//------------------------------// // Bonus Chapter - The Orchid Blossom // Story: A Pony Displaced: Homeward // by NoLongerSober //------------------------------// It was a fairly balmy afternoon for the fifteen year old unicorn that was Magic Barrier. He had spent his afternoon in a gorge not far from Canterlot, blasting rocks into dust with his magic. A confident smirk stretched across his face as he walked through his familial estate. Once father allows me to join the guard, the griffins I face will be naught but a red smear upon the ground. “Excuse me, Master Magic Barrier,” one of the Sparkle house’s many maids said as she dusted a vase on a pedestal. “Thy father wishes to speak with thee. He awaits in the study.” “Thank you...” Barrier halted his words as he tried to recall this unicorn maid’s name, but found himself struggling to do so. “Peachy. I shalt see him forthwith.” Once Barrier was out of earshot, the maid let out a sigh of mild annoyance, “That’s not my name, Master,” she cautiously muttered to herself. After a few minutes, Barrier had arrived in the study, where he found his father reading a book in a comfortable chair as an earth pony maid placed a tray of tea and biscuits on the stand beside him.  “Your tea and your son have arrived, Master,” the mare said in a posh, Gallopfreyan accent.  “Thank you, Orchid Blossom.” Magus set his book aside as the mare started to pour a cup of tea for him. “Greetings, Barrier.” “Greetings to you as well, Father,” Barrier replied as he drew closer. “I was told thou wished to speak with me.  “Indeed.” Magus’ horn flared as he picked up the cup and waved the maid away. “I wish to speak to thee about thy combat skills… and how I find them unsatisfactory. Not aided by thy overconfidence.” “Overconfidence, Father?” Barrier let out a chuckle as the maid drew closer, starting to dust some of the shelves. “I wouldst hardly call myself overconfident. Besides, our sparring sessions have shown I’m growing very close to thy level of skill and I’m able to break rocks apart with my magic as if it’s nothing.” “This is a demonstration of what I mean by thy overconfidence. Thou assume thy skills would be adequate for fighting griffins when thine only opponents have only been rocks and an older stallion who was not the greatest fighter, nor trying to hurt thee.” Magus let out a sigh before he set the cup down.  “Barrier, I wish thou would take this more seriously.” Magus stood tall as he rose from the chair. “I do not wish to attend my child’s funeral… not again…” “Father, rest assured, I am fully ready to join the guard and able to handle whatever threat I may face.” Barrier said once more with confidence. In the instant that he blinked, he felt a hard strike to his back before a spinning kick to the face sent him tumbling to the floor.  Barrier tried to rise up and launch a counter attack, only to find himself unable to move his legs. When he opened his eyes, he was stunned to find the maid standing over him with a blade that emerged from her sleeve now pressed against his throat.  “I believe thou said something about being ready to face whatever threat thou may face?” Magus said as he calmly trotted over to the pink mare’s side. “Ran-san, that will be enough.” “Very well, Master,” the violet maned mare said with a much different accent as she rose off of Barrier and retracted her blade back into her sleeve. Before Barrier could ask what was going on, the earth pony picked him up by the shoulders and spun him around before striking him in the back.  “What the~!” Barrier spun around to face the two before realizing that feeling had been restored to his limbs. “Father, what is the meaning of this?!” “Barrier, allow me to introduce thou to Ran Saki,” Magus said as he gestured towards the mare who was giving the younger unicorn a glare with her dark magenta eyes. “She is a warrior who recently struck a deal with me. For the next year, she will be training thee. If she deems thou worthy when the time comes, thou will be allowed to join the guard.” “And how much is he paying you for this?” Barrier grumbled as he glared back at the mare. “One thousand bits and fifty koku of senmai, along with expenses,” she replied as she straightened out the creases in her maid outfit. “Thou are to begin your training with her tomorrow. Understood?” Magus gave Barrier a stern look as he spoke. “Yes father,” Barrier said through gritted teeth before making his way for the door. “Thou shouldst better watch thyself, earth pony. I doubt you could handle my magic.” “Thy magic failed to stop me from paralyzing thee, knocking thee on thy flank and putting a knife to thy throat.” Saki’s dismissive reply made Barrier growl as he walked out into the hall. *** The first light of day started to enter the manor’s windows as Barrier trotted along to the room he and his father used for their training, a book on the subject of hoof-to-hoof combat carried in his magic. When he arrived at the door, Barrier peeked through the keyhole, where he spotted what appeared to be a pony clad in an odd, full covering dark blue clothing.  