With Sombra dead and his cadets and old friends in tow, Magic Barrier and company try to adapt to the modern world, heading forward to try and make Vanhoover their new home.
Many years ago, Magic Barrier lost countless ponies that he held dear to Sombra's madness and his dark powers. Some years later, he lost the few ponies he still had to hold dear when Princess Luna fell to her inner darkness, Nightmare Moon and was banished for one-thousand years... taking him with her.
Now, a thousand years later, Nightmare Moon has been defeated and Barrier returned to Equestria a thousand years out of place. To top that off, Sombra was eventually defeated as well and with his defeat returned both the Crystal Empire and some of the most important ponies in Barrier's life. Ponies that Barrier had long since written off as lost.
Now, with their Captain guiding them, the recently returned group has to try and find their place in the madness that is modern Equestria, overcome what was lost, and hopefully find a new way that will help cement to them that they're not as displaced as they seem.
I imagine some of you have waited long and hard for this sequel to release. There are some of you who may have been there since the beginning of my stint as a fanfiction author, where I promised -and failed- to deliver a sequel to my first story, A Pony Displaced.
I am saddened to say that I have failed you once again with this sequel... but someone has risen to pick up after me, for the sake of those waiting for this sequel, and my own.
Those of you who follow my blog already know this, but Alticron, my co-writer/editor/proofreader/idea wall/friend is going to try and see the story to completion, after I suffered another writing burnout due in part to personal problems.
As I stated in my blog, I have the utmost faith in him and his abilities to see this story through to the end, and hope you will all enjoy his writing as much as I do.
Winding through mountains and valley plains on a windswept evening, a train having left the station chugs through with eight cars attached, each one carrying rows of passengers on their way to Vanhoover.
Barrier, who had until this point been asleep in his seat, jolted awake as the train bounced just slightly, jostling the filly that had taken up position on his withers.
“M’not ready to get up…” a filly mumbled and groaned, burying herself further into the charcoal unicorn’s two-tone blue mane and falling silent once more.
Taking a breath to steady himself, Barrier’s icy-blue eyes took a moment to scan the room, smiling when he saw that that past few days of being reunited with these young ponies hadn’t all been a dream.
That’s right. He chuckled quietly. They survived the Crystal Empire. Though arguably , they now had even bigger problems to worry about, especially when it comes to adjusting to this bold new world. I suppose this is how Celestia felt, when she saw Luna and I returning. Knowing what we were condemned to. Though he knew it wasn’t his fault that most of the ponies present had lost everything, he couldn’t help but feel that he was somewhat responsible.
Though lost in his thought for a but brief span of time, he soon awoke from the stupor to find that his gaze fell upon the powder-blue mare. Swiftsword. Arguably she had lost the most out of the bunch, and given what Barrier knew of her, she would probably take it harder than most of the others. She’ll probably have the hardest time adjusting as well. At least, that was what he thought until his eyes fell on Iron Forge.
The unicorn was a darker blue with a silver-grey mane and tail, and while he hadn’t lost quite as much as the others, he had lost his mother after she had been saved from what had happened to their home city of Gallopfrey. That, in addition to his burning hatred for griffins… Barrier sighed. Not sure who will have a harder time adapting, him or Swiftsword.
Next, his eyes fell onto the first earth pony of the group, mentally comparing his coat and mane to grass and dirt. Verdant. Barrier actually half-smiled. Like Swiftsword, he had lost his entire family, which was a rather sizable herd. He’ll probably rebound fairly well, though. He expected Verdant would have the least trouble adjusting to this new era. Perhaps most importantly, he would serve as a stabilizing presence for the rest of the group, given his seemingly endless optimism. The glue that holds them together, Barrier mentally told himself.
Next up was the snow-white mare with the blonde mane and tail, Winter Gem. Besides Verdant, she had lost the most family in terms of numbers, but Barrier wasn’t quite as worried about it. Even in this era, the Apple Family was huge, and it had seemed like they hadn’t changed in the slightest. She had lost her entire family, but she still had a great deal of family to come back to.
Lastly was the purple pegasus, Hat Trick, and of the bunch, he was the one who had lost the least. Arguably, he hadn’t lost anything. His family had died long before he was even a guard, but he still had his squad and Winter Gem, his fiance. As far as he was concerned, they were his family.
Life’s about to get busy. Barrier sighed and glanced to either side of him. On one side he had a light-gold pegasus with a multi-tone grey mane. Daring Do. She had been his stabilizing presence, his tutor, and his common sense. Barrier frowned and tugged his gaze away before he allowed himself to fall into further self-depreciation. Daring would likely clock him if she knew.
“You are awake,” the pegasus resting against his other side stated tiredly, her single red eye open and looking at him.
“Yeah. Still not comfortable enough with trains to really sleep in them well.” Barrier couldn’t help but frown when he saw her eye patch, his mind drifting back towards Sombra and the Empire until a light-blue hoof lightly smacked the side of his head.
“Stop that. We should not worry ourselves over what might have been,” Fleetfeather said before she sighed and let her head slump onto the bench.
“Sorry,” Barrier replied.
The unicorn craned his neck around to the filly on his back. She was like a smaller version of her mother in every way. A light-blue coat with a pink mane and striking red eyes, though they were currently hidden behind her eyelids.
“My daughter is all I have left to live for,” Fleetfeather stated softly. “If it were not for her, I would have forsaken this world, and cast thyself from cloud up high.”
Barrier winced at the fatalistic tone, but didn’t oppose it. Fleetfeather had lost her children. All of them, with the exception of Wind Whistler who had lived through the horrors of the Empire first hoof. If anypony had a right to such a statement, it was her.
A sharp knock from the other side of the door interrupted their discussion and roused the occupants. “We’ll be arriving in Vanhoover shortly, please be ready to depart.”
Hat Trick was the first one up, taking a moment to yawn widely before speaking. “Tis good to hear those words. I feel as if we’ve been on this contraption for over ten months.”
“Tis only been a few hours, Hat Trick. Besides that, this journey has been one of, if not the, swiftest journey we have ever undertaken.” Swiftsword retorted.
“Probably the unsafest journey, too.” Barrier commented as he climbed upright from his bench and stretched, being careful not to rouse the still-sleeping filly.
“Right,” Barrier began to move about the cabin, lightly jostling the remaining cadets to wakefulness. “We’ve arrived. Prepare to depart, ponies.”
Everypony woke up peacefully enough, until Verdant shot upright. “Seapony has my money!” He panted and stared wide-eyed at his companions. They stared back at him, looks of confusion painting their mugs.“Uh…” The stallion blushed just slightly. “Mayhaps we could forget that?”
Barrier, paying it no regard, made to open the door of the train compartment until a familiar hoof smacked him in the back of the head. “No magic.” Daring Do yawned and opened the door with her hoof. “I get the feeling it’s going to be a daily occurrence reminding you of that.”
Barrier winced and rubbed his head. “I would prefer it if you reminded me without your hoof, or at the very least a little more gently.”
Daring only smiled at him. “If I thought it would have any effect, I would, but we both know it won’t.”
“She is not wrong. Thou wert well known amongst the doctors for forgetting thy injuries. I still have memories about thy injuries from the drunken dragon,” Fleetfeather offered.
“Great, now there’s two of them.” Barrier sighed and made for the door. “Let’s go, ponies. Our new lives in Vanhoover await.”
Barrier groaned as he stretched on the platform, having finally escaped the metal monstrosity. The others followed suit, stretching in much of the same manner, glad to be free of the cramped contraption.
“So,” Hat Trick was the first to speak. “Where shalt we be staying for the night? Methinks it be a little late to be house-hunting.”
None of the cadets answered immediately, most of them focused on the passers by, many of which pointing out that Swiftsword was toting around a blade as long as she was.
“Thou does have a plan, I assume?” Fleetfeather asked from directly to the unicorn’s left.
Daring Do was the one that answered. “I know a pony at Delta Hotels. I can get us rooms easily enough.”
“Daring was my plan.” Barrier half-grinned at the blue pegasus.
“Daring?” Fleetfeather’s eyebrow was raised upward in askance.
“I’m Daring,” The mare in question answered. “Just… refer to me as A.K. Yearling in public, okay? I’ll explain later.”
“Why not sleep in a park, or field outside of town?” Swiftsword interjected herself into the conversation, having stepped away from the others. “It would save what funds we have and we are all quite capable surviving without an inn or a warm bed for a night.”
“Not gonna happen,” Barrier stated with slight zeal. “After the shitshow you’ve all been through, I’m not putting you all up in a park. Especially when I have more bits than I could spend in a frugal lifetime.”
“Besides that, we won’t have to pay for a room,” Daring stated. “I’m owed many favors by many ponies.” She half-smirked. “Now, let’s get our flanks moving. If we wait too much longer, my contact will be off work.”
“You heard the mare,” Barrier exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of his cadets and the scant few remaining ponies around the platform. “Form up and let’s go!”
With the movements of a well-oiled machine, the cadets and Fleetfeather did just that, falling into an arrowhead formation seemingly without thinking.
Daring whistled. “That’s gonna be hard to break.”
Barrier grunted. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t already well aware of.
***
“And with this, we’re even.” Daring grinned widely at the irritated pony across from her.
“Yes, I dare say we are, Miss Yearling.” The pony took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “You can pick up your room keys at the front desk.”
The mare grinned widely and waved before she trotted out of the office, quickly returning to her group and loudly proclaiming, regardless of the somewhat late hour: “And like that, we have rooms!”
Barrier met her eyes. “But…”
“...Buuuut, they’re nearly full up. Only three rooms were available, so some ponies are gonna have to share a bed. We’ve got two rooms with two beds and a room with one.”
Fleetfeather nodded firmly and turned to Hat Trick and Winter Gem. “I shall take Hat and Gem.” She stated before sparing a glance at her still-dozing daughter. When she was certain that she was still asleep, she turned back to the two. “Thou will not fornicate while in our room, is that clear?”
“Yes ma’am.” They said together almost in unison, gulping afterwards in fear of drawing her wrath.
“Then Verdant, Forge, and I, will take a room as well.” Swiftsword declared. “That will leave the last room for the Captain and Miss Yearling.”
“Lucky…” Hat Trick half-whispered.
Barrier’s eye twitched slightly but he didn’t call the pegasus out. “Very well.”
He turned to Daring who was retrieving their room keys from the receptionist.
As soon as she had the keys, Daring doled them out and pulled the ponies further into the hotel. “Hey, after we find our rooms, why don’t you take the cadets out to get something to eat?” Almost on cue, five stomachs growled in response to Daring’s question, earning a slight chuckle from her, “Maybe introduce them to pizza. And make sure to bring something back for Fleet and I.”
“You and Fleetfeather will stay here then?” Barrier asked.
“Yeah,” Daring confirmed. “I can’t imagine why she would want to take her filly back out,” Daring looked over to Wind Whistler who was utilizing Barrier’s mane as a blanket.
Fleetfeather nodded her consent and her eye moved to the filly on Barrier’s back, “She is right. It will also allow Miss Yearling and I some time to talk with one another.”
Barrier nodded understandingly and fell silent as they climbed a flight of stairs.
“And we’re here,” Daring said with a yawn.“Your room numbers are on your keys.”
“Take a short while to explore your rooms. We’ll meet up here in the stairwell in ten minutes to go get something to eat.” Barrier stated as he plucked the sleeping filly from his mane and placed her on her mother’s back.
With a short round of affirmations and a single salute from Swiftsword, the group had temporarily dispersed.
***
“I… was not expecting such opulence.” Swiftsword stated to her companions as she poked her head into the bathroom.
“What do you think these are?” Verdant asked as he removed the mints and chocolates from the pillowcase and examined them.
Even Iron Forge was unable to stay silent, choosing to try and puzzle out the coffee pot. “Tis certainly better than camping outside.” Forge moved from the coffee pot to test the beds.
One room over…
Winter Gem and Hat Trick both stood on the small balcony of their room, glancing out at the pinpricks of light near and far denoting the night life of their new home.
“I never thought I would see such a sight.” Winter Gem stated softly, leaning into the pegasus. “To think, only a few days ago we were in a pitched battle with the undead, fighting for our lives.”
Hat Trick wrapped a wing around the mare, blanketing her in warmth. “This is the future we fought for.” He finally replied. “Is this what peace looks like?”
After another brief silence, Winter Gem nodded. “Aye, I believe it is, Hat Trick. I truly hope it lasts.”
Fleetfeather maintained her silence, watching the pair from afar as she cradled her only remaining child close. Though she didn’t say it, she desperately hoped the same, more for her daughter’s sake than her own.
One more room over…
Daring flopped lazily onto the bed and rolled to face the unicorn. “Bit for your thoughts?”
Barrier didn’t reply immediately.
Daring frowned and snagged one of the mints from the pillow. With a practiced hoof, she pegged the unicorn in the back of his head with a hard candy, drawing a flinch from him.
“You were being all silent and broody again. Bit for your thoughts?” she reiterated.
“Just thinking about the cadets,” Barrier confessed. “You already know where my mind lies on it.”
“Mm, I have an idea.” Daring nodded. “Trying to think about where to start with’em?”
Barrier nodded. “Princess Celestia mentioned she could put me in contact with a capable therapist. Hopefully this pony can give me some idea of where to start.”
Daring snorted. “If you talk to the shrink for any length of time, she’ll probably think you need counseling too.” Daring pressed a hoof to her chin. “She would probably be right. You’ve gotten better, but you’ve still plenty of your own issues to deal with.”
Barrier hefted himself to his hooves before he responded. “It’s been about ten minutes. Anything in particular you want me to bring back for you?”
“Uh, some cheesy garlic bread would be awesome if you could find it. You should probably poke in and see if Fleetfeather wants anything in particular as well. M’gonna try to talk to her a bit while you’re gone. I don’t think she quite trusts me with you yet.”
“Very well.” Barrier opened the door, revealing his cadets waiting for him in the hallway. “We shall return shortly.” He tugged the door closed, shifting next door to poke his head into Fleetfeather’s room. “Fleets, I’m going out to get food. Any preferences for you and the little one?”
Fleetfeather craned her neck up from the bed, her face seemed to indicate she had much on her mind. After a moment's silence and a glance at her sleeping filly, she nodded. “Seasoned potatoes of some sort, if possible. Wind Whistler always rather enjoyed potatoes.”
***
“Tis so… strange.” Hat Trick commented idly as he walked in a short circle to try and take in all of his surroundings.
Barrier adjusted his saddlebags before responding. “It was a little overwhelming for me at first as well, and I wasn’t even in a city this large.”
“How do they light these buildings?” Verdant asked. “Clearly the streetlights use oil.” He pointed to a violet pegasus mare with a faded pink mane and tail filling said lights. “But surely tis not so for all of these buildings.”
“They use electricity,” Barrier answered, not entirely certain where he pulled the answer from. “I don’t know the specifics of how it works, only that it doesn’t require refueling in the same sense as we’re used to.”
“And this… chicken-scratch?” Winter Gem asked this time, pointing to a nearby sign. “Can thou decipher it?”
“It says no loitering,” Barrier responded. “It’s easy enough to pick up after a bit of effort. It sort of… clicks after a while. I’ll probably have Miss Yearling handle teaching you all how to read and to modernize your speech.”
“Captain, what exactly is thy connection with that pegasus?” Swiftsword asked before her eyes widened slightly in realization at what she’d asked. “If I may ask, that is. If it is too personal, I understand.”
Barrier waved her concerns off. “Daring kept me sane when I came back. I… wasn’t in the greatest of places. She kept me grounded in reality, and stopped me from potentially becoming a monster in the same vein as Sombra. Since then, she and I have become notably… closer.”
A wave of nerves shot through the group and all of them save Barrier tensed at the name.
“I imagine you would have rather died first than become like that monster.” Swiftsword glanced at Barrier as she spoke.
“I would if I had a say in the matter,” Barrier confirmed. “But before Sombra became what he was, he would have given you the same answer as I. Remember that before he was a monster, he was a well-respected commander who served the princesses with distinction. He was my predecessor and by extension yours.” The unicorn allowed silence to settle on the group. In truth, he’d said it as much for himself as his cadets. With recent events, it was easy to forget that he’d once been a pony.
“Captain?” Hat Trick broke the groups silence and changed the subject with ease. “I’ve spotted a building with a sign most strange. It seems to glow with a red light.”
Barrier snorted, partly in amusement and gaze at the sign in question.
“Alf…” Barrier squinted a bit, seeing that some of the signage wasn’t lit. It wasn’t until they’d gotten a little closer that he was able to make the rest of it, and the First Equestrian National Bank across the street from it. “Alfredo’s Diner. Actually might be worth it to stop in there,” Barrier finished.
The group did just that, crowding into the entryway. It didn’t take long for someone to notice them.
“Welcome to Al’s Diner. How can I help you?” A pale, not-quite leaden blue thestral approached the group.
Swiftsword mentally noted how Barrier tensed and how his eyes lingered on the leathery wings of their host for a brief moment.
“Are you Alfredo?” Barrier asked, forcing his body to loosen slightly. Thestrals weren’t the enemy any more than griffins were in this era.
“Neigh, my good stallion.” The stallion spoke with a slight accent. “I’m Dark Roast, a waiter and coffee brewer extraordinaire. Al’s the near deaf chef in the back.” Dark Roast turned around and yelled into the back. “Isn’t that right, Al?”
“WHAT?” A voice called from within the depths of the kitchen.
“So, how can I help you and your friends, Mr…?”
“Ah, Barrier.” Barrier introduced himself with a slight bow. “Do you serve pizza here? The young ones here have never had it before and I was hoping you could help enlighten them to the glory that is pizza.”
“Apologies, my good stallion, but we don’t serve pizza here. We have everything from hayburgers and fries to pasta and more, though I’m afraid pizza is not one of them. For pizza, I would recommend the Four D’s down the road.”
“The Four D’s?” Barrier asked.
“Delicious Dining Delights & Deli.” Dark Roast explained. “They’ll make just about anything you could want. Especially if you want something more exotic. They’re not terribly far. Maybe a block or two down the road. Just take a left on your way out and head straight. They’ve a sign similar to ours, except it’s wholly lit.”
“I see. Thank you very much, Mr. Roast. I expect we’ll be seeing each other again quite soon if your craft is coffee.” Barrier bowed slightly before carefully backing out the door, his cadets following in silence. When they were once more alone in the crisp night air, Barrier turned towards the direction they’d been given. “Alright, my ponies. To the Four D’s we go.”
“Onward the gathering of six soldiers journeyed forth into the night!” Hat Trick narrated with a dramatic flare. “They would not be stopped on their quest! Their quest to find the mythical item their captain called pizza!”
“Hat Trick,” Barrier began largely annoyed and disinterested.
“Yes, Captain?” Hat Trick answered.
“Shut up, it’s…” Barrier glanced around for a clock of some sort, until his eyes settled on a wall-clock in view of the window of a laundromat. “Almost nine o’clock. Ponies are likely trying to sleep.”
“Yes, Captain,” Hat Trick dipped his head just slightly and sported a bashful grin.
“Hopefully we shall find this place; this, ‘Delicious Dining Delights & Deli’ soon. I would rather enjoy returning to a regular sleep schedule.” Swiftsword yawned tiredly.
“Pray tell, Captain, what is this ‘pizza’ we are after like?” Winter Gem inquired
“Uh…” Barrier rubbed his chin as he tried to think of an adequate way to describe it. “Well at its base, it’s flatbread with a coating of tomato sauce and a layer of cheese baked in an oven.”
“I… see,” Winter Gem responded.
“Believe me, I know how it sounds, but it’s exceptional. You’ll see.” Almost as if on cue, the signage of the Delicious Dining Delights & Deli came into view. “Just trust me on this. Besides, the restaurant’s right there.” He lifted a hoof and pointed to the restaurant marked by the sign alight from its neon glow.
“I shall get the door, Captain.” Iron Forge moved to the front of the group to nudge the door open. Suddenly like the crashing of a wave, the door opened, and the unicorn raised his head just as he came to crash into a snow-grey pegasus with a mane and tail whiter than even snow… and at the same time caused the pegasus in question to spill his drink all over him.
The pegasus’s wings spread slightly as he instinctively backed away from the spilling drink. “I’m so sorry!” he quickly apologized to Iron Forge and snagged a napkin from a nearby dispenser. “Let me get you cleaned up…” the napkin was quickly applied to Iron Forge’s chest and shoulders.
“I didn’t mean to cover you in Caneighda Dry…” he began until he pressed the napkin a little firmer into the unicorn’s fur and blushed just slightly when he realized that beneath the floof of Iron Forge’s fur was an impressive wall of muscle.
“Tis quite alright. I should have been paying more attention,” Iron Forge quickly and modestly admitted.
The cadets all watched the scene unfold with varying degrees of amusement.
“Ah, right.” The pegasus pulled the napkin away. “Sorry again, Mr…”
“Forge,” The stallion in question answered. “Iron Forge.”
“Well Iron Forge, I’m Snow Sweeper. It’s nice to meet you. Would you like a soda or something? My way of apologizing.”
“No, thank you though. I believe I shall let my Captain handle my order.”
Snow tilted his head quizzically. “Captain?” He only just seemed to notice Barrier and the others. “Oh, are you guys a hockey team or something?”
“Hockey?” It was Forge’s turn to tilt his head quizzically.
“You’ve… never heard of hockey?”
Barrier pressed a hoof to Forge’s shoulder drawing his attention momentarily. “We’ll move on ahead and order, Forge. It’ll take a while for our pizza to be ready. Why not learn what hockey is so you can explain it to the rest of us later?”
“Yessir,” Forge replied with a reflexive salute, drawing a half-concealed giggle from Snow Sweeper.
True to his word, Barrier continued past Snow Sweeper and made his way to the counter, where he was greeted by a plump, cream-colored pegasus mare that had been observing the scene.
“Welcome to Delicious Dining Delights & Deli.” She pulled her gaze away from Forge and Snow, who were still conversing with one another. “How can I help you tonight?”
“Well,” Barrier began. “My friends and I are new in town and we were wondering if we could get a few pizzas, I’d say about… three.”
The red-maned mare smiled widely. “Of course! We have all sorts of foods here.” She turned towards the door leading into the back. “Honey! Throw together some pizza dough!” She grabbed a clear plastic jar of red sauce and a half-dozen smaller jars containing seasonings and the like. “We’ve got everything from Neighponese dishes like kushikatsu to Griffin Kingdom cuisine like roast chicken.”
Iron Forge bristled slightly from where he sat with Snow Sweeper. “Griffin food…” The distaste in his tone was clear.
Verdant turned and stared at Forge with a half-cocked eyebrow. “Really? This coming from the one who spoke regularly about their love of roast boar on the island?”
“And the rabbit stew.” Swiftsword pointed out.
“And the quail,” Hat Trick added.
Iron Forge looked down and grumbled. “...fair point.”
“Well,” the pegasus mare cut in. “We’re fresh out of rabbit and quail, but if you want some meat on your pizza, I’d recommend some pepperoni.”
It was then that Winter Gem asked the question her comrades had been preparing to ask. “What is pepperoni exactly?”
“It’s a kind of spiced pork sausage,” the counter mare explained as she pulled a thin sheet of wax paper before them and carefully laid upon it the item in question. “You slice it into thin coins and then place them on top of the pizza.”
Barrier rubbed his chin in thought for a moment or two before finally nodding. “Very well. I believe we’ll go with one pepperoni pizza and two cheese pizzas, Ms…”
“Mrs. Drumstick.” The mare smiled warmly. “Any other toppings you’d like to try? We just got in a fresh batch of Zebrican vegetables this morning.”
“No, thank you though. I wouldn’t want to overwhelm my cadets just yet,” Barrier said before he craned his neck around to his saddlebags as Drumstick began to ring up their bill.
Drumstick nodded understandingly then checked the bill. “Comes out to a total of… forty-five bits.”
Snow Sweeper and Iron Forge approached the group. “Well, let me at least pay for…” he fell silent as he returned from his saddlebags with another slight blush. “Uh... a pizza and a half?”
Barrier chuckled and shook his head as he sat his own bit-bag on the counter. “I appreciate the thought, Mr. Sweeper, but it’s okay,” he fished out a fifty-bit coin and slid it across the counter.
“Your pizzas will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” Mrs. Drumstick said gleefully.
“Ah, I almost forgot.” Barrier thought back to his conversation with Fleetfeather after Daring had asked him to ask her what she wanted to eat. “Do you have any form of seasoned potatoes? And cheesy garlic bread. The mares will skin me if I come back empty-hooved.”
“Tell me about it!” a voice called from the back.
“Oh, hush you!” Drumstick called back with a giggle. “If you’re looking for seasoned potatoes, you may enjoy our seasoned potato wedges. I could have the wedges ready for you even before your pizzas, but the bread will take just about as long as the pizzas.”
“That’s fine. We’re in no particular hurry.” Barrier fished another fifty-bit piece from his bag and slid it across the counter.
“Alrighty.” Drumstick quickly tallied the additions up then dropped both coins into the cash register. “Forty-five bits for the pizza, twelve bits for the bread and wedges…” she mumbled to herself, “Forty-three bits is your change. Is this for here or to go?”
Barrier scooped his change into his bit bag. “To go, please.”
Verdant frowned and turned to Swiftsword. “This price seems rather… high, for a single meal, even when one considers how many it is meant to feed, does it not?”
“Perhaps pizza is a difficult dish to make?” Swiftsword guessed. “Or mayhaps it uses some rare ingredients. The Captain doesn’t seem too bothered by it, so it must be normal, right?”
The pair fell silent as Drumstick turned away from the register.
“Alrighty dears, your orders will be ready in around fifteen minutes.”
A medium-brown unicorn stallion stepped out of the back, floating three pizza crusts within his magic. “Here ya go, love.” He sat them down neatly on the white counter across from the register where Drumstick quickly set about applying tomato sauce. Stepping out from behind the counter, he made his way to a table further in the back, a thin slip of paper floating within his magical glow.
After a few moments of silence between the cadets, minus Iron Forge and Snow Sweeper who seemed to be quite taken with one another, chatting amicably one of the benches near the entrance.
The others simply sat back and observed Snow Sweeper as he began to explain the more in-depth aspects of hockey to Forge.Though none of them said it, all of them were thinking it. Forge may’ve found something he desperately needed: a new friend and a modern pony to help ease him into the new world. Barrier, who observed silently the two converse, was quickly roused from his observations as a wing entered his peripheral. Turning, he took in the pair of griffins heading towards the door and cleared his throat to draw the attention of his cadets. “Hold yourselves. Remember, we’re at peace. They’re just like us. Having a nice meal at a nice restaurant. Nothing more, and nothing less.” He couldn’t help but emphasise the last line of his statement, as if to drive home a point that the age they now lived in was not their own, and that they had no enemies.
The entire group, even Forge, tensed slightly but otherwise stayed silent as ordered. It wasn’t until Swiftsword caught the male of the group staring at her that she broke the silence.
“Can I help thou?” she asked with a slight edge in her tone.
The tiercel was slim and black from the neck down, barring his golden talons. “Sorry, just a little nervous, it’s not often that you see a sword brought into a restaurant.” He tilted his greyish-brown head towards Swiftsword in seeming apology.
“A Falchion goes nowhere unarmed,” Swiftsword recited her family mantra with a practiced ease.
“Uh...huh.” The griffin and his companion carefully passed by the group, waiting until they were at the door to mutter to the hen next to him. “Crazy cosplayers… seems like they come earlier every year.”
“Actually they’re late by a millennium, but who’s counting!” the hen replied before she and her companion departed.
“Uh…” Snow Sweeper broke the silence that had settled over the group. “Not to be nosy, but do you guys not like griffins or…?”
Forge was the one to answer. “That… is a very long story. Suffice to say that that the feelings are not unfounded.”
Verdant was the second of the group to speak. “I am…” he seemed to struggle for the words momentarily. “I think we will adapt. Become more used to them in time, but… not yet.”
“The wounds are still too fresh,” Swiftsword stated simply.
“I won’t ask for perfection,” The charcoal unicorn sighed out. “All I ask is for honest effort.”
Drumstick, having missed the entire scene due to her cooking, rejoined the conversation. “Your orders are ready, dears!”
***
“I hope to see you again soon, Snow Sweeper,” Iron Forge said to his new friend who had joined them on their walk back, as his own trip took him right past the hotel. “This game you spoke of has greatly garnered my interest.”
“For sure!” Snow Sweeper smiled and waved to the ponies as they made their way into the lobby of the hotel and then the stairwell, and finally the large room Barrier was sharing with Daring Do.
“Alright!” Daring thrust a hoof into the air excitedly as the party entered. “Delivery, and I don’t even have to tip.”
“I never thought I’d see you happy to take a bath,” Fleetfeather’s voice drifted out from the bathroom.
Wind Whistler let out a small, contented groan was the only response.
“Hey Fleets and tyke, food’s here!” Daring called to the bathroom before she cleared off a nearby table that how inexplicably become much vastly cluttered in the brief time they had been gone, and helped the cadets offload the food.
“Fleets?” Barrier asked the tan pegasus.
“Turns out we get along,” Daring said with a shrug as she took a slice of pizza, that she had surprisingly had not already torn to shreds, judging from the last time they had pizza.
Fleetfeather snorted as she strode out of the bathroom with a damp filly striding alongside her. “I still do not trust her completely, but I will give her a chance. Be careful however, Barrier. I do not believe for a moment her claims of a pill that prevents pregnancy. It sounds simply ludicrous to me.”
Barrier let out a sound that was a mixture between a cough and a laugh. After he’d recovered, he turned to his cadets. “Right. Dig in you five, and then get some sleep.”
As they all bit into a piece of pizza almost simultaneously, he knew two things for certain: how he’d looked after his own first pizza and that there wouldn’t be any leftovers after an hour. There would be stomach aches all around.
Barrier tapped his hoof against the floor as everypony ate in relative silence.
Fleetfeather took notice from where she sat beside him but made no comment on it. Meanwhile, Daring took notice on her side, and nudged him which drew his attention. He looked at her, at first from the corner of his eyes then turned his head to face her, an eyebrow cocked inquisitively.
“Relax,” Daring said, “As soon as everypony finishes breakfast, we’ll explain some stuff to them.”
Barrier nodded, and with a sigh, stilled his legs and turned back to his coffee.
A few minutes later, the group had finished the free continental breakfast the hotel had provided, though Barrier was loathe to call it breakfast. The assortment of food provided was more akin to a buffet of breakfast foods.
Swiftsword was the first to speak after they had finished. “Captain, now that we have had broken our nightly fast, mayhaps Miss Yearling can tell us who she truly is?”
“Indeed,” Fleetfeather chipped in. “She mentioned last night that she would explain why she responded to the name of ‘Daring’ before. It should also explain why you referred to her as such in the Crystal Empire.”
Daring chuckled slightly as she focused on the powder-blue mare. “I’m afraid it’s not quite as impressive as you’re all thinking. I’m the author of the Daring Do series of novels and prefer to be known by my penname A.K. Yearling when around ponies who don’t know that I’m the title character, or that the stories are closer to a biography than fiction. I’m an archaeologist and treasure hunter, often hired by the princess to take care of some of the more dangerous treasures out there.”
“She’s quite popular,” Barrier added. “And if the masses were aware, they no doubt would want to help in one way or another.”
“Which would lead to problems,” Daring said with a slight cadence of discomfort, picking up where Barrier had trailed off. “A lot of’em. I don’t think the princess would appreciate a bunch of random ponies following me to dangerous dungeons, treacherous temples, and all the other places I end up going to.”
“She tends to make enemies in her line of work, if my own experience alongside her is any indicator.”
Daring started to rub the back of her neck and let out a slight chuckle which seemed to confirm Barrier’s claims. “Yeah, wouldn’t want all of the treasure hunters and baddies I’ve pissed off tracking me down to my home or anything.”
“Now, with that explained, do any of you have any other questions before Barrier heads out to make house hunting preparations?”
Verdant raised his hoof, drawing a slight smile from Daring. “Willst thou be able to help us with adapting to modern Equestrian writing and speech?”
The pegasus chuckled. “Sure. Actually, first lesson. Instead of ‘willst’ we use ‘will’ and in place of ‘thou’, we use ‘you’.”
Winter Gem raised a hoof this time. “Wouldst th…” She pursed her lips as she stopped to correct herself. “Wouldst you show our group some important locations around this city, Ms. Do?”
The others, Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler included, appeared to take interest in the question.
“I don’t see why not. I’ve been here before, so I know some of the sights. Though we can’t quite make a day of it just yet. We should probably save that for after we’ve found a place for you to stay in. Also, it’s ‘would’ now, not ‘wouldst’.”
“Yeah…” Barrier rubbed his chin. “My first stop will have to be a bank. Will you be able to arrange our stay here for a while longer, Daring? I doubt we’ll be able to move into a house immediately.”
“Staying here will be alright,” Daring said lightly. “We don’t actually have a timeframe on when we have to be out, and with me here, it’s not likely to be a problem for awhile. Right!” She turned to the group once more, “any more questions?”
Iron Forge raised a hoof. “How does one remove the chamber pots in our rooms, and where does one dump them?”
Daring’s mouth moved like that of a goldfish for a moment as if tempted to say something, only she held her tongue. She took a deep breath and thought on what she would reply with. “You just… pull the lever on the back of the tank. That’ll empty it by sending your…. Waste into the sewer... systems...” Daring facehoofed at the conclusion of her explanation.
“Daring, how about you continue with their language lesson on modern Equestria and I’ll run to the bank? I saw a First Equestria National last night, which is where I had my bits deposited.”
Daring seemed to roll the idea over in her head before nodding. “That sounds like a solid idea. They won’t be able to give you the bits all at once though. Stop in and tell them you need a proof of funds for…” Daring stopped and held up both her hooves as she seemed to mentally calculate something. “Maybe a million and a half bits. Probably won’t cost that much but better to have it and not need it, right?”
Utter silence befell the cadets and Fleetfeather as they stared first at Daring and then at Barrier.
It took a bit, but finally Fleetfeather broke the silence.. “I was not aware thou… you had become so wealthy in our absence, Barrier. Well done.”
Barrier snorted. “It’s not as much as it seems.”
“Still pretty damn good. Plus, you’ll probably get paid pretty well once the princesses are able to get you your back pay.”
Barrier looked over to Daring and tossed her a mischievous grin. “I bet Daring could tally it up for you while I’m gone. Well, have fun.” The unicorn ‘casually’ left the room in a hurry, just missing Daring’s groan.
***
Barrier groaned as he nosed his way into Alfredo’s Diner. He had spent the last three hours at the bank, learning about and partaking in light investment of his spare funds. “No wonder she was so accepting of me leaving her with the cadets…”
“Welcome back to Al’s Diner, Barrier.”
Barriers ears swiveled in the direction of the familiar voice as Dark Roast made his way out of the back. “Anything I can get you before the day shift waiter gets in?”
Barrier thought back to the previous night, and to the thestral’s name. “Strongest coffee you can make?”
The stallion whistled, and nodded, turned on his hooves and trotted back towards the kitchen, responding as he went. “Sure thing. This stuff will keep you up for a day and change.” As the stallion disappeared into the back, his voice called out a bit louder. “Rough night?”
Barrier let his head rest on the table he’d taken refuge at. “Rough morning. The bank is a pain in the flank.”
Dark Roast chuckled. “I know that feeling. It’s so much worse if you’re nocturnal because you usually go in already exhausted. How do you take your coffee?”
“Black,” Barrier responded, his head still on the table.
“Alrighty.” Dark Roast’s voice became clearer as he departed the kitchen, carrying a mug of the darkest coffee Barrier had ever seen, blacker than a moonless midnight.
“One Turbo Brew Special, nice and hot. Enjoy.” Dark Roast yawned after he deposited the mug on the table.
“Marry me,” Barrier groaned out as he lifted his head upright and took a sip of the coffee.
Roast chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m married. That and you’re a little… masculine for my taste.”
“Shame.” Barrier took another sip, groaning as the rush hit him. “If you ever need a paramour, I’m your pony.” He took a larger sip. “It’s so strange for me to think of two stallions marrying. Growing up, the closest they could get to marriage was sharing a herd, regardless of their preferences. It just wasn’t viable. We needed the number brought from more typical unions. No doubt Iron Forge will be ecstatic to learn of this. He could use something to be happy about.”
Dark Roast shook his head again, in clear amusement. “I’ll keep that in mind, though I can’t help but wonder what you mean about marriage. I can’t remember a time when stallions couldn’t marry, and you look about my age…now that I think about it, those kids with you last night looked different as well. Just… something about how they carried themselves… well, that and the one mare had a sword on her.”
“They’re from the pre-Nightmare Moon era.” Barrier explained in between further sips of the ambrosia the thestral had brewed him. “Did you hear about the Nightmare Moon incident a while back?”
Dark Roast hesitantly nodded affirmation. “Yeah, it’s still strange to hear about what I always thought was an old ponies’ tale being real. It’ll certainly make Nightmare Night different.”
“As asinine as it may sound, I was banished with her one-thousand years ago, and returned alongside her. The kids are from the same era, having recently returned as well. They and I were close, so it was only natural that I would take care of their integration into modern society. They’re currently trying to grasp a bit about how much just speaking has changed, not to mention knowing they no longer have to be armed and armored by dawn.”
Dark Roast took a seat across from Barrier. “You were all royal guards?”
“Aye. During the warring age, when Equestria was fighting with the Griffin Kingdom. They were all training to be soldiers when their entrapment happened. Ironically, I was the one training them, and now I have to try and convince them that everything I taught them is no longer necessary.”
Dark Roast whistled again. “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Barrier finished the last of his coffee. “Most assuredly.”
“Hm… I’m not exactly a history buff, but didn’t Equestria have a different system of writing back then?”
“Aye,” Barrier confirmed. “It’s not too terrible to learn the new system with proper tutelage, but it’s far from enjoyable.” Barrier fished a hundred-bit piece out of his bag and slid it across the table as payment for the coffee.
“Why not try some comic books?” Dark Roast made his way to the register with the bit. “They’re fairly easy to read, not too many pages, and the artwork would probably help them figure out the story. Let them connect the stories to the words a bit easier.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Though, I’m not quite certain where I would purchase comics. In all honesty I’ve not done a lot of reading since my own return. A bookstore or something I would guess?”
Dark Roast held an assortment of bits out to Barrier, his change. “You could probably find them at a bookstore. The cornerstore up the road has some as well though. Lot closer than the nearest bookstore, for sure. Though if they find a story they like, the bookstore usually carries trade paperbacks.”
“Thank you for your suggestions and assistance, Dark Roast.” Barrier pushed himself upright. “Keep the change. As a gratuity for the advice and the coffee.”
Dark Roast grinned. “Thanks Barrier.” He waved as the unicorn headed towards the door. “Best of luck to you and your ponies!”
“WHAT?” A voice called out from the back just as the door closed behind the unicorn.
***
Barrier tilted his flask to his lips as he approached the small rack appropriately labeled ‘comics’ before it dawned on him that he’d yet to refill it. Glancing around the store, his eyes settled on a shelf and a small refrigerator. While not labeled, he recognized the bottles that resided on the shelves.
A beige earth pony with a black mane poked his head out of the back of the store. “Welcome to Tracks’ Pit Stop, anything I can help you find?”
“Mayhaps.” Barrier’s horn flared just slightly before the unicorn found himself curled up on the floor and swearing up a storm as the other pony stood over him worriedly. “M’fine,” Barrier groaned out, forestalling any question. “I’m just stupid.” Barrier rubbed his horn and hissed. “I keep forgetting it’s broken.” Fighting back the pain radiating throughout his head, he picked himself up. “I need a dozen or so random comics. Something for early readers if possible.”
“Uh…” The pony hesitated, as he seemed to think. “Pony Rangers and Foaltron: Legendary Defender would probably work. We’ve got back-issues, so your kid could start from the beginning, if you’d like.”
Barrier rubbed his horn again as the pain started to fade and he muttered to himself. “She is going to kick my ass when she finds out I tried to use magic…” Shaking his head, he nodded at the store clerk. “Those will be fine. I also need…” Barrier poked a head around to the booze and approached it, sidestepping the clerk. “Two fifths of Griffonstone brand whiskey, and…” Barrier glanced over the limited selection again. “Eh, make it four fifths.” Barrier ignored the worried look the clerk shot him as the pony made his way behind the counter and instead gathered up the four bottles in question and hobbled to the counter himself, carefully balancing the bottles on his back and a hoof.
“Alrighty, your total comes to one-hundred and thirty-three bits,” the pony stated as he quickly rang the items up and bagged them with a dexterity Barrier was almost envious of.
Sliding a pair of coins across the counter, Barrier took the bag in his mouth and, as soon as he received his change, started towards the door.
Barrier grumbled angrily to himself as he was forced to sit the bags down in order to open the door. “I’m back,” he called into his shared room before taking the bags in his mouth once more.
“And that’s why we don’t—”
Barrier didn’t get to hear the rest of the statement from Daring, courtesy of the small ball of fluff that had latched herself to his head.
“Hello, Wind Whistler,” Barrier mumbled through the fluff and bags, glad that his smile was concealed.
“Tis…” Wind Whistler frowned as she corrected herself. “I mean, it’s good to see you again, Uncle Barrier.”
Barrier continued forward several steps before dropping his bags and tugging Wind Whistler free with a hoof. “And you, little one.” The unicorn deposited her on his withers and turned to face the others.
“About time you got back,” The mare mirrored a smile shared by everypony else in the room. “Perfect timing as well. I was just about to call a break, so that this stuff hopefully sinks in and sticks.”
“Likely they’ll commit to memory…” Barrier gazed over his cadets, his eyes resting on Hat Trick briefly. “Well, most of them anyways.”
Hat Trick scoffed when he realized what Barrier had implied, though the faintest smile crossed his features.
“I picked up some comics and liquor. An acquaintance suggested the comics would be useful for teaching the cadets to read.” Barrier fished the comics in question out of their bag.
“Good call on his part,” Daring said satisfactorily and began to sort through them.
“I seem to recall Sir Spike making mention of these comics books. May I ask which ones tho— you purchased, sir?” Swiftsword asked through a raised eyebrow.
“I’m honestly not certain,” Barrier admitted. “I just had the pony working there choose them.”
“Hey Barrier, why don’t you take Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler out for lunch or something? I can start on the comics with the others while you’re out, see if we can’t get them reading.”
“Thank you for doing all of this, Daring.” Barrier gave the mare a light nuzzle.
She returned the nuzzle. “No sweat.” She gave a slight smile before she turned back to the cadets. “I’ve always kinda liked teaching. May even become a teacher if I get out of the archaeology and treasure hunting business. Something to supplement my writing, you know?”
“I’d imagine it helps that you can pump all of us for ancient information as well, doesn’t it?” Barrier turned to Fleetfeather. “Shall we go out to lunch, Fleet?”
“Doesn’t hurt,” The tan pegasus replied. “Oh, and see if they have any boneless wings wherever you guys go.”
“Very well.” Fleetfeather stepped towards the door with Barrier. “Shall we go see what this city is like in the daylight, Wind Whistler?”
Wind Whistler nodded from her spot on Barrier. “I can’t wait to get out of this hotel.” Wind Whistler stretched her tiny wings. “Too cramped.”
***
For the second time in two days, Barrier found himself nosing the door to the Four D’s open, this time with a mare and filly to his right.
Fleetfeather had taken the trip fairly gracefully, not appearing too overwhelmed at her surroundings, while Wind Whistler was staring up in awe, and occasionally had to be nudged forward by her mother’s wing.
“Is this where you purchased those…” The mare seemed to struggle with the word momentarily. “Pete-zah’s from last night?”
“Aye,” Barrier responded as the door clicked shut behind them. “The potatoes and garlic bread as well. Apparently they carry a wide assortment of things.” He shifted his gaze towards the counter where a light brown unicorn with a darker brown mane stood to greet them.
“Ah, welcome back…” the stallion thought for a moment before continuing, “I’m sorry, I don’t think my wife or I got your name last night.”
“Magic Barrier.” Barrier held out his hoof, which the unicorn stepped out from behind the counter and took.
“Pleasure to meet you, Barrier. I’m Clean Cut. Is this your wife?” The sandy unicorn turned to look at Fleetfeather and almost immediately knew he’d said something wrong once registering the flash of pain that played out across the mare’s face.
Barrier rested a hoof on the mare in question’s back. “She’s a close family friend. This is Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler, her daughter and my goddaughter.” Barrier leaned in slightly. “Her husband passed away recently and she’s still recovering.”
Clean Cut winced, taken aback a slight and expressed remorse, nodding as he understood. “Ohh... I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Fleetfeather managed to say in a fairly normal manner, though there was still an undercurrent of pain. “It’s just a fresh wound is all.”
“My apologies again.” Clean Cut slowly made his way back behind the counter. “So, how can I help you today?”
“A table for three?” Barrier asked, receiving a nod shortly after as Clean Cut retrieved three menus.
“Sure thing.” Clean Cut motioned them to follow him to a nearby table. “And to make up for my faux pas, I’ll give you some breadsticks, on the house.”
“Thanks.” Barrier pulled Fleetfeather’s and Whistler’s chairs out for them with a light magical shove. As he sat down in his own, he gave his horn a rub and winced slightly, managing to mostly conceal the near-crippling lance of pain he was rewarded with.
“Barrier,” Fleetfeather fixed a hard stare on him. “I wish thou wouldst stop acting so foolishly. If th…” Fleetfeather seemed to catch herself. “If you wanted to pull our chairs out for us, you could have simply used your forelegs.”
“I know,” the unicorn groaned. “Sorry. It’s a hard habit to break. Doing stuff with my horn is like breathing at this point. It’s hard to remember not to do it.”
“Please, Uncle. Try harder,” Wind Whistler said as she hopped into her chair. “I don’t like seeing ponies I care about being hurt.” She looked around the room before her eyes fixed onto the table cloth.
“I’ll try.” Barrier winced, “I promise.”
The pegasus mare let the issue drop, feeling the point had been made. “So, what would you suggest we order for our meals, Barrier?”
Barrier skimmed over the menu. “Stir fry would probably be pretty nice. Hard to go wrong with a hayburger and fries as well.”
“We also need to get the others something,” Wind Whistler reminded them.
“Aye, we do. I wonder if there’s a way to have the food taken to them, so we can spend a bit more time on the town…” Barrier mused mostly to himself, though Clean Cut was close enough to hear, carrying a basket of breadsticks in his magic.
“We do deliveries, if you’re interested.”
“Anything in particular you would suggest for lunch? I’m afraid I’ve done very little explorative eating beyond fast food and pastries.” The image of a pink mare flashed in his mind for a fraction of a second and the unicorn shivered.
“The stir-fry is really good. We’ve also got a surplus of fries right now, so we’re selling fries and poutine at a discount,” Clean Cut answered without hesitation. “They both reheat pretty well, also. Can I get you ponies a drink to get started on?”
“Water for me, and....” Fleetfeather glanced at Wind Whistler.
“Do you have peach juice?” Whistler looked up at Clean Cut, who smiled and nodded.
“A peach juice for Wind Whistler,” Fleet finished.
“Water for me as well. Also, Stir Fry and… what is poutine, exactly?”
“It’s something we started doing here. We take a layer of fries, cover it with a layer of curds, and then we repeat the process before covering it with piping hot gravy,” the pony explained, pointing it out on the menu for them.
“That sounds fine.” Barrier closed the menu and slid it towards his host. “Is it possible to get three orders of that for here and have another six orders delivered to a room at the Delta Hotel?”
Clean Cut blinked, but nodded. “Sure. What’s the room number for the delivery?”
“Two-thirty-seven,” Barrier answered. “We’ll pay for it now.” Barrier moved to fish bits out of his bags.
“That’s fine. I’ll just put it on your dine-in bill.” Clean Cut waved the unicorn down. “Right, anything else you’d like before I call for our delivery colt?”
“Add an assortment of bottled juices to the order, if possible. I’ve no doubt they’re tired of water.”
Clean Cut nodded. “Alrighty then. I’ll have your orders out here shortly, and the delivery will be underway within the hour.” Spinning around on his hind hooves, Clean Cut departed from the table, leaving the three to converse at their leisure.
“So,” Fleetfeather started once Clean Cut was away, “What is the state of the guard in these times? Would there still be a place for me?”
“It’s… changed with the times. I know it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but Equestria doesn’t have anything on the same scale as what we grew up with.” Barrier glanced briefly at Wind Whistler who was entertaining herself with her mother's wing. “Minus a few exceptions, they’re soft. Not much of a place for ponies like us anymore, sadly. Though you will receive back-pay for a thousand years of service under the crown, if I know the princess. Same for the cadets.”
“After what you’ve told us of Nightmare Moon, especially following Sombra’s return, I fear that the guard will soon be needed more than ever before.”
“Maybe, but that’s not our decision to make. Princess Celestia is smart enough to cover all of her bases. If she needs us, she’ll call for us.”
Fleetfeather hummed in acknowledgement and began to stare at the table in thought until a somewhat familiar scent tickled her nose. “So, peace with griffins...” She watched a waiter pass by with a platter of cooked meats.
“Surprised me too. I actually got into a fight with a cub shortly after my return, but that’s the worst experience I’ve had with a griffin since my return.”
Fleetfeather shook her head in confusion. “It seems so… strange. I honestly thought the war would only end with the extermination of the griffins.”
“I thought the same once, but after the whole Nightmare Moon incident and what happened to the thestrals, Celestia was apparently just fed up with the whole thing. Basically told them the war was over or they were over after storming Gallopfrey and personally delivering Brigadier Grimhilde to King Alarick.”
“Couldn’t she have done that way sooner and saved a bunch of lives?” Wind Whistler asked from beneath the larger mare’s wing.
“Perhaps,” Barrier conceded to the filly, remembering that she was intelligent beyond her years sometimes. “I believe Yearling would say that how such a grand display of force would cause a lot of problems for ponies on an international scale.”
Fleetfeather nodded in understanding. “What could anyone do if they knew the leader of a nation could raze their lands with a thought? They’d be afraid of her, or view her as a tyrant. It would hurt all of ponykind in the long run.”
“Who knows, it’s possible that’s what happened after she freed Gallopfrey. Honestly, I only researched the specifics of Grimhilde’s death. Yearling would be a much better pony to ask.”
“That reminds me.” Fleetfeather tapped her hoof lightly against the floor. “How exactly didst thou… did you and Miss Yearling meet?”
“Aye,” Wind Whistler piped up. “She seems really nice, so how’d you end up with her?”
Barrier snorted, but smiled. “It’s a long story involving the old Castle of the Two Sisters.”
“We have plenty of time,” Fleetfeather pressed.
“Fine, fine,” Barrier relented. “It started when I returned to the place of my departure. Perhaps seeking some kind of closure…”
“Barrier, your order will be up here in just a moment!” A familiar voice called out. “Crispy Wings, got a job for you!”
***
Three plates sat on the table before the trio. All three clean save for trace sauce smears which were largely unnoticeable at a glance. And they went ignored as the trio continued to converse.
“And that’s when the Empire returned.” Barrier had spent most of the time regaling the pair with the story of his life since his return while they ate. “The rest, you already know.”
“How was it?” Clean Cut asked as he approached with his usual smile… though that faded as what appeared to be a smaller version of himself with wings instead of a horn crashed awkwardly onto the table, landing on Wind Whistler’s empty plate.
“Uh, sorry.” the intruder smiled sheepishly after a moment spent regaining his wits.
“Crispy, what have I told you about flying indoors?” Clean Cut’s voice shifted several octaves to a more ‘dad-like’ voice.
“Sorry, Dad. One of the customers said that I had to deliver a message ASAP,” he commented from the table where he was recomposing himself. After that, he looked around at the three he had disturbed and noticed Wind Whistler. “Oh, you’ve got some gravy on your face.” Crispy moved a hoof towards Wind Whistler’s face almost absentmindedly, only for the filly to shy away and his father’s aura to wrap around him.
“Personal boundaries, Crispy,” the father chastised. “My apologies.” He frowned slightly at Crispy, who returned the frown with a sheepish smile. “Now Crispy, you said you had a message?”
“Oh yeah!” The foal perked up. “The pegasus lady said that you forgot her boneless wings and that you’d better bring some back with you or else your lower horn will match your upper one!”
All of the adults present coughed in surprise.
Fleetfeather was the first to speak. “She really wants those wings, it would seem.”
“Apparently.” Barrier shook his head. “Never had her be quite this testy before. Guess she really likes those wings. Mr. Cut, can I get an order of boneless wings to go, if you have them?”
Clean Cut chuckled slightly. “Sure. One order of boneless wings, coming right up.”
After two days which were rather uneventful and dull, save for the occasional squabble over comics and Swiftsword chasing Daring throughout the hotel and two blocks down the street just for daring to lay a hoof on her family’s blade…
“We’ll meet you all back here this afternoon, Daring.” Barrier and the mare shared a short embrace and kiss before separating. “Make sure to keep Hat Trick on a short leash. He gets… impish.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Daring glanced back at the youngsters who were absorbed in conversation with one another, specifically Wind Whistler who seemed to be in a heated discussion with Verdant Range. Interestingly enough, she seemed to be winning.
“Keep her safe,” Fleetfeather stated in a hard tone. “I am trusting you with this…”
Daring nodded without hesitation. “I give you my word, she’ll be safe. You and Barrier go and have a good time. Anypony gives Windy any trouble, and I’ll bring them to you in pieces.”
Fleetfeather and Daring locked eyes for twenty long seconds, countless words and feelings seeming to be exchanged in that period… until the argument between filly and young stallion grew even louder.
Wind Whistler’s voice was the loudest, by far. “Foaltron goes into space! The Pony Rangers are stuck on Earth!”
“Until they got the new ninja powers from the planet Haydos.” Verdant’s response was more measured but no less passionate.
Daring sighed and turned away from Barrier and Fleetfeather, adjusting the cloak of her A.K. Yearling disguise with a hoof. “Alright ponies! Let’s get going!”
As the group departed with Daring at the helm, Fleetfeather licked her lips and tapped Barrier on the shoulder. “Art thou… Are you certain Wind Whistler will be safe?” Her voice was neutral but clearly cut with an undercurrent of uncertainty.
“Of course,” Barrier responded with all the certainty he could muster. “Not only does she have five soldiers trained personally by you and I, she also has a skilled adventurer who’s fought a vast array of threats. What could they possibly encounter to give them pause in a city as relaxed as this?”
Almost in direct antithesis to his statement, a mare garbed in a skin-tight, metallic-blue and silver bodysuit raced by and crashed muzzle-first into a light pole.
Neither Barrier nor Fleetfeather had words, though that was of little consequence; the mare had plenty. “Ow, son of a mother-” she trailed into a string of swears as she hopped around and held her head in dazed agony.
“Are you finished?” Barrier asked with an eyebrow quirked upwards in amusement.
“Uh…” It only now dawned on her that she had an audience. “Thank you for the concern, sir… and remember!” The mare recited her words with a practiced ease. “You can find all sorts of goodies at Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops, and Sweets, on the corner of Sugarberry and Seashell.”
Silence held for a short moment until…
“Uh, am I bleeding through the costume?” She pressed a hoof to her head.
Fleetfeather was the first to respond. “No, at least not that can I tell?”
The mare sighed. “Yeah, this costume is such a pain in the flank. Ever had a costume so tight that you can’t even fart in it?”
“I can’t say that I have, though I can’t say I’m surprised. Your costume is… quite tight.”
The mare managed to look offended, even in her full-body outfit, but made no comment on it. Instead she chose to drag the mask off of her face, revealing the tanned-mango face of a mare with a brilliant orange mane and matching eyes, as she was walking away. “Sis has gotta start paying me more for this… this bloody hurts and there’re a bunch of perverts getting an eyeful…”
“What could they possibly encounter?” Fleetfeather couldn’t hide the grin in her tone.
Barrier looked like he’d bitten into a sour apple. “I believe she was advertising something. This… Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas…”
Fleetfeather turned serious once more. “As long as you’re certain they won’t encounter any threats…”
“It’ll be fine, Fleet. This era isn’t the one you left, I promise. Now, let’s head to the real-estate office. It wouldn’t do to be late for our appointment.”
***
The two stood silently in the waiting room, and during this time, Barrier stared up at the clock on the wall. After a few minutes had passed, one of the office doors opened.
“You must be Mr. Barrier,” a zebra with an alternating grey-and-white mane and amethyst eyes greeted them, a slight musical intonation audible in her voice. “I am Inira, and I’ll be helping you find a home today at Red Blazer Realty.”
“A pleasure, Inira.” Barrier bowed his head respectfully.
“The pleasure is mine.” Inira bowed her head in return. “Now then, could you tell me what exactly you’re looking for in a home?”
“Certainly.” Barrier rubbed his chin. “I need a seven or eight bedroom home, preferably eight.”
Inira’s eyes lit up like a foal’s on Hearth’s Warming.
“Our budget is about one-point-five-million,” Barrier continued casually. “Is there anything that might fit those two criteria?”
Inira nodded fervently, seemingly far more invested now. “I do happen to know of a couple of properties that fit the bill. Best of all, they’re surprisingly low-priced for such large homes.”
“Low-priced?” Fleetfeather’s eyes narrowed to that of a mare that was used to bit-pinching.
“They… have something of a stigma to both of them,” Inira admitted with a nervous chuckle. “Perhaps I can explain as I show them to you?” Inira held a hoof towards the door; Barrier and Fleetfeather both nodded and moved to follow the mare. “Come along, Mr. and Mrs. Barrier. I think even with their backstories, you’ll quite like them.”
“He’s not my husband,” Fleetfeather stated sharply. “He’s a close friend of my…” the mare choked slightly, “of my deceased husband.”
“Oh… um…” Inira licked her lips nervously. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Well… how about we go take a look at the houses and then we can get some poutine for lunch? My treat.”
Neither Barrier nor Fleetfeather offered a response, instead opting to walk to the first home in silence. Had Inira not pointed it out, they likely would’ve missed it.
“This place,” Inira waved a hoof to the gated home, “belonged to an art collector until about a month ago. It’s got two floors, eight bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and it’s fairly close to both an elementary school and Einar’s Groceries. It also has a large, fenced-in backyard. It’d be a really nice home for a large family.”
Fleetfeather hummed, peering through the gate with a discerning eye.
Barrier’s mind was elsewhere. “So, why is this place so cheap?”
“Well…” Inira rubbed her chin. “The previous owner had a rather nasty fall down the stairs and died. It was… gruesome. We had to throw out the rugs and re-carpet the stairs. Though, since he had no living relatives to claim his possessions, the house is partially furnished.”
“Not a particularly outstanding death,” Fleetfeather observed. “One of the more mild ones, really. This could be a good home.”
Barrier nodded as well, though he followed it up by facing Inira. “Would we be able to tour the home?”
“Of course.” Inira began towards the gate. “If you’ll just follow me…”
***
The house was surprisingly moderate, given the outward appearance of the home. The furniture, where there was any, seemed to be balanced between price and function unlike the pair had expected. The first floor held the master bedroom with a private bathroom, a small half-bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, and another large room that Inira had described as a den.
“There isn’t much furniture in the bedrooms themselves. The previous owner used them to store art.” Inira explained as they made their way up the stairs. “There’s also a small library,”
Fleetfeather broke away to poke her head into each bedroom as they passed them by.
“This is one of the two options meeting your criteria,” Inira said as she waited at the end of the hall while Barrier and Fleetfeather did some exploring. “If you’re interested in a less old-fashioned home, the other home is only about twenty-five or so years old.”
“Old-fashioned won’t be much of an issue.” Barrier joined Inira in the hall as Fleetfeather continued to go room to room, scrutinizing them with a frightening intensity given to her after years of raising and managing six children and a husband. “In truth, it would probably be preferred.”
Inira glanced at him curiously but when no further information was forthcoming, she cleared her throat. “Would you still like to look at the second house?”
“Aye.” Fleetfeather answered for them. “This home would certainly be sufficient, but we should weigh all of our options.”
“Would you like to do that before or after lunch?”
***
One hearty meal of poutine later, the trio found their way to the second home. Inira wasted no time in beginning her explanation. “This home is sadly unfurnished, due in part to the same reason it is stigmatized. It is close to the Vineyard vineyard, formerly the Bianco vineyard, as well as Blockbuster’s Movies, in case either of those interest you.”
Barrier nodded. “So, what gave this home its stigma?” Glancing at the opulent and fancy exterior, Barrier was already fairly certain that they had both decided.
“Well…” Inira took a breath before beginning her explanation. “Years ago, the couple that owned the home vanished one night. The door was found unlocked and partially opened. Several parts of the home had clearly been dug through and blood was found in the master bedroom as well as the adjoining bathroom. This, along with the couple's yacht going missing… well, it’s still unsolved.”
Inira glanced at the pair and actually winced a bit when she saw how nonplussed they were at the story.
Licking her lips, she moved in front of them to draw their attention. “It’s easy to understand why not many would want to buy a house that was likely the site of a double-equicide.”
“Eh.” Barrier shrugged. “Honestly, I believe we’re more offput by the uselessly lavish exterior than the story itself.”
Chuckling awkwardly, Inira waved a hoof in the homes direction. “Would you two like to tour the inside?”
“Mm, I believe I’ll pass.” Barrier glanced at Fleetfeather.
Fleetfeather nodded in agreeance. “I believe I’ll pass as well. Based on the exterior alone, my interest is minimal. Rather, I can think of no reason to choose this one over the other.”
“With that concluded,” Barrier faced Inira. “I believe we would like to purchase the first home.”
Inira couldn’t have smiled any wider, apparently thrilled to have a sale, odd as it was. “Alright then! Shall we head back to the my office to get the paperwork started?”
Fleetfeather turned away from the home. “By your lead, Miss Inira.”
***
“So,” Inira was carefully going over and filling out papers as she talked, “did you have a bank in mind for the mortgage by chance? How long the process takes is usually dependant on how good the bank is.”
“I find banks to be more trouble than I care for.” Barrier recalled his sole experience with the bank as he fished the proof of funds Daring had told him to get from his saddlebags and slid it across the table to their host.
Inira took the note and gave it a once-over before opening her mouth… and closing it again, looking like a goldfish for a moment.
“Uh, I… um, excuse me for a moment.” She looked like she was only barely concealing her excitement as she quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door shut behind her.
The door did little to prevent the pair from hearing her.
“Yes! I did it! Suck it, Thatch Roof!” Inira grinned even wider and did a little circle to try and bleed off some of her excitement before she poked her head back in. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Barrier, Mrs. Fleetfeather. I’ll take care of the paperwork and put in the transfer request to your bank. If all goes according to plan, you’ll be able to pick up your keys and move in within a week or two.”
***
“She seemed quite excited,” Fleetfeather remarked as they made their way through town, back towards the hotel.
Barrier gave a nod of agreement. “She did secure quite a large sale I suppose. Mayhaps she is paid based on how much she sells.”
“Mayhaps.” Fleetfeather hummed. “Still, it does me good to know we’ve found such a good home for our children.”
Barrier winced; Fleetfeather noticed. “Does it bother you to think of them as such?”
“I’m the farthest thing away from a parent they’ve ever had, even if they don’t realize it. After what I’ve put them through, I have no right to think of them as such.”
Fleetfeather cuffed him on the back of the head. “Do not speak such nonsense. Just because they faced great hardship and great sorrow under your command does not make you responsible for it.” Fleetfeather started walking forward once more. “It is only because of thy training that they survived Sombra, and now live in an era of unparalleled peace.”
“Maybe,” Barrier responded with a shrug. “How about we gather Yearling and the kids and go to that Strawberry place we heard of earlier? To celebrate the purchasing of a home?”
Almost as if on cue, Daring and the youngsters were standing outside the hotel as Barrier and Fleet rounded the corner, half of them clearly damp.
“That,” Fleetfeather waved to the grinning filly perched on Daring’s back. “Sounds like a wonderful idea.”
Daring waved at the unicorn, flinging a stray droplet of water from her leg as she did so. “Hey there, Barrière. How’d the house-hunting go?”
“Clever,” Barrier retorted with a deadpan tone. “Clearly all that academic knowledge and ability was not wasted in the development of such a clever nickname—”
“The house-hunting went incredibly smoothly,” Fleetfeather interjected, elbowing the unicorn. “We were actually on our way to find you, so we could all go out to eat. Something of a celebration for purchasing the home.”
“That was quick.” Daring approached the pair, only to stumble as Wind Whistler wove through her legs at a quick place and threw herself towards her mother’s face. “Guess it helps if you bring in the proof of funds and make an offer for full tag. You probably could’ve saved a few thousand bits if you’d haggled.”
The charcoal pony’s head tilted curiously. “I wasn’t aware ponies still haggled. And how did you know I paid full price?”
Daring scoffed. “Not for small stuff, or stuff you go to the store for, no. But something huge like a house? You better believe they do. As for how I know, I know you. And you just told me.”
Fleetfeather shivered as Wind Whistler moved from her face to her back, drawing Barrier and Daring’s attention from each other. “You are all far wetter than I had expected,” she observed.
“We were by the pier when a dolphin jumped out of the water and splashed us!” The filly grinned widely. “It was amazing, Uncle Barrier!”
Barrier smiled at the younger pony. “Of that, I have no doubt. However, I don’t think it would sit well if half of us were to arrive at this restaurant wet or damp. Forge, would you dry them for me?”
“Sir.” Forge’s horn lit up with an orange glow.
Winter Gem immediately made to object, but it was too late. Wind Whistler, Daring, and Winter Gem were all consumed by a cloud of steam which persisted briefly before it dissipated, leaving their fur puffed out like colored cotton balls.
Nopony spoke until Daring’s eye twitched, then Barrier and the unaffected cadets shared a hearty laugh.
“This is payback, isn’t it?” Daring huffed as she flexed her good wing and set about smoothing her fur once more. “For laughing at you that one time.”
“Why, Ms. Yearling,” Barrier feigned offense, “that you think I would stoop so low!”
Daring grumbled and folded her wings back to her side.
“In any case,” Swiftsword intervened as she started to smoothe out Winter Gem. “The dolphin reminded me of our time on Butterfly Island and left me rather peckish. Shall we proceed, sir?”
“Right.” Barrier turned away from the group and let loose a final chuckle when he saw Wind Whistler still puffed up, having a far harder time smoothing her fur out.
***
“Welcome to Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops, and Sweets!” A familiar orange mare started as soon as the group walked into the establishment. “Oh... Well if it isn’t the pervert.”
The mare was no longer in her costume. Barrier recognised her by her voice and coloration, only now she was wearing a pair of thick glasses.
“Oh. Suddenly I’ve decided my group and I will go across the street to…” Barrier glanced out the door. “Cotton Candy’s Confections.”
The orange mare’s eyes widened almost despairingly. “N-no, hold on a second! Let’s not be so hasty!” She chuckled nervously. “Uh, right. My name is Orange Crush. How may I serve you this evening?”
“Relax, kid. I’m just messin’ with ya.” Barrier chuckled and turned to face his group, each of whom wore varied expressions at the brief exchange.
“Pervert, huh?” the disguised pegasus hip-checked the unicorn. “There a story behind that?”
Barrier snorted. “Aye. She had a mascot costume on when we first met that was so tight I could tell she’s still a maiden.”
Orange Crush gagged and sputtered before she found her words. “Hey!”
Daring looked like she had broken something inside of her by fighting back the laugh that tried to spill from her mouth. With a pained eye twitch, she turned towards Crush. “Good evening, Ms. Crush. We’re all in a celebrating mood, so we’d like to get a large cake. Could you please recommend one of the cakes you have?” Daring motioned to the group to follow her while Crush led them to a table.
“Yes, ma’am.” Crush waited until they were all seated to continue. “Currently we have all of the conventional flavors of cake, but we also have a fresh red-velvet cake with vanilla cream frosting and strawberries, picked this morning from an excellent local farm.”
Daring glanced briefly at each of her compatriots, carefully contemplating the cake before nodding at Crush. “That sounds wonderful.”
“And would you all like anything to drink with that?”
“Just water for me,” Barrier answered.
Verdant spoke next. “Do you have anything that tastes of strawberries?”
“You mean besides me?” A pegasus mare made her way out of the back, two-tone chocolate-and-vanilla mane bouncing against her strawberry-red coat with every step.
“Uh, um…” Verdant turned pink and stuttered, drawing a giggle from the mare in question.
“I’m kidding. Just… don’t spread that joke around. My wife would not be happy about it. Need any help, sis?” She glanced at Orange Crush who shook her head with a smile.
“Nah, I’ve got things covered here. As for a strawberry drink, strawberry juice is probably about as good as it gets. Think that’ll do?”
Verdant Range nodded, his blush only partially fading.
Swiftsword tapped her hoof lightly, drawing the attention of the waitress. “I believe the rest of us would be fine with any variety of juice?” Swiftsword glanced around at her companions, receiving a nod from each. “Feel free to surprise us.”
“You got it, sweetie!” The red mare smiled warmly. “Come on, sis. Let’s go get these ponies their orders.”
Crush nodded and made to follow her sister, only for the latter to whip around.
“Oh, and I’m Strawberry Sundae, the owner of this fine establishment! I hope you all enjoy your time here!” She shot them a grin and whipped around again.
“Well alrighty then.” Barrier said as soon as they were alone again.
“So,” Iron Forge began. “Captain, why not tell us about this home you bought?”
“Honestly, I think Fleetfeather has a better idea about it than I do. I’m fairly certain she took measurements of each of the rooms.”
The blue mare shrugged. “It’s a good home. Large, in good condition inside and out. Easily fortifiable in case of an emergency.” Fleetfeather thought for a moment. “It has a large room known as a ‘den’ that would be excellent for some exercise equipment.”
The group began to pepper her with questions one at a time; Barrier simply tuned them out, closing his eyes for the time being.
***
Barrier slid his plate away from him, empty, save for a pile of cream and icing that he’d scraped off, finding it to be too sweet otherwise. Glancing around, it looked as though the others had nearly finished as well. “So, do any of you have any idea what you’d like to do whenever you’ve acclimated to this modern era?”
Swiftsword was the first to answer, swallowing the piece she held in her mouth before wiping her lip. “I’ve no doubt it’s obvious what I’ll be doing. Once I am sure I have fully acclimated to modern times, I shall make a home in Canterlot, rejoin the Royal Guard, and do whatever I must to rebuild the Falchion clan.”
“Hardly any surprise there,” Forge commented. “I’ll probably look for a smith to apprentice under before hopefully opening a shop of my own. Mayhaps in modern-day Gallopfrey. I believe Rainbow Dash said it is called ‘Trottingham’, now.”
Verdant hummed in thought before he answered. “I will attempt to find employment, I suppose. Maybe a flower-shop or somewhere I can utilize my talents. Something to do while I try to track down what possible descendants of my sisters I may have. After that, I suppose my eventual goal will be to start a herd and have a family. Faust knows I don’t want to accidentally sleep with a niece or nephew.”
Iron Forge chuckled. “Verdant, you do realize that based on how many sisters you had, you’ve likely eliminated the vast majority of Equestria, right?”
“Not to mention how long it would take to trace all of your various family lines for the last thousand years,” Hat Trick added.
“I am optimistic that I will find some ponies that would fit this criteria. As for the needed research, if I worked with Captain Barrier’s niece, we would likely be finished in as little as two weeks,” Verdant argued.
Barrier snorted. “You’re not wrong there. She is an absolute workhorse when it comes to anything that involves studying or learning.”
“As for me…” Winter Gem began. “I… am uncertain. I followed my family's tradition of joining the guard and fighting for Equestria, but now... “ She hesitated a bit. “The Apple family has changed substantially. From what Applejack told me, nearly all our family is composed of farmers.”
Hat Trick wrapped a wing around the mare, tugging her closer. “Whatever you decide, I’ll be at your side.”
The two briefly nuzzled one another, sharing what comfort they could.
Winter Gem pulled away from the embrace after a moment, smiling at her lover. “Thank you, Hat Trick. Though I am curious, what do you intend to do?”
Hat Trick’s answer was as swift and certain as Swiftsword’s was. “I’ll study modern prestidigitation before deciding if I wish to be a stage performer, a street performer, a party performer, or some other career path.”
“And you, Fleet?” Barrier looked at the only one yet to answer.
“I imagine mine is fairly obvious as well.” She glanced down at her daughter who was having a staring contest with the remains of her peach juice. “As soon as I learn more about this era, I’ll tutor Wind Whistler enough that she can be enrolled in a school of some sort. After that, mayhaps find a job that allows flexible hours, so I am always available. I was quite capable with weather manipulation during my time in the guard, so maybe something in that general area.”
“Excuse me,” a thestral mare who came into the shop about ten minutes ago crossed the room over to their table. “I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying about a job in weather.”
Fleetfeather eyed the newcomer up then glanced at Barrier who had tensed just slightly, and then back at the mare.
She was a slender thestral with yellow eyes, a pale-pink mane, and an even paler purple coat.
“Aye. And you are?” Fleetfeather finally asked, her tone neutral.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” she smiled as she spoke, “My name’s Summer Eve, and I’m the night-shift weather manager here in Vanhoover. We could always use an extra set of hooves, especially come winter, so you could try out for the weather team pretty easily. If you do well enough, we almost always have a more permanent position open.”
Fleetfeather seemed to think on the proposition carefully. She went over it in her mind for a few short moments, until finally nodding. “That sounds rather promising to me, Ms. Summer Eve. It will be some time before I am ready to try out though.”
“Mrs. Summer Eve,” she corrected with a gentle tone before smiling. “Take all the time you need, Miss. I know what it’s like, doing what you can to balance career and family.”
“You got it, honey.” Eve pushed forward and gave Strawberry a brief kiss. “I’ll do ’em as soon as we’ve set up the rainstorm and got it going.”
Strawberry nodded before she went back to tending to customers.
“I’m sorry,” Barrier interrupted. “Did you say you’re setting up a storm?”
“Yup,” Summer affirmed. “It’ll probably take about twenty minutes.” She started towards the door and glanced back as she was leaving. “With any luck, sooner!” The thestral flapped her wings hard and flew away from the establishment.
“Right,” Barrier turned back to the table. “Grab the food, kids. Let’s see if we can’t beat the weather back to the hotel.” With that, Barrier turned towards Strawberry Sundae, who was making her way to the back and said aloud, “Check please!”
Barrier yawned widely as the group made their way towards their new home. He’d spent the morning fetching the keys, thankfully alone. The last few days they’d waited for the transfer to be finalized and to be allowed to pick up their keys. The entire group had fallen under a terrible affliction, though some of them handled it better than the others; Daring had decided that they all needed music in their lives. Barrier often flinched at the thought of the awful sounds she considered music.
“We’re here!” Wind Whistler called as she stared up at the large gate and the home beyond.
“So we are.” Barrier continued forward, opening the gate and going through them onto the small stone pathway leading up to the estate. “As a bonus,” Barrier scooped Wind Whistler up as she made to bolt past him, “it’s nice and close to a school, for when you’re ready.”
Wind Whistler’s eyes widened and she threw on a pout.
Barrier only smiled at her, “I’m immune to it at this point,” and set her back on the ground.
“On the bright side, you’ll be able to make new friends,” Fleetfeather added as Barrier carefully maneuvered the key into the keyhole and opened the doors.
“We’ll need to get some groceries and furniture later, but that’s hardly a–” The door suddenly jerked inward and his view replaced with a grinning pink face.
“SURPRI-!”
Reacting purely on reflex, the charcoal unicorn ducked, avoiding the swing of a weapon that wasn’t there. As a follow-up he shot back up as hard as he could, driving his right hoof upward with all of his body’s collected momentum and drove his hoof hard into the underside of his would-be-assailant’s jaw, following it up with a rapid left jab into the muzzle as her head flopped back down, driving her stumbling backwards where she collapsed onto her side.
Barrier took a shaky breath as the adrenaline settled, though he almost wished he hadn’t as he returned from the brief high to utter and absolute silence… until one of the group finally offered his observations.
“Sir…” Iron Forge began. “You just decked Lady Pie in the face. Twice.”
“Uh…” Barrier offered dumbly as five other ponies and a small dragon rushed into the room to see what all the commotion was about.
They all stared wide-eyed as Pinkie Pie picked herself up and wobbled a bit.
“Ouchie…” Pinkie finally managed. “That was really mean, Barrier! For your punishment, you only get a half-slice of cake today!” Despite what had just transpired, the mare spoke in her usual bubbly tone with an envious amount of energy. “You can have more tomorrow, though. There’ll be a bunch of leftovers!”
“Uh, ya’ll alright there, Pinkie?” Applejack asked, just as confused as the others without any context.
Pinkie fished out a handkerchief and blew hard into it. “Guh,” she showed the kerchief to the ponies; it was covered in red confetti, though the confetti was surprisingly not covered in blood. “Really hope that clears up soon. There should be a lot more variety in the colors.”
Finally collecting himself, Barrier spoke. “My apologies for hitting you Pinkie, but what in the name of Faust are you doing here?”
“I gave you an IOU for a party, duh!” Pinkie said as if it were common knowledge. “The girls and I got here as soon as we could to set everything up!”
“Is that what we’re doing?” Rainbow Dash asked. “All I knew was that I went to bed in my cloud house last night and woke up on the train three-quarters of the way here, along with everyone else.”
The other four mares gave varying levels of agreement.
“I… right. Fine. This is fine. I need a drink.” Barrier turned to his group. “Anybody else want a drink?”
***
After the party had begun, everyone had paired off either to explore the house or in the case of Hat Trick and Winter Gem, each other.
Barrier and Twilight sat across from the impromptu dance floor where Pinkie and a mishmash of ponies he believed he had seen around Vanhoover were partying. “How did you all even get in? I’ve got the only key.”
“I think Pinkie picked the lock with her mane,” Twilight stated as if it were normal.
Barrier sat his drink down and rubbed his temples tiredly. “And you knew we were moving in today how, exactly?”
“Pinkie Sense!” The bright-pink mare offered from the dance-floor.
Barrier kept his gaze on Twilight. “And what is Pinkie Sense exactly?”
“Just… don’t.” Twilight sighed and took a sip of punch. “Trust me. You try to find out and you’ll end up with everything from flower pots to pianos falling on you.”
Barrier nodded and lapsed into silence.
“So,” Twilight started up a new thread, “how’ve things been with the others so far?”
“Well enough,” The charcoal unicorn replied. “Staying in a hotel that long wasn’t particularly comfortable, but they’ve been through worse.”
“Really?” Twilight seemed genuinely surprise. “I would’ve thought there’d be some problems after so long in such closed quarters with so many different ponies.”
“They’re well-trained.” Barrier shrugged. “How’ve things been by you?”
Twilight hummed through a mouthful of fruit punch and swallowed. “It’s been a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve had some fun things happen, like Rarity’s fashion show and watching Rainbow win the Best Young Flyers competition, but… well, I don’t get the sleep I used to.”
“Any particular reason for that?” Barrier glanced at his empty cup and then at the punch bowl and shrugged, dropping his cup onto the table.
“Just having a hard time adapting, I think.” Twilight lit her horn, refilling both Barrier’s cup and her own from a distance. “I mean, I went from a magic student in Canterlot to stopping potentially world-ending threats like Nightmare Moon and Sombra.” Twilight sipped her punch and seemed to lose a little energy. “I saw so many dead bodies in the empire, Barrier.” Twilight’s tone dropped a bit. “And seeing all those injured ponies in the back of the basement… some of them had given up hope and were just waiting to die.” She pushed her punch away. “It just really shook me.”
“It’s never an easy thing,” Barrier admitted. “We were always taught to channel those feelings into anger and let loose that anger onto our enemies. You don’t have the same luxury.” Barrier pulled a half-bottle of whiskey from beneath the table and poured some into his glass. “Just try to focus on the ponies you were able to save.”
“There’s another thing that’s been bothering me,” Twilight confessed after a brief bout of silence. “Am I doing well enough to be Celestia’s student?”
Barrier snorted slightly but otherwise didn’t interrupt.
“I worry almost constantly about this, especially recently. All I can think about is what I could’ve done better. Like, ‘could I have brought Sombra in alive?’. Just something like that. I just don’t want to be like her last student. I heard some things about her and well…”
“Twilight.” Barrier spoke firmly, cutting her off. “You are doing more than well enough to be Celestia’s student. You reunited Celestia with her beloved sister and saved a literal empire’s worth of ponies. Believe me when I say you are perhaps the most amazing mare I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.” Barrier glanced briefly at the dance floor, where Pinkie was spinning Verdant around at a blinding pace. “You even helped reunite me with what I considered most important and had given up hope on. None of us in Equestria, myself included, can ever thank you enough.”
Barrier didn’t notice the light blush that had formed on Twilight’s muzzle, instead turning back to his drink and then glancing around the room. His gaze fell on Fleetfeather after a brief scan and he turned back to Twilight. “If you need to talk about anything, don’t hesitate to come to me, Twi.” He shot her a slight smile as he stood up. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to help, but I can at least listen.”
He took advantage of the mare’s contemplative silence to break away from the table, towards Fleetfeather.
Nudging her slightly with his hip, Barrier drew the one-eyed mare’s attention. “You look like something is on your mind.”
Fleetfeather didn’t verbally respond, she instead motioned her hoof towards a corner of the room where Wind Whistler and a hoofful of other foals were playing. Barrier only recognized Crispy Wings, the pegasus colt he’d met earlier that month, though there was something familiar about the tiny, hot-pink unicorn that he couldn’t place.
“It’s good to see her being a foal.” Barrier rubbed his chin and sighed. “Faust above, what that child’s been through.” Barrier quickly trotted away and retrieved his punch from where he’d left it, sipping the mixed drink and letting a sigh of relief escape him before returning to Fleet.
“It’s not home just yet,” Fleetfeather responded. “But I feel that it will be. Far sooner than I imagined, if only for Wind Whistler’s sake.”
Barrier hummed his affirmation from the depths of his cup.
“Seeing her enjoy her time with the other children, knowing we are at peace…” Fleetfeather snagged the cup from Barrier. “I can’t help but smile. It’s not the best scenario I had envisioned, but it is far from the worst.” She sniffed his drink and winced, giving him a sideways glance. “What foul mixture is this?” She sniffed it again. “I daresay it would be flammable.”
“That’s probably the stuff I mixed.” Berry Punch grinned as she approached the pair.
Barrier nodded his affirmation to the pegasus. “Aye, it’s from the adult’s punch bowl. I cut it with a bit of whiskey as well.”
Fleetfeather briefly eyed the mulberry mare and sighed. “I feel like you’ve been drinking more lately, Barrier.”
Barrier shrugged; Berry thought for a moment and responded. “He was drinking when I met him. I just assumed it was his thing. Anyways, Octavia asked me to pass a message to you if I saw you again. She was pretty ticked when you said you’d stay in touch and never so much as sent her a letter.”
Barrier’s eyes widened and he groaned. “I forgot all about that.”
“You do that a lot,” Fleetfeather quipped.
“In my defense, I was always on the move until the last month or two, and even those days have been busy.” Barrier retrieved his cup and threw back the last of it. “Can you pass my address on to Octavia and tell her I’ll start writing her as soon as I am able? Things have been busy.”
“I’ll let her know,” Berry promised and turned back to Fleetfeather. “Y’know, if you want something smoother, I’ve got some Green Label stowed away. Probably enough for six or seven glasses.”
“Green label?” Barrier thought for a moment. “That sounds familiar…”
“That’s the last thing we drank before waking up on Twilight’s couch together,” Berry offered helpfully and with a cheery grin.
“Oh?” Fleetfeather glanced at Barrier with her one good eye. “It sounds like there’s a story to be had there.”
“Suffice to say I think we’ll be fine without Green Label…” He glanced around and frowned. “Fleet, have you seen Swiftsword?”
“Last I saw, her and a bunch of other ponies had headed into the back of the house.” Fleetfeather glanced around as well before pointing Barrier in the direction of the stairs.
“Hm. I’m going to go check on her, just to be certain. Best not to leave any of them out of sight too long in a crowd if I can help it.” As he spoke, Barrier broke off from Berry and Fleetfeather who fell into a conversation of their own, Berry explaining the single meeting they’d had that resulted in sleeping next to one another.
So far so good, Barrier thought to the apparent state of the cadets he’d been able to watch as he checked the doors one at a time. They’d done well when stacked against modern ponies, but he had no idea how to begin to integrate griffins. Verdant and Pinkie seemed to be getting along marvelously, and Forge had met up with Snow from the diner. Hat Trick and Winter Gem were… somewhere. Nudging another door open, Barrier winced when the all-too-familiar sounds of Daring’s music -if one could call it that- reached his ears.
“We’ve got a good combination, and perfect communication!” Swiftsword sang out with a surprising amount of skill. “Always at a high tension!”
Barrier slammed the door and groaned, making his way back down to Berry Punch and Fleetfeather.
“On second thought, crack it out. Let’s make this a night to forget. Break out the strongest stuff you have and we’ll see if I can’t drink you under the table.”
Berry Punch grinned in a manner which would’ve put Nightmare Moon and Sombra to shame.
“Verdant, do you know where the eggs are?” Barrier frowned and backed away from the fridge a little bit.
“We ran out earlier this morning. Gem took some of your bits and went on a grocery run about a half-hour ago,” the green stallion responded from his spot at the table where he was chewing on a piece of toast.
“That figures,” The unicorn grumbled as he shut the refrigerator and grabbed a banana from the counter. With surprisingly fluid movements, given it was a unicorn using his hooves, Barrier peeled and smashed the banana into the mixing bowl then stirred, before taking several dollops of the mixture he’d prepared and dropping it into the large skillet on the stove. Once it was taken care of, the charcoal coated unicorn plopped down on a chair and rested his head on the table, across from Verdant.
“Is Swift still doing her exercises in the backyard?” Iron Forge asked from his own chair, seemingly trying to drum up a conversation.
“Yup,” Barrier responded with a yawn. “Every day for the last week.”
The room went silent once more, that moment of noiseless calm interrupted only by the creak of Barriers chair as he moved to flip the pancakes.
“Is it really necessary for Swiftsword to keep doing this?” Hat Trick asked from the kitchen entryway, having forgone a chair entirely.
Fleetfeather soon joined the others in the kitchen, Wind Whistler hugging her side tiredly. “You forget, her clan put a great deal of pride in their abilities with a sword. With her desire to rebuild her house, she doubtlessly wants to be at her absolute peak.”
“Besides that, we don’t know if we’ll ever have to face another threat like the griffins or another nation declaring war upon us,” Iron Forge piped in.
“Better safe than sorry,” Barrier mumbled awkwardly around the plate of pancakes he carried to the table. “Best not to let it become your life though. It never hurts to be ready, but you’re all still young. Live a little. Faust knows you didn’t get to do much living when you were with me.”
A knock came from the door, breaking the conversation.
“That must be Winter Gem.” Hat Trick pressed off of the doorframe and moved towards the front door.
Meanwhile, Barrier moved back to the stove and poured more batter into the skillet.
“There’s a package out here addressed to you, Captain,” Hat Trick called out.
Barrier frowned and turned to Verdant. “Watch the skillet for me.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he left the room and joined Hat Trick in their foyer.
“That’s strange. I can’t imagine why I would have a package.” Even as he spoke, Barrier moved towards the large cardboard box. As he went to pry the top loose, the box shook violently before the top exploded outward, revealing three fillies gasping for air.
The first filly, a small orange pegasus with a messy purple mane and tail threw herself from the box. “Dangit, Sweetie Belle, why’d you have to fart?!”
The second pony, a familiar light-yellow filly with an apple-red mane and tail and a large ribbon scrambled out as well. “Ah’m never lettin’ yah eat a three-bean salad again!”
The pegasus of the group gagged a little. “Blegh. I felt like I was gonna barf…”
The last filly, also familiar, was a small white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail, complete with light rose colored streaks.
“Does your sister know you’re wearing jewelry, Sweetie Belle?” The first words out of Barrier’s mouth were not his finest.
Three small gazes snapped to the towering pony and the filly in question smiled nervously. “I am not this “Sweetie Belle” you speak of.” She started out soft but seemed to pick up steam as she went. “I am… um…” she thought for a moment, fumbling over her thoughts. “Uh, Meanie Belle!” She thrust a hoof up triumphantly.
“Yes, I am Meanie Belle. Sweetie Belle’s a naughty pony who was grounded for setting Dinky’s lawn on fire, even though it was a total accident, I swear!” The filly gazed around the room nervously, as if someone unseen were listening in.
“Puh-lease.” Apple Bloom scoffed. “All yah’ll need’s a fake mustache fer the fakest disguise of the year award.”
The disguise in question was… certainly something. The filly wore a black t-shirt with a blue frowny-face on it. Just noticeable beneath that was a purple fishnet undershirt, all topped off with a black, faux-leather jacket. Further up, she had several clip-on earrings of sorts; one on her left nostril, one on her horn, and two on her left ear. Around her neck was a collar with gold studs. On her forelegs were studded bands that matched the collar. Icing on the cake, she had on black eyeshadow, no doubt borrowed from her sister.
“It would have worked if you two went with Operation Apple Gloom and Stalkerloo!” The mini-marshmallow angrily retorted.
“You… know these three, Captain?” Hat Trick cocked an eyebrow and looked at the trio a little uncertainly.
Barrier sighed out an affirmative. “Well, I know two of them at least. Go tell Verdant to put more pancakes on.”
Hat Trick nodded and moved back towards the kitchen.
“I don’t believe we’ve met yet.” Barrier gazed at the tiny pegasus.
“I’m Scootaloo!” She bounced energetically. “I’m Apple Bloom and Meanie Belle’s friend,” Scootaloo stopped to gigglesnort at Sweetie Belle’s chosen disguise. “I’m the best scooter-rider in Ponyville and a white-belt in the Niwatori-Style Martial Arts.”
“Right.” Barrier facehooved. “A pleasure.” He cleared his throat loudly, breaking Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom from an argument about disguises. “Girls.”
The three of them glanced up at him, eyes wide.
“What, for the love of Faust, are you doing here?”
Apple Bloom started to answer. “We’re…”
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” They all shouted together.
“And we heard from mah sister about how you were a bunch o’ soldier ponies from ah thousand years ago, so ah figured yah’ll’d probably have really great cutie mark stories!”
Scootaloo then picked up the thread. “So we came here to hear your stories, so that maybe we’ll figure out how to get our cutie marks super fast!”
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle added in between her attempts to wipe off her eyeshadow. “Rarity said that ponies from your time had to grow up fast in her Flame Crest books, so that means we’ll get our cutie marks fast too!”
“So,” Barrier spoke slowly, “you decided your best chance at getting to hear our stories, and getting your cutie marks was to… mail yourself to somepony you barely know on the west coast of Equestria?”
The three answered with a chorus of yesses, drawing a tired groan from the unicorn.
“Your families are going to skin you.”
“Pfft, nah.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Well, Rarity wouldn’t anyways. She hated the idea of skinning stuff ever since she saw that movie about some crazy lady making puppies into a coat. I’m not sure what Applejack or Scootaloo’s aunts will do though.”
“Well,” Barrier motioned towards the kitchen. “You three might as well come in and grab a bite to eat. I’ll go see if Professor Yearling has any of her ribbons laying around so I can send a letter to the princess and have her inform your sisters of your whereabouts.”
Apple Bloom winced. “Can yah… not tell’em, maybe?”
Barrier sighed. It wasn’t even noon and he was exhausted.
***
Barrier carefully rolled the parchment into a tight bundle before dropping the quill from his mouth and tying off a golden-silk ribbon which he sent away in a flash of smoke.
A grand total of two weeks had passed since the party that left him with a hangover that made him feel like Nightmare Moon had used his skull as a speedbag.
After the party, Barrier had hoped to spend a month or two relaxing, but instead he was forced into hosting three foals far from home.
The trio stuffed their faces almost as fast as Barrier was able to pull them off of the stove.
“So,” Barrier turned off the stove and sat the empty frying pan in the sink to cool. “You looked at the return address on the letters Winter Gem was sending Applejack, snuck onto the train, and then hid in the luggage compartment to be shipped here in a cardboard box…” The unicorn took a deep breath to try and stave off the impending headache. “That is perhaps one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard.”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” Apple Bloom nosed her plate away, finally stuffed. “Anywho, since it’ll be a heckuva long time until our families pick us up, how ‘bout yah’ll tell us how yah got yer cutie marks?”
Barrier gave the filly a flat stare.
“Please?” Apple Bloom gave Barrier the most heartbreaking puppy-dog eyes she could manage until a hiccup and burp escaped her, completely ruining the effect.
