After two days which were rather uneventful and dull, save for the occasional squabble over comics and Swiftsword chasing Daring throughout the hotel and two blocks down the street just for daring to lay a hoof on her family’s blade…
“We’ll meet you all back here this afternoon, Daring.” Barrier and the mare shared a short embrace and kiss before separating. “Make sure to keep Hat Trick on a short leash. He gets… impish.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Daring glanced back at the youngsters who were absorbed in conversation with one another, specifically Wind Whistler who seemed to be in a heated discussion with Verdant Range. Interestingly enough, she seemed to be winning.
“Keep her safe,” Fleetfeather stated in a hard tone. “I am trusting you with this…”
Daring nodded without hesitation. “I give you my word, she’ll be safe. You and Barrier go and have a good time. Anypony gives Windy any trouble, and I’ll bring them to you in pieces.”
Fleetfeather and Daring locked eyes for twenty long seconds, countless words and feelings seeming to be exchanged in that period… until the argument between filly and young stallion grew even louder.
Wind Whistler’s voice was the loudest, by far. “Foaltron goes into space! The Pony Rangers are stuck on Earth!”
“Until they got the new ninja powers from the planet Haydos.” Verdant’s response was more measured but no less passionate.
Daring sighed and turned away from Barrier and Fleetfeather, adjusting the cloak of her A.K. Yearling disguise with a hoof. “Alright ponies! Let’s get going!”
As the group departed with Daring at the helm, Fleetfeather licked her lips and tapped Barrier on the shoulder. “Art thou… Are you certain Wind Whistler will be safe?” Her voice was neutral but clearly cut with an undercurrent of uncertainty.
“Of course,” Barrier responded with all the certainty he could muster. “Not only does she have five soldiers trained personally by you and I, she also has a skilled adventurer who’s fought a vast array of threats. What could they possibly encounter to give them pause in a city as relaxed as this?”
Almost in direct antithesis to his statement, a mare garbed in a skin-tight, metallic-blue and silver bodysuit raced by and crashed muzzle-first into a light pole.
Neither Barrier nor Fleetfeather had words, though that was of little consequence; the mare had plenty. “Ow, son of a mother-” she trailed into a string of swears as she hopped around and held her head in dazed agony.
“Are you finished?” Barrier asked with an eyebrow quirked upwards in amusement.
“Uh…” It only now dawned on her that she had an audience. “Thank you for the concern, sir… and remember!” The mare recited her words with a practiced ease. “You can find all sorts of goodies at Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops, and Sweets, on the corner of Sugarberry and Seashell.”
Silence held for a short moment until…
“Uh, am I bleeding through the costume?” She pressed a hoof to her head.
Fleetfeather was the first to respond. “No, at least not that can I tell?”
The mare sighed. “Yeah, this costume is such a pain in the flank. Ever had a costume so tight that you can’t even fart in it?”
“I can’t say that I have, though I can’t say I’m surprised. Your costume is… quite tight.”
The mare managed to look offended, even in her full-body outfit, but made no comment on it. Instead she chose to drag the mask off of her face, revealing the tanned-mango face of a mare with a brilliant orange mane and matching eyes, as she was walking away. “Sis has gotta start paying me more for this… this bloody hurts and there’re a bunch of perverts getting an eyeful…”
“What could they possibly encounter?” Fleetfeather couldn’t hide the grin in her tone.
Barrier looked like he’d bitten into a sour apple. “I believe she was advertising something. This… Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas…”
Fleetfeather turned serious once more. “As long as you’re certain they won’t encounter any threats…”
“It’ll be fine, Fleet. This era isn’t the one you left, I promise. Now, let’s head to the real-estate office. It wouldn’t do to be late for our appointment.”
***
The two stood silently in the waiting room, and during this time, Barrier stared up at the clock on the wall. After a few minutes had passed, one of the office doors opened.
