The early morning light struck Barrier’s eyes, waking the stallion from his slumber. His muscles were still tired and heavy, despite how much he had slept.
Guess that trip yesterday took more out of me than I thought. Not as young as I was. He rolled his shoulders before pulling himself from his bed.
As he made his way towards the bedroom door, he caught a familiar, heavy scent, but in his early morning haze, he couldn’t place it.
Closing his eyes and yawning, he nosed his way past his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway towards the kitchen.
“Morning everypony,” he yawned as he drew closer, his eyes still sealed as he navigated by muscle memory. “So, Verdant. What are you cook—”
Barrier paused as he felt his hoof touch something. It was a warm and sticky liquid. The sensation made the stallion’s mind kick into high gear and immediately realize what the smell was.
Blood.
His eyes shot open and he was met with a sight that made him stumble back into the hallway.
The assembly of ponies in the kitchen were all dead and scattered about. All of them had their throats slashed open, covering nearly every square inch of the kitchen in red.
“H-how…” Barrier could barely get out the words before something large charged into his right side, slamming him into the hallway wall.
Before he could get back onto his hooves, he felt a set of talons suddenly grab onto his neck and slam him into the wall once more.
As the sharp digits squeezed, he managed to force his eyes open. His blood ran cold at the sight of the towering, muscular, black-coated griffin.
“Guess who’s back?!” Grimhilde said with a sadistic grin on her beak as she reached back with her right arm before slashing with her talons.
Barrier attempted to raise a shield over his head, but the force of her talons overpowered the half-formed shield, cleanly cutting through both it and Barrier’s horn.
The charcoal stallion felt a dense weight forming in his stomach as he saw his horn falling in slow motion, hitting the floor by Grimhilde’s paws with a deep, heavy, metallic klang.
A dark chuckle came from the hen, forcing the shaking stallion to look up into her blood red eyes. She then leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
“Ich denke, du wirst es genießen, in mir zu sein.” She then pulled back, opening her beak wide before slamming down on his throat with a thunderous crunch.
Barrier breathed in heavy, gasping pants as he began to throw strikes with his forehooves. It was then he saw the vision of the griffin in the hallway had started to fade away. He saw that rather than his back being pinned to the hallway wall, it was instead gently pressed against his bed. The ceiling was the only thing in front of his eyes as the first rays of sunshine began to peak in through his window.
He slowly managed to get his breathing under control before he cradled his head in his hooves and gently rubbed a line along his throat.
“She’s not real, Barrier. She’s dead. You saw her skull.” The charcoal unicorn’s words were met by only empty air as he laid in his bed.
If that’s true, then why do you keep seeing her? his mind answered back.
“I’m not crazy,” he said, trying to reassure himself. “Something’s going on, but I’m not insane and Grimhilde’s dead.”
After a few minutes, Barrier finally pulled himself out of his bed. As he made his way to the door, he paused when a scent caught his attention.
His hoof hovered near the doorknob as he tried to place the scent, fearing that what he saw in the horrid dream was coming true.
Eggs… It’s just eggs being cooked. Barrier let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding as he stepped out of his room and towards the kitchen.
What he saw was somewhat surprising, but far more pleasant than his prior vision. At the front of the stove was Forge with Verdant off to the side, quietly speaking to the cobalt unicorn.
“Alright, just keep moving them about so it’s nice and fluffy,” Verdant said softly as Barrier drew closer. “Good morning, Barrier.”
“Morning, you two,” Barrier replied, masking the weariness in his voice. “Might I ask what you’re doing?”
“Well, I wanted to try my hoof at making breakfast,” Forge said, keeping his eyes tightly focused on the eggs.
“And I’m making sure he doesn’t burn the house down,” Verdant added. “Besides, I figure that since I’m spending more time and Erica’s and Forge wants to learn to cook, might as well teach him.”
“I see.” Barrier drew a little closer as Forge poked at the eggs with a spatula. “Still, I could cook. I do have some experience.”
“Yeah, but there’s a bit of an issue there,” Verdant said as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “One is that your repertoire is a bit lacking compared to mine.”
“That’s fair,” Barrier replied as he sat down at the table.
“And the second is that we’ve started to notice we’re waking up before you,” Forge added as Verdant started to fill up the coffee pot. “No offense sir, but when we’re in the mood for breakfast, we’d rather not wait for the cook to wake up.”