“Faust above, I’m glad I never had children.” Barrier plopped down at the table tiredly. “Very well, I suppose we can tell you, since you went to such great lengths to get here. Verdant.” Barrier drew the green earth pony’s attention from where he sat at the foot of the table. “Can you go get Swiftsword? Also, Hat Trick, you’ll have baby-sitting duty.”
Verdant saluted before smiling sheepishly at Barrier’s groan and nodding, moving to carry out the request. Hat Trick, like the others present, decided to focus on his breakfast.
“I’m afraid you’ll likely be disappointed though. I’m fairly certain most of our stories are rather mundane. While we wait, I’ll go ahead and get mine out of the way.”
“Alright!” Scootaloo cheered in her seat. “A pony with a sword and shield cutie mark’s got to have an awesome story!”
Tapping his right hind leg on the floor, Barrier began.
“I was probably a few years younger than you three when I received my mark. In those days, the oldest son or daughter of any noble house served at least five years in the Equestrian Army, usually much longer, so my father put me through my paces at a fairly young age…”
***
Barrier grit his teeth as he narrowly dodged the thin wooden club his father swung at him and tried to push forward only to cry out in pain as the club rounded in mid-air and smacked him in the back of his head, sending him face-first into the dirt.
“Simply because thou hast dodged it does not mean the weapon goes away!” Magus Stone called harshly before lifting his much smaller son up in his magic and setting him back on his hooves.
“Thou attempted to push forward. Good, but thou can not allow your defense to falter when thou does so. Now, try again.”
Barrier bit his cheek so hard that he tasted blood, but dutifully flared his horn and took hold of his wooden sword and shield, his own weapons of choice.
Without warning, Magus Stone dashed forward, club swinging in his magic for his son’s head.
Like before, Barrier dodged the first swing and pushed forward, meeting his father’s chest. The club moved to repeat the earlier maneuver only for Barrier’s sword, glowing a faint blue in his magic, to meet it halfway.
Pressing hard against Barrier’s own magic, Magus drew one of his forelegs back and thrust it out in a hard jab at his son, only to have his hoof rebound off of the wooden shield.
“Come now, child!” Magus drew his hoof back again and bashed the shield once more, all too aware of Barrier’s form trembling behind it, exhausted. “A pony in the service of Equestria must not back down and cower behind a shield! Thou must be able to wipe out her enemies!”
Barrier’s foreleg had gone numb, having been bracing the wooden shield along with his magic.
“Go on the offensive!” Magus urged, slamming into the wall of wood once more, cracking its center and weakening its resolve.
Speaketh for thine self, father… Barrier inwardly swore, his head utterly pounding from trying to match his father’s magic and hold off the club whilst trying to physically withstand his assault.
“At this rate, thou shalt be little more than griffin bait, unworthy of the Sparkle name!” Magus continued. “Strike me, coward!” The stallion struck the wooden shield with both hooves, widening the crack and splitting the prop down the center.
Barrier wasn’t sure why, but all of a sudden the shield felt much lighter than it had before, even with his father nearly on top of it. With a roar of his own, the unicorn colt pushed his magic to its absolute limit and shoved the shield -- now replaced with a blue, magical construct -- upwards, forcing his father onto his hind legs.
The moment the stallion stumbled, his hold on his club faltered and Barrier took advantage, batting the club away with his sword and simultaneously throwing his father backwards with the shield and nailing him just behind the ear with the wooden sword, driving the taller pony to the ground.
It was all Barrier could do to keep his balance as his father pulled himself upright and stumbled a bit as his head righted itself.
A silence held for fifteen long seconds before Magus finally smiled.
“Well done, my son. Thou hast proved thyself truly worthy of the Sparkle name.” The unicorn motioned from the family courtyard into the interior of the house. “Come. To celebrate your victory and earning your mark, you will have your first wine.”
Mark? Barrier hadn't realized his cutie mark had materialized on either side of his flank until turning his head to see it, a single longsword set behind a heater shield with the family crest, a familiar purple, six-pointed arcane star in the center surrounded by six smaller, five-pointed stars a slightly lighter shade of blue.
A wide grin split Barrier’s face as he staggered after his father, utterly exhausted but the happiest he’d ever been.
***
“That’s how I attained my mark.” Barrier finished just as Verdant led a somewhat sweaty Swiftsword into the kitchen.
Almost as soon as she had seated herself, the familiar click of the front door alerted them all to the last member of their family.
“I’m home! Could somepony please lend me a hoof or two?” Winter Gem called out, signalling everyone to gather in the kitchen to help stow away the two-weeks worth of groceries she’d returned with.
“Alright!” Apple Bloom cheered. “Now we get tah hear about an Apple who didn’t get their cutie mark from apple farmin’!” As she spoke, she rushed out of the kitchen towards the voice.
The group heard Winter Gem’s hooves stop as the filly bounded into her view.
No matter how much she scraped and scrubbed, the taste of soap wouldn’t be leaving her mouth anytime soon, not that it stopped Apple Bloom from trying.
“And what lesson have you learned?” Winter Gem asked sternly as she glared down at the small filly.
“A little foal like me shouldn’t swear…” Apple Bloom responded sourly.
“Very good,” Winter Gem said. “Now,” She turned to the other two fillies. “Who would you like to ask next?”
“Ooh!” Sweetie Belle raised her hoof and pointed at Wind Whistler. “How about the filly here? After all, you likely got your mark way more recently than the grown ups, so you could probably give us more details about how you got it!” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice.
“Me?” Wind Whistler asked hesitantly, turning to face her mother.
“Go on, Wind Whistler,” Her mother urged, sliding the blue filly towards the trio with a hoof. “This should be an interesting tale for these three fillies.”
“Well… alright.” Wind Whistler took a breath to steel herself before launching into her tale. “We had an exercise in school called Griff-Ball. Basically, one pony team would be the filth…” Wind Whistler fell silent when her mother rested a hoof on the filly’s withers.
“Oh, right.” Wind Whistler caught on immediately, took another breath, and began again.
***
Do something! Wind Whistler mentally screamed at her team leader who was too busy nervously dodging balls from the ‘griffin’ team to advise her own.
Another pony went down and Wind Whistler swore out loud. “Curse it!” The filly was finally fed up. They were outnumbered almost two to one already and all their “leader” had done was cower behind her ball.
What if these were real griffins? We wouldst all be dead!
“Bow Tie, Blossom, Shady!” Wind Whistler yelled out as she flared her wings and snagged a ball out of the air and launched it back into the crowd, pegging the ‘griffin’ that had thrown it in the face and eliminating him from the match.
“Yes?” The tiny blue unicorn foal addressed as Bow Tie asked in between pants of breath; the other two gave brief acknowledgements.
“The three of thee art the most dexterous. Get to the front of the line to catch or deflect the balls!” Wind Whistler ordered with authority.
The three foals rushed to the center of the field that served as their mock battlefield and quickly got to work doing as they were told. Each of them intercepted the balls the ‘griffins’ were chucking at them in methods varying from magic to catching them to deflecting them with a ball of their own.
“Lofty, Tiny Bubbles, Half Note!” Wind Whistler moved directly behind her three frontline ponies. “On me!” The three addressed ponies moved to obey. “Bow Tie, Blossom, Shady, when you catch a ball, throw it back to us; we shall be the shooters!” Wind Whistler could see the scenario play out in her mind’s eye, having discussed such strategy with her mother and father regularly.
The three didn’t vocally acknowledge them but they passed balls back as ordered.
“Frosting, Lucky!” Wind Whistler called out to the remaining colt and filly in the game, one of whom was her former ‘leader’ and relaid her orders. “Gather up the loose balls on the sides of the field and run them to the shooters!”
Lucky looked like he wanted to object but when Frosting moved to follow without hesitation, he too followed without protest. Within minutes, the opposing team that had been dominating the field was down to two-thirds of their numbers.
After five minutes, they had fallen below half.
As soon as only three or four of the opposing team remained, Wind Whistler shouted her last command. “Everypony, grab a ball and throw! Their defenses are broken! Let the slaughter begin!” The battle cry had the desired effect and the line of colts and fillies opposing them broke, seemingly trying to flee.
The commanding tone in her voice had the remainder of her team rushing to obey and within seconds they had utterly destroyed the retreating team of ‘griffins’ and were praising each other for their hard-earned victory, each pony covered in the sheen of hard-earned sweat.
Nopony noted the absolute grin their teacher wore on his muzzle.
***
“It wasn’t until after the match that I realized I got my cutie mark.” Wind Whistler was bringing her story to a close, the three fillies utterly riveted by her storytelling.
Even Barrier admitted, however silently, that the way she had told it had a certain flair.
“Frosting pointed it out, and when I got home, Mother and Father threw a small party for me.” Wind Whistler sat down as she finished, glancing back at her mother for approval.
Fleetfeather chuckled slightly and nuzzled her daughter. “Words could not express how proud your father and I were when he heard how you’d earned your cutie mark.”
“So…” Scootaloo began with the slightest hint of disappointment. “You got your mark by... being good in gym class?” She sighed.
Wind Whistler didn’t care; her mother's approval was all that really mattered to her in regards to her mark.
“How about your mom tells us the next story? She’s got an eye-patch, so I bet she’s got a great story about fighting off pirates or something!” Sweetie Belle piped up, drawing a happy nod from Apple Bloom.
Fleetfeather snorted in amusement and shook her head. “I’m afraid my cutie mark story is likely the most mundane out of those present. The eye-patch is actually from a fairly recent injury.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked up at her, interested regardless.
“Very well,” Fleetfeather tugged her daughter into a warm embrace with her wing. “I will ‘regale’ you,” she emphasized the word, knowing what was to come. “With the story of when I realized I left my book-report at home. Tis truly an epic for the ages.”
***
The powder-blue filly’s blood ran cold when she upended her saddlebags and a particular parchment was nowhere to be found.
Her teacher would be beyond disappointed and her mother… She swallowed. Her mother was gonna skin her, or at least tan her hide for this.
Fleetfeather upended her empty saddlebags once more in a final desperate act.
“Drat!” the filly hissed under her breath. “Didst I drop it on the flight over?” She began to sift through the contents of her saddlebags once more, growing discontent as every overturned item revealed what she already knew.
“Sweet Faust’s teats,” Fleetfeather groaned and began stuffing her school supplies back into her saddlebags save a piece of blank parchment, an inkwell, and her favorite quill, fashioned from one of her mother’s feathers. Sitting at her desk, she took a deep breath and tapped her quill to the parchment, mumbling to herself and glancing at both the door and the foals around her. “Have all those night reading ‘Of Mice and Mares’ been completely for naught?”
How long did she have? Quickly glancing out the nearby window, she reasoned by what sunlight and shadows she could spot that she had arrived at school a few minutes earlier than normal. That was good. It wasn’t great, but it was good.
“Mayhaps I shall be able to recreate my report before Mrs. Moon Shadow arrives…” Her thestral teacher always seemed to run a few minutes late. Fleetfeather nodded resolutely and dipped her quill in the inkwell before setting it to paper, her feathers twitching with her movements as she began to move the quill at a blinding pace.
It didn’t register to the young Fleetfeather when the teacher came in, and only reflex had her announcing her name during the attendance check, muttered aloud and between the quill still held firmly in her teeth. She kept her focus solely on trying to scrawl out her new book report, even ignoring her teacher when she ordered the other students to gather their reports for her to inspect. It wasn’t until the feeling of a stack of papers which tapped her on the back several times in quick succession thanks to the colt that sat behind her, that she snapped out of her daze and jerked around, carefully lifting her quill from the paper so as to not ruin her efforts.
“Sorry,” She muttered her apology to her classmate and reached out with a hoof to retrieve the stack of papers before looking down at her own.
Giving it as brief of a glance-over as she could, she sighed and nodded. She’d recreated her paper well enough, but it was a little late to try and proofread it. “Zacherle, please be in my favor…” She gave the parchment a light blow to ensure the ink was dried before she added it to the growing stack and passed it forward.
***
“After school that day, I realized I had attained my cutie mark.” Fleetfeather finished before adding with a faint smile. “I also received the second highest grade in the class for my report. Quite good, given the circumstances.”
Scootaloo groaned. “So you got a cutie mark for writing fast?”
“In the simplest of terms, aye.” Fleetfeather added with a chuckled before she noticed Sweetie Belle’s contemplative look boring into her one eye. “What is on your mind little one?” She urged Sweetie’s speech with a soft tone, a warm smile aimed at the cream-white unicorn.
“Um, well…” Sweetie Belle looked up and met Fleetfeather’s eye, as Rarity had taught her to do when addressing somepony. “I was wondering, and I mean no offense, but why would a soldier have a cutie mark for that? Writing fast, I mean. I just don’t understand how it fits.”
Barrier shook his head in amusement at how Sweetie Belle had asked the question. The filly was far more aware of a social faux pas than her companions.
“There is quite a substantial amount of paperwork required for a military to run and function.” Fleetfeather explained, reciting the statement with an ease that screamed practice. “Helping to arrange and organize deployments, documenting various battles and operations for future reference, reports to our officers -” She pointedly glanced at Barrier and injected just a hint of bite into her tone.
“Some of them required an unecessary amount of detail in both my own and many others opinions.” She turned back to Sweetie Belle. “Secondly, we accepted any able-bodied pony in the military in our era. We needed all the help we could get. Many of the ponies serving in the military -army, air-force, the navy- were doing so solely to fight for Equestria and protect their loved ones from the griffins, our enemy at that particular time. Cutie Marks were little more than an identifying mark to the guard. Whether you had the mark of a guardspony or not, you were welcomed with open hooves.”
A light tapping drew the group’s attention to Barrier. “While marks such as mine and Swiftsword’s weren’t terribly uncommon in our era, they were far from normal fare.” Barrier glanced at Fleetfeather and smiled at the shorter cycloptic mare, though he doubted she saw it as she had taken to conversing with Wind Whistler who still resided beneath her wing.
Apple Bloom nodded in understanding before pointing at Fleetfeather’s most identifying feature. “Well how ‘bout yer eyepatch? Can yah tell us how yah got that?”
Sweetie Belle and Barrier both winced when Apple Bloom’s question tapered off.
The pegasus swallowed and shook her head, glancing sadly down at Apple Bloom. “Tis… not something I would like to discuss. It is a reminder of a very painful memory and I would rather not relive it if I can help it. It… reminds me of things best left forgotten.”
Scootaloo groaned and flopped around the floor briefly before shooting upright. “Whatever. Can we at least get a cooler story, please?”
“Oh, um…” Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. “Before that, can I use your bathroom, Mr. Barrier?” She rubbed her hind-legs together. “There wasn’t exactly one in the box.”
“Of course.” Barrier glanced at Sweetie Belle and then at Wind Whistler who had extricated herself from her mother’s wing. “Windy, why don’t you show Sweetie Belle to one of the restrooms?” Barrier glanced down at the filly in question.
“Yessir.” Wind Whistler answered dutifully, causing Barrier and Fleetfeather to chuckle and watch the pair go.
“Hopefully by the time she gets back, Ah’ll have the taste o’ this dang soap outta mah mouth…” Apple Bloom set about scraping her tongue once more before belching up a bubble.
“I’m back,” Sweetie Belle called from the top of the stairs.
“Welcome back,” Barrier replied while waiting by the table.
“So, now that we’re all together again,” Apple Bloom drawled. “Y’all were in the Crystal Empire when that nasty son of a gun Sombra was attackin’, right?”
“Aye ...” the cadets all answered with varying degrees of hesitation.
“Well,” Apple Bloom continued, “did any of yah manage to hit him?”
Swiftsword, Hat Trick, Iron Forge, and Winter Gem all shook their heads.
Verdant was the only one that said otherwise. “I suppose I hit him. I shot him in the face with an exploding arrow.”
Scootaloo jumped into the air and squealed a bit, fluttering her wings hard. “That’s too cool! That’s almost Rainbow Dash levels of awesome!”
“Yeah!” Sweetie added as the three fillies pushed close to the earth pony. “You must have an awesome cutie mark story!”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo pressed close to Verdant’s flank, causing him to backpedal a bit on reflex.
Sweetie Belle pushed forward with him. “Like, maybe you made a type of exploding water, or maybe you use water to affect the weight of your shots!”
Verdant Range chuckled and shook his head. “I’m afraid my cutie mark story is nothing of the sort…” Verdant carefully sat down on his belly and tucked his legs underneath to be at eye-height with his audience.
“Things were rather busy at home, for me and my family. The mares were all working long hours to make enough bits to support us. My father stayed at home to take care of my youngest sisters, a quartet of two year-old fillies. That left my older sisters, Star Hopper and Gold Leaf, Faust rest their souls, to help around the house whilst father was running himself ragged to try and keep everything going smoothly…”
***
Star Hopper, a turquoise-colored teenaged pegasus with a blue mane and tail stood up from the table, having finished her meal. “I shall try to clean the house.” She glanced at Gold Leaf, a yellow earth pony filly with a gold-colored mane and the cutie-mark of a golden leaf on her flank. “I suggest thou start preparing for dinner.”
“But we just finished lunch.” Gold Leaf frowned but stood up from the table as well.
“Aye, and we shall be lucky to have a large enough meal cooked for when everyone gets home.” Star sighed.
A pint-sized Verdant Range dropped from his chair to the floor and glanced up at Star Hopper. “What shall I do, sister?”
Star Hopper hummed and thought for a moment before looking down at her brother. “Mayhaps thou should tend to father’s plants. Somepony must ensure we have some fresh vegetables and herbs to aid in making the family’s meals.”
“Aye!” Verdant answered dutifully and ran out of the backdoor of their home as fast as his tiny legs could take him. The young colt skidded to a halt just before he could crash into a collection of gardening tools.
Tending to the plants came naturally to young Verdant Range. He couldn’t explain how, but he instinctively knew not only when to water each of the plants, but also exactly how much water each plant needed. The family kept an extensive garden, growing as much or more of their own food as they bought, so it was no surprise to the young colt that he spent most of the afternoon weeding and watering. Finally, after a fair bit of time had passed, Star Hopper appeared at the backdoor.
“Verdant!” Her voice was loud and clear. “Dinner shall be ready shortly! Come wash up!”
Verdant Range yelled out an affirmative and jogged tiredly towards the house and inside.
His father, sharp-eyed as ever, stopped him, pressing a hoof to his son’s barrel. “Slow down, my boy.”
Verdant looked up at his father with the barest hints of confusion.
Viridian smiled and explained himself. “Before you wash up, you may wish to gaze upon thy flank.”
“Why?” Verdant’s confusion spread as he began to tilt his head. “Hast a bird p-” His words were forgotten as a sharp intake of air replaced them. “My cutie mark!”
His father chuckled and nodded. “Aye. Now, go wash up. Gold Leaf and I will make a nice treat to celebrate for thee.”
“Oh! May we use some of those blue roses from the garden? They smelled wonderful.”
It was Viridian’s turn to frown in confusion. “Verdant… we do not have blue roses...” He thought in silence for a moment before groaning. “I believe that was poison joke. Stay here and whatever happens, do not move until I return from the garden.”
***
“At any rate, that’s how I attained my cutie mark.” Verdant finished dully. “I doubt you’d be too interested in what happened afterwards.”
The fillies’ disinterest was clear when Scootaloo groaned. “I was hoping for cool battle stories that got ponies cutie marks, but so far all we’ve got are gym-class, a fast writer, and a gardener.” She pointed at each of the ponies in turn. “The only one interesting was his,” she pointed at Barrier. “And he sounded bored the whole time he told it.”
“I’ll have to hear that story some time, Verdant.” Barrier chuckled drawing a half-hearted glare from Verdant which he disregarded just as Barrier and the others disregarded the crusaders’ rudeness. “So who shall go next, young ones?”
The three glanced up at their remaining options and their flanks until Sweetie Belle squealed in excitement. “This one!” She thrust a hoof at Iron Forge. “His cutie mark has fire on it!”
Apple Bloom frowned and leaned in closer to Scootaloo. “Ah think she’s startin’ to develop a thing fer fire.”
“Tell me about it.” Scootaloo sighed, not even trying to whisper. “It kinda scares me.”
“Very well,” Iron Forge spoke, drawing attention to himself. “Though mine is little better. I’ve not the flare for storytelling as my comrades, so bare with me. To begin, I grew up in the town you all may know as Trottingham. In my time, it was known as Gallopfrey. We were a small island town in the literal center of the ongoing conflict between Equestria and the Griffin Kingdom.”
Scootaloo whooped. “Oh, this one is gonna be good!”
Iron Forge shook his head in amusement. “Prepare to be disappointed. My mum needed new kitchen cutlery…”
***
Iron Forge moved along the beach, carefully digging holes here and there which went on for several long minutes until his hoof hit something amidst one of his digs. Spurred on by the prospect of a discovery, he began to dig fervently until he unearthed a hunk of metal. As he carefully excavated his find, he saw what he had: the upper half of a broken sword. He put it into the small cloth he tugged behind him, where it clanged noisily against the various other metal bits he’d discovered. Buckles, knives, other broken swords and various small pieces of ships washed ashore after every major clash. Often enough, intact blades would be found in the sand. These intact weapons were to be brought to the guard.
For the last week, he’d listened to his mother complain, albeit it sedately, about how dangerous her kitchen cutlery had become. In a word, her knives were old, having been inherited from her own mother who had inherited them from her mother. The handles were worn and the blades, while well-cared for, were just as worn as the rest of the tool.
With the rising intensity of the war, iron had grown far more valuable, making simple everyday tools and what many deemed a non-necessity far more expensive than they had any right being. Contrary to popular belief, being a blacksmith didn’t leave them particularly well off. Sure, they always had work, but like most other smiths, they sold their creations to the crown for the bare minimum. After all, if the crown didn’t have the weapons they desperately needed, Equestria as they knew it could be conquered.
Only a night ago, Iron Forge got to see his first ever ship-battle up close. The griffins had tried to rush Gallopfrey and the Equestrian navy had been ready. Forge could still remember the occasional scream reaching their home, close to the shore as they were. He could also remember the explosion as the victorious Equestrians sunk the griffin ships. He’d heard his parents mention how the griffins had refused to surrender.
Before daylight had broke, Forge had set to scavenging the shore first thing in the morning, before the other ponies could find anything valuable in the sand.
Glancing at his gathered scrap, he grinned. He had more than enough scrap for his project and today was his father’s day off. Taking off at as hard a gallop as his short legs and luggage would allow, he headed towards his father's forge.
***
Iron Forge spent the rest of his morning separating out the best of his finds and slowly heating them in his father’s forge, utilizing his fire magic to help maintain the furnace and speed up the process of heating the metal. By the time the sun had begun to make its ascent into the sky, the unicorn was ready to start. Horn flaring, Iron Forge took hold of his father's hammer and began, all but shutting out the world around him. All that mattered now was his metal.
***
“Forge, Wind, I’m home!” Coal Fire called out as he pushed open the door and tiredly made his way into the kitchen where he heard his wife working. The stallion had went into town shortly after sunrise and spent most of the day bartering for supplies and arranging an extra-large shipment of coal. It was high time he started truly teaching Iron Forge the craft rather than just letting his son observe.
A light gray pegasus poked her head out of the kitchen, her grey-and-silver mane bouncing as she supported herself on the doorframe. “Did Forge not go with you?”
Coal Fire met his wife’s amethyst eyes and appeared confused. “No. I assumed he was still in bed when I left.” The stallion scratched his blue-black mane and frowned. “Must be out playing in the forge again.” Coal arched his back drawing a series of pops before turning towards the back door. “The cart is full-up on supplies. I will get Iron Forge and we will unload it.”
Silver Wind hummed in affirmation and disappeared into the kitchen once more.
“Forge!” Coal Fire called out the back door at his forge. “Come help unload the cart!” Coal Fire waited for several moments before he departed the house. As he rounded the side of the building, what he saw surprised him. The forge looked as he had left it, with the exception of the cooling embers in the hearth.
Iron Forge sat in the corner of the forge at the grinding stone, carefully bouncing his hoof to keep the wheel going as he applied an edge to a knife, three more laid out on the bench, each as sharp as the last and each with a strip of cloth around the tang serving as the handle.
Coal Fire grinned widely and watched in silence as his son leaned back and let the grindstone slow to a halt, having finished.
As Iron Forge wrapped the last strip of cloth around the tang and placed it alongside the others, he finally became aware of his audience as his father cleared his throat.
“I see thou hast been busy.” Coal Fire grinned as his son turned to face him, his fur matted with sweat and exhaustion clear in his eyes.
“Um… well…” Forge started but had to stop to yawn before continuing. “I wanted to surprise Mother. She hast uttered many a curse about her old knives. I left before sunrise for the beach this morning and salvaged some scrap metal to make her these.” He pointed at the knives of varying size, made to match the set his mother had long used. “Dost thou think she will like them?”
Coal Fire lit his horn and held one of the knives up to his muzzle, carefully inspecting it from every angle and occasionally tapping the blade with a hoof. “I do not believe she will like these, my son.”
Iron Forge’s formerly pensive expression started to fall.
“I am certain that she’ll absolutely love them.” Coal added before his sons despair could set in. “For thy first time working a forge, thou did exceptionally well.” The older stallion set the knives down and smiled down at his son, noting the cutie mark on his flank. “I would go so far as to say you’ve found your true calling with the forge.”
Iron Forge’s expression did a complete one-eighty, the failing expression turning into a wide grin. “Dost thou really think so, Father?”
Coal Fire pointed at his son's flank and grinned. “I am absolutely positive. Now, what say we unload my cart and go inside to celebrate and show your mother your gift? Mayhaps after dinner, I shall help you make some nice wooden handles to truly complete the gift.”
***
What was becoming a trademark at this point resounded throughout the house once more; the crusaders groaned.
“Your stories suck.” Scootaloo stated eloquently.
“That is… bad, in modern context?” Iron Forge asked, somewhat confused.
“Kitchen knives.” Sweetie Belle sighed. “Great. Literally a story of just making kitchen knives.”
Apple Bloom also sighed. “What’s next? A plate making cutie mark?”
“Well, I can think of at least one more story that should interest you girls in some capacity. But first…” Barrier gazed pensively at the air above him, waiting for the tingle of magic he’d felt to appear in full. Finally, a letter materialized and fell on his head. “About time,” The unicorn huffed more to himself as he unfurled the letter.
“Dear Magic Barrier,” the unicorn read out loud for the benefit of those gathered. “I send this message to inform you of several things. The first is that Twilight received the message you forwarded to her and the families of the fillies left on the train to Vanhoover some time ago. They should hopefully arrive within a timely manner. The second issue at hoof is that I have finally set a date three weeks from now for you and your cadets to come to Canterlot to receive your owed medals and back pay. If you could arrive around noon it would be greatly appreciated. The third and final issue is that following this letter will be another letter containing several tickets to this year's Grand Galloping Gala, along with plus ones, save for Hat Trick and Winter Gem, who I assume will be going together, given what they did in my private bathroom all those years ago.”
Barrier snorted and glared at Winter Gem and Hat Trick who smiled sheepishly in return. It had taken more than a few favors for Celestia not to have them court martialed. “I hope you all have a wonderful time. Signed, Princess Celestia.”
Barrier rolled the letter just in time for the aforementioned second letter to materialize above him. Snagging it and opening it, the unicorn quickly distributed the tickets to his cadets before reading this letter as well.
“P.S. Your original message’s sudden appearance caused Luna to spill hot tea on herself. She says that if this happens again, she’ll turn you into a mare without Poison Joke. I saw her ask a guard about the location of the claymores moments later…” Barrier trailed off, his gaze narrowing slightly.
“Windy, go get me another of Miss Yearling’s ribbons. I’m in the mood to make an enemy.”
As the filly darted off to fulfill his request, Barrier turned back to the other three fillies. “So,” He rolled up the letters and placed them on the kitchen table. “Whose story would you like to hear next?”
“How about we get mah cousin’s story next?” Apple Bloom asked, smiling up at the larger mare in anticipation; Winter Gem smiled back, softly.
“Yeah, get the really boring one out of the way first!” Sweetie Belle thrust a hoof into the air victoriously. “That way the last ones will seem cooler.”
“Right on!” Scootaloo thrust her hoof up in cheer as well.
Winter Gem mumbled something to herself about brats and a particularly eye-opening paddling but otherwise just took a deep breath and began the tale of her cutie mark as all the others had.
“Growing up, we Apples weren’t farmers. Not like we are today, anyways. Each Apple household kept a small orchard of some variety, most usually apples, for the sole purpose of keeping the family fed. According to Miss Yearling, my family lived in a place that is now known as Dodge Junction…”
***
“I heard thou!” Winter Gem called back into the house as her small form cut through the frosty morning air and made her way around the edge of the orchards fence to the lone gate. “I shall harvest the accursed apples…” She approached the closest of the apple trees composing the family orchard and then turned and bucked the tree with a skill earned from countless mornings of repeating the exact same action, drawing an orchard-wide crack as the apples cascaded to the ground. “I wager Cousin Braeburn never had to spend his mornings kicking trees…” The small, snow-white filly continued to talk to herself as she gathered the apples up and put them in the buckets that had been laid at the base of the tree a day prior.
“Actually, Braeburn did this every morning.”
The filly jumped, having not heard the much larger stallion approach.
From behind his daughter, the stallion smiled down at her then shared a brief glance with his wife, unspoken words seeming to pass between the pair. “Were he not sick, I have no doubt he would be out here aiding you.”
Winter Gem mumbled something to herself and moved to the next tree in the row and repeated the exercise.
“According to thy cousin,” the older mare picked up after her husband when he shifted to the second row of trees and set about his own morning harvest. “It was great practice for when he would inevitably join the army. He also understood the importance of the orchard and just what exactly it meant to the family.”
Her father finished his first tree and shifted his banana-yellow mane from his eyes where it so often seemed to fall. “He oft pretended he was kicking a griffin. He said he liked to imagine it was a griffin whose neck he was snapping with each buck.” He punctuated his statement with a sharp crack against the base of a tree.
Winter Gem delivered a particularly vicious buck to an unfortunate tree as her own mind conjured up the images being mentioned.
Snow Apple smiled at her daughter through her frosty mane, already seeing the words having an effect on the youngest Apple’s harvesting.
Winter Banana stopped bucking and stood next to his wife, watching Winter Gem. “It may seem like simple farming, but it will serve you well.” He continued to preach, voice growing more firm to help emphasize his words. “In addition to ensuring thy family is well-fed, it will also help to build the strength in thy legs to serve thee throughout thy life.”
“Just imagine each trunk as the chest of a griffin.” Snow Apple encouraged with just as much zeal as her husband went for another tree. “Feel their lungs collapse beneath thy hooves!”
“Imagine the apples are foals that the griffins have dropped from the sky!” Her father suddenly shouted as he bucked a tree and proceeded to catch the apples as they cascaded to the ground. “Quickly, catch them with the bucket before their bones break upon the ground!”
Winter Gem was only vaguely aware of her parents talking to her, instead conjuring up more macabre images in her mind as she went about her morning chores, all but sprinting doggedly from tree to tree, bucking as hard as her little legs would allow and just as quickly trying to catch as many apples as she could before they hit the ground, her mind already likening each missed apple to what her father described next.
“Each apple that falls upon the ground is a foal that has now suffered a horrific death!” Her father encouraged. “Do not fail them, Gem! They depend upon thee!”
Winter Gem was panting and sweat was beginning to drip from her mane, but she doggedly continued about her task, only seeming to snap back to reality when she had reached the end of the row where she nearly collapsed on the ground, tiny muscles spasming with exertion as she desperately tried to catch her breath.
“Thy cousin Braeburn did this every morning without fail until the day he left for basic and I have no doubt were he not in bed sick, that he would be here with you.” Snow Apple smiled widely at her daughter and she crouched down and rested a hoof on her withers, stroking her daughter in an effort to comfort the exhausted filly. “And like you, he received his cutie mark during a harvest one morning.”
It took Winter Gem a moment to process the words, tired as she was, and snap her head around to spot the bright red apple on her flank. On the one hoof, she was ecstatic that she’d received her cutie mark, but on the other, it was an apple.
Giving her flank a long hard stare, Winter Gem pondered for a moment, then smiled brightly. She was okay with this.
***
“We followed it up with a round of hard ciders.” Winter Gem concluded. “The first I’d had, rather similar to Captain Barrier receiving wine, only not as… well, cider is a much better drink.” She grinned at her captain with an almost uncharacteristic smile, which he returned gently.
“Well,” Apple Bloom managed after all of the fillies and adults stopped to process the story. “At least it’s a tiny bit better than mah sister’s. Less schmaltzy at least.”
“Eh,” Scootaloo chimed in, “at least it was better than Green Bean and Cutlery Colt.” Her response earned her a glare from the two stallions.
“Your parents were admirable ponies.” Barrier patted Winter Gem on the shoulder with a smile. “While out of sorts these days, they were incredibly intelligent.”
Winter Gem nodded, more filled with thoughts of her lost parents and her captain’s apparent opinions on them than those of the fillies who had requested her story. “So,” Barrier drew the children’s attention. “Your options remaining are Hat Trick and Swiftsword. Who would you like to hear next?”
“Uh,” They all seemed caught off guard for whatever reason.
“Hat Trick!” Scootaloo stated. “Of the two left, Swiftsword’s is probably the coolest,” Scootaloo glanced at the powder-blue mare’s flank. “so let’s get the lame one out of the way.”
“Here here!” Sweetie Belle agreed with a wide grin.
“Very well.” Hat Trick swept his hooves wide with a flair that only a practiced prestidigitator could put forth.
“Allow me to regale you with the tale of how I ascended to adulthood!” From seemingly out of nowhere, the pegasus threw a pellet to the ground that erupted in smoke.
***
Hat Trick had gathered a surprisingly substantial crowd for a foal as young as he, especially since he was only standing on a pair of crates with a row of four large, worn top hats behind him. Having previously warmed up the audience with card tricks and a shell game with a raccoon, the time for the finale had at last come. “Gather round, ponies! For I shall now perform my grand finale!” He crowed to the crowd with an enticing tone that few ponies could hope to match.
“I will make myself disappear!” The pegasus chuckled at the blatant crows of disbelief.
“Yer’ full o’shit, kid!” A drunken pony shouted.
“Oh?” Hat Trick waved one of the giant top hats with an ostentatious wave. “Am I?” Hat Trick baited. “Am I really?”
He pulled the horribly designed hat over his muzzle… followed by the entirety of his body, much to the confusion of the stallion that had called him out.
“Wha-” The stallion tried to respond to the countless gazes that had fixated upon the seemingly empty hat. The stallion shouldered his way to the front of the crowd before rearing onto his hind legs and tilting the hat that the foal had disappeared into, revealing to the crowd and itself that it was well and truly empty.
“Not that one.” Hat Trick’s head popped out of under one of the other hats. “This one.” He disappeared into it, causing the stallion to swear and climb bodily onto the crates where he quickly bowled over the second hat revealing that it too was empty.
“Nope.” The foal crowed from the third hat he’d brought with him. “A for effort though.” Hat Trick disappeared once more into that hat before the stallion could reach it.
The stallion, a beige earth pony, huffed and kicked the hat over revealing that like the others, it was empty.
“Over here, one that smells of elderberries!” Hat Trick popped out of the fourth and final hat and taunted the stallion before vanishing again. Like the others, this one was swiftly kicked over and revealed to be empty.
“But…” A mare in the crowd began. “Where did he go? He cou-” She yelped and backpedaled, the top of her head started to feel heavier as her own hat began to seemingly move on its own. As if by magic, a hoof shot out of it.
“Ta-da!” Hat Trick crowed triumphantly as he freed himself from the mare’s hat and stood triumphantly on her head.
The stallion hopped off of the crates and started back in the crowd only for a mauve unicorn to cut in front of him and shoot back a hard, icy-blue glare almost seeming to dare him. When nothing happened, he turned back to the performer. “And now, for his next trick, my son will make his cutie mark appear!”
Hat Trick grinned up at his father before the words seemed to register and he snapped his gaze around. He then gave a wide smile before he bowed on top of the mare’s head.
***
“Well,” Scootaloo was the first to speak up as Hat Trick’s story came to a close. “A big improvement over the last few at least.”
“Ooh, ooh!” Sweetie Belle hopped in place until Hat Trick met her eyes. “Could you pull a trick on me?”
“Certainly,” Hat Trick grinned widely and flicked his hoof, a hat eerily similar to those on his cutie mark seeming to wink into existence.
Sweetie Belle giggled as Hat Trick dropped the hat onto her, the small filly vanishing into its depths.
Everypony waited for several long seconds, after which Hat Trick lifted the hat and revealed that it was in fact empty.
Almost immediately afterwards, the breadbox on the counter began to shift, leading to Swiftsword snagging it in her magic and prying it open, revealing a slightly smooshed and grinning Sweetie Belle.
The others applauded while Barrier rubbed his forehead in consternation, having seen the bread squashed tightly against the back of the breadbox.
I’d just bought that. Clearing his throat, he addressed the three foals once more. “Alright, are you three ready for your last story?”
“Well…” Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment. “Could we get somethin’ tah eat? It’s been hours since we had those pancakes o’ yours.”
Barrier glanced at the clock and winced. A quarter to three already? Had they really spent that long telling stories? “Well, I don’t really know how to make anything beyond pancakes and Yearling isn’t here, so how about we all go out for lunch? There’s a fairly nice buffet about three blocks from here.”
With a multitude of affirmatives, the door was opened and they descended upon the city…
For a reason he couldn’t quite place, the older stallion felt bad for whoever was working the buffet on this particular day.
Barrier raised an eyebrow as the children walked along contentedly. With the amount of food they had piled on their plates, it was impressive they were walking at all.
Did their parents mate with parasprites? How can they eat so damn much?!
Swiftsword’s magic flared, opening their front door where they waited until the three had sprinted inside to turn back to her fellow unicorn. “Sir, hast thou ever seen something devour food on such a level as those three? Their appetites rival that of even the largest of stallions.”
Barrier didn’t respond, he instead chose to shrug it off as he stalked into their foyer and then into the living room where he could hear the fillies. From the sounds of things being knocked over, he instantly regretted letting them have dessert.
With a sigh, Swiftsword followed.
***
“Finally calmed down?” Barrier eyed the trio of fillies tiredly, desperately wishing he’d had his magic for the last hour or so.
“Yes sir,” Sweetie Belle replied dutifully while Scootaloo simply stared in a huff, not enjoying effectively being told to shut up and sit down.
“Good.” Barrier sat in an armchair and slowly exhaled. Most of the group had departed to take care of various things. Verdant was out back working the hobby-garden he’d recently begun, Forge was taking a shower, Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler were simply spending time alone together and Hat Trick and Winter Gem were… well, he was glad that the walls were recently soundproofed. He’d never been comfortable with the sounds of sawing that would occasionally emanate from their shared room while Hat Trick worked on his tricks and accessories with the aid of his fiance.
“Mr. Barrier?” Sweetie Belle began softly, drawing the pony in question’s attention. “Can the last one please tell us her cutie mark stor-” Sweetie’s eyes screwed up slightly before she let out a window-rattling belch.
Swiftsword and Barrier both stared in shock at the filly, her two friends sharing in that expression.
“Um…” Sweetie Belle blushed and giggled. “Pardon me.”
“Right…” Barrier rubbed his chin and turned to Swiftsword. “Ready to regale them with the story of the tournament, Swift?”
Swiftsword settled farther into her own armchair and hummed an affirmation. “I’m glad you enjoyed your meal, young filly. Now I shall regale you of my tale, a story of one of my favorite battles.”
When she was certain she had the three’s undivided attention, she began.
“My father began training me in swordplay when I was very young, as the Falchion tradition. When he deemed I was sufficiently ready, he entered me into a tournament, The Grand Clash of Steel’s junior division. Twas the most renowned sword fighting tournament in the land, something my parents believed would truly push my young skills to the limit, to see if I was truly worthy of the Falchion name.”
Barrier had remembered that day rather well. It was rare for him to watch a sporting event, but his captain had been rather insistent.
***
Sergeant Magic Barrier shuffled through the crowd, taking a spot on the bench next to his captain. “Sir,” he inquired tiredly, “must we really bother ourselves by watching a children’s sporting event?”
A hearty chuckle came from the elder stallion. “Why of course, Barrier. Children are the future of our kingdom after all. The children we see here today may one day grow into fine guards to serve the princesses. I find it best to scout talent like this while they are young. The younger they are, the easier it is to mold them into the defenders our kingdom needs. Mayhaps, Faust and Zacherle will smile upon somepony here, and they will end the griffin threat once and for all.”
“Hmm... “ Barrier tapped a hoof against his muzzle, “Forgive my skepticism, Captain Sombra, but I am uncertain of that.”
“Perhaps I am being optimistic, but we shall see. I am simply delighted I pulled you in to watch the finals.”
“Fillies and gentlecolts!” a mare’s voice called out from the ring, drawing the eye and silencing the crowd. “I welcome all of thee to this final battle in the Grand Clash of Steel Junior Division tournament!” This announcement lead to a large outburst of cheers from the many excited ponies.
“Watch closely, my sergeant. I have attended these matches since the tournament’s start. I assure you, you will be impressed by these fillies’ show of skill.”
Barrier only nodded, not nearly as enthusiastic as his captain before the announcer spoke again.
“This final clash will truly be something worthy of the title of a Grand Clash of Steel. Now, allow me to introduce our reigning champion of the junior division three years running, from Dream Valley, we have Stoneware Clay of the Moores clan!”
The crowd erupted into cheers once more as two ponies approached the right side ring, a large grey unicorn filly with a clay brown mane. She carried on her back a surprisingly large sword and had a mark on her flank to match it. Beside her was an earth pony mare with a light brown coat and a matching mane, clearly her mother.
“And now, our challenger approaches. A first time entrant in this tournament who has done exceptionally well, given the circumstances. Please, give a warm welcome to the local filly of Canterlot, Swiftsword of the noble Falchion clan!”
The crowd cheered once more as another pair approached from the left side towards the ring. The challenger was a smaller blue unicorn filly with a darker blue mane and a pair of sabres at her sides, occasionally bumping up against her blank flank. Beside her was a large stallion that Barrier had no doubt was her father, judging from the matching coat and mane colours. He carried with him a sword that was longer than he was and wore a blue cape, signifying to the nobles of the era that he carried the rank of a viscount.
“This should be quite the thrilling match. A reigning champion versus a new and talented filly. A young and inexperienced noble against a larger, stronger and older commoner filly with a mark for sword fighting. Tell me, who dost thou believe will be victorious?” Sombra inquired as the two fillies entered the ring and started to draw their blades.
After having a brief moment to consider, Barrier gave his answer. “Swiftsword is a far smaller target than her opponent and her paired blades, while not terribly practical in field combat, are going to be far more effective against a lone claymore. Stoneware Clay is going to be overwhelmed. One can only block so much with a blade and it only further slows down an already bulky pony.”
“Hmm… We shall see. Wouldst thou be willing to eat a ruby reaper pepper if thou art wrong in thy assessment?” Sombra inquired.
Barrier’s eye twitched in amusement. “Only if you’re willing to reciprocate should I bet right.”
Sombra only smiled.
“The combatants are set!” the announcer called out as she stepped out of the ring and the fillies took a combative stance. “Let the battle begin!”
Swiftsword very clearly knew her strengths and had obviously discerned those of Stoneware Clay as she took off at a hard gallop towards her, magic flaring and bringing her paired blades to bare.
Stoneware licked her lips and held firm until Swiftsword was only a couple of sword lengths away before grasping her claymore in her magic and throwing it into a heavy overhead swing.
Sparks flew as Swiftsword allowed herself to fall to the left, one of her longswords running the length of her opponent’s claymore. As she ran the length of the large sword, she brought her second blade forward in a fast horizontal swing only to hit empty air as Stoneware threw herself to the side and separated their respective swords.
The powder blue filly didn’t even blink as she followed the movement and leapt towards Clay, once more putting them almost right next to one another with Swift swinging both swords overhead as hard as she could.
Eyes widening, the larger filly’s sword was thrown overhead, blocking Swift’s attack… for all the good that would do her.
As soon as her swords bounced back, Swiftsword’s horn flared brightly as she launched into a flurry of attacks, coming at her opponent from every conceivable angle she could.
Though it appeared almost amateurish to most of the spectators, Barrier’s gaze narrowed slightly as he watched the larger unicorn begin to backpedal slightly while she fended off the seemingly wild and random blows.
Swiftsword was young, but she wasn’t stupid. A claymore was just as heavy in magic as it was in hoof for a pony her age and she knew better than to allow any distance between her and her opponent where she could bring out the full weight and power of the blade.
Stoneware growled as she deflected another set of blows, being forced to spin the sword repeatedly in her magic and endure each throb in her skull as another blow bounced off of her.
Throwing another pair of hard overhead swings, Swiftsword darted even closer as the claymore was thrown up horizontally. While both of her swords were bouncing off of the larger blade, she threw her shoulder into the taller filly’s elbows. As her opponent pitched forward, she threw a diagonal slice with her saber.
In her surprise, Stoneware threw her blade up once more and inwardly cheered when she felt the impact of her opponent's blade once more being deflected, until her world exploded into pain and stars as Swiftsword’s second, magically dulled sword, clocked her in the skull and sent her staggering sideways where she fell off the edge of the ring that Swiftsword had been carefully pushing her towards since her wild assault.
“Match!” The announcer called the moment Swiftsword had landed what would’ve amounted to a deathblow in an actual fight.
It took Swiftsword a moment to lower her blades, as caught up in her assault as she had been. But when she did, the world finally seemed to come back into focus and she became aware of both the wild cheers around her and of her own labored breathing.
“So,” the filly snapped around and met her father’s wide grin as he made his way to the corner of the ring she had pushed. “How dost it feel?” He motioned to the still-cheering ponies.
Swiftsword grinned and breathlessly respond. “How dost what feel, Father?”
“Victory. Utterly dominating your opponent.” Chrome added.
“Victory…” Swiftsword seemed to mull the question over for a moment. “It tastes sweet.”
“And how does the other accomplishment feel?” Her father continued.
Swiftsword tilted her head in confusion until she followed her father’s gaze to her flank where a pair of crossed swords -a longsword and a saber- now set, forever a part of her.
Before his daughter could begin to express her excitement, the proud father raised a hoof. “Before that, a lesson. A noblemare always accepts victory -and defeat- graciously.”
As if in response to the statement, Swiftsword made her way over to the edge of the ring, where her former opponent was still laying on her side. She extended a hoof out to the elder filly, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Stoneware accepted the hoof and was pulled up to her hooves.
“My thanks, Swiftsword.” Stoneware then held out a hoof to Swiftsword, who hesitantly took it and shook with her.
“Thou art not angry?” Swiftsword asked as they separated from their shake.
“There is no shame in being beaten by the best.” Stoneware replied with a grin as she trotted out of the ring, leaving Swift to grin widely once more.
As the young filly was being cheered on by the crowds, Barrier chuckled. “It would appear that thou will have to have one of those damnable peppers, Captain.”
“I shall. Still, tis good to see thy skill at assessing are sharper than they once were before. Thou may one day make captain with skills such as that. Now come,” Sombra spoke as he rose, hoping to leave before the crowd started to disperse. “Let us go. I to face the ruby reaper, and thou to enjoy the sight of my suffering.”
Barrier could not help but let out a hearty laugh.
***
“Sir?” Swiftsword’s voice rang out, snapping Barrier out of his reminiscing.
“Oh, my apologies, Swiftsword. I was… just thinking of old times. You were saying?” he responded apologetically.
“I was telling the children about my fight in the tournament. I asked, since you had told me of being a witness to the fight, if you could provide your opinion and insights about it.”
“Well, I thought-” a loud bang came from the front door, interrupting the stallion mid sentence. Some more thuds came from the entrance before the door was tossed open. A scream quickly followed.
“WHERE IS SHE?!” the scream echoed through the room, making Sweetie Belle give a big, nervous swallow.
“Rarity, calm down. Ah know she’s here, along with mah sister and Scootaloo.” a much calmer voice followed. Applejack and Rarity soon entered the foyer, spotting the filly trio. “Girls, yah’ll are in a whole world of trouble.”
“Scootaloo!” a third, unfamiliar voice sounded off from the entryway. “We need to talk.”
***
After a passionate lecture about the dangers of sneaking off and getting on trains at their age from Applejack, some light talk about the gala and dresses between Swiftsword and Rarity, and quite the earful from a pegasus named Lofty to Scootaloo about much of the same topic as Applejack, the crusaders and the elder mares were just about ready to head out.
“Sorry ‘bout this, Barrier.” Applejack said as she adjusted her hat. “Ah knew Apple Bloom wanted tah get her mark real bad, but Ah didn’t think she’d do something like this.”
“The same goes for me… and I’m sorry about what I did to the door. I was just so worried sick about Sweetie Belle.” Rarity chimed in as she and Forge were setting the door back in place.
“And I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances, Mr. Barrier,” the pegasus offered Barrier her hoof, which he happily shook. “I knew she wanted to get her cutie mark pretty badly, but I didn’t think she’d go this far. I’m sorry for any trouble these three might have caused you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that too much,” Barrier replied as he trotted over to Rarity and gave her a gentle pat on the back, “I’m sure the girls learned their lesson,” he said as he gave the trio a glance, making them shift their attention down towards the floor, muttering soft apologies, “and thankfully, they weren’t hurt.”
“Yup, but Ah know a certain little filly’s gonna be sore from the extra chores she’ll have to do.” Applejack trotted over the the yellow filly before putting a foreleg over her shoulder. “C’mon, let’s head home.” the pair were soon followed by their compatriots.
“Bye Mr. Barrier, it was nice seeing you again!” Sweetie Belle said with a wave as she headed out the door.
“Thanks for the stories, some of them were actually kinda cool in the end.” Scootaloo chuckled as she ran off to catch up to the mini-marshmallow, causing her aunt to chuckle as she followed.
“Thanks again, Barrier. Now c’mon, girls! We know just what we need tah do fer the best cutie marks now!” Apple Bloom slipped out of her sister’s grasp before joining her friends in a single shout.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SWORD FIGHTERS!”
The trio’s shout drew a tired sigh from the orange mare. “Ah’ll make sure they don’t hurt anypony,” as she reached the door, she turned around to face the charcoal stallion. “Bye, Barrier. See yah around.”
“And it was a pleasure seeing you again, Rarity.” Swiftsword cut in as the white mare stood by the door, watching Applejack chase around the children, “I hope to see you at this gala.”
“As do I, Swiftsword. I’ll make certain your ensemble will be simply stunning,” Rarity spoke, before she strolled out the door, passing by the yellow pegasus who came to the door. Closing the door behind her, she quickly discarded the parts of her A.K. Yearling guise before setting down her saddlebags.
“So, what’s with the kids out there?” Daring asked as she started to hang up her clothes, “Friends’ kids or something?”
Barrier gave a slight chuckle. “Long story short, some fillies from Ponyville decided to bring themselves all the way here to ask us for our cutie mark stories.” He smiled and nuzzled her along the neck.
“Hmm. Thanks for that,” she said before patting Barrier’s side, “If only they could have heard my story, they would have loved it.” Daring then doubled back to pick up her bags again, making a metallic shuffling come from them.
“I didn’t think getting your cast off would have taken this long.” Barrier carefully glanced at her now freed wing. From what he could tell, it looked fully healed.
“I did some flying for a while.” Daring’s response drew a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend. “Oh c’mon, like you won’t be using magic once you get that thing off.” She then gestured at his wrapped up horn.
“Fair enough, still I didn’t think you’d be flying for hours,” he said as they headed into the foyer.
“Eh, there were long lines at the doctor’s office, and I decided to pick up some movies to celebrate.” At this, Daring gave her bags a light shaking, making the film canisters within clang.
“What did you end up getting?” Barrier thought back to the previous time this household had a movie night. Swiftsword had bothered him for quite a while until she was told that sabres of light were fictional.
“I figure we’ll have a great time tearing into these films. Mangos: The Cans of Fruit, Marewolf, and Pod Ponies.” She then gave Barrier a large grin as she pulled the canisters out. This made him rather skeptical.
“Well, I’m sure these will be better than that Filly and Tiff movie. They’ve got to at least be saner.”
A peaceful moonlit night had fallen upon Vanhoover, a gentle breeze wafting through the trees as midnight struck.
Few ponies were going about their business on that pleasant night, with most of the townsfolk snuggly resting in their beds.
One such pony was Magic Barrier, soundly sleeping with Daring Do by his side. As he slumbered, he laid completely unaware of the magical energy coalescing above his head.
The shapeless plume of magic steadily grew larger and larger, until it became larger than the sleeping stallion’s head.
The mystical cloud soon formed into a solid object, dropping down upon the resting pair below.
When the strange mass suddenly landed, a sharp cold washed over Barrier, shocking him to wakefulness, where he found the pegasus at his side letting out a an ear-piercing screech.
Shocked by his rude awakening and the screech, Barrier’s eyes darted around the darkened room, the only light being a single moonbeam coming through the bedroom curtains.
“What’s going on?” Barrier tossed the oddly heavy blanket off the bed with a surprising clank. “Daring, are you okay?”
“B-b-buck no!” she snorted, her teeth chattering as she spoke. “I’m s-soaked and f-f-freezing. What’s going on? Did a water pipe break or something?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” Barrier replied as he slipped out of the bed. He glided his hooves along the wall until eventually he found the light switch. Just as the light had turned on, the room’s door was kicked open, a mare with a sword dashing into the room.
“Sir, are you alright?” The swordsmare asked as five more charged in, all in combat stances. “We heard a scream and came down as quickly as possible.”
“At ease, all of you,” Barrier huffed as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. “I appreciate that you got here so quickly, but I’m just as in the dark as you.”
As his vision started to clear, he saw that he and Daring with both dripping wet with a large wet stain in the middle of the bed.
“Uncle,” a sleepy filly poked her head out from behind Fleet’s hind legs. “Did you wet the bed? I thought only little foals did that.”
Hat Trick covered his muzzle with a hoof, choking back a laugh. Barrier responded with a glare that instantly silenced the stallion.
“Sir,” Winter Gem lifted up part of the soaked blanket and pulled something out. “I think I found what caused this.” The snow white mare held up a large metal bucket. Tilting it towards Barrier, he saw a small amount of water inside, along with a pair of ice cubes.
“Right,” Barrier said authoritatively as he marched closer to the gathering. “That explains what caused us to be soaked, now we need to figure out why a bucket of ice water suddenly ended up here.”
“Sir,” Verdant spoke up as he stepped forward. “I believe I know who did this.” Placing a hoof on the rim the metal container, he slowly spun it within Winter Gem’s grasp. With the bucket now turned, Barrier saw writing engraved into the metal in fanciful old Equestrian.
Vengeance beith mine. - H.R.H. Luna of Equestria
“Forge,” Barrier snorted at the sight of the message. “Get started on drying everything off. Verdant, get me a quill and parchment. That brat’s officially made this a war.”
“Barrier, don’t you dare,” the gold pegasus grumbled as Forge’s horn lit up, basking her in a toasty warmth.
“Why shouldn’t I, Daring?” Barrier smirked as Forge’s magic started to wash over him as well.
“Because if you try it, I will make it that your coat’s not the only part of you that’s black and your mane not the only that’s blue. Capiche?”
“Alright, no prank war,” Barrier grumbled before making his way out of the room. “I’m going to go change my horn wrappings. Keep up the drying, Forge.”
The cobalt unicorn saluted as Wind Whistler gave her mother’s wing a tug.
“Mother, why would Miss Daring threaten to dye Uncle Barrier?”
The question was the final straw for Hat Trick as he collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter.
Barrier did what he could to keep from fidgeting as his doctor moved his head around, examining every minute detail of his horn.
“Hmm…” the purple unicorn gave a disapproving look at Barrier as he pulled away. “You tried to use magic while you were recovering.”
“Only a little bit out of habit in the first few days,” Barrier confessed bluntly, “After that, I did my best to forgo using magic.”
“You’re lucky that you’ve still got a horn after all that.” The doctor turned away from Barrier and started to fish through one of his drawers.
“Sorry, Dr. Stitch; but is there any good news about this?” He pointed a foreleg towards the spiraled spire on his head. “Not having magic for over a month is just… it just feels so wrong for a unicorn.”
The doctor pulled a brown bottle from his drawer, shutting it with a kick. “Thankfully, you smartened up with the trying-to-do-magic thing before you made it even worse.” Lighting his horn, the bottle was enveloped in a rosy light as it levitated over to Barrier’s forelegs.
“Just drink that down and lay off of the stronger spells or trying to levitate things over ten pounds for the next week and you’ll be right as rain.”
Opening the bottle with his hoof, Barrier caught a whiff of the medicine he’d need. “Ugh, skelegrow…” After a brief instance to prepare himself for the foul taste, he quickly tossed back the bottle and chugged it down as quickly as possible. “Blaurgh… Isn’t there a way to make this stuff taste better?”
Dr. Stitch gave his patient a smirk. “Well if you’d like, Mr. Big Tough Soldier, I could get one of the children’s varieties for you. It comes in strawberry, banana, grape and bubblegum flavours.”
As Barrier rolled his eyes, his doctor levitated a clipboard over to examine. “Also, after going through everything, you’re all clear to make your sperm donation, but there’s something I need to ask.”
“And what would that be, Doctor?” Barrier slid off the examination table, coming closer to the physician.
“Is there any particular reason why you asked if your donation could only be given to thestrals?” He levitated the clipboard in front of Barrier’s face. “It’s a simple thing where you just have to check the boxes of the different species and tribes you’d be willing to breed with on your contract. The check box for thestrals is right between earth ponies and donkeys.” He then levitated a pen over to Barrier, who lit his horn for the first time in weeks to take it.
After giving the paperwork a thorough overview, Barrier let out a sigh. It was something he had been thinking about since he first heard of the Thestral Restoration Program. He had been seeing Dr. Stitch since a few days after he and the cadets had moved into the house. Now, he was ready to do what he must to atone for his old friend.
“If you must know, I had a friend a long time ago and he… he really hurt the thestrals after I disappeared…” With a brief moment of apprehension, Barrier checked the box for thestrals and signed his name. “If I’d been there for him, I don’t think he would have done what he did… I feel like I’m responsible for what he did, Doctor. I feel that I should do what I can to help the thestrals rebuild their race, and this will help.”
Stitch gave took back the clipboard before carefully examining that paper. “Right, that’s all taken care of. Just remember that your contract requires you to give thirty-six donations with a recommended three day waiting period between each ejaculation. Also, be aware that the mares that get impregnated from this will be able to contact you and may ask for child support.” Laying the clipboard down, he opened his drawer once more before pulling out a small sample cup.
“That shouldn’t be a problem, Doctor.” Taking the cup in his magic, Barrier gave it an inquisitive look before turning back to face Stitch once more. “Um… I’m not sure this will be big enough. My girlfriend and I have been a bit more… cuddly than usual, so there’s a bit of build-up, if you know what I mean.”
The doctor gave Barrier a bemused snort before getting the door for him, “That sounds like it’s the janitor’s problem and not mine. After what she did to my cart, I’d say she probably deserves it.” Briefly stepping out of the room, he pointed a hoof down the hall. “Room 104 should be free, and I’m pretty sure we’ve got the newest issues of Fine Flanks and Curvaceous Curples there for inspiration.”
He gave Barrier a wink as he passed him by. “Also, you might want to do it manually to avoid hurting your horn again. Once you’re done, just give it to one of the nurses at the front desk. I must be off now, lots of other patients to take care of.”
Barrier took a deep breath before heading along to the room the doctor had told him to use. Making sure the door was locked behind him, he gave the room a quick once over. It was small, surprisingly clean and mostly empty. All that was there was a single comfortable looking chair and a small table with some magazines that the doctor had mentioned. Taking his place on the chair, Barrier attempted to collect his thoughts.
This is what I have to do. I’m one of, if not the biggest reason why Flash committed that atrocity. It’s my responsibility to help those that he hurt… even if it means having children I may never know.
Letting out a deep breath, Barrier got more comfortable before using his magic to flip open one of the surprisingly clean yet dirty magazines.
The time has come for you to finally become a father, Barrier… Never expected this was how it would finally happen.
***
After collecting his sample and washing off his hooves, Barrier approached the front desk, his cup levitating beside him in his magic. “Here’s my sample, Nurse.” He carefully placed the cup on a small tray on the desk in front of one of the three mares there.
“Thank you, Mr. Barrier. I’ll have this put in cold storage immediately.” The pink earth pony carefully picked up the tray. Before she headed off, she had pressed a button on the device he knew was a cassette player, thanks to Daring’s musical tastes. As she started to leave, a song started to fill the air.
“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name!”
“And they’re always glad you came!”
This drew a chuckle from the two remaining nurses while the pink one turned the corner with a grin on her face. Barrier could just barely resist the urge to slap his hoof against his face.
If my magic were fully healed, I’d melt that damn tape.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Barrier took the bits he was offered from one of the giggling mares and exited out the front door, where he found Verdant waiting outside for him.
“Hello, Captain,” the green stallion called out with a wave as Barrier approached. “I trust your doctor’s appointment went well?”
“Well I’m supposed to go easy on the magic for a week, but once that’s done, I should be back up to full form.” Barrier gave a slight stretch before his former cadet and himself walked into the early afternoon sun. “And how did your appointment go?”
Verdant’s tail twitched happily as he answered. “Wonderfully! My wound has healed as well as could be hoped. Now I no longer have to wear those damned bandages. Their itchiness was starting to drive me to madness.”
“And yet you still choose to wear that vest,” Barrier spoke up as he glanced at the greenish-yellow garment that was covering his back.
Verdant nearly rolled his eyes as he responded, “I would not throw away a gift Swiftsword asked Rarity to make for me. Besides, I don’t want to have everypony in Vanhoover see the sizeable burn scar on my back.”
“Fair enough,” the elder spoke as he glanced around. “So, where are the lessons being taught?”
“The community center’s third floor, and we should be just in time for the cooking classes. We should be able to see the building shortly. It’s right near the library.”
“Excellent. Hopefully it won’t take too long. I don’t know why you insisted we both have lessons instead of just borrowing some books from the library.”
Verdant could only grin as Barrier spoke. “Was it not you that once said, ‘Hooves on experience is always a far greater way to learn than reading a book’?”
Barrier gave a quick snort. “Maybe for combat or survival training, but I think a book about cooking would be adequate.”
“Perhaps.” Verdant glanced upwards, spotting the tip of the library’s roof. “But I believe you taking a lesson for how to cook something besides pancakes would lead to better results in practice, which will lead to Ms. Do being happier.”
Barrier thought back to why he agreed to these lessons in the first place. Daring was starting to grow tired of so many take out meals and the simple things they could make at home from their limited culinary skills.
Looking back at the younger of the two present, a thought occurred to Barrier. “And why do you wish to learn how to cook, Verdant?”
“Well there are several reasons, sir,” he answered as Barrier shot out a foreleg, keeping him from colliding with Orange Crush, who was running around in her mascot costume. “One is that I believe learning to cook will be fun, and that it’s a good thing to know. It allows one to take care of themselves, and it would allow me to be a better homemaker for when I manage to gather or join a herd.”
Barrier’s eyebrow climbed at what the young stallion had said. “You do realise herds are less common these days, right? Besides which, it’s extremely likely that herd structures have changed a great deal since our time.”
“I know, but…” The green stallion halted in mid-step. “Herds… how they work… it’s the only way I know a family should work. That a stallion should only have a career until he manages to attract some mates. After that, his duties all revolve around taking care of his herd. Tending to the house, making the meals, siring foals when mares ask him to, to raise the foals while the mares have active careers…” He stopped when he felt Barrier gently place a hoof on his withers.
“Verdant, I’m sure that you’ll find someone, or even several someones, that you’ll want to form a family with. I’m not sure if you’ll have a herd, but I’m certain you’ll make whoever you end up with very happy.” Spotting a grin starting to form on the green pony’s face, Barrier started to trot ahead of him. “Still, you should try to do some other things before trying to find a mate.”
“I know, sir,” Verdant replied as he quickly caught up with Barrier, “I should probably try to find a career in the meantime. That will help me find—”
Barrier put a foreleg out in front of Verdant, snapping him out of his train of thought. “I meant that maybe you should try to do some fun things before you settle down. How relationships work aren’t the only things that have changed since our time. How old were you when you started working, Verdant?”
Bringing a hoof to his chin, Verdant briefly pondered as he tried to recall. “I think I began my apprenticeship under Cosmos LeBlanc in Canterlot… Well, Old Canterlot, which I suppose is in the middle of the Everfree Forest now… Anyway, I began that when I was twelve. I then had to—” Barrier’s hoof shot out again, silencing him again.
“From what I’ve seen, that would be too young for a job these days. You probably would have been out having fun and what not if you were from this era. You now live in an era where there’s no longer a need to do things like that when you’re so young. I know some colts at your age would have likely been married and sired a few foals, but it’s just another thing that’s changed. You should probably wait a while before that happens, live a little, have some fun.”
“Hmm… You raise a good point, sir.” Verdant trotted forward once more, getting ahead of Barrier. “Still, I believe learning to cook, along with meeting new ponies at this class, will be fun.” He gazed over his shoulder at the charcoal unicorn behind him. “Shall we get going?”
A smile came to Barrier’s face as he started up again. “I’m coming. I’m coming.”
A snort and a giggle came from Verdant. “Not the first time I’ve heard you say that.”
“What?” a perplexed Barrier inquired, the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks.
Looking towards Barrier, Verdant gave an amused smirk, “Let’s just say that everypony in the house will be grateful when you can raise a sound shield spell again.”
Barrier and Verdant had arrived outside the room on the community center’s third floor. Beside the door was a whiteboard that read, “Cooking classes by Tablier Bleu - Every Tuesday and Thursday”. Even by the door, the two could hear the chatter of the others within.
“Well,” Verdant glanced up to the taller stallion. “Ready to proceed, sir?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose,” Barrier said. “Let’s go.” He stepped ahead and opened the door, where he saw several ponies in pairs at the tables that had been set up, each table had a variety of bowls, trays, dishes, spoons and measuring cups on top them, along with a portable stove top. Off to the side wall, he spotted several ovens that had been set up, along with a rather large fridge and some cabinets. Verdant came up to his side and gave him a gentle nudge, trying to grab his attention.
“What is it, Verdant?”
Verdant pointed towards one of the tables with a foreleg. Barrier’s eyes followed it to see that at the table was a griffin hen with a reddish brown coat.
“Hmm. I see.” Barrier looked back towards Verdant. “I assume there’s something you intend to do about her?”
“Aye, sir. Since it seems nearly everyone else appears to have a partner, I assume our lessons will require one. Also, since you did say our nations have been at peace for centuries, I believe there would be no harm in trying to make a griffin friend.”
The green stallion’s response brought a small smile to Barrier’s face.
“Good.” Barrier gave Verdant a small pat on the back. “Glad to see you’re doing this. It’s a big step, Verdant. Now go on.” He then scanned across the room, finding a unicorn who also didn’t seem to have a partner. “I’ll go take care of things on my end.”
Verdant gave a quick nod before departing from Barrier’s side. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Barrier retorted as he approached his potential partner. If there was one word he would use to describe this mare, it would be “gray”.
Her coat was a light gray, her short mane and tail were off-white with a black hairband and even her eyes were a dark gray. The only bit of color on her whole body seemed to come from her cutie mark, a paintbrush with a rainbow of different colored paint droplets.
“Hello,” he called out to her, grabbing her attention. “Do you need a partner for this class?”
“As a matter of fact, I do since my roommate never showed up,” she answered as she looked him over before extending a hoof out to him. “The name’s Color Splash.”
“Color Splash?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose at what the gray mare had said, drawing a chuckle from her.
“Would you prefer if I looked like...” Her horn lit up with a white light that seemed to wash over her body. As the magic spread across her figure, her colors changed. Her coat became an electric pink and her eyes a chocolate brown. Her mane became a very bright red, orange, yellow and lime green while her tail had turned forest green, blue, indigo and violet. “This?” She finished her sentence with a wink.
A bemused snort came from Barrier. “Gods no. It’s nice to see a pony with a color palette that doesn’t make my eyes want to bleed for a change.” He then extended his foreleg and shook hers. “At any rate, my name’s Barrier. Magic Barrier.”
“Nice to meet you, Barrier.” Her horn lit once more, the white light washing over her reverted her colors to their default appearance. “I think I remember you from that party at the mansion that some crazy pink mare pulled me into.”
Barrier nodded, though he didn’t recall everypony there due to the sheer number of guests Pinkie had brought in.
“So, guessin’ you’re pretty new in town, right?” Color Splash leaned against the table, tossing a plain look at Barrier with a modest amount of interest.
“Aye,” he said as he glanced over towards Verdant, who seemed to be in a pleasant conversation with the griffin hen. “I’ve only been in Vanhoover for about a month and a half, give or take.”
Color Splash was about to ask more when a blue unicorn mare took her place at the front of the room and cleared her throat. She stood by a table which hosted a few bowls.
“Bonjour, my students. I am very happy to see that we seem to have some new students here today.” Her eyes traveled across the room.
“For those of you that are new, my name is Tablier Bleu, and I’ll be helping you all learn about the joy of cooking today. I see that all of you have divided up into pairs, so that’s one less step I need to cover today.” Her statements drew some small chuckles from the gathered crowd.
“Now, for those of you who weren’t here last time, I asked for suggestions for what we will be making today, and thanks to Fiesta Flair,” she pointed towards a yellow earth pony mare with a pink mane in towards the back who was happily hopping in place, “we shall be making some bean burritos today. Before we start, do any of you have any questions you may like to ask?” As she finished finished asking, a tall and scrawny yellow unicorn stallion raised his hoof up.
“Um… Ma’am, I’m new here and I didn’t bring anything with me. Did I mess up?” he sheepishly said as he lowered his hoof, causing the red mare beside him to smack a hoof against her face.
“Not to worry, my student,” Bleu answered while trying to suppress a giggle. After a brief moment to compose herself, she trotted over to the fridge and lit her horn.
The blue light from the horn appeared on dials attached to the ovens, turning them on to preheat. “I’ve provided all the ingredients you’ll need for today’s lesson. I’ve already cooked all the rice you’ll need. Now,” opening the fridge, she waved the class over, “come and gather all you’ll need. You’ll need a sandwich baggy that I’ve filled with rice and a package of shredded cheese. In the cabinets, you’ll each take a can of refried beans, a jar of salsa and packages of tortillas. Any other questions before we start?”
She was met with silence, a clear indication of her students confidence to which she gave a happy nod. “Good. Now, let’s get down to cooking, shall we?”
The pairs quickly went through the cabinets and fridge, gathering the various ingredients that they were told they’d need. Returning to their table, Barrier saw Color Splash licking her lips. “I see you’re really looking forward to this.”
“After having to live in house with nothing but plain instant oatmeal and ramen for over two weeks, I’d take anything for some flavor variety,” she answered as set the ingredients down before looking up towards Barrier. “So, out of curiosity, what made you decide to come to Vanhoover?”
Before he could give her an answer, Tablier called out to the class once more. “Alright. Our first step in making these burritos is to stir together the beans, rice, one cup of salsa and one cup of shredded cheese in one of the bowls you have before you. Remember to try and get into a good consistent blend.”
“Right,” Barrier responded as he lit his horn to open the bags of rice and cheese, while Color Splash opened up the can of refried beans.
“To answer your question,” Barrier paused, carefully considering his words, not wishing to draw too much attention with his story. “I needed to find a place for my family that was rather peaceful and… someone I trust and care for dearly recommend Vanhoover to me. My family and I could really use a fresh start here.” He measured out the amount of salsa needed before passing it towards his partner.
“Yeah, I know that feeling,” Splash retorted as she dumped the ingredients into a large bowl and began to stir them all together.
“And what do you mean by that, Miss Splash?” Barrier asked as he took a glance at the ingredients listed on the salsa jar, and was relieved to read that the ingredients lacked ruby reaper peppers.
“Well,” she quickly glanced around before speaking in a hushed tone, “I’ve only recently got out of jail. I used to use my color changing magic for some pretty bad stuff.”
“Such as?” the perplexed stallion inquired, unsure what sort of crimes could be committed by making things change colors.
“Well, I disguised myself as another mare to sneak into a museum and swap one of the paintings with a forgery I made.” She let out a sigh. “The arresting officer was certain I was the one that had committed such crimes that had happened at several other museums across Equestria, but due to a lack of evidence, I was only tried for the one instance. I was sentenced to three years, but I got let out early due to good behaviour.”
“Did you do those other crimes?” Barrier asked with a raised eyebrow at the stirring mare who smirked in response.
“I’ll get back to you on that once I’ve read up more on the statute of limitations.” Splash chuckled before turning to face Barrier. “Still, I did some other bad stuff with my talents, like using disguises to exploit stores offering free samples or coupons. While maybe I could argue I did that sort of stuff to survive, I used to use it when I was younger to pin the blame for stuff I did on others.”
Before Barrier could ask for some examples, Tablier Bleu called out to the class once more. “I’m certain you have all finished stirring by now, so we’ll move onto the next step. Take out your tortillas and use your spoons to put a third of a cup’s worth of the filling you’ve been stirring off-center on each tortilla. Once that’s done, fold the sides and ends over the filling and roll it up. I expect all of you to use all twelve of your tortillas.”
Barrier quickly got to work, lighting his horn to fill and wrap the tortillas. “Could you give me some examples of the stuff you did back then?” he asked Splash, who was surprised by how quickly he was preparing the food.
“Well there’s several examples, but I know the one example that comes to mind pretty quickly.” Her horn glowed once more and a white light washed over her. Her coat was now lavender, her mane and tail were indigo with pink and violet streaks in them while her eyes were now a sparkling amethyst.
Barrier kept his focus on the dish being prepared rather than Splash’s disguised form. He did not see that she had colored over her cutie mark. The paintbrush and droplets were now replaced by a familiar set of pink and white stars.
“I made myself look like this other filly I spotted on a walk around Canterlot once and went to an ice cream shop. I tried out get a free sample from stallion running it, but he refused to give out samples of the flavor I wanted to try out, so I went to the bathroom and…” She paused to consider what she was saying before dispelling her guise, “Well, let’s just say that if the filly I was imitating didn’t get banned from that place for life, I’d be shocked.”
“I see.” Barrier nodded as he wrapped up the last of the tortillas. Why does this story seem so familiar? This is gonna bug me all day.
“Still,” Splash started, breaking Barrier from his thoughts. “I’m trying to go straight now. I run a little kiosk that sells custom t-shirts and I can give just about anything a custom paint job.”
“Well if I ever find myself in need of something painted, I’ll be sure to try and find you, Splash.” He smiled before looking up at the teacher as she called out once more.
“Now that the tortillas are filled and wrapped, take one of the non-stick baking dishes and place them in there. Then, if you wish, you can take a cup of shredded cheese and sprinkle it on top of the burritos for a nice topping.”
Quickly and carefully placing the food into a dish that Color Splash brought over to them, Barrier glanced at the bag of shredded cheese. “Would you like to have the extra cheese?”
“Hay yeah!” Splash grabbed a fair amount of cheese from the bag and spread it atop the burritos. “I need as much flavor as I can after everything I’ve gone through.”
“And now we should all be ready to move on to the final step for today’s recipe!” Bleu exclaimed, returning the class’s gaze to her. “We shall place the burritos in the ovens that I’ve set to 375 degrees fahrenheit for twenty-five minutes. Once you’ve all loaded your dishes into the ovens, I’ll start a timer for them. While you’re all waiting for you food, feel free to go around and mingle with your classmates.”
“Think we’re ready to load this thing in, Barrier?” Splash looked up towards Barrier as he tried to evaluate the dish.
“Yes, but could you please load it in for me? My doctor told me to go easy on lifting things with my magic for the next week and this dish looks a bit on the heavy side.” He asked as he gave the dish a slight nudge with his hoof.
“Sure thing.” Splash happily took the dish in her magical aura and carried it with her to one of the ovens before placing it in. She then turned and trotted back towards him, a question quickly forming in her mind, “So, what should we do to kill the time?”
Barrier placed a hoof to his chin in pondering before his eyes fell upon Verdant and the hen once more. “Is it alright if we check up on my s… friend? He’s just right over there and brought me here.”
She nodded and looked over to the aforementioned pony. “Sure thing, always nice to have someone new to shoot the breeze with.” She waited until Barrier moved, then together they headed towards the two who seemed to be in deep conversation.
“Those darn things would put even a Hollow Shades Phantom Pepper to shame…” Verdant informed the griffin before spotting Barrier approaching from the corner of his eyes. The grassy earth pony smiled and waved him over.“Hello, sir. May I introduce you to my new friend, Erica Sorae?”
The griffin turned to face him as well, her cyan eyes meeting his icy blues before she extended an arm out to him with open talons, “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Barrier. Verdant’s told me quite a bit about you.”
Barrier gave a smile before he placed a hoof in her talons and gave her a shake, “And I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Sorae.”
“Oh please,” she chuckled as she ran her other arm through the sky blue tipped feathers on her head, “just call me Erica.”
***
“Well, I’d say today went really well. Wouldn’t you agree, sir?” Verdant asked as he trotted beside Barrier, a bag of leftover burritos around his neck.
“I agree, but I still think I’ll stick to books for my future cooking lessons. Everypony else was so much younger than me, I just felt out of place,” Barrier replied as they reached the front gate of their house. “Still, it was nice meeting Color Splash and Erica,” he continued as he nosed the gate open.
“Aye.” Verdant pushed the gate behind him back with a light kick. “It was great to meet them, and we have a delicious tasting meal to share with everypony at home.”
“Indeed, and even if they don’t like the burritos, I feel more confident at making a nice home cooked dinner for them tonight.” Barrier glanced over his shoulder at Verdant, who seemed to have spotted something.
“I think so too, sir. Still, it looks like somepony left us a letter.”
Verdant’s statement drew Barrier’s attention to the house’s front door, where he spotted that a note that had been taped to it. With a quick flaring of his horn, Barrier grabbed to letter in his glow and drew it over to them before reading it aloud.
“Dear Captain Magic Barrier. Winter Gem and Iron Forge caused an explosion that damaged the oven and made a grand mess in the kitchen while trying to make a “Sue Flay”. Professor Do has sent me to get a meal from The Four D’s while she, Sgt. Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler go to Blockbuster's to rent some “Move-Ease”. Hat Trick has gone to find Short Circuit to see if he can repair the oven while Forge and Gem clean up their mess. Signed, Private slash Viscountess Swiftsword of the Falchion clan.” Finishing the letter, Barrier let out a sigh.
“Well… at least we’ll have burritos for when they get back… Besides, how bad could the mess be?” Verdant nervously chuckled as Barrier pushed the door open.
“We’ll soon see,” Barrier said as he headed into the the house. When he arrived in the kitchen, his reaction to the mess was the same as the janitor who had to clean up the room Barrier used at the doctor’s.
Barrier kept his eyes on a tower in the distance, trying not to think about the ‘creaking metal deathtrap’ he was on that was barrelling onward. He and his housemates, save for Daring, who had to handle an assignment involving a supposed long lost tome, were with him on the train ride to Canterlot. He was soon pulled from his thoughts by the tired filly beside him that tugged on his forelegs.
“Uncle Barrier,” Wind Whistler yawned out, having some trouble staying awake. “Where are we headed and why are we going there?”
Before he could give an answer, Fleetfeather piped up from across the small cabin. “We are headed to Canterlot, my dear. We’re to receive our long overdue back pay and service medals. Barrier, Verdant and I are also to receive the Lavender Heart medal for the injuries sustained in the line of duty.”
“But…” The young filly leapt over to the other couch, landing in between her mother and Hat Trick, “since you received you injuries and fought in the Crystal Empire, shouldn’t we be heading there for your back pay and medals?”
“Well dear, when it comes to the issue of our back pay, we were members of the Equestrian royal guard, not the imperial guard. Thus, we’re owed payment from Equestria. This also includes medals for our service for an ally nation and our combat injuries.” Fleetfeather gave the youngster a gentle pat on the head.
“But since you got those injuries fighting to save the Crystal Empire, should we be headed there for your rewards?” The filly stood on her hind legs, bringing her face close to her mother’s.
“I’m sure Empress Cadance will reward our efforts when the time comes, Windy,” Barrier piped up, briefly tearing his eyes away from the window. “But between modernizing a lot of things in the empire, repairing the damages Sombra caused and educating the Crystal Ponies about the modern world, I know she’s got her hooves full right now. I’d say that making sure that they have clean drinking water and a fully functional hospital are a bit more important than having special metal ‘thank you’s’ crafted for all those who helped the empire.”
A collection of nods and mutterings of agreement were had by the cadets just as the train started to slow.
“Attention passengers,” a pony’s voice called out from the hallway. “We will be arriving in Canterlot shortly. All passengers not headed for Baltimare should prepare to depart.”
“Well everypony, get ready.” Barrier got up and quickly headed for the door. “The sooner we’re off of this thing, the better.”
***
Barrier and the others happily trotted forward in the late morning sun, approaching the palace as ponies went to and through from place to place. As they approached the gate, Barrier started to fish through his saddlebags, searching for his three week old letter. Finding the note, he levitated it out of his bag and presented it to the guard at the gate.
“My name is Magic Barrier. I along with Hat Trick, Winter Gem, Iron Forge, Swiftsword, Verdant Range and Fleetfeather, have an appointment with Princess Celestia today. My friend has also brought her daughter along with her.”
Carefully examining the letter before glancing towards his partner who was checking a clipboard, the pair nodded and opened the gate for them. “Welcome, Mr. Barrier. Captain Shining Armor has been expecting you and said he would like to speak to you before your meeting with Princess Celestia. He should be near the training field waiting for you.”
“Alright,” Barrier looked back to his compatriots as he trotted forward. “I’ll see what he wants to talk about. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Farewell, Barrier.” Fleetfeather approached the dark colored stallion, giving him a quick nuzzle that the former cadets had missed as they were taking in the sight of the palace and then she headed onwards. “We should be able to find the throne room easily enough.”
As the band headed into the halls of the palace, Barrier was still surprised by what Fleet had done. Rapidly shaking his head, Barrier darted off to the training grounds, trying to push what happened out of his mind.
***
As Barrier merrily approached the training field, he spotted Shining Armor in front of a circle of five guards who seemed to be trying to fight a single pony in the middle with very little success, save for the odd scuff or two on her armor. As he drew closer, he saw a smile on Shining Armor’s face.
“Hey there, Cutie. How’s life been treating you?” Barrier called out, causing Shining Armor’s eyes to roll before turning to face him.
“I’ve been doing pretty well so far, Barrier. I was just seeing how well these ponies would handle my second in command,” he happily said as he gestured behind him to the circle of fighters where a mare in the center was a flurry of hooves and green magical light. “I’ve gotta say, they’re doing better than I thought.”
“Well it sounds like you did a good job toughening up these cream puffs.” Barrier saw the pony perform a spinning kick to her assailants, sending several of them hurtling back. “Or at least you managed to do fairly well with one.”
“I’d say I’ve managed to do both, Barrier.” Shining Armor’s left eye twitched slightly at Barrier’s remark. “I’ve had us all step up our game after what I saw in the empire.”
“Good call,” he said with a quick nod. “Now, what else has been happening in the life of Mr. Future Imperial Consort?” He went up to Shining Armor and pulled him around so now they were both facing the melee.
“I’d say we’ve been doing pretty good so far. The guards’ skills have improved greatly as of late and I’m really certain about my second taking over for me after the wedding. But…” The alabaster stallion’s gaze shifted down as he made a small circle in the soil with his hoof.
“Sweetie, don’t keep secrets from me.” Barrier wrapped a foreleg around Shining Armor’s withers, leaning closer to him, “If there’s something you’d like to talk about, just say it.” Barrier was pushed aside by an annoyed Shining Armor giving him a light shove.
“Now cut that out, Barrier!” Shining exclaimed with a small huff. “It’s just… I miss Cadance, and I know that she’s got some real pains to deal with when it comes to her new rule.” He let out a sigh at the thought.
“Cadance’s letters told me about how a lot of ponies in the empire are traditionalists, so they resist a lot of the changes she tries to make to help them out. Not to mention she’s got to deal with advisors bugging her to do things like gain some weight or dye her coat or put glitter in it to look more like a crystal pony.”
Barrier offered a shrug. “Well, I figure they’ll straighten out when it comes to her… well, that or she’ll put them all in chains,” he said with a smirk as Shining Armor slapped a hoof against his face.
“Oh don’t even joke about that,” he groaned, not seeing that Barrier’s grin grew even wider.
“Oh? Worried that somepony else will take your place if she starts doing that?” Barrier had to bite his lip to keep himself from giggling at the glare that Shining Armor was giving him.
“I meant having to deal with jokes about the alicorns being tyrants. I have to deal with drunks and jerks saying that sort of crap seemingly every few days.” The younger stallion turned away to gaze back at the fight, seeing the central mare had managed to knock away all but one of her opponents.
“At any rate, I’m sure you and Cadance will end up having a great life together.” Barrier’s eyes drifted back to the fight, watching the unicorn mare deliver a fierce buck to the face of a large green earth pony mare.
“Good job, everypony!” Shining Armor exclaimed, making the sore guards all quickly fall into line as they nursed their injuries. “I saw a lot of improvement from all of you. Better reaction time, faster and stronger strikes, more calculation and strategy in your fight. Overall, I’m impressed. Bonecrusher!”
A green mare with the sore jaw stepped forward as the captain called her name.
“I suggest you get to the infirmary. Hopefully, Amora won’t need to wire your jaw shut again.”
Bonecrusher muttered something Barrier could not quite make out as she passed, though he was certain that he heard her muttering something about a tail.
“Save for Starshine, the rest of you should hit the showers.”
The four sore ponies headed off towards the barracks, leaving only the victor of the skirmish standing before the stallions.
“Barrier, allow me to introduce my second-in-command and the mare who’ll be taking over after the wedding.” Shining Armor showily brought out his foreleg towards the mare he clearly took great pride in as she took off her helmet. “Lieutenant Starshine.”
If there was one word Barrier would use to describe her, it would be ‘gold’. Her coat was a pale golden color that went well with her armor while her mane was the color of her armor done up in a ponytail. The only parts of her that weren’t gold were her harlequin green eyes and her cutie mark, which was a four-pointed bronze star with four silver points on the sides. Surrounding it were eight four pointed stars in bronze and silver. “Hmm… I don’t recall seeing you when I was picking ponies to come with us to the Crystal Empire,” he said as he examined the mare, who huffed in response.
“I was away on personal business when you were making your choices.” Starshine glared at Barrier as she drew closer. “Not that it would matter since you apparently just decided to pick two ponies at random and a mare you met after you started a bar brawl,” she angrily spat, causing Barrier to return her harsh glare.
“I happen to be very good at turning fresh young ponies into formidable guards, Lieutenant.” Barrier stepped forward towards her.
“Clearly, which is why your thestral charged forward when she should have held her position and let her superior attempt to speak, leading to the whole group being taken out,” she retorted as she took a step forward.
“I’ll have you know that I was given dossiers on the abilities of all the available guards by your captain to choose from, and I went through them very thoroughly. I not only saw good potential in all three of them, but I believed they could function well as a single unit.”
Barrier stood his ground as the glaring mare stepped forward. “As for Cobalt’s actions, I will admit that they were reckless and that lead to their defeat at the hooves of their opponents who knew the land better than they did, and it put them at serious risk. However, one must remember that nopony is perfect. Everypony makes mistakes and the severity of this will have a great impact on her. In my time, there was a saying. ‘The best lessons are those learned from a mistake’. She learned a lesson that most anyone else wouldn't have lived to tell the tale of. It will serve her well in her career.” his eyebrow rose as a thought occurred to him. “This does lead me to wonder... what ‘personal business’ was it that kept you away from the guard when the fate of Equestria was at risk, lieutenant?”
“That is none of your damn business, civilian,” she angrily answered, her response was cause for Barrier’s brow climb ever higher.
“Perhaps, but it gives me reason to trust the three I chose over you, lieutenant. I believe that speaks volumes on the subject.” Barrier smirked as Starshine’s face started to turn red.
“Aye,” she spat. “It shows you’re a stubborn fool who’s very set in his ways and doesn’t do much, in any actual research.” Her reply only served to make Barrier’s smirk grow wider
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, kiddo,” his reply made Starshine grow more furious while he resisted the urge to chuckle.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Shining Armor stepped forward, his magic lifting the pair into the air before putting some distance between them and putting them down. “Barrier, I will ask you not to antagonize my subordinates. Starshine, you’re dismissed.”
The mare gave a quick salute before she trotted off towards the barracks. Once certain she was out of earshot, Shining Armor let out a sigh. “Did you really need to do that?”
“Probably not, but I can’t stand an upstart questioning my ability when they have so little combat experience, Shining Armor.” Barrier trotted towards a nearby bench as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags. “She really knows how to get under a pony’s skin.”
“Yeah, I admit she can be brash.” Shining Armor joined his charcoal counterpart on the bench. “Still, she’s very skilled at combat and tactics. Her assessments are usually really spot on and she’s pretty good at sorting out problems with the other soldiers.” The white stallion then let out a chuckle. “At any rate, she’s damn good at her job and I’m certain she’ll be able to handle the responsibilities she’s gonna be saddled with.”
“Here’s to hoping, Shiny-Hiney.” Barrier took a swig from his flask. “Here’s to hoping.”
“So...” Shining Armor clicked his tongue, hoping to think of something to shift the subject to. “How have you and your friends been?”
“Eh, can’t complain too much.” Barrier shrugged as he looked up towards the clear skies. “The past two months have been pretty good. Swiftsword’s still planning on re-joining the guard, I think most of them are starting to move on to other stuff. Verdant’s become a pretty good cook while looking for a job. Hatty’s been working on his magic tricks and Forge has been reading up on modern smithing. The only one I haven’t quite been able to pin down yet is Winter Gem. Still, they seem pretty good.”
“And what about the mare and her foal?” Shining’s question brought Barrier’s gaze back to the alabaster unicorn. “How have those two been?”
“Well, with how well Wind Whistler’s taken to reading, I think Fleet will be enrolling her in school anytime now.” Barrier offered the flask towards Shining, who held up a hoof and politely shook his head. “As for Fleet herself… Well, not a hundred percent sure, but I figure she’ll be trying to join the weather patrol pretty soon.”
“Well that’s good to hear,” Shining Armor replied as he slid off the bench. “At any rate, I think your meeting with the princess should be soon so I won’t keep you.” He then trotted off, likely headed towards his office. Turning back to face Barrier and give a wave, he called out “Goodbye, Barrier.”
“See yah around, Shiny.” Barrier stood up and headed into the palace. “Hope this won’t take too long.”
As Magic Barrier trotted down the vast and opulent halls of Canterlot Castle towards the throne room, he could pick up the faint voices of his former cadets chatting amongst themselves.
“Anypony want to guess what I intend to get with my back pay?” the distinctly Gallopfreyan accented voice of Iron Forge echoed throughout the hall.
“Let me guess. Smithing tools and Kre-O sets?” Verdant retorted. After a brief pause, Forge responded.
“How did you know?” The question seemed to draw a brief chuckle from the green stallion.
“Because I’m your friend, Forge. You think I wouldn’t notice that every time we head out to the mall, your eyes always seem to drift towards those toy bricks?” Verdant answered wryly as Barrier turned a corner in the hall, seeing that his cohorts were all sitting on a pair bench before two day guards. Verdant then smirked at Forge from across the hall, “Well, except for when they’re glued to Snow Sweeper.”
“I-umm…” Forge stammered, trying his hardest not to blush. “I… I don’t know what you mean, Verdant,” he said while trying to keep a stiff upper lip and failing.
Hat Trick, who was sitting beside Forge, gave him a gentle pat on the back. “C’mon, Forge. It’s pretty clear that you like him a lot more than a friend you like to play hockey with.”
“I believe that perhaps you should attempt to court him, Forge,” Swift called from the opposite bench. “Some romance in your life might do you some good.”
“I don’t know…” Forge looked down towards the floor. “I’m not certain if he’s interested in stallions.”
“Well, I wish you the best of luck with him, Forge,” Verdant spoke up, drawing Forge’s eyes away from the floor tiles.
“And seeing the two of you in those sort of situations would be more fun for me than just watching you two muscular and sweaty stallions constantly slamming into each other during your games,” Winter said with a chuckle.
“You pervert.” Hat Trick looked at his fiance flatly from the other side of Iron Forge.
“Like you’re one to talk, Hat Trick,” Barrier called out, drawing the eyes of the gathered group. “Remember when you and Gem pushed all the other cadets in their cots out of the barracks so the two of you could have—” he stopped talking as he noticed that the young Wind Whistler was looking at him. “... Adult fun.”
