Barrier gave a tired sigh as he leaned against the front of a bookshelf. His eyes stayed forward as he did the only thing he could think of to pass the time while he contemplated; tossing a small red ball against the far wall of the manor’s library.
What could I do for a career? I’ve done pretty much nothing but serve as a guard for most of my life. Can I really do anything else?
With a quick flash of his horn, Barrier raised a sheet of paper that was at his side up to his face, swatting the ball back to the far wall with little effort.
Magic Barrier
Former captain in the Equestrian royal guard, twenty-one years of service.
Advanced combat training. Adept magic user. Above average physical strength for a unicorn stallion.
References: Captain Shining Armor in Canterlot, Princess Celestia in Canterlot, Princess Luna in Canterlot, Empress Cadance in the Crystal Empire, Applejack in Ponyville.
Sighing once more, he set the paper down before swatting at the ball again.
Should I rejoin the guard? he pondered as he scratched his chin with one hoof, smacking the ball once more with the other. Probably not. After all I’ve seen and done, after finally getting something peaceful, I don’t think the guard would be the best choice for me or anyone else.
Barrier rose up and stretched, feeling the ball sticking itself on his horn with a final bounce before he left the room and made his way to the kitchen with a mild groan.
Reaching the kitchen, he found Fleetfeather boredly scratching away at a piece of paper before setting her quill into the inkwell. “Afternoon, Barri…” She paused, tilting her head at the sight of the bright red piece of rubber upon her friend’s head.
“It’s my thinking ball,” Barrier answered flatly as he drew closer, causing the cycloptic mare to press a hoof to her mouth and snicker for a moment before regaining her composure. “How’s the resume writing going?”
“Thankfully, there’s not much to put on it. Served in the guard off and on for nearly twenty years, trained in combative flight and weather manipulation, etcetera.” Fleet rose from her seat and trotted over to the cupboard. “I believe this should be more than enough for the day shift in the weather works.”
“I figure you’ll be fine, Fleet.” Barrier took a seat at the table before Fleetfeather returned with a small box of raisins. “Fleetfeather,” he said in a questioning tone, the barest hint of uncertainty in his voice. “Have you thought about… rejoining the guard?”
A moment of silence passed as she considered the stallion’s words. Setting the box down and sighing, she gave her answer.
“Nay, Barrier. After…” She shakily raised a foreleg and placed it upon her eyepatch. “I just can’t do that anymore… I just…” her voice fell silent as she felt a comforting hoof placed upon her unoccupied foreleg.
“It’s okay, Fleet.” Barrier gave her a soft, reassuring smile that was soon met with one of her own. “I was just curious. Besides, I don’t really plan on getting back into that line of work either. I’m fairly certain that we’ve both fought long and hard enough to enjoy a peaceful life these days.”
“Well said, Barrier.” Fleet offered some of her raisins to him, which he declined with a wave. “Still, that does raise the question of what you do wish to have for a career now.”
“I wouldn’t really worry about it, Fleet.” Barrier casually shrugged before batting at the orb on his horn. “I’ll probably find something that’ll let me make good use of my skills somewhere around here.”
“Well I wish you the best of l-” Fleet was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.
“I’m home!” Verdant’s annoyed voice echoed before he came into the kitchen.
“Bit surprised to see you home this early.” Barrier hopped out of his chair, briefly seeing what looked like a bit of dark brown soot along Verdant’s neck. “Those classes of yours usually take longer than this.”
Verdant sighed as he trotted over to cupboards and fetched a glass. “I’ll tell you later when everypony’s back. I need to have a house meeting later.”
“Is it something serious, Verdant?” Fleetfeather then spotted the soot and quickly dashed to Verdant’s side. “Is somepony hurt?” she asked as she looked closely at his neck, finding no sign of injury.
“Thankfully no, Ma’am,” Verdant answered as he held the glass underneath the faucet and turned on the water. “Though there’s something I need to ask that will require all of us. Wind Whistler included.”
“Well the others shouldn’t be too much longer before they get back,” Barrier said as he came closer to Verdant. “And Wind Whistler should be let out of school in a couple of hours. You may want to take a shower before then.” He then gave the young stallion a light jab in the neck. “What is that stuff anyway?”
Verdant’s eyebrow climbed as he looked towards the back off his neck, spotting the strange substance. “Oh! That’s just some chocolate powder from class.” He turned back, moving past the two older ponies. “I’ll take the shower right after my drink. See you in a bit.”
As the two watched him go to the stairs, Fleetfeather scratched her chin in curiosity. “What do you think that colt’s up to?”
“No idea, Fleet,” Barrier replied with a shake of his head. “But something tells me it’s kitchen related.”
***
After some time had passed, Fleetfeather flew off to meet with Wind Whistler at school. A few minutes after her departure, Hat Trick and Winter Gem returned, followed by Iron Forge and Swiftsword.
Along with Daring, the group had gathered together at their regular meeting place; the kitchen table.