Cocky earth pony doesn’t even know I’m here. Barrier licked his lips as he silently opened a gap in the door before tossing the book at the back of the pony’s head, sending them tumbling forward. “Ha! Seems Father’s money was well spent!” Barrier barked as he strolled into the room. “What does he think you can teach me—” The unicorn was silenced when a weight came down upon him, forcing him to his belly. Before he could attempt to get to his hooves, he felt a metal ring being placed on his horn and another blade against his throat.  “How to see if it is safe to enter a room, for starters,” Saki whispered into Barrier’s ear before she released her grip on him. “The second would be how to spot the difference between a real pony and a dummy.” Barrier murmured a series of curses as he was dismounted. “Very well. shalt we proceed?” “One technique you should know of is what we in Neighpon call the ‘tanuki gakure no jutsu’.” Moving swiftly, Ran deftly hopped onto a table before jumping above the door frame, stretching her forelegs to the ceiling while the tips of her hind legs firmly remained on the door frame. “Most ponies do not look above a forty-five degree angle. This gives one a blindspot that could be a hindrance or a great help, depending on what you do.” The blue clad mare leapt down, silently landing against the floor.  “And why the need for the blue pajamas?” Barrier’s brow quirked as he looked her over. From what he could tell, there seemed to be some minor bulges, likely hiding weapons or some other supplies. “Thou hast failed to see that my coat blends in with the darkness.” “If thou believes that, thou art truly a fool,” Ran said with a roll of her eyes. “Thy coat may let thee blend in when in a room of pitch darkness, but the slightest light will reveal you.” “So thou says,” Barrier grumbled as the mare took up a combative stance. “Now, attack me. I wish to assess thy skills.” Her footing remained firm, as if she was made of stone. “With pleasure,” Barrier started the motions to charge a magic blast to stun her, but found that his horn didn’t even spark. Before he could process what was happening, Ran was in front him, delivering a powerful blow with her foreleg, knocking him to the ground and leaving him coughing and gasping for air.  “It seems thou represents the worst of unicorns,” Ran said as she walked over to the coughing unicorn. “Thou not only failed to notice the inhibitor ring I had placed upon thy horn, but showed that thou art helpless without thy magic. Had I been a griffin, thou wouldst be dead.” “How didst thou get thy hooves on an inhibitor ring?” Barrier wheezed as he rose to his hooves. “The guard is incredibly strict with them.” “This will be another of the lessons I will be teaching you. Infiltration,” Ran replied as she pulled what looked like an egg from her outfit. “Now, try to attack me once more.” Barrier let out a growl before he charged towards her. When he got close, she tossed the egg towards his face. He turned his face to avoid it striking his eye, but the egg exploded into a black cloud that left his eyes stinging. In the brief period when he couldn’t see, he felt a strike to the back that introduced his snout to the floor once more. “Urgh, what was that?” Barrier grumbled as he lifted himself once more.  “That was a metsubushi bomb. It’s a weapon made from drilling holes in an egg, carefully blowing out the contents, sealing the bottom with wax and paper, and then filling the egg with things such as dirt and pepper.” Ran said as she brought a small basin and a towel to the young stallion. “Thou certainly have a flair for unusual weapons,” Barrier said as he instinctively tried to use magic to grasp for the towel, only to remember the ring kept it from working. With a sigh of annoyance, he picked up the towel with a hoof and began to dampen it. “Tis a necessity when one’s enemies have conquered much of your home region, slaughtered the finest craftsponies and has seized control of a large portion of the region’s food and wealth,” Ran angrily spat. “Oh… My apologies, Miss Saki, I did not know of thy plight,” Barrier said apologetically as he started to dab his face, trying to cleanse it of the stinging. “It’s Miss Ran, in thy tongue.” Ran then let out a stressed sigh.  “Pardon me, but may I ask what brings thee all the way to Canterlot?” Barrier inquired as he set the towel back down. “Neighpon is many leagues away.” Tension held in the air for an elongated moment before Saki pulled off her mask, revealing her previously long flowing mane was now done up in a ponytail. “The ponies of my clan are servants of the Tane clan. We were loyal and dedicated servants to them until…” Ran quickly swallowed before she spoke again. “Until the Dokuro clan from the northern region of Ranma attacked. They had amassed a brutal army that seized control of a large portion of the Tane controlled Kin Hoshi region. Many good ponies were lost in their attacks.” It was then Barrier noticed the faintest trace of water in her eyes.  “My father… My older sister… They were among those lost to the Dokuro.” Suddenly, Ran stood up straight with no trace of tears in her eyes. “Under my mother’s orders, I’ve come to offer my services to a rich pony in order to secure wealth, food and other materials to aid us in turning the tide and restoring the Tane to their position of power.” “Miss Ran… I’m sorry…” Barrier said as he looked away, unable to look her into her piercing eyes. “Had I known, I would not have been so dismissive with thy training.” “Hmm… I accept thy apology, but rest assured that this will not gain thee any mercy in my training.”  “I understand,” Barrier replied as he stood at attention. “What shalt be the next part of thy training?” *** Midnight had come and passed Barrier found himself now in a similar dark blue outfit as Ran. The two silently stood a few feet apart from each other in the training room, the moon the only source of light within the room. “Now, this will be a minor test of thy infiltration ability,” Ran quietly said. “Your task is simple: I have slipped a bell into the apron of one of the manor’s maids. Thy task is to locate the maid and retrieve the bell without her notice or the use of magic. Understood?” “I assume we shalt be using the honor system, based on my lack of a horn ring?” Barrier asked as he found himself struggling with the lack of light.  “Hardly.” For a brief instant, Barrier thought he spotted a smile from behind her mask. “I shalt be following thee. If thou fails, thou shalt be punished.” “Very well, but I have some doubt that a maid would fail to notice…” In the moment he blinked, Ran had seemed to vanish into the darkness. Looking about, he spotted no trace of her. “It seems I have much to learn after all…” Barrier whispered to himself before he slunk out of the room.  His movements were quick, yet quiet and carefully plotted. He made sure he was always concealed either by shadows or behind something.  After nearly an half hour of sneaking past the staff as they went about their nightly duties, his ears pricked up at the faint sound of jingling. Creeping around a corner to find the source, Barrier saw one of the maids was polishing the frame of one of the paintings his mother liked to create in her spare time. As she finished up and started down the hallway, Barrier realized his time had come. With a silent swallow, he stepped forward. The moonlight making his target’s white coat practically gleam in the darkness. As she hummed to herself, she stood on her hindlegs, applying another layer of polish to the frame. Crawling low to the ground, Barrier moved silently until he was practically under the mare’s nose. When she reached to touch a higher part of the frame, Barrier lifted his foreleg up and started to carefully slip it into the apron’s pouch.  Careful… Careful… Barrier felt sweat forming on his brow as he tried to feel around for the bell without alerting her. He felt bits of cloth and a few other small objects until he felt his hoof touch something round, light and metallic. Gotcha! A grin was concealed by the mask as he started to pull his hoof and the bell back. The hoof moved slowly as he pulled the bell, as if it may explode with one false move. A jingle rang. Though rather quiet, it was enough to shatter the silence and catch the maid’s ear over her humming. Barrier felt his blood run cold before in seemingly an instant, he felt himself being pulled back into the darkness, his hoof letting go of the bell. Even if he dared to make a noise, he found a strong foreleg was now clamped down over his muzzle. Looking down, the maid spotted nothing in the dark, but realized the source of the sound came from her pouch. Reaching in, she soon fished out a small, jingling silver bobble.  “A bell?” She was utterly perplexed by the tiny orb that shined in the moonlight. “Did I grab the wrong uniform again?” With a sigh and a shake of her head, she stowed the bell away before heading down the hallway to continue her nightly duties. Once the maid was out of earshot, a whisper reached Barrier’s ear. “Thou hast failed.” The grip holding him in place loosened. Deftly spinning about, he made out the vague shape of Ran in the darkness.  “We have a long way to go before thou art ready for the guard, Barrier.” She spoke as she slipped back into the darkness. “We shalt continue in the morning.” *** The months seemed to blur together as Barrier trained under Ran. Her tutelage had helped him make tremendous leaps and bounds in his training under her.  Over time, both fondness and attraction began to build between the two ponies. What started as simple chats after training had soon escalated to affectionately laying against each other, teasing one another with their bodies and the occasional quick nuzzle. Eventually, Barrier’s sixteenth birthday had come. With this, Magus Stone had ordered that Ran was to give Barrier a test to see if he had improved his skills enough to pass Ran and his own strict standards to join the guard. Within the family’s training room would be where the test shall take place. When Magus entered, the room was nearly pitch black, save for the single candle that stood before a waiting Ran Saki. “Good evening, Master Magus,” Ran said, respectfully putting her hooves together. “We are ready to begin the test.” “And how will thou be doing so, Ran?” Magus asked as he sat down in front of the young mare.  “The test is simple, yet difficult. Barrier has to put out the candle without revealing himself or being caught.” Ran took a calm breath before taking a stretch. “Now, we begin.” Several moments seemed to pass in near total silence, save for Magus and Ran’s breathing.  “Is he even here?” Magus whispered, but Ran merely shushed him.  More time passed as the two stood before the candle. Magus started to worry that the test was a joke when the silence was shattered by the sound of something impacting the floor. In an instant, Ran threw her foreleg out. Magus thought he saw something slip from her sleeve, but couldn’t make it out before the light of the candle was snuffed out.  A light chuckle came from Ran. “Congratulations, Barrier. Thou has passed my test.” Magus’s horn flared brightly, revealing his son in the inky blackness. The stallion sported a dark blue uniform and there was a blade a stone's throw from the now extinguished candle. “If thou art here, then what caused the noise?” Magus asked in surprise, to which Barrier raised up a piece of string. Giving the line a hard pull, Barrier pulled a sizable book that now had several sharp needles embedded in it. “I believe he is now qualified enough to enter the guard, Master Magus,” Ran said as she stood up. “However, should you wish for him to receive additional training, I can continue to teach him.” “I believe we will,” Magus said before letting out a sigh. “Still, I do believe thou art skilled enough to begin entering into guard training.” “Thank you, Father,” Barrier said as he gave a bow. “Rest assured, I shalt make thee and our family name proud.” “Thy survival is a greater concern, my son.” Magus said as he turned about. “Still, thou hast done well.” *** A few days later, Barrier was standing in line with a large collection of ponies standing at attention, waiting for the instructor to arrive. This would be the physical fitness test to see who would be capable of entering the royal guard as cadets. Barrier’s muscles tensed in anticipation, taking a deep breath.  “Calm thyself, my friend,” a pony beside Barrier said. It was a gamboge pegasus stallion with a two-tone blue mane. “Stress may cause thee to falter.” “And what makes thee such an expert?” Barrier gave a raised eyebrow to the pegasus, who then gave a chuckle.  “My mate is in the guard already.” A cocky smirk crossed his features. “She hast helped train me and given me a great deal of advice.” “Well, let us hope this shalt be enough Mr…” “Flash Sentry,” the pegasus held out a hoof to the charcoal unicorn. After a moment, he took his hoof and shook it.  “Magic Barrier,” he said as a large pegasus approached the gathering.  “Attention!” The imposing stallion barked, silencing everypony in the vicinity and making them stand at attention. “I am Lieutenant Blitzwing, and I will be the one to see if thou art worthy to join the ranks of the guard, or if thou are only good for griffin bait.” Barrier and Flash could hear several ponies near them trembling as Blitzwing looked them over, the stallion's hard gaze seeking out weakness like a bloodhound. “Now, prepare thyselves for an intensive, grueling, eight hour elimination course to weed the weak from the strong,” Blitzwing stopped at one pony and gave them a sharp glare. “Dost thou think thou hast what it takes to survive, maggot?!” The stallion he questioned let out a loud, “EEP!” before falling to their side like a fainting goat, drawing an aggravated sigh from Blitzwing while some ponies chuckled. “SILENCE!” Blitzwing commanded with a volume not normally heard outside the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Leave this failure behind. We shalt begin the elimination course immediately. Now, follow me!” “We can do this,” Barrier heard Flash muttering to himself as everypony started to fall along Blitzwing’s lead. “I know we can, Flash Sentry,” Barrier reassuringly said, making the pegasus smile. “I know we can.” *** Barrier’s limbs felt as if they were on fire as he and Flash finished the final lap through the course. He could barely stand as he took his place by the others who succeeded enduring the course that he was now certain was crafted by demons. Many of those who succeeded were now gasping from exhaustion or unconscious.  Across from them was a large collection of those who had failed the course. While some looked to be in moderately better states than the victors, they all had shame clearly plastered across their faces. “Well done, new cadets,” Blitzwing proudly said as he looked over the victorious ponies. “Thou hast done well in proving thyselves worthy of entering the royal guard.” His proud face soon turned into a harsh glare as he faced the failures who knew what was coming.  “As for thou, thou hath brought great shame to all thy families,” He snarled at the ponies who either winced or became teary eyed at his words. “Perhaps if thou returns next year, thou can atone by no longer being something fit only to be a griffin’s meal.” “For the victors,” Blitzwing once more pulled an about face, “return to thy homes. Thou hast earned a good rest. In three days at noon, thou shalt be assigned to the barracks thou will be sleeping in for the rest of thy days as cadets. Until then, dismissed.” It took nearly an hour for Barrier to return home, despite the fact his home wasn’t exceptionally far.  “Wait, Barrier!” A tired voice made Barrier’s ears stand at attention. Straining to turn his neck, he saw that Flash Sentry was flying towards him. “I wished to speak with thee.” “What for, Flash?” Barrier’s brow quirked as the pegasus landed beside him.  “Some friends of mine will be meeting at a tavern called The Grape Vine to celebrate joining the guard. Wouldst thou wish to join us?” Flash offered the warmest smile he could, despite the fact that every part of his body was clearly aching. “Unfortunately, I must return to inform my father of my performance,” Barrier apologetically replied. “Besides, right now, I wish to merely collapse on my bed and sleep until the pain goes away.” “Very well,” Flash warmly smiled once more before weakly patting Barrier on the back. “I hope thou hast a pleasant night.” “And I wish the same to thee, Flash,” Barrier returned the kind smile. “Fare thee well.” After what felt like an hour, despite the briefness of the walk, Barrier had entered his father’s study, where he and Ran were awaiting him. “Didst thou succeed?” Magus bluntly inquired as he saw his son's legs shaking like reeds in the wind. “Yes sir,” Barrier answered as Ran darted to his side, helping to hold the unicorn up. “Hmm… Very well,” Magus said, rising from his seat. “Thou art to continue to train with Ran every day after thy guard training and duties are fulfilled. Understood?” “Yes, Father.” Barrier barely had any energy left and it was all he could do to nod his head while speaking.  “Ran, please take my son to his chambers. I will have his dinner sent up to him.” Magus strolled past the pair, plucking a book from the many shelves that lined the room. “Yes, Master,” Ran said before bowing. She then grabbed Barrier from around his belly before tossing him onto her back.  Barrier was too exhausted to wait for his bed, falling asleep on Ran’s back. *** The final days that Barrier would be sleeping at home quickly passed, with him mostly spending his time with Ran. They would either spar, talk or simply hold each other, enjoying their close company. On the last night, Barrier retired to his bedchamber early, hoping to get a fresh start for tomorrow. When he shut the door behind him, he was surprised to see the pink earth pony had followed him inside. “Ran, what are you doing here?” Barrier whispered as he noticed Ran wasn’t wearing her training clothes or maid uniform. For the first time, Barrier was taking in every detail of her body. From her toned muscles, to her soft coat which hid the occasional battle scar, to her rather well formed plot that bore the image of a four-pointed shuriken upon it. “I was thinking, Barrier,” she spoke softly as she drew closer. In the darkness, he could see the pink on her cheeks was ever so slightly redder than usual. “This may be the last night we have together like this for a long time. This led me to wondering something.” “And what would that be?” Barrier tilted his head before Ran gently placed her hoof upon his cheek. “Barrier… dost thou wish to begin thy first day in the guard as a colt…” Ran’s face grew a deeper crimson. “Or a stallion?” The obsidian unicorn’s coat suddenly matched Ran’s pink.  “Thou mean a great deal to me, Barrier.” Ran looked away as she stroked his face. “I would like to spend the night with thee, if thou wishes.” “Ran…” Barrier whispered as he placed his hoof upon hers. “I’d love to.” The two ponies nervously leaned closer to each other until finally, their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss. Barrier felt a warmth blossoming in his chest as the kiss grew even deeper. What would come next… was less than glorious. Little over a minute later, Ran had left the room while muttering a series of foreign curses that almost made Barrier wish he’d not taken to learning her native tongue. Suffice to say, the stallion was feeling a deep shame as well as now nursing what was sure to become a black eye. To make matters worse, shortly after Ran had left, an older violet coated mare came to a halt at Barrier’s door. Looking between the two ponies and noticing the smell coming from Barrier’s room, she quickly realized what had happened and shook her head in amusement. “Well, at least thy father has one less thing to worry about,” she said before a quiet chuckle escaped her. Barrier groaned as he buried his face in his hooves. “Faust curse it, Mother!” *** The next day, Barrier found himself doing push-ups alongside Flash.  “Tis rather surprising…” Flash said between pushes. “That the black in the eye still manages to stand out from thy coat. Might I ask how you got it?” “I’d rather not talk about it.” Barrier faced away from Flash, hoping that he’d not see the pink tinge on his cheeks. The pegasus merely gave a chuckle. “Thou spent a night with a mare and performed rather poorly. Possibly even failing to withdraw thy sword from her scabbard.” Barrier stumbled, landing face in the grass. “W-w-what? How didst-” More chuckling came from Flash before he responded. “Thou art not the first stallion to have such incidents, my friend. Might I ask who is… well, I could not say lucky mare, now could I?” Barrier’s eye twitched as he let out a growl. “If thou must pry, her name is Ran Saki. She is a mare my father hired to train me to be a better fighter.” “Well, with a name like Ransacky, I can see why she’d be such a good fighter.” Flash replied. “Still, what happened is something that happens to nearly every stallion at some point. If thou wishes, I could provide thee some advice.” “While the thought is appreciated, I’d rather handle this myself,” Barrier spat back as he continued to push. “At any rate, may we please change the subject?” Flash gave a nod. “Very well. Hast thou ever tried a thing called a Hollow Shades Phantom Pepper?” *** After his training ended and he’d kept his muzzle in a bucket of water for twenty minutes courtesy of his poor decision-making, Barrier returned to the manor, where he found Ran practicing her kata in the backyard. “Oh… Good afternoon, Barrier,” Ran halted