The small filly gave Barrier a flat look. “Uncle, I had five siblings and you haven’t been using sound shields with the professor. What makes you think I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
Her question drew chuckle from all the former cadets, save for Swiftsword, and Fleetfeather, who had slapped a hoof against her own forehead.
Before Barrier could try and retort to what she had said, the throne room doors started to open. From the gap, a bespectacled, light gray mare holding a clipboard stepped out and glanced at the gathered ponies.
“Mrs. Fleetfeather, Mr. Hat Trick, Mr. Iron Forge, Mr. Magic Barrier, Viscountess Swiftsword, Mr. Verdant Range and Ms. Winter Gem?”
“Present,” the gathered ponies said in near unison as they rose from their benches to stand beside Barrier.
With a quick nod, the unicorn checked something on her clipboard. “Excellent. Princess Celestia will see you all now.” She then turned back towards the door and with a quick glow of a pale pink light, the doors to the throne room opened up to them.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Barrier nodded towards her before looking at the rest of his group. “Alright, you all know what to do here.” All of them, even Wind Whistler, nodded in response. “Good. Now let’s move out, ponies.”
Marching forward, the band entered the grand throne room. The princess rose from her dais at the sight of the approaching eight. Her tall figure drew an audible gulp from young Wind Whistler as the large and elegant being started to come down the steps towards them. Fleetfeather stretched out her wing and gave her child a gentle and calming pat on the back before folding it back to her side. The group then descended into a unified bow as the princess came to a stop before them.
“Welcome, my little ponies.” Celestia’s warm smile and cheerful voice helped to put them at ease. “I thank you all for coming here today.”
“We have sworn to serve and are at thy beck and call, princess!” Fleetfeather and the younger ponies quickly responded, reminding Barrier that despite the progress they had made with the acclimation to modern times, they still had a fair ways to go.
“I thank you. Now, I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary, so let us begin.” Princess Celestia then took a brief step back and cleared her throat before speaking again.
“The seven of you brave guards all fought long and hard for not only Equestria, but also the Crystal Empire. The bravery of you, those soldiers who are still recovering, Captain Shining Armor, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and those soldiers who valiantly gave their lives for the empire all played an instrumental part in protecting the citizens of our two nations. Rest assured, all of those responsible will be rewarded for their efforts. Today, you will all receive what is owed to you.”
Her horn glowed in a golden radiance as she levitated an ornate box over towards her. Opening the box, she revealed seven silver and gold medals that showed the Equestrian coat of arms, along with three violet medals that were shaped like hearts. “As I call your names, you may step forward and receive the medals you have rightfully earned. Magic Barrier of the Sparkle family.”
Barrier gave a quick nod before he stepped forward. “Nice to hear that your throat’s doing a lot better than the last time I saw you,” he whispered.
“And your horn is looking a lot better than before.” She leaned her neck down and whispered back before she rose back up and spoke aloud again. “For your service in defense of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, I present you with the Equestrian Medal of Valor.” One of the medals was lifted from the box in the golden glow of her magic and was placed around Barrier’s neck. “And for the injuries sustained during your brave service, I present you the Lavender Heart medal.” She then placed the second medal around Barrier’s neck. “And lastly, for your service, I give you my personal thanks.”
Barrier raised his right foreleg in salute. “Thank you, Your Highness. It was an honor serving you. If I hadn’t gone back there—” He glanced back toward where his cohorts stood stoically. “I never would have found those I deeply care about again.” He then lowered his foreleg before taking a step back.
With a brief nod, Celestia then moved on to the next pony. “Fleetfeather of the Flash family…”
The blue and pink pegasus moved before the princess.
“For your service in the defense of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, I present you with the Equestrian Medal of Valor.” Celestia brought the first medal forward and placed it around the one-eyed mare’s neck. “And for the injuries sustained during your brave service, I present you the Lavender Heart medal.” The second followed suit as she placed the second medal around Fleet’s neck. “And lastly, for your service, I give you my personal thanks.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia. It was an honor to serve.” Fleetfeather threw out a quick salute before stepping back.
The remaining medals were passed out in much the same way, with the only differences being the names called out. She called out for Hat Trick of the Cards family, Iron Forge of the Fires family, Swiftsword of the Falchion family, Verdant Range of the Greens family and Winter Gem of the Apple family.
“Now,” the princess called out once more, “with the issue of the medals taken care of, there remains the issue of your long owed wages. Privates.” Her eyes drifted to the young five ponies.
“For your service at the rank you were given, each of you shall receive a cheque for six million, nine-hundred three thousand and forty-two bits.” Celestia’s assistant came up to each of the young ponies before she started levitating over to each of them a slip of paper.
“As for you, Sergeant Fleetfeather.” The alabaster mare’s gaze moved to the one-eyed mare. “For your services, you will receive a check for eleven-million, four-hundred fifty-eight thousand, seven-hundred thirty-five bits.” The assistant brought up one final slip of paper, which Fleetfeather quickly stowed in her saddlebags.
“Thank you, Princess Celestia.” Fleetfeather and the privates saluted.
“No, thank you for your efforts. I believe this takes care of what business we had today. Now...” Celestia turned back and ascended the steps to her dais, “I wish you all a very nice day. Farewell, and I hope to see you all have a good time at this year’s gala.”
One by one each cadet began to turn and leave the hall as the princess seated herself upon her throne. On his way out, Barrier turned his head to glance at the princess briefly for only a moment to be met with her smile, his attention held until Wind Whistler’s words broke the silence.
“I can’t believe we all have so much money now! We’ve never had so much before!” she exclaimed excitedly.
“True,” Barrier said “But don’t forget that this isn’t nearly as much as it was in our era.”
“Even so, I can’t wait to start using this.” Hat Trick’s eyes were practically gleaming as he held up his check in his wing.
“Don’t forget that you’ll have to open up bank accounts after we get back to Vanhoover.” Barrier reminded them.
“Indeed,” Swiftsword said as she pulled ahead. “I believe each of us should try to aid with the bills by paying for room and board, now that we have funds of our own.”
“You can if you want.” Barrier glanced at each of the cadets as his horn started to glow, “But I don’t see it really being an issue. Like I said before, we all have more bits than what we could likely spend in a frugal lifetime.” He then pulled a bit bag out of his saddlebags and tossed it towards Swiftsword who caught it with minimal effort. “Since our train’s gonna be a while, how about you kids go and find us a nice place to eat.” His focus then shifted towards the pegasus mare of the group. “There’s just something I’d like to run by Fleetfeather before we try to catch up.”
“Aye, sir.” Swiftsword quickly saluted as Wind Whistler hopped off her mother’s back and onto the unicorn mare’s. “We likely won’t be too long.” The youngsters pulled forward as Barrier and Fleetfeather came to a halt.
“What is it you wished to talk to me about, Barrier?” Fleetfeather asked as she looked into his eyes. Barrier waited until he was certain that the privates and Wind Whistler were out of earshot before answering.
“I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the gate, Fleet.” Barrier drew closer to her. “About when you… nuzzled me.” As he brought it up, he noticed a hint of pink spread across Fleet’s face and her eye widen.
“I… I’m sorry, Barrier,” she stuttered. “It… it was not something I had truly meant to do. It’s that…” She let out a sigh. “I used to do that with Flash when we needed to separate.” Fleetfeather looked down towards the floor, but soon found Barrier had drawn closer and placed a foreleg on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Fleet. I get it,” he said and gently patted her shoulder.
“I miss him, Barrier. Even after I learned of what he had done…” She whispered, her eye low the floor, even as it started to water.
“Of course you do. He was your husband and father of your children.” Barrier removed the foreleg from her shoulder and placed it under her chin. “I still miss them, and everypony else from our time.”
“Aye,” Fleet said as she turned her head, staring out the window. “There’s only a few ponies I miss more… Tornado...Dawn…” she choked up a bit as she recited the names. “Skydancer... Thunderbolt… Sea Breeze…” Tears fell from her eye and onto Barrier’s foreleg as he pulled her into a hug.
“I know I could never understand how you feel right now, Fleet, but I’m here for you. I care about you.” He started to give the crying mare a nuzzle. “The kids, they all care about you. Daring cares about you, and I know for damn sure Wind Whistler care about you. We’re all here for you, no matter what happens. You’re like family to me.”
Fleetfeather gave a short sniffle before she returned the hug. “Thank you, Barrier.” She then leaned in a gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I… I really appreciate all your efforts.”
She slowly pulled away from him before wiping her face free of tears with a foreleg. “Well, let us be off.” she started walking down the hall. “No doubt the young ones are starting to get impatient as they wait for us.” She looked over her shoulder as she walked, stopping only at the notice of Barrier’s stillness. “Are you coming, Barrier?”
“Hm..? Right!” Barrier started a light trot toward Fleet. “If I remember this city as well as I think I do, I’m willing to bet they’ll all be waiting for us at Donut Joe’s or the Phoenix Fire.”
Fleetfeather gave a quick and light chuckle, “There are many a thing I still do not understand about this new world, and why those things are called dough nuts when so very little of them actually have nuts within is one of them.”
As they walked down the hall, Fleetfeather started to lean onto Barrier’s side. The charcoal unicorn was surprised at her actions, but made no effort to move away from her.
***
After having their fill of donuts and a long train ride which did not go without Barrier ‘stressing out’ as Daring might put it, the band returned to their home to find a tired Daring Do sitting in a living room chair, reading a book while occasionally eating a hoofful of chips.
“Hey Daring,” Barrier said and approached her side before he gave her a quick nuzzle and kiss on the lips, getting a strong taste of salt. “How’d that book search go?” His question brought a frown to the mare’s face.
“It was a total bust...” She closed the book she was reading and slid out of her chair. “Instead of finding a powerful demonic book that could raise the dead, this old guy found a book of cute cats chewing on stuff called the Neko-Nommer-Con.” She then let out a sigh as she stretched out her legs and wings. “But other than that, I’ve been doing pretty good. How’ve you been?”
“Pretty good, Daring.” He nuzzled her once more as Fleetfeather approached.
“We had quite the time in Canterlot, taking in the sights and having donuts while we waited for our train.” She let out a small chuckle as she looked towards Barrier. “I honestly don’t understand why you consider the city an eyesore, Barrier.”
“Well you know the old saying, Fleet.” He raised a foreleg towards his face and smirked, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Fleetfeather chuckled before she gave Barrier a light jab in his barrel. “That was awful, Barrier.” She said as she tried to hold back her laughter. “At any rate, I should probably read Wind Whistler a story before I put her to bed.” She drew closer to the charcoal stallion, giving him a nuzzle before she pulled back and made for the stairs, drawing a raised eyebrow from the yellow pegasus. “Goodnight, you two.”
“G’night, Fleet,” Daring yawned. “I think I’ll be heading to bed soon.”
“Me too, I just have to take care of some business then I’ll be right there,” Barrier said as Daring went for bedroom and he headed for one of the bathrooms.
“‘Kay. See yah in a…” She yawned once more. “Bit.” Her eyes narrowed and soon she started to ponder.
Barrier stood before his stove, carefully using his magic to stir the sauce he was preparing for tonight’s dinner. After having all those donuts two days prior, he had decided to prepare something a wee bit fancier for a meal. After a quick stop by the library, Barrier had found a recipe for fettuccine alfredo and decided to prepare this for his housemates. Lifting the spoon to his lips, he took a quick sip.
“Hmm… Hopefully they’ll like this,” he muttered as he placed the spoon in the sink and turned to focus on the pasta. Just as he was about to lift the pot and move the pasta he had prepared into the strainer, the front door was slammed open.
“Emergency!” Iron Forge shouted from the doorway in between deep breaths. “Everypony! I need your help!”
Quickly turning off the burners, Barrier then teleported to the entrance as Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler ran in from the living room, Daring charged in from the downstairs bathroom, Swift from the backyard, and Hat Trick and Winter Gem from upstairs. From behind Iron Forge, Barrier had spotted Verdant running up from the front gate, apparently having just returned from one of his cooking lessons. “What’s wrong, Forge?”
“Are the we under attack?” Swift inquired as she drew her sword.
“No,” Forge wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.
“Take a moment to catch your breath, Forge.” Verdant gave his gasping friend a pat on the back shortly after he entered the house and closed the door with a light kick. “Do you need a drink of water?”
“No,” he replied as his breathing finally started to catch up. “But I will need all of your help with this.”
“We’re here for you, Forge.” Winter Gem stepped forward and took a battle ready stance. “Whatever you need, we’re here for you.”
“Right,” Hat Trick said to back up his fiance. “Now, tell us what’s wrong.”
After taking one last deep breath, Forge exclaimed to the gathered group, “Snow Sweeper asked me out on a date!”
“Is…” Barrier’s eyebrow rose at what the young unicorn had said. “Is that really all it is?”
“Yes!” Forge shouted back. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, I have no idea what to do on a date! Please, I know most of you have at least some sort of romantic experience, so I need your help! I… I really don’t want to screw this up.”
“Well, Forge,” Barrier stepped forward and placed a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “I’m certain we’ll all try. You’ve got to remember that our knowledge of modern courtship is rather limited.” His statement drew a chuckle from the yellow pegasus mare by his side.
“Good thing you’ve got me here,” Daring said and nudged Barrier. “Just call me Dr. Love.”
“Hey, Dr. Love,” Barrier retorted with a flat look. “You’ve got some toilet paper stuck to your back hoof.” He smirked as Daring quickly looked back at her hooves. “Made you look,” Barrier chortled while Daring gave him a cross looking glare.
“First thing’s first, Forge,” Verdant piped up as he drew Forge into the house. “It would be a good idea to give us some details about this so we have some idea of what we’re working with. First off, did you say yes?”
“Well…” Forge paused as he was brought into the living room. “Not so much ‘said’ as ‘squeaked like a chew toy’, but he did seem to understand it.”
“Alright, that’s step one.” Verdant lightly shoved Forge into one of the room’s chairs. “Now, when is the date set to happen and where?”
“Well, it’s set for seven o’clock on Friday at the Gilded Sunset,” he answered as he nervously fidgeted in his seat.
“Hmm...” Hat Trick rubbed at his chin with a foreleg. “Two days and semi-formal. I think that we can handle this sort of thing.”
“Yeah,” Winter Gem joined in. “We’ll give you some advice on lines to say, make sure you’re looking just fancy enough for this, and you two will have a great first date.”
“From what I’ve seen from modern books, it would be good to bring a box of chocolates with you for this,” Swiftsword approached Forge’s side. “Furthermore, listen closely to when they’re talking, and that when they ask something about you, try to keep it concise.”
“Be concise, listen and bring chocolates. Got it.” Forge nodded. “Anything else you think I should know?”
“Hmm…” Winter Gem pondered before she piped up. “Since the Gilded Sunset’s a fairly fancy place, you may want to get a suit. Some cologne may be a good idea as well.”
“You should probably also brush your mane and tail.” Hat Trick hovered over Forge and patted his mane before being close to swatted away by the unicorn.
“Why would I need to do something with my mane?” Forge glared at Hat Trick, who kept just out of reach of his hooves.
“Well to be frank, your mane looks like you just got out of bed, which wouldn’t really fit with a fancy restaurant like that,” Daring stated. “Just brushing it back should be fine though.”
“Alright, I’ll be sure to brush it,” Forge sighed. “Any other words of advice?”
“Hmm… well, other than don’t try to get to intimate too early in the relationship without your date’s permission and remember to have a good time, nope.” Daring then glanced at the others. “Still…”
“What’s wrong, Daring?” Barrier asked, noticing how Daring looked at the confused batch of ponies.
“I’ve seen enough things where a pony’s friends try to help them out on a date by doing stuff like feeding them lines on cue cards or dressing up like waiters at the restaurant they’re going to, and it always ends in disaster.” Her tone became harsh as her glance turned into a glare. “I want all of you to promise not to interfere with Forge’s date, alright?”
“Not a problem, Professor.” Hat Trick casually waved. “Gem and I were thinking of heading down to The Cook’s Canvas then, so we’ll be on the other side of town.” As he ended his statement, Gem punctuated his sentence with a happy nod.
“And I’ll probably still be in my cooking class by then, so I won’t be bugging you.” Verdant’s response drew a raised eyebrow from Barrier.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought those classes were only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Barrier’s inquiry drew the eyes of those assembled towards the green pony.
“I managed to talk Ms. Bleu into giving me some extra lessons,” Verdant chuckled before he continued. “It’s amazing what somepony will do when you can more than pay for the expenses.”
“Right,” Swiftsword spoke up. “I give you my word, as your friend and as a Falchion that I shall not interfere, Iron Forge.” Her words drew a happy smile from Forge.
“I promised Wind Whistler we’d have one more movie night before I try to enroll her in school on Monday, so we’ll be here.” Fleetfeather gave the small filly by her side a smile, leading her to happily hop in place.
“Yay!” Wind Whistler happily chirped as she hugged her mother’s leg. “We’ll watch Escape from Midnight Castle and have popcorn and candy!”
“Just as long as you remember to put the plastic sheet on the couch, Windy,” Barrier said before he turned his attention to Forge. “I’m sure Daring and I will find something to do then, Forge. I hope you have a good time.”
“I… Thank you. All of you,” Forge said before he hopped out of his seat. “I’m glad you’re willing to do all this. Now, Professor.” he drew closer to Daring. “Would you be willing to help me pick out a suit? I don’t really trust my old sense of fashion on this.”
***
The two days had gone by rather quickly for Iron Forge. He and Daring had picked out a black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a black bowtie for his dinner ensemble. His mane and been brushed back, turning the wild spikes of his hair into a smooth, slicked back style. Looking back in the bathroom mirror, Forge made sure that absolutely nothing was out of place.
“Right. Teeth.” His reflection smiled as he did, showing off that they were nearly sparkling. “Check. Breath.” He exhaled into his hoof before taking a sniff, catching the pleasant scent of mint. “Check. Bits.” Patting his jacket pocket, he heard the jangle of the coins within. “Check…” As he stepped out of the bathroom, he placed a hoof on his chin, “Hmm… I feel as though I’m still forgetting something…”
“Oh, I know!” Hat Trick ran up beside Forge. He was sporting a white suit with a deep purple undershirt and a green bowtie, “I’ve got something you may need.” With a flick of his hoof, a small plastic square appeared that he slipped into one of Forge’s pockets, “Just in case things go really good for you tonight,” he emphasized with a knowing wink.
“Hatty, knock it off!” Winter Gem called as she entered the hallway, sporting a flowing red dress. “I’m sure you'll be fine, Forge.” She gave Forge a pat on the back before heading towards the door. “Now c’mon, I want to get to the Cook’s Canvas before-” Her words were cut off as the sound of the doorbell emanated throughout the manor.
“He’s here!” Forge shouted out as he started to run to the door before he regained his composure and steadied his steps. “Right. Keep calm, you’ve got this, Forge. You’ve got this.” With a quick flare of fiery orange, the door’s handle moved into place, opening the large doors to reveal the light coloured pegasus stallion with a dark blue dinner jacket.
“Whoa, Forge…” Snow Sweeper’s jaw almost hung agape as he gazed upon Forge and his fine clothing. “You look fantastic.” his eyes shifted back to his much more modest attire. “Do you think I’m underdressed for this?”
“Hardly,” the unicorn replied in a slightly higher pitch than he had intended before coughing into his hoof. “Not one bit, Snow.” Stepping into the evening sun, the pair headed off. “I hope I don’t do too badly tonight. I’ve honestly never been on a date before...”
“Really?” Snow’s eyebrow rose as he closely examined his date. “Well trust me, I’m sure we’re gonna have a magnificent time.”
Looking back one last time at the manor, Forge spotted the rest of his remaining housemates waving at him from the doorway. “Thanks.”
As the household watched the two pass by the front gate, Hat Trick and Winter Gem stepped forward. “We had best be off, it’s a long walk where we’re going,” the pegasus said as he adjusted his bowtie one last time.
“Hope you all have a good time,” Gem said as she and her paramore made for the door.
“I intend to, my friend,” Swift replied. “I have a book that should prove most interesting.”
“And Mother and I will have a great time with Escape from Midnight Castle tonight!” the filly of the house called out.
“As for Barrier and I...” Daring sported a devilish grin that gave the charcoal unicorn pause. “Oh what fun I have planned for you tonight,” she darkly chuckled.
“Well, see you later tonight!” Hat Trick then closed the door behind the two of them as they set off, leaving Barrier to wonder what horrors Daring had planned for him.
***
Daring Do cackled evilly as sweat dripped down Barrier’s brow. He knew he was doomed. With a resigned sigh, he moved his foreleg forward, nudging the small piece in front of him.
“Oh, poor Barrier,” Daring spoke while choking back a laugh. “What poor luck it was to land on all three licorice spaces.” Her hoof reached out and drew a card. Flipping it over, she revealed that her card had a purple square on it. “While you’re stuck there next to Gloppy in the Chocolate Swamp...” she smiled wickedly as she moved her piece to the end of the board, “I’ve made it to Candy Castle, leaving me the undisputed Queen of Candy Land!”
“Yeah. You won the best three out of five in row.” Barrier let out a tired sigh before he spotted the unicorn in a nearby chair setting down her book. “How’s the book, Swiftsword?”
“It’s alright,” she answered as she tiredly rubbed her eyes. “There are a lot of characters to keep track of and I am torn on whether a throne made of swords is a grand idea or a waste of perfectly good weapons.” As she got up from her chair to stretch, the sound of the front door opening rang out as a voice came from the entrance.
“I’m home!” Verdant’s voice echoed throughout the hall before he made his way to the trio. “How have things been by you?”
“Well I got my butt whipped by the Candy Queen over here,” Barrier replied as he watched the green stallion heading into the kitchen, drawing a chuckle from them.
“You should have agreed to play Battleship instead, sir,” he retorted as the sound of the fridge reached Barrier’s ears. “Um… sir, we have a problem.”
“And that would be?” Barrier cocked his eyebrow as he heard Verdant’s hurried hoofsteps drawing closer. The green pony was carrying a red, heart-shaped box in his mouth that he quickly set on table in front of Barrier.
“It seems Forge forgot to take the chocolates he’d got for Snow Sweeper with him...” Verdant eyed the box carefully as Barrier closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
“Well it looks like they’ll have to do without them, Ver—” Barrier was cut off at the sound of the front door being slammed open, making his eyes shoot open to see Verdant was gone, along with the box of chocolates. Barrier then slapped a hoof against his forehead. “That colt better not do something stupid.”
***
At an outdoor table of the fanciful restaurant known as the Gilded Sunset, the two stallions sat while having a hearty laugh.
“She....” Forge tried to speak as he held back his giggles. “She really stuffed your locker full of shaving cream?” He managed to finish before he was consumed by his laughter once more.
“Yeah,” Snow Sweeper replied as he started to regain his composure. “It really sucks when your boss is your roommate and your big sister.” As he let out a contented sigh, Snow gently placed a foreleg on top of one of Forge’s. “Thanks for saying yes, Forge. I’ve had a great time.”
“As have I, Snow. As have I.” the unicorn said contently as he gazed into Snow’s pale golden eyes. “And I plan on making tonight even sweeter for you.”
“Oh?” Snow’s head tilted to the side as curiosity etched itself upon his brow. “How so?”
“I got you a box of some of the finest chocolates in all of Vanhoover,” Forge answered with a great smile stretched across his muzzle.
“Wow, thank you, Forge!” the pegasus happily said before glancing around in confusion. “But… um… where are they?”
Before Forge could react to the realization that he had left the chocolates at home, an arrow had struck their table, drawing several surprised gasps and shouts from the other patrons. Attached to the arrow with a gold ribbon was the box of chocolates.
“Whoa!” Snow called out as he examined the arrow and box. “you really know how to impress a guy on a date, Forge!”
“Well you know me,” Forge replied casually as he quickly glanced up towards the roof of a building across the street from them, briefly spotting a blur of green and brown from the rooftop. “I always try to make things as good as they can be,” he chuckled as his horn lit up to undo the ribbon. Verdant, I’ll owe you one… assuming you end up paying for damaging this table and whatnot.
“Still, thanks for everything, Forge,” Snow said before picking up one of chocolates. “I can honestly say this is one of the best nights out I’ve ever had.” Tossing back one of the sweets into his mouth, Snow happily savoured the taste before he happily swallowed. “And these chocolates are the best! Still,” his tone seemed to shift somewhat, seeming disappointed. “I know something sweeter.”
“And what would that be?” Forge asked nervously before seeing a smirk make its way across Snow’s muzzle and he leaned in closer to him.
“You,” Snow answered right before he closed the distance between them and gave Forge a tender kiss on the cheek, making Forge’s face match the color of the sunset sky.
Young Wind Whistler looked nervously at the small building before her. In front of it was a white fence and a bunch of foals merrily playing and chatting amongst themselves before the bell rang.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Wind Whistler.” The voice of her mother drew her attention away from the children and to the three adults at her side. “I’m certain you’ll be fine.”
“You’re a pretty smart filly, so I don’t think your schoolwork will be too hard for you,” Barrier chipped in as he scanned the premises. “Besides, I think I see that Crispy Wings colt you play with, so you’ll have at least one friend when you get there.”
“And if you ever have any trouble with your homework,” the disguised Daring said as she came up to Barrier’s side. “Just give me a shout and I’ll try to help you figure it out.” She smirked as she adjusted her glasses. “Just one of the perks of living with a professor.”
Wind Whistler looked back towards the school, her gaze focused on the myriad of foals she’d soon be calling her classmates. “You’re all sure I’ll be alright?” she nervously inquired as she looked to her mother once more.
“Of course, my dear.” Fleetfeather gave her filly a nuzzle before pulling back. “And remember what your father and I taught you. If somepony tries to start a fight with you…”
“Always go for the jugular!” the filly happily responded, drawing a nervous chuckle from Daring.
“Uh… I’m pretty sure that’s a bad idea these days. It’d probably be better to get a teacher to try to help you. You would get in a lot of trouble if you tried that on school grounds,” she said and kept her eye on the filly, who was now rather puzzled.
“So…” Wind Whistler tilted her head. “If somepony tries to hurt me at school, I should try to run and get a teacher to help me?”
“Yes.” Daring nodded, making the filly’s face start to light up.
“And if it’s not on school grounds, then I can go for the jugular!” Wind Whistler happily added, making the professor blanch and Barrier suppress a chortle.
“Um… Well… that’s a bit of a gray area… I guess…” Daring tried to answer before a voice shouted out from the yard.
“Hey! Wind Whistler!” the colt known as Crispy Wings shouted out as he stood by the fence. “C’mon! School might start soon, so you should try to get what playtime you can before the bell rings!”
“One second!” she called back, “I need to make sure I’m ready one last time!”
“Okay!” the colt responded before heading off to chat with some of the other children.
“Alright.” Wind Whistler turned back to quickly examined her saddlebags. “Pencils, paper, erasers, rulers, books, lunch,” she muttered as she quickly examined her supplies.
“I put a muffin in there for you, banana and chocolate chip,” Fleetfeather added in as her daughter closed up her bags.
“Thanks, Mom,” Wind Whistler gave her mother a quick nuzzle.
“I hope you have a good day, dear,” Fleetfeather spoke before giving her child a gentle nudge with her nose.
“Right.” Taking a brief instant to steel herself, Wind Whistler began to trot towards the school. As she reached the fence, she looked back and gave the trio of adults a wave and called out, “Bye Mom, bye Dad… I mean, bye Uncle Barrier! Bye Aunt Yearling!” The three adults happily returned the wave, though Barrier had a slight blush on his face and Daring was giving him a raised eyebrow. Once Wind Whistler was past the fence, the orange colt quickly ran up to meet her.
“Alright, you’re here. C’mon, we should have just enough time for a game of tether—” Crispy was quickly cut off as the school bell rang out and the front doors opened.
“Come along, children, it’s time to start class!” a mare called out from the entrance, drawing groans from nearly all the children present.
“Aw shoot. Well, we’d better head inside,” Crispy said before Wind Whistler and himself headed up the steps to the door. From the top of the stairs, Wind Whistler briefly looked back at her mother and smiled before she headed into class.
As the school doors closed, Fleetfeather let out a sigh. Barrier drew closer and put a foreleg around Fleet's shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Fleet. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he said before slowly pulling her away.
“I know,” she said without drawing her eye away from the ground. “It still feels odd to me.” She raised her head to look Barrier in the eye. “After all we’ve been through, being by her side so much after the last two months… it’s hard to let her go…”
“I know, Fleet.” Barrier gave her a nod and pulled her closer. “It’s no wonder you worry about her so much.”
“Hey guys,” Daring piped up as she drew closer to the pair. “Let’s head over to the Four D’s. We’ll get some lunch and then shoot the breeze.”
Before Barrier could interject, Fleetfeather’s stomach let out an audible growl that was soon joined by Barrier’s as well. “Well, I guess that settles that… Hmm… say have either of you ever tried bacon?”
***
The trio had reached the restaurant and were guided to their table by a grinning Drumstick. As they took their seats and glanced at the menus placed before them, Daring coughed into her hoof.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Barrier asked as he and Fleet looked at her.
“It’s not really something wrong, but something I would like to discuss, and it involves the three of us,” she said as she adjusted her glasses slightly.
“What is it, Da… Miss Yearling? Whatever it is, I want to help,” Fleet replied as she placed a hoof on Daring’s, quickly followed by Barrier doing the same.
“No matter what, I’m here for you.” Barrier smiled before leaning in and giving Daring a quick nuzzle.
“Alright. Might as well get down to business then.” Daring took a deep breath. “Over the last little while, I’ve been noticing that the two of you have started to become… closer, possibly interested in each other.”
“What are you talking about?” Barrier responded with shock decorating face his while Fleetfeather was dumbstruck.
“I haven’t the foggiest idea of what you mean,” Fleet added in, not noticing how her eye was twitching ever so slightly.
“Guys, c’mon,” Daring sighed and pulled her hooves back. “I’ve see how the two of you act sometimes. You’re more than just friends to each other.”
The pair looked at each other, uncertain of how to respond to Daring’s revelation.
“I want you two to know that I’m not mad or anything, but there is something I want to make clear.”
“And… what would that be?” Barrier drew closer, nervous and uncertain.
“If you two want to start herding, I’d be willing to give it a shot,” Daring casually answered. “Still, even if you don’t, I feel that since we’re all living together, we should all be honest with each other about our feelings.”
“I…” Barrier was shocked by what Daring had proposed. “I… I’m not sure where you got this idea, Dari...Darling, but…” He paused. Before now, he hadn’t truly considered how he had felt about Fleetfeather. She had been someone he had known since his days as a cadet. He was present for her marriage to his best friend and the birth of her second child. He had seen her as a close friend for many a year. Looking back at some of their more recent interactions however made him realise that something had seemed to change about their connection over the time they had been living in Vanhoover.
“I do admit Fleet is a kind and attractive mare, but I’m not certain about herding. It just… wasn’t really something that appealed to me. That was more of my brother’s thing.”
“My feelings on the matter are somewhat similar, my friends. Both of you are friends I am rather close to. You are both rather attractive ponies, and you’ve been wonderful to Wind Whistler.” Fleetfeather ran a hoof through her mane as a small smile graced her muzzle and she turned to face Barrier.
“She even referred to you as father by accident earlier today.” She turned once more to face Daring, “And she has never referred to another pony as ‘auntie’ before. Still…” Her gaze shifted downward. “It… it’s still too soon for me to consider seeking a pony to be romantically involved with. Flash has only been gone for less than a year for the two of us. While I have no objections against herding and even once considered proposing herding with Silver Rain… now’s not the right time for me… I’m sorry…” Shortly Fleet felt a comforting hoof being placed upon her shoulder, her gaze shifting up to see Daring with an understanding look on her face.
“Hey, it’s no problem at all, Fleet. I just wanted to toss this out there because… well, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here.” Daring’s words made Fleet and Barrier’s eyes shoot open, and soon the mistake dawned on Daring. “Wait, let me rephrase that. That sounded a lot more fatal than I meant it to.”
“Well please tell us what you did mean.” Barrier slid out of his chair and came up to Daring’s side, concern written all over his face as he placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“What I meant was after hanging out with you guys, I’ll probably have to go out on another adventure to fetch some lost treasure or lend my archaeological expertise to help out with some such stuff.” Daring looked Barrier in the eye and she rubbed a hoof along his cheek. “Plus I’ve almost finished writing my next book, and Velvet always insists I drop those off in person, so that’s at least one trip to Canterlot I’ll have to take care of.”
“I see...” Barrier placed a hoof on top of hers as he stared deeply into her magenta eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that at some point, I’d tag along with you the next time you went on one of those crazy adventures of yours?” Daring looked away from Barrier and withdrew her hoof.
“I know.” She then let out a sigh, “But Wind Whistler and all the others… you’re pretty much a family already and I don’t want to separate you guys.” She chuckled as she faced Barrier again. “Plus if you didn’t stay there, I’m pretty sure one of them would set the house on fire.” Her statement drew laughs from all three of them.
Taking back his seat and wiping a tear from his eyes, Barrier settled down. “Well, I figure Forge built his little smithing shack far enough away from the house to not be a problem.” He brought his hoof up to his chin, “but with either him or Winter in the kitchen… yeah, you’re probably right.”
The conclusion of his sentence heralded Drumstick’s return to take their orders.
***
After partaking in a hearty meal and seeing the various sights Vanhoover had to offer, the trio eventually returned to the front of the school. A few minutes had passed before the bell rang and a collection of foals started to flood out of the school. Fleetfeather smiled widely as she spotted her daughter chatting happily amongst several foals. The blue filly soon separated from her new friends and gave them a wave.
“Bye Melony, bye Shutterbug, bye Crispy!” she called out as she was breaking off from the gaggle of foals by her side, “I’ll see you tomorrow!” She happily dashed off towards her mother and gave her a cheerful nuzzle.
“Well my dear,” Fleetfeather said as the four of them set off for their home, with Wind Whistler hopping and fluttering with every step, “I assume you had a good first day at your new school?”
“Aye, Mother!” Wind Whistler happily called out. “Ms. Schoolbag was a very nice teacher, and Crispy introduced me to some other ponies he knew at recess.” She wistfully sighed. “I can’t wait to see them again.”
“Well you can look forward to seeing them every Monday through Friday, Wind Whistler,” Daring spoke up as they approached the front gate of their home. “Plus you’ll probably able to spend some time with them on the weekends.” She nudged the gate open, a slight creak screeching out as it swung open.
“At any rate,” Barrier said as he looked upon the smiling filly, “I’m glad you had such a great time and—” He found himself cut off as shouting and screams came from the back yard.
“I need covering fire!” Hat Trick’s voice echoed out.
“I’ve you cov-ARGH!” Winter Gem screamed.
Reacting quickly, Barrier grabbed Wind Whistler with his magic and placed her on Daring’s back. “Keep her safe. If Fleet and I aren’t back in two minutes, run.” Without another word, he turned and took off like a shot, Fleetfeather flying by his side. When they reached the house’s western back corner, Barrier stood by its edge, hearing more shouts coming from his young charges. Quickly looking around the corner, he was unable to spot anypony, save the yard’s small collection of trees, Verdant’s hobby garden, the garden house and Forge’s smithing shed.
“Fleet, try to get a bird’s eye view from the roof. I’ll try to find out what’s going on from the ground level,” he whispered without giving her a glance. “Faust have mercy on whoever’s out there, they’re going to regret hurting my kids.”
“Good luck, Barrier,” she wished before flying upwards.
Taking a steady breath, Barrier charged out into the yard.
“Incoming!” Verdant’s voice shouted out just Barrier spotted a trio of projectiles quickly entering his periphery. Quickly igniting his horn, a wall of magical energy rose up to shield Barrier from the incoming shots. The shots struck the mystical field, exploding against it in a large cascade of water.
“Time out! Time out!” He heard Winter Gem’s voice cry out as he slowly opened his eyes. Looking around, he saw a quartet of damp ponies consisting of two unicorns and two earth ponies, each carrying saddlebags filled to the brim with bright and colorful balloons that were full of water, as well as several scraps of rubber by his hooves in front of the shield.
“Privates,” Barrier said, trying to keep his tone calm and hide his anger. “What in the name of Zacherle is going on here?”
“Well,” Verdant nervously scratched his chin and looked away from Barrier. “You’ve said for a while that we should probably try to live a little and enjoy the peaceful times we have?”
“Aye,” he replied, trying to look as serious as he looked at the damp former cadets.
“And I seem to recall you once speaking of how we did not have much of what modern ponies would consider a childhood?” Swiftsword added.
“Yeah…” Barrier said as he spotted Fleetfeather, Wind Whistler and a now disguiseless Daring coming from around the far corner of the house.
“So, I talked to the others and we decided that we’d try having a water-balloon fight.” Winter Gem concluded, her eyes focused on the ground.
“Alright,” Barrier said with as he took a calming breath. “But where’s Hat Tr-” he was silenced when a water balloon from above came crashing onto his head, leaving him soaked. While all the ponies on the ground gave either muffled or unmuffled chortles, Barrier glared upwards, spotting a purple pegasus with a large grin on his face.
“Death from above, sir!” Hat Trick said as held his sides and laughed aloud.
“Forge,” Barrier growled, “do you have any more bags of balloons?”
“Yes sir. They’d need to be filled, but there’s plenty by the hose.” Forge gulped, “Might I ask why you wished to know?”
“Simple.” Barrier stepped towards the hose, “We’re gonna have another game with all of us.” He then looked back all at the present ponies with a grin, “and by the time I’m through with all of you, you’ll think you’re at the bottom of the Luna Ocean!” he said coyly as he spotted the bag of balloons and reached for one, only to feel another balloon strike the back of his head. Swiftly turning around, he spotted Fleetfeather sporting a wicked grin as she pulled a balloon from Winter Gem’s bag. Barrier laughed as his horn lit up, turning on the water and pulling a balloon from the bag, his gaze narrowing as he flashed a wicked grin of his own back at her.
Dawn had just started to break as Barrier, Verdant, and Daring stood by the train station. The charcoal stallion let out a yawn as they sat patiently.
“You sure you’ll be alright?” Barrier asked as he drew closer to the disguised mare. “I always worry about these damn things.”
Daring pulled Barrier closer and briefly nuzzled his charcoal cheek. “Relax. We’ll be fine; I’ll send you a letter when Verdant and I are in Canterlot and another when we’re about to head back.” She pulled back slightly. “Hopefully with what I know about the archive and that niece of yours, we should be able to find what we’re looking for in only a few days. I’d say a week, tops.”
“Thanks again for this, Professor,” Verdant said as he stretched out by one of the station’s benches. “I’ve been dying to find out what happened to my family for quite some time, and Forge has been wondering what happened to his mother besides marrying Captain Flash. Your help is most appreciated.” As he finished speaking, the rumble of an approaching train caught the ears of the trio.
“Right, let’s get ready to go, kiddo,” Daring said before biting down on the handle of her luggage bag.
“Be careful.” Barrier patted Verdant on the back as the train slowly started to pull into the dimly lit station. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and don’t try any funny stuff with Daring.” His eyes briefly shifted to Daring, causing Verdant to roll his.
“Sir,” he started as he gently removed the dark foreleg from his withers. “while I may find somewhat older males and females attractive, you should know that even if she weren’t in a relationship with you, she’s way too old for me.”
“Hey!” Daring angrily spat through the handle of her bag. “I’m not that old! I’m thirty-five!”
“That’s still old enough to be my mother, ma’am,” Verdant responded as the train let out a loud hiss and the doors started to open. Daring made her temperament known by smacking the back of the green pony’s head before marching onto the train, followed closely by the stallion who rubbed his sore head. Barrier stood on the platform and watched them as they boarded and set up in one of the train’s small cabins. As soon as the pair had set down their luggage, Daring opened up the window and stuck her head out of it.
“Goodbye, Barrier!” she shouted out before she kissed her hoof and blew it towards him with a wide grin. Barrier raised an eyebrow and smiled in growing amusement. “We’ll see you in a few days! Bye!” Daring waved for several moments but stopped when she realised the train hadn’t pulled away yet. “Well this is kinda awkward,” the golden pegasus said as she scratched the back of her neck.
“Yeah,” Barrier said as he rubbed his forelegs together, trying to warm them in the early morning chill. “Kinda spoils the sweet moment you were going for there.”
“Yeeeaahhhh...” Daring drew out as she tapped a hoof against the frame of the window and clicked her tongue, “Do you wanna... I don’t know, stick around until this thing pulls away? You don’t have to—” she was silenced when Barrier came and placed his hoof on hers.
“I may not have to, but I want to.” He and Daring smiled at one another and leaned in close before their lips touched. The kiss was short as the two quickly pulled away from each other, “Blaurgh… Remind me not to have a kiss before we’ve brushed our teeth in the morning.”
“Agreed,” Daring gave a brief scrape at her tongue with her hoof. “We both have some pretty wicked morning breath.”
“ALL ABOARD!” a mare in a conductor’s uniform shouted from the far end of the platform.
“Well I guess this is it,” Daring sighed from the window sill. “Bye, Barrier. We’ll see you in a few days.”
“Goodbye, Daring,” he said once more before the train started to lurch down the lines. Barrier stood at the platform’s edge until the massive vehicle had finally disappeared from sight. Taking a deep breath, he turned away and headed back towards his home.
***
As Barrier entered the manor, he found Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler eating some toast at the table while Forge was attempting to bake some hash brown patties. Also seated at the table was Hat Trick and Winter Gem, the latter staring down at the table while the former was rubbing her back.
“Don’t worry, Gem; I’m certain today will be the day,” the purple pegasus said to reassure the mare as he continued to rub her back.
“Hat Trick, you’ve been saying that the past four days,” she glumly replied. “I’m fairly certain the fifth time won’t be any different.”
“What’s going on?” Barrier asked as he entered the kitchen. Wind Whistler leapt from the table towards Barrier, but he deftly caught her in his magic and levitated her back to her seat, drawing a pout from the filly.
“Oh, good morning, sir,” Winter Gem said as she spotted Barrier. “Would you like some hash browns? Forge should have them ready soon, and I’m fairly certain they won’t be burned.”
“I think I will, but don’t try to change the subject, Winter;” Barrier said as he took his place at the table, his voice being both authoritative and yet calming. “now, what is it that’s been bothering you the past few days?”
Winter Gem groaned as she placed a hoof on her forehead. “For the past few days, I’ve attempted to visit the local Apple family farm to try to connect with my modern family members.” A ding from the oven brought Winter to pause as Forge levitated the hash brown patties onto everypony’s plates. Winter Gem bit down on one of the airborne patties and quickly devoured it before continuing. “But every time I get close… I get nervous about what they’d think of me and I run back here.”
“I’ve tried to be there for her,” Hatty chimed in between nibbling on his breakfast. “Offering support and encouragement, trying to keep her from running off.” He swallowed the last of his first patty before grabbing a second, “but there’s not exactly much you can do when somepony’s at least three times stronger than you.”
“Hmm…” Barrier hummed as he examined his hash brown for imperfections and burns. “Well if you want, I could come along with you two.” His horn started to light up as Winter Gem found herself unable to move and her chair had started to rise towards the ceiling. “I’d be able to keep you from running if it’s needed,” he said as he gently lowered her back to the floor and released his magical hold.
“That… would be most appreciated, sir.” Winter Gem smiled before she reached for another hash brown. “I plan on heading for the farm at noon, so we’ll have plenty of time to get ready.”
Barrier nodded and gave a small smile before he took a bite of his hash brown. Not bad. Could use a little salt.
***
As the trio trudged along the dirt road, Winter Gem was shaking like a leaf and sweating bullets, despite her friends’ efforts to calm her and ease her stress.
“Winter.” Hatty draped a wing over her withers. “Trust me, you’ll be fine. You’re a great mare that anyone would be proud to call family.”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure I’ll be welcome with open forelegs after I insulted my father and cousin and mocked the profession that has been keeping us going for centuries,” she replied with a nervous chuckle.
“Winter Gem,” Barrier spoke up in a commanding voice, “These new Apples have never had a chance to meet you, and for them, your argument was centuries before their time.”
“I know, that,” she said and gave Barrier a half-lidded look. “At least intellectually… but I still feel really nervous about this.”
“Well I’ve got some good news.” Hat Trick took to the air and perched before the sign a few metres before them. On the sign read the words, ‘North Grove Apple Farm’. “We’ve gotten further than any of our previous trips out here.” He fluttered down as the pair reached the sign before putting a comforting wing on Winter Gem’s back. “How are you holding up, dear?”
“Let me put it this way,” she said with a gulp. “If I hadn’t gone to the bathroom before leaving, I’d be leaving road apples all over the place.”
“I didn’t need to hear that, Private.” Barrier glanced around, spotting row upon row of apple trees, along with a rustic looking two-storey house not too far from them, near the base of small hill. “Well, now all you have to do is head to the house, give them a quick hello and—”
“I CHANGED MY MIND!” Winter interrupted. “I’M NOT READY!” She made a quick about-face to run off, only to run face first into a blue force field that quickly appeared in front of her.
“Winter Gem, you’ve come too far to turn back now.” Barrier lowered the field and lifted Winter up with his magic, spinning her around and setting her back on the ground, facing the threshold of the Apple property once more. “You need to face this now, Gem.”
“We’ll both be right by your side, dear.” Hat Trick draped his wing over her back once more before nuzzling her neck. “I promise you, this will go great.” He then carefully placed his hoof under her chin and turned her to face him, “You can do this, Winter Gem. You’re the single greatest mare I’ve ever known. I believe in you,” he then ended his statement by giving her a soft kiss on the lips. What he had said drew a confident smile to her face as she took a deep breath.
“You’re right,” she said as she faced the sign once more. “It all ends today, one way or another. Let’s go!” With that, she set her first hoof over the threshold and the trio started walking through the orchard. The three walked in silence, save for the beat of their hooves against the ground until a voice drew their attention.
“Well, well, well…” a stallion’s voice called out with an echo, drawing their eyes to a tall tree. Near the top of the tree they spotted the silhouette of the stallion glaring at them, his slitted amber eyes standing out from the rest of him which was cloaked in the shade of the branches above him. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s trespassers,” he growled before he flared a set of leather wings, forcing Barrier to instinctively fall into a defensive stance. “You’d better tell me what you three are doing on my land.”
“I asked them to come with me, sir!” Winter Gem exclaimed as she stepped forward, drawing the mysterious thestral’s eyes to her, “I came here to—”
“Hold on a second!” the thestral shouted from his perch. “I know who you are!” He dived from the branch and dashed toward the three. Barrier’s horn flared in preparation to strike when the thestral stopped mere inches from Winter Gem’s face.
Now that he was no longer cloaked in shadow, he saw the thestral had a dark, golden yellow coat and a brown mane. Along with that, he was sporting the goofiest grin Barrier had ever seen that didn’t come from the Pink Devil. “You’re Cousin Winter Gem!” the thestral merrily exclaimed before pulling the snow-white mare into bone crushing a hug. “I should have recognised you from the photos Applejack sent.” He deftly broke the hug before rapidly shaking her hoof. Luckily for the alabaster mare, she was unharmed. “It’s nice to finally meet you, cousin.” he stopped the shaking and turned his flank slightly towards her, showing her the green apple on his flank. “I’m Belmont Apple.” He paused, then took to the air and widely gestured to the farmland all around them. “And welcome to the North Grove Apple farm!” His voice echoed out.
“Um… Nice to meet you, Belmont,” Winter Gem said almost shyly and came closer to the thestral stallion. “Thank you for the… enthusiastic welcome.”
“No problem,” he said as he tried to rein himself in before his eyes shifted to the two stallions with her. “And may I ask who you two are?”
“Well, I’m Hat Trick. I’m Winter Gem’s fiancee and—” The purple pegasus was silenced as he was quickly swept up into another strong hug from the happy thestral.
“That makes you family in my book, Hat Trick!” Belmont exclaimed before releasing the sore magician. “And you good sir?” He turned to face Barrier, still in a defensive stance.
“I’m Magic Barrier,” the charcoal stallion said as he finally started to relax. “I was Winter Gem and Hat Trick’s captain while they were still in the guard.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Belmont said as he held out a hoof that Barrier hesitantly shook. “Sorry ‘bout that thing when I first saw you. We’ve had a bit of problem with some kids sneaking onto the farm and stealing the occasional snack recently.” He turned towards the house and gave a wave, telling the trio to follow him. “C’mon. I was just about to prep some lunch. Figure you three may like some of my homemade stew.”
“Thank you, Belmont,” Winter Gem said as she pulled ahead to stand closer to her distant relative. “I was honestly surprised to get such a warm welcome.” Her eyes were then cast downwards. “Especially after what happened when I last spoke to my father and cousin.”
“Oh, Applejack’s letters mentioned that and let me tell you, that’s all water under a bridge older than my great great great grandparents,” Belmont comfortingly said as he patted her on the shoulder. “You’re family and you fought to protect Equestria. That’s all that matters to all of us here.”
“Are there any other ponies here?” Hat Trick inquired as he flew close to the pair of Apples.
“Well my kids are at school and my wife’s working at the flower shop, but my parents are still here.” Belmont took to the sky and darted away before turning back and calling out to the trio. “C’mon! My mother will love to meet you and my father will love to hear what stories you can tell!”
Winter Gem looked back towards Barrier before a grin spread across her face. She then gave Hat Trick a glance which was met with a nod. Winter Gem took off like a shot towards the Apple home.
Barrier glanced around the living room and saw several furnishings he found tacky, from the bright green couch to the pair of orange recliners, clashing horribly with the dark grey of the walls and the stone fireplace. The sole pieces of furniture he’d say actually fit the room was a dark wooden bookshelf and coffee table. Sitting upon the fireplace mantle was a collection of photos of Belmont and several other ponies.
“Hey Ma! Pa!” Belmont shouted as he reached the base of the stairs. “C’mon down! We’ve got company, and one’s family!”
A slow shuffling came from the second floor and moments later, a pair of elderly ponies came down the stairs. The first was a gray thestral with a dark blue, slicked back mane, his cutie mark was a red bat in mid-flight. The second was an earth pony mare with a pale yellow coat and a wavy orange and grey mane. Her cutie mark was a brownish yellow apple.
“Ma, Pa.” Belmont grandly gestured to the ponies beside him. “This is cousin Winter Gem, her fiance Hat Trick and their old captain, Magic Barrier.” He then spun around and pointed towards the elder ponies. “Folks, these are my parents, Autumn Gold and Pipistrelle West.”
“Oh, just call me Pip,” the old thestral said as he stepped forward. “It’s always good to meet fellow ponies who took up the duty of the royal guard.” He shakily offered a hoof to Barrier, who slowly accepted it.
“Nice to meet the two of you,” Barrier said with a curt nod as Autumn approached the young pair.
“Nice to see another nice and fit Apple in the family,” she said as she pulled Winter Gem into a hug. “My son’s just been gabbing non-stop ever since we first got those letters and photos about you.” She let go and headed towards the bookshelf and started scanning the spines in quick glances along the shelves.
“Mom, please don’t,” Belmont begged and tried to cover his face with his wings, its color quickly becoming the same shade as a candy apple.
“Oh it’s so cool!” she said teasingly as she found the pictures and brought them to the coffee table as fast as her old bones could take her. “We’ve got a pony in the Apple family from the era of the Flame Crest books! I’ll bet she went on all sorts of grand adventures defending Equestria from the griffins and dragons and Sombra, just like Mars Falchion!”
Winter Gem and Hat Trick chortled as they took a seat on the couch, leaving Belmont to groan from the base of the stairs. “Unfortunately, I don’t have too many a tale to tell. I was only a cadet when we were sealed away in the Crystal Empire by Sombra. I—” She paused for an instant before Hat Trick placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “...I don’t really want to talk too much about what happened in the empire. We lost a lot of our allies… friends against the undead Sombra had unleashed.”
“Oh don’t worry about that dear,” Pip said as he and Autumn sat beside her and Hat Trick on the couch. “I know about all the terrible sort of things a guard tends to see in the lines of work.”
“Thank you, my… cousin,” Winter said with a moment of pause as she leaned back into the couch and she took a deep breath. “Honestly, even if I did talk about what had happened in the empire, I’m uncertain how well they would compare to the tales of whatever Mars Falchion got himself into.”
“Yeah,” Hat Trick said with a shrug. “I mean after all, he was only what, 14, the last time we saw him?” Belmont’s jaw dropped before he dashed over to them, hovering just a few inches from their faces.
“You knew Mars Falchion?!” he asked before his mother rose from the couch and gave his tail a hard yank, pulling him back to the ground. “Sorry,” he said as a trace of the earlier blush returned. “I just can’t believe you met my favourite historical hero!”
“Oh yes, we did meet him back when he was a fairly small colt,” Winter casually replied. “Swiftsword, our squadmate, introduced him to us.”
“Whoa!” Belmont cried out and he giddily hopped in place. “You knew Swiftsword Falchion, the Maiden of Blades!”
“Maiden…” Winter Gem snorted and giggled before she regained her composure. “Yes, she’s a good friend of mine. If you want, we could probably introduce you to her.”
“Yeah, and who knows, if you behave well enough around her, she might let you look at her family’s sword,” Hat Trick chipped in as he rolled his eyes before a thud reached his ears. Looking down, he saw that Belmont had apparently fainted while sporting a particularly wide smile.
“I swear,” Autumn sighed as she placed a hoof on her forehead, “it’s CrestCon all over again.” she slowly slid off the couch. “Would any of you mind helping me get this fool off the floor?”
***
After Winter Gem hauled Belmont up to his bed and stayed to keep an eye on him, Hat Trick was given a rather extensive interview by the family’s elders about his history with Gem. After a few hours, Autumn went into the kitchen to prepare a special dinner with Hatty volunteering to help, leaving Barrier alone with Pip.
“Is there any particular reason why you look at myself and my son so oddly, Barrier?”
“I beg your pardon?” Barrier said as he shifted in his chair, an eyebrow raised.
“Well I noticed that you looked at the two of us somewhat oddly during this whole time.” Pip spoke softly as he walked over to the mantle to gaze at the pictures of his family while still seeing the charcoal stallion’s reflection. “Now, why is that?”
“Well for one thing, sir,” Barrier adjust his seat once more. “I was somewhat under the assumption that the Apple family was entirely made of earth ponies.” Barrier’s response drew a hard laugh from the elderly thestral.
“No, no, no,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, the Apples have quite a lot of earth ponies in the family, but we’ve got all kinds of ponies here. We’ve got unicorns and pegasi, and thanks to me marrying into the family, my end’s just a little more…” he looked over his shoulder to Barrier, “batty.” he lightly laughed once more.
Barrier rolled his eyes at the attempt at comedy. “Eh, I’ve heard worse jokes from my cadets. Of course, it’s harder now to give them latrine duty or KP these days.”
“Well at any rate...” Pip strolled back towards Barrier before placing a hoof on his shoulder. “There’s something else, some other reason why you were looking at my son and I the way you did. Now, be honest with me and tell me what that is.” His tone had become much darker as he gave Barrier a flat look.
“If you must know,” Barrier said as he looked into his amber eyes, “I had a rather nasty experience with thestrals in my era. Many turned traitor and killed many a good pony, so thestrals make me somewhat jumpy… however, there’s more to it than that.” Barrier closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steel himself. “Are you familiar with what the actions of one Captain Flash Sentry?”
“Yes, I’d wager that every thestral above the age of sixteen knows about how he tried to wipe us out,” the elder pony whispered as his gaze seemed to harden. “I assume you knew him?”
“Yes,” Barrier turned away, “he was a friend of mine since my days as a cadet. When Nightmare Moon was sealed away, I was taken along with her. For everypony I knew then, I was as good as dead. Flash, having lost his best friend…” He gave a hard swallow. “It’s my fault, Pip. I’m the reason why he tried to wipe your kind out. I’m so sorry.” Barrier felt a hoof being placed under his chin and his face was turned to face the thestral once more, his expression now much softer.
“There there, kiddo.” Pip removed the hoof from Barrier’s chin and patted Barrier on the head, “I don’t blame you for either of that. I was jumpy around unicorns for quite some time when a drug bust I did went south and my friend and partner Bird Warden was hurt. As for…” His teeth gritted slightly at the thought of Flash’s actions against his kind. “I’m sure that you would have made ensured none of this happened if you were around back then. Still, thank you for being honest with this old soul.”
“Trust me, if I could have prevented what he did, I would have.” Barrier sighed before looking back up at Pip with a raised eyebrow. “And who are you calling ‘kiddo’? I’m centuries older than you.”
Pip pulled back and gave a hearty laugh in response. “Have you ever tried to use that to get a seniors discount on things?”
Barrier rapidly shook his forehooves back and forth, his eyes wide as he made a shushing sound. “Keep it down!” he whispered, “I don’t want Hatty getting any ideas.”
A loud yawn rang out from the floor above, followed by two sets of hooves starting to come down the stairs. Belmont rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes as Winter Gem accompanied him. “So, have you been having a good time?”
“Why yes, we have,” Pip said before he strolled over to Barrier and placed a foreleg across his shoulders. “I’m pretty sure that Barrier and I will be old chums in no time at all.”
“I’d say that would be a bit of an exaggeration,” Barrier said as he rose out of the chair, “but we have been getting along really well.”
“Well it’s still great to hear.” Belmont beamed, before he took in a strong sniff. “Would you like to stay for dinner, Barrier? I can tell Mom’s setting up a big dinner for this little family reunion we’ve got going here.”
Barrier sniffed the air as well, catching the scent of mashed potatoes, vegetable stew and apple pie. “While dinner sounds good, I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Belmont bolted over to Barrier’s side, put a foreleg over his shoulder, and started to pull him towards the kitchen. “You’re practically family after all you’ve done for Gem and Hatty.”
“Well…” Barrier said as he spotted Hat Trick setting up some plates at the table while Autumn Gold pulled a pie out of the oven.
“Sir,” Hat Trick spoke up after he placed a plate on the table. “Wouldn’t that mean that leaves only Swiftsword, Iron Forge, the sergeant and Wind Whistler alone to handle their own dinner?”
“Would you please excuse me?” Barrier said out as his eyes became the size of pinpricks before his horn ignited brightly and teleported him out into the field in front of the house before dashing off back to the manor, leaving the small group to watch the charcoal unicorn running off.
“Well...” Belmont awkwardly scratched the back of his head before heading out the door. “I’ll go get Red Bouquet from the flower shop and then we’ll pick up the kids. See ya!” He spread his leather wings and flew off towards the town.
“Hat Trick,” Winter Gem whispered as she drew the purple pegasus close. “Be honest with me. Did you just say that so you’d get a bigger piece of pie after dinner?”
“No,” he whispered back into her snow white ear, a wide grin plastered on his face. “I did it so we would have bigger pieces of pie after dinner.”
***
When Barrier had arrived back at the manor, he was relieved to find that rather than having the house reduced to a pile of ash, the quartet that had stayed had simply decided to go and get a pizza.
After the five of them had devoured the cheesy treat, they soon passed the time they had by watching some movie rentals that they still had. Shortly after they had sent Wind Whistler to bed and finished the second movie in the Buck to the Future trilogy, the sound of the front door opening rang out throughout the manor.
“I assume you had a good time?” Barrier inquired as the couple trotted into the living room, Winter Gem sporting a very large smile.
“It was wonderful!” she exclaimed. “I had been worried about meeting them all for so long, and yet it went better than I could have imagined!”
“Also, somepony here needs to learn their stew recipe,” Hat Trick said as he and Winter Gem made their way to one of the couches. “I don’t care who, just that we need more stew like that.”
“Oh, by the way, Swift.” Winter drew her friend’s eye as she shifted into a comfy spot on the couch. “it turns out that my cousin Belmont is a big fan of those books about your brother and he would love to meet the mare he called, and I quote,” her face shifted from a happy smile to a wicked smirk, “The Maiden of Blades.” She chortled while her friend’s eyebrow rose.
“Maiden?” Swiftsword tilted her head in confusion. “Did he not know of my arranged engagement to Radiant Spell and Ocean Sunset?” She then slipped out of her seat and passed Barrier to head for the kitchen. “There are many a term I would use to describe myself, but maiden is not one, with many a thanks to them.”
“Could you please not talk about my brother and sister-in-law like that?” Barrier called out as he levitated a bowl of popcorn to him from a nearby table. “I really don’t want to explain any weird dreams to Luna because of this.”
“Very well,” Swiftsword replied dismissively. “Though I will always treasure my time with them and Sparkle.”
“As will I, Swiftsword,” Barrier sighed just as Forge had finished swapping the films. “As will I.”
“Glad you had a good time with your family, Gem,” Forge chipped in as he hopped into his seat on the couch. “Now, let’s see how this next part in the story plays out!”
Four days had passed since Winter Gem had first met with her local relatives. In that time, several brief things had occurred. Hat Trick had ended up breaking a window while practicing his juggling as Wind Whistler had played tag with her friends. Iron Forge had started to craft replicas of the weapons he’d seen in the Pony Rangers comic books, Winter Gem had nearly gotten into a fight with a mare in the grocery store over a jar of peanut butter and Swiftsword had gone out to either add a weapon to her arsenal or a musical instrument to practice between combat practice sessions. Unfortunately for Magic Barrier, what she picked up was not what he would describe as an axe, but Daring certainly would.
Now the ponies of the manor made their way to the train station on a clear and cool night. Hours prior, they had received a letter telling them that Daring and Verdant would be returning later that night. Wind Whistler let out a yawn that was quickly drowned out by the whistle of the rapidly approaching train. The gathered group stood at attention as the train finally came to a halt at the platform. With a hiss, the doors opened and many ponies disembarked from the metal vessel. A few moments passed before they spotted their missing housemates within the crowd. Daring was looking quite refreshed in her A.K. Yearling guise while Verdant trailed behind her, appearing tired and sickly.
“You’re looking quite well, dear,” Barrier said as he pulled Daring into a hug and shared a quick kiss. “What’s wrong with Verdant?”
“Bleurgh…” the stallion in question groaned, “Bad peanut-butter cup.”
“Eh, he just had something that didn’t agree with him,” Daring answered for him as she pulled away from Barrier. “He’ll probably be fine in the morning.”
“So, how did things go?” Barrier inquired as they started to trot away from the station, Forge giving his ill friend a pat on the back.
“Eh, I’d say they went pretty well, save for that bodyswap teleport accident that Verdant and Twilight had,” Daring replied with a smirk, drawing a raised eyebrow from Barrier and the others.
“Verdant, is she making that up?” Barrier turned to see Verdant, but found he wasn’t where he was moments prior. Glancing around, he spotted the green stallion with his head in a bush, a retching noise coming from him. Barrier could only grimace at the display.
“At any rate,” Daring spoke up, drawing attention away from the puking pony, “I’ll leave telling you about what we found to him in the morning. Tonight, I just want to spend some quality time with my special somepony.” She then drew closer to Barrier and nuzzled his cheek.
“Just remember to use a sound-shield spell this time,” Wind Whistler said before yawning loudly. “At least Hatty and Gem have the courtesy to bite a pillow.” Her statement drew a blush from the four she had mentioned and her mother, who proceeded to place a hoof over her good eye.
***
Early the next morning, the household had gathered around the breakfast table. Verdant was looking much better as he happily munched on a piece of toast. Iron Forge was practically bouncing in his seat in anticipation for what he and Daring had discovered.
“Well don’t keep us in suspense, Verdant,” Barrier said as he poked at his scrambled eggs. “Windy needs to head to school in a bit and I don’t want to have to get any more replacement furniture than I have to.” He glanced towards Forge, who ceased his bouncing and gave a sheepish smile.
“Right,” Verdant spoke through a mouthful of food before giving a quick swallow. He then dashed off from the table. A few moments later, he returned with a folder held between his teeth which he placed on the table. “Since Forge is so eager, I’ll cover his stuff first.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” the blue stallion replied as Swiftsword’s magic held him in place.
Nudging open the folder with his nose, Verdant’s eyes went over the papers within. “Well first off, approximately a year and a half after we were stuck in the empire on March seventh, your mother married Flash Sentry.”
“I already know that, Verdant,” Forge said with an eyeroll. “Fleetfeather told me that in our first week here. I appreciate your efforts in getting official confirmation, but I’d like to know something I don’t already know.”
“Very well then.” Verdant looked back down at the papers before facing Forge once more. “Just shy of four years after we disappeared, you gained two new siblings. Your mother gave birth to a pegasus filly named Lightning Flash and adopted a pegasus colt name Fireball.”
“My word… it… it’s rather strange to picture this… having siblings that I never got to meet,” Forge looked away from the table until he felt a pair of tiny hooves shake his leg. Turning his attention to the source, he found Wind Whistler looking up at him.
“Well, at least you’ve got me, Forge!” The little filly’s words brought a smile to Forge’s face. He ignited his horn and Wind Whistler found herself wrapped up in a warming aura as she was lifted from the floor and pulled into his forelimbs for a hug.
“Thanks, Wind Whistler.” He nuzzled the filly, “I’ll do what I can to try to be a good step-brother for you.” As the small filly returned the nuzzle, Forge turned to Verdant once more. “Verdant,” he said hesitantly, “How long did my mother live after we… vanished?”
“According to what we could found, she passed away twenty-two years after we disappeared at the age of fifty-six,” Verdant recited before he leaned closer to his friend. “Are you okay, Forge?”
“Aye,” Forge said before taking a deep breath. “At least I know she had those she cared for and lived a long life.”
“Indeed,” Verdant replied before sliding one of the sheets of paper in the folder towards Forge’s end of the table. “That lists all those who were married to and descended from not only your siblings, but also the children that Fleetfeather had for about three-hundred and eighty years, give or take. I would have gone further, but there was apparently a fire at one point that caused a fair amount records from then to be lost, so tracking past that was next to impossible.”
“Not to worry, my friend,” Forge happily replied, “I really appreciate your efforts.”
“As do I, Private,” Fleetfeather said between sips of her coffee. “It will be quite soothing to learn what became of my children.”
“What else did you find, Verdant?” Winter Gem inquired before munching on a strip of hay bacon.
“Well, I happened to find out something surprising involving Barrier’s family.” His reply drew Barrier’s attention and a raised eyebrow.
“I thought I said not to bother looking into what happened with my family, Verdant,” he said as he gave the younger stallion a flat glare, slowly taking a sip from his coffee.
“I know, but this is something I stumbled across while looking up other stuff.” The younger stallion turned his gaze back to the folder before speaking once more. “It appears that your mother divorced your father four months after you disappeared. She would proceed to marry into a herd two years later and having a filly by the herd’s stallion a year later.” Barrier was dumbstruck by the young stallion’s words.
“How is that possible?” He tilted his head, his left eye squinting. “She was over fifty years old! There’s no way she should have been capable of that.”
“I don’t know how, sir.” Verdant nudged one of the papers closer to the charcoal unicorn with his snout. “But what matters is she did and you got a little sister out of this.”
“My word…” Barrier paused, taking a deep breath and remaining silent for moment. “At least her final act was to bring one more life into the…”
“No it wasn’t,” the freckled stallion interrupted. “She actually lived to be seventy-five until she passed away.”
“Unbelievable,” Barrier slouched in his chair, placing his chin on the table, “How in Faust’s name was all that possible?”
“I don’t know how, sir. All I know is that our sister’s birth must have been a miracle,” Verdant replied as he reached across the table, grabbing a pair of hay bacon strips.
“I’ll say. Faust must have really been on her...” Barrier suddenly stopped, one of Verdant’s words standing out in his mind. “Wait a blasted moment.” He slowly rose his head from the table to glare at the stallion who was merrily enjoying his breakfast. “What did you mean by our sister, Verdant?” His tone became harsher as he glared at Verdant, who merely smirked in response. Quickly swallowing the hay treat, Verdant replied.
“Well I did say she joined a herd,” he said as the smirk grew ever wider. “Guess who’s herd it just happened to be?”
“No…” Barrier’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, recalling the face of a green stallion barely any older than himself apologizing for one of his mates punching him in the face.
“Oh yes, sir” Verdant said with a nod, “Your mother, after leaving your father, joined the herd that I came from and had a daughter by my father named Emerald Dawn.”
Barrier could only stare in silence at the revelation that Verdant had brought to him.
“Sir?” Swiftsword rose from her seat before placing a hoof on Barrier’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“I’m… I’m shook…” Barrier replied as his eyes and face fell, drifting down towards his breakfast.
“You mean shaken, sir.”
“Shut up, Hat Trick.” Barrier’s turned his head and shot the purple pegasus a glare before turning his attention back to Verdant. “This had better be an elaborate joke, Verdant.”
“No sir. It’s all here in black and white.” He slid several sheets of paper across the table. “Your mother married my father and gave birth to our sister. At any rate, that means we’re now step-brothers.”
Barrier grumbled before Daring approached and placed a wing on his back. “Hey, look on the bright side. Your sister ended up creating a lot of advanced construct spell techniques that are still being taught at magic schools to this day.”
“I suppose,” Barrier said as he placed a foreleg around her neck and pulled her closer. “Still, I just hate the idea of having another family member that I never got to see, let alone not knowing about their existence after all this time.”
“Well I’m pretty sure I can dig up a portrait of her from a museum or academy somewhere,” she said as she rubbed her wing across his back, her feathers gently brushing up against his short dark coat.
“Thank you, Daring.” He turned to face her, giving her cheek a quick kiss. “I truly appreciate this, dear.” He then turned to face Verdant. “Did you learn anything else about your family during your trip?”
“Yes I did, thankfully,” the grass colored pony replied as he shuffled through some of his remaining papers. “Thankfully, records of my sisters’ descendants managed to survive. One thing I learned is that Emerald Dawn ended up marrying Forge’s brother, Fireball.” A loud squee emanated from across the table before Forge dashed away from his chair and he wrapped Verdant in a tight hug.
“My best friend’s my brother-in-law!” the squeeing stallion exclaimed as he tightened his hold on his friend. “How fantastic!”
“Glad you’re so happy, Forge,” the verdant pony wheezed as he was slowly turning blue. “Now, if you could please let me go.”
“Sorry.” Forge released his grip as a blush dashed across his face and scratched the back of his mane. “Well, at any rate, are there any other finds from your search?”
“Yes,” Verdant answered between deep breaths of air before he glanced back at the papers. “I found a few modern relatives that I may try to get in contact with.” He then shuffled through the stack of papers and glanced at a long list of names. “There’s Baron Greenback in Trottingham, there’s Olive Quiver in Detrot, there’s Beanstalk right here in Vanhoover, there’s Treehugger in…” Verdant paused as Barrier rose from his seat. “Sir, where are you going?”
“I’m heading for my liquor cabinet,” Barrier replied without looking at the ponies at the table. “I need something to get rid of the mental image of my mother and your father…” He bristled at the thought before shaking his head and leaving the room. I pray I don’t have any weird dreams I have to explain to Luna after this.
“How do you think I feel about this?” Verdant called out to the departed stallion. “Now I have the image of my father with somepony willing to kiss Hat Trick!”
“Hey!” Winter Gem and Hat Trick shouted back, drawing laughs from Forge and Swiftsword, along with a smirk from Barrier.
Barrier and Daring groggily trudged down the halls of the manor, their minds on auto-pilot as they slowly made their way to the smell of hay bacon, hash browns, muffins and fresh coffee. Barrier could barely see as he sat down at the table, spotting only a green blur at the stove in the early morning light.
“Good morning, sir.” The blob seemed to look back at the bleary eyed unicorn. “I should have breakfast ready for everypony soon.” Barrier could only grumble in response before the talkative shape placed a mug in front of him. The mug rose in a wobbly blue aura as Barrier lifted it upward and chugged the dark brew down, restoring his vision and fully bringing him back to the waking world.
“You’re lucky I’ve started putting ice cubes in your coffee out of habit, Barrier,” Verdant replied without looking back before he grabbed a spatula and started to flip the faux-meat products in the pan.
“Verdant, if I could handle an angry dragon in my cadet days, I can handle some piping hot coffee first thing in the morning.” Barrier’s reply drew a chuckle from Daring in between sips of her morning brew.
“I’m pretty sure I recall something a bit different the first time you had the kid make coffee for us, dear.” She smirked as the younger stallion started to place plates of food around the large table. “Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you tell me the angry dragon was drunk when you dealt with it?”
Barrier could only grumble as the other residents started to pour into the kitchen and dig into their meals.
A few minutes passed in relative silence before Barrier felt a magical tingle in the air only a moment before a package appeared in the air above the table. Snagging the parcel in his magic before it could fall, Barrier brought it close to him and saw a folded up letter attached to the top of it. Pulling the letter away and unfurling it, Barrier began to read aloud.
“Dear Magic Barrier, I was sorting through some things and found a collection of medals that, upon your banishment with Luna, came into my belonging, along with a spare dress uniform. I decided that it would be better for you to have them rather than simply letting them sit in my study and collect dust. I believe these will look rather nice on you, even if you need to get the uniform refitted. I hope you enjoy these, signed Princess Celestia.” Letting out a sigh, he then folded up the letter before placing it and the package on the floor next to the table and resuming his breakfast.
“So,” Daring started as she grabbed a muffin from the table. “Do you plan on going to the gala?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure, Daring,” Barrier replied as he set his fork down. “It was something rather dull for me, though I mostly was just there on guard duty or as a military representative rather than as a guest.” He then placed a hoof to his chin in thought. “I think the last time I was there as a guest, I was… twelve, I think.”
“Hmm,” Daring hummed before taking a bite of her muffin. “How ‘bout the rest of you?” the lounging mare said before tossing the rest of the muffin back and swallowing the baked good.
“I certainly intend to,” Swiftsword answered as she raised a napkin and wiped her lip. “This grand gala will be a grand opportunity to establish that the last of the Falchions has returned to the nobility. Once word of my house’s return has spread amongst them, I will most certainly have an easier time restoring my family’s standing and influence.”
“I think the gala will be fairly romantic,” Winter Gem piped up as she poured some more strips of hay bacon onto her plate. “Forge, do you plan on coming to the gala with Snow Sweeper?” she asked of the blue stallion across from her who scratched the back of his neck before replying.
“I’ll ask him, but I’m not sure if he’d be too interested,” he said as he rose from his seat and opened the fridge. “He may consider it a bit too fancy. Still, I’ll give it a shot.”
“It’ll be interesting to see,” Hat Trick chipped in while Forge returned to the table with a glass of orange juice.
“I’ll tag along, maybe give my plus one ticket to a friend,” Verdant said before rising from the table. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some tomatoes and geraniums to check on.”
“Would you like to go to the gala, Daring?” Barrier asked before igniting his horn, levitating his plate over to the sink. Daring tapped her chin in thought.
“Yeah, I think I would, but would you mind doing something with your mane?” She pointed a hoof at Barrier’s two-toned mane. “It’s pretty long and kinda messy looking, so it would look out of place at a formal event.”
Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he ran a hoof through the blue locks and gazed at his reflection in their toaster. “Alright, I’ll get it cut, but I don’t know much about what’s considered a good masculine hairstyle these days.”
“If I may make a suggestion, sir,” Swiftsword spoke up, drawing Barrier’s eye. “I believe you should come with me to Ponyville today. I promised Rarity that I would seek her aid for my gala attire. I have no doubt that with her knowledge of modern fashion, she would not only be able to help you find a suitable cut for your mane, but refit your dress uniform to better fit you.”
“Well it beats reading library books or losing at Candyland again,” Barrier replied as he rose from his seat. “When do you want to get on that death trap?”
“I will simply need a moment to gather my saddlebags and bits, then I will be ready to depart.” Swift turned and glared at Daring. “I have already hidden my sword away so none will lay a hoof on it while I am in Ponyville.” Daring simply rolled her eyes at the noblemare’s words.
“At least you’re not lugging it around in public anymore,” Daring said before she picked up her plate and added it to the collection in the sink.
“That is what the dagger in my mane is for,” Swiftsword replied with a wry smirk before her horn lit up and took out a small blade from behind her head. “A Falchion goes nowhere unarmed,” she declared before she placed the dagger behind her head once more and made her way to the stairs, drawing a sigh from the professor.
***
A few hours had passed since Barrier and Swiftsword had departed Vanhoover, the former keeping his eyes on the scenery in the distance as much as possible.
“Captain Barrier,” Swiftsword spoke up nervously, not drawing her eyes away from the window.
“No need to call me captain, Swiftsword,” Barrier replied as he watched many fields and trees pass by. “What's on your mind?” he inquired before he raised up a bottle of water he had purchased on the trip.
Swiftsword took a deep and steadying breath, only to pause for a moment and then say nothing. She remained this way until Barrier took a swig of his water. “Would you be willing to sire my foals?” Her question caused Barrier give a violent spit take. He coughed as water dripped from his mouth and nose.
“W-what?!” he sputtered out as he saw that Swiftsword was trying to suppress a giggle. “What is so funny, Swiftsword?”
“Forgive me, but it appears Hat Trick was right about holding off asking until you were drinking something,” she answered as a small smile graced her features. “It has helped me feel somewhat more at ease.”
“Yes, very funny.” Barrier gave her a flat look, “But back to the business at hoof. Why in Faust’s name would you ask me to sire your children, Swiftsword?”
Swiftsword once more took a deep breath before looking Barrier in the eye. “You more than once stressed the importance of having a back-up plan for if the initial one fails. If I find myself unable to find a worthy noble stallion to continue my bloodline with, I ask if you would be willing to help me continue it.”
“I can somewhat understand what you want,” Barrier said as he rose from his seat and drew closer to her, “But why would you ask me to be the one to sire your foals?”
“There are several reasons, sir.” Swiftsword straightened her stance. “First is that you come from a noble family.”
“A minor nobility, Swift. My father was only a baron,” Barrier retorted before he took a seat next to her.
“That is good enough for me, sir.” Swift turned to face Barrier before she continued. “The second is you are a stallion who is strong in both body and magic, which would likely lead to stronger foals.”
“I can see your logic there,” he said as he scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not 100% sure if that’s how it works according to modern science, though.”
“At any rate, my third reason is…” Swift closed her eyes before she took a deep breath. With a sad sigh, she then finished, “Having you sire my foals would be the closest I could have to keeping my promise to Radiant.”
“Promise?” Barrier’s head tilted as his thoughts started to drift towards his long departed brother. “What promise are you talking about?”
“I made a vow to dear Radiant not long before we departed for the Crystal Empire.” She turned away from the dark stallion, her eyes focused on the plains that rolled by. “I promised him that after I returned from the empire, I would finally and happily join his herd to officially unite our two houses. I would hold him and Ocean Sunset close to my heart for the rest of my life.” Swiftsword sniffled as she continued to speak. “That I would love and raise Sparkle as my own… that he and I would join our bloodlines by bringing new Falchions into the world together.” Barrier spotted a single tear rolling down her cheek and he gently placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“I…” he paused for an instant, not entirely sure what to say. “I didn’t know… That you felt so strongly towards them, Swiftsword.” he then pulled closer to Swiftsword. “I knew you were with them often when you had a day off, but I never knew you were that close. I thought you were going along with it because our fathers’ arranged it.”
“Nay.” Swiftsword’s voice nearly cracked as she shook her head. “I did not know them well at first, but our bond quickly blossomed together.” Barrier saw a sad smile cross her features as the unicorn mare began to reminisce. “Sparkle was a kind and adorable filly who was always awestruck when I would teach her in the ways of combative sorcery and swordplay. Ocean Sunset... my word, she was a beautiful mare. Strong, affectionate, tender, wise. She was a grand mare. I doubt any pony couldn’t fall for her. And Radiant...” Swiftsword happily sighed as she continued to stare out the glass pane before her. “Radiant Spell was a caring stallion, who would do anything he could to help those he cared for. Handsome, sweet, charming, wonderful with children, strong…” Barrier noticed one more tear fall from Swiftsword’s cheek. “I loved them all, Barrier.” She whispered as she shook.
“As did I, Swiftsword,” Barrier whispered back as he slowly pulled Swiftsword into a soft hug. “As did I.”
Several moments passed as they sat there. After a some time had passed, the two returned to their original seats, sitting in silence for several moments longer. Eventually, Barrier broke the silence around them.
“Swiftsword… I’ll need to talk with Daring about this,” he said, drawing Swiftsword’s eyes back to him. “I think she’d be okay since I donated to help the thestrals, but I’d like to make absolutely certain.” Barrier then felt Swiftsword had dashed across the cabin and wrapped her forelegs around his neck.
“Thank you, sir.” she said as she squeezed him tightly before pulling away. “Still, I doubt it will come to that. I find it unlikely that I won’t find a worthy stallion to continue my bloodline.”
“Well here’s to hoping, Swiftsword. Best of luck with that.” He glanced out the window. “Well, looks like Ponyville’s coming up. Hopefully this won’t take more than a day.”
Swiftsword tittered as she rose from her seat. “Judging by the work she managed to pull off with only scraps in the empire for Empress Cadance, I’m certain she’ll work wonders for us.”
“We’ll see, Swiftsword.” Barrier slipped out of his seat as well, following Swiftsword towards the exit. “We’ll see.”
“So this is Rarity’s place of business?” Swiftsword inquired as she cantered towards the tall building before her, taking in the sight of the blue, purple and gold structure.
“Yep. This is Carousel Boutique.” Barrier stepped ahead of Swiftsword with his horn aglow. Turning the knob and opening the door with his magic. The bells jingled as the two entered the boutique.
“Hello and welcome to Carousel Boutique,” A voice called from behind a corner, from which an alabaster unicorn emerged. “Where everything is…” Pausing at the sight blue mare of the before her, she halted her slogan. “Ah, Swiftsword. You’re right on time, darling.” Her eyes then moved to the charcoal unicorn beside her. “And Barrier, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
“Well Rarity, besides Swiftsword needing you to make her outfit for when she goes to the gala,” Barrier’s horn lit once more as he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out the parcel containing the dress uniform and placed it before her. “I need to have a dress uniform refitted for me.”
“Well that shouldn’t be too much of problem, Barrier.” Rarity’s smiled as her horn glowed while Barrier’s dimmed. From the back, a set of red glasses, measuring tape, a notepad and quill floated over to the marshmallowy mare while the parcel was quickly and cleanly opened. With the red and gold-cuffed and collared uniform soon extracted and placed on a ponyquin, Rarity guided Barrier up onto a platform before a trio of mirrors.
“Are there any other alterations you would like me to make to that uniform besides the refitting?” Rarity moved all around Barrier, taking measurements and furiously taking notes.
Barrier paused for a moment to think. “Think maybe you could dye it? I don’t believe those colors would look that great on me.”
“Certainly, Barrier,” Rarity said as took more notes. “How about… dark blue with silver cuffs, a dark violet belt and a crimson sash?”
“That sounds more like it.” Barrier smiled before another thought came to his mind. “By the way, do you know any place where I could get a mane cut?” he inquired while trying to remain still, despite how oddly ticklish the measuring tape was. “Some of my housemates and I are starting to think I’ve let it get a little too long.”
“Not a problem. I’m certain Groomsby will be able to take care of that.” Rarity then tore away the note on her pad and placed it on the ponyquin before turning to Swiftsword and ushering her to the mirrors. “Now darling, what pray tell would you like in your gala outfit?”
Swiftsword hummed while taking Barrier’s place before the mirrors. As she stepped up and Barrier stepped down, Rarity brought a sketch pad and several colored pencils up to her. “I would like an outfit that is fairly tight. I don’t want any loose bits that could easily get caught on something should a fight break out.”
“Swiftsword, how likely do you really think that is?” Rarity’s eyebrow slowly rose as she looked away from her sketchpad.
“I admit I am uncertain, but I have seen more than one duel break out between nobles at events such as these, so I wish to be prepared,” Swift replied while Rarity’s measuring tape started to snake its way around her.
“Alright then.” Rarity jotted down some notes before looking Swift in the eye. “Anything else?”
“Well, I would also like it to be fairly durable, but without being too constictING!” The blue mare squealed as the tape rubbed tightly against her rear.
“Sorry about that,” Rarity said as moved the tape to take measurements of Swiftsword’s long, toned legs. “Now, is there anything you’d like specifically when it comes to the aesthetics of this outfit?”
“Perhaps a mix of modern and classical style would ideal.” The blue unicorn bristled as the tape slid across her shoulders. “Oh, and an easily removable blue cape would be essential to me.”
Rarity furiously took notes while making a few scribbles on her sketchpad. “Out of curiosity, is there any particular reason for a blue cape?”
“Tis quite simple,” Swift replied as she stepped off the platform to face the snowy unicorn. “I am uncertain how nobles of this era dress, but in our time, during many events such as galas, nobles would wear different colored capes to denote their rank. Barons and baronesses would wear white while viscounts and viscountesses such as myself would have blue.”
“Really?” Rarity looked up from the sketchpad before quickly writing a side note on another scrap of paper. “Interesting. What were the colors worn by the upper ranks?”
“I seem to recall,” Swiftsword ran a hoof through her mane as she began to recall, her hoof making a clank upon reaching the hidden dagger, “Earls, counts and countesses wearing green capes, yellow was for marquises and marchionesses, red was for dukes and duchesses and lastly, grand dukes and duchesses would be garbed in purple capes. This allowed ponies to quickly realize their position in many a discussion and dealing in these situations.”
“I guess this makes sense.” Rarity spoke up while she continued to sketch away a design concept. “This would explain why Mars so often wore one in the Flame Crest books.”
“That reminds me, I need to start reading those tomes.” Swiftsword made her way around to Rarity’s side. “I have my doubts of their accuracy due to referring to me as the Maiden of Blades.”
“Rarity,” Barrier chipped in, hoping to prevent having to hear something he’d find awkward, “Could you please show me where I could find this Groomsby that you mentioned before?”
“No problem, Barrier. I needed to pick up some shampoo anyway. Once I finish this concept sketch, we’ll—” Rarity was interrupted by the sound of the front door being slammed open, which was quickly followed by a pink blur that bolted up to Swiftsword’s face.
“Hi there, Swiftsword!” the bouncing mare happily exclaimed as she danced around the startled viscountess. “I knew I sensed somepony visiting Ponyville for the first time! I’ll need to throw you a welcome to Ponyville party ASAP. When’s your birthday? What’s your favorite kind of cake? I wanna throw you a super duper ‘Welcome to Ponyville for the First Time’ Party’, so I just gotta know that!” Pinkie quickly spat out before she finally stopped bouncing around Swiftsword and settled for bouncing in front of her, smiling sweetly as she awaited an answer.
“What?” Swiftsword was baffled by the pink pony hopping in front of her, requiring a moment to gather her thoughts. “Well my birthday’s on the twentieth of April. As for favorite cake… I suppose that it would be angel food cake with vanilla cream and strawberries?”
“Alrighty, now I know what to do for you!” Pinkie giggled before turning around to face her charcoal companion. “Nice to see you again, Barrier.”
“Likewise, Pinkie,” Barrier flatly replied as his horn started to glow, a flask levitating out of his bags.
“Say,” Pinkie stared close at the flask, like a cat spotting a plump mouse. “Can I have a sip of that? I wanna know what it tastes like.”
“Sure,” Barrier brought the flask closer to the mare that now sported a grin that stretched across her face like taffy. “Just remember to leave some for me. I feel like I’m gonna need it.”
Pinkie happily took the flask and took a few quick swigs of the brew. She savored the rich flavor before giving a large swallow. “Hmm… Not bad. It’d be pretty good in a rum cake. It doesn’t seem to have the burn you usually expect, but things like that have felt a bit weaker for me ever since that... Pepper.” She bitterly spat the last word.
“You’ll get over it,” Barrier replied before taking a swig of his own. Great. Now I’ve got cake and candy flavored backwash.
“Anywho,” Pinkie sauntered up to Barrier and placed a foreleg over his shoulder. “I’m gonna take you to Groomsby’s while those two work on what her outfit’s gonna be.”
“Pinkie,” Barrier started, his eyebrow rising as the living lump of cotton candy started to lead him towards the door, “How did you hear us talking about that?”
“Duh, I have ears.” She pointed with her free foreleg to her ears as they wiggled like gelatin. “Now c’mon! I’ll get you there and back with a new haircut faster than you can say ‘Cut to next scene’!”
***
“Thanks again for the haircut, Groomsby!” Barrier looked over his shoulder as he headed out the door, his mane now much shorter in the back and looking much straighter. “If I need a haircut again and happen to be in Ponyville, I’ll be sure to stop by again.”
“See, Barrier?” Pinkie darted in front of the tall unicorn, hopping backwards as they continued on. “Nice looking cut and super quickly done.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” Barrier ran a hoof through his trimmed locks, knocking away a few loose strands. If you hadn’t spent the entirety of it bombarding me with the damned questions about birthdays and desserts, it might have been relaxing… Though I should probably ask the kids when their birthdays are.
“Are you looking forward to the gala?” Pinkie asked as she backflipped over a mare she nearly bumped into, “It’s gonna be the best party ever!”
A snort escaped the unicorn as the mares words reached him. “It’s never really been at the top of my list of favorites functions to attend. If I’m being honest, I don’t think you’ll care for it much either, Pinkie.” Barrier’s remark made the happy mare pause in confusion and mid-air.
“What do you mean, Barry?” Her head tilted as she settled onto the ground. “Isn’t it the biggest party of the year?”
“Depending on your definition of party.” He trotted on, Pinkie following at his left, “You have to understand, it’s a formal party. It’ll have a lot of things like chatting with narcissistic nobles and politicians, fine wines and hors d’oeuvres, those sorts of… wonderful things.”
“But there will be dancing and a music, right?” Pinkie’s eyes seemed to swell as she pleaded, her mane becoming somewhat deflated.
“There will be, but it’ll probably be more fancy stuff like waltzes and the sort,” Barrier’s words turned her frown upside down and her mane became poofier once more.
“Alrighty!” Pinkie merrily hopped up into the air, leaping over a trio of fillies riding by in a wagon pulled by a scooter. “If they’ve got that stuff, I can definitely improvise.”
“Well I suppose one of us has to look forward to it.” The two finally reached the door of Carousel Boutique once more. “Hopefully you’ll have a good time there.”
“I know it’s going to be just the best night ever, Barrier.” The young mare then pulled the stallion into a bone-crushing hug. Releasing her grip on him before anything could break, Pinkie started to head off. “See you around, Barry! I’ve got to take care of some things for Mrs. Cake, and then plan things for Gummy’s birthday. Later!” Pinkie then dashed off at a speed Barrier had only seen from some very athletic pegasi before.
With a sigh and roll of his eyes, Barrier pushed open the front door of the shop, vaguely aware of the aching ribs the pink terror had left him with.
“-as many a mare would have tried the same thing, Rarity.” He heard Swiftsword sadly say from in front of the mirrors. “I am sorry to say that your plans for the gala… may likely fail.”
“I.. appreciate your honesty, Swiftsword.” Rarity appeared somewhat crestfallen as she lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Still, I do intend to try, no matter what.”
“I wish you the best, my friend.” Swift looked into the mirror, spotting her approaching housemate and giving him a nod. “I intend to find a suitor there as well, so perhaps fortune shall smile upon us. Is that not right, Barrier?” Rarity quickly turned at the mention of Barrier’s name, doing what she could to compose herself; she didn’t notice Barrier’s slight eye twitch at Swift’s mention of suitor, his mind briefly flashing back to their discussion on the train.
“Ah, good to see you, Barrier.” Rarity set down her fabric samples and sketch pad as she drew closer to him, examining him very closely. “I must say, your mane looks much better now.”
Barrier nodded his appreciation at her compliment before his eyes fell upon Swiftsword once more. She was covered in a variety of blue materials covering her coat. “How goes the outfit making?”
“Better than I expected, Sir,” Swiftsword replied as Rarity came back to her side. “She managed to craft a fantastic design in a matter of minutes. We had just finished trying a multitude of materials for my attire.”
“You’ll both be happy to know that I should have Swiftsword’s outfit done fairly early tomorrow.” Rarity’s horn glowed as took the samples of cloth off the noble mare and set them aside. “And refitting and dyeing your dress uniform shouldn’t take very long at all after that.”
“Excellent,” Barrier grinned as his former cadet drew closer and he turned towards the door, “We’ll find a hotel to spend the night in, pick those things up in the morning then head back to Vanhoover.”
“Before you head out,” Rarity spoke up, stopping the two in their tracks. “There’s something I’d like to ask you two about.”
“And that would be?” Swift’s eyebrow rose cautiously.
“Pinkie Pie’s birthday is coming up soon and she’s been working rather hard to throw fantastic birthday parties for everypony else.” The snow-colored unicorn walked over to the pair, her magic setting her glasses on a small table. “I was wondering if you would be willing to help us throw a party for her.”
Barrier swallowed nervously at the thought of spending any period of time around the mare.
“I will be certain to be there, Rarity.” Swiftsword gave the marshmallow mare a soft smile. “She threw a grand party to help welcome us to our home. Would it be alright if I brought my friends along to this?”