“So,” Daring started before taking a bite out of her sandwich. “how’d the job hunt go for you guys?”
“Not so well on my end, I’m afraid,” Forge answered dejectedly. “Not too many smithing places in town, and I’m not sure if they’d consider me, ‘experienced enough’.”
“Balderdash, Forge.” Swiftsword leaned over and patted her friend on the back. “I’m certain that they will consider themselves lucky to have a smith of your caliber under their employ.”
“Thank you, Swiftsword.” A small smile formed on Forge’s face. “And what of you? How did your search go?”
Swiftsword sported a wider grin before she spoke up. “You are now speaking to the newest waitress of Delicious Dining Delights & Deli. I shall start on Monday.”
“Congrats there, Swift,” Hatty said from beside her. “Hope it works out for you.”
“And what of you and Winter Gem?” Swiftsword tilted her head as she gave the pair a glance. “How did your search go?”
“Well...” Winter Gem scratched the back of her head. “I asked Belmont if he’d let me work on his farm. He said he’d gladly take me. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to get used to harvesting apples again.”
“Good to hear you girls had better searches than us.” Hatty sighed as he laid his chin on the table. “I couldn’t really find any jobs that suit my skills that well that don’t involve working in weather, and it looks like I lost one of my damn resumes.”
“Oh no, you didn’t,” Verdant spoke through a mouth full of pear before swallowing. “I stole one.”
“What?” Hatty quickly moved from his seat and stood up, his forelegs raising him on the edge of the table as he stared at the green pony munching on the verdant fruit. “Care to explain why you would do that?”
“To give it to Fiesta Flair in class,” Verdant replied as he halted eating his snack. “She runs a local party planning business, which includes decorations, catering and entertainment.” He emphasized as he looked Hat Trick in the eye as the purple pegasus’ mouth hung agape. “I figured she’d be a good mare to give it to.”
“Oh…” Hat Trick backed down into his seat. “Thank you, Verdant. I didn’t know.”
“Oh, don’t thank me yet,” Verdant said before biting into the pear one last time and tossing the core into a trash can. “She said she’d like you to give her a performance some time next week and that you’d better bring your A-game.”
“Got it.” The purple stallion’s tail wagged and a smile formed across his face. “I’ll give her a show she won’t forget.”
Just as Winter Gem reached over to pat Hat Trick on the back, the front door creaked open, with Wind Whistler and Fleetfeather joining the group soon afterwards.
“Hi everypony!” The small filly ran across room and leapt onto a chair. She tried to hop on to the table towards Barrier, but was held firmly in place by his magic.
“Behave, my dear,” Fleetfeather softly said as she joined the rest at the table. “Now Verdant, you said something about a house meeting?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you.” Verdant nodded before taking a breath. “I found out during today’s cooking class that there’s soon gonna be a bake sale to raise money for the hospital in a couple days.”
“Verdant.” Barrier leaned a bit closer to the younger stallion. “You know we’d be willing to help you, but I worry that some of us would end up setting the kitchen on fire if we tried.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask, sir,” Verdant replied after rolling his eyes. “I remember the souffle incident.”
“And we heard about what happened at Rarity’s place,” Winter Gem added with a giggle, causing the blue unicorn mare to glare at her. “So I know Forge and I aren’t the only bad cooks here.”
“At any rate,” Verdant continued, “a friend of mine from class had their oven die on them and I’d like to know if she could come over to bake some cookies for the sale.”
“Can we have some of the cookies?” Wind Whistler happily hopped in her seat, drawing a small chuckle from Fleetfeather.
“I figure it should be okay.” Barrier shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t really see why you’d really need to ask us to bring your friend over.”
“Well here’s the thing…” Verdant nervously scratched his neck, a bead of sweat ran down his face. “The one I’m asking about… is Erica.”
The green pony’s words drew shocked looks from all the soldiers save for Barrier. Iron Forge’s gaze then hardened into a glare.
“She’s that griffin from your cooking class, right?” Barrier inquired, his question drew a gasp from Wind Whistler who then clung to her mother’s side.
“Yes.” Verdant nodded, causing the filly to shake and tighten her grip. “She told me about having oven issues earlier and I told her I’d check with you to make sure it would be okay for her to bake here.”
“Absolutely not!” Forge exclaimed as he slammed his forelegs onto the table. “What made you think we’d ever let a griffin into this house?!”
“Forge!” Barrier barked at the blue stallion in his ‘captain’ tone. “Sit down.”
The younger pony obeyed while keeping his eyes focused on the green stallion.
“Now, Verdant.” Barrier turned his attention to the stallion in question. “From what I saw, Erica seemed safe to me, but could you please say some things to reassure the others here?”
“Yes, sir.” Verdant nodded before he took a deep breath. “Erica is a very nice hen who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“She’d probably eat it, along with any pony nearby.” Forge muttered, making Verdant meet his hard gaze with one of his own.