“Again, fair point,” Barrier said as he stretched. “I think I’ll try to get to bed a bit earlier tonight.”
“Well, at any rate, these eggs are almost done.” A wide grin spread across Forge’s face. “I’m also thinking about cooking up a nice big dinner for us and some friends next week.”
“That sounds… nice…” Barrier tried to mask his nervousness at Forge’s words as Verdant stepped closer to him.
“He’s just gonna be heating up some canned stew.” Verdant’s whisper made the onyx unicorn let out a sigh of relief.
“Mornin’, everypony.” Daring’s voice rang out as she started to make her way down the stairs. As she slowly trotted into the kitchen, she yawned with her eyes tightly shut before giving Barrier a kiss on the cheek. “You know those nights when you just can’t find a comfy sleeping position and your neck’s all sore the next morning?”
“All too well,” Barrier said before placing a kiss on her cheek in return. “Anything planned for today?”
“Meh, not really,” Daring replied, her eyes still sealed shut. “Gonna try to write a little later today, but who knows how well that’ll go.”
“Well, I was thinking about heading over to the Midnight Mall after work to pick up a book on some food frying recipes and a small pressure fryer,” Verdant said as he made his way over to Forge. “Okay, I think you can put these on a plate and start the next serving.”
“If I may, how about I run your errands, Verdant?” Barrier asked as Forge levitated a plate of scrambled eggs, along with a knife and fork over to the unicorn. “I don’t have anything to do today and I’d like to look around the Midnight Mall.”
“Sure thing, Barrier, just gimme a sec to get a piece of paper and a pencil,” Verdant replied before quickly darting towards the study. Less than a minute later, he returned with a small notepad, writing a message with a pencil in his mouth.
“And… done!” Just as Verdant finished his writing, the sheet and pencil were levitated away in Barrier’s magic.
“Alright, some time after breakfast, I’ll take care of this.” Barrier set the sheet and pencil down before picking up a knife and fork. “Daring, do you want some of my eggs or—”
“Coffee first, then food…” the pegasus mare replied before yawning and giving Barrier a nuzzle. “Still, thanks for the offer.”
After quickly returning the nuzzle, Barrier started to dig into his meal. While the eggs were smidge on the crispy side, they were still fairly good.
***
It was a little past noon when Barrier finally found himself exploring the massive underground space that was the Midnight Mall. He’d already retrieved the book and fryer Verdant had requested and decided to use some of the free time he had left to see what all the mall had to offer.
There was a rather wide selection of foods for sale in the food court. Briefly enduring the lunch rush, the umbra stallion decided to stop at a pasta restaurant known as Angel Hair. He’d enjoyed his meal well enough, though he was fairly certain that both he and the Four D’s could do better.
One thing that had brought a small smile to the stallion was the number of places that were run by thestrals. He believed he’d seen more of the bat-like ponies in the mall than he’d seen since before and during the Nightmare Moon incident.
After spotting a map that pointed out the location of another book store, he set off for the lower floor. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, a voice reached his ears.
“I’ve been expecting you, Mr. Barrier.” His ears stood at attention as the unfamiliar deep voice called out to him. Looking to his right, he saw a unicorn mare sitting behind a table. Her coat was a rather pale lavender while her mane was a dark indigo with a deep purple streak. Beside the mare on the table was a camera that Daring had once told him would spit out a photograph that would quickly develop afterwards.
“Who are you?” Barrier cautiously asked as he slowly drew closer. She closed her dark magenta eyes and chuckled, revealing her black eyeshadow.
“Calm yourself, Mr. Barrier,” she said as she pulled a pair of photographs out from behind her table. “My name is Spectral Image. I am a fortune teller of great renown in this city. With a spark of magic and my trusty camera, spirits from beyond can answer what questions I ask with the image they give me. Take a look for yourself.”
Barrier drew closer as she set the two photos onto the table. Looking down, he saw an image of him trotting through the Canterlot museum. The second photo seemed to be a short profile blurb about him, listing his name, sex, age and a small list of his achievements and skills, including what he’d done in the Crystal Empire, likely something only found in the royal guards’ archive.
“This seems rather unlikely,” Barrier said as he carefully examined the photos. Spectral merely chuckled in response.