“But of course!” Rarity responded ecstatically. “I’m certain Pinkie herself would say, ‘The more, the merrier’.”
“I’m not sure about myself, though,” Barrier interjected, drawing the pair’s attention. “I’m not really the fondest of partying and that sort. In addition to that, I’ve been thinking about finding a job in Vanhoover. If I’m being honest, it’s fairly boring when all you do all day is read books, exercise, or get beaten at board games.”
“Very well, Barrier.” Rarity drew closer before gently patting Barrier on the cheek with a knowing smile. “I’m certain Pinkie would understand if you can’t come because of work or… another reason.”
“Well, thank you for everything, Rarity.” Swift cantered towards the shop’s door, opening it wide. “We must be going for now. I would like to have a hotel room ready for us before dinner time rolls around.” Swift and Barrier trotted out, leaving Rarity by the threshold.
“It was good seeing you again, you two.” Rarity waved at the two of them, who kindly returned the wave. “And be sure to stop by Sugarcube Corner for the party Pinkie’s setting up for you.”
Barrier sighed and brought a hoof to his forehead.
“Faust and Zacherle above, that mare will drive me to an early grave...”
After making their way to Sugarcube Corner for the party Pinkie threw, which resulted in the pair feeling like they ate twice their body weight in sweets, Barrier and Swiftsword managed to hobble over to an inn, where they were able to enjoy a fairly peaceful night’s rest, save for the slight stomach aches.
Barrier groaned as the early morning light struck his eyes. After a few moments of tossing and turning, he finally managed to toss the blanket off of himself and blearily glanced around the room.
Strangely, despite sharing a room with Swiftsword, there was nearly no sign that the blue mare had ever been there. Her bed was perfectly made, and even the chocolates that the hotel provided were back in their proper spots on the pillows. The only thing to indicate that anypony else was there was the freshly brewed pot of coffee that was only partially full.
Concerned for his missing friend, Barrier slid out of the bed and lit his horn to grab the pot and a styrofoam cup. After several attempts that ended with coffee spilling on the rug, the unicorn smiled at successfully filling the cup with the dark drink.
The charcoal stallion took several big sips of the hot brew, careful not to burn his tongue as wakefulness slowly came back to him.
Feeling refreshed after the coffee and giving a few stretches, Barrier looked towards the hotel room door, where he spotted a wall-mounted clock; the hands showing it was a little past five thirty in the morning.
Recalling Rarity’s words about when their clothes would be ready, Barrier gave an annoyed groan before putting on his saddlebags and leaving the room.
Guess another thing Swift will have to learn about is what constitutes early morning for most ponies these days.
***
As Barrier trotted along through the early morning streets of Ponyville, he took in the serene quiet offered to him. This early in the morning, the only sounds he heard were the occasional chirp of a bird or the sounds of vendors setting up shop for the day.
Closing his eyes as he strolled through the street, two scents caught Barrier’s attention. The first was the fresh dew being applied to the grass by a small group of pegasi. The second scent, however was the familiar smell of smoke.
Eyes shooting open, Barrier felt a lump form in his throat as he saw the smoke coming from the ground level of Carousel Boutique.
The charcoal unicorn dashed towards the multi-tiered store, praying that he’d arrive before anypony would be hurt.
Drawing closer to the store from the side, Barrier dashed towards a window, his horn starting to glow as he ran.
With a flash, he teleported past the window, coming to a skidding halt next to some ponyquins.
“Rarity!” he bellowed out, “Swiftsword! Are you alright?!”
“Yes, Barrier,” an annoyed voice came from a back room. “Come on in. You’re not the first pony to come this early today.”
Tilting his head in confusion, Barrier came closer to the back room, where he entered Rarity’s rather purple kitchen.
“Is…” glancing about, Barrier could barely find anything amiss with the kitchen, save for the smokey scent which seemed to emanate throughout the room. His eyes soon fell upon the two mares sitting at a table. “Is everything alright?”
“Quite peachy,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “Swiftsword simply thought that a quarter past five would be early enough to come here and pick up your gala clothes, interrupting my well deserved beauty sleep.” She let out a huff, causing her sleeping mask to fall back onto her snout.
“My apologies, Rarity,” Swiftsword replied sheepishly, nudging the plate before her, causing the black and smoldering lumps on it to roll. “I am simply far too used to waking early. Before the empire, we were trained to be fully awake and in our armor before the sun rose.”
“And these days?” Rarity’s horn lit and moved the mask away, showing her raised eyebrow.
“These days before sunrise, I stretch, brush my mane, and then go and jog a lap around Vanhoover before eventually coming in for breakfast, possibly after getting a coffee from Al’s Diner.”
“That I can kinda understand, but I smelled smoke and saw it coming from here.” Barrier came closer to the table, looking for any signs of a fire.
“Again, that was my fault.” Swiftsword looked down and fiddled with her forelegs. “I wanted to apologize to Rarity for my faux pas by making breakfast for her… but…” A light crimson danced across her blue cheeks.
“But it would seem her cooking skills are just ever so slightly better than my little sister’s.” Rarity’s horn shimmered as a charred slab was brought up to her eye. “At least I can tell this was meant to be toast.”
“As you may be able to tell, I don’t have much cooking experience.” Swiftsword looked away, trying to hide her growing blush. “I’m far too used to having my meals prepared by others, such as my family’s servants, Verdant, or somepony at a restaurant.”
Rarity sighed as she set the burnt food back on her plate, where it soon crumbled to ash. “I suppose I could simply pour myself a bowl of cereal.” She went to rise from her seat but stopped when she noticed an odd look from Barrier. “Is something wrong, dear? Is there something on my face?”
“No, and that’s part of the problem.” Barrier leaned closer to get a better look of her face. “Did Swiftsword burn off your eyelashes?”
Rarity firmly planted a hoof against her face and groaned.
***
After a hearty breakfast and getting herself ready for the morning, Rarity was ready to apply the finishing touches to Swiftsword and Barrier’s clothes.
Swiftsword volunteered to try on her outfit first on account of it being the more complex of the two.
“Do you need in help in there, Swiftsword?” Rarity called out to the unicorn in the changing room.
“Nay, Rarity.” Swift replied from behind the door before it slowly creaked open. “Though I must say, you did a splendid job creating such a fine garment.” She trotted out and stepped in front of the mirror, taking in her appearance.
Swiftsword’s attire was a primarily a sturdy, midnight blue pleather bodysuit that ended in gray cuffs at her forelegs. Her hind legs had long, navy blue cuffed boots that stretched up to her thighs. Covering her chest was a cornflower blue silk vest with gold piping and tails that covered her rear. Lastly, on top was a cornflower blue cape that covered her from her back to her thighs, just above her boots.
“Do you like it?” Rarity inquired as Swiftsword moved and stretched in the clothes, practically standing on pins and needles.
“Most certainly!” Swift joyously hopped in place and turned to face the smaller mare. “Your work is simply splendid Rarity. You have my great thanks.”
“That’s wonderful to hear, Swiftsword.” Rarity looked past her happy customer to the charcoal unicorn behind her. “Barrier, would you please come on out?”
“Alright, I’m coming.” Barrier called out from the dressing room as he slowly pushed his way out.
Stepping up to the mirror, Barrier closely examined the reflection of his dress uniform. The jacket was now a deep blue while the cuffs were a fine silver. With the red sash on top, he gave a satisfied smile.
“Very nice, Rarity.” Barrier turned his head to try to get a reflection of the back. “You did pretty good in very little time.”
“Always good to have a satisfied customer.” A wide grin spread across the young mare’s face. “Now, to discuss your bill.”
“Not a problem, Rarity.” Swiftsword stepped forward while slowly disrobing. “I shall pay for both of our outfits.”
“You certain ‘bout that, Swift?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he started to take the uniform off. “You do recall what I said about my surplus of bits.”
“Of course, Captain.” Swift’s horn started to glow as she took a large sack out of her saddlebags. “However, my outfit no doubt was far more costly. Besides, I feel I owe this mare a great debt.” She levitated the sack across the room, gently laying it by Rarity’s hooves.
Giving the bag a light nudge with her hoof, Rarity gasped. “Swiftsword!” she exclaimed, “I can’t possibly accept this much! There’s got to be at least ten thousand bits in this bag!”
“Oh, of course!” Swiftsword gave herself a soft slap to the forehead. “What was I thinking?” Her horn then lit once more.
“Don’t worry, darling. My wages are…” Rarity was cut off as she heard a second sack of gold coins land at her hooves.
“There. I believe this should be most fair.” Swiftsword smiled happily while Rarity looked gobsmacked. Barrier choked back a laugh from the look on Rarity’s face.
“Swiftsword, I’m afraid you misunderstand,” Rarity replied as soon as she regained her composure, bringing the sacks up to the blue unicorn in her magic. “There’s no way I could accept such a grand amount of money for this.”
“Rarity...” Swiftsword drew closer to the white unicorn. “This amount is not simply to pay for our clothes. It’s also my way of apologizing for how I wronged you in the empire.” She gently pushed the levitating bags back towards Rarity.
“Darling, that’s water under a bridge that was crossed many miles ago.” Rarity nudged the bags back. “Besides, I know you didn’t really mean what you said in that ghastly sewer.”
“Oh I meant every word back then, Rarity. In my sleep deprived state, I honestly would have made good on my threat had Barrier not intervened.” Swift pushed the sacks once more as Rarity somehow became even paler looking.
“If I may make a suggestion, Rarity,” Barrier spoke up, starting to find their back and forth tedious. “I’d suggest you just take the money. Swiftsword is a very stubborn mare and I’d like to get back to Vanhoover some time today.”
After a moment of silence, Rarity let out a defeated sigh.
“Alright, Swiftsword. I’ll take your generous payment.” She placed the sacks on a small table as she drew closer. “But I swear the next time you ask me for a dress, it will be on the house.”
“Oh I sincerely doubt that,” Swiftsword said with a chortle. “While my current outfit may seem rather lacking, I do enjoy gold, jewels and the finer things in life just as much as the next noble.”
***
It was late afternoon when the two had finally arrived back in Vanhoover. By now the sun had begun to set in the western sky.
As the two strolled into the living room, they saw that Hat Trick, Winter Gem and Iron Forge were writing something on sheets of paper while Daring laid on the couch, recounting the tail end of one of her tales.
“-the Sapphire Stone away from Ahuizotl’s greedy mitts.” Looking up, she waved over to the unicorn pair. “Good to see you two are back.”
“Good to be back, Daring.” Barrier strolled up and gave the lounging pegasus a quick nuzzle. “So, what’s been going on while we were out?”
“Fleet’s taking Wind Whistler to look at the pier and these three are working on getting some resumes made.” Daring slid off the couch before giving a stretch. “As for Verdant, I think he said he’d be getting his gala clothes from Suits of Utter Perfection before getting ready to cook up some dinner for us.”
A small growl came from Winter Gem’s belly as the gathered ponies heard the door creaking open once more before Verdant’s voiced called out: “I’m home!”
“Well, well, well.” Barrier smirked as he strolled up to Daring’s side. “Looks like the kitchen will survive another day.” He gave the yellow mare a nudge with his elbow, causing her eyes to roll.
“I’ve made plenty of meals in the wild and survived on rations, Barrier.” Daring strolled past Barrier and into the kitchen, where Verdant was placing a pot in the sink. “I just prefer to have something a bit tastier.”
“Verdant, my friend!” Swiftsword called out as she came up to the table. “How did your suit search go?”
“Pretty well, Swift,” he replied without taking his eyes from the sink, filling the pot with water. “I found a very snazzy suit and bowtie combo. How ‘bout you?”
“Wonderfully. Rarity’s a grand seamstress who crafted a wonderful outfit for me.” Swiftsword smiled as her horn lit up, lifting her saddlebags into the air. “I’m about to head upstairs. Would you like me to take your bags up to your room?”
“Thanks for the offer, Swift; but I can do that in a bit.” Verdant looked over his shoulder as he turned off the water. “How about you, sir?” he asked before lifting the pot out with his forelegs and hobbling over to the stove.
“Rarity did a good job,” Barrier retorted as Swiftsword departed for the stairs. “At least now it fits and doesn’t clash with my coat.”
“Splendid, sir.” The green stallion turned the dial on the stove before cantering over to the table. “Anything else going on?”
Barrier took a seat before giving his chin a rub. “Now that you mention it, the others are working on resumes. How about you?”
“I got that taken care of yesterday.” Verdant smiled before reaching into his bag, pulling out a piece of paper. “Next I’ll see if Color Splash would be willing to copy this fairly cheaply.” He then slid the sheet over, where Barrier took it in his magic.
“Hmm… not bad,” he muttered as he read over the sheet, his eyebrow raising at something odd at the end. “Do you really think mentioning that poison joke shrinks you is something you need to mention?”
“I figure it would be a good idea to mention it, kinda like if I was allergic to something. Especially since I want a job related to flowers.” Verdant gave a shrug before hopping out his seat and going back to the stove. “Besides, you never know if somepony could find a use for a pony who can shrink down to pea-size.”
“Fair enough, I guess.” Barrier set the paper back on the table as Forge and the others from the living room came into the kitchen. As the trio approached, Barrier noticed something seemed off about one of them. “Did you do something with your mane, Hat Trick?”
“I did, actually,” the purple stallion happily answered as he turned his head to the side, revealing the back of his mane, that once freely fell by his shoulders, was now done up in a short ponytail.
Barrier gave a nod as Swiftsword came back down stairs. “So I take it you all plan on doing some job hunting soon?”
“Sure do.” Verdant looked over his shoulder before grabbing a jar of dry pasta and setting it next to the stove. “Things are pretty nice, but I feel like I should probably do something other than just cook our meals and whatnot, y’know?.”
“Yeah, and I figure job hunting’s more productive than hobby hunting,” Winter Gem added from her seat across from the blue mare. “How about you, Swiftsword? Any career plans?”
The question had caught Swift off guard. After an instant of surprise and careful contemplation of her words, she replied, “Hmm… I am uncertain if I am acclimated enough to properly serve the guard of this era.”
“Maybe you could try to apply for a part time job?” Forge climbed out of his chair before trotting over to a cupboard. “A career that has you interact with the common folk may help you be a better guard.”
“A good idea, Forge.” Swiftsword and the stallion shared a brief smile. “I shall attempt to make a resume after dinner.”
“Speaking of dinner,” Winter Gem looked over her shoulder to Verdant. “When’s it gonna be ready?”
“After the burners are hot enough to get the water boiling,” Verdant replied with a slight hint of annoyance. “And even then, I still have to cook the pasta, the shrimp, and prepare the sauce for this.”
“I’m sure it will be great once it’s ready, Verdant,” Forge said as he returned to the table with a glass of water which he raised into the air. “Here’s to a hopefully successful job hunt.”
“Hear hear!” the younger ponies said at once before starting various conversations amongst themselves. Leaving Barrier alone with his thoughts.
I should probably try to find a job as well… Question is though… what will it be?
Barrier gave a tired sigh as he leaned against the front of a bookshelf. His eyes stayed forward as he did the only thing he could think of to pass the time while he contemplated; tossing a small red ball against the far wall of the manor’s library.
What could I do for a career? I’ve done pretty much nothing but serve as a guard for most of my life. Can I really do anything else?
With a quick flash of his horn, Barrier raised a sheet of paper that was at his side up to his face, swatting the ball back to the far wall with little effort.
Magic Barrier
Former captain in the Equestrian royal guard, twenty-one years of service.
Advanced combat training. Adept magic user. Above average physical strength for a unicorn stallion.
References: Captain Shining Armor in Canterlot, Princess Celestia in Canterlot, Princess Luna in Canterlot, Empress Cadance in the Crystal Empire, Applejack in Ponyville.
Sighing once more, he set the paper down before swatting at the ball again.
Should I rejoin the guard? he pondered as he scratched his chin with one hoof, smacking the ball once more with the other. Probably not. After all I’ve seen and done, after finally getting something peaceful, I don’t think the guard would be the best choice for me or anyone else.
Barrier rose up and stretched, feeling the ball sticking itself on his horn with a final bounce before he left the room and made his way to the kitchen with a mild groan.
Reaching the kitchen, he found Fleetfeather boredly scratching away at a piece of paper before setting her quill into the inkwell. “Afternoon, Barri…” She paused, tilting her head at the sight of the bright red piece of rubber upon her friend’s head.
“It’s my thinking ball,” Barrier answered flatly as he drew closer, causing the cycloptic mare to press a hoof to her mouth and snicker for a moment before regaining her composure. “How’s the resume writing going?”
“Thankfully, there’s not much to put on it. Served in the guard off and on for nearly twenty years, trained in combative flight and weather manipulation, etcetera.” Fleet rose from her seat and trotted over to the cupboard. “I believe this should be more than enough for the day shift in the weather works.”
“I figure you’ll be fine, Fleet.” Barrier took a seat at the table before Fleetfeather returned with a small box of raisins. “Fleetfeather,” he said in a questioning tone, the barest hint of uncertainty in his voice. “Have you thought about… rejoining the guard?”
A moment of silence passed as she considered the stallion’s words. Setting the box down and sighing, she gave her answer.
“Nay, Barrier. After…” She shakily raised a foreleg and placed it upon her eyepatch. “I just can’t do that anymore… I just…” her voice fell silent as she felt a comforting hoof placed upon her unoccupied foreleg.
“It’s okay, Fleet.” Barrier gave her a soft, reassuring smile that was soon met with one of her own. “I was just curious. Besides, I don’t really plan on getting back into that line of work either. I’m fairly certain that we’ve both fought long and hard enough to enjoy a peaceful life these days.”
“Well said, Barrier.” Fleet offered some of her raisins to him, which he declined with a wave. “Still, that does raise the question of what you do wish to have for a career now.”
“I wouldn’t really worry about it, Fleet.” Barrier casually shrugged before batting at the orb on his horn. “I’ll probably find something that’ll let me make good use of my skills somewhere around here.”
“Well I wish you the best of l-” Fleet was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.
“I’m home!” Verdant’s annoyed voice echoed before he came into the kitchen.
“Bit surprised to see you home this early.” Barrier hopped out of his chair, briefly seeing what looked like a bit of dark brown soot along Verdant’s neck. “Those classes of yours usually take longer than this.”
Verdant sighed as he trotted over to cupboards and fetched a glass. “I’ll tell you later when everypony’s back. I need to have a house meeting later.”
“Is it something serious, Verdant?” Fleetfeather then spotted the soot and quickly dashed to Verdant’s side. “Is somepony hurt?” she asked as she looked closely at his neck, finding no sign of injury.
“Thankfully no, Ma’am,” Verdant answered as he held the glass underneath the faucet and turned on the water. “Though there’s something I need to ask that will require all of us. Wind Whistler included.”
“Well the others shouldn’t be too much longer before they get back,” Barrier said as he came closer to Verdant. “And Wind Whistler should be let out of school in a couple of hours. You may want to take a shower before then.” He then gave the young stallion a light jab in the neck. “What is that stuff anyway?”
Verdant’s eyebrow climbed as he looked towards the back off his neck, spotting the strange substance. “Oh! That’s just some chocolate powder from class.” He turned back, moving past the two older ponies. “I’ll take the shower right after my drink. See you in a bit.”
As the two watched him go to the stairs, Fleetfeather scratched her chin in curiosity. “What do you think that colt’s up to?”
“No idea, Fleet,” Barrier replied with a shake of his head. “But something tells me it’s kitchen related.”
***
After some time had passed, Fleetfeather flew off to meet with Wind Whistler at school. A few minutes after her departure, Hat Trick and Winter Gem returned, followed by Iron Forge and Swiftsword.
Along with Daring, the group had gathered together at their regular meeting place; the kitchen table.
“So,” Daring started before taking a bite out of her sandwich. “how’d the job hunt go for you guys?”
“Not so well on my end, I’m afraid,” Forge answered dejectedly. “Not too many smithing places in town, and I’m not sure if they’d consider me, ‘experienced enough’.”
“Balderdash, Forge.” Swiftsword leaned over and patted her friend on the back. “I’m certain that they will consider themselves lucky to have a smith of your caliber under their employ.”
“Thank you, Swiftsword.” A small smile formed on Forge’s face. “And what of you? How did your search go?”
Swiftsword sported a wider grin before she spoke up. “You are now speaking to the newest waitress of Delicious Dining Delights & Deli. I shall start on Monday.”
“Congrats there, Swift,” Hatty said from beside her. “Hope it works out for you.”
“And what of you and Winter Gem?” Swiftsword tilted her head as she gave the pair a glance. “How did your search go?”
“Well...” Winter Gem scratched the back of her head. “I asked Belmont if he’d let me work on his farm. He said he’d gladly take me. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to get used to harvesting apples again.”
“Good to hear you girls had better searches than us.” Hatty sighed as he laid his chin on the table. “I couldn’t really find any jobs that suit my skills that well that don’t involve working in weather, and it looks like I lost one of my damn resumes.”
“Oh no, you didn’t,” Verdant spoke through a mouth full of pear before swallowing. “I stole one.”
“What?” Hatty quickly moved from his seat and stood up, his forelegs raising him on the edge of the table as he stared at the green pony munching on the verdant fruit. “Care to explain why you would do that?”
“To give it to Fiesta Flair in class,” Verdant replied as he halted eating his snack. “She runs a local party planning business, which includes decorations, catering and entertainment.” He emphasized as he looked Hat Trick in the eye as the purple pegasus’ mouth hung agape. “I figured she’d be a good mare to give it to.”
“Oh…” Hat Trick backed down into his seat. “Thank you, Verdant. I didn’t know.”
“Oh, don’t thank me yet,” Verdant said before biting into the pear one last time and tossing the core into a trash can. “She said she’d like you to give her a performance some time next week and that you’d better bring your A-game.”
“Got it.” The purple stallion’s tail wagged and a smile formed across his face. “I’ll give her a show she won’t forget.”
Just as Winter Gem reached over to pat Hat Trick on the back, the front door creaked open, with Wind Whistler and Fleetfeather joining the group soon afterwards.
“Hi everypony!” The small filly ran across room and leapt onto a chair. She tried to hop on to the table towards Barrier, but was held firmly in place by his magic.
“Behave, my dear,” Fleetfeather softly said as she joined the rest at the table. “Now Verdant, you said something about a house meeting?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you.” Verdant nodded before taking a breath. “I found out during today’s cooking class that there’s soon gonna be a bake sale to raise money for the hospital in a couple days.”
“Verdant.” Barrier leaned a bit closer to the younger stallion. “You know we’d be willing to help you, but I worry that some of us would end up setting the kitchen on fire if we tried.”
“That’s not what I was going to ask, sir,” Verdant replied after rolling his eyes. “I remember the souffle incident.”
“And we heard about what happened at Rarity’s place,” Winter Gem added with a giggle, causing the blue unicorn mare to glare at her. “So I know Forge and I aren’t the only bad cooks here.”
“At any rate,” Verdant continued, “a friend of mine from class had their oven die on them and I’d like to know if she could come over to bake some cookies for the sale.”
“Can we have some of the cookies?” Wind Whistler happily hopped in her seat, drawing a small chuckle from Fleetfeather.
“I figure it should be okay.” Barrier shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t really see why you’d really need to ask us to bring your friend over.”
“Well here’s the thing…” Verdant nervously scratched his neck, a bead of sweat ran down his face. “The one I’m asking about… is Erica.”
The green pony’s words drew shocked looks from all the soldiers save for Barrier. Iron Forge’s gaze then hardened into a glare.
“She’s that griffin from your cooking class, right?” Barrier inquired, his question drew a gasp from Wind Whistler who then clung to her mother’s side.
“Yes.” Verdant nodded, causing the filly to shake and tighten her grip. “She told me about having oven issues earlier and I told her I’d check with you to make sure it would be okay for her to bake here.”
“Absolutely not!” Forge exclaimed as he slammed his forelegs onto the table. “What made you think we’d ever let a griffin into this house?!”
“Forge!” Barrier barked at the blue stallion in his ‘captain’ tone. “Sit down.”
The younger pony obeyed while keeping his eyes focused on the green stallion.
“Now, Verdant.” Barrier turned his attention to the stallion in question. “From what I saw, Erica seemed safe to me, but could you please say some things to reassure the others here?”
“Yes, sir.” Verdant nodded before he took a deep breath. “Erica is a very nice hen who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“She’d probably eat it, along with any pony nearby.” Forge muttered, making Verdant meet his hard gaze with one of his own.
“How long have you known her?” Hat Trick asked as he draped a wing over Winter Gem’s back.
“I’d say about…” Verdant paused in thought before he clicked his tongue and answered. “A month and a half or so.”
“How big of a griffin is she?” Swiftsword asked with a tone of calm curiosity.
“I’d say a tiny bit taller than you, but shorter than Barrier,” Verdant answered, stepping away from the table while Hat Trick hummed in contemplation.
“So if worse came to worst, we’d not only outnumber her, but since she’s pretty much guaranteed to be a civilian...” The purple stallion gave his chin a rub before focusing on Verdant. “You’re sure we’ll be safe?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind.” Verdant slowly rounded the table, drawing closer to the blue stallion. “She’s a friendly and peaceful hen with zero combat experience who’s been living here for years, along with her family.”
“In that case, I’d say you’ve got my vote.” Hat Trick smiled as he turned to Winter Gem. “How about you, dear?”
After a pregnant pause, the snowy mare gave a sigh. “I’ll be willing to go along with it, but make no mistake, Verdant.” Winter Gem’s gaze at the green pony was icy as she spoke. “I will be on my guard.”
“I doubt that will be necessary, Winter Gem,” Swiftsword spoke up, drawing the group’s eyes to her. “Should anything happen, I will be there to cut her down before any of us could come to harm. On this, you have my word.”
“Does that mean you’d be willing to let her in, Swift?” Forge inquired as Verdant came up to his side.
“Yes, my friend,” the noble unicorn mare replied with a firm nod. “With Verdant’s word and the way things have changed since our time, I would be willing to allow her in to bake for this charitable event. Though…” She paused to light her horn and raise the dagger up from within her mane. “I will be prepared for the worst, should it come to pass, Forge.”
“Barrier, what do you think?” Fleetfeather looked up to the charcoal stallion, her wing gently patting her child on the withers. “Do you think we’d be safe with her?”
“Trust me, Fleet,” Barrier replied, surprisingly casual to the blue and pink pair. “From what I’ve seen with griffins these days, I’d say she couldn’t hurt us even if she tried.”
“Don’t sweat it, Fleet.” Daring leaned back in her chair, taking a brief break between bites of her sandwich. “There’s tons of nice peaceful griffins these days and none would try the sort of crap that happened in your time.”
“Thank you, Daring.” The one-eyed mare then looked down at her child. “What say you, my dear?”
“I think…” Wind Whistler bit her lip nervously before speaking up. “Maybe we should give her a chance. We do sometimes see griffins on the way home from school or at The Four D’s, so it should be okay.”
“I can’t believe you’re seriously still discussing with this,” Forge grumbled as he pressed a hoof to his forehead. “Why can’t she just use someone else’s oven? Or better yet, use the ovens at the community center?”
“Simple,” Verdant spoke up from beside Forge’s seat. “The others we know will all be busy all day today and tomorrow, so we can’t use their ovens. As for the community center’s ovens, there was a power surge that killed them all. Short Circuit and Nickel Wire were called in while today’s class was cancelled.”
“Oh for Zacherle’s sake!” Forge growled as he pulled his hoof back and slammed it into his forehead once more.
“Forge, I’d hate to do this…” Verdant sighed before he placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “But you remember how I helped save your first date with Snow Sweeper with those chocolates? I even paid for the damages to the table.”
“Aye.” The blue pony sighed exasperatedly before he turned to Verdant, his eyes appearing ever so slightly softer. “You’re certain that whe…if things go badly, we’d be able to stop things before anypony could be hurt?”
“Positively, my friend.” Verdant stood up on his hind legs, drawing closer to his friend.
“Alright.” Forge placed a hoof on Verdant’s shoulder before taking a deep breath. “I’ll allow the griffin in, but should things go wrong-”
“They won’t, Forge. Trust me.” Verdant smiled before he pulled the unicorn into a hug. “Thank you.”
“So we’re in a agreement about Erica coming over?” Barrier asked as his eyes swept across the table.
All the ponies gathered nodded, save for Daring, who waved while taking another bite of her sandwich.
“Glad that’s settled.” Barrier hopped out of his chair. “Anything else, Verdant?”
“Well…” the green pony scratched his foreleg as Barrier drew closer. “There’s just two minor things I wanted to ask from you about this.”
“And those would be?” Forge’s eyebrow climbed in curiosity.
“One is that you all try to be polite to Erica since she’s my friend,” Verdant replied as he started to make his way to the door. “The other is that for the love of Faust, do not mention what happened on Butterfly Island.”
“Yeah yeah, sure.” Barrier waved dismissively at the stallion. “Now I suggest you get going to set things up with her. I’d like to have dinner not too long from now.”
“Yes sir!” Verdant saluted before he darted off. “I shall be back as shortly as I can!” His voice echoed from the front before the door loudly shut behind him.
“Mother,” Wind Whistler gave Fleet’s side a gentle nudge. “What happened on Butterfly Island?”
Weather ponies flitted from cloud to cloud, coating the land in a gentle white which brought cheer to the odd filly and colt playing outside. While they played, other ponies shoveled or trudged through the white powder in the hope to reach the stores filled with frantic mares and stallions alike. Others, however, preferred the comforts of indoors.
One such pony who took to the inside was Magic Barrier, who was sampling homemade eggnog.
“Hmm…” Barrier swished his sample around his mouth before giving the brew a swallow. “Could use a some more alcohol…” The stallion’s horn flared as he pulled the ever-trustworthy flask from his nearby saddlebags.
“You know Fleetfeather told you not to!” Verdant shouted out from the living room. “Besides, you know how much Wind Whistler likes this stuff.”
“Fine,” Barrier pouted, putting the flask away and the eggnog back in the fridge.
“And… done!” Verdant happily exclaimed from the living room. “Hey Barrier, could you come check this out?”
“Alright, I’m coming.” Barrier trotted towards the living room where the green pony sat before the fireplace, his tail wagging like a puppy with a new bone. “So what is it you’ve been working on?”
Verdant hopped up and ran to Barrier’s side, pointing at the fireplace mantle. “Ta-dah!”
Above the fireplace was a set of nine socks, each matching the coats and cutie marks of the house’s residents.
“Verdant,” Barrier tilted his head at the sight. “Why did you get a bunch of custom made socks and put nails into the mantle to hang them from?”
“Because I wanted to share with all of you a Hearth’s Warming Tradition that my grandmother started back in Dream Valley a long time ago.” Verdant’s eyes were practically shimmering as he looked to the socks. “You see, it all started when Grandma Minty accidentally broke a magic candy cane into a bunch of crackley little pieces…”
“Verdant,” Barrier cut the younger stallion off by placing a hoof to his lips. “I’m really not interested in a long story. Could you please just skip to the important part?”
Verdant gave the unicorn a flat glare until he eventually sighed and rolled his eyes. “The point is that because of Grandma Minty, every year at Hearth’s Warming, ponies in Dream Valley would set up socks by the fireplace and they would be filled by a magical spirit in a red outfit with small gifts if you were good or lumps of coal if you were bad.”
“Uh-huh,” Barrier’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Man, Dream Valley had some weird traditions.”
“Trust me, Barrier. The spirit in red is real.” Verdant pulled away from the elder stallion, headed for the front door. “At any rate, I promised Candy Cane and Mistletoe that I’d help set up their party tonight. Want to come with? Everyone else is gonna be there.”
“I’m gonna pass on that,” Barrier politely replied, offering the green pony a wave. “I’ve been meaning to catch up on some reading. Still, you and the others all have a great time.”
With a shrug, Verdant took off into the snow, leaving Barrier to with a stack of books on his nightstand.
***
Barrier sat alone in his bed, reading by lamplight on his eighth book of the night. The charcoal stallion chuckled at the passage in his book where a large stallion named Home Run failed to jump over the Galloping Gorge on his son’s skateboard.
The dark unicorn was pulled from his merriment when he heard a thud coming from the living room.
Barrier set his book aside quietly and lifted one of the floorboards, drawing his sword from its hiding spot in a single silent movement.
Slowly, he crept his way towards the source of the noise and was surprised by the strange sight before him.
Standing in front of the fireplace was a strange two legged creature in a bright red outfit with white fuzzy trim. On his strange legs were flared leather boots with golden buckles. His hands were covered in white gloves that were reaching into a large burlap sack from which the creature was taking out small wrapped boxes and putting them into a the socks hanging above the fireplace. Upon his head was a red cap with a white trim that matched his long, fluffy beard.
Barrier crept a bit closer to the stranger, but halted when a chuckle came from him.
“No need to sneak up on me with a sword, Little Barrier,” the stranger laughed as he turned around to face the unicorn. “My, it’s been a long time since you had a Hearth’s Warming. Ho-ho-ho.”
“Identity yourself!” Barrier barked at the being in red, who simply laughed.
“Sorry there, Barrier,” the pudgy creature picked up his sack and slung it over his back. “But I’ve got a lot of other presents to drop off before the night is over. See you next year.” He then smiled at the stallion before raising one of his fingers up to his nose. To Barrier’s surprise, the creature seemed to zip straight up the fireplace in an instant.
“Oh no you don’t!” Barrier growled as his horn ignited. In a flash, the stallion was now on the roof of his manor, where he saw the rotund being was getting into a bright red sleigh with a set of eight reindeer in the reins.
“On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!” the red coated stranger called out as he gave the reins a tug. As the reindeer started to rear back, Barrier ran up to sleigh, jumping into the back where he landed in a sack full of wrapped gifts.
Sticking his head out of the bag, Barrier saw that the reindeer were charging towards the edge of the roof. To his shock, them running from the roof didn’t lead to the group falling to their death, instead seeing them take to the snowy night sky.
“What in the actual fuck?” Barrier whispered as gazed over the edge of the sleigh, where he saw the lights of Vanhoover disappearing far below them.
“Now don’t swear, Barrier,” the creature chided as he waggled his finger at the stallion, as if he were speaking to a small child. “If you keep talking like that, you’ll end up with a lump of coal in your stocking.”
“How about you give me a straight answer,” Barrier grumbled as he pulled himself out of the sack, landing in the sleigh next to the jolly, laughing being. “Who are you? What are you doing?”
“Well, Barrier,” the creature in red patted the charcoal unicorn on the head, much to his aggravation, “I’m Santa Claus and I’m delivering presents to people all across your world by putting them in their stockings.”
“Okay, but why?” Barrier looked at the sleigh-driver incredulously as they soared through the night sky.
“Well, it all started many years ago when a mare named Minty accidentally broke a magical candy cane…”
“Oh, Faust curse it,” Barrier groaned, smacking a hoof to his forehead. He tried to pull his flask from his saddlebags, only to realize he had left them back at the manor.
“Oh, cheer up, Barrier,” Santa patted the stallion on the head once more before reaching over and opening a glove box in front of him. Inside the box was a single large yellow and red candy cane that Santa offered to the pony. “Here, it’s your favorite flavor.”
“Oh, really?” Barrier’s tone was dripping with sarcasm as he brought the sweet up to his face and gave it a quick lick. “There’s no way you could have candy… taste… like…”
“Pasta with a light marinara sauce?” Santa chuckled, making his large belly shake like a bowl full of gelatin. “You’d be surprised what holiday magic can do.”
“Right,” Barrier said dismissively as he saw a city coming up in the distance. From the look of the towers, he could see it was clearly Canterlot. “At any rate, could you either turn this around or just drop me off somewhere in Canterlot so I can ride a train home?”
“Hmm…” the bearded being rubbed a hand along his hairy chin. “How about this? You help me with my deliveries tonight, I’ll not only drop you off back home, but I’ll also give you a very special present for your troubles.”
“I think I’m gonna pass on that, Santa.” Barrier leaned back against the sleigh’s side. “It would probably be quicker to walk than ride with you.”
“Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!” the red-clad being gave out a hard laugh that even the reindeer snickered along with. “I’m afraid it won’t, Barrier. You see, time is stopped for most of this world while I’m making deliveries.”
“...Come again?” Barrier’s eyebrow shot up as he closely examined the red clothed being.
“Just look down and take a look around,” Santa said as he pointed down at the city below.
Barrier looked over the sleigh’s side and took in the sight of Canterlot below. Very few ponies were out at the time, but what did see caught his attention. There were a group of ponies and griffins that were standing in front of a house, holding carol book and standing statue still. What was even more surprising to Barrier was there was a pegasus mare in the middle of the air, her wings as still as stone while she hung several feet above the ground.
“If time’s frozen,” Barrier pulled himself back into the sleigh, still unsure of what he had seen. “Then how come I was able to tag along with you?”
“Well that’s simple, my boy,” Santa chuckled as they circled around the palace, looking for a good landing spot. “Time flows for whoever’s house I’m visiting once I land on it. Otherwise, the world’s frozen in time.”
“I see…” Barrier gazed down once more, seeing that they were about to land on the highest point of the palace.
The sleigh and reindeer smoothly landed on the tower’s top. Once they had halted, Santa hopped onto the roof and grabbed the bag of gifts.
“At any rate, if you give me a hoof, my deliveries will go faster and we’ll be back in Vanhoover sooner,” the jolly man in red said and he made his way over to a narrow chimney that was sticking out. “Well, are you coming along?”
“Might as well,” Barrier sighed as he hopped out, following Santa over to the chimney. “So, how are we getting in?”
“Holiday magic can do all sorts of things, Barrier,” Santa smiled to the unicorn. “For example, it can let us do this!” He jumped up and the chimney somehow squeezed the plump person and his great big bag down.
“And here I am without my flask,” the charcoal unicorn sighed as his hooves touched the chimney’s edge which seemed to widen to allow Barrier down. In a matter a moments, he landed in a large bedroom that was illuminated solely by moonlight.
There were only two issues for him when he landed. The first was that he landed face first on the floor. The second was the horrible noise coming from the room.
At first, he assumed it was the sound of a large cat choking to death on something. Looking up, he saw the cacophony was coming from the slumbering form of Princess Celestia snoring up a storm.
“Sweet Faust…” Barrier whispered as he straightened himself up.
“Bare in mind,” Santa leaned closely to the stallion. “This is better than I’ve heard from her in years.”
“Yikes.” Barrier shook his head at his words. “So, what do we do?”
“You just need to reach into the bag and it’ll give you the gift we need to leave,” Santa quietly answered as he reached into the sack and pulled out a box covered in white wrapping paper topped by a golden ribbon. “After that, you just put it in the stocking like—”
The pair were silenced by the princess’s door creaking open. The two looked to the source of the noise, where they saw the princess of the night staring at the pair of them.
“Our apologies,” Luna whispered as she crept into the room. “We simply wished to check on Our sister while returning from a lavatory visit.”
“Ah, it’s been far too long, Luna,” Santa smiled and leaned down to the midnight blue alicorn, pulling her into a tight hug. “How are you doing?”
“We…” Luna paused, nervously biting her lip. “It has been an eventful few months.”
“It certainly has, little girl.” the bearded being pulled away from the hug before giving her a pat on her head. “Now, it would probably be best for you to head back to take care of night court.”
“Indeed,” Luna gave him a bow before nodding towards the stallion with him. “We wish thee a good night, Barrier.”
“And I you, Princess Luna,” Barrier whispered as he gave her a half-bow before the alicorn made her way to the door.
“Oh! Before you go,” Santa said as he reached into his sack once more, pulling out a black and white candy cane and tossing it to Luna, who deftly caught it in her mouth.
“Thhnk ku!” Luna muttered through the mouthful of truffle and cream flavored candy as she made her way out the door. “Hahy Hawermin an airy krusmus!”
“The same to you, Luna,” Santa Claus chuckled before looking over to Barrier. “So, shall we continue?”
“On it,” Barrier muttered as he reached into the sack with his magic and pulling out a collection of small gift boxes and dumping them into the long white and gold-trimmed stocking hanging by the fireplace. “So, will I have to teleport back to the roof every time we do this?”
“Ho-ho-ho, no.” Santa chuckled as he slung the bag over his shoulder. “You just put your hoof beside your nose like this.” The mysterious creature did so an instant before he was seemingly sucked up the chimney.
“Saves some effort on my part,” Barrier whispered as he brought his hoof up and found himself being pulled into the fireplace and sent up the chimney like a rocket. The chimney launched him up into the air before landing him flank first next to Santa.
“Alright, time for Luna’s presents, followed by the staff and the ponies in the barracks.”
Barrier sighed as he stretched against the sleigh’s back. “This is gonna be a long night.”
***
Barrier groaned in exhaustion as he pulled himself from the sleigh, falling face first into the snow.
Sweet Faust’s flank, I don’t think the night lasted this long when Nightmare Moon was controlling it!
The journey was incredibly long for Barrier and Santa as they traversed the whole world, delivering gifts to ponies, griffins, zebras, dragons and all sorts of other species.
The trip had been educational for Barrier to say the least. He had seen creatures he had never even heard of before such as these strange bug-like ponies and kirin. He also learned about some of the things that Santa’s holiday magic could do, like take them to the bottom of the ocean or that his chimney trick also works on a dragon’s esophagus and nostrils.
Barrier shuddered from both the memory and the cold as the being in red picked him up under one arm. The stallion was too tired to struggle out of Santa’s grip as he took them down his house’s chimney.
“You did a very good job as my helper tonight, Barrier,” Santa said softly as he silently moved through the house, taking the unicorn into his bedroom. “I’ll make sure you’ll have an extra special present this year.”
“Fhtagn…” Barrier muttered as Santa gently placed him on the bed and tucked him in like a small foal.
“Good night, Barrier.” Santa patted Barrier on the head and started to walk away. “Have a Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
Moments after leaving, the stallion had heard the sounds of bells jingling as his eyelids finally became too heavy and he drifted off.
***
“Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup!”
Barrier groaned as he rose from the bed, seeing an enthusiastic Wind Whistler hopping up and down on him.
“Come on, it’s already seven o’clock!” The filly whined, tucking her legs in as she plopped onto the bed.
Barrier forced himself to sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes. Flash and Fleet had six of these… friggin’ masochists.
“Hurry up, you two!” Windy stopped bouncing on Barrier and landed on Daring, knocking the air from her lungs. “Verdant was right about the spirit thing! The socks are full of presents!”
“Just give us a sec, kiddo,” Daring wheezed as the filly bolted from the room. “Urgh… I think my kidneys are pancakes now.”
“Still not as good as mine,” Barrier chuckled as he rolled out of bed, dodging a pillow the pegasus lobbed at him.
When the pair arrived in the living room, they saw the rest of their housemates were happily chatting amongst themselves, either giving one another gifts or pulling presents from the socks.
“Hey Barrier!” Verdant called as he drew near. “Your sock is waiting for you! I can’t wait to see what you got from the spirit!”
“Just hold on,” Barrier yawned as he reached the hearth, where indeed the black sock with his cutie mark emblazoned on it seemed rather full.
Barrier’s horn lit up and he pulled the stocking down. Looking inside, he found a few sweets, a book that’s cover depicted Grimhilde slipping on a banana peel and slamming into a lamppost, a Hearth’s Warming card and a shiny golden flask. Etched into the flask was Barrier’s cutie mark surrounded by holly.
“Alright, these are all pretty nice gifts, you guys,” Barrier smiled as he pulled the flask from his telekinetic grip and into his hoof. “Now, which of you got them?”
The assembled housemates looked at one another in total confusion.
“Barrier, none of us did,” Fleetfeather said, pointing behind Barrier. He looked where she was pointing, seeing a pile of boxes covered in gift wrap. “All the presents we bought are over there.”
“Then where did all the stuff in the socks come from?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose.
“It’s just like Grandma Minty said,” Verdant spoke up. “Since we were all good, the spirit brought us all presents.”
“Well since nopony’s speaking up,” Barrier lit his horn, teleporting into the kitchen. “I’m gonna fill this puppy up.”
“Oh, that reminds me!” Hat Trick excitedly said from the living room. “It’s not Hearth’s Warming until we have some eggnog!”
As he levitated a bottle of liquor from the kitchen cupboard, Barrier opened up his card. He was rather surprised by the message within.
Dear Magic Barrier,
Thank you very much for helping me with my deliveries last night.
I hope you enjoy your present. It’s an enchanted flask that will never run out of scotch.
I hope you have a very happy Hearth’s Warming Eve.
~ Santa Claus
Never runs out of scotch? Barrier chuckled as he opened the flask and tipped it over the sink, which quickly started to fill up with scotch.
Barrier was shocked to see the small flask had managed to completely fill the bottom of the sink, far more than the eight-ounce can should have been capable of.
“Heh,” Barrier chuckled as Hatty made his way into the kitchen. “Holiday magic.”
A loud boom came from behind Barrier, prompting him to swiftly pivot around. Almost immediately his eyes had found Hat Trick, lying on his back and covered in knotted ropes. Within the fridge beside the eggnog was what looked like a bright blue cannon with pink wheels.
“What in the…” Barrier muttered to himself as the other housemates rushed in to check on the purple pegasus. For reasons he could not explain, Barrier felt he needed to look at the card once more, where he found more writing from the mysterious spirit.
P.S.
Pinkie Pie put her “Knot-Cannon” in your refrigerator.
She said it had something to do with continuity and whatnot.
I learned not to question things when it comes to her a long time ago.
Just wanted to give you a little heads up.
“Well, everypony,” Barrier chuckled as his horn lit up, pulling the collection of ropes off of Hatty. “Who’s ready to celebrate Hearth’s Warming?”
The assembled ponies all cheered and celebrated the holiday from early in the morning to late into the night.
For them, it truly was the most wonderful time of the year.
In the manor’s front hall, Barrier stood around in idle boredom while some of the younger ponies paced about nervously.
“I wish those two would hurry up,” Forge muttered as he tapped his hoof against the floor. “The sooner they get here, the sooner we can get the damn hen out of here.”
“Remember to be polite, Forge,” Swiftsword chided. “Regardless of how we feel, she is Verdant’s friend and our guest.”
“That includes helping if they ask for it.” Barrier turned to look out the front door, spotting a pair of shapes at the front gate. “They’re here. Everypony, wait in the kitchen while Daring and I go greet them.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” six voices called out before charging over to the kitchen. A disguised Daring came up to Barrier’s side, placing a hoof on his shoulder.
“You ready, Barrier?” she asked, giving her glasses a nudge.
“About as ready as I’ll likely ever be,” Barrier replied as his horn glowed and pulled the door open. Taking one more steadying breath, the duo left the manor and headed down the cobblestone trail.
The two walked down the pathway, side by side until they reached the conversing stallion and griffin at the halfway point. Spotting something from Erica’s side, Barrier craned his neck slightly and saw she was pulling a small wagon full of ingredients and baking pans with her tail.
“- calm and everything will be just fine,” The green pony said reassuringly and gently patted the griffin on her shoulders. With a quick glance, he spotted the approaching duo. “Ah, and here’s some of them now. You remember Barrier, and this is his girlfriend.”
“A.K. Yearling, at your service.” Daring smiled as she and Barrier reached the pair, extending a hoof to the hen. “Pleasure to meet you, Erica.”
“A.K. Yearling?” Erica tilted her head as she grasped the hoof and gently shook it. “As in the Daring Do author?”
“Ah, I assume you’re a fan of mine?” The golden pegasus beamed as she pulled her hoof back.
“Eh, well I used to read your books when I was younger.” Erica scratched the back of her neck, appearing somewhat flustered. “But I couldn’t really get into some of the later books as I got older. They just seemed a bit too outlandish to me, I’m sorry to say.”
“Oh well, to each their own.” Daring shrugged before coming to the griffin’s side. “Just don’t spread around that I live in town. I want to keep a fairly low profile.”
“Sure thing,” Erica replied with a nod. “I get where you’re coming from.”
“At any rate,” Barrier stepped forward, taking his place at Daring’s side. “I hope you’ll have a pleasant time here.”
“Well, talons crossed.” Erica held up her claw, showing two pairs of crossed digits. “Verdant made sure I knew about all the sorts of things you went through with griffins in your time.” She chuckled as she set her foreleg down. “Still hard to believe that, barring Ms. Yearling…”
“Professor Yearling, thank you very much,” Daring corrected as she pulled away and headed for the door. “I worked hard for that degree.”
“Sorry, Professor.” Erica lightly blushed as she and the pair of stallions all walked forward. “Just meant to say that besides you, everyone in there’s centuries old. If it weren’t for some of the things I’ve read in the newspaper about the Crystal Empire and Nightmare Moon, I wouldn’t believe it. Especially when I don’t recall Verdant saying or doing too much that seemed really old fashioned.”
Verdant chuckled and smirked as he faced Erica. “Would you prefer if I said something like, ‘Foul cur, thou hast insulted my honor. As recompense, I shall swiv with thy dam’?”
The hen’s chuckle joined Verdant’s while Barrier rolled his eyes. “Probably not.”
“At any rate,” Barrier’s voice rose as the quartet reached the door’s threshold. “We’re here.”
“Ready, Erica?” Verdant looked up to face her, seeing her nervously swallow.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered as Barrier and Daring headed in, the two of them following quickly after.
“Welcome to our home, Erica,” Barrier bid as they marched forth into the kitchen. He spotted the ponies within tense slightly as Erica fell into their line of sight.
“These are Fleetfeather,” Barrier pointed to the one-eyed pegasus, who sternly nodded. “Her daughter, Wind Whistler.” The filly briefly poked out from behind her mother’s hind legs before nervously ducking away.
“Swiftsword,” Barrier moved his focus to the unicorn who drew closer and extended a foreleg to the griffin.
“A pleasure to meet you, Erica.” Swiftsword smiled as the griffin slowly grasped her foreleg and shook it.
“Thank you,” the hen replied before she spotted the silver-maned unicorn glaring at her.
“That would be Forge.” Barrier placed a hoof on the cobalt unicorn’s back. “I’m sure he’ll be on his best behavior while you’re here. Right, Forge?” His tone became harsher and more authoritative with the final words.
“Yes, sir,” the glaring stallion answered, not taking his eyes off of Erica.
“Lastly, we’ve got Winter Gem and Hat Trick.” Barrier casually waved in the direction of the remaining ponies, who gave polite nods as their names were called. “So, shall we get started?”
“Yeah, and thanks for letting me do this.” Erica smiled before she and Verdant grabbed the contents of the wagon and placed them all upon the table. “Verdant, could you please set the oven to three-seventy-five?”
“No problem,” the green pony replied before dashing to the oven and turning the dial.
“Is there some way in which we could help you?” Swift came up to the table, glancing at the large assortment of ingredients laid before her.
“Well, could you please bring some large bowls, measuring cups and teaspoons over?” Erica asked while tallying the items. “I don’t want to go snooping through your cupboards.”
“Of course.” Swift nodded before turning her back to Erica, Forge stepping in to cover her while she searched.
“So, Erica…” Hat Trick drew a few steps closer before Winter Gem protectively placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Where are you from exactly?”
“I’m Vanhoover, born and raised,” Erica merrily answered as a pair of measuring cups and a bowl in a blue glow were placed before her.
“May I ask what you do for a career?” Winter Gem asked as pulled the purple pegasus closer to her side.
“I’m a swimming teacher at the community center,” the griffin answered the same as she poured some brown sugar into one measuring cup while Verdant poured cane sugar into another. “It’s a pretty fun job. You get of lot of exercise and some of those foals are just the cutest little guys and gals you’ve ever seen.”
“Um…” A small, nervous voice came from behind Fleetfeather’s head before a little filly poked her head above her mother’s. “Miss Erica?”
“Oh there’s no need to be so formal, Wind Whistler,” Erica gently informed as she and Verdant poured the sugar into the bowl. “What would you like to know?”
“Well…” The filly poked her head slightly further up, “could we have some of the cookies once they’re done?”
“Of course.” Erica beamed as she cracked a pair of eggs while Verdant measured butter. “We should have enough for six trays, so we’re all free to have a couple once we’re done. Do you have any other questions you’d like to ask?”
“Oh!” Wind Whistler hopped up, using her mother’s head as a hoof rest. “My father and Uncle Barrier told me that every griffin they ever gutted had rocks in them. Is that true? Do griffins really have rocks in them?” she cheerfully asked, not seeing that Erica was suddenly becoming pale while Barrier, Fleetfeather, Verdant and Swiftsword looked on in horror. Hat Trick snorted as he held back a laugh. Winter bit her lip and Forge smirked.
“Um.. yeah…” Erica nervously replied, the color slowly returning to her face as her eyes drifted back to the bowl before her. “Since we don’t have teeth, we have to swallow rough stones every once in awhile that go into a sort of second stomach called a gizzard to aid in digestion.”
“Wind Whistler,” Verdant said as he placed a bag of flour on the table. “Could you please not ask any more questions about griffin anatomy?”
“Okay!” Wind Whistler happily answered as she watched Erica add some vanilla to the bowl.
“Thanks, Verdant. I owe you one.” Barrier heard Erica mutter before she raised her voice up. “So Forge, Verdant told me earlier how you’re a smith that’s looking for a job, right?”
“Aye,” the blue stallion answered gruffly. “What of it?”
“Well, I happen to know someone who works at Silver Swirl’s Smithing Shop,” she answered while she grabbed a whisk from Verdant and started to strongly stir. “If you want, I can put in a good word for you.”
“Oh…” Forge was rendered speechless from her words as she continued beating the ingredients together. “I… is there some sort of catch?”
“Of course not.” She chuckled before she pulled back and poured flour into a measuring cup. “You’re Verdant’s friend and he’s my friend, so I figured I’d offer to help you out.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” Forge sat down in stunned shock. “I… I appreciate the offer.”
“No problem.” Erica then dumped the cup of flour into the bowl before she measured out some more. “I’m glad to help out.”
“Is…” Forge looked up towards her. “Is there anything I could do to help out?” His question brought a small smile to Barrier’s face.
“Not really,” The happy hen replied as she dumped in some more flour and Verdant added a teaspoon of baking soda. “All that’s left to do is to stir this together and add the chocolate chips before tossing them in the oven, but thanks for asking.”
“Well,” Hatty stepped closer to the bowl, a grin stretching across his muzzle while Erica tore open a bag and poured chocolate chips into the mixture. “Now that this is nearly complete, what should we do to pass the time while they bake?”
“Want me to break out a board game?” Daring asked while adjusting her glasses before smirking. “I should warn you though, Erica. I’m the undisputed Candyland champion.”
“Mayhaps instead, I should go upstairs to fetch my axe and serenade us.” Swiftsword suggested, quickly turning Daring’s smirk into a frown.
“I can’t really decide which one’s worse,” Barrier muttered softly as his magic brought his flask up to his muzzle.
“Honestly,” Erica softly chuckled. “Even after living with ponies my whole life, I don’t get how ponies can just break into song at the drop of a hat.”
“I assure you,” Swiftsword drew closer, standing somewhat smugly. “We are trained soldiers. We don’t break into song.”
“Oh…” A wicked smirk stretched across Erica’s beak, making Forge take a defensive stance. “Is that so?” Erica chortled darkly before clearing her throat. “At the gala. At the gala…” Before he could light his horn, Erica’s singing broke a perplexed Forge from his stance right before Swiftsword leapt onto the table.
To Wind Whistler and Erica’s gratitude, Verdant grabbed the bowl before the light blue unicorn could knock it over or step in it during her song.
“At the gala,
I shall go forth,
to find a grand stallion,
who'll sire brave new Falchions at the gala!
I will find one,
One who’s worthy,
A brave, noble warrior,
Who will soon extend my bloodline,
Tonight at the gala!”
“That was pretty nice, Swiftsword.” Barrier rolled his eyes before taking a swig from his flask. “But could you now get your dirty hooves off my clean kitchen table?”
Swiftsword’s blue coat quickly became a bashful pink and she hopped off with a nervous grin. “My apologies. I’ve been looking so forward to it that I’ve been working on the lyrics for the past three days.”
“Right…I can’t believe that actually worked,” Erica muttered before pulling some baking trays from her wagon. “Anywho, all that’s left is the put the dough on these and pop ‘em in the oven.”
“Once we’ve put them all on the trays,” Verdant started to say through the spoon handle in his mouth, “who wants the have what’s left in the bowl?”
“Memememememe!” Hat Trick and Wind Whistler hopped in place as a ding came from the oven.
“Alright,” Erica merrily chirped, holding a spoon in her talons. “Let’s start getting these things ready and in the oven.” She and Verdant quickly set to scooping spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the trays.
“While you’re doing that,” Swiftsword turned away from the table and headed for the stairs. “I shall fetch my axe so we may be serenaded by more modern musical pieces.”
“Yeah you do that.” Barrier sighed before taking another swig. “And while you’re enjoying that, I’ll be enjoying this.”
Note to self, keep a better mental tally of my liquor stocks. Barrier groaned and dragged a hoof down his face as Swiftsword strummed on her electric guitar with Hatty and Winter Gem providing the lyrics to her “music”.
“For the honor of love!”
“We have the power, so can yoooooouuuu!”
Faust, what did I do to deserve those I care about having such horrible musical taste? Barrier sighed just before a ding came from the oven.
“And that’s the last two trays!” Erica sweetly smiled as she slipped on some oven mitts before pulling the trays out and gently placing them on cooling racks.
“Are the cookies done, Ms. Erica?” Wind Whistler leaned forward on her mother’s head, her tiny hooves causing Fleet’s mane to block her vision.
“Yep.” Erica beamed as she grabbed one of the cooled trays. “Now for the best part. Everyone take two for a little taste test.”
Various thanks were given as Erica carried the tray around, from short and polite thanks from Forge to a happy squeal from Wind Whistler before rapidly devouring the tasty treat.
“Barrier?” Erica held the tray up to the charcoal coated stallion.
“I’ll pass.” Barrier gently pushed the tray back. “Thanks for the offer, but sweets and I don’t get on that well.”
“Not a problem.” Erica smiled as she set the tray down while Verdant set a large plastic container on the table. “Besides, that just means some more for the bake sale.”
“I think I may fly by to purchase a few,” Hat Trick said as he wiped some crumbs off of his muzzle.
“I must admit…” Forge softly spoke up, “You are a fairly skilled baker and your cookies were pretty good. Thank you.”
“No sweat, Forge,” Erica replied as she and Verdant started the fill the container full of cookies. “It was pretty nice meeting all of Verdant’s close friends and doing all this.”
“Thanks for letting us do this, everypony,” Verdant said as the last cookie was carefully placed in the box before placing the lid back on.
“I’ll take care of the dishes for you.” Erica started to make her way to the sink, only for Swiftsword to raise a hoof in front of her face.
“Nonsense, Erica,” The unicorn mare said with her horn alight, carrying the dirty dishes and utensils in her magic. “You are our guest and you’ve given us such delectable treats. I shall handle the dishes for you.”
“Oh… well thank you, Swift.” Erica happily nodded before grabbing the box of cookies and placed them in her wagon. “In that case, I think I’ll get out of here. I promised my dad I’d help him with some stuff at his store.”
“I must say,” Winter Gem placed a hoof on Erica’s shoulder. “It was surprisingly nice meeting you. You’re much more…” She paused, trying to find a suitable and polite term. “Pleasant than any past griffin I’ve ever met.”
“Thanks for that, Gem.” Erica smiled as she wrapped her tail around the wagon’s handle.
“I’ve got to admit,” Verdant spoke up, placing the last of the trays and leftover ingredients in the wagon. “This actually went a lot smoother than I expected.”
“You’re not the only one, Verdant,” Fleetfeather said before extending a foreleg to the griffin. “Nice to meet you, Erica.”
“Thanks. I had a great time.” Erica shook the one-eyed mare’s leg with a smile on her beak. “Well, I’d better get going.”
Everyone in the kitchen followed Erica to the door as she pulled the wagon behind her.
“Thanks for everything again, you guys,” Erica said as she reached the door and gently opened it. “Especially you, Verdant.”
The green stallion lightly blushed and gave her a dismissive wave of his hoof. “Please, I didn’t do that much. I just helped pour and stir.”
“You did a lot more than that, Verdant. I’ve been wanting to do this for weeks and I couldn’t have done it without you.” Erica pulled Verdant into a tight hug. “You’re seriously the best boyfriend ever!”
“BOYFRIEND?!” The four former cadets shouted at varying volumes, causing Verdant and Erica’s pupils to shrink to the size of pinpricks.
“Umm… w-what I meant to say was…” Erica stammered before pointing towards a grandfather clock. “Ohlookatthetime, mustbegoing! Can’tkeepDadwaiting! Bye!” She then bolted out the door as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Verdant…” A horrified Forge drew closer to his friend.
“Here it comes.” Verdant sighed and placed a hoof on his forehead.
“Have you lost your Faust cursed mind?!” Forge panickedly said as placed his forelegs on his friend’s shoulders. “I know she seems nice because of today, but she’s clearly luring you into a trap!”
“Forge.” Verdant gave his friend a flat look. “She’s not, trust me.”
“I trust you, Verdant. It’s them I can’t trust. Not after all they’ve done.” Forge took a breath, trying to regain his composure. “I don’t want to lose anypony else to the griffins. I… I can’t.”
“Forge.” Verdant softly placed a hoof on Forge’s foreleg. “I appreciate the thought, but the griffins have changed since our time.” He gently took Forge’s leg off his shoulder and onto the floor. “I know it’s hard to adjust to, but the war’s long over and the griffins consider what happened then to be an atrocity.”
“How can you be sure?” Forge struggled to keep from shouting his question. “How long have you known her? How long has this been going on between you two?”
“Well I first met her a month and a half or so ago,” Verdant answered as he placed a hoof on Forge’s other foreleg and set it down. “She first asked me out for a date about…” His face scrunched for a moment as he tried to recall. “I’d say just shy of two weeks ago.”
“Still, how can you be so sure?” Forge pushed closer to Verdant’s face.
“Because I’ve spent a lot of time with her outside of the classroom.” Verdant looked away as he answered. “Remember how I said I bribed Tablier for extra lessons? I lied. I was actually spending time with some of my classmates, getting to know them all better. Erica included.” He then looked back up, looking his cobalt companion in the eye. “Erica’s trustworthy, Forge.”
“My friends…” Forge turned back to face his squadmates. “Please, help me make him see reason in all this.” To his surprise, the ponies he trained and fought beside for so long looked away, seeming rather uncomfortable.
“I don’t know, Forge.” Hat Trick rubbed his hoof along the floor, keeping his eyes off the pair. “Erica seems pretty nice and the world’s unbelievably different from how we grew up. Trains, coal powered ships, can openers…” He took a deep breath and finally turned to face the two. “I don’t think a pony and a griffin becoming a couple for real is impossible.”
“Hat Trick…” Forge looked horrified as he pulled away.
“I think I’m inclined to agree with him, Forge.” Winter Gem stepped forward. “She seems completely different from the griffins we’ve seen or were warned about and meat’s pretty easy to come by here.” She then placed a hoof on the cobalt stallion’s shoulder. “I really don’t think this is a honey trap.”
“Perhaps…” Forge looked away. “But…”
“My friend.” Swiftsword stepped forward, speaking authoritatively. “We have encountered griffins several times since we departed for the Crystal Empire and none of these encounters were unpleasant. We have been in restaurants with them more than once, seen them while we have been walking about and Verdant and I have even shaken hooves with the griffin queen after she offered her forces to aid Equestria against Sombra.”
“Anything you’d like to chip in?” Barrier asked as he faced Fleet and Daring.
“I am… torn…” Fleetfeather looked away from the crowd in front of the door. “She seems nice enough, but I have fought the griffins for so long, seen what they’ve done…”
“It’s okay, Fleet.” Daring place a foreleg across the blue mare’s withers. “I get where you and Forge are coming from.” She drew closer to her and gently nuzzled the side of Fleet’s cheek. “When you’ve had stuff like that happen to you for so long, it leaves an impression on you.”
“What do you think, Professor?” Verdant asked the golden mare, drawing her away from Fleetfeather’s side.
“I think you’ll be okay.” Daring offered the green pony a small smile that was swiftly returned. “You’ve got an okay head on your shoulders, you can probably handle things if crap hits the fan, which seems unlikely to me.”
“I…” Forge stuttered as he was stunned by the words of Daring and his squadmates. “C-captain!” He spoke up pleadingly as he drew close to the taller unicorn. “You’re the eldest of us and have the most experience with griffins. Surely you have something to say about this, right?”
Barrier stepped forward, facing the smaller green stallion. “Verdant, should the worst come to pass, do you think you can handle yourself in a fight?”
“Yes, sir!” The smaller pony firmly replied. “I still do my exercises and practice my archery every morning before breakfast. Plus, I have combat experience from the empire and recall all the weak points of a griffin’s body you taught us.”
“Right then.” Barrier shrugged before taking another swig from his flask. “In that case, if you’re going to try to court this griffin, I won’t stop you.”
A thankful smile came to Verdant’s face as he nodded.
“But sir-” a horrified Forge tried to interject, only for Barrier to hold his hoof up.
“I think you can handle her and hope you two have a good time.” Barrier then lowered his hoof and faced Forge, his voice shifting to his ‘captain’ tone. “Forge, I want you to promise that you won’t interfere with Verdant and Erica’s romantic pursuits unless one or both of them’s in immediate danger. Understood?”
“I…” Forge gazed sadly at the floor, knowing he had lost. “Understood, sir.”
“I promise, Forge. Everything will be f-” Verdant placed his hoof on his friend’s shoulder, only for it to be shrugged off before Forge started to climb the stairs. “Forge, where are you going?”
“I’m heading for my room,” the blue unicorn sadly replied, not bothering to look at those behind him. “Maybe building something with my Kre-O bricks will remind me there’s still some sort of sense in this world after you’ve all gone mad.”
“I…” Verdant paused as Forge disappeared from view, followed shortly by the sound of a door closing. “Do you think I should talk to him?” he asked his captain as he put away his flask.
“No.” Barrier shook his head before patting Verdant’s shoulder. “I think it would be best to just leave him be and let him calm down for a while.”
“Alright…” Verdant sighed before slowly going out the door. “I’ll go tend to my garden. Give me a shout when you want dinner,” he said before closing the door behind him.
“I’ll…” Hat Trick spoke up, gazing out the door’s window. “I’ll go get us something to eat in a bit. Hopefully we’ll feel a bit better then.”
“I hope so, Hat Trick,” Swiftsword replied while she headed for the living room, the others following soon after.
“Uncle Barrier, do you think things will be alright?” Wind Whistler hopped off her mother’s back and onto the charcoal unicorn.
“I wish I had an answer for you, Windy.” Barrier said as he marched on. “I just don’t know.”
The afternoon sun blazed high above while Barrier and Swiftsword attempted to land a blow on each other; Barrier with magic blasts and Swift with a foam sword.
“You’re going to have to be faster than that, Swift!” Barrier barked as he easily leapt to the side and fired.
“While I appreciate that you’ve joined me in my exercises,” Swift huffed as she bolted away from the blast. “I still don’t understand why I must use this toy instead of a wooden sword of some kind.”
“Because frankly, I don’t want to have cuts or bruises on my date night,” Barrier replied as he charged another blast.
“Hold your fire!” Verdant’s voice called forth from the front door, stopping as Forge placed a hoof on his shoulder.
“Verdant…” Forge worriedly pleaded. “Just… be very careful. Please?”
“Rest assured, Forge,” Verdant smiled as he set his friend’s hoof down. “I’ll be just fine with Erica.” The green stallion set off down the path, giving Barrier and Swift a wave which the mare returned.
“Farewell, Verdant,” Swift said before giving a stretch. “I hope your class goes well.”
“I’m sure it will,” he replied as he reached the gate, passing by a grey pegasus. “Hey, Snow.”
“Hiya, Verdant.” Snow Sweeper nodded before spotting his worried boyfriend at the door and ran forth.
“Well sir,” Swift tried to sound casual while shifting her eyes toward the pair. “I think I’ll take five and get something to drink. Would you care to join me?”
“Eh, I figure I could go for a hard lemonade or something.” Barrier rolled his shoulders before following Swiftsword into the manor towards the kitchen.
“Snow…” The two heard Forge say as they came to the kitchen’s threshold. “Do you know of a griffin named Erica?”
“Hmm… Erica… Erica…” Snow tapped his chin before recollection dawned on him. “Yeah, we were in highschool together. I think she was on the swim team.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?” Forge looked pleadingly into Snow’s eyes.
“Not really, Forge.” Snow frowned and looked down. “We didn’t really run in the same cliques in school. I just know she was on the swim team because I had to polish this trophy she got us after I…” He suddenly blushed. “Uh, I mean after a freak hockey puck accident caused the trophy case to be smashed to pieces.” He placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Forge, what’s going on? Please, tell me.”
The unicorn took a deep breath and sighed. “Two days ago, I found out that Verdant not only made friends with a hen by that name, but he’s also in a romantic relationship with her.” He placed his hooves over his eyes. “I was hoping you could tell me something to make me feel better about what he’s doing, give me something to assuage my fears and make me think she’s not a threat, but I still think he’s doing something insanely dangerous.”
“Forge,” Snow laid his hooves upon Forge’s and gently lowered them, seeing water starting to well up in them. “Could you please explain to me why this is so dangerous?”
“Because in our time, the griffins were our enemy.” Barrier stepped forward with Swiftsword at his side, drawing the pair’s attention. “Not only were they killing and eating us, but Forge’s hometown was eventually conquered by them, resulting in the largest loss of civilian life since the war began.”
“I just can’t stand to think that what happened to my father, my cousin and neighbors will happen to my friend.” Forge shuddered before Snow draped a wing over his back.
“It’s okay, Forge. I’m here for you,” Snow softly spoke as he tightened his embrace. “You can take it easy. I’m sure she’s not gonna harm him.”
Forge’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he turned to face him. “Are you sure about this?”
A reassuring smile came to Snow’s face before he gave his cobalt friend a nuzzle. “I’m sure. I haven’t heard a thing about any griffin hurting a pony like in your days in centuries, and I think she’s lived in Equestria her whole life.”
“Aye.” Forge stretched out a foreleg to place a hoof on Snow’s shoulder. “She did say she was born in Vanhoover.” He gave a bemused chuckle as he shook his head. “Still surprising to hear that griffins were allowed to live here, much less breed.”
“Well you’ve got nothin’ to sweat about, Forge.” The snowy stallion placed a hoof upon the unicorn’s, drawing a small smile from him. “Your friend’s gonna be fine, I swear.”
“I guess…” Forge sighed as he looked away from Snow. “But I wish I could make this worry go away.”
“Well I’m not sure what I can do about that,” Snow said as he removed his hoof from Forge’s and placed it onto his own chin. “Hmm… y’know, I don’t really know your friends that well.”
Forge tilted his head, confused by what his boyfriend was saying. “I suppose…”
“Well, how about tomorrow night, all five of us have a guys’ night?” Snow said as he wrapped a foreleg around Forge’s back. “We can have some fun, blow off some steam, pig out on snacks; it’ll be great!”
“You’re going to have to count me out,” Barrier said as Winter Gem and Hat Trick came in from the back yard, “I promised Fleet that I’d help her chaperone a slumber party for Wind Whistler.”
“Oh well.” Snow shrugged before focusing on Forge again. “Only four then. Still, doesn’t it sound like a good idea?”
“Maybe you’re right. Blowing off some steam with friends might do me some good,” Forge said before glancing to the purple pegasus. “Hat Trick, would you like to join us for a guys night out?”
“I don’t know,” Hat Trick said as he trotted over to the water pitcher. “I don’t want to have fun while leaving Gem all alone.”
“Maybe while we’re doing our thing,” Snow spoke up as he slid out of his seat, “Gem, Swift and my sister could have a girls night out.”
“Well…” Winter rubbed her chin in contemplation. “It has been a while since I’ve had fun with just other mares.” She set her hoof down as a smile came to her face. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
“Mayhaps we should bring Erica along.” Swiftsword made her way to Gem and slung a foreleg around her shoulder. “It would give us a chance to know her better.” Her eyes shifted over to meet Forge’s. “And allow us to get a better understanding of her.”
“I suppose you raise a good point.” Gem gave her friend a smile as she slipped away from her grasp. “Count me in! Just give me a day to get a new hairstyle. I’d like to make a good first impression.”
“Awesome!” Snow exclaimed as he took to the air. “Forge, Hatty, Verdant and I will have our night out while you two, Erica and Snowy will have your night out.”
“Meanwhile, Fleet and I will have to keep track of a bunch of foals partying. Wonderful.” Barrier rolled his eyes as he lit his horn and drew his flask to his face.
“Well I’m sure it won’t be too bad.” Snow settled back onto the floor before shrugging. “A couple of movies and a bag of chips or two should keep them satisfied.” He then glanced around the room, realizing something was off. “Say, where’s that mare with the glasses?”
“Right now she’s getting prepped for a dinner date we’re gonna have. Tomorrow, she’ll have to head out to Manehattan,” Barrier answered before taking a swig of his flask. “Something about a book signing.”
“Well, hopefully that and your date goes well, Barrier,” Snow said before stretching. “Hey Forge, would you like to show me some of the smithing stuff you’ve made recently?”
“Sure thing.” A smile graced Forge’s face as he and Snow made their way to the back door. “Some of the best stuff came straight from the Pony Rangers comics. You’ll love it.”
“We’d better get back to practicing our tricks, too,” Winter Gem suggested as she gave Hat Trick’s shoulder a light pat.
“Right,” Hatty replied with a swallow. “Gotta make sure we’re ready for Fiesta Flair.” He lightly shuddered before the earth pony mare wrapped a foreleg around his shoulders. The two trotted off to the backyard.
“I’ll go ask Verdant and Erica if they’d be interested.” Swiftsword started to make her way to the door, her muzzle scrunching up as she approached Barrier. “Sir, you may want to take a shower before you head out.”
“You’re one to talk, Swift.” Barrier rolled his eyes, the mare giving him a flat look. “You worked up more of a sweat than I did, and you’re about to head out to talk to someone.”
“Maybe so, however,” The mare smirked as she continued onward. “I’m merely stepping out to have a causal word for a moment that will likely be dismissed by my running there.” She flipped her mane as she looked over her shoulder to face him. “You, on the other hoof, are going on a fancy date soon. I rather doubt the professor would appreciate the smell.” Swift then closed the door behind her, leaving Barrier to grumble before he headed for the shower.
***
As the sun started to set on the seaside restaurant, the charcoal unicorn and yellow pegasus were having a merry laugh over shared stories.
“After that, I just wanted to strangle that damn bird.” Daring chortled and shook her head. “Sure, the princess apologized and paid for my laundry bill, but it didn’t make me any less pissed off.”
“Yeah, Philomena can be a bit of a pain in the flank.” Barrier took a breath and settled back down into his seat. “So what happened after that?”
“Well it was a while before I needed to see the princess again, but I made a plan for that.” A wicked grin crossed her face as she rubbed her hooves together.
“Don’t keep me in suspense, Daring.” Barrier drew closer, his grin almost as big as hers.
“Right before my meeting with her, I used phantom pepper hot sauce as a mane and tail shampoo.” Daring shook as she held back her laughter. “When she tried to bite down this time, she got a taste of something hotter than her own flames!”
The two broke down laughing once more, barely avoiding covering themselves with their meal.
“Oh, how I wish I could have seen that,” Barrier said as he moved back into his seat. “River always hated that damn bird.” He sighed contently.
“Glad you liked that, dear.” Daring smiled before gobbling up another bite of her pasta. “You’ve seemed pretty worried about the others over the last couple days.” She gave a swallow before grasping her wine glass. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Not particularly,” Barrier replied as he impaled one of his shrimp on his fork. “But it might do me some good.” He sighed as he twirled the food on the fork before looking into Daring’s eyes. “What happened when Erica visited made me think about how the others have been adjusting recently.”
“I’d say they’ve done pretty well, Barrier.” Daring reached across the table, patting Barrier’s hoof before grabbing a roll. “Going from ‘kill all griffins on sight’ to ‘be fairly friendly with them’ for the most part is quite the big step for them.”
“Yeah, but I still worry about them.” Barrier bit down on the shrimp, savoring the taste before swallowing. “Winter Gem’s still a bit leary around them, and then there’s Forge…” Barrier shook his head before stabbing another shrimp. “I can’t really say I blame him too much, but I wish I could do something to help him with this.”
“Maybe this is something for that therapist Celestia mentioned way back when.” Daring stretched for another roll as she spoke. “They could probably be more helpful there than we could be.”
“You’ve probably got a point.” Barrier idly poked at the shrimp once with his fork. “They could probably help with the griffin issue. Plus, Faust knows what they saw in the empire.”
“If you want, I can ask Celestia for contact info about that doctor after we get back home.” The yellow mare took a bite out of her roll. “In the meantime, let’s finish this food and have a nice little walk on the beach.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with a mouth full of food?” Barrier asked with a raised eyebrow. Daring responded by glaring daggers at him. The two held their expressions after several moments before grins came to their faces and the two giggled. “Alright. That sounds like a plan. Remind me to leave a good tip here.”
***
Barrier and Daring leaned closely against each other as they trotted along the moonlight shoreline, a golden wing draped over the charcoal unicorn’s back. The only sounds to disturb the pair was their hooves against the sand and the calm crash of the ocean.
“It’s been far too long I’ve felt like this.” Barrier broke the silence as he nuzzled the top of Daring’s head. “I just feel so… Faust dammit, I can’t put it into words.”
“I was feeling the same way, Barrier.” Daring raised her hoof to the back of his head, gently caressing his mane before pulling him into a soft kiss.
“You had trouble putting it into words?” The stallion paused for a moment before chuckling at his question. “And here I thought you were a writer.”
“I am a writer, smartass.” The pegasus gave Barrier a strong hip check as she rolled her eyes. “Even the best of us have trouble articulating their thoughts at times.”
“At any rate,” Barrier leaned closer, draping a foreleg over Daring’s back and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad to have you with me. Who would have thought we would end up like this after we first met? I wanted to feed you to a manticore back then.”
Daring giggled and snorted, her wing rubbing against his dark coat. “Yeah, we did not have the best first meeting.” She brought a hoof up his face once more as she brought them to a stop, her magenta eyes staring into his. “But now, I’ve found somepony I just feel great with. Somepony who cares, makes me laugh. Somepony I really care about.”
Barrier leaned forward and gave Daring a soft kiss that she quickly returned and deepened. “If I were more poetic, I’d say the same to you and so much more, Daring. You’re wonderful.”
“Thank you, Barrier,” she said as the slightest shade of pink crossed her features in the darkness. “Say, did I ever tell you what’s my favorite drink?”
Barrier’s head tilted in confusion and his ear twitched. “Peach schnapps?”
“Not quite,” she replied with a wicked smirk before giving the stallion a shove, knocking him onto his back. Barrier tried to get back up, but was halted by the golden pegasus crawling on top of him. “It’s sex on the beach.” A raised eyebrow joined the smirk she sported.
A similar smirk came to Barrier’s face before he pulled Daring into a deep kiss.
***
“That was the single worst idea we’ve ever had!” Barrier exclaimed as he and the pegasus came through the manor’s door, dripping wet.
“It always goes better in movies and books,” Daring muttered as she pulled a piece of seaweed out of her mane. “Bleugh. I’m soaked, freezing, sticky, I’ve got sand in the worst places and part of me’s pinker than that party mare. I’m gonna hit the showers.” She stretched out her wings as she reached the stairs, removing another strand of seaweed.
“Mind if I join you?” Barrier asked as he lit his horn, pulling away more seaweed from the both of them. Daring looked back at the stallion and smirked once more.
“Only if you can get rid of this sand and have enough left in you for round two.” She gave him a sultry wink before she sauntered up the stairs.
Wind Whistler was pacing back and forth at the front of the door, shaking slightly while her mother rolled her eye.
“Calm down, kiddo,” Barrier called out from the kitchen, filling bowls full of chips, cheese snacks and popcorn. “Your friends will be here real soon.”
“I just want this party to go right,” the filly replied while ruffling her feathers. “So much can go wrong.”
Fleetfeather began to draw closer to comfort her foal but was halted when a quick series of raps came from the door.
The small filly let out an eep and dashed behind her mother’s hind legs as Barrier came to the door. With a flare of blue light, the door swung open to reveal Belmont and two others. Beside him was a green earth pony mare with a red mane. In front of them hopped a thestral filly with a light yellow coat and a mane of red and yellow stripes.
“Hey there, Barrier!” Belmont grabbed Barrier’s hoof and merrily shook it. “What have you been up to lately?”
“Oh you know, the usual,” Barrier replied as he pulled his hoof from Belmont’s tight grip. “Regretting past decisions.” His voice lowered to a mutter. “Like agreeing to bets around spelling bees.” His words got a chuckle from Wind Whistler and an eye roll from Fleet.
“Well anywho,” Belmont slung a foreleg around the mare’s shoulder. “This here’s my wife, Red Bouquet, and my daughter, Dawn Apple.” The small filly stepped forward and fluttered her leathery wings.
“Hi Mr. Barrier!” she chirped and bounced. “Thanks for letting Wind Whistler have this party. It’s gonna be great!”
“Well we’d better skedaddle,” The green mare named Red said as she turned away. “Don’t want to keep your parents looking after Gold Pippin too long.”
“Right, gotta fly.” Belmont gave Dawn a quick hug before spreading his wings and following after Red. “See you in the morning, Dawn!”
“Just like every morning!” Dawn called out as the door slowly closed. Turning back to face the adults, a puzzled expression crossed her muzzle as she drew closer to Fleetfeather.
“Is… is there something wrong, Dawn?” Fleet’s inquiry made the filly cock her head to the side.
“Mrs. Wind Whistler’s mom, are you a pirate?”
Fleet was stunned by the question while Barrier snorted and Wind Whistler giggled.
“No, silly!” Wind Whistler trotted towards the living room, the trio following close behind. “My mom was in the guard and she lost her eye fighting an evil neko-romancer!”
“A what?”
“She means necromancer, Dawn,” Barrier answered. “He turned the dead ponies into zombies.”
“I’ll go get you kids some snacks.” Fleet flew off towards the kitchen moments before a few more knocks came from the front.
“You two get settled in here. I’ll get it.” Barrier’s horn lit up before he vanished in a bright flash, reappearing in front of the door. Once the door was opened, he was met with a flash before his eyes.
As his eyes refocused, he found a pair of fillies standing on the front step. One was a short blue unicorn filly with a dark purple mane, holding a camera in the same yellow aura as her horn. The second was a somewhat tall and slender green earth pony filly. Her dark green and pink mane were surprisingly not the oddest thing he spotted from the filly. That would be the pair of film canisters held in her mouth.
“I eser Arrer!” A noise came from the green filly’s mouth. “I bah zuh oobies!”
“Care to repeat that, kid?” A blue aura came over the canisters, pulling the cans into the air. “Remember not to talk with your mouth full.”
“I said ‘Hi, Mr. Barrier! I brought the movies!” the earth pony shouted as the unicorn slipped into the house, the sound of a camera shuttering following her. “I thought we’d start the movies with Figurine Fantasy for something light. Then after we’ve played some games, we’d put on the ultimate daikaiju battle, Codzilla Vs Hamera!”
“And I’ll just pretend I know what that is.” Barrier shrugged and let the filly pass by.
The filly dashed past, leading to happy screams coming from the living room.
“Alright, Melony’s here, so first up, truth or dare! Shutterbug, you spin first!” Wind Whistler’s exclamation echoed throughout the house.
“Hope the cadets are having a better time than I am.” Barrier sighed before slowly dragging himself towards the living room. “At least they can have some liquor tonight.”
***
Under a ceiling light, four stallions were gathered closely around a small table. Upon the table were several white cards. A chuckle came from the white-maned pegasus who stood before the sole black card.
“Okay, so far we’ve got ‘Hip hop jewels: Kid-tested, Mother-Approved’ and ‘An icy hoofjob from a Vanhoover whorse: Kid-tested, Mother-Approved’.” Snow Sweeper grinned while the three looked at the last face-down card. “Will the last card win the point? Let’s see…”
Snow slowly reached out and placed his hoof on the card. Hat Trick looked at the card nervously while Forge took a long sip of his soda and Verdant took a breath.
“And the last card here gets us…” Snow quickly flipped the card and slammed it back onto the table. “... ‘Incest! Kid-tested, mother approved!” Snow laughed as he slammed his hoof onto the table.
Hat Trick guffawed as he leaned back in his chair and fell over, not seeming to mind. Forge spat and gave a long hard laugh until he was forced to catch his breath.
“Heheheh,” Verdant chortled as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I’ve held onto that card since the first hoof, just hoping for that card to show up.”
“Well it sure as heck paid off!” Snow’s laughter died down as he slid the card over to the happy earth pony.
“Man, I knew I shouldn’t have played that ‘Sex with Princess Celestia’ card earlier,” Hat Trick spoke up as he sat his chair back up. “I would have won this hoof.”
“Well, you may get it next time, Hatty,” Snow replied as he slid the deck over to Verdant. “Still, I don’t know how you guys come up with stuff like this. You’ve got sick senses of humor.”
“It tends to happen in our old line of work,” Forge spoke up before levitating a tissue over and blew into it. “At least from what I’ve seen.”
“Yeah.” Verdant took a quick swig of his soda. “We weren’t in the guard long, but we still saw all sorts of crazy shit.”
As Verdant finished speaking, a wicked smirk spread across Hat Trick’s face. “Speaking of shit Verdant’s seen…” he started to say slyly, making the green stallion’s pupils shrink to the size pinpricks.
“Hatty, don’t you dare!”
***
As a trio of mares leaned into their front row seats, the griffin hen with them swallowed nervously.
“Y’know, Winter Gem, when you said we were going to a show, I didn’t think you meant something like this!” Erica shifted back and forth in her seat as she gestured towards the ring before them. “You’re sure nothing from the ring will be able to hit us?”
“I’m pretty sure we’re fine, Erica.” The blonde mare casually waved a hoof at the hen. “I mean they didn’t make us sign a waiver, so if we do get hurt, we’ll be able to sue them all the way to Tartarus.”
“How comforting,” Erica replied with a roll of her eyes.
“This should hopefully be an entertaining battle, even without weapons,” Swiftsword spoke up as she leaned back in her chair. “I hope to see some bloodshed tonight.”
Erica could only groan as the grey pegasus mare at her side kept focus on the ring. “Well we’ve got a former champ going up against some fresh talent, so here’s hoping.” She stretched out as the lights started to dim, leaving all light focused on the mare at the ring’s center.
“Mares, stallions and guests of all species, welcome to tonight’s bout of Royal Ruckus Wrestling!” the announcer shouted into a megaphone. “You’re in for quite the spectacle tonight, so without further ado, let’s bring out our first contenders!”
A roar of applause filled the arena as a spotlight moved to the corner of the arena.
“In the red corner, from Delight Island,” the announcer shouted as a large figure slowly entered the light, “we have the former heavyweight earth pony champion, The Tropical Terror, The Fruity Fighting Filly, give it up for Banana Blitz!”
A round of thunderous applause came from the crowd as a buff mare even taller than Barrier made her way to the ring, the stage lights shining off her yellow coat and flowing green mane. Gouts of yellow fireworks followed behind her as she made her way to the ring.
“Go, Banana Blitz!” the grey pegasus shouted as she hopped up to stand on her seat. “Tenderize that fresh meat!” Her voice echoed over the crowd before a set of talons grabbed her shoulder and shoved her back down into the seat.
“Snowy, please try to tone it down,” Erica hissed through a blush. “You’re turning into more of a spectacle than the wrestler!”
“Sorry there, Erica,” Snowy softly apologized as she scratched the back of her neck. “I’ll try to rein the fangirl in.”
“Don’t sweat it too much, Ms. Skies.” Winter Gem leaned forward in her seat to face the pair. “I’ll probably end up like that before the night’s over.”
“And now,” The trio’s attention snapped back to the ring as the announcer exclaimed once more. “We’ve got a new challenger for you tonight!”
The lights darted to the far side of the arena, allowing the audience to make out the silhouette of another tall mare.
“In the blue corner, from a dark alternate universe where Equestria’s become a ravaged wasteland comes our newest fighter!” the announcer bellowed as the audience leaned forward in their seats, hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious mare. “Introducing, the Wasteland Warrior, the Born and Bred Gladiator, the Zaftig Zony, give a warm Royal Ruckus welcome for… Tiger Stripe!”
The audience burst into cheers as the mare stepped forward, an explosive burst of flame accompanying her as she marched. She was an orange mare with black stripes all over her body, contrasting with her gray mane.
“Alternate universes? Seriously?” Snowy snorted and threw herself back in her seat. “I swear, the storylines they come up with get crazier and worse every year. What’s next, fighting a possessed doll?”
“Hmm… This should be quite the delightful scrap.” Swiftsword leaned closer to the ring.
Erica sighed as she rested her chin in her talons. “If I wanted to see two mares smack the crap out of each other, I would have gone to see my neighbor talk to her sister.”
“Everypony ready?” The announcer's shout was swiftly answered by the roar of the crowd. “In that case, let’s get ready to rumble!”
***
As the quartet of fillies ran about the room, playing a game that defied adult comprehension, Barrier was setting up a film projector and the first movie of the night.
“That should take care of it!” Barrier called out to the children, drawing them closer to the projector. “All you’ve got to do now is flip the switch and you’ll be watching Figurine Fantasy.” That should hopefully keep you four under control for about an hour or so. Barrier sighed and turned away as Shutterbug’s magic flipped the projector’s switch. “I’m going to get a snack. Try not to make too much of a mess while I’m gone.”
Making his way into the kitchen, he found himself staring at Fleetfeather as she scooped peanut butter ice cream into a bowl.
“Think it’d be okay to give something like that to those kids?” Barrier inquired as he opened the fridge. “I hear peanut allergies are fairly common.”
Fleet snorted and rolled her eye. “That’s a moot point since this is for me.” She smirked as she brought the bowl over to the table. “I figured I could use a nice treat once in a while.”
“Don’t we all.” Barrier chuckled, pulling a box of strawberries out of the fridge. “Especially since we can’t drink tonight.”
“I don’t think I’ll need it,” Fleet replied and picked up a spoon with her frog. “I used to handle taking care of even more kids, and that was without the help of things like movies or board games.” She then jabbed the spoon into the frozen treat and licked her lips before she had her first bite.
Barrier started to raise a strawberry to his mouth, but then lowered it back to look at the mare across from him. “Fleet…” His words made her pause. “How are you holding up?”
Fleet put another spoonful into her mouth and swallowed. “I have been somewhat well. Certainly much better than I was when I left the empire.” She sighed and set the spoon into the cold bowl. “Still, I have been feeling somewhat… lonely.”
“How so?” Barrier’s head tilted as he slid out of his chair.
“Well for one, I don’t see Wind Whistler as much as I did when we first came here because of her schooling.” Fleet wrapped her forelegs around herself. “The others… they’re usually doing things related to their jobs… and even then, I have trouble trying to be friends with them after having to be their officer. What they have with you… I just don’t have it...”
“But what about your co-workers?” Barrier slowly drew closer to Fleet. “Surely you’ve been talking to them.”
“Not really, I’m afraid.” Fleet exhaled as Barrier placed a hoof on her shoulder. “They’re nice ponies… but I feel like I have trouble opening up to them. Most of them are a good deal younger and have never dealt with anything like what we’ve had to put up with. Even my boss is younger than me.”
Fleet leaned into Barrier, wrapping her forelegs around his sides. “Sometimes… it feels like you’re the only friend I have left.”
“Don’t be like that, Sergeant.” Barrier gave a small smile as he returned the hug. “I’m sure you’ll make some friends. After all, the cadets managed to make friends here. Verdant’s got his classmates. Forge has Snow and his teammates, Swift’s got the other waitresses, Gem’s got the local Apples and Hatty… Okay, I’m not really sure about Hatty making friends since he’s pretty much always either with Gem or working on his magic stuff, but my point still stands.”
“But—”
“But nothing, Fleet,” Barrier interrupted. “We may not be making friends right now, but I know we will. If the cadets could get friends so quickly, I’m sure we will soon.”
“Barrier,” The cycloptic mare lightly giggled. “You know they’re privates.”
“I know.” A grin stretch across the dark stallion’s muzzle. “But if I called them privates, you know I’d make all sorts of innuendo about them.”
“Yeah.” Fleet chuckled before looking Barrier in the eye. “Still, thanks.” She leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek.
“No problem, Fleet,” Barrier said as the hug tightened on both ends. “I really care about y—”
“Mr. Barrier!” A small voice drew the pair’s attention to the kitchen entrance, where they spotted a blushing green filly. “We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s wrong...um…” Barrier paused as he tried to recall the filly’s name. “Melony, was it?” The youngster nodded as the pair untangled from each other.
