//------------------------------// // Chapter 30 - Fun & Games (Part 2) // Story: A Pony Displaced: Homeward // by NoLongerSober //------------------------------// “Are they done yet?” Shutterbug asked Barrier as she tugged on his hind leg. “Shutterbug, I only just poured the batter in,” Barrier replied and sighed. “I’ll bring the pancakes over when they’re are done, and then we’ll pretend you all never saw that movie.” “Trust me, Shutterbug,” Wind Whistler spoke up from the living room. “Uncle Barrier makes the bestest pancakes in all of Equestria!” “I can hardly wait!” Dawn piped up while Melony fidgeted by the projector. “Since the pancakes will be a bit,” Fleet softly said while she gently nudged the filly away. “How about we put on that other movie that Melony brought along?” “Yeah! Movie time!” The small unicorn was off in a flash towards the living room as Fleet followed along and the fillies started to chatter. A few moments passed before the voices fell silent. The only noise that remained was the sizzle of the skillet, the whirring of a projector and the gentle flutter of Fleet’s feathers, all of which were captured by Barriers ears. “It’s moments like this that make me pity parents everywhere,” Barrier said without taking his eyes off the cooking batter. “That, and maybe wanting to take a shot or two.” “Trust me, Barrier. This is nothing compared to what you’ll probably have to deal with in a few years,” Fleet said as she drew closer, a knowing smirk across her muzzle. “And that would be?” The stallion’s eyebrow rose as he pried his eyes away from the pan. “When Wind Whistler has her first heat,” Fleet answered as she slung a foreleg over his shoulders. She chuckled darkly as Barrier snorted. “It won’t be that bad.” Barrier shrugged and turned back to face the stove. “I’ve faced a dragon, killer griffins, undead, an evil alicorn and a necromancer. How bad could it be?” Fleet held her sides as she broke down into laughter and rolled upon the floor. After she managed to get a hold of herself, she slowly rose and replied. “Barrier, I honestly think I’d prefer to fight dragons or griffins again instead of having to deal with another filly’s first heat. Skydancer was so crazed, she was literally bouncing off the walls.” “I think I remember you mentioning the repair bill from that,” The stallion responded as he flipped the pancake. “Besides, even if I have to take care of that, you’ll be around to help.” “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Fleet teased as she leaned against a chair. “My weather schedule could have me away then. Who knows? It’s entirely possible that I may end up on some major weather assignment that keeps me away for days.” “Well, I know what nightmares Luna will have to deal with tonight.” Barrier rolled his eyes as he set the golden-brown treat onto a plate. “Well, I’m going to watch the movie with the girls,” Fleet said as she turned away. “You might want to stick around for it. It might be fun.” “I doubt it,” Barrier replied as he poured more batter onto the skillet. “How good can a movie about a giant fish fighting a giant pig be any good?” “Good, I’m not sure.” Fleet came to a halt by the kitchen’s entrance. “Entertaining, on the other hoof…” She strolled away, leaving Barrier to focus on the food. Can’t say that this is how I expected my night to go…. Barrier watched closely as the edges  of the batter start to cook. Not looking forward to having to chat with those kids’ parents about this. That’ll be worse than dealing with youngsters pigging out on junk food, playing games and watching shows. Time seemed to drag on for Barrier as the single pancake turned into a quartet for stacks. Gathering up the plates of food in his magic, Barrier headed off into the living room where he saw the fillies eyes locked onto the moving images of two ponies in monster costumes smacking each other around. It’ll be nice when my kids are back. At the very least I don’t have to watch over them when stuff like this happens… *** At Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops, and Sweets, Verdant watched as Strawberry speedily supplied the tray before him with sodas and sweet treats. “Hmm…” The stallion scratched his chin as he pondered. “A pony inside a cake?” “Yeah!” Strawberry merrily replied as she placed the last of the quartet’s order on the tray. “I’ve had quite a few mares order cakes like that for parties.” “I’ll be sure to remember that,” Verdant replied as he placed a hoofful of bits on the counter and picked up the tray with his mouth. “Thnnk oo!” he said with his mouthful before trotting over to a nearby table, where his friends were having a merry laugh. “Man, this has been a great night, guys,” Snow spoke up as he stretched a foreleg around Forge’s shoulder. “Especially with you here, Hot Stuff.” He smiled as he nuzzled the blue unicorn. “I had a great time too, my little…um...” Forge paused to ponder, clicking his tongue. “Snowball.” Snow snorted and chuckled as he pulled away from his boyfriend. “"Forge, there's something you may want to know." He leaned closer and whispered into the unicorn’s ear, making his dark blue coat become a bright red. “Oh… I… Oh Faust…” Forge buried his head into his hooves as Snow laughed once more. “I really like you, Forge, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that sort of thing yet.” He gave Forge a nudge and a wink before reaching for his soda float. “Well, at any rate, it was pretty good to hang out and relax with you guys.” “It’s been a blast, Snow,” Hatty replied as he pulled his banana split over. “We’ll probably have to do something like