A Pony Displaced: Homeward

by NoLongerSober

Chapter 88 - Working Things Out

A bitter chill blew through the snow covered streets as Barrier made his way to the community center. The sole source of warmth he had was the thermos of coffee he carried.

Well, at least you finally have a job again after so long, the charcoal stallion thought to himself as he reached the center’s entrance. Barely paying attention, he pushed his way into the building.

Ignoring the stairs to the upper areas and the side doors that lead to the pool area, Barrier made his way to the gymnasium, where he spotted Heavy Weight casually carrying three sets of bars with four heavy weights on each end.

“Hey there, Barrier,” she said as she turned to face him. “Thought I’d do some light exercising before you showed up. How’s things been?”

“Not the greatest, I’m afraid,” the onyx unicorn responded before finishing off his coffee and setting the thermos aside. “I found a dead body yesterday and spent a fair amount of time talking with the police.”

“Oh… Yikes…” Heavy winced before she dashed over to a back room. When she returned shortly after, sans the weights, she came up to Barrier’s side. “You sure you still want to work today? I could probably swing it that—”

“Rest assured, I’m fine enough to work. Though grim, I’ve seen worse.” Barrier cut her off as he moved further into the room. “Since I’ve got some time before my class starts, want to do some stretches?”

“I… sure thing,” the ponytailed pink pony replied, sounding concerned as she walked up to Barrier’s side.

After nearly twenty minutes of stretching, several beings started to file into the gym. One of them was Fruity Punch, looking glum with a somewhat distant look in her eyes.

Next was a white cow with black patches that covered her body. Her muzzle was a warm shade of pink with an equally warm smile and a pair of soft violet eyes. Atop her head was curly brown hair with a pair of rather small horns peeking out.

The third one to come in was an earth pony stallion that was shorter than even Verdant, though not by much. His coat was a rather dull purple shade while his messy and spiky mane was the color of rust. His eyes were an olive green that matched the green, black and gold object on his cutie mark, though Barrier couldn’t identify it, ultimately deciding that it wasn’t important enough to ask about. What did feel odd however was that he felt vaguely familiar.

Next to the stallion was a rather similar looking mare. She was the same size and sported the same rusty color in her messy mane and tail. Her coat was a slightly more vibrant purple, but just a smidge. Her eyes were a cool blue color while her cutie mark was another device Barrier didn’t recognize. If pressed, he’d have guessed they were some kind of mechanical parts.

The last one to enter the room was a reindeer doe. Her coat was a light brown with a cream-colored muzzle and underbelly. She sported a head of short hair that was as red as holly berries with an evergreen headband that matched her eyes. Sticking up from the red hair was a pair of short antlers. As she walked closer to her fellow would-be students, her coal-black hooves clacked against the polished surface of the floor.

“Alright everyone, listen up,” Barrier barked, making all five reflexively stand at attention. “My name is Magic Barrier. I’m a former captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard who, after twenty years, has learned more than a little about combat. In short, I will be your instructor.”

The stallion slowly paced back and forth before his prospective students, sizing each one up. “I’m not going to lie, I will be hard on you all. But if you persist, I give you my word that when you leave you will know how to defend yourself. This class will have both group and one-on-one sessions, but I will alter things as we go to teach you how to deal with species differences and skills. You will be sore and likely hate me by the end, but I expect you’ll also be thanking me. Now, are there any questions before we get started?”

The reindeer quickly raised one of her forelegs up. “Yes, Miss?”

“Will there be different grades or belts with this course?” she asked as she brought her leg down.

“No. My classes will be pass or fail,” Barrier replied simply. “Either you manage to succeed in the class I put forth, or you’ll need to try again. Depending on the circumstances, I will make an effort to adjust the lesson to better suit you. Any further questions?”

A round of silence met the stallion.

“In that case, I suggest you introduce yourselves,” Barrier said as he rotated his neck.

With a light clearing of her throat, the cow lady stepped forward. “Well, nice to meet y’all,” she said with an accent that made Barrier think of a somewhat more fancy Applejack. “Mah’s name’s Beatrice Florinda Wellington, but y’all can call me Bea. Ah think this’ll be something fun to try.”

The reindeer snorted before smirking at the cow. “Kinda doubt it, this unicorn looks like a real hardass.” She then started to go through a few quick stretches. “Name’s Holly Rangifer. I may not look it, but I’ll bet a hundred bits I could outspeed or outjump any of you.”

“Oh, I’m shakin’, I’m shakin’,” the short, violet mare said with a roll of her eyes. Her accent was one he couldn’t identify, but would later be informed was a Manehattan accent. “Dat don’t mean nothin’ if yah can’t take or give a punch.”

“Rein it in, Sis. You ain’t makin’ the best first impression,” the duller coated stallion by her side said as he placed a hoof on her shoulder, speaking with a similar accent to her own. He then turned to face Holly and Bea. “Sorry ‘bout this. Name’s Short Circuit, but you can call me Shorty. This is my evil twin,”

“Screw you,” the mare said as she glared at her brother.