“It turns out I brought the wrong movie over.” Melony drew closer. “Instead of Figurine Fantasy, I brought a movie about donkeys doing weird things that make me feel… funny.”
“Funny?” Fleet inquired as she moved from her seat. “Funny how?”
“I dunno, but it’s really weird.” Melony answered as she tried to avoid making eye contact.
“Melony, what’s going on?” Barrier drew closer to the green girl. “What movie was it?”
“I don’t know what they’re doing, but the title card said the movie’s called ‘Donkey Dong Country 3’.” Melony looked away as she answered, not seeing the horrified looks on the adults’ faces.
“Crapcrapcrap!” Fleet quickly flew out of the kitchen towards the living room. “Barrier, help me turn this damned thing off!”
Barrier sighed as he quickly followed his housemate towards the living room. “And on a night when I can’t drink.”
“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.
“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.
On a sunny autumn morning, Barrier sat at his chair, pouring croutons and ranch sauce onto a salad. With his creation complete, he stabbed into the saucy, leafy pile with a silver fork.
He smiled as he brought the crisp leaf close to his mouth, only to pause as a knock came to from the front. With a brief sigh, he set his fork down and focused, teleporting to the door. Upon pulling it open, he saw a bright yellow earth pony with a pink mane, wearing a pair of star shaped sunglasses.
“Can I help you, Miss?” Barrier tilted his head as she perched her glasses upon her forehead, revealing a pair of light blue eyes.
“Mrs. Fiesta Flair, at your service,” she said with a thick accent as she shot her forelegs out and grabbed one of Barrier’s, rapidly shaking it. “I’m supposed to see a magic show by a Mr. Hat Trick.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” The dark unicorn nodded, stepping aside as she came into the house. “Hatty should be ready for you in the backyard.”
After a brisk trot, the pair arrived at the back door where they spotted Hat Trick and Winter Gem setting up on a stage made of wooden crates.
“I hope you have a good time, ma’am,” Barrier said, lighting his horn and opening the door. “Hatty’s really been hoping to get this job.”
“Well as long as he doesn’t magically turn fiestas into siestas, he should be good in my books.” Mrs. Flair nodded before strolling out into the yard. “Hope you’re ready, Mr. Trick! I’m pretty hard to impress!” she exclaimed before sitting down on the grass, drawing a yelp from the purple pegasus. As Hatty and Gem rushed to finish setting up, Fiesta Flair pulled a bottle of soda from her saddlebags.
“Best of luck, kiddo,” Barrier called as he closed the the door and quickly made his way back to the kitchen.
Taking his seat, his horn flared once more and lifted the fork up. Licking his lips, the stallion brought the leaf close to his lips once more.
He was stopped as another round of knocks came from the front. With a sigh and an almost imperceptible twitch of the eye, the fork was set aside as he teleported once more to the front door.
Opening the door, he saw muscular grey mare with a light blonde mane on his step.
Careful to keep his annoyance from showing through, Barrier spoke. “Can I help you, Miss?” Barrier eyed the mare closely, spotting a few tools poking out of her saddlebags.
“Hello, sir.” The mare extended her foreleg, which Barrier politely shook. “I was wondering if a Mr. Iron Forge would happen to be here.”
“And who, if I may ask, is looking for him?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he inquired.
“My name’s Silver Swirl.” She beamed as she pressed her hoof to her chest, standing proudly. “I’m the owner and manager of Silver Swirl’s Smithing Shop. I heard some good things about Mr. Forge from one of my employees. I’d like to see some of his work and ask a few questions.”
“Alright then, Ms. Swirl.” Barrier turned away, facing the stairway. “Forge! Get down here!” he bellowed out, making the mare flatten her ears against her head.
A clatter of hooves and plastic came from the second floor, followed swiftly by the blue stallion dashing down the stairs. “What’s wrong, sir?” The winded unicorn asked upon reaching the bottom.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Forge.” Silver smiled as the stallion tried to smooth out his mane. “I’m Silver Swirl and I’d like to examine some of your smithing work.”
“Oh!” Forge’s eyes seemed to light up as a giddy smile fell upon his face. “Yes, of course. Right this way, ma’am.” He quickly pulled an about face, making for the back door.
“Mr. Forge…” the silver mare spoke up, making the young unicorn pause. “You do know there’s some Kre-O brick in your mane, right?” A blush quickly spread across his cheeks as he rushed his fore hooves into his mane, trying to smooth it out and clear away any plastic pieces.
“Sorry about that, ma’am. I was just caught by surprise,” Forge said to the mare as she came to his side. “Still, rest assured that you’ll be more than satisfied with my craftsmanship.”
As the two pulled away, Barrier sighed and gently pushed the door closed with his hind leg. He took a mere two steps away from the entrance before another series of knocks came from the door.
“Oh for the love of…” Barrier groaned as he spun around, putting on the realest smile that he could. With a quick flare of magic he pulled the door open once more. Standing on the steps before him were two mares. Strawberry Sundae, with her face buried deeply in hoof stood on his left, while on the right was a madly grinning and twitching Summer Eve.
“HI THERE, BARRIER! I WAS HOPING YOU’D HAVE A FUNNIER LOOK ON YOUR FACE WHEN WE LANDED AND YOU OPENED UP BUT OH WELL!” the thestral happily exclaimed, swiftly followed by a gasp and clasping her hooves over her muzzle as she practically vibrated in place with a wild look in her eyes. “Sorry ‘bout that. I’m always like this after I’ve had two pots of coffee.”
After shaking his head to rid himself of the ringing in his ears, Barrier’s eyebrow rose. “You mean cups, right?”
“Oh I wish.” Strawberry groaned as she dragged her hoof across her face. “She needs a lot to be awake at this hour.”
“One of the pros of having a dad with a cup of coffee as a cutie mark and cons about working the graveyard shift,” Summer chirped in a chipper tone. “Anywho, can we come inside? There’s something we’d like to talk to you about.”
Barrier’s brow rose slightly higher as he stepped away from the door. “Alright. Hope you don’t mind if I bring my lunch with us.”
“Not at all.” Strawberry placed a wing over Summer’s back and pulled the purple pony along. “Thanks for seeing us.”
A moment later, the three arrived in the living room. Barrier vanished in a flash of blue light, only to return a moment later with his salad in tow. As the couple sat down on a couch, Barrier laid back in a comfortable old chair.
“Well ladies,” Barrier said before taking a bite of lettuce. After savouring the flavour for a moment, he quickly swallowed down the leaf and stabbed his salad once more. “What brings you here?”
Strawberry coughed into her hoof and ruffled her wings before taking a deep breath. “Well, Mr. Barrier-”
“No need for the formalities with me.” The stallion waved a hoof dismissively. “Just call me Barrier.”
“Right then,” Strawberry said with a swallow before Summer draped a leathery wing over her back. “Barrier, there’s something my wife and I have been considering for a while now, and we’d like to ask you about… about…” She swallowed again.
“If this is about a job offer, I’m going to stop you right there.” Barrier held up a hoof while having another bite of his salad and smiling slightly. “Nothing personal, but I don’t really think I’d be the right kind of pony to work in a shop like yours.”
Summer let out a hard laugh, her forelegs wrapping around her belly as her legs kicked like a ticklish foal. “Trust me, that’s not what we’re here for.”
“You see, Barrier...” Strawberry swallowed once more before Summer placed a hoof upon her own. The two gazed into each other’s eyes as smiles stretched across their muzzles. Taking a breath, Strawberry spoke up once more. “My wife and I have been planning on having a child for quite a while now. We’d-”
“We’d like you to supply some of the baby batter for the bun we’re gonna put in her oven!” Summer exclaimed as she leapt from her seat into the air, causing Barrier to choke on a leaf of lettuce.
Coughing hard, Barrier managed to right the food’s course and gasp for air. “That’s a bit of a shock.”
“Summer, sit down!” The red mare hissed, her words making the thestral’s cheeks match her coat. “This is hard enough to do without you stressing me out like this.”
“Sorry, hun…” Summer floated down back onto the couch, her face turned away from the room’s other occupants. “I’ll… I’ll try to rein myself in…”
“Ladies,” Barrier stepped forth, placing his salad aside. “May I ask what’s going on?”
With a deep breath, Strawberry spoke once more. “To be a bit less blunt than my wife, she and I have been thinking about having babies. We plan on using her ovums and my womb so we both share a part in our children’s creation.”
“I see.” Barrier sat back into his seat, placing a hoof to his chin. “But why bring this up with me?”
“Berry,” Summer slowly turned to face her wife, an apologetic look in her eyes. “Can I be the one to handle this part? I promise to be calm about it.” After a moment of gazing into the thestral’s eyes, Strawberry smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, dear.” Summer leaned forward, giving the crimson mare a quick kiss on the cheek. As quickly as she leaned forth, she pulled back and coughed into her hoof. “The thing is, Barrier, we wanted to have it that our foals were not only sired by ponies we know and trust, but with someone they could meet and hopefully have a good connection with.”
“I see.” Barrier nodded, shaking slightly. After what happened… can I really connect with a thestral…? Having one serve under me is one thing… but one wanting me to be their parent?
“We were browsing through the catalog of those who’d willingly donate to thestrals in Vanhoover and you came up first.” Summer broke Barrier from his thoughts, oblivious to his trepidation. “You seem like you get along with your daughter-”
“Goddaughter, actually,” Barrier interjected. “Wind Whistler’s my friend’s daughter.”
“At any rate, the point is you seem to get along with her pretty well.” Summer dismissively waved her hoof as she spoke. “You seem like you’d be pretty good father material.”
Would I? After a few moments thought on his experiences with his own father, he supposed that he knew what not to do, at the very least. I suppose I could rely on Fleetfeather for the finer points of parenting. Faust knows she has plenty of experience…
“Not only that, but let’s just say you’ve got some traits that’d be…” Summer paused to lick her lips. “Desirable.” Strawberry rolled her eyes at Summer’s emphasizing.
“I… suppose?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose slightly as he drew his salad back, taking a quick bite.
“Well,” Summer seemed to have taken Barrier’s statement as a request for elaboration, “for one thing, your colors are pretty dark,” Summer said as her eyes roamed Barrier’s charcoal form. “Lots of thestrals like their mates to have darker colors in their coats and manes, so that’d be a big plus for them hopefully passing thestral genes down.”
“Your file also noted how you’re rather strong and fit, so that would be quite the plus” Strawberry spoke up.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Barrier softly replied, his eyes locked upon his salad. “If nothing else, it certainly explains why you’d ask me.”
“Are…” Strawberry leaned forward. “Are you okay with this, Barrier? If you’re not, it’s fine. We could find another if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s not that,” Barrier spoke up as he set his salad to the side. “It’s just a bit of a shock having someone directly asking me for this. It just makes it have more of a mental impact, y’know?”
“I see.” Strawberry leaned close to the couch’s edge, nervously shaking ever so slightly. “So would you be willing to let us use your donation?”
Barrier gave the pair a firm nod, drawing a delighted squeal from Summer.
“Yes! Barrier baby batter for the batty!” she bounced in her seat with joy. “Donor Number One’s totally secured!”
“Donor Number One?” Barrier’s brow rose as Summer’s bounces came to a halt. “Do you plan on using more than one donor?”
“Yeppers!” Summer casually answered and she hopped of the couch. “I figure we should add some more variety to the thestral genepool. We’re gonna try for twins with different daddies!”
“I wasn’t too crazy about the idea when she first pitched the idea,” Strawberry spoke up as she gently rose from her seat. “But she can be pretty persuasive. Her arguments made a lot of sense to me after a while.”
“Well I’m glad I could help you two out.” Barrier slid out his chair, quickly finding his foreleg grabbed by Summer and rapidly shaken. “If you ever need help financially or just babysitting with this, you know where to find me.”
“You got it, Barry!” Summer shouted before quickly pulling Barrier into a hug. Just as quickly as she initiated the embrace, she pulled away. “Say, could you help us with one last teensy-tiny thing?”
“What would that be?” One of the charcoal stallion’s eyebrows rose once more as Strawberry sauntered forward.
“Could you tell us where Mr. Verdant Range is?” Strawberry inquired as Summer pulled a wing over her. “We’d like him to be our other donor and the file said he lives here as well.”
“He went out with Fleet and Swiftsword to get their manes cut.” Barrier’s horn started to glow once more, bringing his salad back to him. “They’ll probably be back before too long.”
“Thanks again, Barrier.” Strawberry brought her foreleg out, which Barrier quickly accepted in a shake. “We’d best get going. Hopefully we’ll see him on the way back to the shop. Farewell.” With a polite nod, the pair departed from the living room and out the front door.
Once certain the two were out of earshot, Barrier sighed.
Certainly wasn’t expecting that particular turn of events… better than them not asking, to be certain. And I’ll have a chance to know my child. He strolled over to the couch and laid himself down on his side, placing the salad on the coffee table. I suppose I’ll also know the foal I’ll have with Swift, if it comes to that. The stallion couldn’t help but take a deep breath, that particular thought still weighing on him. Glancing at a half-empty bottle of scotch on the table across from him, he snorted, knowing it was far too early for him to have a drink, especially after the night prior.
Barrier’s ears shot up as he heard the back door start to open, followed by two sets of hooves against the floor. Quickly straightening up, he saw Forge and Silver Swirl walk past.
“Any other questions, Ms. Swirl?” Forge asked even as he was sweating bullets. Barrier briefly pondered if the sweat was due to nerves, the heat of his mini-foundry in the back yard or a combination of the two.
“Yes, Mr. Forge. Just one.” Silver Swirl turned back to face Forge, the smallest trace of a smile on her muzzle. “We’ll have a position available on the eighteenth of next month. Will you be able to start then?”
“O-of course!” Forge beamed. Barrier had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling. “Thank you, ma’am! I’ll be counting down the days til then.”
“Splendid.” Swirl nodded as her hoof reached the doorknob. “Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Forge. Please have your mane brushed when you’re working. I don’t want my employees to look like they just got out of bed.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Forge blushed as he gave a salute. “I’ll have my mane in tip top shape.”
“Fantastic, Forge,” Swirl replied as she headed out the door with a wave. “Toodles!”
“Way to go, F-” Barrier was interrupted by the sound of a loud boom coming from the back yard. Bolting towards the window, the two breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the sound of the explosion was caused by one of Hat Trick’s fireworks displays, apparently ending his performance.
“Bravo, Hat Trick!” Fiesta gleefully clapped from her spot on the grass. “I’ll start writing up a contract for you by the end of the day!”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Hatty replied with a gracious bow, matching smiles on his and Winter Gem’s faces. “It’ll be a pleasure to work for you.”
“Well I’d best be going.” The yellow mare rose with a toss of her bouncy mane. “Buenas tardes!” She called out with a wave as she made her way to the front door.
“Well, Hatty,” Forge beamed as the pegasus and his paramour came into the living room. “Now that we’ve both got jobs, I’d say some celebrations are in order!”
Hatty moved to answer, but paused as Barrier laid a hoof on his shoulder.
“Maybe you should hold off on that for now. You remember what’s in a couple weeks, right?” Barrier watched on as shock and realisation dawned upon Hat Trick.
“Oh right, Pinkie’s Party! I forgot!” Hatty chuckled as he pulled off his hat and wiped his brow.
“Also, it’d probably be best to wait on making party plans until after we hear from V—” Forge was cut off by the sound of a loud, squeaky squeal that had come from the front of the house. The noise grew closer until the front door burst open as a green squeeing stallion dashed into the room.
“This is the best day of my life!” Verdant merrily squealed as he ran around. “I got the job, I’ve got my gala haircut and I’m going to be a sire!” He squealed again as he ran back out, dashing right past Fleet and Swift.
“Well, he’s certainly… excited.” Fleet rolled her eye as she saw the happy pony zoom past the front gate into town. “So how’s everypony doing?”
“Pretty well here, Fleet,” Barrier replied as he moved back towards the couch. “The colts got jobs and I had a nice little meeting with the mares from the sweet shop. By the way, nice hair, ladies.”
“Why thank you, Barrier.” The slightest hint of a blush came across Fleetfeather’s cheeks as she ran a hoof through her now much shorter, sleeker mane. “I rather like it.”
“And I mine.” Swift beamed as she stepped forth, her bangs now much shorter, with a golden hairband atop her head. “I’m sure Verdant will say something similar once back from his…” As the unicorn paused to consider her words, a loud “Woo-who!” echoed forth from somewhere in town. “Celebrations.”
“Just remember to save some of that for the Pink Devil.” Barrier chuckled as he stabbed his fork back into his leafy treat. “If you don’t, you’ll be eaten alive.”
As the early morning sun beamed down upon Vanhoover, Barrier, Daring and Fleet strolled out onto his front lawn where the house’s younger residents were assembled, sorting through their saddlebags.
“You kids ready for your trip?” Barrier asked with a yawn as he cracked his neck, getting closer to Swiftsword.
“Yes, sir!” Swift saluted, the others falling into line behind her. “My compatriots and I are ready to depart for our stealth operation.”
“Stealth operation?” Barrier choked back a chortle. “You’re going to help set up a surprise party for Pinkie.”
“Yes.” Swift gave her captain a knowing smirk. “And remember how quickly she found us after we arrived and set up a party for us?” Barrier gave the unicorn mare a flat look.
“...Right, stealth mission it is.” Barrier muttered with a dismissive wave. “Hope you have a good time there.”
“Be on your best behavior while there, Wind Whistler.” Fleet pulled her filly into a tight embrace before setting the foal back down and turning her focus to the former privates. “I expect that you will keep her safe, understood?” Based on the authoritative tone of her voice, it wasn’t a question.
“Yes, ma’am!” The five ponies gave a sharp salute to her order.
“Hope you all manage to have fun while we’re gone, but not too much fun,” Hatty said as he slung his saddlebags over his withers, his statement causing Barrier to roll his eyes.
“I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Besides, Daring and I have some pla—” Barrier was cut off as a pop came from above Daring’s head as a letter materialized above her. Quickly grabbing the note, she unfurled it and scanned its contents.
“Oh Faust curse it.” Daring glared and bit her lip. “Looks like our plans are on hold, Barrier.” She sighed and stuffed the letter in her saddlebags.
“Daring, what’s wrong?” Barrier laid a hoof on her shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not particularly. More frustrating than anything.” Daring sighed as she and Barrier pulled away from the gathered group. “Somepony was starting to build a grocery store in Tall Tale and they found something. They need a qualified archaeologist to check it out and see if it turns out to be some kind of historical site, and guess who’s the closest one.” She lifted her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her snout. “Hopefully it won’t take too long, but I need to head out ASAP. Sorry, love.”
“It’s okay.” Barrier sighed before giving Daring a kiss on the cheek. “Duty calls. It’s something I’ve had to say quite a lot in the past.”
“As have I,” Fleet spoke up as she pulled up to the conversing pair. “I hope it’s not too much hassle for you, Daring.”
“It’s not really that big of a problem.” Daring gave Fleet a smile and gently bumped her hips against her. “I like this sort of stuff, but I wish I didn’t have to push back what Barrier and I had planned.”
“Well, we’ll try not to have too much fun without you, Daring.” Barrier nuzzled the golden mare’s cheek. “Hope to have you back soon.”
“I’ll try to get back soon.” Daring returned the nuzzle, rubbing against the stallion’s neck. “Just cause I’m gone doesn’t mean you and Fleet can’t have fun.”
“We’ll see about that.” Barrier took a deep breath before pulling her into a hug. “Love you, Daring.”
“Love you too, Barrier.” Daring returned the hug and planted a kiss on Barrier’s lips. “Now c’mon, I need to get packed.”
***
As the train pulled away, slowly disappearing beyond the horizon, Barrier could only sigh and turn away.
“So,” he started, Fleet closely by his side. “Do you have anything planned for today?”
“Not particularly, no,” the cycloptic pegasus replied as she flew alongside him. “It’s my day off.”
“Well I hope one of us will think of a way to kill time, otherwise I’ve got nothing to do but think about where I could drop off some of my resumes.”
“Barrier,” Fleet rubbed her chin she glided by his side. “What would you say are your hobbies?”
“Honestly, I haven’t put much thought it to that sort of thing, Fleet.” The charcoal stallion looked to the sky as he pondered. “Usually, someone’s there to keep me occupied or I’ve got a book to read or study. But right now, I don’t really feel like reading a book. Maybe a walk or a grocery run would kill some time, but I figure that’ll only stave off boredom for so long.”
“Well in that case,” A soft smile graced Fleet’s face as she flew in front of Barrier. “I may have an idea as to how we should spend the day.”
Barrier chuckled at the giddy look upon her face. “Well don’t keep me in suspense, sergeant. What’s the plan?”
“My plan is simple,” she said as she landed in front of Barrier, drawing him to a halt. “We get take out from the Four D’s, rent some movies from Blockbuster’s, and get all sorts of drinks from Liquor in the Rye’s.”
“You've mentioned alcohol.” Barrier smirked as he moved past her. “I’m liking this plan already.”
“We put on a little movie marathon for ourselves and have some drinks.” Fleet grinned as she trotted up to Barrier’s side. “I figure we could have some fun while the kids are out of town.”
“It’s certainly worth a shot.” Barrier chuckled once more. “So, how about I go pick up the food while you pick out the movies?”
“Sounds good,” Fleet said with a tilt of her head. “But what about the drinks?”
“Knowing me, I’d probably just get the same old stuff I always get, so scotch, whiskey and… probably more scotch.” Barrier’s horn lit up as he opened his saddlebags and pulled out some bits. “I figure you’re more likely to pick up something new to try out.”
“Alright then.” Fleet nodded and grabbed the collection of coins. “Just make sure to pick up a lot of food. I don’t plan on either of us doing any cooking tonight.”
“Not a problem, Fleet.” Barrier patted the pegasus on the back before pulling away. “I don’t plan on having to cook or clean up one of your fires again.”
“That was a one time thing with the oil and you know it!” Fleet exclaimed as Barrier rounded a corner, drawing a choked laugh from the stallion.
***
The light of Barrier’s horn died down as he set several bags of food upon the living room’s coffee table. Taking a deep breath, he savored the delicious scent of the delicacies contained within.
“I’m home!” Fleet’s voice echoed through the manor as she came through the front door. “I hope you’re ready for a wild time, Barrier.” Her grin faded to a smirk as she gently slid her saddlebags off her back and onto the floor.
“Well I doubt it’ll be boring, Fleet.” Barrier’s horn lit once more as he picked up the bags. “What’ve we got to pass the time tonight?”
“Well I picked up some films that I was told were great for drinking games,” Fleet replied as Barrier pulled some of the film canisters free of her bags. “I got the Mortal Fighters movies, Batmare V Aquamare: Prawn of Justice - Supreme Edition, Mighty Morphin’ Pony Rangers: The Movie, Da Pukas, Ad—” Fleet was silenced as a charcoal hoof was gently placed over her lips.
“Fleet, Fleet, Fleet…” Barrier chuckled and shook his head. “You’re neglecting the most important part of this.”
“And that would be?” Fleet inquired as she brushed his hoof aside.
“What kind of liquor did you get us?” He smirked as he started to sort through the second bag.
“Well I figured we’d start off light with this thing called Oroku Sake,” she answered as Barrier pulled out a white bottle with a Neighponese symbol on the label. “The ads said this is guaranteed to get one ‘shredded’, whatever that means.” Fleet dismissively waved as he set that aside and pulled out another bottle.
“S’more schnapps?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he examined the second bottle. “Why in Zacherle’s name would anypony want to mix those two things together?”
“I haven’t the foggiest,” Fleet replied as she snagged the bottle out of his magic. “Still, I figured it would be worth trying out.”
“I think I’ll pass on that. What else did you get?” He drew closer to the bags and pulled out two more bottles that he closely scrutinized. “Buttercreme’s Scotch?”
“Hard Rye said that this stuff goes down really smooth.” Fleet chuckled as she grabbed one of the bottles with her wing. “Besides, she recommend a quite few drinking games for the movies I got.” She smirked wickedly as she drew closer to the stallion. “Think you got what it takes to take me on?”
Barrier gave a muffled chuckle that quickly evolved into a hearty laugh. “Dear Fleet…” He paused for a moment to calm himself. “There’s no way you can beat me at drinking, kiddo.”
“Kiddo!?” Fleet snorted and she stomped toward him. “I’m a year older than you, Barrier.”
“Not anymore, Fleet,” he replied as he casually strolled past Fleet, flicking her nose with his tail. “Your time in the empire made me two years older than you, and believe me, I attained more than a little drinking experience in that time.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Fleet rolled her eye and set her drinks aside. “At any rate, I’m getting hungry and I don’t want my food getting cold.” She grabbed one of the bags with her teeth and hopped backwards onto the couch. “I suggest you start digging in before I eat all the croutons.”
“Not a chance in Tartarus!” Barrier called out as he trotted back to the couch. The charcoal stallion took a seat next to Fleet, leaning close to her. “So, what were those drinking games you were talking about?” He asked as the mare stuck her head into the bag.
“Wrr,” Fleet pulled her head back, showing her mouth stuffed full of fries and gravy. She gave a hard swallow and let out a small belch. “Excuse me.”
“Nope,” Barrier replied, holding back a laugh. “Afraid there’s no excuse for you.”
“At any rate,” Fleet said with a roll of her eye. “In the first game she told me about, when we watch Batmare V Aquamare, we take a shot every time someone says the name, ‘Marshal’. Rye said we’ll be hammered faster that you can say ‘beer-battered seapony’. And that’s just one of them.”
“I doubt it’ll be too bad, Fleet. If nothing else, we’re both very experienced drinkers and can hold our liquor.” Barrier’s horn ignited as he pulled one of the film canisters out. “Well then, let’s get started. I’m hoping to have some fun tonight.”
***
Hours passed as the pair played movie after movie, indulging in drink after drink, pausing only for the briefest of moments.
As midnight drew near, five film canisters laid off to the side while a collection of empty bottles sat upon the table, some upright, some not.
“Y’know,” Barrier slurred as he leaned into the couch. “That Cyborganizer rebootening or whatever was pretty neat.”
“Not really my…” Fleet went silent for a moment before she gave out a loud belch. “Not really my thing,” she finally said without another pause. “Wait, weren’t we just watching that Batmare thingie?”
“We did,” Barrier replied as he leaned against Fleet. “But I’d like to remember that there’s joy in the world.”
Fleet chuckled as she leaned back against Barrier’s side, her feathers lightly brushing his back.
“Hmm…” She nuzzled the underside of his chin. “This feels so nice.”
“Glad you’re havin’ a good time, Fleet.” Barrier slung his foreleg over her withers in a friendly embrace, making her feathers tickle his side.
“Haven’t felt this good in a while,” Fleet murmured as she leaned further into Barrier. “Always either trying to help keep this place going or working with a bunch of ponies that act like foals at the weather factory and insist on treating me like an old cripple ‘cuz of my lack of depth perception.” She sighed in exasperation as she placed her head upon his shoulder.
“You know better than that,” Barrier stated matter-of-factly as he stroked her mane and moved her back into a standing position. “You and I both know damn well you’re not a cripple or old.”
“I know, Barrier…” A hiccup interrupted her very briefly, “but it sure as Tartarus doesn’t feel like it.” Fleet sniffled as she set her lone eye to Barrier’s sympathetic face. “It’s just… hard. For the longest time, I had so many ponies around me. When at work, it was all of the guards. When at home…” A half-concealed sob worked its way out of her throat. “I’m lonely, Barrier. I know you and the others are here for me, but it’s not the same. I can’t even remember a time when my bed was as cold and empty as it feels these days...” She turned her gaze to the couch as she blinked back the beginnings of tears, several faint sniffles escaping her.
“Fleet,” Barrier brought a hoof to her chin and lifted her gaze to his once more, revealing her eye was now redder than usual. “You know I’ll always be here for you. I love you, Fleet. You’re family.”
“Barrier…” Fleet slowly leaned closer to the charcoal unicorn, wrapping her forelegs around his shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispered, her face nearly touching his.
The two held each other’s gaze for several long moments before Fleetfeather pressed her muzzle forward, closing the gap between them and gently pressing her lips to his.
Nothing but silence remained between the two for a long minute and Fleetfeather made to shift as if she were trying to get up before Barrier reciprocated, forelegs wrapping around her smaller frame as he pressed their lips together once more.
After what felt like an eternity, the two finally separated for a moment, each taking several deep breaths… before diving right back in, the reason for their separation having been sated.
Barrier soon felt the sensation of the tip of Fleetfeather’s tongue brushing against his lips. After moment of resistance, the fleshly organ moved past his lips, gliding across his teeth and tongue. Barrier’s tongue rose up to clash against Fleet’s before he began to explore her mouth as well.
Fleet leaned closer to Barrier before they both tumbled off of the couch, rattling the empty bottles on the coffee table as they came to a halt, Fleetfeather resting atop Barrier’s barrel. Neither of them seemed to mind or even notice as their hooves slowly traveled downwards. Fleet’s wings quickly rose as her tongue kept up its assault.
“Barrier…” Fleet gasped as she felt Barrier’s hooves stroking her flanks and saw the look in his eyes. “Bed…” She bit her lip as his hooves began to knead her lower half. “Bedroom.”
Barrier acknowledged her words with a lighting of his horn. In a bright flash, the two vanished from the living room before reappearing a foot above his bed, landing on it with a thud and a creak. Had it been an hour or two earlier, he might have had the mental acuity to take a step back and calm down, but at this particular point most of the blood-flow was being redirected downward.
As dawning sun crept over the sleepy city of Vanhoover, Barrier laid in his bed; holding the mare beside him tenderly.
Faust damn it, Celestia. Turn down the brightness. he thought as the early morning light struck his eyelids. With a sigh, Barrier pulled the one beside him closer; his grip gently tightening.
A contented humming reached his ears as she nuzzled his neck and chin. A wing ran along his side, the feathery touch tickled him lightly.
Ah, Daring. Moments like these I will always treasure. Barrier tilted his head down, giving his companion a sweet kiss upon her head, getting a whiff of her lavender scented mane. Wait a second… something’s wrong here.
“Hmm…” The figure beside Barrier hummed before placing a kiss upon his cheek. “Flash, thou wert was most wonderful last night.”
Barrier’s eyes shot open with a speed to rival lightning, in spite of the harsh glare of the sun’s light.
As his vision started to settle, he saw not the rosy eyes he was used to seeing each morning, but a single, slowly opening red eye.
“Mayhaps we shall...” The words died in Fleetfeather’s throat as her eye bolted fully open.
The pair of perplexed ponies gasped as they rapidly scampered out of the bed, tumbling to their sides in their rush.
“B-Barrier…” the pegasus mare shakily said as she tried to right herself. “Did… did we…”
“Yeah, Fleet,” Barrier replied after a moment's hesitation. He sat up and groaned. “We slept together…” His eyes drifted over the sheets as he sniffed the air, the evidence of the previous night’s activities quite obvious.
“Oh Faust… I…” Fleet’s eye darted around the room before she charged toward the door. “I need a moment… I… I need to...” Reaching the door knob, Fleet felt a gentle hoof upon her shoulder that, despite little pressure being applied, seemed to root her in place.
“Fleet… I’m sorry.” Barrier swallowed, his hoof trembling as his voice cracked more with each word. “Just… wanted to make that clear before you went… I don’t know what else to say. This should never have happened.”
A moment of long, horrible, awkward silence passed before Fleet place an unsteady hoof upon Barrier’s. “We both made a terrible mistake last night, Barrier. What matters now is we need to figure out what to do about this mess we’ve made.” Gently pulling the hoof off her shoulder, she opened the door, significantly calmer than before. “I need some time to myself. I’m going to shower and try to gather my wits.”
“Sure thing.” Barrier’s tone was a tired whisper as Fleet trudged away. “Guess I’d better take care of these sheets...”
***
Barrier sat alone at the breakfast table, sick to his stomach and with a million thoughts running through his mind, each worse than the last.
Way to go, Barrier. Mother used to warn you that all those nights of drinking would lead to something stupid and lo and behold, she was right. You cheated on your girlfriend and slept with your best friend’s widow. Congratu-fucking-lations. Truly you’ve reached a new level, pissing away some of the best things you’ve had in life for a drunken one-night stand with another mare. A mare you raised a toast to at her wedding no less!
Barrier was broken out of his thoughts at the sound of a chair scraping against the floor; a good thing, as it pulled his thoughts from what was steadily becoming self-loathing and anger. Looking across from him at the interruption, he saw Fleet, looking only slightly better than she did before.
“Barrier,” she spoke up, her eye focused on his hooves. “I…” Fleet rubbed her hooves together as she nervously fidget in her chair.
“I… We need to tell Daring as soon as she gets back.” Barrier looked up, seeing Fleet nodding to his words.
“Agreed.” Fleet swallowed as she continued to rub her hooves together. “We both wronged her. She deserves to know.”
“I’ll try to clean up the bedroom.” Barrier slid out of his chair and made his way over to the fidgeting mare. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Fleet remained silent, drawing a concerned frown from the obsidian unicorn.
“Fleet?” Barrier placed a hoof upon her shoulder, snapping her from her thoughts and quickly pull away.
“Oh sorry, Barrier. I was just…” Fleet bit her lip and pondered her words. “Worrying.”
“I’m worried too, Fleet.” Barrier took a step back, trying to give Fleet some space. “We’re both worried about Daring.”
“No, Barrier. That’s not what was on my mind.” Fleet finally faced him, the first sign of tears starting to form in her eye. “I’m worried I might get pregnant.”
“Oh Faust…” The color rapidly drained from Barrier’s face. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” Taking a deep breath and rubbing his temples with his fore hooves, Barrier tried to calmly think about possible solutions. “Okay, since Daring takes pills to prevent pregnancy, maybe she’ll have something for things like this.”
“I hope so, Barrier.” The sky-colored mare sighed before slowly stepping out of her chair. “No offense, Barrier; but I don’t really want a child by you.”
“None taken, Fleet.” Barrier replied as he made his way out of the kitchen. “I’ll take care of the bedroom.”
“Alright.” Fleet gave a hard exhale before trotting out as well. “I’ll take care of the living room. Hopefully it’s less of a mess than the bedroom.”
Barrier looked back over his shoulder once he reached the bedroom door, seeing once more the sad look on Fleet’s face. Taking a deep breath, Barrier turned his attention to the bedroom.
“Hopefully we can fix this disaster,” he whispered to himself and closed the door behind him.
***
Barrier laid back on the living room couch as he slowly had his meal of leftovers from the previous night. He bit into a slice of last night’s pizza while Fleet sat across the room, having a small bag of cold fries. Silenced reigned over the room as the pair disposed of their food.
A click came from the front entrance, making the pair’s ears stand at attention. It couldn’t have been the kids since it wasn’t even noon yet, meaning it could only be…
“Hey Barrier, I’m home!” Daring’s voice echoed out, the two nervously swallowed as they stepped onto the floor.
This is it, Barrier. Faust be on your side.
“You would not believe it. I came all the way out there, and it turns out the ‘artifact’ they found was just some old dog collar. The whole thing was such a huge waste of—” The goldenrod pegasus strolled into the room, but her words failed as she saw the looks upon their faces. “Guys, what’s wrong? Did something happen to the kids?” A note of worry entered her voice as she ran over to the two.
“No, at least not to my knowledge.” Barrier signed, tempted to pull out his flask. “What happened was last night, after Fleet and I got really drunk…”
“What, did you two break something? I’m sure it can’t be that bad,” Daring said calmly as she placed a hoof on Barrier’s cheek, only for him to pull away.
“No, Daring. It’s was much worse.” Fleet drew closer, biting her lip.
“Daring…” Barrier winced before he spat out the words like a foul poison. “Fleet and I got drunk and had sex last night.” He closed his eyes in a flash, moving as if he were about to be struck.
“...What?” Daring’s voice cracked as she reeled back in surprise, her mind still processing the statement. “I… How could you!?” She started angrily before pawing at the corners of her eyes and feeling the tears that had already begun to form.
“Daring, please.” Fleet quickly stepped past Barrier to Daring’s side. “This was a horrible mistake that both of us regret. Neither of us would ever do something like this intentionally. We were stupid and pissed to the gills. Faust, there’s a chance I’ll get pregnant from this drunken mistake and—” A loud stomp from the professor the echoed through the room and silenced the soldier.
Though she had silenced them, she didn’t immediately reply, opting instead to take a series of deep breaths and close her eyes tightly, reigning her emotions in as best she could given the news she’d just received.
“Alright.” Daring growled slightly, stalking close to the pair. “I am beyond furious with the two of you right now.”
“As you well should be.” Barrier nodded, leaning back into the couch slightly as his fight-or-flight instinct attempted to show itself when he saw the contained fury in the smaller mare’s eyes.
“And believe me when I say that we will talk about this later, but first…” Daring snapped her gaze to Fleetfeather. “We have other priorities. Get your saddlebags, Fleetfeather. I’m taking you out to help you find an emergency contraceptive for this mess.” Her gaze snapped to Barrier next. “You’re staying here, in case the kids get back before we do.”
Both of the old soldiers nodded their assent before Fleet swiftly stepped out of the room to don her saddlebags and rushed after Daring who had already stalked from the house, the door slamming angrily in her wake.
Barrier stood alone in the large living room, the only sounds to break the silence were the ticks of a clock.
This is it, Barrier. The secret’s out. The black stallion sighed as he fell onto his side, sinking into the couch. Daring knows you cheated on her and will probably ditch your sorry flank, like she should.
Barrier pulled out his flask, staring at his reflection in the worn but polished silver.
“If you weren’t the only thing I have left of somepony dear, I’d throw you out the damn window.” He muttered before tossing the flask onto the coffee table and shifting onto his back.
How are things going to be from now on? Laying his hooves over his eyes, Barrier took a deep breath, groaning as his mind tried to puzzle out how life might be from now on. Fleet will probably not want anything to do with you after this, and that’s just if you’re lucky enough not to knock her up. If she is though… what will happen then?
Staring up towards the ceiling, as if hoping for an answer of some kind from above, Barrier could only keep his gaze forward as his vision became blurry.
“I suppose I was overdue for an absolute disaster in life….” He whispered to himself as he wiped away the forming tears only to have them replaced moments later.
***
The sound of the front door creaking open stirred the red-eyed stallion from his slumber. As he rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, his ears caught the sound of one of the approaching ponies.
“-should be in the clear, hopefully.” He heard Daring speaking to Fleet as the pair made their way back into the living room, when the golden pegasus spotted the tear-stained stallion.
“Daring...” Barrier started to rise from the couch, but the archaeologist raising her hoof was enough to make him immediately stop.
With a sigh, Daring trotted over to a chair while Fleet took a spot on the far end of the couch.
“Alright you two, listen up.” Daring’s words made the two before her lean closer in nervous anticipation. “I’ve been thinking about everything that’s happened, what you said, and what I’m going to do about it.”
A moment of tense silence dragged on before Barrier leaned closer.
“Go on…” he hoarsely croaked, shaking despite his best efforts.
“I...” The mustard yellow mare sighed and rubbed her temples. “I don’t think I’m going to break up with you.” Her eyes met Barrier’s.
“You…” Barrier gulped as he leaned closer, his fore hooves on the coffee table. “You’re sure about that, Daring?”
“Yeah, kinda,” Daring muttered and leaned back into the chair. Barrier noticed she seemed to be trying to avoid making eye contact with them. “I mean, you two didn’t try to hide things and you admitted the whole thing was a huge mistake.” She sighed before she placed her chin on her hoof, leaning to the side.
“I feel a ‘but’ coming on…” Fleet’s gentle whisper reached Barrier’s ears just a Daring straightened herself out.
“That being said, I’m going to be leaving for a while.” Daring tiredly rose out of the chair, her wings drooping at her sides. “This whole thing hurts pretty bad. I’m just… really upset… and not just with you two...” She paused, taking a deep breath as she placed a hoof to her chest. “I just need some time to cool down and collect my thoughts. I have to think some things through, without being as… frustrated.”
“I understand completely.” Barrier fell back into the couch as Daring slowly walked away. “Daring…” he spoke up, causing her to face him; her normally rose colored eyes looking much redder. “Whatever you choose in the end, I’ll respect your wishes.”
“Thanks, Barrier.” She sighed and turned away, slowly trotting to the master bedroom she shared with the unicorn.
“Daring, where will you go?” Fleet asked as she slowly lifted herself off the couch.
“I’ve got a house of my own,” the yellow mare answered without looking back, pushing her way into the bedroom. “Haven’t been there in a while. I’ll probably clean it up and sort through my mail while I’m there.”
“Do you…” Barrier pulled himself off the couch, slowly walking over to Fleet’s side. “Do you want us to help you pack?”
“No need.” Daring emerged from the bedroom, now dawning her Masquerade guise. “I’m still packed from when I got here. Just grabbed a couple of books.”
“Alright.” Barrier edged the tiniest bit closer to her. “Would you like us to accompany you to the train station?”
A moment of silence came as Daring seemed to ponder her decision.
“No, not really,” she answered, trotting over to the door. “I don’t want anyone knowing where my real house is, if possible.”
“Very well, Daring.” Barrier walked over to the foyer, where he saw Daring standing at the threshold. “I… I guess this is goodbye.”
“Yeah,” Daring sighed and took a step forward, not looking back even for an instant. “Goodbye, Barrier.”
“Goodbye, Daring Do.” Barrier replied just before the front door quietly closed behind her. “I love you.”
Silence reigned over the Vanhoover manor as Fleetfeather and Magic Barrier shuffled about, barely a word shared between them since Daring’s departure.
The hours that passed felt like an eternity until the pair partook in leftovers from the previous night. The faint sounds of them eating and the ticks of a clock were the only things to break the dreadful silence permeating the place.
“Barrier…” Fleet spoke up, only to fall silent once more. The stallion across the table from her could only sigh.
Another hour slowly passed by for the pair until their ears caught the sound of the front door opening up once more.
“I’m raiding your liquor cabinet, sir!” A tired Verdant’s voice echoed out as he towards the den, not even sparing them a glance while the rest headed for the kitchen.
“What’s eating him?” Barrier asked as more of the former cadets began to pour into the kitchen.
“Well, we learned a valuable lesson today,” Winter Gem replied as she took a seat at the table. “Don’t try to have a stallion pop out of a cake if it’s for Pinkie. It won’t end well at all.”
“His day was pretty cr…” Hat Trick paused as he came up to Gem’s side. “Captain, is something wrong?”
“What makes you think that, Hatty?” The obsidian unicorn snorted before taking another bite of cold fries.
“Sir, your eyes are all red your face is tear stained.” Forge examined the stallion closely before moving onto Fleet. “The same with you, sergeant.”
“I…” Fleet bit her lip before a small pink and blue blur dashed to her side, hopping onto her lap.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” Wind Whistler stared at her mother, mustering the biggest puppy dog eyes in her vast arsenal of cuteness.
“Wind Whistler…” Fleet blinked as she took in the sight of her foal. “What… what happened to your hair?”
Wind Whistler looked up towards the top of her head, followed by a quick glance over her shoulder. Her once smooth and flowing mane and tail were both now shorter and spiky in parts.
“Oh, right.” The little filly chuckled, grinning and scratching the back of her neck somewhat nervously. “I tried to help those three fillies get a cutie mark for blowing the world’s biggest bubblegum bubble. This…” She paused, looking over her tail once more. “This is what happened to me.”
“Oh dear.” Fleet ran a hoof through the child’s short mane. “Are you alright dear?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Windy beamed as she nuzzled against her mother’s chest. “I got off lightly compared to those three.”
“I’m certain the body paint and wigs will do for them until their hair grows back.” Winter leaned forward on the table, her gaze hardening as her tone became more serious. “Now, onto the matter at hoof. What happened to you two?”
“It’s…” Barrier paused, carefully considering what to reveal to them. Taking a deep breath, he resumed speaking. “It’s not something I really think we’re ready to talk about just yet. Just know that Daring… she won’t be here for a while, okay?”
“Understood, sir.” Swiftsword nodded as she took a seat with them at the table. “Is there anything we can do for you two? The Four D’s should still be open, so I can get you something if you want.”
“No thanks, Swift.” Barrier sighed, leaning back into his chair. “I appreciate it, but I should be fine for now. Just make sure Verdant doesn’t empty my liquor cabinet.”
Winter Gem snorted into her hoof. “I doubt he could do that, even if he was twice your size, sir.”
The night trudged on until eventually the residents of the manor felt the inevitable call of slumber, beckoning them to their beds.
Crawling into his bed, Barrier shifted about. He wasn’t used to being in the large bed without Daring at his side. Though the night was comfortable - to be expected of early autumn, Barrier knew that his room was colder than any winter he’d ever struggled through.
Get used to it, Barrier. You did this to yourself. You’ve made your bed, now lie in it.
With a short sniffle, Barrier curled into the blankets as tears began to dampen his pillow.
***
As the early morning light struck Barrier’s eyes, he caught the scent of eggs being cooked up and freshly brewed coffee coming from the kitchen.
Pulling himself out of bed and tossing the sheets aside without a second glance, the sleepy unicorn slowly made his way to the kitchen, spotting Verdant at the stove.
“Morning, sir,” the shamrock stallion said, keeping his eyes firmly locked on the frying pan. “Breakfast should be ready in just a few more minutes.”
“Fine by me,” the older pony yawned as he took his seat. “One less thing for me to do.”
A few moments later, Verdant placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Barrier, followed soon after by a cup of fresh coffee with some ice cubes in it.
“By the way, sir, I’d like you to meet me at Pretty Petals so we can go out for lunch,” Verdant said as he placed more plates of food around the table. Barrier snorted and rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his coffee.
“And why would I do that?” Barrier gave young stallion a flat look as he set his coffee down.
The smaller pony gave Barrier a hard look before speaking in his approximation of the unicorn’s ‘captain’ tone. “One, I just cooked you breakfast. Two, I rarely if ever ask you for a favor. Three, you have nothing better to do. And four, if you don’t, I’m going to use my frying pan as a complying pan. Understood?” Verdant patted the pan against his hoof in an effort to be intimidating which quickly fell apart as he dropped the frying pan and winced from the heat.
Barrier choked back an amused snort as he poked at his eggs. “Nice try at looking intimidating, but it needs some work. Still…” The unicorn sighed as he set his fork down. “You do have a point. Where’s the store again?”
Verdant beamed as he placed the pan back on the stove. “It’s the north end of Rosedust Street. You can’t miss it.”
“Just make sure I won’t regret this, kiddo.” Barrier took a long sip of his coffee. “You’re up to something. I just don’t know what.”
“Why captain, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Verdant nearly sang in mock offense. “I’ll see you around noon then.”
“You’re paying for lunch, at any rate,” Barrier muttered, making the younger pony roll his eyes.
***
The sun beamed down as a light breeze wafted down the busy street. Barrier was taking in the sights of the various multicolored shops.
Hard to believe I’ve been here for months and there’s still parts of this place I haven’t been to yet.
As noon quickly approached, Barrier found himself coming up to a two-story orange building. Upon the emerald green awning out front was fanciful writing that read ‘Pretty Petals Flower shop’.
Why do so many ponies have such bad taste in colors? The stallion rolled his eyes before stepping into the store.
Barrier immediately regretted entering as his eyes were swiftly assaulted by the vast rainbow of colors from the flower displays before him. With a sigh, he made his way to the front counter where a unicorn mare was flipping through a magazine until she spotted the strolling stallion.
“Welcome to Pretty Petals!” The mare’s curly, straw colored mane bounced as she moved to the register, quickly smoothing out her faded orange coat. “How can I help you, sir?”
“Hello, ma’am.” Barrier politely nodded once he reached the counter. “I’m supposed to meet my step brother for lunch. His name’s—”
“Oh don’t worry, I know who he is.” She chuckled before looking toward a doorway to the back. “Verdant, you’ve got somepony here for you.”
“One moment, Boss!” Verdant’s voice came from the back as Barrier picked up the sounds of squirting and shuffling.
“Ma’am,” Barrier asked, his eyebrow raising in confusion. “How did you know I was asking about Verdant?”
“Well mister,” the mare smirked, giving Barrier a half-lidded expression. “It may surprise you that not too many colts are interested in having careers based on flowers, so Verdant’s the only stallion on my staff. Quite the shocker, huh?” She started to chuckle at the flat look Barrier gave her attempt at humor as Verdant emerged from the back.
“I’m going on my lunch break, Ms. Spectacle,” Verdant said as he picked up his saddlebags from behind the counter. “We shouldn’t be too long.”
“As long as it’s less than an hour, it’s alright.” Ms. Spectacle cheerfully waved as the two stallions departed.
“So, how’s things been at work for you today?” Barrier inquired as they made their way across the street.
“Could be better, could be worse,” the younger stallion answered with a shrug as they turned a corner onto Seashell Street. “Ms. Spectacle’s happy since her daughter’s supposed to be visiting from out of town soon, and Maua was able to get some rare seeds in from Woolachia. On the other hoof, Banana Blitz knocked over a bunch of pots and somehow broke the water pipes, so we’ve had to run back and forth getting buckets of water from Bubbles’ Bathing and Beyond.”
“Well nothing’s on fire, so that’s a plus,” Barrier replied as they trekked onward. “And at least one member of the staff seems friendly.”
“They all are, though Blitz is a bit of a klutz.” Verdant chuckled before happily sighing. “Still, they’ve been very welcoming and I’m proud to now be their new floral aquatics maintenance engineer.”
“In other words, you water plants.” Barrier rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Exactly!” Verdant happily exclaimed, a slight skip in his step. “At any rate, we’re here!” He pointed upward to the shop’s sign.
“Verdant…” the elder stallion’s eyebrow twitched at the sight of the shop. “Why did you bring me to Strawberry Sundae’s when you know that sweets and I get along about as well as cats and water? Why not go to the Four D’s?”
“Firstly, I wanted to see how Strawberry’s doing. And secondly, I figure I deserve to have a little treat like this after getting eaten alive for the third time in my young life,” Verdant answered as he nosed his way into the sweet shop.
“Fair enough, I—” Barrier paused as he realized something. “Wait, third?”
“Hey, Crush!” the emerald stallion ignored his onyx companion as he waved to the two-toned orange mare at the counter. “How’s things by you and your sister?”
“Well, I’m just waiting for some cookies to finish baking,” she replied as she pushed up her glasses. “As for my sister…”
A red blur dashed past the two stallions, rushing into the mares’ washroom. The sound of violent retching soon echoed out from the room.
“She’s tossing her cookies…” Crush clicked her tongue and pushed up her glasses. “Here’s hoping that’s ‘cause of Operation: Bats & Baby Batter and not Summer’s cooking or somethin’.” Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the stallion duo. “So what can I get for you today?”
“I think I’ll have a small plate of the strawberry cream sandwich cookies.” Verdant’s tail wagged like an overexcited puppy as Crush took his order.
“I’ll have…” Barrier glanced over the menu very briefly before answering with a sigh, “I’ll take an order of a dozen shortbread cookies. With any luck, they’ll leave my stomach intact and I’ve no doubt Wind Whistler will appreciate the leftover ones.” As soon as his order was placed he dropped tiredly into a booth.
“Alright, I’ll have those ready in just a moment,” the bespectacled mare replied before a loud ding came from the back. “Just give me a sec to take care of this first.”
“Not a problem.” Verdant waved as he took a seat across from Barrier. “At any rate, we need to talk, Barrier.”
“Knew that was coming. Before that though, why are you so insistent on sticking your nose in this?” Barrier’s gaze hardened upon the youthful stallion.
“Because we’re all worried about you,” Verdant softly said as he laid against the booth’s back. “We’ve all been worried about what happened between you, Fleet and Daring. Besides, you’re the closest living relative I’ve got. I’m doing for you what I’d do for—”
“Order up!” Orange interrupted as she quickly placed the pairs orders in front of them.
“Thanks, Orange!” Verdant waved before licking his lips at the sight of the sweet treat on his plate.
Barrier dragged a hoof over his snout with a groan.“I’m guessing you don’t intend on dropping this until you get an answer out of me.”
“Not really. Still,” Verdant leaned across the table. “If you tell me, I promise that whatever you say won’t leave this restaurant. I’ve never broken a promise to any of my sisters about their secrets before. Besides, you know me rather well.” The verdant pony picked up one of his cookies, bringing it up to his lips.
“And whatever you’re talking about’s just background noise for me. I’ll probably forget whatever you talk about in less than an hour.” Crush’s voice came from behind the counter as she diligently scrubbed its surface.
“Alright…” Barrier brought a hoof to his forehead taking a deep breath. “Fleet and I drank more than a fish and screwed like a pair of rabbits that night. That’s why Yearling’s gone.” He was unable to keep the bite out of his tone as he looked up and saw the stunned look upon Verdant’s face as his small snack fell back down to the plate.
“I...Wow… I thought the worst you two did was break some of her records or something... Damn...”
“I know, Verdant,” Barrier sighed, planting his face on the table’s surface. “On a screw-up scale of one to ten, I pulled an eleven.”
“Could…” Verdant scratched his neck as he considered his words. “Could you please give me a little more detail? Nothing explicit, but—”
“There’s not much to tell,” Barrier pulled himself up from the table. “Fleet and I cleaned up the house and told Yearling what we did as soon as she came home.”
Verdant nodded as he leaned closer to Barrier. “And what did she say afterwards?”
“She said she didn’t think she’ll break up with me, but she needed time to cool down and think things over. Think things through when she’s not so mad.”
“Yeah, I can see why she’s mad.” Verdant fidgeted in his seat, looking away from Barrier. “Still, hopefully she’ll come back to you. You didn’t try to hide things from her, so she knows you care about her and that you know this was a colossal mistake.”
“I hope so, Verdant.” Barrier rubbed his foreleg against his eyes, dispelling any trace of gathering moisture. “I haven’t felt what I feel around her since the last time I was with Ember.”
“I know,” the shamrock stallion replied as he picked up one of his cookies. “At any rate, I wish you the best with your second love.”
“Third, actually.” Barrier’s horn lit up, bringing one of his cookies up to his face before taking a bite.
“Third?” Verdant leaned against the table, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity. “Care to tell me about whoever this mystery pony was?”
With a swallow, a wicked smirk graced Barrier’s visage. “Tell you what. I’ll tell you about Orchid Blossom if you’ll tell me about this other time you got eaten.”
“Eh… perhaps later.” Verdant leaned back into the booth before grabbing another of the sweet treats. “Oh, by the way, you’ll have to handle dinner tonight. Erica and I are going to have a little competition, seeing whose father had the better stew recipe.”
“Nothing to worry about.” Barrier shrugged before taking another bite of shortbread. “And Verdant… Thanks. I feel a smidge better now.”
The emerald earth pony smiled and waved his hoof. “No problem. After all, what’s family for?”
The days seemed to slow to a crawl for Barrier since Daring’s departure with the afternoons seeming to drag on endlessly. While only eight days had passed since her leaving, Barrier felt as if months had gone by, reminding the stallion just how much he had relied on her presence.
Sadly for the stallion stretching out on his couch, today was clearly going to be yet another of those days.
While his housemates had tried valiantly to liven things up for him, their attempts were unfortunately fruitless for the most part, and so Barrier was left alone while the housemates were out, passing the time with a library book… and another, and another.
A chilling wind swept through the foggy pier as the two stallions stood at attention, slowly watching as the shadowy visage of a vessel crept into port. The elder stallion’s eyes surveyed the ship’s dark wooden bow, falling upon the fearsome figurehead of a griffin, flying with their claws outstretched.
The younger pegasus at his side fidgeted as two tiercels leapt from the ship, ropes clenched firmly in their sharp talons. He slowly shifted a wing towards his sheathed sword.
“Hold, Lieutenant,” the older unicorn commanded as the griffin pair secured the ropes to the bollards. “These griffins are merely doing their duty. They have not shown themselves to be a threat… yet.” His gaze hardened as the pair flew back up to the deck.
“My apologies, sir.” The cream coated stallion saluted and shifted to a steadier stance. “I was worried for…” He bit his lip as the blue unicorn turned and faced him, his eyebrow cocked in curiosity. “Tis my first encounter with griffins, captain. I’ve only heard stories of the terror they wrought from my mother upon her home of Gallopfrey.”
The captain patted the pegasus gently upon the shoulders. “I understand thy nervousness, but remember, this is meant to be a peaceful mission.” His eyes shot upward as he heard the scraping of wood as the gangplank was lowered off the ship’s side, landing on the pier with a thud that echoed throughout the foggy banks. “Remember, it matters not the sins of this hen’s mother. Only her own actions, understood?”
“Understood,” the pegasus whispered as a figure slowly came down the gangplank. The ominous form soon became visible, revealing a large griffin hen who towered a head taller than the younger stallion. Her coat and wings were a charcoal black while her head feathers were a grey that blended into the fog. Much to the pegasus’ surprise, her sharp talons were contrasted by her gentle blue eyes.
As she came to the gangplank’s end, the pair of guards threw up a salute. “Ambassador Varia LeGrande,” the unicorn barked as she came to a halt. “Welcome to Equestria. Lieutenant Fireball and I are to escort you to Canterlot.”
“There beith no need to be so formal, Captain Mars.” The hen casually waved as she strolled past them. “I have been well informed on th—
The sound of the front door being quickly opened, followed by a shout, broke Barrier’s thoughts from his story. “Barrier, could you please come here?” the voice called out with a gasp.
“What’s up, Fleet?” The lounging stallion set his book aside before teleporting to the front. “Is something bad happening?”
“Hopefully not too bad,” Fleet answered, catching her breath. “A large wild storm’s headed for Vanhoover right now. It’s too much for just the storm breakers to handle, so it’s an all hooves on deck situation.”
“Should we make some preparations for the storm?” Barrier instinctively rested a hoof on her azure shoulder, making her quickly pull away.
“Hopefully not, but I will have to work overtime. Could you please pick up Wind Whistler from school?”
“Sure thing,” Barrier replied with a shrug. “I’ll make sure you’ll have some leftovers waiting for you whenever you get back.”
“Thank you, Barrier.” Fleet beamed as she leaned her face close to his, only to pull back an instant before pecking his cheek. “I guess I’ll be off.” With that, the sky-colored mare spread her wings and leapt out the front door, swiftly taking to the skies.
With a sigh, Barrier gently pushed the door closed and walked back to the living room. Retaking his spot on the couch, he turned his gaze over to the clock on the wall, seeing the time was two-thirty-five.
Well, I’ve got about an hour to kill. Guess back to Flame Crest.
***
The sun beamed down on Barrier as he made his way up to the red-bricked schoolhouse, birds chirping and flitting about as he came to a halt at the fence’s opening.
Well, it seems I’ve timed it pretty well. The tall unicorn smirked as he gazed up at the clock face resting on the front of the building set at a slowly shifting three-twenty-nine. Hopefully Windy won’t worry about Fleet too much. If she can take on a rock dog and come out on top, a storm should be nothing.
An echoing ring made Barrier’s ears stand on end as his eyes fell upon the doors right before they exploded open with a stampede of foals that came pouring out. With a quick sidestep, he dodged the flood of foals rushing to get home or off to play.
The chaos died down as quickly as it started before the charcoal stallion felt something tackle his face and made him stumble back. Flaring his horn, he pulled the giggling mass off his face, bringing the familiar form of Fleet’s filly before him.
“Hey there, Kiddo.” Barrier gently lowered her to the ground before giving her a soft pat on the back. “Ready to head home?”
“Yeah, but…” Wind Whistler glanced about, trying to find something missing. “Where’s my mom, Uncle?”
“Sorry to say that a big storm’s coming and she had to work overtime to help try and break it up,” Barrier answered, drawing a frightened frown from the filly. “Relax, Wind Whistler. There’s nothing to worry about. Now c’mon, we’re going to get some pizza from the Four D’s.” He started to walk away, placing a guiding hoof on her shoulder. The pair walked in uncomfortable silence; Wind Whistler seeming to stew on his words while Barrier felt something was off.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” she grumbled as they trudged along. “That’s easy for you to say, Uncle Barrier. You’re not afraid of anything.”
“Not afraid of anything?” The stallion’s eyebrow cocked before he choked back a chuckle. “Windy, that’s not true in the slightest. There’s plenty of stuff I’m afraid of.”
“What?!” the petite pegasus gasped. “But you’ve fought all sorts of monsters and crazy stuff before!”
“And you think I wasn’t scared, Kiddo? Things like Sombra and Nightmare Moon were terrifying, dragons have made me nervous since one nearly ate me in my cadet days, and I had nightmares about Grimhilde for years after she kicked the stuffing out of me.” The charcoal unicorn gently pulled the youngster into a comforting embrace. “And that’s nothing to the fear that something bad might happen to the ponies I care about.”
“I… I didn’t know about any of that…” The small filly looked away for an instant before her face scrunched up in confusion. “But… how’d you overcome it? How’d you fight all those things if you were scared?”
“I remember the important things, Windy.” A small smile crossed Barrier’s face as he spoke. “I remembered all those I care about… those who are important to me and what would happen if I didn’t keep pushing on. Just remember this, kiddo.” He placed a hoof to her chin, looking the blue filly in the eye. “Being brave is not about having no fear ever. It’s about being afraid and still doing what you need to do.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the filly beamed. “I’ll try to be brave.” Before she paused mid-step, a thought occurred to her. “Wait… how did you escape from Grimhilde? I thought she was a monster sized griffin that ate everypony she could get her talons on.”
“Believe me, she wanted to.” Barrier shuddered as he recalled his near death experience. “Honestly, it was your father that saved me. He managed to escape capture, tossed a smoke bomb into the tent, tackled her away before he pulled me to safety. If it weren’t for him, I would have been Grimhilde’s midnight snack.”
“Whoa…” Wind Whistler stared up at Barrier in awe of his tale. “I never knew Father did that.”
“If you want, I can tell you that as a bedtime story tonight,” Barrier replied; grinning as the foal’s face scrunched up once more in thought.
“Hmm… Maybe some other time,” Windy said. “I’d like you to read me The Prawn Princess tonight.”
“Sure thing, Windy.” Barrier nodded as they continued their trek. As they kept moving, something felt off to Barrier. It felt as if someone was watching him very closely.
Quickly looking over his shoulder, Barrier saw only an active street full of ponies shuffling about and chatting amongst themselves. As a pink unicorn mare started to pass by the pair, the feeling slowly ebbed away.
Don’t get paranoid, Barrier. It’s just a regular stroll through town.
As the pair came up to the restaurant, the mare that passed them reached the door and looked over her shoulder. With a brief smile, she pulled the door open for traveling pair. “After you, sir.”
“Thank you.” Barrier nodded as he and the filly passed her. “So Windy, what do you think everypony would like on the pizzas?”
***
After returning home with the only complication being accidentally smacking the mare behind them in the face with a stack of pizza boxes, the delicious meal was enjoyed by the entire household without a hitch.
The day swiftly faded into darkness as the sun fell and the moon rose. Quiet chats came from the residents before the privates eventually went to their rooms.
Barrier was laying on the couch, once more reading his book. He sadly found himself unable to comfortably dive into the story due to the silence coming from the filly at the far end of the couch, staring intently at the hall to the foyer.
Glancing up, the unicorn saw that the clock on the wall read the time was nine-eighteen. With a sigh, he set aside his book. “Windy, it’s past time for you to go to bed.”
“But Uncle—”
“No buts, Kiddo. It’s a school night,” Barrier stated firmly as he stretched off the couch. “I promise your mother will be fine and ready to see you in the morning. Now c’mon, I’ve got a story to read to you.”
Wind Whistler groaned before looking back at the doorway once more. “Okay,” she sighed before hopping off the couch, fluttering to the ground.
The pair made their way up the stairs. Barrier at a steady pace while the pegasus filly trudged along. “It’ll be fine, Windy,” Barrier whispered to her as they made their way up the stairs.
“I know…” she mumbled as the pair reached the top. “I feel nervous when she’s away like this.”
“Believe me, I know what it’s like when somepony you care for has to take care of something like this.” Barrier pushed the door to the filly’s room open as the image of his cream-coated sergeant entered his mind. “But you’ve got to remember that they can handle something like this. I’ve seen Fleet handle a giant dog made of stone and fight three griffins at once by herself. A storm like this will be a piece of cake for her and the weather ponies.”
“I guess you’re right,” the filly replied as she leapt onto her bed. “Still, it doesn’t make me feel much better,” she grumbled as Barrier pulled the blanket over her.
“Well, maybe this will make you feel better.” Barrier’s horn light up as he pulled a book out from under a pile of familiar looking pegasus plushies. Cracking the book open, Barrier cleared his throat and sat on a small stool by the bed. “This is the tale of the Prawn Princess…”
***
“With a flick of her hoof, the vile sorceress Rot Heart sent out a wave of orange smoke that enveloped the ivory mare. When the smoke cleared, what was once in the princess’s place lay a tiny little prawn skittering about in the puddle,” Barrier read aloud dramatically in the darkened room.
The charcoal unicorn shifted his voice to a higher and sinister tone as he read the witch’s words. “And now, Crystal Crown, my dear daughter Crowning Glory will take your place.” He wickedly chuckled before going back to his regular voice for the narration. “The dark mare snatched up the prawn by the tail. Crystal Crown struggled with all her might, but to no avail as the witch lifted her up to her face.”
“And as for you,” he read once more in the evil voice. “I’m sure the Griffin Queen will adore her little appetizer.”
Before Barrier could read aloud the witch’s wicked laugh, he was interrupted by a loud snore coming from the tiny filly who was sleeping soundly in her bed as rain gently pattered against the window.
With a gentle smile, he set the book aside and quietly came closer to the resting child. “Goodnight, Wind Whistler,” he whispered before giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
Moving as gently as he could, Barrier made his way back down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, he took notice of the sound of rain growing louder as it came down with the occasional sound of booming thunder.
“Hope you’re okay out there, Fleet,” he muttered to himself as he made his way into the living room before yawning. “At least I can finish up on my b—”
An explosive boom drowned out his voice, but what shocked him was what he saw in the brief flash made the words in his throat die.
In the instant of illumination, he saw what looked like a large, dark, hunched over griffin, staring at him through the window to the back yard.
Barrier felt a chill run up his spine as he rubbed his eyes and flared his horn. In a flash, he appeared in front of door and tossed it open.
“Who’s there?!” he barked as a strong wind howled. No reply came as the rain poured and the wind blew.
Scanning what little of the backyard he could see in the darkness, the image of a winged creature started to make its way towards him.
“Who goes there?” He shouted as his horn lit once more.
“Barrier, calm down. It’s just me,” a voice from the shaded form replied as it came closer, the light of the stallion’s horn revealing it to be Fleetfeather.
“Fleet, I’m sorry! I—” Barrier hastily replied before lightning flashed once more, revealing the backyard to be empty, save for the damp pegasus. “Guess I was just overly tired and seeing things.”
“I can get that,” the dripping mare replied as she trotted past him into the house. “At least we got this storm downgraded to something decent and I gave my tickets to some ponies that could make use of them. So, how’s Wind Whistler?”
“She…” Barrier sighed as he shut the back door before vanishing in a burst of blue light. A moment later, he reappeared with a towel in his magical grasp. “Worried about you, but she went to sleep pretty easily, so I figure she’s alright.” He tossed the towel to the cycloptic mare, who caught it in a single hoof.
“That’s good,” Fleet replied as she started to dry herself off. “Thanks for this, Barrier.”
“No problem, Fleet.” A small smile crossed Barrier’s face as he moved closer to the sky-blue mare. “I keep telling you, Windy and you are like family to me. I care about you dearly.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” Fleet answered with a sigh before slinging the towel over her shoulders. “I just wish we didn’t make things awkward and mess things up with Daring.”
“Me too, Fleet… I just don’t know what to say.” His horn lit up once more as he lifted the damp cloth from Fleet’s shoulders.
“Me either…” She hesitantly moved closer to the unicorn until they were standing mere inches apart. “Still…” she slowly reached out with her forelegs, wrapping them behind Barrier’s neck as she pulled herself closer. “Thank you, Barrier.”
Without a word, Barrier slowly let himself fall into the hug before pulling Fleet closer to him as well.
The two stood together in silence as the rain continued to drizzle down outside, savoring the moment of tenderness they shared.
The moment slowly passed before the two pulled away from each other, the tiniest hint of a rosy tint upon their faces.
“Well…” Fleet slowly stepped backwards, making her way towards the stairs. “I wish you a good night, Barrier.”
“Good night to you too, Fleet,” Barrier said with a small smile before heading off for his room, sighing once more. “Good night.”
The stars shimmered as Barrier stared out the train’s window, trying not to focus on the vehicle’s rumbling or the conversation between his three cabin mates.
“Do you think suit looks good, Forge?” Snow Sweeper asked as he tried to straighten his bowtie, using the window’s faint reflection.
“You look stunning, Snow.” Forge gently placed a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder, drawing a smile from him as he smoothed out a small wrinkle from his dark blue suit.
“I must agree with my friend, Snow Sweeper.” Swift nodded as she took a sip of water, careful not to spill a droplet on her elaborate outfit. “That, along with your current haircut will…” She paused, the words escaping her, patting her thigh as she tried to recall. “Oh, blast it all. What’s the saying? Knock their shoes off?”
“Knock their socks off, Swift,” the snowy gray stallion chuckled behind a hoof. “The saying’s ‘knock their socks’.”
“But…” the blue mare tilted her head in confusion. “Wouldn’t something that knocks a pony’s socks off also knock their shoes off?”
“It’s a figure of speech, Swift.” Barrier pried his eyes away from the window with a roll. “I don’t know why they say it these days, just that they do.”
“Hey, Swiftsword.” Snow leaned closer to the mare across from him, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity. “I’ve gotta ask, do you really have to bring a sword with you to a gala?”
“But of course!” Swift blustered as she swelled out her chest, noble pride clear in her voice. “Not only will my sword serve me well should some fool insult my honor or challenge me to a duel, it is the symbol of my family’s grand legacy. I carry it as one would wear their coat of arms on the garb.”
“O...kay…” The pegasus slowly pulled back. “I kinda doubt that sorta stuff’s gonna happen tonight.”
“If not, then it shows how even after being gone for centuries, the Falchion name commands respect.”
“At least you brought something to keep you safe,” Forge muttered as he leaned back in his seat. “Verdant’s putting himself in serious dang—”
“Forge,” Barrier spoke in his ‘captain’ tone. “Verdant’s going to be fine. Relax.”
“He’s right, Forge.” Snow placed a hoof on his boyfriend’s lap as he softly spoke, making the unicorn look him in the eyes. “This is a public event with hundreds of attendees chatting, dancing, enjoying the food and trying to have a good time while trained guards are stationed throughout. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to your friend.”
Taking a calming breath, Iron Forge sighed. “Okay, you’re probably right.”
“That’s the spirit, Forge.” The grey stallion leaned closer, giving the unicorn stallion a quick nuzzle. “This is a special night and we’re gonna try to have some fun here. Right?”
“Yeah.” A smile graced Forge’s features as he pulled Snow into a quick hug before returning the nuzzle. “The music should be wonderful and the Crêpes Suzette is to die for.”
A smirk crossed Barrier’s face as he leaned closer to the two. “And how would you know about that, Forge? The only times you’ve been to a gala were when you were on duty, and thus not allowed to have any of the food being served.”
“Um…” The blue stallion’s eyes swiftly became the size of pinpricks as he bit his lip. “So, uh… Swiftsword!” He quickly snatched up her forehooves in his own. “How do you think your hunt for a suitor will go tonight?”
“Hopefully well, Forge.” She gently pulled her hooves away. “Also, I wonder if we shall see Spearmint and the others again.”
“Probably, but I just wonder when—” Barrier’s words were silenced as the sound of a bellowing pony in the hallway drowned him out.
“Attention passengers. We will be arriving in Canterlot shortly. All passengers not headed for Baltimare should prepare to depart.”
“Thank Faust for that.” The charcoal stallion hopped to his hooves and slid the door open. “I’m going to get the rest.”
***
“And with a flick of the wrist…” Hat Trick twirled his hoof above a black top hat before reaching into it. When he pulled his hoof back out, he was holding a hoof full of caramel candies. “Presto!”
“Pretty neat, Hatty,” Erica said as he tossed a candy to each of the cabin’s other occupants.
“Thank you, Erica.” He placed a hoof on the top and bottom of the hat, gently pressing until it vanished in a puff of purple smoke. “I do what I can to impress.”
“Hopefully the rest of the night gets even better.” The hen merrily rubbed her talons together. “I’ve never been to Canterlot before, much less the palace.”
“I think you’ll like it, Erica.” Verdant gently leaned into her side before she wrapped her wing behind him. “There should be food, fireworks, and festive music all throughout.”
“Also, if you’d like something a bit more... intimate” Winter Gem waggled her eyebrows, making the purple pegasus bite down on his lip to keep from giggling. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find a very nice place to get your dress wrinkled.” She gave Erica a wink, making the griffin blush and the green stallion’s eyebrow rise in confusion.
“Why would she want to do that?” Verdant looked up and down Erica’s body, taking in the sight of her tight, backless black dress, complimented with a light blue flower on the left side of her head. “Her dress is rather nice and looks pretty pricey. Why would she want to get it all wrinkled?”
The trio stared at Verdant for a moment before breaking down into a fit of chuckles.
“What? What’s so funny?” The emerald pony looked amongst the three before Erica’s wing pulled him closer and she draped her arm over his shoulders.
“Well, let’s just have a good time and see how the night goes,” Erica said. “There’s so much to try out tonight.”
Hatty smirked wickedly and leaned closer to the cuddling pair. “Hopefully it goes better than what happened to Verdant on Butterfly Island.”
“Butterfly Island?” Erica’s head tilted in curiosity.
“Hatty,” Verdant sneered, glaring at the purple pegasus.
“Let me handle this,” Winter Gem said as she pulled Hatty back by the shoulder. “Dear, if you try to tell anyone about what happened then, not only will I make space for Faust’s spirit in bed, but I will let Verdant do whatever he wants to you, and you know damn well how strong earth ponies can be.”
“Alright, I’ll stop,” Hatty grumbled, crossing his forelegs and pouting like a child.
“Now don’t be like that.” Winter Gem leaned closer before whispering into his ear. The violet pony’s pupils turned to pinpricks while his face radiated a deep crimson. “Does that sound nice?”
“Yep!” he squealed. When he realized how high his voice was, he coughed into his hoof. “I mean yes, most definitely.”
“Attention passengers,” a loud voice bellowed from the halls. “We will be arriving in Canterlot shortly. All passengers not headed for Baltimare should prepare to depart.”
“Right then.” Verdant slid out of his seat, quickly smoothing out his dark green suit and straightening his bowtie. Opening the door, he looked over his shoulder at his eager friends. “Ready for a fantastic night?”
“You bet,” Erica grinned as she followed him out the door. “If we play our cards right, this could be the best night ever!”
***
Fireworks whizzed through the night sky, bursting into a rainbow of sparkling lights as the eight stepped off the train platform. As the group gazed at the shimmering spectacle, the noise of the exploding shells was not enough to drown out the melody of singing ponies coming from the direction of the palace.
“It’s magnificent,” Erica whispered as they moved onwards. “Now I wish I brought a camera.”
“Alright you kids, listen up,” Barrier barked, making the former soldiers snap to attention. “Try not to cause too much trouble at this formal event. Also, don’t forget that once you’re done, head to a bar called the Phoenix Fire on Wysteria Street to meet up. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the five former guards replied in unison, saluting before they walked onward.
“Very good.” Barrier nodded and then continued onward with the group, the sound of music growing ever stronger as the grandiose palace grew ever closer. “Also, each of you that manages to resist the urge to sing until we’re inside will receive a fifty bit reward. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the voices answered once more.
“Do you intend to take me up on this bet?” Barrier looked over his shoulder, his question drew smirks from Hatty and Swift, along with a smile from Verdant.
“No, sir!” the five replied before a short chuckle was shared amongst them and their dates.
With a roll of his eyes, Barrier flared his horn and drew his flask from his cummerbund. “In that case, Celestia had better have stocked up on booze.”
***
After a barrage of singing that nearly drove the charcoal stallion to madness, the eight had finally made it to the gala. As they stepped into the massive hall, they spotted a large menagerie of ponies going about the event; chatting, dancing, or standing in line to speak with the alabaster alicorn at the top of a set of steps.
“Well, quite a glittering assemblage.” Hat Trick stepped ahead of the group, sweeping a foreleg out as he took in the sight of the guests. “Royalty, nobility, the gentry,” He spun around, facing his compatriots. “And how quaint, even the outbred!”
Hat Trick laughed aloud but quickly fell silent as he heard no reaction from his friends; save for glares from Verdant, Gem and Swift. “Um… did I say something wrong?”
Clicking her tongue, Swiftsword stepped forward. “Show of hooves, whose parents were cousins?”
Swift raised a hoof up, which was quickly joined by Verdant and Gem’s. Hatty gave a hard swallow as he started to back away.
“And recall that I am a member of the nobility, Hat Trick.” Swift stepped closer to the purple pegasus, her nose nearly touching his. “You are my friend and I know you were merely attempting to be humorous, hence why I will let such an insult slide this time. Understood?”
“Yes, Swift,” he squeaked before swallowing again.
“Very good.” Swiftsword nodded, a look of satisfaction on her face. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I will attempt to integrate with the modern nobles.” Confidently, she strode past Hatty, swiftly becoming one with the crowd.
“Best of luck there, Swiftsword,” Barrier said before turning his attention back to the remaining six. “Hope you enjoy your time here, kids.”
“I’m sure we will, sir.” Hat Trick went back out to Winter Gem before draping a wing over the earth pony mare’s back. “Would you like a dance, my dear Gem?”
“I think I will.” Gem smiled as she and her paramour pulled away from the group, her smile becoming a dark smirk. “I’ll enjoy spending time with you before you get used to the holy spirit.”
Hatty sighed as they trotted away. “I promise I’ll make it up to you once we’re home.”
“Well, what would you like to do, Erica?” Verdant looked up to the taller hen.
“How about we go hit the dance floor for a bit before finding a place with a nice view of the fireworks?” She leaned closer to him, her wing brushing up against his side.
“Sounds fantastic.” Verdant grinned as the two departed into the crowd of party goers, drawing a nervous sigh from Forge.
“Don’t be so nervous, Forge.” Snow draped a wing over the unicorn’s back. “If I remember correctly, you said some really great things about the food here.”
“Oh, right!” Forge perked up smiling at the pegasus. “Let’s see what the modern nobles call a spread.” The two disappeared into the crowd, bound for a table lined with snack foods.
“Well, then…” Barrier pulled out his flask once more, taking a quick swig. “Guess I’ve got to find my own fun.” Capping the flask and sliding it back into his cummerbund, Barrier made his way into the crowd.
Glancing around the crowded hall, Barrier was able to spot several familiar faces going about their business. Rarity was speaking to a white unicorn sporting a blond mane, while Rainbow Dash was near a group of ponies in bright spandex outfits that stood out from the wide assortment of suits and dresses.
Before he could find where the other element bearers were, Barrier felt a tapping upon his shoulder.
“Magic Barrier.”
He groaned as he recognized the mare’s voice. Turning to face her with a forced smile, he took in the grumpy look on the golden unicorn’s face. “Good evening, Starshine. How’s your night been?”
Starshine closed her eyes and took a deep breath before glaring at Barrier. “That doesn’t matter. Princess Celestia has requested your presence.”
“Very well then, take me to her,” Barrier replied before Starshine turned to walk away, the stallion following behind her. “So, where’s your captain?”
“Last I checked, he was taking Empress Cadance from the ballroom to somewhere more private,” the armored mare grumbled bitterly as they reached the base of the stairs. “Please excuse us. We have important business by order of Princess Celestia.”
The group of ponies filling the stairs grumbled and muttered as they made way for the guard and dark stallion. The two quickly made their way up, where they found Princess Celestia with Twilight Sparkle at her side.
“Your highness.” Starshine raised a foreleg into a salute once she reached the top of the stairs. “I have retrieved Magic Barrier, per your request.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Celestia nodded before giving Twilight a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry about this,Twilight, but I need to speak to Barrier about something. I’ll do everything I can to be back as quickly as possible.”
“I...Okay, Princess,” the purple unicorn said with a hint of sadness as Celestia moved towards the hallway behind them.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Celestia said softly before pausing to take a breath. “Barrier, at my side.” Her tone shifted from the kind and gentle toned she’d used with Twilight to one much more authoritative.
“Yes, ma’am.” Barrier quickly moved to the aforementioned position, giving Twilight a look of sympathy as he passed.
The two made their way into the dark hall as Celestia’s horn started to glow a shimmering gold. In a flash of the golden radiance, Barrier suddenly found they were no longer in the hallway, but a large bedchamber with a roaring fireplace, a bird’s perch, large mirror with a horseshoe shaped frame and several large cushions scattered about the carpeted floor.
“What seems to be troubling you, Princess?” Barrier inquired as he sat down onto one of the large cushions, drawing a sigh from the majestic alicorn in front of the mirror.
“It has to do with Luna.” Celestia’s focus didn’t stray from the mirror as she spoke.
“Speaking of, where is she?” The dark stallion started to lay back, getting more comfortable. “One would think she’d see this as an opportunity to get her face out there.”
“Unfortunately, Luna’s fallen ill, hence her absence.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Princess Celestia. How bad is it?”
The alicorn mare placed a hoof on her chin at Barrier’s question. “Well it’s the strangest thing. She’s started vomiting not long after waking up for the past few months. To make things even more peculiar, her belly’s been becoming swollen as of late.” Her eyes moved over to the unicorn’s reflection, where he was now looking at her with shock and worry. “Do you have any idea what could be the cause of this?”
Oh dear Faust above, I just keep getting myself into more trouble! First I sleep with Fleet, ruining my relationship with Daring, but now I’ve got Luna pre—
“Pfftt…” A snort came from the royal mare, drawing Barrier’s eyes to the reflection of her face. He saw she was biting her lower lip to keep from laughing, her eyes starting to water. “Gotcha.” She tittered before wiping a tear of laughter. “Sorry, Barrier. I needed a tiny bit of levity and the look on your face was just priceless.”
Coughing into her hoof, she straightened her face. “No, Luna’s actually just dealing with a bit of a bad cold.”
“The prank was terrible.” Barrier gave her a flat glare. “At any rate, what’s the real issue with Luna?”
“Right, down to business.” Celestia turned away from the mirror before sitting down in front of Barrier, still a head taller than the charcoal unicorn. “Barrier, what do you know about a holiday called Nightmare Night?”
“Very little, to be honest.” He looked deeply into the alicorns magenta eyes. “I think I recall Daring mentioning something about it once or twice, but the name seems to indicate Nightmare Moon’s a part of it.”
“Correct, Barrier.” The alicorn nodded, her long ivory horn nearly kissing the tip of his. “A few years after Nightmare Moon’s downfall and the reclaiming of Gallopfrey, the ponies created a holiday around Nightmare Moon and rumors about her soon became legends. For centuries after the two of you were sealed away, the public thought Nightmare Moon was just an old pony’s tale about a monster who’d eat any unsuspecting pony who wasn’t clad in a costume and offered her a small portion of sweets.”
“Princess,” Barrier leaned closer to Celestia, his eyes becoming sharply focused. “If you don’t like this holiday, why did you let it go unopposed? Could you not have ordered them not to do something like this?”
“Indeed I could have Barrier, but I am no tyrant.” The princess closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “However, I had such an image many years after I liberated Gallopfrey from griffin occupation. I rained fire and death like I had never done before or since. I reduced three-hundred and eighty-six griffins who tried to stop me to ash. I swatted Grimhilde aside like she was nothing before binding her in chains and taking her with me to the mainland. I stormed through King Alarick’s castle, blasting through doors and walls as if they were dried out paper before tossing his formerly most trusted officer at his feet. I made clear in my anger over those past few months and expressed that if I had so chose, I could have destroyed his entire kingdom.”
Celestia’s eyes opened slowly, sorrow clear as Barrier looked deeply into the magenta pools. “And thus, the war ended. Gallopfrey belonged to Equestria once more and Equestria was feared the world over for over two hundred years.”
“Princess…” Barrier leaned closer, tempted to place a comforting hoof upon her, but held back.
“Still, what stung the most was the day I learned how much my own little ponies feared me.” Celestia grimaced as she continued her reminiscing. “Sometime later, I forget how long it was. Probably a few years. Anyway, I was going on a stroll through New Canterlot, not really paying attention to where I was going when I heard a loud crunch. I looked down and saw not only the remains of a wooden toy I had stepped on, but also the frowning face the foal the toy belonged to. I reached a foreleg out to try to comfort the child, but then her mother snatched her up and pulled her away.”
Celestia looked away from her charcoal companion with a sad smile. “Do you know what she then said to me, Barrier?”
“W-what did she say, Princess?” Barrier nervously asked as she Celestia started to chuckle and her eyes began to water.
“Apologies for my daughter’s insolence, your highness. Please do not execute her, I shall make certain she receives a proper beating at home,” the alicorn answered in a sweet tone before sighing. “I tried to stop her, to tell her it was my fault and I’d gladly replace her daughter’s toy, but she ran off before I could say anything.”
Celestia tiredly laid her head down upon her cushions with a groan. “As she ran off, the crowd started to mutter about the whole event, all of them certain I would do something horrible to that foal and her entire family. That’s how I learned how the ponies then felt about me. That I was a monster they obeyed because they feared the destruction I could bring down upon them.”
Sitting back up, Celestia’s horn dimly shined as a crystalline container carrying an umber liquid levitated to her, followed shortly by a pair of glasses. “Might I offer you something to drink?”
“No thanks, Celestia.” Barrier gently declined, pulling his flask from his cummerbund. “I decided to bring my own entertainment.”
The unicorn’s remark brought a genuine smile to the princess’ face as she slowly poured herself a drink.”
“Well at any rate, Barrier; that day was a major wake-up call for me.” Celestia carefully swirled her drink around before taking a light sip. “It made me see that I had a lot ahead of me to regain the trust of my ponies, to repair the damage I’ve caused to how the world viewed us…” Steeling herself for an instant, she quickly shot down the rest of her glass before pouring herself another. “But it also brought a moment of clarity about Luna. About how she must have felt when she’d turned… and the challenges she’d have to face if we were to restore her to the side of angels.”
“And…” Barrier paused to consider his words for a moment before having quick swig of liquid courage. “What if she couldn’t have been saved?”
“I’d thought of that horrible scenario for many a year, Barrier.” Celestia sadly stared into her glass, seeing her reflection in the dark brew before her eyes wandered over to a single drawer in her desk. “Suffice to say, I was prepared for it.”
“Getting back to the subject at hoof,” Barrier swished his flask around before taking a sip. “I assume there’s going to be something going on involving Luna and this Nightmare Night.”
“Indeed. Luna is planning to go to Ponyville and attempting to connect with the town’s citizens and join in the festivities.” The solar mare tilted back her drink, sighing as she finished. “I have doubts that things will go that well. Unlike you and presumably your housemates, Luna’s still rather antiquated with things like speech and attitudes. I’ve tried to help her adapt, but you know the saying about old habits. It does little to help with the way she isolates herself from nearly everypony in the palace.”
“I know what you mean. Forge and Gem still aren’t that comfortable around griffins.”
“Well, Luna believes this will be a great way to get back in the ponies’ good graces, despite what I’ve said. I tried to talk her out of it or let me come with to help her, but she says she wants to stand on her own when it comes to this. I was barely able to make her agree to have some guards with her.” Celestia’s horn lit once more as she poured another drink. “That’s where you come in.”
“You want me to keep an eye on her?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he took another swig.
“Something like that.” The princess twirled her drink around in her magic before staking a quick sip. “You and your housemates have gone through similar tribulations, but you’ve also gotten out much more and interacted with modern ponies much more than she has. You could probably help her get over some of the hurdles she’ll have to face.”
With a tired sigh, the towering alicorn rose up; setting her drink aside.
“Barrier, I’m not asking as a princess to her soldier, but as a friend. Would you please go to Ponyville on Nightmare Night?”
“I doubt I could ever say no to you, Celestia.” The charcoal stallion rose up as well, tilting his flask back yet again. “I’ll probably say the kids and I are asking Twilight about this modern stuff.”
“Thank you, Barrier.” Celestia smiled softly before stretching her wings out, pulling the unicorn into a warm embrace. After a moment of nervous hesitation, Barrier returned the hug.
“No problem.” Barrier pulled away from her and straightened out his mane. “By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you about. About Twilight and a former student of yours.”
“Oh…” Celestia looked away from the dark stallion, her eyes drifting towards the mirror.
“Last time I really spoke with her, she told me about how much she worries that she’s not doing enough as your student. That even with everything she’s done, she still needs to push herself even harder.”
“I see.” Celestia’s eyes slowly moved back, her warm magentas meeting his cold blues. “I’ll be sure to talk to her about this once we return to the party. Thank you for mentioning it to me, Barrier.”
“There’s a bit more to it, Princess.” Barrier stepped closer to the taller mare. “She said that part of the reason for all this was because she didn’t want to end up like your previous student. Would you mind shedding some light on what happened with this mare?”
An uncomfortable silence was held for a long, tense moment before Celestia sadly sighed, turning to face the mirror once more.
“My former student, Sunset Shimmer was a bright and talented young mare, much like Twilight.” She gently placed a gold clad hoof upon the mirror’s smooth surface. “She would forgo interacting with other ponies or making friends, much like Twilight used to… but for a much different reason. She lusted for power and to become a princess. I tried to raise her to be a good mare, but...”
The mighty alicorn took a deep breath, shaking slightly as she closed her eyes. “One day, I showed her something she wasn’t truly prepared for. She demanded I teach her ways to make her powerful, to make her a princess. We argued and then…” Celestia swallowed, steeling herself to continue.
“A wedge was driven between us because of this. Later that night, she ran away, despite the guards best efforts to stop her. I haven’t seen her in the years since.”
Bringing her foreleg away from the mirror, the princess faced Barrier.
“I believe there’s no such thing as a bad student, Barrier. Only a bad teacher.” Celestia trotted up to the charcoal stallion, the smallest sign of water forming in her eyes. “What happened with Sunset’s turn was because I failed to be a good teacher to her, much like I failed Luna all those centuries ago. I’ve made countless mistakes over my long life and I pray that before my time finally comes, I’ll be able to make up for all of them.”
Celestia raised a foreleg, firmly placing a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.
“But for now, we can only do so much. Shall we return to the party, Barrier?”
“Yes, Celestia. Let’s.” He gently placed a reassuring hoof atop her own. “I hope you and her will be able to patch things up someday.”
“Thank you, Barrier.” Gently pulling away, Celestia’s horn flared with golden light.
In an instant, the two found themselves back in the hallway they had vanished from.
“Hopefully, things haven’t gotten too—” Barrier was interrupted by a screaming orange blur that zoomed past him, followed swiftly by a blue streak chasing after. Despite how fast the pursuer was running, he could make out the image of a longsword being carried in a light blue aura.
“Get back here, rapscallion! Honor must be satisfied!” the streak shouted, following after its prey.
“Beg pardon, your highness!” a mare in golden armor exclaimed, darting past the surprised alicorn. “Swift, for the love of Zacherle, stop!”
“...Crazy,” Barrier sighed as he slapped a hoof to his face. “What sort of insanity did those kids bring?”
“Oh don’t worry too much, Barrier.” Celestia smiled as she strolled back into the ballroom. “I’m certain they’re just making this gala just a little more tolerable.”
With a groan, the weary unicorn followed after her. “Is it too late to accept your offer of alcohol?”
Fireworks exploded across the Canterlot skies, showering the inky night in a rainbow of color for the briefest of moments.
Within the palace ballroom, a fancifully dressed pair of different species stared up at the grand display in the sky.
“These are quite the fireworks,” the griffin hen whispered as another round burst, drowned out by the sound of the band playing nearby.
“But…” the stallion at her side looked at her with concern, taking a small nibble from his cupcake.
“But…” Erica anxiously scratched the back of her neck, seeing the worry in Verdant’s eyes. “I’m sorry dear, but the fireworks just can’t hold a candle to the fireworks shows back home. The way the lights reflect off the Luna Ocean just makes it breathtaking.”
“No problem, Erica. I guess I’ll have to see that the next time we’ve got a fireworks display.” The green pony smiled, trotting closer to the window. “It’s pretty weird for me seeing fireworks like these. The only times I saw something like these when I was a colt was when Dream Valley was doing an attack drill.”
“At least we can take in the beautiful sight...” the griffin slowly and carefully stretched out a wing, placing the outstretched appendage upon the earth pony’s back. “And savor the moment.”
“Indeed.” Verdant smiled, leaning against her side as her feathers rubbed across his back, drawing a smile upon her beak.