“You must be Mr. Barrier,” a zebra with an alternating grey-and-white mane and amethyst eyes greeted them, a slight musical intonation audible in her voice. “I am Inira, and I’ll be helping you find a home today at Red Blazer Realty.”
“A pleasure, Inira.” Barrier bowed his head respectfully.
“The pleasure is mine.” Inira bowed her head in return. “Now then, could you tell me what exactly you’re looking for in a home?”
“Certainly.” Barrier rubbed his chin. “I need a seven or eight bedroom home, preferably eight.”
Inira’s eyes lit up like a foal’s on Hearth’s Warming.
“Our budget is about one-point-five-million,” Barrier continued casually. “Is there anything that might fit those two criteria?”
Inira nodded fervently, seemingly far more invested now. “I do happen to know of a couple of properties that fit the bill. Best of all, they’re surprisingly low-priced for such large homes.”
“Low-priced?” Fleetfeather’s eyes narrowed to that of a mare that was used to bit-pinching.
“They… have something of a stigma to both of them,” Inira admitted with a nervous chuckle. “Perhaps I can explain as I show them to you?” Inira held a hoof towards the door; Barrier and Fleetfeather both nodded and moved to follow the mare. “Come along, Mr. and Mrs. Barrier. I think even with their backstories, you’ll quite like them.”
“He’s not my husband,” Fleetfeather stated sharply. “He’s a close friend of my…” the mare choked slightly, “of my deceased husband.”
“Oh… um…” Inira licked her lips nervously. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Well… how about we go take a look at the houses and then we can get some poutine for lunch? My treat.”
Neither Barrier nor Fleetfeather offered a response, instead opting to walk to the first home in silence. Had Inira not pointed it out, they likely would’ve missed it.
“This place,” Inira waved a hoof to the gated home, “belonged to an art collector until about a month ago. It’s got two floors, eight bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and it’s fairly close to both an elementary school and Einar’s Groceries. It also has a large, fenced-in backyard. It’d be a really nice home for a large family.”
Fleetfeather hummed, peering through the gate with a discerning eye.
Barrier’s mind was elsewhere. “So, why is this place so cheap?”
“Well…” Inira rubbed her chin. “The previous owner had a rather nasty fall down the stairs and died. It was… gruesome. We had to throw out the rugs and re-carpet the stairs. Though, since he had no living relatives to claim his possessions, the house is partially furnished.”
“Not a particularly outstanding death,” Fleetfeather observed. “One of the more mild ones, really. This could be a good home.”
Barrier nodded as well, though he followed it up by facing Inira. “Would we be able to tour the home?”
“Of course.” Inira began towards the gate. “If you’ll just follow me…”
***
The house was surprisingly moderate, given the outward appearance of the home. The furniture, where there was any, seemed to be balanced between price and function unlike the pair had expected. The first floor held the master bedroom with a private bathroom, a small half-bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, and another large room that Inira had described as a den.
“There isn’t much furniture in the bedrooms themselves. The previous owner used them to store art.” Inira explained as they made their way up the stairs. “There’s also a small library,”
Fleetfeather broke away to poke her head into each bedroom as they passed them by.
“This is one of the two options meeting your criteria,” Inira said as she waited at the end of the hall while Barrier and Fleetfeather did some exploring. “If you’re interested in a less old-fashioned home, the other home is only about twenty-five or so years old.”
“Old-fashioned won’t be much of an issue.” Barrier joined Inira in the hall as Fleetfeather continued to go room to room, scrutinizing them with a frightening intensity given to her after years of raising and managing six children and a husband. “In truth, it would probably be preferred.”
Inira glanced at him curiously but when no further information was forthcoming, she cleared her throat. “Would you still like to look at the second house?”
“Aye.” Fleetfeather answered for them. “This home would certainly be sufficient, but we should weigh all of our options.”
“Would you like to do that before or after lunch?”