this again someday.” “I’d be glad to do so, Hatty,” Snow said between sips. “Say guys, anything planned soon?” “Well,” Forge paused as his horn glowed and pulled his lemon custard tarts over. “I’m not sure. I’m just hoping that one of those blacksmithing places will tell me they’re interested in me.” “Didn’t those royal backsmith guys say they were interested in you?” Hatty asked before licking some whipped cream off his snout, drawing a sigh from his friend. “Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding.” The unicorn spoke through some of the tart before swallowing. “Turns out they were a group of singers called The Royal Blacksmiths.” “Well I’m sure you’ll get a smithing job soon, Forge,” Verdant said between sips of his strawberry soda float, making the cobalt stallion smile. “Thanks, Verdant. How about you?” Forge leaned back before having another bite. “Any plans besides with… her.” “Well, outside of that, I’m going to check back at the Pretty Petals flower shop tomorrow.” Verdant paused to take another quick sip. “Plus I still have cooking classes, along with some Neighponese lessons I’ve been taking.” “Puh-lease,” Hatty snorted. “If you want to learn Neighponese, you should have just asked me.” The purple pegasus puffed out his chest. “My grandparents were Neighponese, so I could easily teach you what I picked up.” He dramatically cleared his throat before puffing out his chest even more. “Watashi wa Hato Toriku. Ore wa ichiban dai chinpoko.” Verdant rolled his eyes at his friend’s words. “Murasakiiroi baka.” He sighed before taking another sip of his soda. “Arigato!” Hatty beamed and nodded before going back to his ice cream. “Huh.” Snow tilted his head. “Any reason why you’re doing that?” “Simple,” Verdant answered with a slight shrug. “The Equestrian publisher for some manga I like just went belly up, so I figure it’s easier and quicker to learn Neighponese and import the books instead of waiting for another company to pick up the rights to them.” “Fair enough,” Forge replied as he took another bite of his treat. “How about you, Hatty?” “Well tomorrow, I’m going to perform for Fiesta Flair,” he replied before taking a deep breath. “Here’s hoping it’s good enough for her.” “Look on the bright side, Hatty.” Snow waved casually. “You had a pretty good time and were able to blow off some steam.” His voice then lowered to a mutter. “Especially after you flipped my damn table when you lost.” “Yeah, that did help.” Hatty nodded with a small smile. “Thanks for tonight guys.” “Think nothing of it, man.” Snow stretched in his seat once more. “We all had a great time tonight, and that’s what really matters right now.” “Well we wouldn't have had it if it weren’t for you, Snow.” Verdant lifted his glass clicking it against the grey pony’s glass. “Cheers!” “Thanks, guys.” He leaned against Forge and lifted his glass. “To tonight. Let there be many more like this!” “Hear, hear!” The trio called as they clinked their glass and bowls against Snow’s, smiles shared amongst the four. *** “Order up!” Drumstick’s call disrupted the chatter amongst the four for a brief moment as she placed the tray of food on the table. “Bon appetit, girls.” “Thank you, Mrs. Drumstick.” Swift bowed in her seat and pulled her slice of meat lover’s pizza closer while Winter dove into a bowl of popcorn chicken and potato wedges. “That match was awesome!” Winter exclaimed with a mouthful of food, thankfully not spraying it all over Erica and Snowy. The earth pony swallowed, barely giving a moment of pause. “Just when you think Tiger’s got Blitz on the ropes, she broke out, sent her flying into the center of the ring and then came down on her hard with the Banana Slamma!” “Glad you liked it, Gem,” Erica replied as she picked up a saucy boneless wing. “Not really my cup of tea, but it was pretty fun.” She then bit the meaty treat in half, drawing a shudder from Snowy. “I honestly don’t get how you girls can eat stuff like that so easily,” Snowy spoke up, pulling a salad off the tray. “I mean fish is one thing, but that’s stuff like birds and pigs.” Erica shrugged and swallowed. “I’m a griffin and we’re a primarily meat eating species. Heck, I’m pretty sure meat was in the first meal my mom gave me as a cub.” “I know, and that’s fine, but you two…” Snow pointed across the table, her hoof shifting from the merrily munching mare and the unicorn delicately taking a bite of pizza. “It doesn’t make a lick of sense to me.” “Eh cuns…” Winter started before realizing her faux pax and giving a hard swallow. “It comes with the territory when you’re training to be a guard. You’re taught how to survive on all sorts of stuff, and that includes things like eating meat and such.” “Verily,” Swift spoke up, wiping her lip with a levitating napkin and setting down her slice. “One of the things we practiced when we were training on Butterfly Island was to hunt prey and handle eating meat. It took some time, but we adjusted to eating things such as boar, quail, and even rabbit.” “What?!” Erica gasped as a look of horror came across her and Snowy’s faces. “How could you do that?! Bunnies are adorable little things that and so cute and cuddly and--” “And they go well in a stew,” Swift said before taking a light sip of her soda, causing the griffin to slap her talons over her eyes and groan. “Ugh… sounds like you and my mom would get along swimmingly.” Erica sighed before tossing back another boneless wing. “I think I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that so I can enjoy my salad,” Snowy spoke up before diving into the pile of leafy greens and croutons. “May I please