Two more rounds of fireworks went off as the couple stared through the large window in a comfortable silence.
A smirk stretched over Verdant’s muzzle and his eyes became half-lidded. “You’re bored out of your skull, aren’t you?”
“Oh dear ancestors, yes.” Erica sighed, placing her talons upon her forehead. “This place is really nice, but this sort of stuff’s just way too fancy for me, Verdant. I can’t stand classical music, the food’s not really my taste and almost everyone here—”
“Has their noses turned up so high, they’d drown if it rained?” Verdant smirked as he finished Erica’s sentence, making her choke back her laughter.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Erica chuckled as she settled down. “Still, I’m really enjoying my time with you, Verdant.” She nuzzled the back of his neck, drawing closer to his ear before whispering into it. “And I’ve got an idea for something fun we could do.”
“Is it dancing?” The small stallion looked up toward the smiling griffin.
“Something like that.” The faintest hint of a rosey tinge flashed across Erica’s face as she plucked the flower from her head. “It’s a kind of dance I’ve never gotten a chance to try before.” She said softly, slipping the flower into his breast pocket.
“Is it the foxtrot?” Verdant tilted his head in confusion. “I don’t really know too many dances.”
“Uh… it’s not that kind of dance, Verdant,” Erica replied, amused by the stallion’s naivety. “What I’m talking about is—” She paused as she looked past him, spotting a variety of fanciful treats topped with cherries. “Aha!”
Gliding past him, Erica picked a cherry from one of the desserts. “I mean there’s something else we could do after we sneak out of here and get a hotel room.” She then caught the sweet fruit in the tips of her beak. She held the cherry gently in place before giving Verdant a wink, applying enough pressure to make the cherry pop like a balloon.
“You want… to crush fruit?” Verdant was absolutely perplexed by what Erica was doing. “Has crushing fruit become a popular pastime? How much do hotels charge for that?”
Erica sighed and rolled her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she came up to Verdant and whispered in his ear once more.
The green pony’s coat quickly exploded into a bright cherry red. “Oh! Oooohhh, of course!” He nervously chuckled as he slapped a hoof to his forehead. “I’m sorry, I’m really out of date when it comes to innuendo.”
“That’s okay, dear.” Erica’s face slowly started to become pink once more as she fiddled with her talons. “So… would you like to…”
“I would love to Erica.” The small male gently placed his hooves onto her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. “I’m just surprised you asked for that before I met your parents.”
“Ugh, I’m not ready for the insanity my parents would bring if they found out I had a boyfriend yet.” Erica returned the hug, resting her chin on top of Verdant’s head. “Shall we away from this place?” She spoke in a put upon, fanciful and accent.
“Come, let us away for we shall soon have shot twixt wind and water!” Verdant pulled away as he spoke overdramatically leading Erica towards the palace’ main entrance.
“Could I get that in Modern Equish?” Erica asked as she pulled ahead of her companion, confusion clear in her tone. “I missed most of my old Ye Olde Speak lessons in school.”
“Let’s get out of here to enjoy our private time together, my dear.” Verdant smiled as he nuzzled her neck, bringing a matching look to her face.
“I’d love to, Verdant.” Erica stretched a wing over his back once more, holding him closely, letting him hear her passionate heart beat.
At the two started to exit the palace, Erica looked down at the dessert her boyfriend was carrying.
“Say Verdant, why’d that pink mare give you that cupcake?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know. It’ll ruin the mood and your appetite.”
***
“Have a most pleasant evening, Mr. Fancy Pants, Mrs. Dis Lee,” Swiftsword waved as a sharply dressed stallion and a stunning mare sunk back into the crowd of gathered guests. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
Well, I may not have found an eligible noblestallion to become my consort, but my reintroduction to the nobility has gone swimmingly. The blue unicorn mare beamed as she trotted along, eyes ever shifting to find a potential mate. Still, I wish I knew why so many were jumpy at the sight of my sword. Has carrying a weapon in the open become a faux pas and now carrying a concealed weapon has become the norm for such events? Oh well, at least I’m covered on the front too.
Feeling somewhat parched, Swiftsword turned her attention away from the plentiful stallions on the floor and over to a table, upon which sat a fountain of punch. As she ensnared a crystalline cup in her magic, a unicorn stallion in a dark green suit made his way to her.
“Why hello there, Madame,” He leaned against the table, taking in Swift’s visage. “I don’t seem to recall you at any of the previous galas I’ve been to.”
“Well, I’ve been unable to attend a Grand Galloping Gala in quite some time due to circumstances beyond my control.” Swift held out a foreleg for the orange unicorn to take. “Swiftsword of the Falchion clan. A pleasure to meet you, Mr…”
“O’Lantern. Jack O’Lantern of the Vines family.” The tiniest hint of a smirk crossed his face as he took her hoof in his, giving the extended limb a gentle kiss. “A pleasure to meet you, Swiftsword.”
“Ah, I remember the Vine clan quite well. Lady Grapevine was one of my father’s closest business partners and informants long ago.” Swift smiled as she pulled her hoof away before pouring herself another glass of punch.
“You don’t say?” Jack rolled his eyes the second Swift’s were focused upon the drinks. When did Celestia start letting cosplayers in here? Eh, she’s got a nice flank, so she may be worth it.
“Oh yes, the Falchions and Vines were close friends in days long past.” Swift floated a pair of glasses to the two of them as a grin spread across her face. “Mayhaps we shall be close as well.”
“Well, we’ll see about that, Swiftsword.” The green maned stallion swirled his drink around, briefly pondering her words.
That seemed like a signal… but I’d better make sure before trying something too forward.
“So,” He paused to take a quick sip of the punch, the drink providing him with an ounce of liquid courage. “Hope you don’t mind my asking, but how would you like to end up full of pumpkin seeds tonight?”
Dammit, Jack! What were you thinking?! Now you’ve blown it worse than with that maid! There’s no way she’ll—
“Hmm…” Swift hoof gently rose to her chin, considering his offer.
He does seem to be a rather fit stallion of a noble family, so that is certainly something in his favor. Besides, not only would it be rude to turn away the offer for a sample of his wares, but it would probably be better for me than the desserts here. If only he were in the sunflower seed business.
“That sounds quite nice actually, sir. Simply give me a bit to let my appetite return.” Swift innocently smiled before taking another drink.
Holy crap, I’ve hit the jackpot! The stunned look on Jack’s face was quickly washed away as brimming confidence took its place. “Fantastic.”
“Yes, I’m sure your…” The blue mare’s words died out as past the orange unicorn she spotted a familiar green mare clad in golden armor. “Oh! Sir O’Lantern, may I please have a moment to speak to my friend? It’s been a few months since I last saw her.”
“Of course, Swift. Maybe she’d like to join in the fun we’ll be having.” The orange stallion grinned as he slung a foreleg over her shoulder before heading for the armor clad mare. “Think she’d be willing to join the fun we’ll be having?”
“I would hope so, but it may take her away from her duties,” Swift replied somewhat sadly before taking on a perkier face and tone. “Spearmint, my friend! It’s been far too long!” She called out, drawing the green mare’s eyes and bringing a blush to her face. “Has your night been going well?”
“H-hey there, Swiftsword. Nice to see you again.” Spearmint anxiously smiled before she spotted the stallion at her side; her smile shifting to a small frown. “How’s things been going recently?”
“Rather swimmingly, dear Spearmint.” The noblemare beamed, not noticing the stallion’s hoof ever so slowly going down her back. “My friends and I have settled into Vanhoover quite well. We have all managed to find careers as well. Winter Gem’s managed to mend things with her family while Hat Trick’s become a performer. Forge has managed to gain an apprenticeship at a smithing company and Verdant’s found employment at a flower shop. But enough about my friends and I, how have you and your friends been?”
“It’s been going pretty well I guess.” The armored mare shrugged and looked away from the azure unicorn. “Cobalt’s managed to get promoted to ensign and Moonstone’s gotten herself a girlfriend as well. As for me, Lieutenant Starshine says I may get a promotion if I improve my combat skills.”
“How wonderful, Spearmint!” Swift cheered, tapping her hooves together; brimming with enthusiasm. “If your combat skills require some improving, perhaps I could be of assistance in some way? If you have a free day, you could come visit and I could help you hone your skills. I could easily pay for your train ticket.”
“Why thank you, Swift, but you really d—” The shamrock mare attempted to cut into the unicorn’s words, only to be quickly deflected.
“Or better yet, I could visit on some of my days off and train you! Just a warning, Spearmint,” Swift grinned, leaning closer toward the nervous mare, “I would work you so hard, you’d be begging for mercy.”
Spearmint’s face rapidly changed colors from her usual pale green to a striking cherry red, drawing a grin to Jack’s face.
Man, this night’s going better than I ever hoped! He chuckled as his hoof slid ever further down Swift’s back. I’m about to become the luckiest stallion in all Equestria.
“In a matter of weeks, you’ll soon be the best you’ve ever beeeEEEEEEN!” Swift spun around to face the stallion upon feeling a hoof upon her rump. “How dare you!” She glared daggers at Jack, making him take a shaking step back.
“Wait Swift, I really misread y—” He was cut off as Swift landed a hard slap across his face.
“You have insulted my honor!” the furious mare exclaimed, drawing the eye of several party guests. “I challenge you to a duel!”
“Alright, just calm down. I accept.” Jack tugged on his bow tie as he tried to back away. One little card game and we should be able to settle things, maybe even salvage this night. Thank Faust I brought my cards with me.
“Very well!” Swift furiously bellowed, undoing the clasp of her cape as she drew closer to him. “Forge, my cape!” She tossed the cape aside, her eyes locked on the stallion reaching into his jacket with a flare of magic while she slowly pulled her sword from her side. “Now draw!”
“Right, let’s—” The words died in his throat has he pulled the deck from his jacket, seeing the longsword pointed directly at his face. In that instant, Jack did the only thing a well bred stallion of his standing could do at the sight.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” He shrieked as he flew off like a shot from a cannon, leaving behind a flurry of cards as be bolted for the stairs.
“Face me, you cowardly lech!” Swift barked, quickly taking pursuit of the screeching stallion.
“Swift, wait!” Spearmint called out as she followed after. “For the love of Faust, stop!”
In the great hall of Canterlot Castle, the sounds of a magnificent and fanciful orchestra played throughout. Many a pony danced to their pleasant music.
However, the symphony was mostly ignored by a pair of stallions who were keeping themselves occupied by sampling the wide assortment of foods the gala provided.
“Hmm…” the snowy colored stallion hummed to himself as his savored his snack. “You were right, Forge. These cocktail weenie things are great.”
“Aye,” Forge replied, his attention focused on the toothpick-skewered food he was spinning about in his magic. “If there’s any one thing I’ll give the griffins credit for, they’re experts in making non-pony meats surprisingly tasty.” He finally stopped playing with his food, taking a bite of the miniature sausage.
“For sure,” Snow said through a mouth full of food before swallowing. “Next time I get us a pizza back home, I’m gonna try it with some of that pepperoni stuff on it.” He trotted up to the cobalt unicorn’s side and placing a wing across Forge’s back, giving him an affectionate nuzzle. “Thanks for getting me to give it a try, Forge.”
“If you think that this sausage is something spectacular, wait until you’ve tried bacon.” Forge leaned into the pegasus’ caress, placing a kiss upon his forehead. “That was something that immediately made my second week on Butterfly Island much better than the first.”
“Well Forge, since we’ve pigged out on the pig meat, how about we finally sample some of the desserts you mentioned?”
Snow pulled Forge along with him, guiding his dear unicorn closer to the grand assortment of sweets.
“Certainly, Snow.” Forge’s eyes widened as he took in the display of delights upon the long table.
There were wonderful sculpted fruit dishes, cakes larger than he was with frosting and piping laid so artistically that it rivaled the finest paintings and sculptures he had ever seen. Standing out the most for the salivating stallion was a shining silver fountain gushing out a waterfall of wonderfully smelling chocolate. At the base of the fountain stood a huge collection of the plumpest strawberries he’d ever laid eyes upon, next to a row of skewers.
“This all look so delicious…” Forge muttered, wiping a small amount of drool from his lip. He started to reach for one of skewers, only to withhold his hoof at the last instant. “But...”
“But?” Snow tilted his head curiously.
“I think we should start with the very best.” The blue stallion quickly pulled his winged boyfriend further along before his eyes finally settled upon his prey. “There they are! The crepes!” His eyes were nearly shining as his magic grabbed hold of two of the desserts, levitating them into the waiting couple’s hooves.
“Alright. Hope they taste as well as you said they are.” Snow Sweeper shrugged before taking a large bite of the pastry. As the taste of the fruit, pastry and creme struck his taste buds, his eyes widened and watered out of sheer delight. “Oh sweet Celestia, you’re right, Forge!” He exclaimed before rapidly digging into the treat, devouring it in a matter of seconds.
“Eh, it’s alright.” Forge shrugged before taking another slow bite.
“Alright!?” Snow stared into Forge’s eyes, grabbing onto his shoulders. “How can you say these are just alright, Forge? This has got to be the best dessert I’ve ever had!”
“It’s just that they seem… I dunno, undercooked to me.” Forge lightly poked at the crepe with his hoof. “I’m no culinary expert, but it just doesn’t... seem…” His words slow down as something dawned for him. “Of course! That’s the answer!”
“What’s the answer, Forge?” Snow inquired as he scratched the back of his neck. “My sis and I order out for pretty much everything, so you probably know more about this than me.”
“How did I not see this sooner?” Forge chortled as he slapped a hoof to his forehead. “These things need to be set on fire!”
“What?!” Snow shouted, grabbing Forge by the shoulders, staring him in the eye. “Are you insane? Why would you set those on fire?”
“Snow, my dear, calm down,” Forge calmly replied as he gently pulled the pegasus’ hooves off of him. “It’s simple. The crepes from the last gala I had were flambéed. That’s a thing in cooking where you set the food on fire to prepare it. Obviously, the chefs simply forgot to flambé the crepes. Honestly, I can’t say I blame them too much for one misstep when they’ve had to prepare so much food.”
“Ooohh! I think I saw something about that in a magazine or a movie. Now it makes sense.” Snow nodded as Forge’s horn began to glow brighter before casting a flame which started to consume the crepes on the table.
“There. Now all we have to do is wait a few minutes and these crepes will be prepared to perfection!” Forge beamed as the fires burned away, completely unaware that the flames had slowly started to spread.
“Well in the meantime,” Snow slung a foreleg over Forge’s shoulder, leading him away. “How about we put some of Swift’s dance lessons to good use?”
“That sounds splendid, Snow.” Forge grinned as he gently leaned into the grey stallion. “This will be fanta—”
“You have insulted my honor! I challenge you to a duel!” A familiar mare’s voice came from within a gathering crowd. Out of curiosity, the pair moved to see the source of the commotion and saw Swiftsword glaring daggers at an orange unicorn stallion.
“Very well!” Swift furiously bellowed, undoing the clasp of her cape as she drew closer to him. “Forge, my cape!” She tossed the cape over the crowd of ponies, where it was quickly caught in Forge’s magical grasp while the noblemare’s opponent began to draw a deck of cards from his jacket.
“Right, let’s—” The words died in his throat as he pulled the deck from his jacket, seeing the longsword pointed directly at his face. In that instant, the stallion let out a filllyish scream as he bolted away, with Swiftsword and a green coated guard quickly tailing the two.
“Face me, you cowardly lech!”
“Should…” Snow watched as the trio dashed up a flight of stairs, nearly ramming into Princess Celestia at the top. “Should we try to stop them?”
“No,” Forge curtly answered as he folded up Swift’s discarded cape. “If he accepted her challenge to a duel, we shouldn’t interfere with the outcome, no matter what. Besides, he’ll probably end up surrendering once she corners him and makes him ruin his pants, which I’m betting will be long before she can actually hurt him.”
“If you say so…” Snow nervously looked at the stairway, seeing the nobles quickly gathering themselves in anticipation of meeting with the alabaster alicorn at the top.
“If it makes you feel any better, think of this and the crepes as dessert and a show.” Forge patted the snow stallion’s shoulder just before a bright flash of blue made a charcoal unicorn appear before them
“Forge, do you have any idea what Swift was doing chasing that stallion around with a sword?” Barrier barked as he gave his former cadet an intimidating glare.
“Sir!” The younger unicorn saluted. “From what I can tell, that stallion did something lecherous to Swiftsword and she challenged him to a duel. For some reason, he thought cards were a suitable weapon when he accepted Swift’s challenge. Sir!”
Barrier grumbled as his forehoof made close friends with his forehead. “And this is why I made sure to fill up my flask tonight. Any idea what are the others up to?”
“Not really, sir,” Forge replied as he tried to scan the crowd for any sign of his fellow housemates. “Last I saw of Verdant and Erica was a while ago, and I haven’t seen Hat Trick or Winter Gem since they went off to dance.”
“Speaking of dancing,” Snow stretched a wing over Forge’s back and started to pull him away, “Forge and I have some plans for the dance floor. Have a good time, Barrier.”
“You too,” Barrier dismissively waved as the couple strolled away. “Swift’s getting an earful once I get my hooves on her.” With a sigh, Barrier drew out the aforementioned flask from his cummerband, taking a long swig. “Faust knows what stunts the others are up to. It better not end with me paying bail.”
***
Within a darkened hallway of the palace, a trio of ponies ran through the hall, lead by a screaming unicorn, followed by a mare with a sword and a guard who was starting to regret not taking a personal day.
As the three ran, they passed by a pair of ponies who were hidden behind a pillar. The sounds of the chase soon gave way to silence, signalling the pair to step out.
“Alright, the coast is clear,” Winter Gem whispered to her pegasus paramour as they drew closer to a large and ornate door.
“Are you sure this a good idea, Gem?” Hat Trick gently tapped upon her shoulder as they came to a halt in front of the towering door emblazoned with two golden sun emblems upon its surface. “You remember what happened last time, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” the snowy earth pony rolled her eyes as she gently pushed the door open, letting herself into the princess’s warm and inviting bedchamber. “But this time, everypony’s attention is focused on the gala, so they won’t pay attention to a pair of ponies sneaking off to have a little fun.” She gave the nervous pegasus a wink before shaking her tail, going deeper into the forbidden room.
With a nervous gulp, the shuddering pegasus made his way after her, taking in the sights of the luxurious chamber. It was covered in finely crafted pillows that matched the bed’s silk sheets. In the far side of the room was a large fireplace, collection of large cushions laid before it. Off to the side, he took in the sight of both a large mirror and a red bird on her perch, preening her wings and ignoring the intruders.
“You’re sure she won’t guess we’ll try to make history repeat itself?” Hatty closed the gap between himself and the white mare in the red dress, standing before the door that lead to Celestia’s private bathroom.
“C’mon, Hatty. It’s been over ten centuries since we pulled that stunt. Sure, she remembered it in the letter, but she’s got a million other things she’s got to take care of at the gala, not to mention her daily life.” Gem placed a hoof on the door handle as she looked at Hatty over her shoulder. “Just relax and trust me, dear. There’s no way she’ll see this coming.”
Gem lightly pushed the door open, showing two mares clad in day guard armor. The smaller one was a sky blue unicorn with a rainbow mane while her companion was a muscular midnight blue thestral.
“She saw it coming,” the unicorn smirked she stepped forward.
“I’ve got a score to settle with you two from the empire.” A dark grin stretched across the thestral’s features as her large muscles flexed, taking a combative stance.
“If it makes you feel any better…” Hatty shook as he and Gem slowly started to back away. “Verdant was the one that shot the darts that took you out. Not us.”
“Ladies,” Gem paused, quickly putting up a calm visage. “Let’s discuss this like rational— LOOK A DEAD BIRD!” She exclaimed, pointing a hoof at the princess’ perched pet.
Philomena spun around as if struck in the chest. She dramatically kawwed as she placed a wing over her forehead before falling back onto Celestia’s night stand. She grasped a flower from the vase on the stand, placing on her chest before crossing her wings over it.
“Nice try, Philomena. I know you’re not—” the unicorn mare was cut off by her thestral compatriot smacking the back of her helm.
“Forget the damn bird, the perps are running away!” she exclaimed as she took to the air, following the fleeing pair into the hallway.
“Oh shit, right!” The unicorn straighten her helm as she ran after the fleeing pair. “Cobalt, wait up! Legs are slower than wings!”
***
On another side of the palace, within Princes Luna’s private bathroom, a pair of guards stood by the door, waiting patiently for any possible intruders.
“Go with the special assignment. That way you avoid the stuffy nobles,” one guard, a large green earth pony mare, mockingly said before sighing. “Thanks a bunch, Tail. Now we’re stuck on toilet sitting duty. Do we really have to stay in here all night?”
“You heard what the princess and Lieutenant Starshine said, Bonecrusher.” The second guard, a smaller lavender pegasus glanced to her muscular compatriot. “We’re to stay here in case anypony tries to sneak in here.”
“Whatever, Civvy.” Bonecrusher rolled her eyes before focusing on the door once more. “Did you at least bring some cards or a magazine or something? We’ve been here for over two hours.”
“No, but…” A grin came from Tail as sidled up to the lime-colored mare’s side, making the latter’s coat bristle. “Maybe we can scare off intruders slipping out of this armor and saying the room's taken by a couple of busy mares?” She offered the sneering mare a flirtatious wink.
“Knock it off!” Bonecrusher pushed her fellow guard away, nearly knocking her over. “You know I’m into dicks, not chicks.”
“Whatever, you living bulldozer.” The pegasus huffed, puffing her cheeks up as she stewed. After a moment of annoying silence, a thought occurred to the lavender mare. “You also once told me you couldn’t stand me, but here we are.” She winked once more at the towering mound of mare muscle, making her slap a hoof to her forehead.
“Shuddup,” Bonecrusher groaned as she sat down upon the cool bathroom floor. “I need the extra pay.”
The night seemed to drag on for Barrier as he wandered about through the ballroom, nobles chatting about or dancing to the classical musical that played.
At least these ponies still have good taste in music. Barrier smirked as he took a swig. So I guess the modern nobles aren’t too terrible.
Barring strolled past some more chatting ponies, eventually making his way to the bandstand. It was then Barrier noticed a familiar face playing on her cello. “Hello, Octavia.”
“Good evening, Barrier,” Octavia replied without taking her eyes off of her cello. “How are you doing? It’s been a while since your last letter came in.”
“Yeah...” Barrier sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Things are a bit messed up back home, mostly due to a drunken screw up on my part.”
Octavia chortled as she continued playing. “If I had a bit for every time Vinyl said that…”
“Well, it’s nice to see you’ve got a job here.” Barrier offered her a small smile but was unsure if she noticed. “In my day, musicians would have killed to get hired to play at the gala.”
“Is it wrong that I honestly can’t tell if you’re being serious or hyperbolic with that comment?”
“It’s entirely possible that some could have. A lot of things happened back then.” Barrier took quick swig of his flask before offering it up the the gray mare. “Care for a drink? It’s good stuff.”
“No, thank you,” Octavia replied, a thankful smile on her lips. “I appreciate the offer, but I need to stay on point.”
“Fair enough.” Barrier shrugged before stowing the flask away. “Well, hope you have a good night, Octavia.” He offered her a wave before pivoting around and walking away.
I’m starting to think maybe I shouldn’t have come here. Barrier sighed as he trudged past several ponies, not noticing the scent from the room he was approaching. At least in Vanhoover, spending the night with Fleet and Windy would keep me occupied. Now all I’ve got is my thoughts, reminding me how alone I am after my fuck up.
Still, at least I know I can help Celestia and the kids are probably having a good time. At least they haven’t gotten into tr—
“FIRE!!!” A mare screamed, snapping Barrier from his thoughts, allowing his reflexes to take over. Charging forward with his horn flaring, Barrier made his way to the entryway where he was gobsmacked by the sight. There was a pack of ponies running away from a snack table that was engulfed in flames. Pillars were being knocked over by some of the fleeing ponies, with a pegasus in a rainbow dress doing everything she could to keep the pillars from tumbling to the ground.
Barrier grit his teeth, trying to focus his magic, only to be knocked aside by the running pair of Hat Trick and Winter Gem, causing him to unleash his magic upon one of the large, ornate windows.
“Sorry, sir!” Hatty yelled, looking over his shoulder.
Barrier tried to get back up, only for Moonstone to collide with him, sending them both sprawling to the ground.
Cobalt flew over the pair, continuing her pursuit of the running couple. The thestral dive bombed at the two as they were coming up on the burning table… unfortunately for the flying mare, the two turned away at the last second, causing her to crash into the table’s edge, upending its contents.
Smaller flaming pastries flew over the guests, with some hitting tables and curtains, setting them ablaze, while a large cake was sent hurtling towards a white unicorn stallion, who grabbed a mare in an elaborate pink dress, using her to shield him from the cake, much to her fury.
“Urgh… son of a whorse…” Barrier groaned as he pulled himself up. “This can’t get any wor—”
A loud boom echoed through the hall of screaming ponies before a flood of animals poured in, making the calamity become a catastrophe.
“YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!” A roughed-up looking yellow mare bellowed out so loud, Barrier wondered if she’d somehow harnessed the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Oh for Zacherle’s sake,” Barrier grumbled, slapping a hoof against his head. With a tired sigh, he spotted Twilight and her friends rushing out, with Rarity pausing to smash a glass shoe before following suit.
“What the Tartarus did these kids get themselves into?” Barrier growled as he made his way towards the exit, chugging down the last droplets in his flask which only served to make him grumble even more.
“At least I was planning on heading to a bar anyway.” Slipping the empty flask back into his cummerbund, the glaring unicorn strode past the palace gate and took an immediate turn towards the direction that would lead him to the Phoenix Fire.
***
Barrier nosed his way through the front door, where he saw the sight of a familiar black stallion in a brown coltson behind the bar.
“Been a while, Barry.” The silver-maned stallion smirked as he leaned upon the bar. “Showin’ up at this time of night, huh? Do I even want to know?”
“Just some craziness from this year’s gala, Trigsy,” Barrier casually replied as he made his way to one of the bar’s larger booths.
“Oh? I can only imagine what this year’s dumb crap has to be.” Curiosity was written all across Trigger’s face. “Got any names? Ya know we like our ribbin’ here. Regulars got bits on the line with high stakes.”
“Artillery Punch. Three of’em, to start. Then we can talk about that… mess.” Barrier smirked as he took a seat.
“Someone is setting his priorities tonight.” Trigger rolled his eyes as he began to pour and mix Barrier’s three drinks. The glass was soon engulfed in an amber light and floated over to the charcoal stallion.
Just as Barrier had thrown back the first glass, the door was pushed opened by a winded and disheveled Hat Trick and Winter Gem.
“Well, look who it is!” Barrier called out and loudly banged the glass on his table loud enough to draw the attention of every patron in the establishment, glaring at the pair that immediately began sweating bullets. “Would you two mind explaining what you were doing to have two guards chasing after you?”
“Oh, well… um…” Gem bit her lower lip and scratched the back of her neck. “Well, it was kinda loud and crowded for Hatty and I in the ballroom, so we decided to—”
“Rut in Princess Celestia’s bathroom, right?” Barrier smirked at the shocked blushes on their faces, which drew a chuckle from the bartender and a few of the other patrons.
“Point is, we tried to go somewhere we shouldn’t, and those two chased after us.” Hatty moved past Gem, slipping into the booth.
“Did you two have anything to do with that fire?” Barrier took a swig as Gem slipped in at Hatty’s side.
“No. Why would we start a fire at the gala?” Winter sighed as she rested her chin on the table. “We just wanted to have some good, not so clean fun.”
The door opened once more, this time the ones that entered were a disheveled Swiftsword and Spearmint, with the former sporting a wide grin of satisfaction.
“Good evening, my friends!” Swift gave the group a wave as she strolled over to the three. “How did your night go?”
“Bleaurgh…” the three groaned in unison, much to Swift’s surprise.
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” Swift frowned as she slipped into the booth, sitting at Barrier’s side.
“Well, how’d things go for you with that guy that you were chasing after?” Barrier asked, leaning back against the back of the booth.
“That went most wonderfully!” Swift beamed, nearly bouncing in her seat. “Once I had managed to corner the stallion in the gala, Spearmint stepped in to represent him in the duel. I accepted and was treated with one of the most exhilarating duels I’ve ever had! Sword against spear! Steel against steel! It’s been so long since I was so satisfied!” She was positively giddy as she leaned against Spearmint, drawing a blushing smile from her.
Barrier’s eye rose as after taking a quick sip. “And what about the stallion that offended you?”
The blue unicorn chuckled, pulling away from the minty mare. “With Spearmint bested, I told that scoundrel to surrender. He did so through a river of tears. I let him leave no worse for wear, but he would need to replace his trousers. Though Spearmint did have him charged with sexual harassment for me.”
“You’re lucky no one got hurt, Swift.” Spearmint growled, pulling on the unicorn’s shoulder. “The only reason why you’re not arrested is old laws about dueling like that are still on the books. Do I make myself clear?”
“Quite, my friend.” Swift’s voice had changed in an instant, going from jovial to serious. “I give you my word, should such an offense happen again, I will follow more modern protocols.”
“See that you do.” Spearmint sighed as she rubbed the sides of her temples. “Anywho, since my shift’s over…” She hopped up in her seat, calling towards the bar. “Hey Trigger, could I get a Neigh York Zombie?”
“Coming right up,” the hatted stallion replied with a wave just as the entrance opened once more, revealing the pair of Forge and Snow.
“Hey guys, over here!” Gem called out, offering the pair a warm smile. The two quickly came over, taking their places at a booth next to their friends. “So, how’d your night go?”
Forge chuckled from his booth as he took in the sight of her and Hatty. “I’m guessing better than yours. Did some guards catch you before you could spend some ‘private time’ together?” His tone was laced with amusement, making the couple in question give an ever so slightly blush, but remained quiet.
A mischievous laugh came from Swift as she grinned knowingly at the pair. “Your silence only damns you.”
“So what did you two get up to?” Barrier set his drink down, slapping Hatty’s hoof away as he tried to reach for it.
“Not too much,” Snow replied relaxedly as he leaned into the booth. “We tried some of the fancy food and drinks, danced a bit, and then we went outside to enjoy the fireworks until we heard somepony yelling about a fire.” The pegasus’ eyes briefly darted towards Forge, making him nervously scratch his neck.
“Did you two make any fireworks of your own?” Gem winked at the pair, making Snow roll his eyes at the innuendo.
“No. I don’t really know much about making explosives and I thought something like that on the palace grounds would get us in trou—” Forge was cut off when Snow started whispering in his ear, making the unicorn groan in annoyance. “Shut it, Gem.”
The collection of ponies chatted amongst themselves with a wide assortment of drinks and snacks being tasted for nearly twenty minutes, until a griffin and pony that were leaning closely together, grinning widely, walked in.
“You two are late,” Barrier spoke up, having just finished his third drink. “What took you so long?”
“Oh, you know,” Verdant singsonged as he and Erica took a seat at Forge’s booth. The cobalt stallion tried to move away from the griffin, but Snow’s hoof on his shoulder held him in place. “We were enjoying our time at the gala, dancing and enjoying the food and company.”
“Uh-huh,” Barrier casually nodded while Swift, Hatty and Gem gave the pair a knowing look. “And what did you think when that dessert table caught fire and a bunch of animals came running in?”
“Wait, what happened after we…” Erica looked over to Barrier’s group, a blush swiftly spreading as she realized not only was she caught, but that the ponies could easily deduce what she and Verdant had done.
“Alright, we’re busted,” the hen sighed as she slumped against the booth’s pleather seat. “I got bored so we decided to go out and do something else.”
“And what pray tell did you do?” Forge inquired, curious as his friends seemed to realize something he didn’t.
“Oh Forge,” Verdant grinned, leaning into Erica’s side with an affectionate smile, “A gentlestallion doesn’t ask.” He chuckled as the hen’s wing draped over his back.
“At least you two decided to not to make your mischief at the gala.” Barrier swirled his drink around, the happiness of the couple making him reflect on what he had lost. “Glad you two had a good time.”
“Well, it sounds as if all of us who maintained our self-control had a good evening.” Swift gave Hatty and Gem a cheeky smile which they countered with a glare. “This calls for libations! Barkeep, I’d like to request a round of your finest sweet drinks for my friends and I!”
Trigger let out a heavy sigh and glanced at Barrier. “Your squad’s killin’ me, Barry. Libations! Sweet drinks?” He placed a collection of mugs on the countertop as a mischievous grin stretched across his muzzle. The stallion plucked a blue bottle with his magic and made a sweeping pour. “I’m not a buckin’ juice bar, but I think I’ve got the perfect Moonlight to celebrate… your self-control.” In a flash of his horn, the drinks vanished from the counter and reappeared before the gathering’s eyes.
“Here’s a toast to us!” Swift cheered as she raised her mug into the air which was soon joined by the rest. “May we have many more a wonderful night such as this!”
“Hear, hear!” The group all clinked their mugs together just as the front door opened once more. The sight of two mares at the door made Hat Trick and Winter become pale.
“I swear, the prince is lucky that mare didn’t break his nose for that equine shield trick he pulled,” Moonstone chortled before coming to a halt, her pupils dilating upon spotting her former quarry.
“Could have been worse, at least he didn’t catch…” Cobalt trailed off, seeing Hatty and Gem trying to slink under the table to hide. “You!” the large thestral barked and snorted before she charged forth and leapt onto the table.
“Umm… hello ladies…” Hatty gulped nervously as the hulking mare glared down at him and Gem. “M-might I offer you something to drink?”
“Oh-ho-ho, boy.” Moonstone chuckled as her magic picked up her fellow guard who was now grinning wickedly. “You’re going to regret that offer, Purple Curple.”
Daylight had just started to stretch across Vanhoover as Iron Forge pulled himself out of bed, trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes as he quietly strolled past Swift and Verdant, making his way into the bathroom.
After brushing his teeth and neatly combing his hair, ensuring that not a speck of plaque remained or a single hair was out of line, the unicorn gave a nervous sigh.
“Today’s the big day,” he whispered to his reflection before looking to the ceiling. “Faust, please make sure I don’t mess this day up.”
A pair of rapid thunks came from behind the door before Winter Gem’s voice called out: “Hey Forge, can you speed up your early morning session with Mr. Frog? I have to pee so bad I can taste it!”
With a roll of his eyes, Forge stepped out of the bathroom and headed downstairs. In the kitchen he found Verdant brewing coffee and making omelets. “Good morning, Forge. The omelets should be ready in just a few minutes.”
“Afraid I’m going to have to pass on that,” Forge replied as he lit his horn, tossing the fridge open. “I’m just going to grab a muffin and head to Silver Swirl’s, I want to make a good impression.”
“Alright, I hope it goes well for you, buddy,” the green stallion patted his on the shoulder as he strolled past him. “Just don’t push yourself too hard. Who knows how much smithing has changed over the centuries.”
A warm chuckle emanated from the cobalt stallion as he trotted out of the kitchen. “Trust me, Verdant. I can handle anything that could come my way,” he replied as he placed a hoof on the door handle.
“Famous last words, my friend.” Verdant’s joking voice echoed from the kitchen, drawing a chuckle from Forge as he headed out, taking in the early morning air.
“Ready or not, here I go.”
***
Forge stood by the front entrance of a two story building, elegantly painted in white and silver that sparkled like a diamond in the warm morning light. Above the shop’s door was a fancy wooden sign painted white. Upon it was beautiful cursive that read in silver, “Silver Swirl’s Smithing Shop.”
The stallion took a hard swallow before pushing his way into the shop. Inside was a silver coated mare with a flowing mane, taking a sip of coffee before spotting Forge.
“Ah, Forge. Perfect timing.” Silver Swirl stepped out from behind the desk. “Looking much better than last time. You look a lot more professional without a Kre-O brick in your mane.”
Forge grinned widely and gave her a salute. “I’m ready to start on whatever you’d like me to, ma’am.”
“Nice. I like your spirit, kid.” Swirl nodded before ushering him into a back room. In there, there was the roar of furnaces and the clanging of steel striking steel as they traveled further into the forge. “Now, since you’re a few centuries behind and a new employee, I’m gonna have you study under my best smith. She’ll be showing you the ropes when it comes to handling our modern equipment.”
“I’ll do her proud, ma’am.” Forge grinned as his eyes wandered about, seeing so many devices that looked completely alien to him. Some of this looks like it’d be right at home in Hatty’s Star Trot books.
“I’m sure you will. After all, she did recommend you when I got your resume.” Swirl looked over her shoulder to the confused unicorn.
Wait, somepony recommended me? How’s that possible? I don’t know anypony here. The blue unicorn rubbed his chin in perplexment until he saw Swirl had come to a halt.
“Hey Asta! Your new apprentice is here!” Swirl shouted into the shop, her powerful voice echoing over the sounds of the machinery at work.
“One moment!” an accented voice from behind a large device replied. “My goggles fell under a table.”
A figure rose up that made Forge shift into a defensive stance. He nervously swallowed as the griffin came up from behind the machine and walked over towards them. The hen had thick muscles in her barrel and forelegs that rippled under her brown coat. The white feathers upon her head curved upwards at the back, making her somewhat resemble a cockatiel to the young unicorn. Tied around her chest was a sturdy black apron, filled with an assortment of tools Forge recognized.
This hen was the largest griffin Forge had ever laid eyes on, chilling him to the bone.
I bet a griffin like her could snap an earth pony in half with muscles like that! How can Ms. Swirl not panic at the sight of her?
“Alright Asta, your new apprentice is here.” Swirl gave Forge a hard pat on the back, making him stumble forth a step. “Try not to be too hard on him. Don’t want another running away, screaming their head off.”
Forge could feel the sweat pouring off his forehead in droves, only to quickly evaporate from the sweltering heat.
Asta chuckled as she adjusted the goggles she set on her head. “Relax, Swirl. The only male I want screaming after working them over is my husband.”
“At any rate, have a good and productive day, you two. I’ve got some books to go over.” Swirl waved as she trotted away with a relaxed smile.
To Forge’s surprise, the griffin carried a warm smile as she stretched a foreleg out to him. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Iron Forge. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“A… pleasure, ma’am…” Forge swallowed as he slowly placed his foreleg in her talons, barely able to keep from wincing as she closed the hard digits around them. The hen slowly gave his leg a short yet tender shake before letting go. “I’m surprised to hear that you recommended me. May I ask how you heard about myself and my work?”
“Quite simple, my young friend.” Asta beamed as she slung a leg over his shoulder, pulling the unicorn along as she walked deeper into the workshop. “My precious little girl told me about you and asked if I could recommend you for Swirl.”
“But who’s your—” Forge paused as he realized there was only one person her daughter could be. “You’re Erica’s mother?”
“Indeed,” Asta patted him on the back and pulled away with a grin before leaning onto a workbench. “She told me you were a pony who’s a skilled smith and looking for a job, so when your resume came in, I told Swirl that I heard good things about you and here we are today.”
“I… I must admit, I’m rather surprised, Mrs. Sorae.” Forge tried to hide his shock. I can’t believe this… After everything that happened with her visit, Erica still put in a good word for me… why though?
“Well, we’ll have a bit before we really need to get started, so we might as well talk.” Asta gave a slight stretch from the bench. “So, do you have any questions you’d like to ask me?”
“Umm… not that I can think of, ma’am. I probably will later since so much of this stuff is unlike what I’m used to,” Forge replied with trepidation as he looked around, not seeing a single grind wheel.
“In that case, mind if I ask you a few questions, Forge?” Asta asked, giving her back and forelegs a stretch.
“Alright…” Forge eyed the stretching hen with suspicion. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Thank you,” she slunk off the bench, her eyes momentarily glancing toward the furnace’s temperature gauge. “First off, where are you from originally? I’m no expert on accents, but it sounds like Trottingham to me.”
“Well, sort of like that. I’m from Gallopfrey.” Forge bit his tongue, trying to keep his temper in check. “That’s what Trottingham was called before the griffin invasion.”
“Ah, right. I recall Erica mentioning something about time travel or being from the distant past.” Asta clicked her tongue, sensing the bitterness in the unicorn’s tone. “So, what job did you have before this?”
“At first, I was a smith studying under my father.” Forge’s reply was cooler than his previous answer as he recalled fond times spent with his sire, working on crafting tools and weapons so very long ago. “Eventually, he told me the way to best understand how to make weapons was to learn to use them, so I joined the guard.”
“Ooohhh!” Forge was surprised by Asta’s awestruck tone and the shimmer in her eyes. “You were a member of the guard? That’s wonderful!”
“I…” Forge stumbled back as the beaming griffin dashed up towards him, making him shiver more than he ever did in his journey to the Crystal Empire. “Thanks, I guess?”
“No, no, no, no, no! Thank you!” Asta placed her talons on his shoulders, looking as she was only just able to resist the urge to pull him into a bone-cracking hug. “I have a great deal of respect for those who willingly put their lives on the line to protect and save others, the guard especially. Whenever we get an order for something that the guard needs, I always put in overtime to make sure whatever they want is absolutely perfect!”
“That’s… nice…” Forge looked away as he gently pulled Asta’s talons off of his shoulders. “Ma’am… could you please not… grab me like you did again? I’ve a pretty… poor history with griffins.”
“Oh?” the large hen’s head tilted in confusion. “But why w…” her words ground to a screeching halt as dawning horror stretched across her face. “Oh…. Oooohhh, right. Of course. I’m so sorry, Forge. I had completely forgotten my history lessons. I’ll try not to do that again…” Asta fidgeted uncomfortably, scratching a foreleg as she looked away in shame.
“It’s… it’s an understandable mistake, ma’am.” Forge swallowed and ran a hoof through his mane. “Should… should I find a smith’s apron?”
“Right, of course.” Asta looked back up with an apologetic look. “There should be plenty of aprons on your right, under that bench.”
After a quick flare of his magic, Forge had secured one of the aprons snugly around his form.
“You’re looking very good in that, Forge. Now we’ve just…” Asta paused as a light bulb seemed to go off in her mind. “Oh, I just remembered something.”
The muscular hen bolted out of the room with a flap of her large wings. When she returned a moment later, she was carrying a box full of dull knives.
“We got an order that just needs its finishing touches applied to them.” She laid down the box of blades before the blue stallion. “Do you think you can handle sharpening these, Forge?”
Forge’s horn glowed in flame like orange as he pulled one of the blunt blades from the box. “Well, I’ve sharpened knives before, ma’am. However, I don’t see a single grind wheel here. Do you want me to just use a grindstone on them, or…”
Asta chortled as she walked up to a switch on one of the strange machines. “No, no, no, Forge. We use a grind belt for this sort of thing.”
With a flick of her worn talons, the machine whirred to life and the belt started to rapidly spin around.
“Watch closely, Forge,” Asta joyfully said as she lowered her goggles over her eyes and picked up one of the blades. “You’ll do the next one and I want it to be able to split hairs, understood?”
Forge could only give a steady nod as he levitated a set of goggles over his eyes just as sparks started to fly from the blade Asta held.
***
Forge gave a contented sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. Not only had he and Asta finished with all the knives, but they also worked on a longsword for a good part of the day.
Asta had taught the young unicorn about some of the many modern tools of the smithing trade, from power hammers and belt grinders to kiss blocks and slam blocks.
The stallion watched as the elder griffin dunked the sword into a large container of oil.
“This has been a surprisingly good day, Mrs. Sorae,” Forge said as he took in the hissing sound of the blade in oil. “Would it be alright if I were to take a short break?”
The brown hen looked past Forge and hummed. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it too much since the day’s almost over.”
“What?” Forge squeaked in surprise before turning back, seeing a clock face that said it was nearly five o’clock. “My word, I hardly noticed.”
“Well, you know the old saying,” Asta chuckled, giving Forge a soft smile as she pulled the sword from the oil. “Time flies when you’re having fun, and you looked like Erica whenever she was in a toy store all those years ago.” As she placed the blade on a rack, she let out a nostalgic sigh. “They grow up so fast.”
I… I guess she’s not too bad. Forge thought to himself as she watched her take a seat by one of the benches and wiping her sweat off with a towel. At any rate, it would be a good idea to get on her good side, if only to avoid being eaten.
“Erica seems like a fairly nice hen.” Forge took a seat across from Asta as he tried to sound sincere. “I know she’s a pretty good cook and her boyfriend really likes her.” Much to my worry.
“She… Could you please repeat that last part?” Asta hopped up from her stool, trying to keep a note of shock from her tone.
“Um… Her boyfriend really likes her?” Forge’s eyebrow rose as he saw a horribly wide grin spread across Asta’s beak, making him sweat more than the all the smithing had.
“Eeeeee!” Asta squealed, happily dancing in place. “My little girl’s finally got a boyfriend! This is wonderful!” The large hen lunged forward, stopping mere millimeters from Forge’s snout.
“Tell me everything you can about her boyfriend! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Her voice was overflowing with joy as he tail wagged like a puppy with a new chew toy.
“Umm… well, he’s a friend of mine from the guard who—” Forge was interrupted as Asta squealed at a pitch that made the pony wonder if she could break windows with that tone.
“She’s dating a guard! This is wonderful!” She hopped about before a loud whistle echoed throughout the shop.
“Okay, folks! Work day’s over!” Silver Swirl’s voice came in through a P.A. system. “Have a good night and be ready for tomorrow.”
“Thank you for the good news, Forge!” Asta hastily said as she hurriedly crammed her apron and goggles into a locker. “I’ve got to find out why Erica left her father and I out of the loop on this mystery beau! Bye!”
Forge watched as Asta dashed away, nearly knocking over several ponies on her way out, barely jumping out of the way of her confused co-workers.
“Why do I have the feeling Verdant’s life is going to become a nightmare?” Forge sighed before slapping a hoof against his forehead.
The soft patter of a light afternoon shower rang throughout the empty manor, providing a pleasant background noise for Barrier as he continued to work his way through the book that currently held his attention… or it did, until the sound of the front door opening and closing broke up the rhythm.
With a sigh, the unicorn dog-eared the book and set it aside, waiting for whoever had just walked in the door to join him.
“Hey there, Captain!” Winter Gem strolled into the living room, caked in mud. “How’s your day going?”
“Fairly dull thus far,” Barrier stated as he calmly pointed a foreleg behind the vanilla colored mare and her chocolate colored coating to punctuate his following point. “Though it was a bit nicer before somepony dragged a trail of mud in behind them.”
“Ohhh…” Gem blushed as she looked away in embarrassment. “Sorry. I’ll clean this up once I shower off.”
“How about next time, you remember the weather schedule and wear something appropriate?” Barrier grinned as the earth pony’s blush grew wider and brighter across her face.
Another creak came from the door, followed by a shout. “Hi, Uncle Barrier! Mom and I are home!”
Barrier hefted himself upright from his spot on the sofa and moved past Gem just in time to see Windy and Fleet taking off their matching periwinkle raincoats, hats and boots.
“Well look at that,” Barrier whispered as Gem slapped a muddy hoof against her forehead. “Even a young foal knew to wear something for the weather.”
“At any rate,” Gem moved past Barrier, making sure to swipe her mud covered tail at his face, only for him to stop it with a force field and a wry grin. “I’m gonna take a shower and then wash the floor off, after that, house meeting.”
“Well, hope it’s more comfortable than the last one we had,” Fleet said with an eye roll as she hung up her raincoat. “This should be good.”
***
A little over an hour later, the household had assembled around the table with plates of freshly steamed vegetables and rice placed in front of them.
“Alright Gem, what’s the subject of this house meeting?” Forge inquired in between bites of broccoli.
“Well, thankfully nothing huge or shocking like last time.” Gem casually leaned back in her seat. “It’s just that Belmont’s gonna be harvesting their crops this weekend and I was wondering if you’d be willing to give us a hoof.”
“I don’t see that as too much of an issue. I’m fairly certain I can attend.” Barrier gave the snowy mare a nod before munching on a forkful of rice.
“My shift doesn’t start until the evening then, so I’ll be able to help.” Swift gave her friend a grin before daintily having a piece of carrot.
“Thanks, Swift,” Gem grinned before a lightbulb seemed to go off in her mind. “Oh, could you bring your sword along? Belmont would love to see it.”
“So long as he doesn’t lay a hoof upon it, I see no problem with that,” the blue mare replied while keeping her eyes upon her meal.
“Say, can I ask some of my friends if they’d like to join in?” Verdant leaned forward in his seat.
“Of course,” Gem said before shoveling a large amount of rice into her mouth. “More help just means we’ll get done quicker,” she spoke through a mouthful of food, spraying the occasional grain of rice before taking a large swallow.
“Remember not to speak through a mouthful of food, Gem.” Swift’s eyebrow twitched as her magic flicked a grain of rice that had landed on her snout back over to the earth pony, causing her cheeks to redden.
“Eh, sorry about that.” Gem fidgeted in her chair, avoiding eye contact with the noblemare.
“Well, I think I can manage it,” Forge chipped in. “Just remember, Snow and I have plans on Sunday.”
“No problem,” Gem grinned and gave a casual wave. “If we work hard enough, we’ll probably have most, if not all of it done on Saturday.”
“Oh, can I help out too?” Wind Whistler was bouncing in her seat in excitement at the thought of helping all the grown-ups.
“We’ll see. Maybe you’ll be able to help Dawn and Pippin with whatever they’ll be doing.” Gem reached across the table, giving the pegasus head a rub and messing up her mane.
“Just remember to be well behaved, my dear,” Fleet spoke with a militaristic tone, making the foal stand at attention. “I expect you to set a good example for the other foals. Understood?”
“Sure thing, Mom.” Windy relaxed as she fell back in her chair. “This is gonna be so great!”
***
“This is so not great,” the little pegasus groaned as she dragged herself along, closely tailing behind her housemates in the early morning darkness. “Do we really need to be up before Princess Celestia is?”
“Tis the life of both a soldier and a farmer, Wind Whistler.” Swiftsword looked back, seeing the tired foal barely able to keep up with the group of ponies headed for North Grove. “On the bright side, this means that the sooner we arrive, the sooner you’ll be able to work with your little friends.”
“Speaking of friends,” Barrier looked at the crowd from over his shoulder, “when do you think your friends will be arriving?”
“Erica said she’d be here as soon as she’s finished her early morning laps at the pool,” Verdant spoke up.
“And my co-worker said she’ll join us as soon as she has her morning coffee,” Swift added in as she strode forward.
“Snow said something similar,” Forge said, his horn alight to help him see in the darkness.
Gem gave a hearty nod as the group made it the farm’s fence. “Well any help is really appreciated from all of you.”
The group made their way through the large orchard making their way to the family house, one of the few sources of light in the early morning.
Winter Gem tossed the front door open, letting her group flood into the home’s kitchen, where she found Belmont, Red, Pip and Autumn enjoying some light breakfast and coffee.
“Hey there, cousin,” Gem grinned as she came up to the couple at the table. “Got all my housemates and we’re gonna have even more coming later to help us out.”
“Fantastic!” Belmont gave a wide, toothy grin as he rose from the table. “Welcome to the North Grove Apple Farm, my friends. I’m Belmont and it’s nice to…” the thestral’s words trailed off and his eyes widened as he spotted the blue unicorn mare carrying a longsword at her side and a pair of sword images upon her flank.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Apple,” Swiftsword extended a hoof out to him. “I am Swiftsword, Heiress of the Falchion clan. I’m here to offer you my services to aid in your harvest.”
Belmont stood starstruck while Red rolled her eyes. “Yeesh, this is worse than when he met that cosplayer.”
“He’ll get over it in a moment,” Autumn gave a wave and chuckled at her son’s stunned silence. “Would you like something to eat, dears?”
“No thank you, ma’am. We already had some breakfast before we came over,” Barrier stepped forth. “We’re ready to get started whenever you are.”
“Well while you’re doing that,” Red Bouquet slid out of her chair and made her way past the gathered assembly. “I’ve got to head to the flower shop. I’ll see you all when work’s over. Toodles!”
“Alright, cousin,” Gem gave Belmont a hard pat on the back, knocking him from his fanboying. “Shall we get started?”
“Right, let’s go!” Belmont nodded and lead the way out of the large house. The thestral lead the group to a part of the large orchard just as dawn broke.
As Celestia’s light slowly draped itself over the farmland, a quartet of figures were seen heading towards the gathering; one by land and three by air.
The four soon came to a halt before Belmont. Barrier recognized the somewhat sleepy-looking Snow Sweeper and the soaking wet Erica, along with a somewhat familiar pink unicorn mare with a jagged reddish-pink mane. The only one he didn’t recognize was a serious looking honey-yellow pegasus mare with her black mane in a bun and a red headband.
“Glad you were able to come, Punch.” Swift stepped up to the pink mare, the pair having a quick hug before the noble turned to face her friends again. “Everyone, this is a co-worker of mine from Delicious Dining Delights & Deli, Fruity Punch.”
“I know her,” Verdant spoke up, making her offer him a quick smile. “She’s in the same cooking class as Erica and I.”
“Glad to meet yours and Erica’s friends, Verd.” Punch slipped away from Swiftsword, putting an arm around the pegasus, who shot Punch an annoyed glare. “And allow me to introduce my grump of a sister, Sweet Honey.”
“I’m not a grump, Punch,” Honey grumbled as she pulled away. “I just have to put up with your tiring antics.”
“You…” Barrier tilted his head as he looked over Punch, a nagging feeling nibbling at the back of his mind. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”
“Hmm…” Punch rubbed her chin and scrunched up her nose in concentration. “I think I remember you. I held the door open for you at the restaurant the one time, right?”
“Yes, that’s where I recognized you from.” Barrier recalled that day where he felt as if something was watching him; the day he thought he saw the form of a long dead enemy.
“Ah ha! I knew it! I can’t forget anything from that day!” Punch happily hopped in place at the memory. “That was the day I got my job helping in the 4D’s kitchen! Best day ever!”
“Alright, folks. Rein it in. We’re burning daylight,” Belmont spoke up drawing the eyes of the ponies and griffin. “First off, we’re gonna head to the barn to get our buckets and barrels. After that, pair off and get all the apples from the trees. Once a barrel’s full, take it to the barn and grab a new one. Any questions?”
“Is there anything I can do to help, Mr. Apple?” Wind Whistler fluttered into the air for a moment before slowly falling back to the ground.
“Well, how about you and the kids check on the ones harvesting and getting them water when they need it. Gotta keep hydrated when doing this.” Belmont’s words made the filly’s eyes light up before she threw out a salute.
“Sir, yes, sir!” Windy grinned before bolting away, back towards the family home.
“Well folks, let’s go!” Belmont took to the air, drawing the crowd’s eye. “Pick a partner, grab a barrel, find a tree and fill ‘em up!”
The assemblage quickly formed pairs for the task ahead of them; Barrier and Fleet, Hatty and Gem, Snow and Forge, Verdant and Erica, Punch and Honey, Belmont and Swift.
The pairs scattered once they’d collected their barrels, readily heading off to their chosen trees.
***
Barrier’s horn ignited as his magic grabbed many of the fresh fruits from the tree before gently dropping them into the barrel.
“Looks like you’ve cleared this one,” Fleet called from above, circling round the tree for any sign of unpicked fruit just as he started to pull away.
“Alright, that’s one down,” the obsidian stallion nodded, quickly picking up the full barrel in a display of blue magical light.
“Barrier, while we have a moment,” Fleet skidded to the ground at the unicorn’s side, her eye locked upon his while he focused on the barn. “I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Can it wait, Fleet?” Barrier started to move towards the barn, only to halt when the pegasus grabbed his face and turned him to look at her, despite his attempts to move away.
“Barrier, we haven't had a real conversation since we…” Fleet held her tongue as she tried to find the right words.
“What’s really to talk about?” Barrier pulled away with the barrel in tow. Fleet bolted up to his side, digging into him with an angry cycloptic glare. “We both admitted we screwed up that night and what’s done is done.”
“Barrier, just stop and talk to me!” Fleet jumped in front the grumpy unicorn, putting her hooves on his shoulders to keep him in place.
“Fleet…” he grumbled as the mare placed a callused hoof on his cheek.
“Barrier, just answer this one question and I’ll stop bothering you.” Fleet’s eye bore into Barrier’s. The stallion found himself unable to look away as he saw the faintest trace of water forming within.
“Alright,” with a sigh, Barrier set down the bulging barrel with a loud thud. “What’s your question?”
“Well…” Fleet swallowed, “If we had met under different circumstances all those years, had we not partnered with Flash, or Ember or Orchid when we did… do you…”
“I know where you’re going with this, Fleet.” Barrier sighed, gently placing a hoof upon Fleet’s own. “And to be honest… Yes. If things went a bit differently all those years ago, I could see us in a relationship together. There’s a lot to admire about you, Fleet.”
“I…” Now it was the pegasus’ turn to look away, “There’s a lot to admire about you too, Barrier.”
“What happened between us that night,” Barrier’s horn gave off a dim light and a faint hum as he turned Fleet’s face to his. “It was a mistake and I regret it… I feel terrible for betraying Daring’s trust in me and what lead to us…”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Fleet grumbled, her tone filled with regret.
“But… there’s a bit to this that surprises me.”
“Oh?” Fleet cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. “What’s that?”
“I should feel guilty for betraying Flash’s memory, for sleeping with his widow not a year after his death… but I don’t.” The onyx stallion stared deeply into Fleet’s eye, surprise clear upon her face. “I regret the drunken night that lead to us coupling and the betrayal of Daring’s trust. In truth, my mind still hasn’t come to terms with these views. It drives me mad to think that I don’t feel bad for Flash’s sake… and yet I still don’t.”
“I… I see, Barrier.” Fleet tried to look away, only to feel the warmth of Barrier’s magic keeping her looking ahead.
“What about you, Fleet? How do you feel about all this?” Barrier tilted his head to the side. He tried to pull his hoof away, only for Fleet to snatch up and hold it firmly in hers.
“I must admit… I loved Flash dearly… but he feels somewhat like a distant memory…” Fleet took a deep breath. Barrier could feel her hoof shaking and her grip tightening. “It feels wrong. He was the stallion I fell in love with so long ago. We were together for some of the greatest times of my life. Flash gave me the gift of many wonderful children…”
Fleet’s eye drifted past Barrier and fell upon Wind Whistler far in the orchard, carrying a pitcher too large for her to carry with a pair of young thestrals at her side. The adorable sight brought a warm smile to her face.
“I can never forget him, never stop loving him…” just as quickly as it had formed, the smile started to fade away. “And yet… it feels like so much time has passed…”
“How so?” Barrier inched ever so slightly closer to Fleet.
“Intellectually, I know it’s been less than a year for me, and yet…” Fleet’s gaze drifted once more, this time to the city off in the distance. “It feels like so much more time has passed for us. The world has changed by leaps and bounds, old enemies are long dead and even the griffins are our allies now.”
“It’s a lot to take in.” Barrier pulled Fleet’s hoof towards his face, giving it a soft nuzzle.
“But I’ve adapted so quickly!” Fleet pulled her hoof away from the warmth of Barrier’s cheek. “We all have. We speak in a much different way than when we arrived, Wind Whistler’s adjusting to a new school. All the privates now have jobs with new ways of doing things…” Fleet starred into Barrier’s eyes, seeing herself reflected in the sapphire pools.
“Even I’ve changed…” the hoof that had once been upon Barrier’s shoulders drifted over to her mane, running itself through the short collection of pink hair. “So much has changed in so little time… with you… me… Wind Whistler… the privates… Daring…”
“Yes, it has,” Barrier sympathized with the mare as her gaze turned to the soil at their hooves.
“Flash…” Fleet sighed and clenched her eye shut, squeezing out a single tear. “This just feels so… I don’t even know!”
Barrier stood silently at Fleet’s anger and confusion. Wanting to ease her, he did the only thing he could think of and gently gave her shoulder a pat.
“We’ll get through this, Fleet. I promise you,” Barrier whispered in the gentlest tone he could. “Once Daring returns and enough time has passed, I’m sure we’ll work this all out.”
“And…” Fleet’s eye slowly opened, looking redder than usual. Her words seemed to die off.
“What is it, Fleet?” Barrier drew closer, seeing a look of guilt all over her face. The crimson-eyed mare stared into Barrier’s icy blues and swallowed.
“What if Daring doesn’t come back, Barrier?” Fleet asked before looking away again.
“I… I wish I had an answer for that, Fleet.” Barrier gently placed a hoof under her chin, facing her once more. “But whatever happens, know this: We have gotten through much worse than this and you are one of the ponies I care about most in the entire world, Fleet.”
The pair were silent for an intense moment as their faces leaned closer together, their lips nearly touching before the pair pull away.
“I… Thank you, Barrier,” Fleet wiped away the tear on her cheek, a tiny smile forming on her muzzle. “No matter what, I’ll always treasure what we have between us.”
“As will I, Fleet.” Barrier nodded and ignited his horn, picking up the barrel of apples. “So, think we should get back to work?”
“Yes,” Fleet grinned as she spread her wings. With a powerful flap, she took to the air and flew off towards the barn. “You’d better hurry up, youngster!” she called out over her shoulder.
“I already told you,” Barrier chuckled and dashed towards the barn, barrel in tow. “I’m older than you now!”
A young unicorn stallion grumbled as he rose from his cot, muttering curses as the sun glared into his eyes.
“Didst thou mope and drink again last night, Barrier?” The charcoal stallion looked over his shoulder at an orange pegasus with a two-toned blue mane.
“That is none of thy concern, Flash,” Barrier replied as he headed for the barrack’s door, the pegasus following closely behind.
“In other words, ‘yes’.” Flash rolled his eyes before fluttering in front of Barrier’s face. “Barrier, thou must move on from that Ransacky mare. It has been over a year since she left.”
“Her name was Ran Saki,” Barrier spat with venom in his tone. “She was a wondrous mare and I still miss her dearly.”
“I understand, Barrier,” Flash sympathetically said as he flew to Barrier’s side and patted his shoulder. “I’m certain I’d feel the same if I lost touch with Fleetfeather. Still, thou cannot mope forever, my friend. I know she would not wish that for you.”
“Perhaps thou art right…” Barrier muttered as they trudged along, making their way towards the field where several other cadets were falling in line.
“Cadets, at attention!” a stallion’s voice barked, making all the cadets fall into a neat row and throw up salutes. Soon, a large red earth pony stallion in full armor stepped in front of the trainees carefully looking over each one. “We have a situation developing near Baltimare. A dragon has started threatening the city, demanding food and drink in exchange for not reducing the city to ash. The princesses have ordered we incapacitate the dragon while they tend to the war effort.”
“Due to how thin our troops are stretched, thou shall be drawn in to aid with lower priority positions on this mission. Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” the cadets barked back in response, their voices darkly harmonizing.
“Thou will be separated into two groups to deal with this situation,” The stallion continued as he stood in front of them. “Half of thee shall be tasked with aiding the civilians in evacuating while not drawing the dragon’s attention. The rest of thee will be providing the dragon with alcohol and food dipped in a sleeping draught. With any luck, the dragon will be put to sleep, so the more experienced soldiers are able to capture and relocate the dragon.”
“Now!” the stallion barked as he glared at the cadets. “Head to the armory to be outfitted and prepare to move out towards Baltimare immediately! We will be ready to depart in under three hours, do I make myself clear, cadets?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” the cadets all shouted back in response before they started to head for a building by the castle.
While Barrier’s face remained as glum as it previously was, Flash’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
“This is glorious!” Flash’s wings flared as they trotted along. Barrier was certain the only way his wings could be any stiffer was if Fleetfeather was sticking her rump directly in his face. “We shall be protecting Equestria by facing down a fearsome dragon!”
“Rein thyself in, Flash.” Barrier gave his friend’s side a light jab. “This most likely will be a very dangerous mission. Hast thou read books about dragons?”
“Bah!” Flash spat and dismissively waved. “How dangerous can a dragon truly be? I’m certain they only grow to be the size of Princess Celestia.”
“Perhaps if the dragon is a teenager and an especially short one at that,” Barrier shot back. “Many adult dragons tend to be over twenty or even thirty feet in height. Not to mention they have claws that can slice through stone like a hot knife through butter, breath fire that is hot enough to melt iron and have scales that can stop almost any sword.”
A tiny smirk crossed Barrier’s features as he saw the color begin to drain from Flash’s coat and his pupils shrink into pinpricks.
“Be prepared, Flash,” Barrier turned his face stern once more. “This could be the most dangerous assignment we ever face, even without griffins.”
***
Barrier sighed as he and Flash trudged along, pulling a heavily laden cart. It held eight massive barrels full of some of the strongest brandy that Baltimare could provide.
“All the preparations we took, getting fitted for armor and traveling all the way to Baltimare,” Flash grumbled as he and the unicorn at his side trudged along the dirt road that lead towards a cave. “And we have to act as delivery colts.”
“We’re still doing something important for the mission,” Barrier’s ears stood at attention as he heard something grinding against the soil approaching. Soon he spotted another pair of guards pulling a now empty cart behind them, heading back towards town.
The unicorn and pegasus gave a nod to their fellow guards as they continued on their respective paths.
“At any rate, we shall soon be facing down a dragon. Don’t do anything foolish to anger it and be prepared to flee should things go south,” Barrier said as the mouth of the cave became visible in the distance.
To the side of the cave’s entrance was a collection of large barrels to match those they were delivering. Some were stacked together neatly while some seemed to be casually tossed aside and smashed against the ground.
As the pair started to draw closer, they both heard a deep grumble while the ground beneath the pair started to shake.
Steady. Barrier swallowed as a large, white scaled claw emerged from the cavern’s entrance.
The two guards came to a halt as the beast started to emerge from the cave. The dragon’s scales were a pearly white while a set of purple spines ran from the top of its head to the base of its tail. The forty foot beast seemed to lumber forward as Barrier noticed the deep red beneath the creature’s dark violet eyes.
Here goes. “Dragon,” Barrier barked, drawing the dragon’s eyes away from the barrels. “W-we’ve thy next shipment of brandy.”
“Hey!” the large beast spat and drew closer. Barrier thought of using his magic, but the creature quickly grew too close for him to be able to do anything too meaningful. “First, I am a dragoness! Secondly, I have a name. I am Galer and thou best remember it!” The dragoness’ speech was quite slurred. Barrier hoped that she’d soon have enough to pass out.
She’s had to have at least… The stallions eyes briefly darted from the angry dragoness to the empty and shattered barrels, thirty six barrels worth of brandy. She’s got to have enough booze to kill ten ponies in her already.
“My apologies, ma’am,” Barrier’s magic uncoupled himself and Flash from the cart and the two slowly started to move away. “At any rate, we’ve got another shipment of spirits for thee.”
“‘Bout damn time,” the dragoness muttered as she picked up one of the barrels and pried the top off with a single claw. The creature swiftly guzzled down the barrel’s worth of brandy before tossing the barrel onto the pile and picking up another.
“Damned pony, thinking I’m a male,” she grumbled loudly before chugging down half of her second barrel. “Another fool, just like Fiery.”
Barrier and Flash continued to slowly back away from the cart, unsure of what the drunken dragoness would do as she began to finish off what alcohol remained. “No sudden movements,” he whispered as the pegasus next to him shivered.
“TO TARTARUS WITH HIM!” Galer furiously exclaimed, slamming the barrel into the ground. The barrel seemed to explode into a cascade of splinters and nails that Barrier was barely fast enough to stop from showering Flash and himself, throwing up a shield spell. “I DON’T NEED HIM TO LIVE A SATISFYING LIFE! I… I have…”
Barrier and Flash felt their blood turn to ice when the dragoness’ eyes fell upon them as his spell lowered.
Galer thrust her open hand out towards the pair. Flash darted into the air to avoid her grasp. Barrier started to raise another shield in front of him, but the force of the dragoness’ giant claws shattered the shield before it could fully solidify, snapping the charcoal stallion up like a tiny toy.
Barrier felt Galer squeeze him tightly against her scaley digits as she lifted him up to her face. The heat from her breath felt like being blasted by the most intense moments of a summer afternoon, a distinct contrast to the autumn evening around them. The unicorn coughed as he tried to clear the heat and smell of brandy from his lungs.
“Thou art a male…” Galer’s eyes struggled to focus on the pony in her grasp. “Perhaps thou shalt suffice.”
“Release him at once!” Flash shouted as he charged towards her at speeds Barrier had never seen a pegasus fly before. He was hurtling towards her like a shooting star.
Flash’s muscles ached as he pushed himself harder than he had ever before to try to rescue his friend.
The pegasus pony soon crashed into the dragoness’ snout, bouncing off of her like a pebble thrown by a foal. Before he could gather enough strength to try flying away, Galer flicked him off like a mosquito with single talon, sending him crashing into a tree where he collapsed like so many of the broken barrels.
“Now, let us see thy skill with thy tongue, stallion,” Galer said before giving Barrier a squeeze. The unicorn yelled as the dragon’s crushing force made his bones scream in pain before his voice was silenced by something being stuffed into his mouth.
Suddenly, the pony felt as if his mouth was being set blaze. Barrier struggled to open his eyes from the pain of the dragon’s grip and the burning heat in his mouth. When he managed to open his eyes, he was stunned as he felt the tip of the dragon’s tongue had been stuffed into his mouth.
The charcoal unicorn wanted to scream, but he was muffled by the wriggling mass of thick flesh that was exploring his mouth. The poor stallion wanted to bite down on Galer’s tongue, but the muscle was so large in his mouth that he couldn’t move his jaw at all.
Oh goddesses, why?! Why is this dragon prench kissing me?! Dear Faust and Zacherle, make this burning agony stop!
As if his prayers were heard, the dragoness pulled her tongue away, making the stallion gasp for air.
“Hmm… not very satisfying…” Galer said as she looked the pony that was trying to rid the taste of flames and dragon spit from his tongue. “And thou art too small to make a good toy…”
I’m going to kill you, foul beast! Barrier cast a killing glare at the beastess who was scratching her chin in thought. I will tear out thy heart and feed it to thee!
“Still,” the dragoness licked her lips as she raised him closer to her face. “Thou should make a decent snack.”
Barrier felt his blood run cold at the dragon’s words. His struggle against her grip increased in ferocity, but it wasn’t enough to make him budge an inch. He felt Galer’s intensely hot breath as she opened her jaws wide, giving him a grand view of the moonlight shining off of several rows of fangs thicker than his foreleg.
Damn, damn, damn! Barrier felt the sweat pouring down his face from the heat and terror that was working its way into his gut. Why did I never bother learning to teleport?!
The onyx stallion felt his stomach lurch as the dragon tossed him forward. His flight was very short lived before he smashed face first into her spongy tongue. His muscles ached as he tried to turn around, but Galer’s jaws were already starting to seal themselves shut.
Barrier grit his teeth and started to charge his horn. He could barely get his belly off the tongue before he was slammed up against the roof of her mouth. He felt the air being pushed out of his lungs before the tongue fell back down.
Not even an instant passed before the tongue started to slam him against the hard teeth. He was rapidly tossed into the walls of the dragonesses mouth, each surface he slammed against as hard as any boulder, with the sharper parts occasionally cutting into the unicorn.
When the slamming eventually stopped, Barrier was left gasping in the humid chamber. His body was aching and bleeding from the short experience. He was so sore, he couldn’t muster the energy to fight back as the tongue slid underneath him and started to rise up once more, giving himself a feeling of weightlessness as he started to slide towards the back of her throat.
A boiling fury was building up in Barrier as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the opening to the dragon’s throat growing ever closer.
“No!” Barrier exclaimed as he started to rise up, his horn starting to glow brightly. “I am NOT dying today!”
Despite his brave proclamation, the unicorn started to feel himself being pulled into the dragon’s throat as a thunderous *GULP* rang through his ears.
Now! Barrier’s horn shone like a beacon as he formed a solid sheet of magic directly below him before growing it upwards and around himself to provide shelter from the heat and moisture. His face slammed against the side of his shield bubble as the entirety of the dragon’s body seemed to quake around him.
Got… to… focus… Barrier tried to focus as he split his concentration on maintaining his shield while he looked upward towards his next target; the dragon’s uvula. This wasn’t helped by the beast wildly shaking about as the shield began to expand slightly and further block her airway.
The shaking grew more and more violent as he reached out with his magic before he finally managed to grasp onto the uvula before giving it several hard tugs. After a few seconds, the sound of a geyser reached the unicorn’s ears. Looking down into the beast’s esophagus, the unicorn winced as he saw a geyser of brandy rushing up towards his shield.
Barrier strained as the force of the vomited brandy clashed against the shield, but it held firmly. With nowhere left to go, the wretch either fell back down the esophagus or, as he had hoped, flowed into her airways.
The flailing of the dragoness became more intense as she panicked. More brandy geysers rushed up to try to dislodge the meaty clog, but the unicorn shield kept deflecting it back downwards.
Barely three minutes had passed since Galer had attempted to swallow Barrier before a far more violent crash racked the dragon. Soon the beast had collapsed to the ground and one final geyser struck the shield. Assuming the dragon had taken its final breath, Barrier allowed his shield to drop, letting the rush of disgustingly sick brandy send him barreling back into the dragon’s mouth, slamming head first into the wall of teeth.
The dark unicorn gasped and shuddered, feeling too weak to even stand in that instant. All he could do was cough and gag as he futilely tried to rid the stench of regurgitated brandy and other fluids from his nostrils.
After a few moments, a sound reached his ears from outside the dragon’s jaws. One of the noises sounded like Flash shouting something. Once he found he’d rested long enough to get back on his hooves, the jaws of the beast slowly started to open, despite that the dragoness’ dark heart had ceased beating some time ago.
“I don’t care if thy damned horns, wings and muscles explode from the effort! I’m not leaving my friend’s body in to rot in a dragon’s belly!” Flash furiously barked as the teeth started to part, giving Barrier a glimpse of several ponies straining to open the dead dragon’s jaws. Horns were flared with all their might while earth ponies and pegasi were pulling the lips with grappling hooks.
“Do not make funeral arrangements yet, Flash,” Barrier weakly said as the jaws parted further. His hoarse words drew stunned looked from several of the ponies. Flash Sentry himself was especially gobsmacked as the ponies parted the mouth wide enough to allow the unicorns to levitate their charcoal companion out.
“Barrier!” the bandaged pegasus ran past several of his compatriots before he came to a halt before the woozy unicorn. “H-how is it possible? How art thou alive?!”
“Sheer determination, my friend,” Barrier replied as he weakly tried to walk away. “Now, if thou shalt excuse me, I am in desperate need of a bath.”
“Negative,” the captain barked at Barrier, holding him in place with a single hoof. “Thou art to be escorted to the medical tent to have thy injuries treated and disinfected. Understood?”
“I do not believe that necessary, captain.” Barrier tried to push the elder stallion’s hoof away, but he was barely able to lift it, doing little more than giving it a nudge. It was then he noticed the sheer number of cuts that decorated his body. Looking himself over, he saw several more cuts along with what would likely become bruises, all topped with a generous coating of dragon vomit. “Then again…”
“Fleetfeather!” the captain shouted, making a blue pegasus with a pink mare rush out of the crowd to Barrier’s side. “Escort him to the medical tent immediately.”
“Aye, sir,” Fleet replied before hesitantly placing a wing over his slimy back. “Come along, cadet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Barrier said before sighing. After a few moments of silent trotting, a stray thought entered Barrier’s mind. “Dost thou think I may be allowed some of the remaining brandy we saved?”
The pegasus mare gave a snort before chuckling.
***
After a long time spent being washed off by doctors and nurses before being submitted to the burning sting of disinfectant and the faint bite of a few stitches, Barrier had emerged from the tent, glad that this mission was finally over.
“Thou art looking better, Barrier,” Flash said as he trotted up to his side.
“Tis certainly better than being inside a dragon’s throat,” Barrier gave a sigh before facing his friend. “What has thee heard from Canterlot?”
“It seems while the princesses wish the dragon could have been bested without killing it, they are glad that Baltimare may now rest easy.” Flash said as he gave his neck a rub. “Also, many of our fellow cadets wish to meet with the great dragon slayer.”
“Tell them to leave me be unless they art offering me something to drink,” Barrier replied flatly. “I wish to forget this whole experience before I submit request forms for teleportation courses.”
“I can understand why.” Flash nodded as they trotted along towards the barracks. “At any rate, we art to depart for Canterlot in approximately four hours.”
“Finish with one grueling task, start another. Such is the way of the royal guard,” the unicorn grumbled as they trotted along. “Dost thou need any help packing?”
“I am already supplied,” Flash said before giving his saddlebags a pat. “Wouldst thou like some assistance?”
“Nay, Flash.” Barrier started to pull ahead of his pegasus compatriot. “I believe some time alone will do me some good.”
“Very well, if thou insists,” Flash replied as he flared his wings. “I shall meet thee at the city gates when thou art ready. Farewell, Barrier.” In only a few moments, Flash had disappeared from sight while Barrier kept heading for the barracks, passing several ponies along the way.
As he drew closer to his destination, a pegasus mare caught sight of the bandaged unicorn making his way inside.
“Hmm… so that is the dragon slayer of Baltimare…”
***
“And that is the last of it,” Barrier muttered to himself as he sealed up his saddlebags and placed them on his sides. Before he could turn around, the sound of a pony tapping a hoof against a wall reached his ears.
Sharply turning as quick as his aching form would let him, his eyes fell upon a pegasus mare standing in the doorway.
“Hope I’m not interrupting thee, dragon slayer,” the cream colored mare said with a distinctly Gallopfreyan accent.
“Thou art not, but I do not wish to waste my time talking with ponies wishing to thank me or asking me about how I slew the beast,” Barrier gruffly replied as he headed for the door. Just before he could reach the frame, the mare shot out her left wing, blocking his path.
“I did not come here to do that,” she replied as her right wing reached into her saddlebags. “I came here to offer thee a gift.” Barrier was stunned by what she pulled from her bag. It was a crystalline bottle of Galaxy Crown Select, one of the finest and most expensive spirits to come from the Crystal Empire.
“H-how? How didst thou get this?” Barrier stared at the bottle in awe as the mare chuckled.
“That matters not,” she held out the bottle to him. “Still, I believe a hero such as thee deserves not only a reward, but something to help one forget thy injuries.”
“Among other things,” Barrier muttered before his magic pulled the bottle from her grasp and stored it into his bags. “I thank thee greatly, Miss…”
“Ember, my good stallion,” she cheekily said as she turned around, making sure to brush his snout with her soft orange tail. “Still, if thou wishes to regale me sometime, I would gladly listen to thee.”
“I… I think I may, Ember,” Barrier said as his eyes wandered the form of the fitly toned mare. “I think I may.”
Ember chuckled as she stepped forward. “Best come along. Captain Armorhide dost not tolerate tardiness.”
With a nod, Barrier started to follow along. He had soon struck up a light conversation with the pegasus before they met up with their fellow soldiers. As they set out for Canterlot, he made a mental note to be sure he’d have to speak with this mare more when the opportunity presented itself.
***
A little after a week had passed since Barrier and his fellow cadets returned to Canterlot. On that day, he had received a summons that called him to an office in one of the higher towers attached to the palace. As he stepped into the room, he spotted a unicorn stallion with a darker coat than his sitting behind a fine wooden desk.
“Magic Barrier,” the dark unicorn sighed as he leaned forward in his chair. “Dost thou know why thou have been summoned?”
“I assume this has something to do with my request to be taught teleportation magic,” Barrier hesitantly stepped closer while trying to still sound confident.
“That is part of the reason for this,” the stallion vanished in a flash of green before reappearing a few feet in front of him. “Based on thy actions in Baltimare and some of the abilities that thou hast demonstrated, thou has been selected to undergo specialized training under me to forge thee into a soldier able to handle any situation thou may find themselves in. This training will be hard and potentially dangerous, but I believe thou hast what it takes to become one of Equestria’s finest warriors. Dost thou accept?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” Barrier threw out a salute immediately. “I will undergo whatever training thou sees fit.”
“Excellent,” a small smirk crossed the taller unicorn’s features. “We shall begin at five hundred hours tomorrow. Dismissed.”
“Thank you sir,” Barrier said as he lowered his saluting hoof. “I will not fail thee…” His eyes quickly darted past the older stallion to the golden name plate sitting upon his desk. “Captain Sombra.”
Erica watched on as a cascade of apples fell from the tree into the barrels, the morning dew on their skin sparkling as sunlight struck them.
“So, think we’re doing this right?” The hen asked as she looked over the collection of fruit in the barrel before her, carefully examining them for any sign of damage from the fall.
“To be honest, I don’t really have a clue,” Verdant replied, trotting up to her side. “I’ve never really harvested fruit from trees. I’m more used to pulling stuff from a vine or from the ground.”
Erica looked out over the field, seeing Winter Gem using the same tactic Verdant had employed, knocking the apples from the tree with a swift, hard buck. “Eh, I guess it’s okay since that’s what the actual farmer’s doing.”
“Well, this tree seems to be bare now, but…” Verdant started to say before Erica took to the air and flew a few quick laps around the tree.
“Looks like it. Let’s get this stuff to the barn.” Erica flew over to one of the barrels and picked it up in her talons, clutching it close to her chest while Verdant slid another barrel onto his back.
“Have I ever mentioned how much I wish I could fly like you guys with wings?” Verdant chuckled as they headed off. “Flight’s just so amazing.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty useful.” Erica was somewhat strained as she carried the large barrel of fruit.
Once the two had dropped off their payload, they readily headed back to the orchard with fresh barrels in toe.
“So, how’ve things been by you lately, Erica?” Verdant looked up the the griffin, seeing her sigh.
“Honestly, it could be worse, but I wish it was better,” Erica grumbled as she kept her eyes peeled for an unoccupied fruit-bearing tree. “I met up with my parents yesterday and they found out I have a boyfriend now.”
“Oh?” Verdant drifted close to Erica. “Do they disapprove of you dating?” he asked concernedly.
“Ha! I wish!” Erica rolled her eyes before she fluttered to the ground, setting her barrel in front of a tree. “The two’ve been bombarding me with all sorts of dating advice, asking a ton of questions and begging to meet you.”
“Is that really so bad?” Verdant’s eyebrow rose in perplexment as he placed the barrel on the other side of the tree.
“It is when you’re as enthusiastic as my parents,” Erica muttered as she leaned over the top of the barrel. “‘Erica, why didn’t you tell us sooner? Is your boyfriend fertile? Is it true that he was in the military? What job skills does he have?’” She said in a mocking tone before sighing. “I love them, but they are way too interested in my love life for comfort.”
“Well, it could be worse,” Verdant shrugged as be backed up towards the tree’s base. “Would you like me to meet them?”
“Not yet.” Erica slid off the barrel, walking up to face Verdant. “I’m just… not quite ready to have you meet them quite yet. Gotta brace myself before they can drop a metric ton of embarrassment on me.”
“Alright, no problem.” Verdant nodded with a comforting smile and gave a strong buck, striking the tree with all his strength. A rain of apples came falling down into the barrels, quickly filling them up. “So, what do you have planned for our date on Monday?”
“I was just thinking about having dinner at my place and a movie,” Erica answered as she glanced up into the tree’s leaves. “I think another buck should do it.”
“On it,” Verdant said just before his hind legs hit the tree once more, knocking the last of the apples loose. “Looking forward to this. It’s my turn to cook and I found a really interesting recipe for chicken salad.”
“That sounds great, Verdant.” Erica said as she spread her wings and jumped into the air, grabbing her barrel. “And maybe if we’re feeling up to it afterwards, we could have some more fun.”
“Such as?” Verdant tilted his head after placing his barrel on his back.
“Oh, not much. Just enjoying our time together.” Erica grinned as she floated closely to him. “Just you, me, and a thin sheet of rubber.” She gave a flirty wink to the small stallion, making him chuckle.
***
“Alright, this tree’s clear,” Snow called out, hovering above the top of a now bare tree. “You hear me, Forge?”
Forge stood silently as he watched Verdant and Erica sharing a laugh as they headed towards the barn. He looked on with a look of frightened anticipation, as if watching a mouse heading towards a hungry snake.
“Hello, Earth to Forge?” Snow Sweeper flew up in front of Forge’s face, pulling him away from his stare.
“Oh! Sorry, Snow. What were you saying?”
“I said the tree’s clear. We gonna move this stuff or what?” Snow asked, a hint of impatience clear in his tone.
“Right, sorry about spacing out before,” Forge replied as his horn started to glow. The unicorn placed the barrel upon his back. With a bit of strain, he started to walk off to the barn, Snow Sweeper following along with his own barrel.
“So, mind telling me why you were off in la-la land there, Forge?” the pegasus glided closely to the unicorn, having difficulty keeping the barrel from scraping the ground.
“I was just watching Verdant and…” Forge paused, seeing the pair headed off with empty barrels once more. “I can’t help but worry about him.”
“Oh for the love of…” Snow quietly muttered as he struggled to fly higher with the heavy barrel. “Forge, you’ve got to let this go. Your friend’s gonna be fine dating Erica.”
“But—”
“Besides,” Snow interrupted, trying to shut down the unicorn’s arguments. “Didn’t you say you’ve got a griffin co-worker now?”
“I do…” Forge said with his eyes falling to the ground, not wanting to look Snow in the eye. “And she seems nice… but I still don’t feel that comfortable around her.”
“I know, Forge.” Snow sympathetically said as he leaned closer, giving the unicorn a gentle nuzzle. “I know it’s hard after all the griffins in your era did, but this is something you’re gonna have to work through eventually. Lots of griffins are nice and living in Equestria. Plus, quite a few are in relationships with ponies, just like Erica and Verdant.”
“It still seems unbelievable to me,” Forge said once they reached the barn. With a quick flare of his horn, he levitated the barrel off his back while Snow just dropped the barrel, clearly looking worn out. “Are you okay, Snow?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just give me a couple minutes,” Snow dismissively waved, unable to mask how sore he clearly was. “Still, what makes it seem so impossible, Forge?”
Forge sighed as he sat down, taking a breath to steel himself. “The war we had was long lasting and brutal, Snow. I didn’t realize how bad things were as a foal until I found out a cousin of mine was slain by one of them that was hiding on the island. The next day, my parents made it clear to me how dangerous the griffins were.
“They were brutal creatures who would tear a pony apart if given the chance or start to eat them right on the battlefield. I was told about them by both my family and those that trained to fight them that any attempts to surrender or displays of sympathy from griffins were simply a trick to lure an unsuspecting fool to their death. A griffin attempting to seduce a pony was merely a honey trap.”
“Forge…” Snow stumbled forth, placing a comforting hoof upon his shoulder.
“My aunt had to have closed casket funeral for her daughter,” Forge sniffled and placed a hoof on Snow’s. “The griffins had torn Steel Hammer to pieces before any of the other guards could get them off her.
“She once found a hen that was hurt and hiding after a battle. Steel took care of her and the griffin made her think she loved her… and then she lured her away to be killed during the next attack they launched.”
“I’m sorry, Forge.” Snow’s eyes started to dampen as he pulled the unicorn into a hug.
“This is why I can’t really trust a griffin claiming they love a pony,” Forge’s voice trembled, causing the pegasus to tighten his grip. “They only loved us as a food source and nothing more.”
“I know, Forge,” Snow whispered into the stallion’s ear, followed by a quick nuzzle before pulling away. “Still, couplings like what Verdant and Erica have aren’t that uncommon. Honestly, I’m pretty sure that a hen with a stallion’s a lot more common than a tiercel and a mare.”
“Perhaps…” Forge slowly looked up into Snow’s beige eyes. “Why do you think that is?”
The pegasus chuckled as he wiped the last trace of tears from Forge’s face. “I’m gonna take a shot in the dark and guess bedroom stuff. I heard that more herbivorous guys have bigger packages than carnivorous guys or something like that. That’s part of the reason I never dated a griffin… well, that and the barbs.”
Forge shuddered at the thought of a griffin’s genitals. “Still… I doubt I could ever see Verdant with Erica and not worry.”
“Forge,” Snow’s voice became sterner, the smile on his face fading away. “There’s not much you can really do about it. Times are much different and he’s not any danger. This is something you’ve got to eventually accept.”
Forge looked off to the side, silence was his only reply.
“At any rate,” Snow pulled away from Forge’s hooves and came up to his side, giving his back a firm pat with his wing. “We’ve got some work to do. You ready to head back out there?”
“Yeah…” Forge spoke up, a tiny smile forming on his face as he faced Snow. “Let’s get going.”
“Alright!” Snow darted over to an empty barrel, knocking it over and started rolling it out the door. “C’mon, Forge! We’ve got apples to harvest.”
Forge mirthfully chuckled as his horn flared to life, picking up another barrel. “Coming, dear.”
The unicorn quickly caught up to the pegasus as he kept pushing the rolling barrel into the orchard. “So, what do want to do on Monday?” Forge inquired as he traveled along at Snow’s side.
“Eh, I was thinking about having this Lady of the Rings movie marathon and getting take-out. Sound good?” Snow gave the tip of the barrel a kick with a foreleg, knocking the barrel upright and stopping in front of tree full of apples.
“Sounds good, but this makes me think one of us should learn how to cook something.” Forge set his barrel at the tree’s base.
“Maybe we could start taking some cooking classes at the community center?” Snow shrugged before leaning against one of the barrels. “We could probably have some fun and meet some new ponies.”
“I’m not sure…” Forge grimaced as he squatted before delivering a hard buck to the tree’s base, sending a chunk of the tree’s apples falling into the barrels. “Our schedules might make that a little hard.” Another buck followed, knocking more apples loose. That, and with Erica there…
“Eh, I figure we could find a way.” Snow said as Forge delivered a third strike, filling the barrels almost to the top. “Besides, you know the old saying.” The snowy stallion slipped away from the barrel and lowered his head to be level with the bucking unicorn. “For the things that are important to you, you make time.”
Snow leaned closer and delivered a quick kiss to Forge’s cheek. The unicorn’s face exploded into a bright pink before he struck the tree once more, knocking the last of the fruit from the branches.
“Alright, good job, Hot Stuff,” Snow grinned and pulled the unicorn back up. “Now let’s get these bad boys to that barn. I’m thinkin’ that maybe if we get these things done quickly enough, we could get some free apple cider out of this.”
“Right-o, Snow.” Forge made his horn pick up one of the barrels as his blush slowly drained away. “Off to the barn we go.”
A thunderous crack echoed throughout the orchard as Winter Gem struck a tree with a powerful buck, creating a downpour of apples that fell into the barrels below.
“All clear on this one,” Hat Trick called down before he fluttered down to her side. “How you holding up?”
“I’m doing alright,” Gem gave a stretch before lifting one of the full barrels onto her back. “How ‘bout you, Hatty?”
“Eh, I’ve been worse,” the purple pegasus gave a shrug and grabbed a barrel. With a grunt, he took to the air, the barrel occasionally scraping against the ground as he bobbed.
“Alright, let’s move out.” Winter Gem walked forward, leaving Hat Trick struggling to keep up.
The pair soon arrived in the barn, its shade being a refreshing change of pace from the heat of the autumn afternoon. Gem wiped the sweat from her brow as she caught her breath.
“So,” Hatty said, a lack of energy clear in his tone as he laid next to a barrel. “What do you think of the farming life, Gem?”
“Well, it’s certainly… Nostalgic.” Gem trotted over to the stallion and laid down beside him. “It reminds me of when I used to harvest apples for my family and the trading post all those years ago.”
Gem gave a sigh and rested her chin atop Hatty’s head. “It’s hard to believe that was so long ago. Even without the empire, it was years before I had last been home and harvested apples with my family.”
“You ever…” Hat Trick poked at the ground, carefully considering his words. “Y’know, want to go back? See what’s become of your family’s old place?”
“On occasion,” Gem gently nuzzled the top of Hatty’s head, mussing up his tied back mane. “I looked it up on a map a while back. It’s in a place now called Dodge Junction.” She pulled away, making her mate look up at her curious expression. “What about you? Ever think about going back to Manehattan?”
“Eh, not too much.” Hatty looked away and scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, my parents’ house was destroyed by termites and I lived in an orphanage for a few years, so I didn’t really have much there.”
“Hatty,” Gem’s look of curiosity shifted to a chiding face. “I know when you’re lying after all these years. C’mon, spill.”
Hat Trick gave a deep breath. Winter spotted the slightest sign of a shudder from the stallion before he spoke. “Honestly, I’m a little scared about what I’d find there.”
“How so?” Gem gazed into his eyes with concern and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
“Remember when we first came to Vanhoover? We saw all sorts of utterly baffling things. There were lights that didn’t need oil or candles, strange machines and so much more…” Gem felt Hatty quake a bit as he spoke. “I’m just worried that… If I went there, it’d make me realize that the city I once called home, that I could navigate like the back of my hoof is gone, replaced with a city that very well may have changed in so many great ways… but it would just feel wrong to me…”
“There there, Hatty,” Gem gave him a tender squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. “I’m here for you and you don’t have to go there if you don’t want to.”