as she spotted him approaching. “Good afternoon, Ran,” Barrier said before awkwardly rubbing his foreleg. “I’d… um… I’d like to apologize for my… well, rather dismal performance last night.” “Well, thou are not the only one who should apologize.” Ran ashamedly replied. “I should not have struck thee for thy performance. I panicked, fearing thou wouldst impregnate me.” Barrier shuddered at her words. “Aye… Sorry for that.” Ran sighed as she drew closer. “At any rate, I should be safe. So, art thou ready for practice?” “Very well,” Barrier said with a nod. “What shalt we practice today?” “Well, I believe that we should practice working on the crafting of field medicine,” Ran said before a smirk crossed her features. “Then, perhaps later tonight we shalt practice on thy skill withdrawing a sword from a scabbard.” She then gave him a wink that caused his coat to match hers. *** Two months passed as Barrier trained in both the guard and under Ran. His skills grew sharper every day due to the combined tutelage. One day, when Barrier returned home to begin training, he found himself stunned when he found bo shuriken being tossed at his face the instant he’d opened the door to the training room. Rolling to the side, Barrier raised a shield as he charged towards a pegasus garbed in dark blue clothes similar to Ran’s training clothes. Before either of the two could move further to strike each other, Ran suddenly appeared, leaping between the pair and her forelegs held out, making both freeze in place. “Ame-chan,” Ran barked at the interloper. “Naze anata wa Kantarotto ni imasu ka?” From what Neighponese he’d managed to learn, Barrier realized that Ran appeared to know who this mare was, yet wondered why she was in Canterlot. “Ran-dono,” the mare said as she pulled down her mask, revealing a sky blue coated pegasus with a messy mane that had the color of light clouds. “Atashi wa anata no kazoku o osotta osoroshī fukō ni tsuite anata ni hanasu tame ni koko ni kimashita.” “Ran,” Barrier nervously spoke up, wondering what this ‘terrible misfortune’ the mare had to deliver was. “Who is this mare?” Ran let out a sigh as she lowered her forelegs. “Barrier, this is my good friend and fellow servant of the Tane, Arashi Ame. Ame-chan, Majikku Baria desu. Kare wa kōkina yunikōn no Supākuru hausu no sōzokujindesu.” “Ran-dono,” Ame took a deep breath before speaking Equish with a thick Neighponese accent. “We need to return home. Your mother has passed due to sickness.” “K...Kaa-san…” Ran looked as if a ton and a half of bricks had been dropped on her shoulders.  “Gomen-nasai, Ran-dono,” Ame sadly said as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “We need to return to Neighpon as soon as possible. You are the new head of the Ran clan.” “I see…” Ran solemnly said before Barrier gave her a tight hug. “I will inform Master Magus immediately so he can prepare our payment and supplies.” “I’m so sorry, Ran,” Barrier whispered as his grip on her tightened. “Thank you, Barrier,” the pink coated mare quietly replied as she slipped out of his grip, headed for the door. “Still, I will prepare to leave as soon as possible.” “I understand,” Barrier said as she left. It was then he was taken aback by Ame suddenly appearing in front of him. “What is your relationship with Ran-dono?” She asked as she looked the stallion over, seeming to scrutinize his every detail.  “My father hired her to teach me to improve my combat skills. She has done so by leaps and bounds.” Barrier replied and turned to leave, but the pegasus stepped in front of him, halting his departure. She was unsatisfied with his answer. With a grumble, Barrier started once more. “Fine. If thou must know, she and I have also become heavily… involved over time.” The inflection was clear. “Is this answer satisfactory?” “Hmm… yes…” Ame slowly said before she found herself being firmly held in place by magic. “Good. Now, if thou dost not mind,” Barrier’s magic lifted her partially off the ground before setting her off to the side. “There’s something in town I must check on.” *** In a few short days, the food and supplies that Ran had worked for had been gathered. She and Ame would take this caravan of goods to a transport ship in Las Pegasus. The night before the two were to leave, Barrier had asked to speak to Ran in the training room.  