Chapter 58 - Goodbye & Hello
A yawn escaped Fleetfeather’s lips as she tossed her blanket aside in the early hours of the morning.
After putting on her eyepatch and opening her bedroom door, she caught the scent of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes wafting up from down the stairs. With a casual glide, she soon arrived outside the manor’s kitchen, where she spotted a charcoal unicorn making a few stacks of the golden-brown treat.
“Morning, Barrier,” Fleet said as she walked up to his side. “Bit of a surprise to see you making breakfast.”
“Since Verdant didn’t come home last night, I figured we should have something other than takeout, toast and coffee for breakfast,” Barrier replied as he topped off a sixth plate of pancakes before levitating them onto the nearby table. “So, how’s things by you?”
“Alright so far,” Fleet answered as she slid into her seat at the table. She thought of grabbing a fork for a brief moment, but pulled back and looked at the dark stallion. “Barrier, might I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Barrier looked at her with concern as he took a seat across from her.
Fleet hesitated, lightly scuffing her hoof against the table. After taking a breath, she spoke. “Could you send a letter to Canterlot and find out where my husband… where Flash was buried?”
Barrier’s brow rose in mild surprise at her question. “Alright. I can do that.” He slid out of his chair before rounding the table and coming to her side. “Might I ask what brought this on?”
“Well, I was thinking last night,” Fleet said as she looked into his cool blue eyes, feeling herself become somewhat more relaxed. “Flash got to say goodbye to me after the empire and move on, correct?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Barrier looked away from Fleet as he recalled those dark times. “Flash was… it was rough-going for a while after you and Wind Whistler vanished. If it weren’t for the kids and Silver Wind… well, thankfully that didn’t happen.”
“I am thankful they were there for each other.” A small smile came to Fleet’s face as she thought of the two. “Silver was a wonderful mare and I can easily see why Flash took her as his second wife.”
“They were pretty happy together, from what I could tell.” Barrier gently placed a hoof upon Fleet’s.
“I was thinking of something,” Fleet said as Barrier looked into her sole eye. “Flash… he moved on, eventually. He found a second wife, had a child with her. He was happy with her… And that’s what I would have wanted for him. I… I think he’d want me to do the same. I think he’d want me to try to find happiness with another pony.”
Barrier said nothing as he leaned closer and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Still… I think that before I do something like that, I’d like to say goodbye. I feel I owe him that much.” As she finished speaking, the cerulean mare felt Barrier giving her hoof a light pat.
“Of course,” Barrier said before pulling away, his horn glowing a light blue. “Enjoy your breakfast, Fleet. I’ll send that letter off.” In a quick flash of light, Barrier had vanished.
“Thank you, Barrier,” Fleet graciously whispered before turning her attention to the stack of pancakes in front of her. The pegasus gave her lips a lick, grabbed her fork and dug in.
***
The work-day went by rather calmly for Fleetfeather. After yesterday’s snow, today’s assignment was to clear away the clouds and let the autumn sunshine melt the snow away.
Finishing up the end-of-the-day paperwork, Fleet felt a quick tap on her shoulder. Turning about, she spotted Snowy Skies behind her.
“Oh, good evening, Miss Skies.” Fleet faced her superior. “How can I help you?”
“Don’t sweat things, Fleet. I don’t have anything to pile onto your workload,” Snowy said with a chuckle and a casual wave. “I just wanted to tell you some of the other pegasi and I are gonna be holding a movie marathon on the eighteenth. You wanna join in?”
“Sorry, ma’am, but I can’t,” Fleet replied before stacking her papers together. “That’s my daughter’s birthday, so I don’t think I’ll have the energy for that afterwards.”
“Alright,” Snowy said with a nod. “Hope your kid has a great birthday, Fleet. We’ll miss not having you there.”
“Maybe I’ll be able to show up the next time you have one.” Fleet placed the last of the papers onto the stack, only to have it snatched away by Snowy.
“I can handle this.” Snowy started to shuffle off with the paperwork. “Besides, you’ve got tomorrow off, so might as well get an early start on that.”
“Right. Thanks, ma’am.” Fleet spread her wings and started to fly away from the weather works.
“Could you stop calling me ‘ma’am’?” Snowy Skies’ call just barely reached Fleet’s ears as she flew downward. “It makes me feel really old when you do that!”
Within a matter of minutes, Fleet was flying over the streets on the way to the manor when she spotted the form of Barrier trotting into town.
Banking hard, Fleet turned towards the unicorn and landed gently by his side.
“Hello, Barrier. Bit of a surprise to see you here,” Fleet said as Barrier’s horn began to glow, pulling a sheet of paper from his saddlebags.