“Thanks, Gem.” A smile slowly graced his face before he gave a kiss of his own to Gem’s cheek. “Could we change the subject though?”
“Sure thing, dear,” Gem said as she stood up and stretched before the tired pegasus. “What would you like to talk about?”
“Well, what do you think of becoming a farmer full time?” Hatty tried to stand, his knees wobbling after carrying barrel after barrel to the barn.
“Honestly, I think I’d like it,” Gem replied while she stretched and trotted closer to the door. “It feels pretty natural to me and I could easily see it becoming a part of my life. Sure, it’s not fighting off griffins, but it’s a lot more peaceful than than I ever thought things could be.”
“Indeed,” Hatty chuckled as he leaned into one of the barrels. “A year ago, if we saw a griffin hanging around Verdant like he does with Erica, we’d have broken their bones and dragged them off to the dungeons, at best. Now, it’s just another happy coupling.”
“Yeah,” Gem rubbed the back of her head. “It’s still weird to think about, since hippogriffs pretty much only existed if a griffin forced themselves on a mare back then.” She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp air and the scent of freshly picked apples. “Sometimes, it feels like we went to sleep and the entire world decided to change overnight.”
“I know the feeling,” Hatty wobbled over to Gem’s side once more and laid a wing upon her back. “Still, as long as I’m with you, I can handle anything the world can throw at me.”
“Thanks, Hatty,” Gem whispered before giving the pegasus a gentle nuzzle. “How about you and your job? How’s it going?”
“Eh, it’s an adjustment,” Hatty gave a tired shrug and leaned more into the mare. “Back when I was doing my little acts for change, I was my own boss. I’d just pick whatever spot I’d like and just do whatever tricks came to mind. Now I’ve got schedules to follow, having to go to whatever spot Fiesta’s picked, do whatever tricks the client wants. I even have to share the spotlight with others, like some of the clowns Fiesta’s got working for her.”
“Now when you say clowns, are you being literal or—”
“Literal, Gem,” Hatty chuckled as he replied. “They’re pretty good at their jobs. You should see Showtime. She’s a rather stern mare who takes acting and performing very seriously, but once the makeup and costume’s on, she’s all,” he cleared his throat, “Hiya kids, I’m Slippy Shoes! We’re gonna have a superrific day!” he said in the goofiest voice he could muster, drawing a chuckle from Gem.
“Hey, Cousin Gem, Mr. Hat Trick, are you decent?” a young colt’s voice called out as a series of knocks came from behind the barn door.
“Yeah, we’re good, Pippin,” Gem called out to the voice. After a brief instant, the door was pushed open and a small thestral with a dark yellow coat and red mane trotted in.
“Alright, had to make sure,” the colt, Gold Pippin said before looking back towards the door. “It’s okay! We won’t need to use the hose!”
“So, what brings you here, kiddo?” Hatty said just as a second thestral foal walked in, a large pitcher of water perched on her back. Hat Trick had to force down a giggle at the sight of the little pony carrying a pitcher bigger than her head.
“We wanted to see if you needed some water,” Dawn said with a strain in her voice, trying to act strong in front of the grown ups.
“No thanks, we’re good,” Gem gave the two each an affectionate pat on the head. “You ready to head back out, Hatty?”
“Yep,” the pegasus said before he strolled past the foals with Gem at his side, stopping only to put two empty barrels on her back. When the two stepped through the barn door, they found Wind Whistler sitting there with a hose held in her mouth.
“Windy,” Gem tilted her head at the sight, “Why do have a hose?”
The pegasus filly spat the hose down to the ground and replied. “Because everypony knows what you two do when you get to be alone for a little bit. I took precautions.”
“Wow,” Hatty said as he and Gem started to head into the orchard. “I didn’t think we were that loud. Guess we’ll get our room some soundproofing.”
“I meant every pony in Old Canterlot!” the blue filly’s words echoed throughout the orchard, making the pair blush a bright apple red.
“Faust curse it,” Gem sighed as she slammed a hoof into her face. “Were we really that unsubtle?”
“Well, there was the time with the princess’s bathroom…”
***
“I’ve got to say, it’s a real honor doing all this with you, Viscountess Falchion,” Belmont was grinning like a mad pony as he and Swiftsword gave the tree a hard buck.
“Please, you flatter me, Belmont,” Swift gave a dismissive wave as the last of the apples fell from the tree. “You are family of my sister-in-arms and I’ve yet to really rebuild my house. You may freely call me Swiftsword.”
“Oh, thank you, Swiftsword!” Belmont’s eyes were starry at Swift’s words. “This means so much to me!”
“I assume you are a fan of the Flame Crest book series,” Swift said as she flared her horn and picked up one of the barrels.
“Oh yeah! I’ve been reading those books for as long as I can remember.” Belmont grinned as he picked up a barrel and flew over to Swift’s side. “The tales about Mars Falchion were some of my favorites.”
“I’m glad that my brother’s exploits have brought you such joy, Belmont.” Swift returned the grin as she marched forward, years of practice masking the strain her legs and back were feeling as the pair drew closer to the barn.
“I still can’t believe that you’re the last Falchion, Swift,” Belmont gave her a look of sympathy as he glided close.
“Sadly, I can,” Swift replied flatly. “We Falchions prided ourselves on being warriors, which meant every able bodied one of us joined the guard when possible, leading to many being lost during the war. Alongside that, ponies tended to live shorter lives and infant mortality rates were much higher in my era. This, along with Mars’ infertility unfortunately makes it understandable why I am the last of my once grand house.”
“Whoa, was it really that bad?” Belmont tilted his head in surprise at the mare’s words. Had he been trained as a guard, he would have noticed the faint trace of a twitch from her eye before she faced the thestral.
“Before I was sealed away in the empire, I had never known a pony over the age of sixty other than the princesses. I would, on average, have to attend seven funerals for family members lost in battle a year, and many more due to illness or crib death. Nearly every pony did.”
“Whoa…” Belmont’s face paled at her words before biting his lip. “Sorry about that, Swift.”
“Worry not, kind Belmont.” Swift’s expression started to soften as they walked. “At any rate, though I have not yet read the Flame Crest books, I know a few things they’ve said about myself are quite inaccurate.”
“I’ll say,” Belmont said as he examined the young mare carefully, noting some small scars covered by her coat. “The books described you as a mare who would rarely lift a sword, but would love to dance.”
Swift chortled at her description. “It was much the other way around. I would only tend to dance at fanciful parties and the sword was my life. What’s next? How do they think I died?”
“Well, the books say you were being escorted by some guards to the Crystal Empire when your group was ambushed by griffin soldiers.” Belmont bashfully looked away as he heard Swift barely able to suppress her laughter.
“Griffin soldiers? That far north and inland?” the unicorn mare giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. “Oh, that’s quite the laugh. Besides,” a brief moment was all it took for Swift’s tone to morph from jovial to deadly serious. “Even if we had been attacked by griffin soldiers, I am certain we would have slain them.”
“So...um…” Belmont swallowed before looking back at Swift. “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“But of course. My first kill was when I was fourteen.” Swift said with an air of pride as she trotted on, much to Belmont’s shock. “A burglar had broken into my family home in the night, but he soon learned the error of his ways when I struck him down.”
“Holy shit…” Belmont’s golden coat became even paler than before. “You… you killed a pony for that?”
“Of course. He had violated the sanctity of my family’s home and attempted to steal from us. I was fully within my right to slay the intruder for his transgression.” Swift locked her eyes on the barn with a look of grim seriousness.
“Yikes… I never knew…” Belmont gulped as he slowly fell behind her.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, the intruder did take a swing at me with a kitchen knife before I ended his life.” Swift slowed her walk to keep alongside Belmont and gently placed a hoof upon his shoulder. “Since then, the only ones I have slain were undead monsters conjured by dark magics, just as my brothers and sister in arms.”
“That’s good, I guess…” Belmont gave her a soft smile which she quickly returned. “It’s just a surprise to hear some of these things, y’know? Seeing how the real you is just so much different from the book you.”
“I can understand that.” Swift nodded and started to move a bit faster towards the barn. “I think I may read those books soon and contact the publishers about this. Still, the first thing I would probably have corrected is the “Maiden of Blades” title the books have given me.”
“Huh?” Belmont’s head tilted in surprise and perplexment. “Why’s that?”
“Simple. I would like a presentation of myself to be accurate to who I really am.” Swift placed a hoof over her heart as she walked. “‘Maiden’ is not a term one would use to describe a mare who was in an arranged marriage to two wonderful ponies whom I frequently saw. Any mare who’d claim she was a maiden under such circumstances is clearly a liar.”
“I...wow…” a rosy tint appeared on Belmont’s face as they reached the barn. Pushing the doors open, they found Sweet Honey and Fruity Punch, lying upon the floor, groaning and gasping.
“Are you alright?” Swift set aside her barrel as she looked over the weary form of Punch.
“Worst… pain… of… my...life…” she faintly spoke between deep breaths. She struggled to lift her forelegs up to the blue mare in a childish way. “I’ve never pushed myself so hard before… Could I get a hug?”
A kind smile spread across Swift’s lips as her magic picked up the pink mare before pulling her into a warm, soft embrace. “Better?”
“Hmm… much better,” Punch hummed as she gave Swift a squeeze. “You want some of this, Sis?”
“No thanks, I’m good,” Honey waved from her spot on the ground just as Belmont flew over and checked over all the filled barrels. “Just gimme a few minutes until my legs don’t feel like lead anymore.”
The thestral gave a low, impressed whistle at the sight before him. “Well hot damn, it looks like we’ve got all this stuff taken in faster than I thought we would.”
Belmont floated back down to the ground right as the others arrived at the barn with the last of their barrels.
“Great work there, everyone!” Belmont cheered, “Thanks to all of you, we’re way ahead of schedule. Now, how about you all hit the showers and I’ll take us out to get all of us some dinner. It’s the least I can do to pay you back.”
“Yeah, since it’s cheaper to pay for one big meal than minimum wage,” Honey muttered, only to receive a jab in the shoulder and a glare from Punch.
“Hey Belmont,” Hatty raised a hoof up, “Think we could get some cider as well?”
“You sure as shoot can!” Belmont beamed. “I’ll treat all of your to some of the best cider we’ve got stocked as a special thanks.”
The gathered assemblage cheered before they began the walk back to their homes to wash off.
As the manor ponies chatted amongst themselves, Barrier would occasionally pass a glance at Fleet.
Stop thinking about her, Barrier. he silently scolded himself. Just hope Daring will somehow forgive you for your screw up.
With a deep breath, Barrier quietly sighed, careful to make sure nopony heard him.
On a warm autumn afternoon, Magic Barrier was headed through the streets of Vanhoover, eventually reaching a large building that had a style that reminded the unicorn of Appleloosa, save for the larger doors and the neon lights on the sign that read; “Liquor in the Rye’s”.
Pushing his way through the double doors, he saw a large earth pony mare with a pale blonde mane stacking some bottles behind the bar. The sound of Barrier drawing closer made her pink eyes shift to the stallion.
“Well, it’s been a while,” the mare smirked as she leaned across the bar, “What’s kept you away, Deep Pockets? Cheating on me with another supplier?”
“I wish, Hard Rye,” Barrier muttered as he reached the bar. “I’ve just been cutting down since I…”
Rye’s eyebrow cocked as the unicorn trailed off. “What happened? C’mon, Barrier. You can tell me. I’m a bartender. It’s my job to listen to my customers and sometimes offer advice.”
“I’d really rather not,” Barrier grumbled as he took a seat. “I’d just like to get three bottles of Griffinstone whiskey and two bottles of Princess Select vodka.”
“Alright, coming right up,” Rye sighed as she ducked under the bar and started to place the collection of liquor bottles on the counter. “If you change your mind on talkin’ ‘bout it, feel free to do so.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Barrier glumly replied and tossed some bits on the counter. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks.” Rye quickly snatched up the coins as Barrier trotted away, headed for the door. Just as Barrier was about to reach the door, Rye spoke up once more. “Still, if I were a betting mare, I’m gonna guess that you got drunk and slept with your friend. The mare with the one eye.”
Barrier halted in mid-step. A tense moment was held before the stallion set his hoof down. “How’d you know?”
“Well besides you admitting it just now, there’s quite a few signs,” Rye answered as she hopped over the bar. “You’re really depressed, I haven’t seen your girlfriend around town for quite a while and I’ve seen you out with the blue mare much less. Put it all together and it indicates a drunken porking session.”
Barrier groaned and rested his head against the door. “I didn’t want anypony hearing about this. You’re one of the few I’ve told.”
“Hey, my lips are sealed,” Rye said as she set a firm hoof on his shoulder. “Any good bartender worth their salt knows how to keep secrets.”
“I appreciate it,” Barrier replied without looking back at her. “Thank you.” The onyx unicorn tried to pull away, but the mare’s hoof kept him rooted to the spot.
“Now hold up there, Barrier,” Rye brought a hoof to his chin and made him face her. “What do you think about that mare you slept with?”
“That’s none of your business, Rye,” Barrier grumbled with a warning tone as he pushed her hoof away from his chin. “It was a stupid mistake after having too much liquor and don’t really want to think about it.”
“Alright, that’s fair,” the bartender sighed as she let go of his shoulder. “But remember this, drinking tends to make a pony lose their inhibitions and do things they actually want to do. This may mean a part of you wants to be with…” Rye bit her tongue and quickly clopped a hoof against the hardwood floor as she tried to recollect. “Fleetfeather! Right, that’s her name.”
“I know, Rye. Believe me, I know,” Barrier tiredly replied as he massaged the side of his forehead. “I just… I don’t know, with everything going on… it’s just really complicated and jumbled right now. I just hope that Yearling comes back and is willing to forgive me.”
“Here’s hoping that it goes well, Barrier,” Rye sympathetically said as she trotted up to his side. “Still, if she doesn’t, maybe you should think about that other mare.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” the unicorn softly and sadly said. “At any rate, thanks for the liquor and kind words, Rye.”
“Hey, just doing my job,” Rye patted Barrier on the back before a smirk came to face. “And if that doesn’t work out, maybe you might give some other mares some attention.” She then gave Barrier a cheesy wink and stuck her tongue out at him.
Barrier chuckled at the look she gave him. “Ms. Rye, are you trying to seduce me?”
“Well, it would be nice to have a stallion help clear the cobwebs out for me,” Rye chuckled as well. “Gets more than a little cold and lonely on those Vanhoover winter nights.”
“I’m sure you’ll find somepony who’s right for you.” Barrier kindly grinned to the stocky mare, nudging the door slightly.
“Thanks, Barrier. I hope so,” Rye replied with a soft smile. It may have been a trick of the bar’s lighting, but Barrier thought that for a brief instance, he saw the faintest tint of red on her cheeks.
“Oh, hey!” Rye spoke up. “We’re gonna be having a special event here for Nightmare Night. Think you’ll be stopping by?”
At the mention of the holiday that was barreling towards him, the stallion’s ears perked up and a few hairs on the back of his neck rose as he recalled his promise to the princess.
“Sorry, but I have plans for Nightmare Night already,” Barrier answered, smoothing the back of his neck. “However, do you think you could give me a crash course in Nightmare Night traditions?”
“Alright, no problem,” Rye said before stretching and heading back to the bar. “Let’s start with the lore.”
***
“House meeting!” Barrier exclaimed as he strolled into the manor, liquor in tow.
A rumbling of hooves came from upstairs and the kitchen as the housemates came charging toward the elder unicorn as he set his bags aside.
“What’s the reason you called us, Barrier?” Fleet inquired as the unicorn headed to the living room, the seven ponies following shortly behind.
“First off, I need to ask what you all know about Nightmare Night.” Barrier flopped onto the couch while the others started to take their seats.
“Oh! I know all about Nightmare Night!” Forge spoke up, fidgeting in his seat. “Snow showed me!”
“Then I’ll let you handle explain it to the others.” Barrier smirked as he took out his flask, taking a short swig.
“Right. Now, Nightmare Night is a horror movie from about forty years ago where a psychopath named Misery Mires puts on a white Captain Smirk mask and stalks a foal sitter.”
A silence was held as Barrier gave the blue unicorn a flat look.
“Right, looks like it falls to me to explain this holiday.” Barrier sighed, setting his flask aside. “Nightmare Night’s an annual holiday where ponies dress up in costumes and go door to door, collecting candy.”
“Candy?” Wind Whistler quickly perked up at the mention of sweets, her tail happily wagging.
“Aye, there’s candy, but you’re also supposed to offer up some of your candy to an effigy of Nightmare Moon,” Barrier stated as he raised his forehooves behind his head and laid back. “There’s also games, musical entertainment and other kinds of ‘spooky fun’ happening then.”
“I seem to recall Nightmare Moon was the name Princess Luna took on when she ‘turned evil’ as Rainbow Dash put it,” Winter Gem interjected from her spot on the floor.
“Indeed.” Barrier nodded to the snowy mare. “Apparently, while she and I were sealed away, a holiday was formed around her legend.”
“May I ask what this supposed legend of Nightmare Moon is about?” Swift asked from her spot behind the coffee table.
“Apparently, Nightmare Moon would go on patrol on Nightmare Night. Ponies would try to disguise themselves in order to avoid her gaze.” Barrier tried to hide a slight grin before he continued speaking. “If she catches you and you don’t have any candy to offer her, she would ‘gobble you whole’.”
At Barrier’s words, everypony in the room turned to face the green stallion sitting with them. Following a moment of silence, the earth pony gave the group an angry glare.
“Why the hay are you all looking at me for?” Verdant looked accusingly at his housemates. “Princess Luna and I have a verbal contract about those events. Per our agreement, I have never spoken about what happened on Butterfly Island with anypony who didn’t already know.”
“But if that’s the case,” Fleetfeather interjected, “then how could this story become a legend about her?”
“My best guess is that one of you talked about it with others and it spread around after she turned.” Verdant pointed towards his fellow privates, all of whom innocently whistled and looked away.
“At any rate, there’s two things we need to discuss.” Barrier slid off the couch, his tone becoming more serious and stern. “To preface this, Princess Celestia has told me that Princess Luna plans to go to Ponyville for their Nightmare Night celebrations. She has asked me to attend and to discreetly keep an eye on her, as well as aid her with adjusting to this new era.
“The reason I bring this up is because I wanted to ask if any of you wish to come along with me to Ponyville for this. It will probably last all night and, should the princess ask, we’re to say that we’re there to visit Twilight and consult her about the customs of Nightmare Night.”
“I humbly volunteer my services, sir,” Swiftsword said as she stood up. “I have taken a vow to serve the crown in whatever way I can.”
One by one, the other housemates agreed to come along for the coming night.
“Excellent,” Barrier proudly smiled and nodded. “I expected this very thing. Now, the next thing to take care of when it comes to this will be picking out our costumes.”
“I’ve got an idea about that,” Hatty said, grinning as he rubbed his chin.
***
The assemblage of eight stood in front of a two-story building with a large sign above the door. The upper portion of the sign was written in a cartoony pattern with a rainbow of different bright colours, while the lower section was done in fanciful gold cursive on a white backdrop.
The eye-catching/gouging sign read, “Confetti & Coattails Party Planning and Supply”.
“I saw the place getting stocked with all sorts of costumes last week,” Hatty said as he led the group into the store. “I figure we’ll not only find great costumes, but I’ll be able to get you an employee discount.”
“Whoa, you weren’t kidding about having a lot of housemates, Hatty,” a fancy looking gray unicorn stallion by the register said.
“Aren’t you the chap that runs Suits of Utter Perfection?” Forge eyed the unicorn carefully.
“No, you’re thinking of my twin brother, Dapper Gray,” the stallion chuckled as he stepped out from behind the register and held a hoof out that Barrier shook. “My name’s Tuxedo Tails, co-owner of this business with my wife. How may I help you?”
“We just need to find some costumes for Nightmare Night, Mr. Tails,” Barrier answered as he scanned around the floor, seeing the privates headed into an aisle, Wind Whistler quickly following suit.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place at just the right time, sir.” Tuxedo grinned as he gestured towards a collection of aisle. “We’ve got the widest selection of Nightmare Night costumes in all of Caneighda county. Still, you may want to get your costumes soon. Next week, we start stocking supplies for Hearth’s Warming.”
“But it’s only… Nevermind. Thank you for your help, Mr. Tails.” Barrier nodded as he and Fleetfeather started to trot down one of the aisles that had dozens upon dozens of costumes on display.
“Hmm… Now, let’s see…” Barrier’s horn began to glow as he took costumes off the racks, carefully examining them.
A raven? No, reminds me too much of old training exercises… and Grimhilde.
A transforming robot? Nah, just seems to silly.
A pony ranger? There’s no way in Tartarus I’m going to wear skin tight spandex.
A dragon? Barrier shuddered. Way too similar to being inside a dragon again.
Barrier stopped when he felt something poking into his back. The object poking him had the shape of a cutlass, but the feel was wrong. It didn’t feel like sharp metal, but dull plastic.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Fleetfeather was now in a full costume, poking his back with a toy sword held in her wing.
Fleetfeather was in a striking red jacket with yellow cuffs and a white undershirt. She sported a set of dark gray pants and brown flared boots.
“Decided to go with a pirate outfit, Fleet?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose at his friend’s appearance and how quickly she had managed to change.
“Aye,” Fleet grinned as she pointed the toy sword away. “I figured since kids have mistaken me for a pirate before because of the eyepatch, I figured why not go with it.”
“Fair enough.” The unicorn smirked as he turned back to the costumes, searching for something he’d find decent. After a few moments, he finally spotted something worthwhile sticking out of a discount bin at the end of the aisle.
Cyborganizer: The Rebootening. Guess I’m one of the few ponies that liked that film. Barrier picked out the collection of silver plastic pieces from the bin, seeing at least four identical sets underneath it. A few little touch-ups to the colors and it’d look pretty decent.
Barrier looked back towards Fleet, where he saw they were being approached by an earth pony in a pink and white spandex costume with a matching helmet upon their head.
“So, you decided to go as a Pony Ranger, Gem?” Barrier trotted up to the spandex clad pony. “It looks pretty good on you.”
“Thanks, sir. But I’m not Winter Gem,” the ranger replied, making the unicorn’s eyebrow rise.
“Verdant?” Barrier asked before the earth pony took off his helmet. “You do realize pink is now considered a somewhat feminine color, right?”
“Pfft, yeah right. And one of my sisters was a wicked witch,” Verdant scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I know a lot of things have changed over the centuries, but pink being a feminine color is just too ridiculous.”
“Well, to each their own.” Barrier shrugged as the pink-clad pony started to walk back down the aisle, meeting up with a quartet of ponies also clad in spandex uniforms.
As the five rangers headed for the register, a glum pegasus filly trotted up to the pair.
“Hey Windy,” Barrier patted the little filly forehead. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’,” Wind Whistler grumbled with a pout. “Just that they’re out of Foaltron costumes.”
“Sorry to hear that, honey,” Fleet softly spoke before giving her daughter a quick nuzzle. “Did you see any other costumes you’d like?”
“Nah,” Windy replied, leaning into the nuzzle and sounding a little more cheerful. “I think I’ll just make my own costume.”
“Alright. Guess we’ll check out then,” Barrier walked past the pair. “How about I get us a pizza once we’re done here?”
“That sounds awesome!” Windy happily hopped up and fluttered over to him. “Thanks, Uncle Barrier!”
“No problem, kiddo,” Barrier smiled as Fleet trotted up to them, now changed out of her costume once more. “Here’s hoping things aren’t too chaotic there.”
It was a bright autumn morning as Barrier and his former cadets were strolling about Einar’s Groceries, picking out a selection of foods for the week. The store was buzzing as customers were going about their day.
Barrier and company were packed into a tight aisle with two grocery carts that were nearly filled to the brim with goods.
“Alright,” Verdant’s nose was buried in a collection of flyers with the occasional glance at their shopping carts. “Thanks to these babies, we’ll be able to save about… a hundred and thirty-two bits.”
“Do we seriously need to get all these tubes of toothpaste, Verdant?” Winter Gem asked as she pushed one of the carts along, carrying twenty four of the aforementioned tubes.
“Absolutely, Gem!” Verdant was practically squealing with joy from his savings. “These things are normally five bits a tube, but we’re gonna price match them for one!”
“Fine,” the alabaster mare sighed and rolled her eyes. “But we’re still getting some more jars of peanut butter.”
The earth pony reached out towards a jar, but before she could grab it, the jar suddenly sprouted a set of legs, leapt off the shelf and ran down the aisle.
“Did… did anypony else see that?” Barrier glared at the sight of the running jar. If one of them put something in my flask, I swear to Faust…
“We… we all did, sir.” Forge was gobsmacked at the strange sight.
Shouts and gasps started to come from the other aisles.
“Investigate, now.” Barrier barked before teleporting to the nearby produce section of the store.
What was happening was the single strangest thing that the charcoal unicorn had seen in his life. Fruits and vegetables had somehow gained limbs like the kind he’d seen in the newspaper comic strips and some of the cartoons Wind Whistler would have them rent. Cherries were leaping at other customers while pineapples were dancing about with the cucumbers, and the apples were in a long struggle with the coconuts to reach the top of a pile of soup cans.
Don’t say; ‘how could this get any damn stranger’. Barrier snorted as he blasted some fruit off of the fleeing customers. You just know it will get weirder in 3… 2…
“Captain!” Hat Trick called Barrier from one of the store’s windows. “You may want to get a look at this.”
In a quick flash, Barrier was at the pegasus’ side. Gazing out of the window, Barrier was greeted by the sight of bright pink clouds with yellow and white puffs falling from them. As the puffs grew closer, he could see that the snowy puffs were popcorn that melted into chocolate milk as they landed on the ground or somepony outside.
“What in Faust’s name is going on?” Forge’s voice rang out as he and his fellow housemates rushed up to the window. The cobalt stallion tripped on a soup can that one of the apples had knocked loose, sending him hurtling towards the window.
Instead of smacking into the window or crashing through in an explosion of shards, Forge simply passed through the window, the glass rippling behind him as if it were made of rubber.
Barrier’s eyebrow quirked as Hatty pressed a hoof through the window and began stirring it around like a spoon through a thick stew.
“Privates, follow me.” Barrier leapt through the window, his housemates following suit as he charged towards the manor.
Hopefully, the princess will have an idea what’s going on. Barrier thought as a blue and pink streak came from the clouds, soon revealed to be Fleetfeather. I just hope it’s not what I think it is.
“Anything you can tell me about those clouds, Fleet?” Barrier huffed as he and his housemates charged in a thunderous stampede.
“Only that the bloody things seem to be made of cotton candy and they’re snowing popcorn,” Fleet pulled ahead of the pack, reaching the manor’s gate and blasting it open as she barreled through. “What should we do, sir?”
“First off, get in contact with the princesses for a status report,” Barrier replied as his horn flared, slamming the front door open as they quickly filed in. “After we get some intel, we can act on whatever’s happening. Verdant, head upstairs and get some parchment and one of the ribbons.”
“Aye, sir!” Verdant replied as he rushed up the stairs, followed soon by the other privates.
“I’m heading to the school,” Fleet piped in as she turned back. “I’ll get Wind Whistler home and make sure she’s safe.”
“Probably a good call.” Barrier offered her a nod as she took to the skies, gracefully weaving her way through the popcorn flurries.
“Sir, bad news!” Verdant called out as he rushed down the stairs, now with a quiver on his hip and bow on his back. “I couldn’t find a single one of the ribbons.”
“How’s that possible?” Barrier gave the earth pony a flat look. “Last I checked, we had about two dozen left...” the unicorn started to trail off as he heard a cheer coming from the living room. “One sec.”
In a bright flash of teleportation, Barrier appeared in the living room where he saw that the ribbons he’d sought had formed a conga line, gleefully cheering as they marched into the fireplace. The unicorn tried to raise a shield around the fireplace, but the remaining ribbons leapt up around the forming shield and landed in the ravenous flames.
“Dammit!” Barrier exclaimed with a stomp before a flurry of hoofbeats reached his ears. Turning around in a snap, he’d spotted the privates had all taken up arms. Swift carrying her family’s sword was a sight he’d grown accustomed to at the breakfast table, but Hat Trick was sporting a brand new set of wing blades, Winter Gem a pair of gauntlets and Forge a large war hammer.
“I thought it would be a good idea to make a new set of weapons for us, just in case.” Forge said as Barrier’s eyes scrutinized the weapons they carried.
“Good thinking,” the charcoal pony replied as he brushed past the five. “Meet me outside in sixty seconds. I’ll only be a moment.”
The privates gave the unicorn a salute before they charged towards the door. Meanwhile, Barrier made his way to his bedroom.
“Feels just like the old days,” Barrier sighed as his horn flared, lifting up a nightstand and shifting a floorboard away.
“Was hoping I’d never have to use you again,” he muttered as from the hidden compartment rose a sword in an old scabbard. Barrier brought the blade to his side and secured the scabbard’s belt around his barrel, a series of old-equestrian runes lighting up as he fed his magic into it, reactivating the enchantments laid into the metal.
Taking a deep breath, Barrier started to jog out to the front door.
“Once more unto the breach,” the unicorn said to himself as he trotted through the door, where he found the privates waiting along the pathway in single file.
“Privates,” Barrier’s tone was a familiar one to the cadets, one they had heard for over two years. It was the tone of a captain ready to train his soldiers for the horrors of war. “I want you to head into the city, help any civilians that you can and if possible, try to restore some semblance of order here. Work your ways towards city hall and offer your services to whoever is in charge there… Barring somepony's in charge, it will fall to you to take charge of everypony present, Swiftsword. Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” the privates shouted back in a practiced unison.
“Good. While you’re doing that, I will attempt to get to Canterlot and see if there’s anything I can do to help the princesses or vice versa,” Barrier’s eyes were kept forward as he headed towards the now-dented front gate. A pattering of hooves on stone reached his ears, letting him know the privates had quickly fell in behind him and were marching in harmony.
“Sir,” Swift spoke up, “Permission to speak freely?”
“Granted,” Barrier replied as he flared his horn, pulling his flask from his saddlebags.
“Do you have any idea what may be causing all of this?” Swift’s tone was the practiced stoicism Barrier had expected of a noble in times of panic. He had some difficulty determining if she was merely asking for information or if she was trying to hide her fear.
“Only a hypothesis at the moment, Swift,” Barrier replied before taking a quick swig. “Speculating wouldn’t help much right now, so I’ll just let you try to take care of things here.”
“Very well, sir,” Swift gave the stallion a salute as they reached the gate. “We’ll meet up with Sergeant Fleetfeather and once Wind Whistler’s secure, we’ll try to aid the town.”
“Good. And kids...” Barrier looked at the group of armed ponies, ready to charge into danger. “Be careful. I can’t handle having to bury any of you.”
“Rest assured, sir,” Swift replied while the others gave Barrier nervous smiles. “We’ll make sure nopony dies here today.”
“Right,” Barrier responded with a sigh before flaring his horn. He vanished in a flash and reappeared a fair distance away. Briefly looking back, he saw the five charging off towards the school.
“Faust be with them all,” Barrier whispered and charged off, not stopping until he skidded to a halt minutes later at the train station. Running up to the ticket booth, Barrier startled the pony inside.
“I need a train to Canterlot, now!” Barrier barked at the stallion that was climbing back into his chair.
“Y-yes sir!” the stallion said with a hard swallow. “We… we’ve got a train headed to Canterlot in two minutes and—”
“Good enough, now just give me a ticket,” Barrier said hurriedly as he tossed a small bag of bits at the window. “Keep the change. This is an emergency.”
The instant the stallion’s hoof touched the ticket, Barrier’s magic snagged it before he ran onto the train.
Taking the closest booth, Barrier slammed the door shut and sat down, finally taking a moment to catch his breath and think.
Crazy candy clouds, popcorn snow, chocolate rain, things like fruit and ribbons coming to life? There’s only one thing I can think of that could be causing all this…
The charcoal unicorn sighed, paying no attention to the train starting to lurch forward. Looking out at the silly sight of cotton candy clouds raining chocolate milk, he knew there was a very dangerous force behind all this.
Discord
Barrier had heard legends speak of the draconequus that had once ruled Equestria in the days before the princesses had bested him and sealed him away in a stone prison. Discord was a strange amalgam of beasts that could bend reality to his whim. Should he choose, two plus two could equal fish and the air could be something one could swim through. He had once considered such a powerful beast merely the tale told by parents to make their foals fall in line, only for that to be shattered when Sombra took him under his wing and taught him many legends of horror were true.
If it’s really Discord we’re fighting, this could potentially be a bigger threat than Nightmare Moon ever was. Barrier gazed out the window, only to decide to look away as he saw the hills had been replaced by mounds of ice cream and what he prayed was strawberry syrup. At least when Luna went crazy, we knew the limits of her power and what her end goal was.
The train shook a bit as it journeyed onward, making Barrier slam his eyes shut.
Forget about the metal death trap, Barrier. You’ve got to think of something. If Discord really did get free and is spreading chaos across the kingdom, you’ve got to have someway to put that freak down.
The question is though, what? Celestia and Luna were able to seal Discord away, but was that because they weren’t willing to kill him… or because they couldn’t?
At any rate, what could stop this reality warping abomination?
The element bearers? … It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to put them in danger once more, especially since they’ve already fought two horrors in less than a season.
The Diamond Ray of Disappearance isn’t an option since Daring and I failed there.
Daring....
Focus, Barrier! If Discord’s not stopped, everyone’s lives will be on the line.
Once Discord’s either dead or back in a rock, then you can think about how to fix your screw-up.
***
Hours had passed as Barrier sat on the train, plotting tactics that could possibly stop a monster who could turn you into a pile of mashed potatoes with a snap of his claws.
So, the best bet would probably be... Barrier was snapped from his thoughts as he felt the train come to stop. A moment later, a voice came through the train’s PA.
“Attention passengers, we’ve reached our final destination. Please depart and have a pleasant day.”
Barrier flared his horn and teleported onto the train platform. He was about to dash away when he saw the city looked completely wrong. Instead of the mountainous city with gaudy buildings and the royal palace, this city had some older looking buildings alongside some skyscrapers along with a large bay.
“What the… where in Tartarus am I?!” Barrier exclaimed as he stomped on the stone of the platform.
“Sir,” a nervous mare in a train operator’s outfit hopped down from the engine and came up to the angry unicorn. “Is there something wrong here?”
“Yes, there certainly is something wrong here,” Barrier growled as he faced the operator, his right eye twitching wildly. “Why aren’t we in Canterlot?”
“Um, sir,” the mare swallowed as she slowly backed away. “The stop in Canterlot was several hours ago. The passengers were told to depart when we arrived, so we moved on to Baltimare.”
“Faust dammit,” Barrier muttered before pulling his flask out and taking a swig. “When’s the next train to Canterlot heading out?”
“Well I think that’ll be—” the mare was interrupted as a flash of light came from the train’s coal car.
In a flash, Barrier had teleported to the station’s roof where he saw all the coal had been turned into cauliflower and a light quickly streaked along the rails, turning the metal tracks into curly fries.
“This is bad…” Barrier whispered as he felt a cold sweat dripping down his neck. “Very bad…”
A grumbling Barrier was dashing along the Baltimare City streets, trying to find a tiny bit of sanity in a world gone crazy. The towering skyscrapers had been replaced with everything from toys and cards to stacks of crackers.
There’s got to be some sort of transport still available here. Barrier grit his teeth as he ran and jumped along a bouncy street made of lime gelatin in a manner that would’ve made Pinkie Pie smile. Who knows what crazy things are happening in Canterlot if this is what Discord’s doing to Baltimare.
After nearly an hour of frantically sprinting throughout the seaside city, Barrier came across a pegasus mare pulling an empty passenger carriage.
“Excuse me,” Barrier exclaimed just as he teleported alongside her. “Ma’am, I need you to get me to Canterlot as quickly as possible.”
“Whoa, hold your horses there, pal.” The white coated pegasus held up a hoof as she spoke, another hoof moving to her temple to adjust the sapphire-blue headband that held back her crimson mane, “I ain’t takin’ anypony outta town. I’m part of a strictly local sky chariot service. ‘Sides which, things seem more than a little dangerous right now and I’ve never had to fly that far.”
“Ma’am,” Barrier glowered at her. “I am a former member of the Royal Guard who needs to get to Canterlot as soon as equinely possible. I have both intelligence and power that could help put an end to what is currently going on.”
“I’m sorry, mister,” she started to pull away from the charcoal stallion. “But I just don’t think that’s a good enough reason to stick my neck out when things are looking this damn nuts.”
Barrier sighed and slapped a hoof to his forehead as the pegasus kept pulling away. “I’ll pay you a thousand bits.”
The mare stopped in mid-step and her ears suddenly perked up. In an instant, she had turned around and was sporting a wide grin on her face. “What are you waitin’ for, mister? Canterlot awaits, so get your flank in gear!”
Barrier rolled his eyes at her new found lack of concern and took a running leap at the chariot.
In the instant before his hooves could touch down, the chariot had turned into a large half of an orange.
“Do… do you still want to go?” the mare looked over her shoulder at her passenger, seeing his hooves sinking into the fruit pulp.
“Just. Get. Flying.” Barrier grumbled threateningly, making the pegasus flair her wings out.
“Roger that!” she shouted as she started flapping her snow-colored wings. After a matter of moments, the pair were airborne, quickly flying over the roofs of some of the warped buildings.
Surprisingly, Barrier looked over the edge of the orange, seeing the ground with its roads made of cookie dough and grass made of concrete over a hundred feet below. I still feel safer than I would on a train.
“Good afternoon, passengers!” The pegasus grinned as they climbed ever higher. “This is your captain, Crimson Tide speaking. We’re now booking it to Canterlot as fast as we can go. There are no planned stops currently so in the event you need a lavatory, please just go over the side and I’ll try to avoid hitting you should the need arise. In the event of a water landing, I think your orange can be used as a floatation device.”
As Crimson Tide continued to ramble on, Barrier kept his eyes on the horizon; searching for any sign of the regal capital city. So far, however, he could only see mountains and trees stretching up and squatting as they flew.
Privates, element bearers, princesses… Whatever’s going on, I hope you’re safe.
***
Things were hectic and insane in Vanhoover where what was once called Squad Nine-Eight-Two ran through the city, attempting to save the city’s citizens. Trash cans were bouncing along the streets while some ponies were eating tables, as well as the skies rapidly shifted between day and night.
In the Vineyard vineyard, a collection of grape vines were grabbing onto the workers and dragging them into the vanilla powder that was now the ground.
“Help!” one of the ponies screamed as the vines pulled him ever closer to the sinkhole. “For Faust’s sake, help us!”
The stallion’s prayers were answered as a blue blur dashed past the vines, slicing them apart and freeing the workers. When the blur came to a halt, the workers saw the form of a tall unicorn mare standing over them as more vines began to rise from the ground.
“Make your way to the park,” Swiftsword barked as she focused on the collection of vines that now stood like a nest of cobras getting ready to strike. “That seems to be the calmest place in town. My friends and I will fend these off.”
The collection of the vines lunged forward, only to drop to the ground as a violet pegasus aileron rolled past, cutting them into ribbons with a pair of wing blades.
More of the vines leaned back before snapping forward, launching a volley of grapes at the unicorn mare who rolled to the side, avoiding the tiny fruit before they exploded.
The vines reached back to launch a second volley, only for an orange light to engulf the plants before they were quickly consumed by flames.
“Hope the farmers aren’t too mad over this,” Forge huffed as he and Hat Trick came to Swift’s side.
“Should it come to it, I will reimburse them for the damages,” Swift firmly replied as she set her sword back in her scabbard. “Come, we must keep going.”
The trio bolted away, leaping over the vineyard’s candy cane fences and took off along the side of the road, now composed entirely of wooden blocks.
Minutes passed before they eventually made their way to the center of town, where they found Winter Gem and Verdant Range catching their breath next to a fountain that was spewing out lime scented soap.
“Range, Gem, status report,” Swift barked, making the two stand at attention and salute almost instantaneously.
“Ma’am, we successfully located Mayor Chestnut Gavel,” Verdant said as he and Gem set their hooves down.
“Unfortunately, she seems to think she’s a cat now,” Gem spoke up as she pointed to her left, where the group saw a brownish-gray unicorn mare playing with a ball of blue yarn on her back, occasionally whacking the ball with her curly dark brown tail.
“Could you get her to the park?” Swift forced down her urge to chuckle at the sight of the mare pouncing on the yarn.
“Have you ever tried to get a cat to go anywhere, Swift?” Gem rolled her eyes and sighed. “I think we’d have an easier time herding foals that’ve eaten a whole candy store.”
Swiftsword took a deep breath and trotted forth. “Very well. For now, we’ll continue to—”
“Help me!” a feminine voice screamed from nearby, making the squad’s ears stand on end. With her ears quickly flexing, Swift found the source of the scream was down about a block away.
“Onward!” Swift charged ahead, the band falling in line by her side with trained ease as they made their way to the scream’s source.
They soon found the screams were coming from a blue and white griffin hen with a black beak sinking into the cobblestone street like quicksand.
“We’re on our way, ma’am!” Swift called out as they headed towards her. They were a few feet away when they slammed into a steel wall that had appeared from literally nowhere.
The quintet started to stumble back when they found that the ground was now a steel floor with a large circle of bread and tomato sauce on top of it, causing them to tumble backwards as they saw stars circling around them. Two more metal walls appeared to go along with the one made of glass that boxed the group in.
Before any of them could get back up, the hen appeared beside them and a rain of heavy cheese gratings and pepperoni slices the size and weight of sewer covers pinned them all down into the saucy dough.
The entire room then began spinning around as all the cheese melted, pinning them to the oversized pizza before the whole thing was shot out the lowered glass door, landing in the street.
“Sound off!” Swift barked as she struggled to rise. The cheese kept her from moving and her horn refused to light under the ton of topping. “Status report!”
“Unable to move, Swift,” Hat Trick spoke up, his snout the only part of him sticking out from layers of cheese.
“Same here,” Winter groaned as she tried to use her earth pony strength to move, not even moving the cheese a millimeter.
“Ay hern on’t erk!” Forge muttered from his buried mouth.
“I think Forge said he can’t use his magic to free us,” Verdant chipped in.
“Faust curse it,” Swift sighed as she ceased her struggle. “This is insanity.”
“You’re telling me,” a sixth voice joined in. “This has got to be the weirdest day ever.”
Swift’s eyes shifted over to her left, where close to her was the hen they had tried to save, now stuck too in the cheese and pepperoni.
“Hi. My name’s Jaylin,” she said as she tried to move a foreleg under the cheesy mess. “I’d try to shake your hoof, but we’re all pretty stuck.”
“Indeed,” Swift casually replied as she tried to spot anyone who could free them. “Still, the sentiment is appreciated.”
“So…” Jaylin clicked her tongue before a moment of awkward silence passed. “Would you say this is the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you guys?”
“Pfft, hardly.” The purple snout sticking out of the pizza smirked. “Our friend Verdant once got a personal tour of Princess Luna’s colon. I’d say that was a lot weirder.”
“Wait, what?”
“Hatty, shut up!” Verdant shouted at the now giggling grin sticking out of the cheese. “I swear, I’m gonna slip ruby reaper into all your food for weeks once we’re out of here.”
“Guys!” a familiar voice came from a nearby alleyway. Looking at the source, Swift saw it was Erica, who was rushing over with a twitching Fruity Punch on her back. “What the Tartarus is going on here?”
“Honestly, we have very little idea, Erica.” Swift’s eyes fell onto the pink unicorn that was writhing in agony on the griffin’s back. “What’s wrong with Punch?”
“I think whatever’s going on is screwing up her internal magic somehow. It’s making her—” Erica was interrupted by the pink unicorn’s sudden scream as one of her forelegs became long, blue and disjointed, her eyes became blood red with electric green sclera, and a single yellow wing that was well over three times the poor pony’s length exploded from her back.
“Sweet Celestia’s flank, what’s happening to her?!” Jaylin shouted, as Punch’s other foreleg became a scaly fin, her coat turning orange and her horn retracted into her forehead.
“M-m-magic…” Punch wheezed as she dragged herself off the griffin’s back, landing with a splat on the cheesy surface, her legs turning back as she struggled to lift herself up again. “Acting up. Everything’s so... chaotic. Do you think this is some sort of divine punishment for failing beautician school?”
“My friends, I ask that you try to get us free,” Swift ignored Punch’s question as she struggled and strained.
“Right,” Erica nodded before trying to swipe at the cheese, only for her talons to have no effect. “Okay, I can’t cut you out. Guess we’ll have to eat you out.”
Gem and Hatty snickered immaturely.
“Which should we start with?” Erica’s eyes darted about the stuck six.
“Start with Forge. His magic should hopefully be able to melt this damnable cheese and get us free much sooner,” Swift said, not seeing the pleading look in Forge’s eyes.
“Right, Forge first,” Erica saluted the unicorn mare before dashing over to Forge’s side. “Now hold still, Forge. I don’t want to accidentally bite you.”
Erica dug into the pizza, her beak just barely missing the unicorn’s face as she tore into the gooey cheese, covering her face in marinara.
Forge’s breathing reached a fevered pitch as his eyes dilated at the sight before him.
Too close! This is far too close to a hungry griffin’s mouth for comfort!
The cobalt blue unicorn felt something nip at his ankles, making him squeal. Looking down, he spotted Fruity Punch, now with a blue mane and a beak tearing into the cheese around his ankles.
“Almost got your horn free, Forge,” Erica spoke through a mouthful of cheese and marinara. “Just give me a second…”
Once the hen had managed to finally free the horn from the cheese, Forge felt as if a horn ring had just been taken off.
In a shining flare of orange light, his horn ignited as the light spread to the rest of the cheese still coating him.
He poured every last ounce of energy he could into his magic, but the cheese didn’t react at all. Not even a singe or a bubble marred the surface.
“Well, that was a bust.” Erica wiped the sauce off of her beak with her foreleg. “How the heck is magic proof cheese a thing?”
“Keep going, Erica!” Swift shouted as she once more tried to pull herself free. “We need to get free as soon as possible!”
“Right,” Erica sighed before letting out a small belch. “I’m gonna need a half-ton of fiber bars after this.”
Erica started to dig in once more, entirely oblivious to Forge’s nervous whimpering.
It was a dazzling spring day in Canterlot. Barrier stood at the edge of the large training yard watching his cadets going through their morning exercises. The palace was sparkling as the sun beamed down on them all.
“It’s a stunning day, isn’t it, Flash?” Barrier said to the gambouge pegasus at his side.
“It sure is, Barrier,” Flash Sentry replied as the two walked out onto the field. “To be honest, there’s just one problem.”
“What’s that, Flash?” Barrier asked, but saw everything seemed to freeze in place, the colors all bleeding away.
“That sadly, this idyllic day is merely a dream,” a familiar mare said as she approached Barrier.
“Of course,” Barrier sighed before he faced the alicorn. “Hello, Luna. What brings you here?”
“I come because I have a potential mission for you and your privates. One that I dare not risk having any knowledge of this being intercepted by others,” the princess said as she came to a halt before him, standing nearly a head taller than the unicorn. “It is a mission that would have some risks for all of you and if you are caught, I will deny any involvement. You’d be completely on your own if it comes to it.”
“Doesn’t sound too different from the old days.” Barrier gave a shrug. “So, what will we be doing?”
***
As evening settled in Vanhoover, the dark unicorn stallion took his seat at the table. Only the five privates remained in the house while the remaining residents had gone out bowling.
“Privates,” Barrier said from the head of the dinner table, eyes gazing out at the gathered young soldiers, each patiently waiting in their chairs. “Princess Luna has asked us to partake in an infiltration mission.”
“May we have some more details, sir?” Swiftsword asked as Barrier picked up a note.
“I’ve written the instructions for what we are to do here,” he said as he gave the note to Swift. “Memorize it, pass it along and once Forge gets it, he’ll incinerate it. What’s on this note is not to leave this table.”
One by one, the paper was passed along between the five ponies. Verdant’s eyes bulged at what the instructions on the note said while Gem covered her mouth in shock. Once Forge finished reading over the note, his magic engulfed it for a moment before it spontaneously burst into flame and was quickly reduced to ash.
“Should we get caught, we will not be protected by the crown and we might even face prison time for this.” Barrier stood up from the table. “However, this mission can only happen if we all agree to this.”
“My friends.” Swift waved her friends over to her seat, where the five huddled close and started to mutter to one another.
After nearly three minutes, the quintet separated and Swift cleared her throat. “We have come to a decision, sir… We’re in.”
“Excellent,” Barrier gave a nod. “After I go to sleep, I’ll contact Luna so she can provide us with supplies. Verdant, I want you to start to brew up what the note called for immediately.”
“Yes sir,” the shamrock stallion nervously said before tossing up a salute.
***
Two days after the meeting at the table, a parcel arrived for the household sent by someone going by the name ‘Selene’. Within the crate was a set of disguises, along with vials full of potions.
“Everypony, I hope you’re ready,” Barrier said as the five each started to examine the crate’s contents. “The mission begins tonight.”
Hatty gave a nervous swallow before he and the rest of his squad saluted the unicorn.
***
The moon hung high in the sky as midnight drew closer and closer. Hidden by a small grove of trees, Barrier, Swiftsword and Verdant were waiting outside of a massive palace.
The two unicorns were draped in armor that was enchanted to disguise them as guards while Verdant was covered in a black bodysuit with a padded bandolier that contained a wide collection of small glass vials.
“Ready to proceed, sir,” Swift whispered as Verdant took a purple vial from his belt and quickly drank down its contents before covering his face with the suit’s face mask. In a matter of seconds, the stallion had shrunk down to the size of a pea.
“Wait for the signal,” Barrier replied as Swift lit up her horn and quickly hid Verdant within the hair of her tail.
Several tense, quiet moments passed. Barrier and Swift kept their eyes firmly locked on a distant part of the city on the other side of the intimidating palace.
Finally, a light shot up into the air before exploding in the sky. The firework was quickly joined by several other bursts of light in the inky blackness of the night.
“Now,” Barrier whispered before he and Swift charged forward, keeping to the shadows.
As they approached the palace, they spotted several armored guards heading from the castle and towards the source of the fireworks as even more began to go off far overhead. Barrier took particular note of the guards with leathery wings flying overhead.
The pair halted as a set of guards ran past them. Once they were out of sight, the two managed to slip inside.
***
On the far side of the palace, a trio of ponies in garish guises were patiently waiting, their eyes all locked on a clock.
“Steady,” Winter Gem, garbed in black and white pleather, a pair of spiky green mane and tail wigs and her face painted in pink and purple streaks that made her resemble the hood of a cobra.
Hatty nodded as he hefted a boombox upon his shoulders. His coat was painted white while he wore curly golden yellow wigs that managed to stand out from his golden pleather jacket and tight black pleather pants.
Forge’s horn glowed orange, revealing his coat was dyed brown with mane and tail covered by slicked back purple wigs. His clothing was much less elaborate than that of his companions, a simple red flannel shirt and blue jeans.
Soon, the clock struck midnight. The time had arrived.
“Now!” Gem whispered as she charged towards a trash can, giving it a hard kick and launching it over a wall and onto the palace grounds.
After several of the blasts burst in the air, Hatty flew up over the fence while Gem kept wrecking things like stop signs, lampposts and carts and Forge continued to shoot fireworks into the sky.
“Heads up, guys!” he called out. “The guards are on the way!”
“Good,” Gem said with a grunt as she pulled a stop sign from the ground, along with some cement. “Remember to keep them in your sight as long as possible. We need to buy the rest as much time as we can.”
“Hey, you!” a voice came from one of the winged warriors that flew over the stone fence. “You’re under arrest by the authority of—”
“Cheese it!” Gem shouted with a Trottingham accent. She and her compatriots each took off in a different direction. The flying guards split up as they attempted to pursue the three.
***
Deep within the palace, Barrier and Swift carefully made their way through the darkened hallways. With what little light was given from the moon and some candles that dimly lit the halls, the two grew closer and closer to their destination.
Here’s hoping Luna’s intel was right and there’s a gap in the defenses’ schedule.
After a few minutes, the two arrived outside a set of doors that were unguarded.
“We’re here,” Barrier whispered, recognizing the door from some of Luna’s instructions.
Quickly, Barrier and Swift took their places outside the doors, making themselves appear as if they were nothing more than guards who were keeping watch of a room.
Within the dark blue strands of Swift’s tail, a stirring came as Verdant worked his way towards the door. Once he reached the floor, the shrunken stallion took off like a shot and squeezed his way under the gap in the door.
“I’m in,” Verdant whispered to himself as he took in the sight of the dimly lit room. In the center of the room was a large island that had a set of pots, pans and knives hanging above it. To the right was a collection of stoves, ovens and sinks. On the left were several refrigerators, cabinets and cupboards.
Bingo. the shamrock stallion thought to himself as he reached into his belt of potions. Pulling back his mask and taking a swig from one of the green vials, he soon found himself returning to his original size.
As quietly as he could, Verdant replaced his mask and moved towards the refrigerators, stepping as if the floor were made of bubble wrap, softly creeping forward one hoof at a time. Arriving at the first fridge, he cautiously pried it open to a narrow gap.
A smirk was hidden behind his face mask. In front of him laid the bottle he was after. It was a rather mundane looking glass bottle that was filled with a red sauce. He gently reached in and plucked the bottle from the shelf.
Suddenly, a noise came that made the blood in his veins turn to ice. It was a voice from the other side of the door Barrier and Swift stood at.
“Good evening, my little ponies.” A feminine voice yawned. It was one he both respected and in this moment, feared.
***
Barrier and Swift kept their eyes focused on the window in front of them. They could see the occasional firework shoot off into the sky.
As the two kept their eyes forward like the disciplined guards they were, the sound of approaching hoofsteps made their ears prick up in attention. The gaps between the steps seemed oddly long.
Glancing left towards the source, Barrier spotted a sight that made him start to sweat under his helm while also needing to hold back a bit of a chuckle. Approaching him and Swift was Princess Celestia, not wearing her typical gilded attire, but only a pink bathrobe and a set of fuzzy slippers that bore her cutie mark’s image on each of her hooves.
“Good evening, my little ponies,” the princess gave a yawn as she drew closer, covering her mouth before coming to a halt in front of the pair. “Anything to note on your shift?”
“Nothing too notable, princess,” Barrier said in a voice that made the unicorn sound like he was a sailor who subsisted on a diet of cigarettes and spinach. “We’ve remained at our post, though some ponies had to go to deal with the fireworks going off outside.”
“Hmm… any idea what could be the cause of it?” The alicorn mare raised a hoof to her chin as she looked towards the disguised Swiftsword.
“We’ve been focused on the task assigned, your highness,” Swift answered in a deep voice with a Neigh Orleans accent.
“Very well.” Celestia nodded before standing between the two of them. “At any rate, I’m going to have a midnight snack. Alone.” She then looked towards Barrier, who gave a nod and nosed his head past the door.
To his relief, it appeared that the kitchen was empty. It seemed that Verdant had managed to hide himself.
“Coast seems clear, your highness.” Barrier pulled his head back and took his position once again as the princess pushed her way past the double doors, making her way into the darkened kitchen.
***
Verdant, knowing he had very little time, quickly stowed the snatched bottle in his bandolier while pulling out a seemingly identical bottle before putting it in the fridge.
Hopefully she doesn’t notice the bottle’s fuller than it was before, the stallion thought to himself as he quickly grabbed a violet vial from the bandolier and drank it down. Just after the fridge was quietly sealed shut, Verdant was reduced to the size of a pea once more.
Right as Barrier stuck his head in to quickly sweep the room, Verdant ducked his way under the gap of one of the cupboards next to the fridge.
A moment after Barrier withdrew his head from the door, Verdant felt the room quake as Princess Celestia made her way into the room and drew closer. He was rather grateful that instead of flicking the lights on, the mighty mountain of a mare was only using the faint light of her shimmering horn to help her see.
This allowed the shrunken stallion to remain concealed, though he felt his stomach quake with each footstep she took. The rumbling was like thunder each time her slipper clad hooves impacted the floor and it grew worse and worse as she drew closer to the fridge Verdant was standing beside.
Celestia’s horn lit brightly as she opened the refrigerator, bathing the room in light.
Don’t notice, don’t notice, don’t notice! Verdant mentally screamed as the alicorn stuck her head in the fridge right next to the bottle. To his tremendous relief, she seemed to not notice as she pulled her head back out with several sticks of celery and a jar of cheese spread in her magical aura.
She then opened the cupboard above the little pony and pulled out a box of raisins before closing the fridge, cloaking the kitchen in mostly darkness once more, save for the faint glow of her horn.
Before Verdant could let out a sigh of relief, Celestia turned around. Her movements caused her ethereal tail to sweep up the shrunken stallion. He chose not to struggle against the tail to avoid attracting her attention. With a minor flick of the tail, Verdant was sent skidding across the kitchen floor before coming to a halt behind her as she came up to the kitchen’s island.
Verdant tried to stand up until he looked up and saw that, to his horror, Princess Celestia’s massive mountain of a rear had started to hurtle towards him as she started to sit. He fought the urge to scream as he tried to flee while her flank fell towards him like a meteor. He pushed himself as hard as he could to try to get back under the cupboard, but his current size rendered his attempt to escape moot.
A mighty crash echoed all around him and he found himself trapped in between the cheeks of the princess’s prominent plot. The flank flesh was nearly smothering him as he was bombarded by her body heat and weight pressing all around him.
Don’t say ‘how could this get any worse’, Verdant. He thought to himself as he was engulfed by darkness and the royal rump. If you say that, at best you’ll get farted on. At worst, you’ll either be crushed to death or sucked inside her butt.
While Verdant was trapped, Celestia was humming to herself while she filled the celery stalks with cheese spread before putting a trail of raisins atop. Once her treats were complete, she happily savored the snack, oblivious to the pony underneath her.
After a few minutes, the princess had finished off her snack, topped off with a belch suppressed by her hoof covering her mouth. Even then, it was loud enough to be heard by the two outside the kitchen and like a volcanic explosion to her prisoner.
“Pardon me,” she elegantly whispered before she rose up, unaware that she was taking Verdant along with her.
At least I’m not being crushed nearly as much anymore. Verdant thought before he slowly climbed his way down between the royal buns. Unfortunately, his tiny movements were enough to give the princess an itch, so she quickly shook her hind end back and forth.
Verdant managed to remain wedged between the cheeks, so Celestia brought a hoof to her buttocks and started to rub her cheeks around. The movement of her hoof squished the cheeks together before prying them apart, making Verdant plummet to the floor, landing hard on his back.
To the shamrock stallion’s great fortune, his small size allowed him to survive the fall without injury while Celestia was relieved her itch had ceased. With her itch relieved and her belly full, the princess made her way out of the kitchen while Verdant ran back under the cupboard.
A few moments after the princess had left and he was certain he’d be uninterrupted, Verdant pulled a green vial from his belt and drank it down. Once he returned to normal size, he opened the fridge once more and grabbed the bottle he’d left there.
Pulling the original bottle from his bandolier along with an empty one, he carefully compared the amounts of red sauce in both bottles and uncapped his before pouring some of the sauce into the empty one. Once certain that both matching bottles were filled to the same point, he placed his bottle back in the fridge and stored the other two once more.
Mission accomplished. Verdant smiled behind his mask as he crept towards the door and pulled a violet potion from his belt. Drinking it down, he soon shrank down enough that he was able to squeeze under the door’s gap once more.
Once he was back in the hallway, Verdant darted across the floor before leaping into the forest of blue hair that was Swift’s tail. He quickly wrapped a bit of one of her hair strands around his waist. He was ready for the next phase of the plan.
***
In the city of Canterlot, the guards were scrambling to find the garishly dressed trouble makers. Their efforts seemed fruitless.
Eventually, the guards were drawn to a source of smoke that came from near a fountain in the central town plaza. When Starshine and a light blue thestral stallion arrived at the scene, they found the source of the smoke was a fire in a dumpster that contained the remnants of the trio’s clothes, reduced to only the smallest of scraps.
“Dammit all,” Starshine grumbled as her horn glowed a brilliant green and her magic pulled the tiny scraps from the dumpster. “They’ve given us the slip.”
“Ma’am, do you wish to keep looking for them?” the thestral asked as he approached the golden unicorn.
“Don’t bother, Esi,” Starshine sighed as she closed the lid of the dumpster. “By now, they’re likely long gone and probably in a bar, blending in with the late night crowd. Just get a forensics team to investigate this dumpster and the stuff they damaged.”
“Yes ma’am.” the silver maned thestral saluted before he and the mare departed.
A minute after the two had left, a trio of ponies emerged from the fountain, coughing and sputtering.
“Urgh, I thought they’d never leave,” Gem wheezed before coughing up some water.
“I wish I didn’t sacrifice that boombox,” Hatty said as he shook some of the water from his wings. “Hopefully the sewer rats like The Misfits.”
“I think I swallowed some bits,” Forge said before he coughed, making a couple gold coins clatter on the ground.
“Hopefully we bought the others enough time,” Gem interjected as Forge’s horn lit up. An orange aura washed over the three and quickly dried them off before Gem started to move. “C’mon, boys. We don’t have much time until the rendezvous.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the two stallions replied as Hatty quickly fell in line behind Gem. Forge only briefly stopped to pick up the two coins from the ground before following.
***
Outside the royal kitchen, things were rather dull and quiet.
The only thing to break the silence was when Barrier pulled a pocket watch from his night guard armor.
“Time to head out,” Barrier whispered and left his ‘post’. “If Verdant’s not with us, he’s on his own.”
“Roger that,” Swift said as she followed Barrier.
In a matter of minutes, the two had left the palace and made their way back to their former lookout spot hidden in the small grove. With a quick flare of their horns, hidden gemstones in the armor pieces started to glow. Once the light from the gems died down, the armor crumbled to dust and the enchantment disguising them faded away. He and Swift then picked up their saddlebags which had been hidden within the bushes.
As the next part of the plan, the two soon arrived at the train station, where the rest of their party was waiting for them.
“Perfect timing,” Hatty nodded as Barrier’s magic pulled a set of train tickets from his saddlebags and gave them to each of his companions.
In a matter of moments, the train was ready to board and the squad quickly made their way aboard. The five found an empty cabin for them to settle into before the train started to take off.
“Right.” Barrier closed his eyes to try to ignore the rumbling of the train as it pulled away from the station and began to pick up speed. “Is Verdant—”
Suddenly, on the floor in front of him, the shamrock pony seemed to appear from nowhere as he returned to his regular size. “Present.”
“Very good.” The obsidian unicorn nodded as Verdant gave a stretch. “I assume you pulled off the switch?”
“Yes, sir, but not without issue.” Verdant gave a roll of his shoulders before pulling back his face mask. “I had to shrink back down really quickly so the princess wouldn’t see me.”
“Wait, Princess Celestia showed up?” Sweat poured from Forge’s brow as he asked. “What was she doing there this late?”
“Getting a midnight snack, apparently,” Swift answered as she leaned back in her seat. “Still, I don’t believe she saw through our disguises, so things went rather smoothly.”
“Easy for you to say.” Verdant gave a roll of his eyes before he glared at the noblemare. “I got swept up by her tail before being trapped under her butt! While she was having her snack, I had to spend several minutes being completely covered from head to hoof by her royal rump.”
Lucky bastard. Barrier thought as he resisted the urge to glare at the verdant stallion in slight envy.
“At any rate, can I please have my ticket, Barrier?” Verdant asked as he held out a hoof to him.
“Sure thing,” Barrier replied as he opened his saddlebag and started to search through it. “Uh-oh…”
“Uh-oh? What uh-oh?” Verdant worriedly swallowed.
“It looks like I only got five tickets for the trip back to Vanhoover. It looks like you’ll need to shrink back down, just in case the staff comes by to check us.” Barrier stated, making the green earth pony smack a hoof against his face.
“Dammit all,” Verdant muttered before reaching into his bandolier for one of the purple potions.
“Before you do that, there’s something I need to say, Verdant.” A grin stretched across Barrier’s face as he pulled the sixth ticket from his saddlebag and floated it in front of the earth pony’s face. “April Fools.”
Verdant glared daggers while the rest had a laugh at his expense. “Bastard,” he muttered as he grabbed the ticket.
***
The next morning in Canterlot palace, Princess Luna gave a yawn as she took her seat at the breakfast table where her sister and fellow princess was eagerly awaiting her.
“Good morning, Luna,” the alabaster alicorn cheerfully said as she held up a teapot. “May I offer you some tea?”
“Yes, please,” the midnight blue mare flared her horn, lifting up a fine porcelain cup that Celestia quickly filled. Luna took a deep breath, savoring the aroma before she took an elegant sip of the brew. “Excellent tea, sister. Tastes a bit sweeter than usual.”
“Thanks. I had it specially prepared just for you,” Celestia stated as she set the teapot down before levitating a plate with a stack of pancakes before her. “I get the feeling this will be a delightful morning.” She then flipped the top off her bottle of strawberry syrup and drenched her pancakes.
Luna sipped more of her tea to hide her grin while Celestia started to cut into her pancakes. The princess of the sun cut a fairly large chunk of the syrup coated treat and lifted it to her lips.
The solar mare, deciding to forgo royal etiquette since the only pony in the room with her was her sister, quickly shoved the chunk into her mouth and rapidly chewed the fluffy food. Her eyes closed as she savored the delightful tastes.
Celestia let out a hum of satisfaction when suddenly, her eyes shot open and her pupils shrank to the size of gnats at the feeling in her mouth. It felt as if her mouth had been set ablaze and turned into a raging inferno.
“Gyyaaaaahhhh!” she screamed as she fell back in her chair before she quickly tried to scrape the familiar burning feeling from her tongue. While she tried to free herself from the torment her breakfast had caused her, Luna had toppled over laughing at her sister’s misfortune.
“Bwahahahahaahahaha!” Luna held her ribs as she flew over to her sister’s side. “What’s wrong, Sister? Does your breakfast not agree with you?”
“Luna…” Celestia huffed as she pulled herself to her feet. She spoke through gritted teeth as she tried to ignore her agony. “Did you do this?”
“No, Celestia. I did not.” Luna landed in front of her sister and dismissively waved. “I just had some of Barrier’s privates cause a distraction so he and the rest of the privates could sneak into the kitchen and switch your strawberry syrup with a sauce made from ruby reaper peppers.” The midnight mare declared proudly before gasping at her words and covering her mouth with her hooves. “Why? Why did I say that?”
“April Fools, Luna.” Celestia sported a wicked but strained grin as she rose to her hooves and stared down at the smaller alicorn. “I was hoping to get around whatever pranks you’d set up by slipping some truth serum in your tea, but it seems you managed to get the better of me.”
“Ah… heh heh… Well, it was a good prank… wasn’t it?” Luna gulped as Celestia marched towards her and the grin she sported grew more maniacal.
***
Thank Faust this damned day is almost over. Barrier thought as he set the last of the dishes on the drying rack. It went without saying that he had found himself the victim of several pranks throughout the day.
First was that somepony put cling wrap on his toilet, creating quite the disgusting mess. Then he learned somepony had emptied out his flask and replaced his scotch with apple juice. And then, just when he was about to enjoy the salad he made, he found himself called away by Fleet. During that brief instant, somepony had mixed in bits of Hollow Shades phantom peppers into his lunch.
Still, at least my mouth was probably in less pain than the princess’ was. He chuckled to himself as he pulled the plug from the sink. As he was about to pull away, a knocking came from the door.
In a flash, Barrier was at the manor’s door. Opening it with a flare of his magic, he was rather surprised to see Starshine and five thestrals in full armor were on his front step and instinctively tensed before he noticed that some ways behind them on the lawn were the princesses alongside a pony covered from head to hoof in dark clothes. Celestia was sporting a look of fury that Barrier had never seen on her before while Luna seemed to be unable to face him.
“Magic Barrier, are Swiftsword, Hat Trick, Winter Gem, Iron Forge and Verdant Range present?” the gold mare asked as Fleetfeather and Windy flew over from the living room.
“Yeah,” Barrier confusedly replied before turning towards the stairs. “Kids, come down here. Lieutenant Starshine wants us.” He barked. In a matter of seconds, the five quickly arrived at the base of the stairs and formed a line.
“So, what brings you all the way out here?” Barrier asked as her horn glowed and a scroll floated out of her saddlebags.
“I am here on Princess Celestia’s orders to carry out your summary executions for the act of treason you pulled this morning,” Starshine said as she wagged the scroll in front of Barrier’s nose.
“Oh, yeah. Hard-dee-har-har.” Barrier gave a roll of his eyes as Fleet grabbed a hold of the scroll and unfurled it. “I’m getting rather sick of April Fools pranks today. Tell me, how many of the taxpayers' bits were blown on this little prank?”
“Barrier…” Fleet was somewhat pale as she faced the charcoal stallion. “She’s not joking. I’ve looked over the order here. It looks like a real order to have the six of you summarily executed.”
“What?!” Barrier was taken aback and his magic snatched the scroll from Fleetfeather’s hooves. He could only scan over three lines before Starshine snatched the scroll away and stowed it away in her saddlebags.
“Come out, Barrier,” Celestia barked out as she and Luna stepped away from the gate. “We all must die sometime.”
“I suggest you don’t try to run away from this,” Starshine pulled out from the door as Barrier’s dark coat quickly grew pale. “You’ll only make things worse for yourself.”
Barrier only weakly sighed as trotted out onto the lawn, Starshine falling in beside him before she halted him. Soon the thestral guards had lined up the privates beside him.
“Please, don’t do this to them!” Wind Whistler rushed up to Barrier’s side. “I’m sure it was just meant as a joke!”
“Sorry, kid.” The small filly was pulled away by Starshine’s aura and placed in her mother’s hooves. “I have my orders and I must follow them.”
In a matter of moments, Barrier and his privates were quickly put in chains, along with horn rings atop his, Swift and Forge’s heads. As the chains were secured around them, a gathering started to form outside the house’s gate. Barrier recognized a number of the townsfolk who were bearing witness. Erica and Snow were both pale with worry as chains were secured around Verdant and Forge’s hooves. Drumstick and Clean Cut were trying to cover Crispy’s eyes and hold him back as he tried to fly over the gate. Belmont had tears in his eyes as he looked upon Gem.
The crowd was making quite a commotion that was silenced with a single flare of Princess Celestia’s massive wings.
“Magic Barrier of the Sparkle family.” Her commanding voice echoed. Barrier could hear Verdant shaking in his shackles as the towering white mare drew closer, glaring down the six of them. “You are guilty of tainting my food with ruby reaper sauce. Doing such is an act of treason against Equestria, the crown and myself.
“Your five associates, Swiftsword of the Falchion family, Iron Forge of the Fires family, Winter Gem of the Apple family, Hat Trick of the Cards family and Verdant Range of the Greens family, are all guilty of being accessories in your treason.
“For this act of betrayal, the six of you are to be summarily executed via cannon fire.” With only a glance as a signal, the executioner drew closer with a dark gray cannon. “Do you have any last words?”
Barrier’s only response was a soul-withering glare that he kept locked squarely on the princess.
“So this is how the Falchion line ends,” Swiftsword whispered to herself as she tried to stand tall. “Executed as a traitor. How far we’ve fallen.”
“I love you, Erica!” Verdant shouted as tears formed in his eyes. The hen covered her beak and sadly looked away.
“Snow Sweeper,” Forge called out. “You’ve made me the happiest stallion in all of Equestria! I love you!” Forge said before swallowing hard.
Winter Gem and Hatty simply looked each other in the eye and held their chained hooves together. No words needed to be passed for them in this final moment.
“Very well.” Celestia gave a nod as she pulled back. “Lieutenant, the blindfolds.”
Starshine horn glowed as she pulled six blindfolds from her saddlebags and started to wrap them around the six’ eyes. She started with Hatty and went to the left, ending with Barrier.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see this,” Starshine sinisterly whispered as she tightly tied the blindfold on.
“Then I’ll take solace knowing you were incapable of doing it under your own power.” With his eyes covered in darkness, Barrier couldn’t see if his statement had elicited a response from Starshine, only hearing her walk away, followed shortly by the guards who moved with her.
“Ready…” Celestia barked, silencing everything once more.
“Aim…” Barrier drew a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly as he braced himself for the coming end.
“FIRE!” The order echoed out and Barrier was struck in the face by the launched projectile.
To his shock, the shot was little more than a soft splat against his muzzle.
The sound of magic came from behind his head as the blindfold was loosened before Barrier felt something sliding off his face and plinking against the ground in front of him.
With his eyes now freed, he saw what was on the ground was a pie tin with bits of banana cream. Looking to his left, he saw the privates had also received pies to the face.
Barrier’s eyes were drawn away from them as he turned to the sound of Starshine’s bellowing laughter.
“Bwhahahahahaha!” the golden unicorn had her forelegs wrapped around her sides, trying to keep from falling over in her raucous laughter.
“Was… was all this your plan, your highness?” Swift cautiously asked of the alabaster alicorn.
“No. This was what Starshine asked for before we set off and I decided to allow her to have her fun,” Celestia replied as she stepped closer to the executioner behind the cannon. “This however, is a part of my plan. FIRE!”
At the princess’ command, the executioner pulled a rope on the back of the cannon. A loud boom echoed throughout the block as the six ponies were blasted to the ground, covered from head to hoof in black gunk.
The squad weakly got up as Barrier tried to shake some of the black goop from his forehooves. Before he could get up, he found the executioner was now standing uncomfortably close to his face.
“Now we’re even,” the pony said in a deep and gravelly voice that managed to send an intimidating shiver down Barrier’s spine, despite the fact he was over a head taller than them.
“Even?” Barrier tilted his head in confusion. “Even for what?” he asked as the pony brought a hoof to the bottom of their mask and quickly pulled it back.
Barrier’s eyes became the size of pinpricks at the sight of the pony behind the mask. It was somepony Barrier had hoped to never see again, the stallion all too aware of why he felt the fear. It was a pony straight out of his nightmares.
“For punching me in the face, silly!” Pinkie Pie chuckled and snorted. “April Fools! I hope you had fun with my Ink Cannon.” She then shot out her massive tongue and with a single long lick, swept off most of the cream and ink from Barrier’s face before shuddering. “Hmm… Note to self, banana cream and squid ink do not make a good combination.”
“B-but the cannon…” Barrier stuttered as Pinkie quickly bounced over to the gray cannon. To his surprise, Pinkie seemed to pull a sheet off the cannon, revealing her blue and pink party cannon underneath. “I… Oh, screw it.”
As Barrier grumbled, Princess Celestia approached with a soft smile on her face. She then pressed her hoof against his snout and childishly stuck out her tongue. “April Fools, Barrier.”
“Princess,” Barrier grumbled as her magic undid the chains and pulled away the horn rings. “Making ponies think they’re about to be executed isn’t really funny.”
An eyebrow rose on the princess as she smirked. “So says Mr. ‘Hang by the neck until bread’?”
Barrier opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it a moment later and look away, mumbling to himself about circumstance. He was rather grateful that some ink dripped down from his mane to hide his blush.
“Thank you for attending, everypony,” Princess Celestia looked out to the crowd outside the gate as she approached. “I hope you all had a pleasant April Fools day and have a—” She was silenced as her hoof caught a cord hidden in the lawn’s grass. A projectile launched out from one of the bushes by the gate, but it was stopped a good five meters away as it was caught in Starshine’s magic.
“Aww, I wanted my chocolate pudding balloon to hit somepony,” Wind Whistler grumbled as she scuffed her hoof against the ground.
“Nice try, little one. Maybe next year.” Celestia said as Starshine set the balloon on the ground.
Princess Luna flew over to Barrier and the cadets and flared her horn. In a flash, the six were cleaned of all traces of pie and ink. “I’m sorry about all this, Barrier. Celestia slipped some truth serum into my tea and she made me confess to having you all take part in replacing her syrup.”
Barrier let out a sigh. “It’s okay, Luna. At least nopony was hurt and this was a good constipation cure. Still, I’m not a fan of the taste of my own medicine.”
“If it’s of any comfort,” Luna leaned closer to whisper into Barrier’s ear. “I still have one last thing up my sleeve. Sister believes I only have one practical joke planned and didn’t ask if I had anything else in store.”
“Diabolical,” Barrier grinned and gave a chuckle. “Could you send me a photo when it’s done?”
“I’ll make sure of it.” Luna smiled and nodded before pulling away. “Farewell, Barrier. Have a pleasant evening.”
“The same to you, Luna,” nodded back before pulling out his flask and speaking directly to it. “We’re gonna get really close with one another before this night is through.”
Once the princesses and their entourage departed, Erica and Snow both rushed over to Verdant and Forge and pulled them into great big hugs.
“Sir,” Swift said as she approached Barrier’s side, a hint of repressed anger was clear in her tone. “Remind me to never aid you in a practical joke ever again.”
“Duly noted, Swift.” Barrier replied before taking a swig and letting out a sigh. “I think I’m out of the pranking game from now on. At least until I can think of one that won’t backfire or leave any evidence tracing back to us.
***
Princess Celestia let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of her shower. Besides the prank with her pancakes, her April Fools day had gone rather swimmingly. She managed to pull a few harmless pranks such as using whoopee cushions on Shining Armor and Starshine, slipping green tongue dye in Fancy Pants’ tea and replacing Twilight Sparkle’s ink with disappearing ink.
April Fools is always such a great time of year. Especially when you’re the one that gets to have the last laugh. Celestia chuckled to herself as she used her magic to wipe the steam off her bathroom mirror. She briefly admired her appearance before she saw her coat was starting to change color. Her soft white coat seemed to fade away, leaving a vibrant pink in its place.
“I… but how? Who did—” she found herself cut off when she saw a bright flash and heard a click from the corner of her vision. Standing in her bathroom door was Luna, sporting a wicked grin with a camera in her hooves.
“April Fools, Sister!” Luna said with a chuckle right as a grandfather clock in Celestia’s bedroom chimed. Midnight had come and the day of pranks had ended. “Next time, ask if I laid out more than one prank.” The midnight blue mare mirthfully said before running off.
“LUNA!!!” Celestia bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice before giving chase, following the now cackling alicorn into the halls while she was still dripping wet.
***
The next evening, as Barrier was sitting back and picking at a bag of chips, a folder materialized in front of him in a blue flash.
Curious, Barrier cautiously opened the folder and pulled out a letter.
My back-up practical joke was a complete success, though I’m currently being punished by not being allowed any of my favorite foods for a week. I would say this is a small price to pay for this victory. Included in this folder are a collection of photographs I took of her with her current coat. I hope you enjoy them.
- H.R.H. Luna of Equestria
P.S. Celestia has still been unable to remove the pink dye I slipped her. She loathes it and wishes for you to bring a Miss Color Splash to Canterlot to remedy this at your earliest possible convenience.
Barrier sighed before pulling out some of the photographs. Well, at least it will give me an excuse to get out and see Night Light and Velvet again
The charcoal stallion started to flick through some of the photos Luna had taken of her elder sister. He chuckled at the photos of Celestia when she first saw her changed coat, her angrily chasing after Luna through the palace halls while soaked and her pouting upon her throne.
When he reached the fourth photo however, Barrier was rather stunned. It was a rather up close photograph of Celestia’s royal rump. Written in the white space under the photo in dark blue ink were the words, “I know you’ll love this”.
Barrier gave a roll of his eyes before sliding the photos back into the folder and tossing it onto a coffee table. “Friggin’ Luna.” The unicorn let out a sigh before returning his attention back to his chips.
Hours had passed since Barrier had taken to the skies from Baltimare. The journey to Canterlot had become quite an annoying and tiring trip for him and the mare pulling him along.
Barrier’s eyes strained to stay open as he and Crimson Tide flew as fast as her wings could carry her, partially due to the wind in his eyes and partially from the rain made of fried shrimp. He tired of it quickly.
“Any signs we’re near Canterlot?” Barrier asked as he caught some of the falling shrimp in his aura and took a bite.
“‘Fraid not, boss,” Tide huffed as she tried to keep them level, her face starting to look as red as her mane. “Bad news, though. I don’t think I can keep us going much longer.”
“How much farther can you take us?” Barrier asked as calmly as he could with a mouth full of shrimp and trying to hide his worry. A quick glance to the side was enough to tell him they were high enough to die from a fall.
“I think…” her breathing was deep and hard as the pair started to glide downwards. “I’m gonna hit the ground… and then I’ll just die…”
The pegasus kept her wings going as long as possible, but the two eventually dropped. Barrier’s horn ignited, swiftly forming an angled but otherwise flat magic shield for the pair to slide down before the two of them could crash face first into the ground.
To the surprise of the pair, instead of grass and hard dirt, the ground they struck was made of green frosting and soft chocolate cake.
“Sorry I…” Crimson Tide wheezed as she tried to pull herself up, only to collapse back into the chocolatey frosted ground beneath her hooves. “Sorry I couldn’t get you to Canterlot, boss.”
“You tried your best,” Barrier replied as he pulled himself from the orange chariot and used his magic to wipe some of the frosting and shrimp from his face as he gazed around, trying to spot any familiar landmarks in the warped world. “That looks to be Rambling Rock Ridge, so you got us pretty damn far.”
“Thanks there,” the mare weakly waved from her spot in the sugary ground. “If you give me an hour or three to recover, I think I can get us the rest of the way.”
“I have a better idea,” Barrier said as his horn lit once more, picking up the giant orange and the exhausted mare and placing her on the stallion’s back while the orange continued to float behind him. “You recover and I’ll try to get as far I can on hoof until you’re feeling up to flying again.”
“Here’s hoping we can get pretty far before WHAT IN THE NAME OF FAUST IS THAT?!” Tide screamed at the sight of a dome of rainbow light stretching across the land. The pegasus braced herself while Barrier stood stock still as the light washed over them.
Once the light had swept over the two, the land had returned to a state of normality. The green covering the ground was once again fresh grass with the ground beneath a firm soil with not a sign of cake, frosting or fried seafood in sight.
“Hope this just means things have taken care of themselves without too much trouble.” Barrier marched on, headed towards the tiny speck that was a mountain far in the distance.
***
In Vanhoover, Erica had just finished eating away the last bit of cheese that kept Verdant bound to the giant pizza.
“Alright everyone,” Swiftsword addressed the freed soldiers, a groaning Punch who looked more salamander than pony at this point, and the two griffins with them as she tried to pull some leftover cheese from her mane. “Now that we’re free, we should head out and check on everyone in the park before—”
“Swift, over there!” Gem interrupted and pointed a hoof towards the horizon, where a wall of rainbow light barreled towards them.
They shut their eyes as the glaring light washed over the city. When the light had died down, they opened their eyes to see the buildings had been restored to their former appearance and substances while any trace of the giant oven or pizza had been wiped away.
“Well…” Swift clicked her tongue as her eyes swept over the street, looking for any trace of lingering strangeness. “That seems to have cleared things up. Still, we should head for the park to check on the ponies we guided there. Ready to move out?”
“Gimme a minute or two,” Punch groaned as she emerged from an alley, leaning against its wall. “My…everything is killing me after whatever the hay that was.”
“Very well, my friend.” Swift gave the pink unicorn a nod before looking at the others there, seeing how Erica had become a sickly green. “Erica, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Erica groaned and dismissively waved. “I just had too much to eat. Give me a minute to—” The hen’s face became a much brighter green as her cheeks bulged out. Covering her mouth, the griffin bolted over to a nearby trash can. “BLAURGH!!!”
Verdant winced at the sickening sound coming from Erica before darting to her side, where he started to rub the sick griffin’s back. “Swift, request permission to stay here until Erica’s feeling better.”
“Granted, Verdant.” The azure unicorn looked away and started to march. “The rest of you, with me. We’re heading for the park.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Hatty, Gem and Forge shouted back in unison as they quickly followed behind her with Punch dragging her sore self along after them.
“Eh,” Jaylin gave a shrug before following after the five ponies. “In for a bit, in for a bunch.”
“Thanks for sticking around, Verdant,” Erica hoarsely said as she pulled her head from the can, showing the sickly griffin’s face no longer matched Verdant’s coat.
“Don’t sweat it,” the earth pony tenderly replied, giving her a pat on the back. “I’m staying here as long as you need.”
“Thanks. I think I’m gonna be here a whi—” Erica plunged her head back into the can’s opening, where the sound of violent retching could be heard from within.
***
Night had fallen by the time Barrier had managed to pull himself and Tide up to Canterlot, where things seemed peaceful, for the most part, save for the sight of some ponies fixing the occasional sign and some police by the museum as Barrier made his way to his way to the palace gate.
“Sir!” Moonstone saluted before she opened up the front gate for him.
“Thank you, Moonstone,” Barrier nodded as he passed by the unicorn. “Have a good evening.”
Shortly after making his way into the palace, Barrier came upon Shining Armor with Celestia’s assistant at his side as he was giving orders to a collection of thestrals in violet armor.
“Evening Brew, Esi, check the north-western quadrant and report back in thirty. Ruby Delfino and Moonbeam, same for the south-west. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the four barked in unison before they took to the air and flew off.
“How are you holding up, Shining Armor?” Barrier drew closer, watching the alabaster stallion’s shoulders slump.
“Tired, Barrier. Really tired,” Shining sighed as he looked to the obsidian unicorn. “Things were crazy once Discord got loose, not helped by him making most of the guards think they were puppies and turning our weapons, armor, even our Faust cursed wings and horns into plastic.”
“Well, I’m sure you did everything you could,” Barrier gave the tired stallion a pat on the shoulder. “Not much you can do when you’re dealing with a reality warper.”
“Thanks,” The faintest trace of a smile graced Shining’s features, only to vanish just as quickly. “Still, this sort of thing isn’t good for morale or the guard’s public image. In a matter of months, we had no less than three superpowered threats show up and the guard wasn’t able to do much for a single one.”
“I know you and the guards did everything you can, captain,” Raven spoke up as she adjusted her glasses.
“Thanks, Raven. I appreciate it,” Shining replied before letting out a tired sigh. “Still, having a group of six untrained civilians always saving the day while the guard is left helpless doesn’t reflect well on… well anybody really, but especially the guards.”
“Excuse me, Miss Raven,” Barrier interjected and rolled his shoulders, showing the sleeping pegasus he was carrying. “Could you please find a room for this mare? She provided emergency transport for me today from Baltimare. Also, send me a bill for her train ticket back and a thousand bits for her payment.”
“I’ll… see what I can do,” Raven’s head tilted and her horn lit, taking Tide off Barrier’s back and placing the pegasus on her own before trotting away.
“Thank you, Miss Raven.” Barrier gave a wave as the mare walked away. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, the charcoal unicorn looked to his alabaster counterpart. “Alright Shiny, no need to put a front up around me. I know something’s eating at you, so what’s up?”
A moment of silence passed between the two before Shining Armor let out a sigh of annoyance. “Alright, if you must know, after Twily and her friends came here and got their medals for beating Discord, I heard a lot of the ponies in attendance and around town bad-mouthing the guard… and me especially.”
“How so?” Barrier’s eyebrow cocked as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags.
“It’s something I’ve been hearing for a while,” annoyance was clear in Shining’s voice and he rubbed his temples. Barrier levitated the flask towards him, but the snowy stallion just pushed it away. “A bunch of ponies have been saying for years that the only reason I became captain, especially at my age, was because I was sleeping with Cadance.”
“Well Shiny, let me tell you this,” Barrier said before taking a quick swig from his flask. “Don’t pay attention to them. The ones that say that kind of crap don’t know about the kind of things guards risk their lives dealing with everyday. In addition to that, I saw your fighting ability when we were dealing with Sombra. I know for damn sure you didn’t get this job by sleeping your way to the top.”
“Thanks Barrier,” Shining gave a short chuckle. “That means something coming from you. Still, it’s kinda hard to ignore all the ponies saying it.”
“Well at the end of the day, you’re the one engaged to a mare you love who is the ruler of an empire and you have amazing magical powers that most ponies can’t even dream of having.” Barrier patted Shiny on the shoulder before pulling away. “Count your blessings, Shiny.”
“I intend to.” Shining smiled as he followed Barrier for a bit. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“Well, I was wondering if I could check in on Princess Celestia or Luna while I’m here.”
“No problem. Princess Luna’s in court right now, but Princess Celestia’s probably still awake in her bedchamber.”
“I’ll see if she is since Luna’s probably busy,” Barrier said as he turned a corner towards the royal chambers. “Good night, Shining. Tell Princess Luna I said hello if you see her.”
Barrier traveled through the palace halls for several minutes until he came across Celestia’s chamber with two guards who seemed to recognize him. As he drew closer, he could hear Celestia angrily shouting at someone within.
“How could you be so stupid?! Why would anypony think keeping one of the biggest threats the world has ever faced available to the public in a damn garden was a good idea?! Honestly, with your past screw-ups, it’s like you actively want Equestria to be conquered!”
Barrier winced as he drew closer to the door. “May I?”
The guards only nervously nodded before Barrier quietly pushed the door open. The charcoal stallion quietly shut the door behind him where he spotted the towering alicorn from behind, immediately noting the surprising sight of a holstered dagger on her hip as she continued to bellow at some unseen figure.
“Your incompetence is disgusting! I hate—”
“Princess Celestia?” Barrier softly spoke up, drawing the princess from her tirade.
“Oh, Barrier,” the alabaster mare was somewhat flustered as she trotted over to her nightstand, revealing that she had been shouting at a large mirror in a violet horseshoe shaped frame. “My apologies, I didn’t hear you come in. May I offer you a drink?”
“No thank you, Princess,” the stallion said quietly as he slowly made his way over to her. “Are you alright? I heard quite a bit.”
The alicorn sighed sadly as she sat down by her fireplace. “I’ve been better. Thankfully we haven’t received any reports of anypony being badly injured thanks to Discord’s escape.” A golden light emanated from her horn as she brought a glass and a bottle of brandy from her nightstand and began to pour.
“Twilight and her friends were able to take care of him… something only necessary because of how badly I handled his containment. He has since been moved to a secure and private location while a replica of his statue is being carved to take his place in the garden,” she stated quietly as she stared into the fireplace, looking more her age than normal.
“You’re a pony, princess. Not some all-knowing god… and ponies make mistakes. You can’t hate yourself over a misstep such as this.” Barrier kept his voice low as he drew closer to the mare while she took a long sip of her drink.
“Oh, but I can, Barrier,” she replied as her sad eyes turned into a hot glare at the flames. “I was the one who had his statue placed in a garden where anyone could visit, ultimately causing him to be unleashed by accident. I’m the one that let my relationship with Luna deteriorate until the Elements of Harmony no longer worked for us.” The mare’s voice began to rise, “I’m the one that didn’t think of enchanting the elements so that he couldn’t send them away!” Her voice softened, “I’m the one that let myself fall so out of shape and practice that when I lunged at him...” the princess quickly drew her dagger up to her face, glaring at her reflection once more, staring into eyes filled with nothing but immeasurable self-loathing, “he turned my weapon into a bar of soap and tossed me aside like an old rag…”
“You did the best you could, given the circumstances—”
“And it wasn’t good enough!” Her volume spiked once more as she angrily interrupted, before releasing a sigh and looking to the charcoal unicorn. “I’m sorry, Barrier. I didn’t mean to shout or lose my temper.”
“Don’t apologize for it. You’re a pony, it happens to the best of us. Beyond that, I’m uncertain that a dagger would do too much to a being like Discord anyway.” Barrier laid down across from Celestia as she continued to stare at the blade, offering her what little comfort his presence could.
“It’s not so much the dagger that would have stopped him, but what’s coating it,” Celestia said as she slipped the dagger back into its sheath and levitated it back into a drawer. “The blade is coated in a specially made poison that I’ve worked on for several decades. The poison causes pain throughout the entire body proportionate to the magical power of its victim.”
“So a small foal would probably feel very little while somepony like yourself or Discord would be in agony.” Barrier said as the alicorn took another long drink.
“Indeed. I created it as a way to even the odds against Nightmare Moon should the elements be unable to cleanse her upon her return,” Celestia stated softly as she set her drink aside. “Still, I appreciate you coming, Barrier. How has your day been?”
“Chaotic, but who's hasn’t today?” Barrier and the princess both chuckled before he looked more seriously at her. “Also, I need some replacement ribbons for our letters.”
Celestia’s horn glowed for an instant the same time a matching light seeped out of Barrier’s saddlebags. “That should take care of things for a while.”
“Thank you.” Barrier gave the princess an appreciative nod. “That aside, how are you holding up, Celestia?”
“A bit tired, but I’ll live.” The princess gave her wings and neck a stretch. “The day was saved, Twilight and her friends have received medals for their heroism and things have started to settle. Still, I’m going to be taking my exercises more seriously from now on, as well as schedule some combat practice with Luna.”