The normally dark room was alight with many candles and moonlight as Ran made her way into the room, where she saw Barrier standing in front of a long wooden box. “Good evening, Ran,” Barrier said as the earth pony drew closer. “Since this may be the last time I ever see you, I wanted to give you a present.” “A present?” Ran’s brow rose as Barrier’s magic gently carried the box before laying it at her hooves. Curious, she slowly lifted the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. Within the box was a katana with a finely lacquered sheath. Taking the sword from the box and unsheathing it, she saw it had been expertly crafted. Given her strength as an earth pony, it would likely slice an opponent in twain. “To my understanding, ponies in thy profession would not typically be able to get their hooves on such a weapon,” Barrier said as she put the sword back in the scabbard. “I tried to find as much information as I could on Neighponese swords and commissioned the best smith I could to make this sword months ago. There’s also a hidden compartment in the bottom. If thou unscrews the bottom, thou could hide things like messages, medicines or some other small things inside.” “I… Thank you, Barrier.” A small glint of water appeared in her eyes, though she was quick to wipe it away. “I greatly appreciate this fine weapon.” “I’m glad you do, Ran,” Barrier replied.  “Barrier,” she said as she closed the case. “Could you please call me by my given name?” The charcoal stallion walked closer before giving her a gentle nuzzle. “Of course, Saki.” “Thank you.” A heat came to her face as she returned the nuzzle. When the nuzzling concluded, she pulled back and reached into her saddlebags. “I have something for thee as well.” “Oh?” Barrier was rather surprised by what Saki had said and even more so as she pulled out a hoof-sized silver object.  “I noticed thou likes to drink on occasion with thy fellow guards when not training. I believe thou wouldst enjoy having this.” She grabbed one of his forelegs before placing the silver object in his hoof. Looking down, Barrier saw that what she had given him was a silver flask with the image of his cutie mark etched into it. “I am amazed, dear,” Barrier said before wiping any trace of forming tears from his eyes. “Thank you.” “Now,” Saki started as she pulled back and looked to a darker part of the room, “what didst thou wish to ask, Ame?” From the shadows, the pegasus quietly stepped out. “Ran-dono, Barrier-san. Because this is the last night we may have together, I believe it should be made extraordinarily special.” “In what regard?” Barrier asked, his gaze noticing an odd sway in Ame’s thighs and tail. “I have never known the touch of a stallion and you have said that you and Ran-dono are lovers,” Ame said as she came to a halt between the two. “Perhaps all three of us could spend this night together?” Barrier and Saki looked to each other after hearing Ame’s surprising proposal. What would happen next was glorious. *** Dawn was barely breaking as Ame hung in the sky above the caravan that was about to depart. Barrier and Saki were standing near the front as the last of the carriages were getting ready to leave. “I wish thou could stay, Saki. Or that I could accompany thee,” Barrier sadly said to the pink earth pony who was now wearing her mane down like the day he had first met her. “Still, we both have our duties.” “Yes, we do,” Ran glumly said before giving the unicorn a kiss on the lips. “I hope we may see each other again, though I have strong doubts we will.” “As do I, I fear,” Barrier said before placing one last kiss of his own on Saki’s lips. “Farewell, Ran Saki. I love you.” A sad smile came across her face before she leapt onto the top of one of the carriages. “Sayonara, Magic Barrier. Daisuki.” The many carriages started to pull away. Barrier stood stock still for nearly an hour as he watched them travel along the long road before disappearing from sight.  When the last of the carriages could no longer be seen, Barrier swallowed heavily as he let the tears flow down his face. It took quite some time before he’d sufficiently calmed down and wearily made his way to the training grounds. Upon seeing the redness in his friend’s eyes, Flash silently gave his companion a hug before offering to take him to the Grape Vine. Glumly, Barrier accepted with the hope that some sort of drink would numb both the new feeling of emptiness as well as the pain he felt. That night, as he slipped into his bunk in the barracks, a single thought crossed his mind before darkness and sleep took him. Faust and Zacherle be with you, Saki. My love.