching the pair from afar as she cradled her only remaining child close. Though she didn’t say it, she desperately hoped the same, more for her daughter’s sake than her own.
One more room over…
Daring flopped lazily onto the bed and rolled to face the unicorn. “Bit for your thoughts?”
Barrier didn’t reply immediately.
Daring frowned and snagged one of the mints from the pillow. With a practiced hoof, she pegged the unicorn in the back of his head with a hard candy, drawing a flinch from him.
“You were being all silent and broody again. Bit for your thoughts?” she reiterated.
“Just thinking about the cadets,” Barrier confessed. “You already know where my mind lies on it.”
“Mm, I have an idea.” Daring nodded. “Trying to think about where to start with’em?”
Barrier nodded. “Princess Celestia mentioned she could put me in contact with a capable therapist. Hopefully this pony can give me some idea of where to start.”
Daring snorted. “If you talk to the shrink for any length of time, she’ll probably think you need counseling too.” Daring pressed a hoof to her chin. “She would probably be right. You’ve gotten better, but you’ve still plenty of your own issues to deal with.”
Barrier hefted himself to his hooves before he responded. “It’s been about ten minutes. Anything in particular you want me to bring back for you?”
“Uh, some cheesy garlic bread would be awesome if you could find it. You should probably poke in and see if Fleetfeather wants anything in particular as well. M’gonna try to talk to her a bit while you’re gone. I don’t think she quite trusts me with you yet.”
“Very well.” Barrier opened the door, revealing his cadets waiting for him in the hallway. “We shall return shortly.” He tugged the door closed, shifting next door to poke his head into Fleetfeather’s room. “Fleets, I’m going out to get food. Any preferences for you and the little one?”
Fleetfeather craned her neck up from the bed, her face seemed to indicate she had much on her mind. After a moment's silence and a glance at her sleeping filly, she nodded. “Seasoned potatoes of some sort, if possible. Wind Whistler always rather enjoyed potatoes.”
***
“Tis so… strange.” Hat Trick commented idly as he walked in a short circle to try and take in all of his surroundings.
Barrier adjusted his saddlebags before responding. “It was a little overwhelming for me at first as well, and I wasn’t even in a city this large.”
“How do they light these buildings?” Verdant asked. “Clearly the streetlights use oil.” He pointed to a violet pegasus mare with a faded pink mane and tail filling said lights. “But surely tis not so for all of these buildings.”
“They use electricity,” Barrier answered, not entirely certain where he pulled the answer from. “I don’t know the specifics of how it works, only that it doesn’t require refueling in the same sense as we’re used to.”
“And this… chicken-scratch?” Winter Gem asked this time, pointing to a nearby sign. “Can thou decipher it?”
“It says no loitering,” Barrier responded. “It’s easy enough to pick up after a bit of effort. It sort of… clicks after a while. I’ll probably have Miss Yearling handle teaching you all how to read and to modernize your speech.”
“Captain, what exactly is thy connection with that pegasus?” Swiftsword asked before her eyes widened slightly in realization at what she’d asked. “If I may ask, that is. If it is too personal, I understand.”
Barrier waved her concerns off. “Daring kept me sane when I came back. I… wasn’t in the greatest of places. She kept me grounded in reality, and stopped me from potentially becoming a monster in the same vein as Sombra. Since then, she and I have become notably… closer.”
A wave of nerves shot through the group and all of them save Barrier tensed at the name.
“I imagine you would have rather died first than become like that monster.” Swiftsword glanced at Barrier as she spoke.
“I would if I had a say in the matter,” Barrier confirmed. “But before Sombra became what he was, he would have given you the same answer as I. Remember that before he was a monster, he was a well-respected commander who served the princesses with distinction. He was my predecessor and by extension yours.” The unicorn allowed silence to settle on the group. In truth, he’d said it as much for himself as his cadets. With recent events, it was easy to forget that he’d once been a pony.
“Captain?” Hat Trick broke the groups silence and changed the subject with ease. “I’ve spotted a building with a sign most strange. It seems to glow with a red light.”
Barrier snorted, partly in amusement and gaze at the sign in question.
“Alf…” Barrier squinted a bit, seeing that some of the signage wasn’t lit. It wasn’t until they’d gotten a little closer that he was able to make the rest of it, and the First Equestrian National Bank across the street from it. “Alfredo’s Diner. Actually might be worth it to stop in there,” Barrier finished.
The group did just that, crowding into the entryway. It didn’t take long for someone to notice them.
“Welcome to Al’s Diner. How can I help you?” A pale, not-quite leaden blue thestral approached the group.
Swiftsword mentally noted how Barrier tensed and how his eyes lingered on the leathery wings of their host for a brief moment.
“Are you Alfredo?” Barrier asked, forcing his body to loosen slightly. Thestrals weren’t the enemy any more than griffins were in this era.
“Neigh, my good stallion.” The stallion spoke with a slight accent. “I’m Dark Roast, a waiter and coffee brewer extraordinaire. Al’s the near deaf chef in the back.” Dark Roast turned around and yelled into the back. “Isn’t that right, Al?”
“WHAT?” A voice called from within the depths of the kitchen.
“So, how can I help you and your friends, Mr…?”
“Ah, Barrier.” Barrier introduced himself with a slight bow. “Do you serve pizza here? The young ones here have never had it before and I was hoping you could help enlighten them to the glory that is pizza.”
“Apologies, my good stallion, but we don’t serve pizza here. We have everything from hayburgers and fries to pasta and more, though I’m afraid pizza is not one of them. For pizza, I would recommend the Four D’s down the road.”
“The Four D’s?” Barrier asked.
“Delicious Dining Delights & Deli.” Dark Roast explained. “They’ll make just about anything you could want. Especially if you want something more exotic. They’re not terribly far. Maybe a block or two down the road. Just take a left on your way out and head straight. They’ve a sign similar to ours, except it’s wholly lit.”
“I see. Thank you very much, Mr. Roast. I expect we’ll be seeing each other again quite soon if your craft is coffee.” Barrier bowed slightly before carefully backing out the door, his cadets following in silence. When they were once more alone in the crisp night air, Barrier turned towards the direction they’d been given. “Alright, my ponies. To the Four D’s we go.”