“I was actually hoping to run into you,” he replied as he floated the piece of paper over to her. “The princess responded, telling us exactly where in Canterlot that Flash was buried.”
“I see…” Fleet softly said as she grabbed the note. She quickly read over the details of it before slipping it into her own saddlebags. “Thank you, Barrier.”
“Not a problem, Fleet.” Barrier started to pull away. “I’ll always help you any way I can. At any rate, I’m heading over to rent some movies before grabbing dinner. Want to tag along?”
“Certainly,” Fleet replied as she followed along. “Could we also swing by a flower shop on the way back?”
“Not a problem.” Barrier looked over his shoulder, giving her a small, comforting smile. After a moment of silence, he softly cleared his throat. “When do you plan on seeing him?”
“I’ve been thinking about doing it tomorrow.” Fleet answered as she drew closer to the unicorn. “May I ask you to come with me?”
“Of course. I’ll be there, Fleet,” Barrier answered as he looked her in the eye. “Do you plan on bringing Wind Whistler with you?”
Fleet halted in her steps, with Barrier following suit.
“I… I think I should leave her here with the cadets.” The sky-blue mare rubbed her forelegs together. “I’m not sure if she’s ready to visit her father’s grave and say goodbye to him… I plan on talking to her about this first, but I’m thinking leaving her here will be for the best.”
Barrier gave her an understanding nod. “You know enough about parenting that you’ll make the right call. Certainly more than me, in any case.”
“Thanks.” Fleet lightly nuzzled the stallion as they started to walk alongside one another. “So, what are you thinking for dinner tonight?”
***
After picking up a dinner of fried chicken and potato wedges, the two swung by Pretty Petals and picked up a bouquet of red roses in anticipation for their trip.
As the night went on, Fleet guided Wind Whistler up to her room and tucked her into bed, stroking her daughter’s mane softly.
“Windy, dear,” Fleet started, though the filly could hear some unease in her mother’s voice. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What is it, Mom?” Wind Whistler rose up from her bed, feeling her mouth become a little dry as her mother shifted away slightly.
“Wind Whistler… How would you feel if I tried to find a new mate?” Fleetfeather’s question made her tilt her head in surprise.
“Hmm…” The filly hummed in contemplation as she pondered her mother’s words. “I don’t know. I guess it would depend on what kind of pony you go with.”
“What kind of pony do you think you’d be okay with me seeing?” Fleet looked down as the filly brought a hoof to her chin and stuck her tongue out cutely in thought.
“I guess… maybe somepony like Uncle Barrier or Professor Daring.” Windy stated before looking into her mother's eye. “Can I ask you something, Mom?”
“Of course,” Fleet replied instantly, pressing a hoof against one of the filly’s.
“Did you and Uncle Barrier sleep together?”
Fleet’s eye widened, the mare taken aback by her daughter’s question as well as how bluntly it had been asked. Sweat was slowly making its way down her brow.
“I… What makes you think that?” Fleet asked as she casually wiped her brow of sweat, doing her best to maintain a calm facade.
“Well, you and Uncle Barrier started acting kinda weird around each other around the same time that Daring left. It made me think about when I knew that Skydancer had slept with Storm Cloud and how they’d act around each other.”
Fleet gave a sigh that turned into a slight chuckle. “Sometimes, I wish you weren’t so observant about this sort of thing, dear.”
“Well, the others here were talking about it, except for Verdant, so I’m guessing he knows something for sure.” Windy grabbed one of her mother’s forehooves with her two smaller ones, tugging her a bit closer.
“Barrier and I… we messed up badly. When we got drunk and slept together, we hurt Daring very badly,” Fleet answered before giving Wind Whistler a hug.
Nuzzling up against her mother’s coat, the filly looked up at the larger mare. “I just want you to be happy, Mom.”
“And I want what’s best for you, dear,” Fleet whispered as she slowly stroked Windy’s back. “I just wish knowing what’s for the best was always easy to figure out.”
Wind Whistler pressed even further into her mother’s chest floof once more before pulling back to look her mother in the eye once more. “I’m sure you’ll do great, Mom.”
“Thank you, dear.” Fleet gave Windy a happy smile before kissing her on the forehead.
“Is there anything else you want to talk about, Mom?” Windy asked, looking up at her with a tilted head once more. “Maybe something to do with those flowers you bought?”
Fleet took a deep breath which she held for a long moment before replying.
“There is… and it does, dear…” Fleet hesitantly replied. “I found out where your father’s grave is and I plan on placing the flowers there. I’m going to say goodbye to him.”
“Oh…” Windy uncertainly said as she saw the sad expression on her mother’s face. “I see…”
“Wind Whistler, dear…” Fleet looked her young filly in the eyes. “Do… would you like to come with Uncle Barrier and I for this?”