“Rest assured, this is true. I simply asked who would be my third customer today and I got your image. When I asked for your name, I got this second picture.” Her horn then started to glow in a deep violet. “And now, I will give you a demonstration of my powers.”
She gently bent her neck down, tapping the tip of her glowing horn to the camera. “Spirits, hear my call and grant me the knowledge I seek. What city was Magic Barrier born in?”
A spark came from her horn and touched the camera, causing a series of whirring noises to come from the device. A second later, a black photograph was spat out by the camera, softly landing on the table.
“Watch as the spirits provide us with the answers we seek,” she whispered as Barrier kept his eyes firmly locked upon the image.
Soon, the blackness started to fade away. It started as a blur of colors but slowly came into focus, revealing a dilapidated castle in the middle of some overgrown woods. Barrier felt a chill on the back of his neck from the familiar sight.
“Interesting. That’s the Castle of Two Sisters,” Spectral said as she brought a hoof to her chin. “Either you were born in the middle of the Everfree Forest… or you were born in Old Canterlot, before the coming of Nightmare Moon.”
“It seems your powers are the real deal,” Barrier replied as he looked Spectral in the eye. “I was indeed born in Old Canterlot, long before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon.”
“Excellent.” Spectral cheerfully clapped her hooves together. A sly smile then crept across her muzzle. “Now, are there any questions you’d wish to ask? The first consultation is free.”
This has to be a trick of some kind. The voice in the back of Barrier’s mind nagged at him. There’s got to be over a dozen charlatans like this who pull tricks to con ponies out of their bits.
And yet, she’s offering her aid for free. Barrier’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the camera. I’ve nothing better to do and this might give me some of the answers I need.
Taking a deep breath, he looked into Spectral’s eyes once more. Swallowing hard, he asked; “Is Grimhilde LeGrande, the griffin that once tried to kill me, still alive?”
“Hmm… interesting question.” Spectral’s horn glowed once more before she tapped it against her camera. Soon a new photo was spat out and an image began to develop.
The image soon took on the image of a dark room where hidden between two boxes was a griffin skull that was partly covered by a cobweb.
“Call me crazy, but I’m gonna take that as a no.” Spectral looked to Barrier, seeing him let out a great sigh of relief. The charcoal unicorn felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Finally. Proof I’m not crazy. Barrier was particularly relieved by the strange image. Still, if that’s not Grimhilde I’ve been seeing, then who is it?
“If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to ask.” Spectral’s words snapped Barrier from his thoughts, bringing his attention back to her.
“Oh, right, right,” Barrier stumbled for a reply before he thought of his next question. “Is someone pretending to be Grimhilde LeGrande?”
Spectral ignited her horn once more and tapped the camera once more. A photo was spat out on top of the previous photo.
After a moment, the image cleared to reveal part of a vinyl record with a rather stylized “Yes” on the top of it.
“Who is pretending to be Grimhilde?” Barrier quickly asked. Spectral’s horn remained lit and she barely moved her neck to tap the camera once more.
Barrier swallowed once more as the photo emerged from the camera. He felt something form in the pit of his stomach as the blackness began to fade. The image soon began to take shape.
Within a darkly-lit wooden room, he saw a lime green unicorn stallion staring into a mirror with a hoof to his chin. His mane and tail were an ocean blueish-green and wild in style. His eyes were turquoise and upon his flank was a bright yellow lemon.
“Finally,” Barrier said as he committed the image of his apparent stalker to his memory. “I know who’s behind all this.” A grin came across his muzzle as he felt the nightmare was finally coming to an end.
“Will there be any further questions, Barrier?” Spectral asked just as Barrier started to pull away from the table.
“No thank you, Miss Spectral. I’ve got what I need,” he confidently said as he headed off towards the bookstore he previously sought. “Thank you for all your assistance.”
“Not a problem.” She gave him a warm smile and waved as he walked away.
Once the charcoal unicorn was out of sight, Spectral’s horn glowed once more as she faced her camera.
“When will Barrier see me next?” she whispered before she tapped the camera with her horn. Once the photograph was ejected, she held it up to her face.
The image started to take shape, revealing a calendar with tomorrow’s date circled in red. A small grin started to form.
“I look forward to seeing you again, Barrier,” she quietly sing-songed. “It’s going to cost you.”