have everypony’s attention?” Drumstick called out from the kitchen’s entrance. “In five minutes, we will be holding an eating competition involving some hot peppers we’ve recently imported from the Crystal Empire. The winner will have their meal tonight for free. The rest will have the price of their peppers added to their bills. We’ll be going around to register volunteers shortly, so if you want to try, be sure to tell us.” “Hmm…” Winter hummed as she tapped her hooves against the table. “Wanna take a stab at this? Could be fun.” “I should warn you two that I’m pretty sure I know what kind of peppers these are,” Swiftsword said before shuddering. “I was barely able to handle five of those things.” “Eh…” Erica scratched the back of her neck. “What the heck, I’m in. I have a hunch about what they are and kinda doubt they’re as bad as Verdant said they were.” “Prepare to lose, Swift,” Winter said smugly as she stretched back in her seat. “I may have botched the imperial initiation, but I’m not losing this time.” “You sure about that, filly?” Snowy cockily smirked and leaned across the table. “I love spicy food. I like to put Phantom Pepper sauce on my waffles in the morning. There’s no way you’re beating me.” “The both of you are wrong!” Swift slammed a hoof onto the table. “I have had more of those peppers than anyone here. If anyone’s going to win this challenge, it’s me!” Erica sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m probably gonna order some booze if my throat’s not burning after this.” *** As the midnight hour drew near, Barrier quietly crept through the living room, checking on the sleeping fillies. After making sure they were all comfortable, Barrier turned to leave the room, only to be halted as the sleeping form of Dawn latched onto his foreleg. Honestly, when these little kids aren’t running around, screaming, making a mess, devouring food faster than I can make it, they’re actually kinda cute. Barrier gave a contented sigh as the thestral filly had started to rub her head on his leg. Almost makes it seem like it would be nice to raise one of my own some— The charcoal unicorn was snapped from his thoughts as the young filly bit down on his leg hard enough to break the skin. Barrier covered his mouth to try and silence the surprised hiss, but the light noise was enough to rouse Shutterbug from her slumber. “Huh? What’s going on—” The unicorn filly was silenced by the image in the moonlight, of her thestral friend biting down on Barrier’s leg, along with the small trail of blood coming from the wound. Her pupils shrank in horror as she came to what she thought was the only logical reason for what she saw. “Aaaaaahhhh! Dawn’s a vampony!” Her screams echoed throughout the house and awoke her friends. The four fillies all joined in screaming alongside her as they all ran about. And not only scratch that thought, but slit its throat and toss its body in a sewer. Barrier rolled his eyes as the yells continued. “Girls, calm down and—” He attempted to grab the children’s attention, but it was futile as they all ran about. “Alright, that’s it!” he exclaimed, stomping his hoof as he lit his horn. In a matter of seconds, he had pulled Melony out from under a couch, Shutterbug from the top of a bookshelf and Wind Whistler from one of the kitchen cupboards. “Girls, calm down!” Barrier commanded before taking a slow breath, hoping to calm himself and the fillies down. “We’re not in any danger and Dawn’s not a vampony. It was all just a…” He paused, realizing somepony was missing. “Girls, where did Dawn-” The stallion was interrupted by the sound of the front door being slammed open, followed by some echoed shouts. “I’M A VAMPONY! I’M A VAMPONY! I’M A VAMPONY!” Barrier could only groan as Fleetfeather flew down the stairs. She started to make her way out the door, when she saw the thestral filly struggling in a field of orange light, still shouting her terrified mantra. “I guess things turned out a bit more hectic than we expected,” Forge said as he and his male housemates made their way into the house. Barrier could only sigh as the three and Fleet entered the room, Fleet pulling Wind Whistler into a comforting hug. “It’s okay, my dear,” she whispered before nuzzling her daughter’s mane. She looked up and addressed the foals. “It’s all okay. None of you are vamponies.” She gently stroked Dawn’s mane as Forge set her down. The sniffling filly slowly started to calm down before Wind Whistler pulled her into a hug. “Sorry about all that, Mr. Barrier,” Shutterbug said, drawing Barrier back to the floating filly. “I didn’t mean to scare us over all that.” “That’s okay.” Barrier sighed as he lowered the two to the ground. “At least you didn’t break anything.” “Ith eberehthin ohay?” A voice came from the entrance. The others looked and saw it was  Swiftsword. She and Winter Gem panted and held out their tongues in agony. “Weh har skweemin.” “It’s fine,” Barrier muttered. “Hope you all had a good night. Let’s just get to bed.” Barrier started to move away, but he felt another tugging on his foreleg. Looking down, he saw the green filly, a blush visible on her face, even in the darkness. “What’s wrong, Melony?” “Um… Mr. Barrier… when we were running around, I got really scared and…” The youngster’s blush grew brighter and a few tears formed in her eyes. “I… made a mess… and need a towel.” “Of course you did...” Barrier groaned and slapped a hoof against his forehead. “I’ll get you a towel and then I’m getting myself a bucket of whiskey.” “Don’t you mean a bottle?” Fleet asked, cocking her head to the side. “I know what I said, Fleet.”