“I… I don’t think so, Mom…” The tiny filly shook a little and bit her lip. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that… That, and I promised High Stakes we’d be working on ideas for a business tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, dear.” Fleet gave Wind Whistler a tender smile before giving her a warm hug. “I don’t want to make you do something uncomfortable and I hope you and your friend have fun.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Wind Whistler yawned and pulled herself from her mother’s grip, laying down on her bed. “I think I’ll be hitting the hay now. G’night.”
“Good night, Wind Whistler,” Fleet said gently as she slid off the bed and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “And pleasant dreams.”
***
Fleet took a deep breath as she stared up at the gates of the East Canterlot Cemetery, her bouquet of flowers tucked under a wing.
“You ready for this, Fleet?” Barrier asked as he stepped up to her side.
“Yes,” Fleet firmly replied before stepping up to the iron gate and pushing it open with a forehoof. “I’m ready to say my goodbyes.”
“Hey,” a lime green mare with a deep violet mane in the yard called out, a shovel slung over her shoulder. “You two visiting somepony?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Fleet replied as she and Barrier moved forward, the unicorn carrying a small map in his magic.
“If you want rain or clouds for this, I can call in our pegasi to give this place the proper atmosphere for a small fee.” The mare pointed her shovel up towards the clear skies with plenty of autumn sunshine.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll decline.” Fleet gave the mare a wave before walking alongside Barrier.
After several minutes of walking amongst the graves, Barrier slowed to a halt and took a slow breath. “This is the spot.” He said quietly as he stowed the notes back into his bags.
Fleetfeather stood in front of the grey stone slab. While the stone was clearly showing signs of age, the words etched into the stone still read very clearly.
Here lies Flash Sentry
Husband, Father, Soldier
Born June 15th, 3025 A.D. - Died September 17th, 15 P.N.
“My greatest regret was my final order.”
Fleet swallowed before she gently placed the flowers down in front of the gravestone.
“Hello, Flash,” she said softly as she stood in front of the gravestone. “It’s been a long time.”
A gentle breeze blew through the graveyard and the mare couldn’t help but notice that it felt oddly warm.
“I’ve missed you.” The mare swallowed. “Wind Whistler’s been doing well. She’s made friends with a bunch of foals in Vanhoover. Even the cadets have grown up quite a bit. In fact, Verdant’s even in a relationship with a griffin. It was quite the surprise when I first learned of it, but they seem like a nice couple and the griffins have really changed in the many years since the war.”
Fleet’s eye started to water a bit as she knelt down. “Barrier also told me about how you married Silver Wind and had a daughter by her.” A smile came to her face as she spoke. “I’m happy that you found love with her. She was a wonderful mare and I’m certain she did a good job raising the children.”
“Still...” Fleet bit her lip and looked away from the grave for an instant. “I would like to say… goodbye. You will always have a special place in my heart, Flash, but I also know you wouldn’t want me to wallow in the past forever. I love you, Flash and I always will... This is where we part ways. I hope that wherever you are, you are at peace and have been able to seek redemption for your actions… I take solace in that you seemed to regret them in your final hours.”
Fleetfeather rose to her hooves and backed away from the gravestone, a tear trailing it’s way down her muzzle as she stood.
“Good bye, Flash Sentry. I love you.”
As Fleet pulled away from the gravestone, Barrier quietly took her place. The charcoal unicorn took a deep breath before he looked down at the grave.
“Hello, Flash. It’s been a long time.” Barrier made an effort to sound stoic, but even he knew that he only sounded tired. “I felt that you deserved an update on my squad’s status. They were all successfully rescued from the Crystal Empire, along with Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler.”
Barrier gave a sigh before rubbing his mane with a hoof. “All in all, things are pretty peaceful all around. I’m trying to take care of things with my house… as well as trying to help the thestrals repopulate after what you’ve done.”
Taking a deep breath, Barrier’s horn glowed as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags and poured some of the drink out.
“Goodbye, old friend. I hope you rest in peace.” Barrier tipped the flask back up before stowing it away. “Tell everyone we said hello and they’re all missed.”
“Barrier,” Fleet said as the charcoal pony walked up to her side. “Thank you for this.” She placed a wing over his back, drawing a sad smile from him.
“No, thank you, Fleetfeather.” Barrier pulled away from her grasp. “There’s one more pony I need to visit here.”
Fleet’s eyebrow rose in surprise as she fell in behind Barrier. After a few minutes of walking along, they came to another grave clearly showing signs of age while being fairly well maintained.
Here lies Ember
Brave, high-flying soldier, proud Gallopfreyan.
Born February 18th, 3027 A.D. - Died September 17th, 1 P.N.
“May something great rise from the ashes of Gallopfrey.”