***
One hearty meal of poutine later, the trio found their way to the second home. Inira wasted no time in beginning her explanation. “This home is sadly unfurnished, due in part to the same reason it is stigmatized. It is close to the Vineyard vineyard, formerly the Bianco vineyard, as well as Blockbuster’s Movies, in case either of those interest you.”
Barrier nodded. “So, what gave this home its stigma?” Glancing at the opulent and fancy exterior, Barrier was already fairly certain that they had both decided.
“Well…” Inira took a breath before beginning her explanation. “Years ago, the couple that owned the home vanished one night. The door was found unlocked and partially opened. Several parts of the home had clearly been dug through and blood was found in the master bedroom as well as the adjoining bathroom. This, along with the couple's yacht going missing… well, it’s still unsolved.”
Inira glanced at the pair and actually winced a bit when she saw how nonplussed they were at the story.
Licking her lips, she moved in front of them to draw their attention. “It’s easy to understand why not many would want to buy a house that was likely the site of a double-equicide.”
“Eh.” Barrier shrugged. “Honestly, I believe we’re more offput by the uselessly lavish exterior than the story itself.”
Chuckling awkwardly, Inira waved a hoof in the homes direction. “Would you two like to tour the inside?”
“Mm, I believe I’ll pass.” Barrier glanced at Fleetfeather.
Fleetfeather nodded in agreeance. “I believe I’ll pass as well. Based on the exterior alone, my interest is minimal. Rather, I can think of no reason to choose this one over the other.”
“With that concluded,” Barrier faced Inira. “I believe we would like to purchase the first home.”
Inira couldn’t have smiled any wider, apparently thrilled to have a sale, odd as it was. “Alright then! Shall we head back to the my office to get the paperwork started?”
Fleetfeather turned away from the home. “By your lead, Miss Inira.”
***
“So,” Inira was carefully going over and filling out papers as she talked, “did you have a bank in mind for the mortgage by chance? How long the process takes is usually dependant on how good the bank is.”
“I find banks to be more trouble than I care for.” Barrier recalled his sole experience with the bank as he fished the proof of funds Daring had told him to get from his saddlebags and slid it across the table to their host.
Inira took the note and gave it a once-over before opening her mouth… and closing it again, looking like a goldfish for a moment.
“Uh, I… um, excuse me for a moment.” She looked like she was only barely concealing her excitement as she quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door shut behind her.
The door did little to prevent the pair from hearing her.
“Yes! I did it! Suck it, Thatch Roof!” Inira grinned even wider and did a little circle to try and bleed off some of her excitement before she poked her head back in. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Barrier, Mrs. Fleetfeather. I’ll take care of the paperwork and put in the transfer request to your bank. If all goes according to plan, you’ll be able to pick up your keys and move in within a week or two.”
***
“She seemed quite excited,” Fleetfeather remarked as they made their way through town, back towards the hotel.
Barrier gave a nod of agreement. “She did secure quite a large sale I suppose. Mayhaps she is paid based on how much she sells.”
“Mayhaps.” Fleetfeather hummed. “Still, it does me good to know we’ve found such a good home for our children.”
Barrier winced; Fleetfeather noticed. “Does it bother you to think of them as such?”
“I’m the farthest thing away from a parent they’ve ever had, even if they don’t realize it. After what I’ve put them through, I have no right to think of them as such.”
Fleetfeather cuffed him on the back of the head. “Do not speak such nonsense. Just because they faced great hardship and great sorrow under your command does not make you responsible for it.” Fleetfeather started walking forward once more. “It is only because of thy training that they survived Sombra, and now live in an era of unparalleled peace.”
“Maybe,” Barrier responded with a shrug. “How about we gather Yearling and the kids and go to that Strawberry place we heard of earlier? To celebrate the purchasing of a home?”
Almost as if on cue, Daring and the youngsters were standing outside the hotel as Barrier and Fleet rounded the corner, half of them clearly damp.
“That,” Fleetfeather waved to the grinning filly perched on Daring’s back. “Sounds like a wonderful idea.”