“Nickel Wire. Her friends call her Nicky,” Shorty said without skipping a beat. “Naturally, no one calls her Nicky.”

Bea chuckled at Shorty’s remark while Nicky lightly punched him in the shoulder.

“Well, what about you, Red?” Nicky asked as she pulled away from her brother who was now rubbing his sore shoulder.

“Oh?” Punch stood at attention as if she suddenly realized where she was. “My name’s Fruity Punch. Sorry I’m not really that talkative right now. I… my best friend died yesterday.”

The gathering of ungulates winced at Punch’s words before Bea walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Aw, that’s just terrible, Punch,” Bea softly said as Punch returned the hug. “How ‘bout after we wrap up here, Ah whip up some milkshakes fer all of us?”

“Thanks, Bea,” the red maned mare weakly said before slipping from the cow’s grip. “Right now, I think I’d like to get started.”

“Very well then,” Barrier spoke up, causing all but Punch to stand at attention. “We’re gonna start with some stretches before we really start some of your training.”

***

Nearly three hours had passed as the class in front of the charcoal stallion was laying down on a bench. The Manehattan twins were groaning while Holly was rather winded. Punch was rubbing her sore muscles while Bea let out a very tired and sore sounding “Moo…”.

Scattered about the floor were a collection of dodgeballs, along with a vaulting horse and a couple of training dummies.

Though he was loath to admit it, Barrier was feeling somewhat sore and winded as well from this experience.

Either I’m out of practice or I’m really starting to get old. Preferably the former.

He was grateful that despite his fatigue, he was well-versed in showing no real signs of it. “Alright, class. So far, this has not been the greatest start, but we have made some progress. You’ve all done somewhat well with the very basics and more importantly it’s allowed me to see some of the spots where you’re lacking.

“Rangifer, I suggest you try doing some exercise while wearing some weights or weighted clothes. You’ve definitely got some speed, but you need some more strength in order to make your hits meaningful. Wellington, you may want to try to work on your speed.”

“Beggin’ yer pardon, Mr. Barrier, but Ah’m a dairy cow,” Bea weakly tried to protest. “Ah need some of this weight fer mah work.”

“Which is why your training will be focusing on your cardio and leg muscles,” Barrier replied. “Rest assured, you’ll have plenty of what you’ll need to produce milk without issue. Bigger doesn’t mean out of shape.

“As for you two…” The onyx unicorn turned his eyes to the earth pony twins. “You seriously need to work on your footwork. It’s rather sloppy, especially compared to Rangifer. I suggest you try practicing outside of these classes against one another or alone. Also, try to memorize the instructions I give you. The Weekend Whip has you jump up, kick back, whip around and spin, and then you jump back and do it all again. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” the earth ponies replied as they and their classmates started to rise off the bench.

“Very well.” Barrier nodded to the class. “Class dismissed. I’ll see you on Wednesday. You should be recovered by then.”

“So, any of y’all want to get a milkshake?” Bea asked as they drew near the door. “Ah promise, yah can’t get fresher milkshakes than mine.”

“Before you leave, I’d like to speak with you, Miss Punch.”

The pink coated unicorn halted before turning to face the stallion. Her classmates slowly made their way out the door, with Bea slowly closing it behind her.

“What’s up, Barrier?” Punch nervously asked as Barrier started to draw closer to her. “Did I mess up in my training?”

“No, that’s not why I wanted to speak to you,” Barrier answered before taking a deep breath. “I wanted to know how you’re holding up after… after what happened to Spectral Image.”

“Ah…” Punch looked away from Barrier before she took a deep breath. She lightly shook as she closed her eyes. “To be honest… pretty terrible. Specky was one of my closest friends in all of Vanhoover and now…” Despite how tightly she clenched her eyes, a few tears managed to fall from her eyes. “Now… she’s dead… My best friend is dead and it’s all because of some stupid stairs!”

“Punch…” Barrier unsurely held a hoof out to her, only to retract it and scratch his neck. “Punch, I feel I need to tell you something… I don’t think Spectral’s death was an accident.”

Fruity Punch sniffled before her eyes slowly opened and turned to face Barrier once more. “What… What do you mean?”

“Oh boy, this will take a bit to explain,” Barrier sighed before he brought a hoof to his forehead. “You see, the day before she died, I consulted with Spectral Image and had her tell me about somepony was apparently stalking me. A green unicorn stallion with a blueish green mane and a lemon for a cutie mark.

“I don’t know who he is, but I know he’s somehow been impersonating an old enemy of mine and has stolen a skull from a museum in Canterlot.” Barrier closed his eyes and took a breath before looking Punch in her eyes once more. “I believe that this unicorn is responsible for Spectral Image’s death.”