“How long have you known her?” Hat Trick asked as he draped a wing over Winter Gem’s back.
“I’d say about…” Verdant paused in thought before he clicked his tongue and answered. “A month and a half or so.”
“How big of a griffin is she?” Swiftsword asked with a tone of calm curiosity.
“I’d say a tiny bit taller than you, but shorter than Barrier,” Verdant answered, stepping away from the table while Hat Trick hummed in contemplation.
“So if worse came to worst, we’d not only outnumber her, but since she’s pretty much guaranteed to be a civilian...” The purple stallion gave his chin a rub before focusing on Verdant. “You’re sure we’ll be safe?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind.” Verdant slowly rounded the table, drawing closer to the blue stallion. “She’s a friendly and peaceful hen with zero combat experience who’s been living here for years, along with her family.”
“In that case, I’d say you’ve got my vote.” Hat Trick smiled as he turned to Winter Gem. “How about you, dear?”
After a pregnant pause, the snowy mare gave a sigh. “I’ll be willing to go along with it, but make no mistake, Verdant.” Winter Gem’s gaze at the green pony was icy as she spoke. “I will be on my guard.”
“I doubt that will be necessary, Winter Gem,” Swiftsword spoke up, drawing the group’s eyes to her. “Should anything happen, I will be there to cut her down before any of us could come to harm. On this, you have my word.”
“Does that mean you’d be willing to let her in, Swift?” Forge inquired as Verdant came up to his side.
“Yes, my friend,” the noble unicorn mare replied with a firm nod. “With Verdant’s word and the way things have changed since our time, I would be willing to allow her in to bake for this charitable event. Though…” She paused to light her horn and raise the dagger up from within her mane. “I will be prepared for the worst, should it come to pass, Forge.”
“Barrier, what do you think?” Fleetfeather looked up to the charcoal stallion, her wing gently patting her child on the withers. “Do you think we’d be safe with her?”
“Trust me, Fleet,” Barrier replied, surprisingly casual to the blue and pink pair. “From what I’ve seen with griffins these days, I’d say she couldn’t hurt us even if she tried.”
“Don’t sweat it, Fleet.” Daring leaned back in her chair, taking a brief break between bites of her sandwich. “There’s tons of nice peaceful griffins these days and none would try the sort of crap that happened in your time.”
“Thank you, Daring.” The one-eyed mare then looked down at her child. “What say you, my dear?”
“I think…” Wind Whistler bit her lip nervously before speaking up. “Maybe we should give her a chance. We do sometimes see griffins on the way home from school or at The Four D’s, so it should be okay.”
“I can’t believe you’re seriously still discussing with this,” Forge grumbled as he pressed a hoof to his forehead. “Why can’t she just use someone else’s oven? Or better yet, use the ovens at the community center?”
“Simple,” Verdant spoke up from beside Forge’s seat. “The others we know will all be busy all day today and tomorrow, so we can’t use their ovens. As for the community center’s ovens, there was a power surge that killed them all. Short Circuit and Nickel Wire were called in while today’s class was cancelled.”
“Oh for Zacherle’s sake!” Forge growled as he pulled his hoof back and slammed it into his forehead once more.
“Forge, I’d hate to do this…” Verdant sighed before he placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “But you remember how I helped save your first date with Snow Sweeper with those chocolates? I even paid for the damages to the table.”
“Aye.” The blue pony sighed exasperatedly before he turned to Verdant, his eyes appearing ever so slightly softer. “You’re certain that whe…if things go badly, we’d be able to stop things before anypony could be hurt?”
“Positively, my friend.” Verdant stood up on his hind legs, drawing closer to his friend.
“Alright.” Forge placed a hoof on Verdant’s shoulder before taking a deep breath. “I’ll allow the griffin in, but should things go wrong-”
“They won’t, Forge. Trust me.” Verdant smiled before he pulled the unicorn into a hug. “Thank you.”
“So we’re in a agreement about Erica coming over?” Barrier asked as his eyes swept across the table.
All the ponies gathered nodded, save for Daring, who waved while taking another bite of her sandwich.
“Glad that’s settled.” Barrier hopped out of his chair. “Anything else, Verdant?”
“Well…” the green pony scratched his foreleg as Barrier drew closer. “There’s just two minor things I wanted to ask from you about this.”
“And those would be?” Forge’s eyebrow climbed in curiosity.
“One is that you all try to be polite to Erica since she’s my friend,” Verdant replied as he started to make his way to the door. “The other is that for the love of Faust, do not mention what happened on Butterfly Island.”
“Yeah yeah, sure.” Barrier waved dismissively at the stallion. “Now I suggest you get going to set things up with her. I’d like to have dinner not too long from now.”
“Yes sir!” Verdant saluted before he darted off. “I shall be back as shortly as I can!” His voice echoed from the front before the door loudly shut behind him.
“Mother,” Wind Whistler gave Fleet’s side a gentle nudge. “What happened on Butterfly Island?”