Barrier swallowed as he stepped up to the grave. “Hello, Ember,” he spoke so quietly that Fleet had trouble hearing him. “It’s… It’s been far too long.”
A harsh sigh came from Barrier as he lowered himself to his knees in front of the grave. “I’m sorry about leaving you. That wasn’t my decision… I wish I could have been there for you in your final hours. Maybe if I could have been there, you would have lived longer…”
Fleet slowly drew to Barrier’s side before putting a hoof to his shoulder. “I wish you could see the world as it is now. I think one day, I’ll visit Trottingham to see what has become of Gallopfrey.”
His horn flared as he pulled the flask from his bags once more and poured out what remained in front of the grave.
“I hope you enjoy that. I know you were never a fan of flowers.” Barrier said as his eyes started to water just before the last drop fell from the flask. “I’ll always miss you, Ember. I hope you have found peace, wherever you are.”
Fleet swallowed as she felt Barrier shaking faintly. Taking a deep breath, the stallion fell silent for a moment to rein in his emotions. Slowly releasing the breath, he set his flask back in his saddlebags and stood up.
“Goodbye, Ember. I love you and I always will,” Barrier whispered hoarsely before he pulled away, leaving Fleet standing in front of the gravestone.
“I… Good day, Ember.” Fleet gave the stone a salute as she stood. “I wish I had gotten to know you better. I hope the world as it is now is something that would bring a smile to your face. I wish you well, wherever you are and I bid you farewell.”
Fleet turned around and approached Barrier’s side as he batted away any trace of tears from his eyes. The two shared a silent look of sympathy with one another before walking away, side by side.
***
The sun in Vanhoover was beginning to set as Barrier and Fleet walked through the city’s streets.
“Barrier…” Fleet began as she leaned into his side. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“I needed to say goodbye as well, Fleet.” Barrier gave her a light nuzzle. “If anything, I should be thanking you for coming with me for Flash and Ember.”
“This meant a lot. For both of us,” Fleet said as the manor came into view in the distance.
To the surprise of the two, the other housemates and Erica seemed to be making their way out of the front gate, with Forge starting to close it behind him before spotting the approaching pair.
“Is something going on, everyone?” Barrier asked as they drew closer, seeing the seven looking somewhat nervous.
“Well, there’s somepony here to see you, sir.” Swift stepped forward. “We thought it best to leave so the two of you may speak with her in private.”
“We’re gonna go to Miss Erica’s place to have dinner and play some games,” Wind Whistler said happily before running up to her mother and giving her a quick hug. “I… well, I hope things go well with you two.”
“Oh… kay…” Fleet looked at Barrier who gave a shrug before heading through the gate while the privates, Windy and Erica took off.
Barrier and Fleet trotted down the pathway before the stallion’s magic slowly pushed the door open.
Stepping inside, they were surprised at the sight of a certain pony sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in her hoof.
“Hello, Barrier, Fleet.” Daring Do said from her seat. “It’s been a while.”
Alticron: Dun-dun-duuuuuuunnnn!!! Well, you asked for Daring's return and we've been waiting over a year for her return chapter to come up. What comes next? Well, we'll just have to wait until next time.
In the meantime, here's this chapter's pic for the minor pony who was working in the graveyard.
Fun fact: This minor pony is actually the little sister of Bonecrusher. Whether or not she'll get mentioned in anything in the No Longer Alone works, I have no clue.
Well, catch you all next time.
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I'm glad that Daring has returned. Fleetfeather really needed to do this to get some closure. I don't remember who Ember is or when she was mentioned.
Two things I'm curious about:
1. What's under Fleet's eyepatch, if anything? Not sure if this came up/
2. What do AD and PN stand for?
10526419
1. Scar tissue and an empty socket.
2. After Discord/Post Nightmare.
10526401
She was Barrier's lover before he was frozen with Nightmare Moon. One of the bonus chapters in this was about Barrier's first meeting with her.
10526464
Those make sense, but I kinda have a small question about "Post Nightmare." It's well-established that by the time of the show, Nightmare Moon was considered to be a legend, not a historical fact. Wouldn't the name "post-nightmare" kinda contradict that?
10526556
Alternate universe and while she's considered a legend in some sense, there was still some historical truth to the events. Many believed the parts about her returning/Nightmare Night were just legends, thinking she was well and truly gone forever. Some even thought that the battle with Nightmare Moon ended with Celestia killing her.
10526590
Ah, that makes sense. Well-thought out.
Final goodbye's suck i have dune it a few times my self.
DD showing up this is going to be interesting.
Yay! I`ve been waiting for this
Ok is the modern Flash Sentry related to Fleetfeather or the mood Flash Sentry? Or did you decide not to use him?