Punch gasped and suddenly turned pale. She took a step back before stumbling and falling on her flank. “Barrier… are you saying Specky was murdered?!”

“That is my personal theory at the moment, but I don’t have any proof of this,” Barrier started as he moved over to Punch, holding up a hoof and helping her back onto her hooves. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she helps me learn who’s stalking me and then she has an “accident” the very next day.”

“I… I don’t know what to say, Barrier,” Punch shakily said. “I just… this is a lot to take in…”

“I’m sorry to drop all of this on you like this, Punch,” Barrier said, trying to sound as comforting as he could. “But I have to ask, have you seen a stallion that matches that description?”

“Well…” Punch brought a hoof to her chin as she tried to recollect. “Sorry, but no. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for this bastard, just in case, though.”

“Alright,” Barrier nodded in reply. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Well… could I get a hug?” Punch trepidatiously asked. “After everything that’s happened, I could really use one and Sis isn’t really the most physical of mares.”

“I don’t see why not,” Barrier barely managed to say when Punch had latched onto him, wrapping her forelegs around his back. A few more tears and sniffles came from her as Barrier wrapped his forelegs around her.

After a few moments had passed, Fruity Punch slowly pulled away from Barrier with a sniffle. “Thanks, Barrier. I just… needed some comfort, you know?”

“Completely understandable,” Barrier replied with a nod. “Now, I suggest you run along. I think Bea’s still waiting for you and would like to try to make friends with you.”

“Yeah… I will,” Punch said before she slowly turned about and headed for the door. “Thanks again for… Well… All of this, Barrier.”

“Not a problem,” Barrier said as she pushed open the door, where Bea and Holly were waiting for her on the other side. “Take care of yourself.”

***

Not long after his students had left and he’d cleared away any equipment and mess they’d left behind, Barrier started his trek back to the manor.

When he approached the outside of the manor, he saw there was somepony waiting outside for him. It was the detective, Gray Skies and she seemed to have something sticking out of her mouth. At first, Barrier thought she was smoking a cigarette, but drawing closer, he saw what was sticking out between her lips was some sort of small breadstick with a dollop of cheese spread on the tip.

“I assume you have some more questions for me, Detective?” Barrier’s words made the mare turn towards him before flicking her breadstick into the air and catching it in her mouth.

Gray Skies walked up to the unicorn as she chewed up and swallowed her snack. “Actually, I’m here to give you an update on Spectral’s case.”

“Oh?” Barrier’s brow rose in mild surprise. “Are you any closer to catching the killer?”

“We’ve already caught ‘em, Barrier,” Skies said before letting out a sigh. “Spectral Image’s killer was a patch of ice with gravity as an accomplice.”

“I… What?!” Barrier was baffled by what the pegasus had said. “But… but what about the lemon unicorn or the photos?”

“Sadly, we didn’t find any of the photos you mentioned when we searched her place. No photos of the skull or lemon boy.” The detective flicked her right wing, bringing out a hidden breadstick that she placed between her lips. “What we do know thanks to the coroner is that the distance from the stairs, injuries sustained, lividity and a whole bunch of other tests indicate that the poor mare slipped on an icy patch at the top of the stairs and took a fatal tumble.”

“That… that can’t be…” Barrier disbelieving said as Gray pulled out a small container of cheese spread with her left wing and dipped the breadstick into it. “There’s… there’s got to be more to this.”

“Sadly, there’s no real evidence to indicate any foul play,” Gray Skies sighed as she put the cheese spread away. “No sign of forced entry into her house, no signs of magic affecting her in any way shape or form, no nothing. Because of this, the police department had decided to rule this was an accident.”

“I…. I just… Isn’t there anything you can do, Detective?” Barrier said with clear frustration in his voice.

“I still think there’s something fishy going on, based on what you told me,” Gray Skies answered as she started to trot away. “I’ve been having my partner sorting through places where Spectral may have thrown the photos away or any sign of this lemon stallion. We’re doing what we can to request any eyewitnesses about spotting either this suspect or the victim, but so far, we’ve been coming up cold.”

Barrier let out a frustrated growl before he pushed open the gate with his magic, nodding to the mare. “I see. Thank you for your time, Detective.”

Before she could utter a reply, Barrier slammed the gate shut and marched up towards the house, mind running a mile a minute.

Author's Note:

Alticron: Hey folks, I hope you enjoyed this chapter that introduced Barrier's class. I've been wanting to show them for a while with Bea being my favorite of them.

This chapter's art has Barrier's new students. This took a while for me to get since the normal website I use to upload these was being a pain and refusing to let me upload or post anything, so I had to find an alternative.

Also, remember that nearly every time a chapter introduces a new character, they get added to the Dramatis Personae.

Next time, we get Swift going after a sword. See ya then.

Comments

[A.P.O.N.I.]

I did not notice the joke in Bea's name until the pictures.

[jedi_master_brony]

Nice Lego Ninjago reference