“Very well then,” Barrier said as he stood up. “I wish you well, Princess Celestia.”
“And I you, Barrier,” Celestia gave him a small smile as he trotted towards the door.
Just before his hoof touched the handle, a thought occurred to him. “Before I go, I’ve just one more question, Princess.”
“And what would that be?” Celestia’s eyebrow rose as the charcoal unicorn looked back at her.
“Who did you test the poison on?” he asked with a sad look in his eyes, knowing the answer already.
Princess sighed as she looked him in the eye. “A mare who did so willingly… who endured the suffering knowing her efforts were to protect the kingdom she was blessed to be a part of.”
“I see…” Barrier glumly said as he slowly pulled the door open. “Good night, Princess.”
***
Barrier yawned as he made his way through the darkened streets of Canterlot, tiredly making his way to the train station and discovering that the first train to Vanhoover since things had settled down was about to depart.
After getting a ticket, barely counting the amount of bits he gave the teller, the charcoal stallion climbed aboard the metal death trap and slowly trudged along to the passenger cars.
When he opened the door to the car, his eyes slammed open in shock.
At the far end of the hall was a single, black-coated griffin that stood nearly a head taller than him. A wicked smirk crossed her beak as she looked at him with unmistakable golden yellow eyes.
“Grimhilde…” Barrier croaked before gritting his teeth. The charcoal stallion dashed down the halls and nearly tore the door the griffin had disappeared into off of its hinges… only to see a familiar and tired looking pegasus with some shopping bags.
The mare gave a yawn before looking over to the unicorn and giving him a tired smile.
“Oh hey, I remember you. Barrier, right?” The raven haired pegasus gave a stretch before offering a hoof to him. “I’m Sweet Honey. Remember, from the apple harvest?”
“I...yes, I do.” Barrier slowly shook her hoof as the light from his horn died down. Looking about the room, he spotted no sign of the griffin he was pursuing. “Um, you didn’t happen to see a griffin hen with a black coat pass through here, did you?”
“No, can’t say I have,” Honey replied as she pulled her hoof away and gestured towards the seat across from her. “How about you take a seat? I could use someone to talk to on the ride home.”
“Of course, Ms. Honey,” Barrier said before taking his seat. “Might I ask what brings you to Canterlot?”
“Not a problem, Barrier.” Sweet Honey smiled as she looked over the collection of bags at her sides. “My mom asked me to go pick some stuff up from a fancy shop in Canterlot for her. Not long after my shopping trip, my bits suddenly turned into pickles, all of the train tracks curly fries and it was all I could do to keep sane until everything was fixed… and then I found out that the trains, though fixed, weren’t even ready to go to Vanhoover. If you can believe it, they sent them to a rinky-dink town like Ponyville before anywhere else.”
“I can believe it,” Barrier replied as he leaned against the back of his seat.
“At any rate, I got what I was supposed to get and I’m finally getting home.” Honey stretched once more before leaning back as well. “How about you, Barrier? What brings you all the way out here?”
The tired stallion sighed, feeling too drained to even bother reaching for his flask. “I wanted to see if I could offer some help, but I made a mistake and ended up in Baltimare of all places, so I spent the next several hours just getting here.”
“Sorry to hear that, Barrier. Anything I can do for you? I got some vodka in one of these bags.” Honey reached over for one of her bags, but halted when Barrier held out a hoof.
“Thanks for the offer, but no thanks,” Barrier covered his mouth with his outstretched hoof. “Right now I just want to get home, sleep until noon and forget all about this crazy day.”
The train started to lurch forward, drawing a groan from the charcoal stallion.
“This day has been a total nightmare,” Barrier groaned as he leaned against his seat, gazing out at the now-distant city, watching as the lights of Canterlot started to fade away.
Two weeks had passed since the Element Bearers had managed to seal Discord away and things were slowly returning to a state of normality.
All across Equestria, everyone seemed to be on edge; worried that things like their sandwich might bite their face off or the ground beneath their hooves would suddenly become a burning acid.
Barrier was grateful that things were finally getting back on track as he walked along the shoreline, the afternoon sun shining overhead. The sound of the waves crashing against the sand gave him a sense of calm that was only interrupted by the occasional squawk of a gull.
Hard to believe that it was just two weeks ago that things like the boats turning into popsicles or sand becoming chocolate milk mix was happening all across the land.
After enjoying the calming sounds of the ocean, the charcoal stallion trotted back to take care of his errands. Barrier could see that the nervousness and tension that had swept over the town since the incident was still present on the faces of many a resident, but its grip on them was slowly loosening.
When the dark unicorn had finally arrived home, he spotted Verdant at the kitchen table, stirring several bowls full of things with Erica, Fruity Punch and another earth pony mare by his side.
“So then I told Mittens,” the white coated mare said as she ran a hoof through her red and offwhite mane, “‘I know you mean well and it’s called peppermint, but you don’t use chili peppers to make it!”
The quartet shared a strong laugh before Verdant saw the unicorn walking towards the kitchen.
“Afternoon, Barrier.” Verdant gave a quick wave. “You remember Erica and Punch. This mare’s another friend from class; Candy Cane.”
“Hey there!” Candy waved in Barrier’s general direction, more focused on stirring together whatever she was making in her bowl. Erica and Punch broke focus from their dishes to greet the stallion.
“Nice to meet you,” Barrier said as he approached Verdant’s end of the table. “Might I ask what you’re all up to?”
“We’re planning to put together a little haunted house thing for Nightmare Night at the community center and we’re making our own candy for it,” Erica answered as she poured a cup full of chocolate chips into a bowl.
“It’s super fun and it’s cheaper than just buying candy from the store,” Punch spoke up as she picked up the chocolate chip bowl and took it to the stove.
“Just you guys wait til you try my chocolate pumpkins with pumpkin cream filling!” Candy Cane was practically brimming with excitement, her tail wagging like a puppy on a sugar binge.
“How long will it take you to finish this?” Barrier asked, his eyes roaming over the wide assortment of bowls, trays, spoons, extracts and so much more.
“Probably a while, sir,” Verdant replied before carefully picking up a bottle of food coloring with his teeth.
“Guess I’ll get something from Al’s or the Four D’s.” Barrier sighed as his horn lit up, taking a collection of milk and vegetables from his bags and stuffing them in the fridge.
“Sorry about this, Barrier,” Punch looked over her shoulder from her spot at the stove. “The community center’s closed for maintenance, Erica’s kitchen is too small, Candy’s getting her’s remodeled and Honey and I don’t really have one.”
“It’s fine, Punch. Besides, I like a good walk.” Barrier gave his shoulders a roll and headed back to the manor’s entrance. Upon opening the door, he spotted a mare that was identical to Candy Cane reaching for the handle.
“Oh, hey there,” the doppelganger said before reaching into her saddlebags and shoving a bottle full of orange liquid into Barrier’s hooves. “Tell Candy she forgot her stuff at home again and that if she eats my peanut butter ice cream again, she’s not gonna walk straight for a week.”
“I—” Before Barrier could say any more, the mare ran off with a trail of dust and scattered leaves in her wake. With an annoyed sigh, he headed back towards the kitchen.
“Miss Candy Cane,” Barrier called out, drawing the mare from her chat. “Your… clone I think came by and dropped off this bottle for you. Also, she said something threatening involving you and her ice cream.”
A chuckle came from Fruity Punch while a grimace graced Candy’s face. “See? I told you you twins look totally alike!”
“We do not!” Candy Cane pouted as she grabbed the bottle from Barrier’s hooves. “Mistletoe and I have completely different cutie marks! I’ve got a candy cane with some holly while she’s got Hearth’s Warming ornaments!”
“True,” Verdant nodded as he trotted over to the fridge, “But do you really want everyone to have to look at your butt to tell you two apart?”
“We’ve also got different tattoos! See?” The snowy mare shoved her left foreleg in front of Erica’s face, barely avoiding bopping her in the beak. “I’ve got a little green heart tattoo near my hoof and she’s got a little blue heart. Totally different!”
Punch gave a cheeky grin as her magic pushed Candy’s hoof away from Erica’s eyes. “I’m pretty sure the only ponies looking down at your hooves to see it are probably weirdos with fetishes, so your ways of telling you two apart aren’t really the best.”
“Sorry to say it, Candy, but she’s got a point,” Erica replied as she poured some vanilla into a bowl. “I’ve known you since kindergarten and I still mix you two up sometimes.”
“Alright, alright,” Candy Cane grumbled and rolled her evergreen eyes. “I’ll talk to her later about one of us getting a haircut.”
“Well, have fun, you kids,” Barrier’s horn flared before he teleported to the door. “I’m off to get some dinner.”
“Oh, by the way!” Verdant spoke up from the kitchen. “Splash said she’ll come by sometime tomorrow to give your costume those touch ups you wanted.”
“Thank you, I’ll remember that,” Barrier replied as he set out, a light autumn breeze sweeping through, flicking the odd leaf up and smacking him in the face.
***
“Thanks for the pasta, Al!” Barrier called out over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
“WHAT?” a familiar voice echoed from the back, making Barrier chuckle as he headed into the streets.
After a few moments, Barrier found himself coming across Forge with Snow Sweeper flying by his side.
“Forge, Snow,” Barrier called out, drawing the stallions’ attention as he trotted over to them. “How are you doing this afternoon?”
“Pretty good, sir.” Forge gave the former captain a warm smile. “Snow and I caught an excellent movie and we were about to head back to the manor to see what Verdant’s been prepping for dinner.”
“Verdant’s not cooking tonight, Forge.” Barrier’s horn started to glow, pulling one of the several styrofoam boxes from his saddlebags, “He, Erica and some friends are working on making some candy for Nightmare Night, so I’ve got us all some chicken fettuccine alfredo.”
“Oh…” Forge’s grin quickly died and he tried to pull away. “In that case, maybe I’ll just grab my serving and Snow and I will head to his place.”
“Oh no, Forge.” Snow Sweeper grabbed Forge by the shoulders and pulled him back towards Barrier. “We planned on playing Marinara Party at your place and I don’t plan on cancelling because you don’t like being in the same place as Erica.”
“But Snow—”
“No buts!” Snow huffed as he flew in front of Forge’s face. “You promised, the game’s at your place and Erica’s not gonna do anything.” The pegasus’ face softened a little as he looked into the cobalt unicorn’s eyes. “Please, Forge. I just want to have some time with you at your place since we’re almost always at mine. Besides, once the game starts, you’ll never even notice since Erica’s in a different part of the house; it’s huge.”
Forge remained quiet for a few moments before he finally gave Snow a soft smile and a nod. “Alright, Snow. Still, I’m not sure if we’d have some food for you in the fridge.”
“Well, if you’re okay with it, there’s a little scene from a cartoon I saw a while back that I figure you can recreate with this stuff.”
“Alright you two,” Barrier interjected as he moved past them. “I’m headed to the house, so if you want this pasta while it’s still hot, I suggest we get moving.”
The pair nodded in unison and followed along with the charcoal stallion down the road. After a few moments of quiet, Snow Sweeper broke the silence.
“So Barrier, what do you plan on being for Nightmare Night?” Snow asked as he floated above the unicorn.
“I’m going to be dressed as the Cyborganizer from the newest movie, The Rebootening,” Barrier replied, making the white maned pegasus raise an eyebrow.
“Seriously? Why would you dress up as that version of the Cyborganizer? Everypony knows that the original’s way better than the reboot.”
“I wouldn’t know about that since I only saw the reboot, Snow,” Barrier stated. “All I do know is that I liked the movie and thought it would be the costume I’d feel the least silly in.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.” Snow gave a shrug before turning his attention back to Forge. “How about you, Hot Stuff?”
“My friends and I will all be dressed as the Pony Rangers. I’m in blue while Swift’s red, Hatty’s black, Gem’s yellow and Verdant’s pink,” Forge answered. “How about you, Snow?”
“Heh, I’m going as a Pony Ranger too,” Snow chuckled as he backstroked through the air. “I’m gonna be the White Ranger.”
“I think I remember Verdant saying that that ranger’s costume comes from a different hentai than the rest.” Forge’s words drew a hard bout of laughter from the pegasus, making him crash to the ground.
“Sentai, Forge,” Snow said as he straightened himself out and tried to rein in his laughter. “Hentai’s something completely different. Maybe I’ll show you when Snowy’s out of town or something.”
“Perhaps,” Forge said with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, think maybe we should take some pictures in our costumes tomorrow?”
“Sounds like a great plan to me, Forge.” The pegasus took to the air once more. “You looking forward to Nightmare Night too, Barrier?”
“Eh, not too sure.” Barrier rolled his shoulders as he walked along. “Never celebrated one before, so I don’t really know what exactly to expect.”
“Nothing too out of the ordinary,” the gray stallion replied. “Games, candy, music and dancing… Here’s hoping it goes well for you.”
“So, besides dressing like a pony ranger, what do you plan on doing, Snow?” Forge asked as the manor’s gate came into view.
“I’ll probably just do some aerial stunts, enter a costume contest, and then watch some horror movies. Same old, same old.” Snow Sweeper landed by Forge’s side as Barrier nosed the gate open.
“Hope you have fun, Snow,” Forge said as Snow stretched a wing over his back. “We’ll be in Ponyville, meeting up with Barrier’s niece.”
“At any rate,” Barrier said as he levitated a foam box in front of the cobalt unicorn. “Hope you two have a good time with that game you’ll be playing.”
“Thank you, sir,” Forge said as he pushed his way into the manor and took the box in his magic. From the kitchen, he spotted Erica. The hen gave him a quick wave on spotting him, but Forge looked away as he headed up the stairs. “Come along, Snow. It’s game time!”
“Right,” Snow followed behind the cobalt unicorn, the pegasus’ disappointed grimace going unseen.
“Alright everyone,” Barrier called out, his voice echoing about. “Dinner call!”
***
The light of the breaking dawn struck Barrier’s eyes, making the unicorn groan and roll in his bed. After a few moments of trying to fall back asleep, Barrier rose up from the bed with a yawn.
Looking to the clock on his nightstand, he saw that he had slept in far longer than intended and that it was now a quarter past ten.
The charcoal stallion tiredly pulled himself from the bed and slowly started to march to the kitchen. Just as a hoof touched down on the cool kitchen tile, a knocking came from the front door.
With a groan, the sleepy stallion pulled an about face and pulled himself towards the door; the knocking became more rapid as he approached.
“Hello?” he began to yawn as he pulled the door open, but the sight of what was at the door made him jump backwards and fall into a defensive posture instead, feeling much more awake as his pulse began to pound and his horn flared to life, coupled with a massive rush of adrenaline.
Standing in the doorway, a winged unicorn mare stepped forward with a smile. Her coat was pitch black and her eyes were a piercing turquoise. In addition, she was adorned in a familiar silver armor over which was draped over by her sparkling blue mane.
Barrier held firm as the Nightmare stepped ever closer to him with a smooth and confident stride. However, as she drew nearer and wakefulness started to return to him, he noticed several things wrong with the dark alicorn.
First and most notably, she was now much shorter. Where the nightmare had once towered over him, this mare only reached his chin with her horn. The second was that her mane wasn’t the ever flowing form of the night sky with shimmering stars, but what looked like long blue hair with silver glitter scattered throughout it.
Blinking his eyes rapidly, Barrier recalled what day it was and who Verdant said would be visiting. Straightening his stance and cutting the magic to his horn, he addressed the shadowy mare. “Hello, Color Splash. Happy Nightmare Night.”
“You too, Barrier,” the recolored unicorn said as she ran a hoof through her mane, sending some flecks of glitter onto the floor. “Guessin’ I made this costume pretty good if it startled you.”
“It’s certainly… thorough.” Barrier’s eyes wandered over Splash’s form. Her colors seemed almost exactly like the Mare in the Moon. It was only upon closer inspection that he could see that while her armor was well colored and very impressive, it was still plastic. Her mane and tail looked to be wigs, with her natural hair hidden by both her coloring magic and her helm. Looking closely at her sides, he saw a band that matched her obsidian coat that connected the wings to her sides.
“Hey, careful.” Splash’s magic lightly pushed Barrier once he drew closer to the wings. “I had to borrow these from Nanaimo and I don’t want anything to happen to them.”
“They’re very convincing,” Barrier replied as he pulled back.
“Thanks. I tried really hard to make them blend in.” Splash turned her side towards the charcoal unicorn. “How about the cutie mark? Does it look like Nightmare Moon’s to you?”
“I wouldn’t know for certain,” Barrier stated as he turned towards the kitchen. “When I faced off against her, I was more focused on trying to stay alive or beat her rather than staring at her flank.”
“Okay then.” Splash shrugged as she followed Barrier along. “At any rate, I’m all set to paint up your Cyborganizer costume.
“First, give me a minute or two to get some coffee in me,” Barrier said with a yawn. “This isn’t exactly my best day.”
***
After a hot cup of coffee with ice cubes in it, Barrier had placed the gray plastic set before the costumed unicorn. “So, how long will this take?”
“Just a sec,” Splash replied as her horn began to glow white, a matching light quickly sweeping over the costume pieces, making the flat gray plastic suddenly appear to be a metallic silver. Even spots that had a touch of rust in the film had suddenly gained them in reality.
“And done.” Color Splash beamed as she pulled away from the suit. “How’s it look, Barrier?”
“Hmm…” Barrier’s horn lit as he levitated the costume pieces onto himself, snapping the pieces of plastic for his legs into place. The last piece to attach itself to him was the left eye plate, held in place with tiny velcro hooks that clung to his thin coat.
The stallion trotted over to the living room, seeing his reflection in a mirror that hung above the couch. A grin crossed his features as Color Splash trotted up beside him.
“Very nice work, Miss Splash.” Barrier nodded as he faced her. “You did exceptionally well.”
“Sweet!” Splash clapped her plastic covered hooves together. “I try to make everything I work on look as good as possible.”
“Is there anything I can do to pay you back for this?”
“Nah.” Splash waved and turned towards the door. “Your friends have done more than enough business with me for a freebie. At any rate, I’d better get back to my kiosk. See you later.”
“Have a good day, Color Splash.” Barrier waved as the unicorn mare headed out the door. With the sound of the door clicking shut, the charcoal stallion quickly shed the costume and trotted back to his room, where he cracked open another thick book.
***
Afternoon quickly rolled around for Barrier as his housemates returned and quickly got into their costumes, with himself following suit. The privates were now clad in their spandex uniforms, along with a collection of painted weapons.
“I didn’t know you had props for your costumes.” Barrier’s eyes roamed over the metallic weapons as the five slipped them either into hip or back holsters.
“We did not, sir,” Swiftsword replied from behind her red helmet. “I had Forge create a set of functional replicas of the weapons from the Pony Rangers comics. This way, should a threat to either us or Princess Luna appear, we will be armed to act without the sight of our weapons causing a panic.”
“Are you sure that’s wise, Swift?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose, though his tone indicated that he didn’t really mind.
“After what you told us of Nightmare Moon, I believe it would be wise to be prepared, just in case somepony wishes to bring Princess Luna harm,” Swift firmly answered as she trotted closer to her comrades.
“Very well then.” Barrier looked about and noticed someone missing from the collection of costumed ponies. “Where’s Wind Whistler?”
“Just a second!” the filly called out from the half-bathroom by the front door. “Just applying the finishing touches!”
The faint sound of tape ripping came from within as Barrier and Fleetfeather crept closer until the door was finally pushed open and the pegasus filly trotted out.
Wind Whistler’s mane and tail had been dyed from a light pink to a dark blue. On her hooves was a set of black painted cardboard shoes that matched the cardboard peytral around her neck with a crescent moon in its center. Atop her head was an ice cream cone that had been painted to match her coat and held in place with strips of clear tape near her cardboard crown. Lastly, her cutie marks had been covered up with pieces of paper that had a drawing of a cloudy black splotch with a crescent moon within while even more tape held it firm to her flanks.
“How do I look, Mother?” The little filly smiled as she looked up to Fleetfeather, her tail wagging like a puppy with a bone made of coffee.
“You look adorable, my dear,” the older pegasus replied as she patted her head, careful to avoid knocking her “horn” loose. “I’m rather surprised you dyed your mane by yourself.”
“Yep!” The filly dashed around her mother and hopped onto her back. “And I made the rest of my costume all by myself! Do you think Princess Luna will like it?”
“Almost assuredly,” Barrier said, trotting up to the pair’s side. “But remember, as far as she’s supposed to know, we’re just there to visit Twilight and learn more about Nightmare Night.”
“Yes, sir!” The pegasus foal tossed out a salute before returning to a childish grin. “If she asks why I’m dressed like her, I’ll say it’s because she’s my favorite princess and totally not because I thought dying my mane and tail was easier than dying my whole coat.”
“In that case, everypony, move out!” Barrier barked, making Wind Whistler and the cadets fall in line behind him as he headed out the door. The assemblage quickly made their way to the train station, with the only delay being Verdant waving to Erica, who seemed to have a rubber axe buried in her head.
***
The train zipped along and the sky grew dark as the eight rode on to Ponyville, all stuffed into a single cabin.
“Alright everypony, before we arrive, I want to know if you’ve learned anything about Nightmare Moon since I last asked you,” Barrier said, leading to Wind Whistler hopping in her mother’s lap.
“I know, I know!” she exclaimed excitedly as she bounced, nearly dislodging her cardboard crown. “Nightmare Moon almost caused eternal night and if you’re not wearing a costume, she’ll gobble you up, just like Verdant!”
“The first part’s true, but the latter part’s just a legend,” Barrier replied, giving the filly a pat and adjusting her crown so it would stay on her head.
“‘Cept for the eating Verdant thing, that’s totally true,” Hatty giggled. Even from behind his black helmet, Barrier could tell that the pegasus was grinning like a lunatic while Verdant was glaring daggers at him.
“Sure, tell everypony,” Verdant huffed and crossed his forelegs. “That will really help Princess Luna repair her reputation.”
“Anypony else want to chip in?” Barrier asked, making Verdant look up to him.
“Well, ever since she appeared, Nightmare Moon has been depicted as a villain in many things over the years,” the shamrock stallion said as he leaned forward. “Some more contemporary examples I know of include her being one of the first Pony Rangers villains, being the boss of Dee Forester and Radio’s Flank on Moony Science Theater Three-Thousand, and in Ryu Tama Ekkusu, a villain called Nanaba, the Legendary Super Neighyan claimed to be Nightmare Moon.”
“Depictions of her tend to show her with very sharp fangs and height comparable to Princess Celestia,” Swift interjected, the lights of the approaching town in the window shining off of her crimson helmet. “Until a few years ago, a number of depictions portrayed her as having thestral-like wings, but protests from thestrals and historians has led to that being phased out.”
“Snow’s shown me a few horror movies about Nightmare Moon.” Forge shifted in his seat. “Some show her using magic to either shrink her victims down to bite size or using it to turn them into candy. At any rate, her appetite for ponies rivaled even the most voracious griffins of our time.”
“The only thing I know is that she’s appeared on some cereal boxes that have a creepy theme to them that shows up around this time of year.” Winter Gem looked away and rubbed the back of her goldenrod helmet, her tone showing clear embarrassment.
“Well, at least you found something,” Barrier said comfortingly before looking over to the pegasus who was dressed as a pirate. “How about you, Fleet?”
“Other than what the cadets said, the only thing I could gather was that most ponies thought that Nightmare Moon was a myth, despite what history books said.” The one-eyed mare’s grip on Wind Whistler tightened ever so slightly . “Because of her return, quite a few ponies in the weather works were nervous about tonight.”
“Understandable,” Barrier replied as he looked out the window. “At any rate, we’ll be in Ponyville shortly and we’d best be ready for whatever this night will throw at us.”
“Right!” The seven replied together as the spandex clad quintet piled their hooves together.
“Go Go Pony Rangers!” They shouted together as they threw their hooves into the air, making Barrier roll his eyes.
“Kids…” he huffed as the train started to grind to a halt.
***
“So this is Ponyville.” Fleetfeather observed, her eye roaming over the town as she took in the sight of thatched roofs and the decorative banners and balloons that were scattered about. “It certainly has a rustic charm to it.”
“It’ll wear off once you meet up with the pink devil again,” Barrier chuckled as he and the faux-princess came up to the pegasus pirate’s side.
“Hey, speaking of pink…” Wind Whistler’s eyes darted about as they trotted away from the nearly empty station. “Where’d Verdant and the others go?”
Barrier’s ear flicked as he heard a sound coming from above. Quickly spinning on his hooves, he looked to the station’s roof where he saw five spandex clad forms take a spinning leap before they landed in front of them and struck an odd assortment of over dramatic poses.
“Mighty Morphin’ Pony Rangers!” The five shouted together, making some of the ponies in the crowd and Wind Whistler stomp their hooves at their stunt.
“Was that really necessary, privates?” Barrier asked flatly as he trotted over to them.
“I thought it would be a good way to ensure our skills were still sharp, sir,” Swift casually said as she wiped some dust off her boots. “At any rate, shall we head for Twilight’s?”
“Yeah, but don’t pull a stunt like again without permission. We already stand out enough as-is.” Barrier walked by, making the rangers salute before they fell in line behind him. “Now fall in, I want to get to Twilight’s ASAP.”
“How long will this take, sir?” Forge asked as they passed by a collection of ponies in colorful garbs.
“Shouldn’t be too long. You’ll be able to spot her place soon,” Barrier stated as he glanced over his shoulder. “She lives in a great big tree.”
“She lives in a tree?” Swift was aghast as she ran to Barrier’s side. “I never thought your family’s housing situation would be so terrible, sir. Is there anything we can do to help her?”
Barrier was forced to bite his lip to keep from laughing aloud at Swift’s question.
“Ah, so that’s what you meant when you said she lives in a tree,” Swift said as the troupe approached the Golden Oaks library. “It’s certainly… unique.”
“Trust me when I tell you it’s one of the saner parts of this town,” Barrier replied as he reached the door. Giving the door a series of swift knocks, he was soon greeted by the sight of a little purple dragon in a purple dragon costume.
“Hey guys, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Spike excitedly said before looking back into the building. “Twilight, Barrier and his friends are here!” He called out and ushered the eight inside. “C’mon in. Twilight’s still getting her costume on.”
“I’ll be just a second!” The unicorn mare’s lavender hoof briefly poked out from the upstairs. A moment or two followed before Twilight Sparkle descended the stairs. She had a blue cape draped upon her back that was covered with stars, moons and bells, held in place with a golden jeweled clasp. Upon her head was a matching hat and a long white beard. “So, how do I look?”
Spike tilted his head at Twilight’s appearance. “Are you that one kooky grandpa from the Ponyville Retirement Village?”
Twilight gave a slight huff before Swiftsword spoke up, a hint of confusion in her tone. “No, you’re… Star Swirl the Bearded...”
“Yes! Exactly!” The violet mare was absolutely giddy that someone got her costume. “I’m glad somepony appreciates their history well enough to know it. I even tried to get the right number of bells. Do you like it?”
“Well…” Swift was grateful that her helmet hid her face so Twilight couldn’t see her biting her lip.
“You’ve never known the touch of a stallion, have you?” Winter Gem asked as she examined her costume, making Twilight blush and Swift smack the yellow clad mare in the back of the head.
“What are you talking about? Of course stallions have touched Twilight,” Spike said in confusion. “I could have sworn you guys saw Shining hug her after all that stuff in the empire and I know her dad’s hugged her too.”
“Ahem.” Twilight coughed into her hoof before trotting up to Barrier, disregarding Spike’s statements. “So, what brings you all to Ponyville? It’s quite the trip here from Vanhoover.”
Barrier gave a shrug before pulling his flask from his saddlebags. “We figured since you’re pretty much the smartest mare there is, that you’d know more about Nightmare Night and the traditions and such than we could glean ourselves, so we decided to see what you’d think.”
“Plus, we thought we’d be less overwhelmed by spending our first Nightmare Night in a small town instead of a big city,” Fleet interjected as she moved to Barrier’s side.
“Well your costumes are pretty nice,” the young mare said as she examined the adults in the party. “Did you make your costumes too?”
“Oh yeah,” Hat Trick said, suppressing a light chuckle. “We made them from our own trip to the store.”
“Except me!” Wind Whistler hopped out of the crowd. “I made it myself! I even did the dye work!”
“Oh, you look adorable, Wind Whistler.” Twilight gave the pegasus filly a pat on the head, carefully avoiding her cardboard crown. “I’m sure Princess Luna would love it if she could see it.”
“And I also made the weapons my fellow Pony Rangers are all carrying,” Forge said, his tone dripping with pride.
“Wow, they certainly look…” Twilight paused and drew closer, carefully examining the weapons on the ponies’ hips and backs. “Wait a second, are those real weapons?!” she shouted in shock.
“We strove for accuracy with our costumes,” Swift said proudly. “To that end, we had Forge create functional replicas of the Pony Ranger armaments.”
“Barrier, do you really think that’s a good idea?” Twilight backed towards the charcoal stallion, her voice somewhat shaky.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine, they know the importance of restraint,” Barrier dismissively said. “What’s the worst they could encounter?”
“How about ponies that decided to dress up like zombies?!” Twilight’s words drew the attention of the five cadets.
“I… I see your point, Twilight.” Swift slowly trotted closer to the bearded mare. “Still, I have taken some precautions as of late, visiting the shops and whatnot to see what sort of undead costumes we may encounter. Rest assured, we will be able to control ourselves and easily tell that these are merely ponies in costumes and make-up.”
“I sure hope so,” the lavender mare replied as her horn glowed a bright magenta, picking up a bowl of candy with a small sign that read, “take one” and heading out the door. “Well, let’s get things started.”
“You’re not going to stay behind and give out the treats yourself?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he followed her. “I thought that was one of the traditions of this holiday.”
“It is.” Twilight sighed as she set the bowl by the door. “Sadly, I don’t think many ponies will want to see me this year.”
“Why would that be, Miss Sparkle?” Forge asked as he and the others poured back into Ponyville’s streets.
“Last week, I messed up really badly.” Twilight made the slightest sniffling sound as she walked. “Every week since Princess Celestia assigned me to be here to learn about Friendship, I would send her a letter about a friendship problem or lesson I learned. But last week…”
“Twilight got really high strung because there were no friendship issues that came up,” Spike spoke up as he ran to the unicorn’s side, giving her shoulder a gentle pat. “She was worried she would be sent back to magic kindergarten in Canterlot if she couldn’t send Princess Celestia a friendship lesson.”
“I was so desperate that I thought that if I couldn’t find a friendship problem,” Twilight gave a hard swallow before she continued. “I could make one.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Hat Trick worryingly stated as Barrier trotted closer to Twilight’s side.
“I tried to make some children fight over some old doll of mine, and when it didn’t work, I enchanted it with a “Want it, Need it” spell.” Every word of Twilight’s was dripping with shame. “Before I knew it, almost everypony in town was fighting over the doll. I wanted to break the spell, but couldn’t before Princess Celestia arrived to dispel it.”
“I wrote her a letter, telling her about how worried Twilight was about everything,” Spike interjected. “I was hoping she could tell Twilight to calm down about the whole thing, but then she cast that spell and it spread like wildfire.”
“And in the end, it was all for nothing. Princess Celestia said that I never needed to send her a letter every week.” Twilight sadly laughed and looked Barrier in the eye. “It’s just that I thought I needed to since things just sort of fell into a schedule.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, kiddo,” Barrier gently spoke. “How’ve things been since then?”
“Not good, I’m afraid,” Twilight muttered. “My friends are still sticking by me, but most of the town doesn’t want anything to do with me now. Some businesses have turned me away while others just give me the stink-eye. We’ve had to deal with the library being egged twice already, and who knows what Nightmare Night pranksters may try tonight.” The bearded mare gave a tired and troubled sigh while the baby dragon hugged her leg. “In just one day, I turned into a pariah.”
“You turned into one of those little fish that could eat a cow down to the bones in a few minutes?” Wind Whistler gasped. “Wow! I didn’t know your magic was that powerful, Miss Twilight!”
“What? I—” Twilight spun to face the excited filly. “No, a pariah. Not a piranha, Wind Whistler. A pariah is a person who is an outcast or has been rejected from a society.”
“Oh.” Windy frowned. “Sorry about that, Miss Twilight.”
“It’s okay,” Twilight offered her an unsure smile. “I’m sure it’ll blow over eventually.”
“Here’s hoping that’s sooner rather than later,” Barrier chipped in.
Looking about, he saw the wrinkly form he recalled was Applejack’s grandmother with a gathering of foals in costume. Barrier started to feel the need to trot back at the sight of the being of his nightmares amongst the group now garbed in a chicken costume with a purple bag of treats secured around her neck. The pink devil dramatically gasped as she saw Barrier’s party and bolted over faster than he could blink.
“Hiya, Barrier! It’s been too long!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before quickly pulling Barrier and all his housemates into a bone crushing hug.
“Could’ve been longer,” Barrier wheezed just before Pinkie let the eight ponies go.
“Nice costumes you guys have,” she giddily said as she looked them over. “I knew you’d look good in something pink again, Verdant.” The pink pony poultry pretender giggled before giving the ranger a wink.
“Thank you, Pinkie,” the shamrock stallion happily said, seemingly oblivious to any additional entendres the pink mare had given. “I’m glad I called dibs on it.”
“Sweet,” Pinkie replied before turning to her violet friend and lifting the bag towards her. “Hey Twilight, check out this haul! Cheerilee’s giving out bunches of goodies if you want some.”
“Pinkie, aren’t you a little old for this?” Twilight asked as Pinkie pecked some candy.
“Too old for free candy?” Pinkie gave Twilight a look as if she had grown a second and third head before squawking loudly in horror. “Never.” The glare she gave Twilight was the third creepiest look Barrier had ever seen her give.
“Well, Miss Pie, do you think you could help Wind Whistler and the privates with a little tour around Ponyville? Mayhaps show them where they could get the most candy?” Fleet asked, trotting up to the mare. “After all, it’s the first time any of them have ever experienced Nightmare Night.”
“Oh! Just like Pipsqueak!” Pinkie excitedly said before grabbing Fleet’s hoof and shaking her so hard that Barrier could swear she shook her whole body up and down. “Easy-peasy, Fleety. Once Granny Smith’s caught up, we’ll—”
Pinkie was cut off by a thunderous boom from above, making a number of children scream and the chicken mare to squawk once more before bolting away, taking Wind Whistler and the privates along with her. Looking up, Barrier spotted a dark cloud above them and Rainbow Dash clad in a tight costume of purple, black and yellow, laughing her head off.
“That wasn’t funny, Rainbow.” Twilight gave the pegasus a look of flat disappointment.
“Lighten up, old timer,” Rainbow said as she reigned in her laughter. “Tonight’s the best night of the year for pranks!”
“You mean besides April Fool’s Day?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose, to which Rainbow dismissively waved.
“It’s all in good fun,” Rainbow casually replied, ignoring Barrier before spotting a group of ponies trotting nearby. “Oh! Oh! There’s another!” She swiftly flew off. As Barrier rolled his eyes, he could hear the rumble of thunder, the screams of frightened ponies, followed by Rainbow’s maniacal laughter.
***
A few minutes had passed until Barrier, Twilight, Spike and Fleetfeather came upon a stand where Applejack, dressed up like a scarecrow, was watching some ponies bobbing for apples in a wooden tub.
“Happy Nightmare Night, Applejack!” Twilight called out, drawing the farm mare’s eye and earning her smile.
“Howdy, Spike! Hey, Twilight! Nice costume,” the farmer said as she trotted up to the group.
Twilight was barely able to open her mouth when Spike interjected. “Thanks! I’m a dragon.”
“She means me, Spike.” Twilight gave the diminutive drake a grumpy glare.
“With a beard like that,” Applejack said, seeming to have not heard Twilight, “Ah reckon yer some kinda country music singer.”
Twilight grunted in annoyance while Spike howled with laughter. Barrier and Fleet just managed to keep from giggling.
“No such luck, I’m afraid, Applejack.” Barrier tried, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. “She’s dressed as a historical figure that very few ponies seem to know about these days.”
“Well at any rate, y’all have some pretty good lookin’ costumes,” Applejack said before trotting back towards the tub of bobbing ponies. “While y’all are here, ya’ feel like bobbin’ for an apple?”
“Excuse me, miss. How much does this cost?” A mare’s voice came from behind the assembly. While the voice seemed kind with her question, it made the hair on the back of Barrier’s neck bristle as he turned to face her.
“Starshine,” Barrier grumbled as he looked the golden coated mare in the eye. “It’s been a while.”
“Starshine,” Barrier grumbled as he looked the golden coated mare in the eye. “It’s been a while.”
“Barrier.” The smile that was on Starshine’s face quickly turned into a glare at the charcoal unicorn.
While the glare would normally make a lesser pony cower, it was deflated by the fact that the golden mare was wearing a bright white t-shirt with the letters ‘C.H.S.’ emblazoned on her chest, a blue pleated skirt that matched the shirt’s collar, and a pair of puffy pink pom-poms on her forehooves.
“I’m rather surprised to see you here,” Starshine said as she drew closer. “Though I can’t say I’m surprised by your apparent taste in movies.” The faintest hint of a smile appeared on her face for an instant before vanishing.
“Barrier, who’s this mare?” Twilight interjected, rather surprised by the clear antagonism between the two unicorns.
“Twilight, this is Starshine. For some reason, your brother decided she was an ideal second-in-command and named her his successor should anything happen.” Barrier’s eyes focused on the golden mare, who tried to look as intimidating as possible in her cheerleader outfit. “Starshine, this is my niece, Twilight Sparkle. I brought my household here to learn about the traditions of Nightmare Night. What brings you down to Ponyville?”
Starshine gave a snort as she strolled past Barrier. “For your information, I’m performing security duties on behalf of the guard for tonight’s festivities,” she said in a somewhat smug tone. “We have been painstakingly examining every corner of the town for potential safety risks.”
“If you’re performing guard duties, then why are you out of uniform?” Spike piped up from Twilight’s side. “I figured guards almost always wear their uniforms while on duty.”
“Normally, yes,” Starshine politely answered the diminutive drake. “However, due to Princess Celestia’s desire to avoid potential unrest while we perform tonight’s duties, we are wearing costumes so as to not alert the general public.”
“Who’s we? Do you have a mouse up your skirt?” Barrier smirked at the glare Starshine gave him.
“Bonecrusher’s over by the games,” Starshine looked off to her right, where Barrier spotted a large pony in a yellow and purple robot costume loading a rubber spider into a catapult.
“Indar’s checking the stage for potential threats,” she glanced to her left. Following her harlequin eyes, he spotted a unicorn stallion in a green, white and gold costume, similar to the privates’ Pony Ranger costumes, standing close to the stage and looking about.
“And Tail’s been testing food for quality and potential poisons.” The golden mare looked past Barrier. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a freckled lavender pegasus mare in a tight blue bodysuit with black fishnet leggings, matching shoes on her hindlegs, a pair of cuffs above her dark hooves and a collar with a blue bow. Sitting atop her black mane was a hairband with a pair of satin rabbit ears. The pegasus was happily chewing on a candy apple.
“At any rate, I think we’ll leave you to your business,” Barrier said as he and Fleet started to walk towards the stage. “Have a pleasant Nightmare Night.”
As Barrier the others drew closer to the stage, they began to hear the chattering of the crowd that was gathered in front of the stage as a bespectacled mare came up to the podium.
She was wearing a frilly blue shirt and an orange bow with yellow polka dots. Her face was covered with red makeup that made her lips stand out from her pale amber coat while matching the round rubber nose and the overly large shoes on her forehooves. Above her eyes were a pair of white painted triangles, but what stood out the most to the charcoal stallion was a head and tail wig that looked like the end result of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash getting into a messy teleportation accident.
“Thank you, everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night festival!” The crowd roared with cheers and applause for the clownish mare.
“Who’s the clown?” Barrier whispered to Twilight over the cheers.
“That’s Mayor Mare,” the lavender mare replied as the crowd’s cries started to die down.
“A politician dressed as a clown,” Barrier smirked, holding back a chuckle. “How fitting.”
“Now, all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of... Nightmare Moon!” the Mayor wickedly said before laughing maniacally.
A puff of sparkling green smoke erupted from the stage and a zebra mare emerged from it. She looked much different than when Barrier’d last seen her. In place of her brown cloak, she was now garbed in black dress with a bat-shaped clip with a golden band around her waist that matched her earrings and neckbands. Her mane, now uncovered, was long and flowing white and light gray with an assortment of rubber spiders decorating it.
“Spooky voice would probably work better if she wasn’t dressed like that.” Spike said from Twilight’s side, drawing a chuckle from the unicorn.
“Follow me, and very soon, you’ll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon,” Zecora said as she stepped down from the stage, a gaggle of foals quickly moving to follow behind her.
“It’s nice to see that your town’s relationship with Zecora has greatly improved since the last time I saw her,” Barrier commented as they fell in line.
“Yeah,” Twilight lightly blushed as she started to follow the zebra and the children. “That wasn’t one of my proudest moments.”
“May I ask what ha—” Fleetfeather was interrupted as Pinkie zipped by, dropping the privates and Wind Whistler in front of them. The six seemed to be somewhat disoriented and each carried pumpkin-shaped pails stuffed to the brim with candy around their necks.
“Anypony else thinking Pinkie’s name is an alias for Marey Allen?” Hat Trick wheezed as they unsteadily rose to their hooves.
“Don’t be crazy, Hat Trick,” Swift replied and quickly tossed out a salute to Barrier and Fleet before she fell in line behind them with the others following suit.
“All that matters is we got a lot of candy!” Wind Whistler said as she pulled a Mr. Nut-Nut bar from her pail and merrily munched on it as she trotted by her mother’s side.
Fleetfeather coughed into her hoof. “As I was saying, what exactly happened with this town and Zecora?”
“They thought she was an evil enchantress due to both her living in the Everfree Forest and never having seen a zebra before.” Barrier pulled out his flask and took a quick swig. “Pinkie Pie even made an entire slanderous song about it.”
“And then we ended up blaming Zecora for what turned out to be a simple case of poison joke,” Twilight said as she stepped ahead. “Still, we were able to make amends. We get along with Zecora quite well now.”
“I remember when I first saw a zebra,” Winter Gem said from the back. “At first I thought she was just a mare with a weird interest in body paint and a stallion~ish muzzle.”
“Seriously?” Verdant disbelievingly asked. Even with his helm, Gem could tell his eyebrow was cocked in surprise.
“Give me a break. I lived in a desert until I left for Canterlot to join the guard.” Gem gave the pink-clad pony a light push in the chest. “Like you’ve seen one before.”
“I did!” the shamrock stallion said in annoyance. “Her name was Kuni. She ran a firewood business and she was really nice.”
“As fun as it is to hear your life stories,” Spike spoke up with a roll of his eyes. “Could you guys pipe down? Zecora’s about to tell us the story of Nightmare Moon and I’d like to hear how she tells it.”
“Why would you want to hear her tell you when Uncle Barrier was there?” Wind Whistler asked in between bites of her bar. “He’d know all about her.”
“Yeah, but I’ll bet he can’t tell it in a cool rhyme like her,” the drake replied as they started to enter the woods.
“Probably not,” Barrier said with a shrug. “I’d probably just get it told as quickly as possible while maintaining the important details.”
After a few minutes walk, the gathering soon came before a large stone statue in a clearing of Nightmare Moon, reared on her hindlegs as if ready to strike down any who’d dare oppose her.
“Listen close, my little dears, I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary,” Zecora said as the group came to a halt before reaching into her garb, pulling out a hoofful of green, sparkling powder. Blowing on the powder, the dust soon coalesced into the shape of the dark alicorn, sporting a grin of sharp fangs. “Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary.”
The gathered foals in the group gasped at the sight of the illusion while Hat Trick let out an impressed whistle. The dust soon engulfed the clearing, cutting off everyone’s sight.
A terrified scream reached Barrier’s ears before he spotted the sight of a tiny foal in pirate regalia bolting away from Nightmare Moon’s wicked visage.
“Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her searching eyes.” While she couldn’t be seen, Zecora’s voice still came loud and clear through the sparkling green miasma.
The running colt ran into the statue’s base. He gave a nervous swallow when he looked up and saw the visage from the smoke upon the statue’s face. Slowly, he started to back away, not seeing he was drawing closer to Pinkie Pie’s hind legs.
“But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing,” Zecora said as creepily as she could as the smoke started to dissipate. “To gobble up ponies in one quick swing!”
Just as the zebra mare finished speaking, the colt dressed as a pirate bumped into Pinkie, making both of them scream in abject terror.
“Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by.” Zecora tossed another hoofful of the emerald powder into the air, creating another image of Nightmare Moon who seemed to scan the area as if in search of something.
As it drew near some foals, they nervously started to back away. “So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!” The spectral image of the alicorn of the night took to the skies, soon disappearing in a puff of the smoke it was made from.
“Uh, Miss Zecora,” a familiar little colt asked as he gave the zebra’s robes a tug. “If we wear costumes to hide from Nightmare Moon, so she won't gobble us up, how come we still need to give her some of our candy?”
“A perfectly good question, my little friend.” Zecora said to the diminutive pirate. “For Nightmare Moon you must not offend.” She then reached into her robe once more and blew on another hoofful of the dust.
The dust once more took on the nightmare’s appearance and stood before the foals. It stalked closer to the group; Wind Whistler tried to nobly stand against the figment, though her attempt was slightly derailed by her notable shaking.
“Fill up her belly with a treat or two,” Zecora spoke up as the ghostly image started to charge for the group, “so she won't return to come eat you!”
The emerald nightmare leapt towards the foals, it’s jaws opened wide as it flew forward. The foals and Pinkie all screamed as the nightmare came flying at them. The specter soon crashed into its target prey before vanishing into an explosion of green dust.
“Everypony!” Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs as she dumped some of her treats at the base of the statue. “Just dump some candy and get out of here!”
As some of the foals started to drop off some pieces of candy beside Pinkie’s tribute, the wind began to howl and thunder boomed.
Looking towards the sky, the gathering saw the clouds begin to move and the moon shining brightly. In a flash of moonlight, a dark chariot being pulled by fearsome looking thestrals in dark armor streaked through the sky. A hooded figure stood proudly in the transport, giving a smirk that frightened the poultry pony as the chariot zoomed overhead.
Pinkie gasped at the sight of the fearsome figure. “It’s Nightmare Moon! Run!” Her exclamation made the foals scream and run off towards Ponyville, Zecora following shortly behind.
“Twilight,” Barrier started as the violet unicorn and his housemates kept their sights locked on the chariot. “Think we should see what this is about?”
“Yes,” Twilight said firmly before charging towards the town. “Whatever’s going on, we definitely need to see what it is!”
After a few moments of running, the group had arrived in the center of Ponyville where the mysterious chariot was holding its place in the sky as lightning crackled, drawing screams and whimpers from the townsfolk.
The hooded figure leapt down from the chariot, cape billowing wildly from both the wind and the wings that the figure had flared wide, slowing their descent. With a quick throwing-back of her head, the hood was tossed aside, revealing the confident grin of Princess Luna.
While the townsponies quickly fell to their knees, bowing in fear, Fleetfeather, her daughter and the privates lowered themselves into respectful bows to the princess of the night.
“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed happily before the cowering Spike gave her cape a hard tug, pulling the unicorn down to his level.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” Luna’s voice boomed throughout the town, making Barrier wince and slam his ears against his skull.
The princess strolled through the crowd of ponies, not noticing them trembling in fear. “We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night! A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!”
“Did you hear that, everypony? Nightmare Moon says she's gonna feast on us all!” Pinkie shouted, making a collection of foals scream in terror.
“What? No, children, no! You no longer have reason to fear us!” Luna said in surprise, trying to sound soothing with her normal voice no longer deafening everypony in the area. “Screams of delight is what your princess desires, not screams of terror!” She stomped her hoof directly in front of a shivering yellow bellied mare. With a glare, the midnight blue alicorn turned her attention behind her, where she spotted a mare in a rainbow afro.
“Madame Mayor, thy Princess of the Night hath arrived.” She deftly raised her hoof before quickly lowering it down towards the earth pony’s face, making the poor clown cower while her assistant covered her eyes and whimpered.
“What is the matter with you?” Luna grumbled as she swept her sight over the nearby crowd, seeing so many ponies gaze upon her with looks of pure terror.
“Very well, then. Be that way,” Luna haughtily said, raising her nose towards the sky as she walked away. “We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell.”
“I'm gonna go talk to her.” Twilight rose up and started to trot away, only to feel something hard pulling on her cape. Looking back, she spotted the little drake was once again pulling hard on her cape.
“You can't talk to her!” Spike said, his voice drenched with worry. “She's Nightmare Moon!”
“No, she’s not,” Twilight sternly replied as she pulled her cape from the tiny dragon’s grip. “I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good and she helped Princess Celestia when Sombra and Discord broke out.”
“She certainly doesn’t seem like she was when she was Nightmare Moon,” Barrier chipped in, trotting up to the lavender mare’s side. “That being said, she seems a bit too much like a mare of her time.”
“I know, Barrier.” Twilight nodded as Fleet and the rest started to gather up behind her. “It seems she’s had a much harder time adjusting after a thousand years than you have.”
“Maybe she doesn’t get out that often,” Hatty said with a shrug. “The only one of us that speaks kinda like that is Swiftsword.”
“Verily, but I choose to do this to keep an air of refinement,” Swift grudgingly replied as she passed the pegasus. “Princess Luna’s speech seems to be lacking in incorporation of modern vernacular.”
“Would you guys be willing to give me a hoof in helping her?” Twilight asked as Spike nervously climbed onto her back.
“Sure thing, kiddo.” Barrier stepped up to her side. “I’m sure we’ll give her our all.”
***
After a few minutes of searching, the group had spotted Luna’s disguised guards near the woods, keeping an eye on the princess sitting in front of the statue of Nightmare Moon.
As Twilight and company drew closer, Starshine rushed in front of them and made them halt.
“And what do you think you’re doing here?” Starshine asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked over the group.
“Please, we just want to speak with Princess Luna for a few moments,” Twilight answered pleadingly. “We saw how she has some trouble interacting with the townsponies and I think Barrier and his friends can help her with this.”
“And we’ve got candy!” Wind Whistler hopped up from the back. “I know candy makes me feel better!”
“Hmm…” Starshine pondered for a moment, raising her hoof to her chin. “Alright, but we will be keeping a sharp eye on you, and any candy you offer her will be inspected by me to ensure the princess’s safety.”
“Thank you.” Twilight gave a grateful smile as she and Barrier’s household walked along. While Twilight’s focus was on the alicorn in front of the statue, Barrier’s was on the faint glimpses of the costumed guards sticking out from behind some trees.
“Princess Luna,” Twilight spoke, making the princess’s ear flick before she stood up to face the unicorn, “I’m—”
“Star Swirl the Bearded,” Luna interjected as she examined the mare. “Commendable costume. Thou even got the bells right.”
“Thank you!” the lavender mare said with relief, “You’re one of the few ponies to get my costume!” Twilight coughed into her hoof to rein herself in. “Uh, I just came to welcome you to our celebration! My actual name is—”
“Twilight Sparkle,” the princess interrupted once more. “We art most familiar with thee. It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon Us and took away our dark power and thou hast loyally served Our sister, aiding in the downfall of both Sombra and Discord. We could never forget thee.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight replied before tilting her head to the side. “But, I’m a bit surprised you’re not shouting like you were back in the town’s square.”
“We were not shouting,” Luna said with mild annoyance. “We were addressing them in the Royal Canterlot Voice. We have not subjected thee to this because thou art a soldier in Our sister’s service. We did not wish to deafen thee.”
“S-soldier?!” Twilight was taken aback. “But, I’m not a soldier. I’m—”
“Thou hast battled forces that Our royal guard stood no chance against, did combat with Us when We threatened Equestria as Nightmare Moon, took part in a mission to save the Crystal Empire that ended in Sombra’s death and sealed Discord away with the Elements of Harmony. Arguing that thou art not a soldier seems rather strange.”
“I think she means that she doesn’t consider herself so much a soldier as much as somepony who just helps out,” Barrier said, stepping up to her side.
“Hmm…” the princess drew closer, closely examining Barrier’s outfit. “Thy costume seems most queer, Barrier.”
“Um… Princess…” Verdant nervously said from the back. “The word ‘queer’ has a much different meaning nowadays. It’s considered a rather offensive way to refer to a homosexual.”
“Truly?” Luna tilted her head in surprise. “We certainly mean no such offense. Pray tell, what would be an appropriate way to describe such garb?”
“Probably odd, peculiar or weird these days,” Barrier answered boredly. “If need be, we could probably give you a crash course in modern linguistics.”
Luna's eyebrow rose as she approached the charcoal stallion. “Whilst We appreciate thy offer, tis rather curious thou art in Ponyville rather than Vanhoover, Barrier.”
Barrier gave an annoyed snort. “I decided it would be nice to check in on my niece, get her advice about Nightmare Night, and that it would be better to make fools of ourselves in front of total strangers rather than ponies we know.”
“Very well,” Luna calmly replied. “Still, I do wonder how the legend of Nightmare Moon devouring ponies came to be.” The alicorn’s tone took a harsh shift into cold and accusatory as she leaned close to look Barrier in the eye.
***
The ship known as the Wave Dancer sailed calmly through the seas. While the weather was bright and sunny, the mood below deck was quite the opposite.
On a cot laid Ember, her head buried in a pillow. Even though days had passed, the conquest of her home town by the griffins still weighed heavily on her heart. Barrier gave the pegasus a gentle pat on the shoulder as he stood by her side.
“I’ve brought some food for you two,” a voice came from the stairwell, drawing the pair’s attention to the orange pegasus that descended the steps, carrying a wooden tray. “The bread’s well preserved and I even have some strawberry preserves if you want any.”
“Thank you, Flash,” Barrier whispered as his magic gently pulled the tray from his forelegs. Barrier could see the worry in Flash's eyes as he looked towards Ember.
“Tis so horrible,” Ember muttered through a face buried in the pillow. “All those I grew up with are likely dead… every place I knew from my childhood ruined…”
“Ember…” Barrier bit his lip, trying to think of something to raise her spirits, if only a little. After a few moments, something came to him. “I have a story you may find humorous from the cadets training.”
A tired sigh came from Ember as she laid still. “I pray tis a good one. Better than what happened to thee with that dragon.”
Barrier shuddered slightly at the mention of that particularly terrible experience from his cadet days before straightening himself.
“When we arrived upon Butterfly Island, my cadets and I stumbled through some poison joke before we made it to camp. I was turned into a mare while Winter Gem became a towering hulk. Hat Trick lost his feathers and Iron Forge’s fur grew out until he resembled a blue haystack while Swiftsword’s horn grew longer than the length of three ponies.”
Ember remained deathly silent.
“Lastly, Verdant Range was reduced to the size of a pea.” Barrier continued. “He was nearly stepped on or devoured by birds multiple times, and even once was stuck up Swiftsword’s nose.”
Flash grew closer, sitting down at the foot of the cot.
“But the greatest part was when Princess Luna arrived,” Barrier whispered, leaning closer. “A sneeze had sent Verdant flying through the air and into the princess’s mouth. In an instant, she had gobbled him whole.”
“Wait,” Flash interrupted. “If that is true, then how did he get out?”
A faint smile crossed Barrier’s features. “He escaped the royal stomach through the princess’s pert plot.”
Silence held for a moment before titters started to come from the pillow. This quickly grew into laughter as Ember rolled onto her back. “T-truly, Barrier?” she asked, giggling the whole while.
“Verily,” Barrier stated. “I witnessed the incident and waited until the princess went into the bushes to ‘retrieve’ my cadet. His stench was so wretched that he not only needed to bathe for hours, but I thought his aroma might attract a horde of flies to him.
Ember started to laugh even harder, causing Flash and Barrier to join in shortly after.
“Oh, that is quite the tale, Barrier,” Flash said as his laughter started to die down. “Surely we’ll have to tell the tale of Princess Luna gobbling a pony whole to the rest of the squad.”
“Indeed,” Ember interjected as she put a hoof on Barrier’s shoulder and leaned into him, a genuine smile on her face for the first time in many days. “I am certain Styx will spread this tale to the rest of the guard.”
***
“Beats me,” Barrier answered with the strongest poker face he could muster as Luna stared into his eyes.
“Rest assured, Princess,” Verdant stepped forth from the crowd, drawing the alicorn’s attention away and preventing her from seeing Barrier wiping his forehead. “I have upheld our verbal contract all this time.”
“We believe thee, Private Range.” Luna trotted over to the pink clad pony. “We believe thou would not lie to Us.”
“At any rate, I’m sure we can help you, Princess Luna.” Twilight trotted up to the midnight mare. “I think if you just changed your approach a bit, you might be met with a warmer reception.”
“Change Our approach?” Luna’s head tilted ever so slightly.
“Like lowering your volume when you’re speaking to the general public,” the lavender mare gently said.
“Oh…” Luna looked somewhat sheepish. “We are… unsure We can. There is a saying that old habits die hard.”
“Don’t worry, Princess,” Twilight said as she started to trot away. “I know just the mare to help you with this. Follow me.”
“Very well,” the alicorn strode through the group, her face unsure… until she spotted Wind Whistler by her mother’s side in garb meant to mimic the night princess. Luna graced a slight smile which stretched across her face as she followed Twilight.
Starshine gave a quick nod which was followed by a rustling in the bushes as her guards tried to stealthily follow along. The only traces of them was the barest glimpse of Bonecrusher’s head and the bunny ears on Tail sticking out.
The rest soon followed along after the princess and Twilight as they left the woods and made their way to the edge of Ponyville.
Barrier gave his shoulders a quick roll as they walked along while Twilight and Wind Whistler chatted with Luna.
The walk was rather calm until Barrier saw something out of the corner of his eye. Something that made his blood run cold.
Atop the roof of a nearby house stood two figures, imposing and unmistakable in their appearance. One was a gray pegasus stallion with a wicked grin. The other was a very large griffin with black feathers that seemed to shine in the moonlight.
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.
Barrier quietly trembled at the sight of his long dead enemies looking down at him from the roof with wicked grins on their faces.
This is impossible! I saw Grimhilde’s skull! She should be dead!
The phantoms’ wings burst open before the two leapt from the building’s roof. Barrier’s look turned into a harsh glare before he dashed away from the group.
“Sir, where are you going?” Swift’s call was ignored as Barrier charged around the building’s side.
When he reached the building’s corner, he spotted Grimhilde’s silhouette while Starscream stood out clear as day. Barrier’s horn quickly flared to life before he blasted the pegasus in the chest, knocking him into a nearby bush before laying a right hoof into the beak of the dark bird and pinning her against the wall.
Barrier pulled back a hoof to slam it back into the griffin’s face when he noticed her visage was much clearer in the moonlight and much different. What once looked like the hen of his nightmares was a white coated mare in a black griffin costume with a paper beak and a head of false feathers covering her green mane.
“What the—” Barrier started to cock his head when he was struck in the side by a powerful blast of green light, knocking him onto his stomach. Before he could get to his hooves, he felt something landing on his back, forelegs wrapping around his neck while magic pulled his forelegs up.
“What the hay is wrong with you?!” Starshine’s voice bellowed into his ear as her grip around his neck tightened.
“Lieutenant, release him!” A shout that Barrier was grateful wasn’t in the Royal Canterlot voice came from behind as Luna approached with Twilight and the others in toe. Once Starshine’s grip had been released, Barrier rose up and faced the glaring alicorn. “Barrier, We assume thou hast an explanation for this.”
“I… I thought…” Barrier’s eyes shifted to the two he had assaulted in his haste. The mare in the griffin costume had moved the beak to the side while the stallion in the bushes groaned and started to pull himself out. To Barrier’s shock, the stallion wasn’t sporting Starscream’s dark gray coloration, but was in fact a white pegasus in a cardboard robot costume that was now sporting a scorched hole in the chest.
“It’s okay,” the mare rubbing her nose said, her voice rather nasally. “You’re not the first pony to say my costume’s offensive, you were just the first to tell me with their hooves.”
“Ah, man!” the stallion began as he pulled himself onto his hooves. “I spent hours working on my costume! Now it’s ruined!”
“I… I’m sorry everypony,” Barrier sheepishly said as he backed away. I swore I saw Grimhilde and Starscream! They were right here! “I had a really bad case of mistaken identity.”
“Either way, looks like I’m gonna have to take you in,” Starshine gruffly said, her horn lighting up and pulling a pair of hoof cuffs from her shirt.
“Eh, don’t bother,” the mare with the now swollen nose interjected. “We all make dumb mistakes and I don’t wanna go through the hassle of pressing charges.”
“What she said,” the stallion started to brush himself off. “My costume’s just cardboard and paint and I’m getting kinda tired.”
“C’mon, Skyfire,” the mare somewhat glumly said as she trotted away. “Let’s just go home.”
“On it, Windshear.” Skyfire started following along, slowing and having a hard swallow as he passed by Barrier before picking up speed.
“I… I’m sorry…” Barrier looked down at his hooves in shame. Something’s really off. I know what I saw, dammit!
“Barrier, art thou alright?” Luna trotted closely up to his face, her tone surprisingly quiet for her. “Thou can tell me.”
“I’m… I’m not sure, Princess,” Barrier said with a sigh, pulling his flask from his saddlebags.
“Thou dost not need to be so formal with me,” Luna whispered as she gently brushed his cheek. “We have done so much together and known each other for so long, thou art free to call Us simply Luna.”
“Thanks, but I’m still unsure, Luna.” Barrier gave her a faint smile before pulling away. “I think I need some time to myself to calm down and get a grip on things.”
Luna straightened her stance and gave the unicorn a gentle nod, a hint of sadness visible in her expression. “Very well, Our friend. We wish thee well.” The alicorn then turned about, facing Twilight. “May we please continue to where thou was leading us?”
“R-right.” Twilight nodded before turning her attention to the charcoal stallion. “You sure you’ll be alright?”
“Yeah, I’ve handled much worse than this,” he reassuringly replied. “You go have fun and whatnot while I go on a walk.”
The group of ponies began to pull away one by one. Fleet gave Barrier a look of concern while Starshine gave him a glare that could bore through a boulder.
“Pray tell, what is… ‘fun’?” Luna’s words reached Barrier’s ears as she turned the corner. Once they were out of sight, he let out a sigh before slowly walking away.
***
Barrier walked quietly through Ponyville, only stopping to either wet his whistle with a sip from his flask or to reply to those that said hello.
Eventually he left the town behind and had reached a small creek by the edge of the Everfree Forest. Rolling his shoulders, the stallion slowly made his way to the lip of the river before laying down on his belly and gazing into the gentle flow.
Seeing his reflection obscured by the half mask, he quickly pulled it off with his magic, wincing slightly from the feeling of the tiny hooks that clung to his fur.
“Am I… did I really see them?” Barrier looked into his own unsure face. “I could have sworn I saw Grimhilde and Starscream… but then they weren’t… Am I… am I going mad?”
The unicorn gave a tired sigh as he laid his chin on the grassy edge, focusing on the water’s flow and the soothing calm it offered as the night dragged on.
After some time had passed, Barrier’s ears rose at the sounds of large, feathery wings flapping about and something landing on the ground. His legs tensed, ready to strike should the need arise as the sound of steps grew closer.
Barrier’s eyes stayed locked on to the river’s reflection, acting as if the one approaching him had caught him unaware. Fortunately, the reflection of the one that was approaching him was Fleetfeather, offering him a gentle smile.
“I thought I told you to have fun, Fleet,” Barrier said as he raised his head.
“Oh, I did.” Fleet sat down at Barrier’s side. “I played games, bobbed for apples, had some candy, and watched Princess Luna try to adjust to modern times only to see her declare that Nightmare Night is cancelled forever.”
“Wow, went that well, huh?” Barrier rose to his hooves, his gaze turning to the night sky and the position of the moon. “I was hoping that things would go better.”
“So was I, Barrier,” Fleet said as she gave her forelegs a stretch. “Twilight tried to help Princess Luna with things like games with Applejack, vocal lessons with Fluttershy and a makeover with a pink dress from Rarity.” She winced slightly at the memory. “Perhaps it’s just me, but I still find pink to be a rather masculine color. It just doesn’t look good on her... or any mare really.”
Barrier smirked as he looked at her. “So sayeth the mare with a pink mane.”
“My mane color is natural and is complemented by my coat,” Fleet said with a huff. “Besides, the shade didn’t look good on the princess, even with the pink make-up Rarity had applied to her.”
“Yeah, you’re one of the few mares I know that looks good in it.” Barrier chuckled.
“Indeed,” Fleet said before her eye fell upon the woods before them. “So, this is the forest that’s overrun what was once our Canterlot.”
“Yep.” Barrier sadly gazed out at the thicket. “What was once a beautiful city’s now just a bunch of trees, rocks and wild beasts.”
“The city certainly was a marvel…” Fleet trotted up to his side before draping a wing over his back. “I still remember the first time I flew into Canterlot from Hollow Shades. I nearly fell from the sky when I saw the palace.”
“Not a place I feel like revisiting any time soon.” Barrier leaned somewhat closer to the cerulean pegasus. “Want to head back into town? See how the kids are holding up?”
“That’d probably be for the best,” the cyclopian mare replied, pulling ahead of the unicorn before taking to the air. “Besides, I was hoping to try this thing I saw advertised called ‘caramel corn’.”
Barrier and Fleet turned away from the woods and trotted back into Ponyville. Not too far into their walk, the pair spotted Twilight speaking with the privates and Luna in an alleyway. Once she finished, Luna’s horn glowed with cobalt light before she and the privates vanished in a flash. When the light died down, Twilight spotted Barrier out of the corner of her eye.
In a quick magenta flash, Twilight disappeared only to reappear right in front of Barrier and Fleet. “There you two are! You’re just in time! Thanks to Pinkie, we’ve now got the perfect way to save this night for Princess Luna!”
“Well, that’s good, Twilight, but what is it?” Barrier’s brow rose as a large grin crept across the lavender mare’s face.
“Now that’s going to be a surprise, Barrier,” Twilight giddily said as her horn glowed once more. “Just stick close to Spike and Applejack. They’ll take you to the Nightmare Moon statue soon enough.” With another flash, the caped unicorn vanished once more.
“Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy,” Barrier muttered before gazing around the small plaza until his eyes landed on Applejack and Spike standing by a collection of foals, including Wind Whistler, seemingly telling a tale to the other children, Mayor Mare and Zecora. The charcoal stallion and Fleet quickly made their way to the group, catching the tail end of Wind Whistler’s tale.
“—sending him into Princess Luna’s mouth, so the whole thing was a silly accident!” she jubilantly said. The collection of foals groaned in uncertainty at her story.
“I dunno,” a white and brown colt with a distinct Trottingham accent said. “Seems pretty far fetched to me.”
“Believe what you want to believe, kiddo,” Barrier interjected, turning his attention to the pegasus dressed as the princess.
“Hi, Mom! Hi, Uncle Barrier!” Wind Whistler bolted away from the group and launched herself towards the charcoal stallion’s face, only to be caught by his magic in the air. “You’re just in time! We got so much candy tonight! It’s amazing!”
“Still,” the Trottingham pirate colt glumly spoke up, “I never thought my very first Nightmare Night would be my very last.”
“Come, little Pip. Now don't you fret. Nightmare Night's not over yet.” Zecora moved closer to the group of foals, once again speaking in a spooky tone. “We still have candy left to give, so Nightmare Moon might let us live.”
“Yes. Come on, little ponies. What's Nightmare Night without the annual candy offering?” the mayor interjected, trying her hardest to sound creepy for the foals. “You don't want Nightmare Moon to gobble you up, do you?”
“Gotta say, the rainbow wig just kills it for me,” Spike whispered as he walked over to Barrier while Applejack trotted up to the foals.
“Come on, kids! Doesn't that sound like fun?” the farm mare said with as much enthusiasm as she could inject, trying to break up the children’s glum mood.
***
After several minutes of walking, Barrier and the others arrived at the clearing that held the Nightmare Moon statue. At the statue’s base was a sizable pile of candy even taller than the foals that had created it.
“Mom, Uncle Barrier,” Wind Whistler whispered, drawing the adults' attention. “Do I really have to give up some of my candy?”
“Best to go along with it, Windy,” Barrier whispered back. “You don’t want to learn what Verdant did about what Princess Luna’s insides are like.”
With a wince, Wind Whistler burst forward, quickly dumping a quarter of her candy onto the pile.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Fleet gave her daughter a quick nuzzle. “Besides, you still have plenty of candy left over for later.”
Barrier gave the little pegasus a pat on her back before turning his focus over to the statue, where he spotted the pirate colt dumping his candy onto the pile.
“Goodbye, Nightmare Night. Forever,” the colt sadly said. As he started to turn away from the pile, the wind violently started to whistle and lightning flashed.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” A booming voice bellowed throughout the field, making several of the foals tremble and the hairs on the back of Barrier’s neck start to rise. It was a voice he’d hoped to never hear again. “You were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased with your offering.”
“U-u-u-uncle…” Wind Whistler whispered through chattering teeth as her and the other foals bunched closer together. “I-i-is t-t-t-that…”
“So pleased that I may just eat it…” the dark voice silkily said as a flash of lightning danced across the sky and lit the clearing. “Instead of eating you!” When the light died, where once stood the statue of Nightmare Moon was now the real mare of darkness, her eyes glowing with power and her face bearing a fanged grin.
The foals all let out a scream of bloodcurdling terror. Some tried to run, only to bump into Pinkie Pie, who’d somehow slipped in unnoticed by Barrier.
“Hey guys, what’s…” The pink pony’s eyes started to dilate as the fanged face of Nightmare Moon drew closer. “Uh...oh…”
Before Nightmare Moon could take another step closer, five spandex clad ponies leapt from the bushes, putting themselves between the dark alicorn and foals with weapons drawn.
“My, some fools wish to challenge me.” Nightmare Moon chuckled while Barrier’s eyes were drawn to a slight bulge he’d spotted sticking out from under Hat Trick’s wing. “Still, if you truly wish to face my power, perhaps a demonstration is in order.
The alicorn’s horn started to flare blue just as Hatty quickly moved his wing, dropping a smoke bomb to the ground. The clearing erupted into a dark blue mist, blinding everypony. Before the smoke cleared, Barrier heard the sound of metal falling to the ground and a rustling in the bushes.
With the smoke now fully dissipated, the foals gasped at the sight before them. Where the pony rangers once stood were five candy bars in wrappers that matched their respective colors beside their dropped weapons.
Nightmare Moon let out a bellowing laugh as she lifted the five bars to her face with magic, carefully pulling back their colorful wrappings.
“Let this be a lesson, children.” Nightmare Moon licked her lips as she stacked the five bars atop each other. “Be sure to offer some of your candy to me, or else…” The dark alicorn opened her jaws wide before biting into the bars, causing a large spurt of red to gush out and strike some of the foals in the face.
The foals and Pinkie all screamed in terror at the sight, making them all run off. Some ducked behind a bush while Wind Whistler dove behind Fleet’s legs. To Barrier’s surprise, where Pinkie once stood was now a pile of bricks.
Turning his attention back to the dark alicorn, Barrier saw Nightmare Moon glow white before returning to the form of Princess Luna before spitting out a set of plastic fangs.
“I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna nervously said as she looked over her shoulder to the lavender mare who emerged from the nearby bushes.
“Just wait,” Twilight said with a smile.
“For what? For... for them to scream some more?” Luna asked in confusion until she felt a tugging on her starry mane.
“Um... Princess Luna?” the pirate colt nervously asked after letting go of her mane. “I know there's not gonna be any more Nightmare Night, but do you suppose maybe you could come back next year and scare us again anyway?” The colt’s question made her eyes shift between him and the collection of foals peeking out from the nearby bush.
“Child. Art thou saying that thou…” Luna tilted her head in baffled confusion. “likest me to scare you?”
“It's really fun!” Pipsqueak happily declared. “Scary, but fun!”
“It… is?” The confusion in Luna’s tone slowly began to fade into happiness.
“Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year.” Pipsqueak nodded as he spoke.
“Well then. We shall have to bring,” Luna started with a normal tone, only to excitedly shift to the Royal Canterlot Voice. “NIGHTMARE NIGHT BACK!”
The young colt was bowled over by the princess’s proclamation before getting back to his hooves. “Whoa! You’re my favorite princess ever!” he happily said before turning towards the foals in the bush. “She said yes, guys!”
The foals gave a joyous cheer as Twilight came up to the alicorn’s side. “See? They really do like you, princess.”
“Can it be true?” Luna said in surprise before standing on her hind legs, lighting streaking across the skies as she spoke. “OH MOST WONDERFUL OF…” The Royal Canterlot Voice echoed, making Barrier ponder for the briefest of moments if it could be heard in Canterlot.
“I mean…” her voice quickly became much gentler with a slight hint of embarrassment. “Oh, most wonderful of nights.”
“Um, Princess Luna,” Wind Whistler spoke as she moved out from behind her mother’s hindlegs. “What happened to the ponies you turned into candy bars?”
Before the princess could utter a response, a voice seemed to emanate from her belly. “Say, why does this wall read, ‘Verdant was here’?”
The sound of a hard smack then came from the bushes before the five dressed as Pony Rangers emerged, Hat Trick using a wing to massage the back of his sore head.
“Oh, that was a pretty neat trick, Princess.” Wind Whistler wagged her tail like a small puppy staring at a brand new ball. “Especially with the blood effect.”
“W… I thank you, little one, but that was not something we had planned,” Luna replied before gently wiping the red substance from her lips. “Twas merely some strawberry jelly within the chocolate.”
“Well, now that we’ve gotten this all taken care of, who’d like to head back to town for some more Nightmare Night fun?”
Wind Whistler and the privates gave a cheer before everypony started to head back towards Ponyville. As they moved along, Barrier spotted Starshine from the corner of his eye. When he turned to face her, she gestured around her eyes before pointing towards him. Barrier smirked before giving her a flirtatious wink, making her growl.
***
A short while later, the festivities were back in full swing with foals going door to door while the older ponies danced or played some of the various games.
Barrier stood by one of the catapults, loading a pumpkin he had specially prepared.
“Barrier,” Luna called, drawing the charcoal unicorn away from the catapult, though his horn remained alight as he made some adjustments.
“Yes, Luna?” Barrier asked as he approached the princess of the night who looked happier than he had seen her since before her banishment.
“I would like to say thank you for being there for me tonight. You, Twilight, Spike and the rest helped me feel much more liked than I had expected.” Her horn lit up as she pulled a candy bar from the pile that had been loaded onto her chariot. “As a token of our appreciation, I’d like to offer you this particular candy.”
“Thanks, Luna.” Barrier grabbed the bar with a hoof and started to unwrap it. “I’m glad we were all able to have such a good time. Especially the kids. I was kinda iffy on how they’d react to seeing somepony dressed as an undead.”
“Yes. I recall hearing Swiftsword muttering to herself that ‘it’s only a costume’ when we passed by such a pony.” Luna leaned over before pulling Barrier into a quick hug. “Still, this night has been most delightful. I’ve learned a fair deal about modern customs, I’ve turned some who once feared me into those who like me, I’ve amassed quite the collection of sweets.” Her eyes swept across the town before falling on the form of Swiftsword loading a pumpkin into a catapult. “And I’ve gained an appreciation for these costumes. Particularly those of the skintight variety.”
“Glad to hear you’ve had a good time, Luna.” Barrier looked around the town, his eyes coming to a halt at the sight of a nearby clock. “Still, my housemates and I should probably get back on the train to Vanhoover sooner rather than later. It’s pretty late.”
“Indeed,” Luna said before giving Barrier one last pat on the shoulder. “Fare thee well, my friend.”
“And you, my princess,” Barrier said as the alicorn started to pull away. Once the princess took a few steps more, the light from his horn faded and the catapult was let loose. The large pumpkin was sent flying upwards towards the princess. As it flew, it started to spin, causing the pumpkin’s top to fall off and the bucket of water the unicorn had hidden within to spill and drench Luna, causing her to let out a blood curdling shriek.
“Heh heh,” Barrier chuckled as he raised the candy bar up to his lips. “Revenge is sweet.”
“Indeed, it is.” Luna smirked as Barrier took a bite of the bar. For a moment, he was confused by the odd taste of the chocolate and Luna’s statement. His confusion died quickly as he felt as if his tongue had been set ablaze. Looking at the candy wrapper, he read, “Hot Tamales’ Ruby Reaper Chocolate”.
“Faust… dammit…” Barrier wheezed as he tried to ignore the burning in his mouth, along with the laughter of the soaked princess.
In a series of quick flashes, Twilight had vanished and returned, offering Barrier a bottle of milk that he quickly chugged down. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem, Barrier.” Twilight nodded before her horn flared, teleporting the now empty bottle into a nearby blue bin. “So, how would you say your Nightmare Night went?”
“I’d say pretty good for the most part.” Barrier looked over his housemates, seeing them enjoying some of the treats they’d collected. Wind Whistler even split a bar in half to share with her mother. A small smile came to Barrier’s face, but only for a moment before turning into a more serious expression. “Still, I wish I knew why I saw Grimhilde and Starscream tonight. I swear, I know I saw them.”
“I know how you feel,” Twilight said softly, leaning closer to the charcoal stallion. “Don’t tell Spike, but sometimes, late at night, I swear I see Sombra out in town in the darkness, but when whenever I take a second glance, it’s either a pony I mistook for him in the dark or nothing was there to begin with.”
“Sounds like you should consider talking to a therapist about this sort of thing, Twilight,” Barrier whispered back.
“Maybe you should too if this keeps up,” the younger unicorn replied before pulling away.
Barrier cast his eyes down towards his hooves.
Maybe she has a point… after all, this isn’t the first time you thought you saw her…
“Sir?” Barrier was pulled from his thoughts as Verdant stepped up to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Barrier lied with practiced ease as he cast his thoughts aside. “At any rate, we should probably head towards the train station.”
“Sure thing.” The shamrock stallion waved the rest of the group over as they started to trot off. “By the way, I managed to meet up with one of my nieces tonight. She gave me a bunch of these brownies that she said were ‘totally cosmic’, whatever that means. Want to try them?”
“Eh, why not?” Barrier gave a shrug as they drew closer to the train station.
The household, while enjoying their Nightmare Night, would come to regret things the next day due to belly aches and not a single scrap of food being left in the house.
It was a calm afternoon as Hat Trick and Winter Gem strolled through the park. An orange leaf fluttering in the breeze came to a gentle landing upon the pegasus’ nose where it was promptly eaten.
“Y’know, fall’s always been my favorite season,” he said after finishing the leaf. “It’s not too hot, not too cold and nature gives you tasty and crispy free food.”
“Gem?” the purple pony stretched out his wing, brushing her chin with the tips of his feathers. “Is something wrong?”
“Well… not wrong per say,” the snowy mare replied as she placed a hoof upon his wing. “It’s that… I’ve been thinking about our wedding…”
“What about it?” Hatty tilted his head as he drew closer. “We haven’t really talked about it since before we went to the empire.”
“There’s a bit of a reason for that, Hatty.” Gem’s grip on his wing tightened. Strong enough to show her worry, but not enough to hurt the pegasus. “I’ve been thinking about it and been wondering… are we rushing into things?”
“I’m… I’m not sure I follow.” Hatty drew ever closer, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Lots of ponies in our day were married and had foals even younger than we are.”
“Yeah, but there was a big reason for that.” Gem pulled her hoof from Hatty’s wing, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Back then, not only were we at war, just trying not to become a griffin’s lunch, but ponies just lived shorter lives then too. Now there’s peace and there are ponies that are older than a hundred. Those things would’ve been considered impossible back then.”
Hatty gave the side of her head a soft nuzzle. “What are you saying, Gem?” He asked with clear concern in his tone.
“I was just thinking about some of the couples I’ve seen around town.” Gem leaned into his nuzzle. “Belmont and Bouquet apparently dated each other for about seven years before they finally got married and about another four before having foals. That’s apparently not too uncommon with relationships these days. They even said they don’t think the amount of time they spent before marrying was odd.”
“Meanwhile,” Hatty said as he leaned more against the earth mare, the hoof on her shoulder shaking a bit. “We knew each other less than two weeks before we first laid together and we’ve known each other… shoot, it’s gotta be getting close to three years now.”
“Yeah, and I’m starting to worry about rushing in too quickly for marriage.” Gem pulled away to look Hatty in the eye. “Don’t get me wrong; I do love you and I want you to be my husband… but I think we got together too fast. I want us to take things slower and try to learn more about each other.”
“I… I think I see where you’re coming from…” Hatty nervously looked away for an instant and swallowed. “But could you give me an example about what you mean by the whole, ‘get to know each other better’ thing?”
“Well…” Gem scratched her neck before she looked back to the pegasus. “What’s my favorite food?”
“It’s… apple… stew?” Hatty said unsurely before sighing in defeat. “Sorry, Gem. I don’t know.”
“This is a bit of my point dear.” Gem placed a hoof upon his shoulder before giving him a comforting kiss. “We may love each other, but we don’t know too much about each other… By the way, it’s grilled chicken with rice.”
“Alright.” Hatty returned the kiss. “Mine’s pizza with mushrooms and red peppers on it.”
“At least we’re making a start,” Gem said as a smile started to cross her features. “We’ve just got to take our time to get to know each other more before we get ready to tie the knot.”
“Sounds good to me.” Hatty’s tone became more perky as he nuzzled Gem. “So, any other questions you’ve got for me, love?”
“Hmm…” Gem tapped her hoof against her snowy chin before looking towards the pegasus once more. “Was I your first mare?”
“To be honest…” Hat Trick bit his lip before his eyes darted back and forth for an instant.
“You can tell me, dear.” Gem leaned closer. “No matter what, I won’t be mad or anything.”
“...No… My first time with a mare was just before I left Manehattan.” Hat Trick rubbed his neck nervously while trying to keep eye contact with his mate. “She was a mare adopted from Paradise Estate that frequently came back to check on us and lend a hoof. Her name was Patch.”
“Hmm…” Gem hummed as she walked by his side. “Interesting.”
“How about you?” Hatty tilted his head once more.
“Well, my answer’s ‘no’ too,” Gem replied. “My first was this one stallion that would frequent my family’s trading post. His name was Tex. Last time he visited before my father and I set off for Canterlot, I took Tex up to my room.”
“So…” Hat Trick swallowed, unsure of his next words, “how was he?”
“You mean, in comparison to you?” Gem’s eyebrow quirked, making the pegasus stallion look away. “Well, where Tex had size, you have technique.”
“So… I’m better overall, right?” the stallion nervously inquired.
“Ehh…” Gem looked away and rubbed her neck so he couldn’t see her biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Well… I love you, and that’s what matters.”
Hatty groaned and covered his embarrassed face with his wing before Gem started laughing her flank off.
“I’m kidding, dear.” Gem patted him on the back once more before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You know you’re my number one stallion.”
“Thanks, Gem.” A smile graced Hatty’s features as he set his wing down. “Y’know, this ‘getting to know each other better and going at a slower pace’ thing is seeming more and more like a good idea.”
“Right?” Gem moved a bit ahead of him. “I figured it would be after observing couples like—”
“Verdant and Erica.”
“Well, I haven’t really been watching them too much. I mean, I still find pony-griffin relationships kinda weird, but—”
“No, I mean they’re over there.” Hatty pointed past Gem, drawing her eyes to the pair off in the distance. Erica was leaning back against a tree and running her talons through Verdant’s mane as he rested his head in her lap.
“Wanna do some date watching?” the pegasus asked as he ran over to a nearby bush.
“Eh, I don’t see why not.” Gem gave a shrug before following along, coming to rest at Hat Trick’s side. “We don’t really have any other plans.”
***
Verdant gave a dreamy sigh as he felt his head being gently caressed by Erica’s sharp digits. “This feels so nice,” he said as he nuzzled against her lap.
“Glad you’re enjoying it.” Erica gave his head a light pat. “Your mane’s feeling really silky. You use that shampoo I told you about?”
“Yep,” Verdant replied as he rose up from her lap. “It took a while to get used to since I really dislike the smell of mint, but the results speak for themselves.”
“It really does.” Erica leaned forward, giving his mane a nuzzle and a quick sniff. “You may not like mint, but I love the smell.”
“Maybe later, I’ll get you some mint ice cream,” Verdant said, drawing a chuckle out of the griffin as she slung her arm around the shamrock stallion’s shoulder.
“Thanks for the offer, but I actually hate the taste of mint.” Erica brought her talons up to her chin as she thought. “Dunno why though, but it’s similar to onions being cooked. Hate the taste, love the smell.”
“I get what you mean.” Verdant looked up into her eyes. “So, anything else you’d like to do?”
“Oh, well,” Erica’s tone seemed nervous as she pulled her arm away before tapping her talons together. “There’s this one thing I’ve been wanting to try. It’s an idea my mom put in my head and some part of me thinks it would be a really good thing to try, but another part of me thinks it’s gonna go bad?”
“Bad? How so?” Verdant tilted his head before drawing a bit closer.
“As in, ‘I think you’ll want to break up with me’ kind of bad.” Erica found herself unable to look Verdant in the eye. She soon felt him gently putting a hoof on her shoulder.
“Erica, I really don’t think anything we could do together could make me want to break up with you. Whatever you want to try, I’m willing to give it a shot.”
“Alright…” The griffin gulped and slowly turned to face him. “Okay, I’m gonna need you to hold still and open your mouth.”
“No problem,” Verdant replied as Erica placed her talons on his shoulders. He opened his mouth wide and closed his eyes.
Erica swallowed once more before leaning forward and tilting her head. She opened her beak wide to make the closest she could to a seal with her beak and his lips.
***
“What the hay are they doing?” Gem tilted her head in confusion as she gazed at the pair from behind the bush.
“Not a clue.” Hatty carefully looked at the pair. “Maybe they’re trying to kiss or something with her beak or—” He suddenly stopped as he saw a bulge quickly rise up in Erica’s throat before Verdant’s eyes suddenly shot open. “Oh dear Faust, I think she just threw up in his mouth! Gross!”
“What the…” Gem squinted as she watched Verdant pull away from the hen, a bulge quickly going down his throat. “Eww! Poor son of a bitch just swallowed it!”
“Urgh… I’m gonna be sick!” Hatty looked green as he slammed his eyes shut and looked away. “Let’s get out of here before things get worse.”
“Agreed,” Gem said as she picked up the pegasus and tossed him onto her back before running off, completely unseen by the interspecies couple.
***
Verdant coughed and sputtered, trying to clear the gross taste from his mouth. He’d been caught off guard by the sudden flood that had filled his mouth, making him pull back and swallow whatever it was on reflex.
“Verdant,” Erica asked with nervous concern. “Are you okay?”
The stallion coughed once more before looking up at her. “What the hay was that?”
“Well… y’see…” Erica nervously tapped her index digits together, her eyes falling on the tree they sat beside. “It’s a thing that ponies call a griffin kiss… it’s something my mom told me about… it’s a thing really close griffin couples do. They share a meal together by having one regurgitate it for their partner.”
Verdant took a step back towards Erica, seeing the worry in her eyes. “Why’d you want to do this?”
“I… Well, my mom told me about this and said that I should try it… that and a small part of me, like in the back of my mind was telling me, ‘This is normal, a fine griffin tradition. This’ll show Verdant how much you care about him’.”
A small smile crossed Verdant’s features as he moved closer before giving her arm a nuzzle. “Well, I do appreciate the thought.”
“R-really?” Erica swallowed before looking down at Verdant. “You didn’t think it was gross?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really fond of it, but the sentiment is appreciated.” Verdant looked up at her.
“Well, thanks.” Erica placed a hand on his head. “So… do we still plan on catching that movie on Friday?”
“Of course, Erica,” Verdant said with a chuckle as he gave her side a hug.
“That’s good to hear.” Erica rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand and wrapped a wing around the smaller stallion. “I was really worried that you would want to break up after this.”
“Nah,” Verdant replied as he nuzzled into her chest, hearing her frantic heartbeat starting to slow. “One not-so-good experience isn’t gonna make me want to break up with you.”
Erica gave a sigh of relief before she fell back onto the grass, taking Verdant along with her. “Thank the ancestors. I really didn’t want to screw things up since… well, I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
“Oh?” Verdant rose up to look her in the eye. “How come?”
“Eh.” Erica shrugged before pushing herself back up. “Just weren’t really many ponies that were interested in dating a griffin in highschool, save for this one unicorn with a fetish, and I wasn’t really into any of the tiercels or hens there.”
“And me?” Verdant’s head tilted as he leaned closer.
“Well, when it came to us, you were a stallion I got along really well with.” Erica licked her beak as she felt her throat starting to feel as if it were drying up. “We just sorta clicked together and we seemed to be interested in the same stuff… so I rolled the dice and asked you out.”
A coy smile came to Verdant as he leaned closer. “I’d say I hit the jackpot there.” He gave her a quick kiss on the tip of her beak.
“We both did.” Erica smiled as she pulled Verdant into a hug before giving his face a lick.
The two held each other in relative silence for a bit before Verdant pulled back.
“So… that was maple barbeque chicken, right?”
Erica chuckled as she ran a talon through his mane. “Yeah. I wanted to make something we’d both like for this meal.”
“It was pretty good, all things considered.” Verdant gave the back of his neck a rub. “Still, I think plastic would make a better food container than your stomach.”
“Agreed,” Erica replied before the two started to giggle which soon grew into a hearty laugh as they leaned against the tree once more. When the laughter died down a few moments later, a thought occurred to the shamrock stallion.
“Hey Erica,” Verdant looked to face her. “Do your parents know I’m a pony?”
“Y’know…” Erica gave her chin a quick scratch. “That might explain a lot…”
***
Barrier stood by the stove, carefully observing the nervous Forge poking at the food in the frying pan with a hovering spatula.
“Alright…” Forge delicately lowered the spatula into the sizzling pan and flipped the contents. “I think it’s ready.”
With a flare of his horn and a click, the flames of the stove died off and he levitated the small sampling of food onto a plate. Barrier leaned in, carefully examining Forge’s end result.
“Congratulations, Forge.” Barrier smirked as he pulled back. “You successfully managed to make a grilled cheese sandwich without destroying the kitchen.”
“Fantastic!” the cobalt stallion excitedly exclaimed. “At this rate, I’ll be able to make Snow something instead of just going to restaurants.”
“I just wish you did this stuff at the community center instead of here. After last time, knowing you’re risking the kitchen…” Barrier replied, taking a seat at the table.
“I… I don’t think I could do that…” Forge didn’t look Barrier in the eye as he came to the table. “I’m still not sure about… her.”
“I’m sure Erica’s just—” Barrier was interrupted as the front door was slammed open. From what little he could see, he spotted Gem and Hatty looking rather winded and green. “What’s up with you two?”
“Verdant… Erica…” Gem wheezed as she made her way towards the kitchen.
“What?! What’d she do?!” Forge shouted, running in front of her and gripping her by the shoulders. Gem could see a cold sweat pouring from his brow and his pupils were shrunken.
“Erica threw up in Verdant’s mouth,” Hatty said as he pulled Forge off of Gem. “It was disgusting.”
“Ah. So she gave him a griffin kiss,” Barrier said as he leaned back in his chair. “I should have guessed something like that would happen.”
“A what?” Forge reined himself in as he looked at the charcoal stallion. “A griffin kiss?”
“Yeah. It’s a bit of griffin culture I learned about as a cadet. Apparently, one way they express love for one another is by regurgitating food for their mate.” Barrier slowly came out of his chair. “It’s supposed to be something pretty intimate, usually only done between close couples or parents and their young children.”
“Yuck!” Hatty winced at Barrier’s words. “I think I’ll be skipping dinner for a good long while. If you need me, I’ll be lying down and trying not to think about that stuff.”
“Right behind you,” Gem said as she and the pegasus headed for the stairs. “I’m just glad I kept my lunch down.”
“Is… is that true, sir?” Forge looked to Barrier in surprise.
“As far as I’m aware, yes.” Barrier shrugged before walking off. “At any rate, if you need me, I’ll be in the den. Remember to clean the dishes once you finish your sandwich.”
“I… right, sir,” Forge replied as he picked up the sandwich in his magic before slowly walking up the stairs, passing Hatty and Gem as they headed for the door.
When he made his way into his room, he set the sandwich on his nightstand and sighed. Looking to a shelving unit he’d set up in the far corner of his room. He looked over the various Kre-O sets he’d built. The largest was a set on the third shelf; a replica of Canterlot Castle. In front of the palace gate was a figure of a unicorn standing tall while a collection of pieces that resembled a griffin in parts laid by the unicorn’s hooves.
“Is… is it really possible?” Forge whispered, his gaze moving from his toys to his hooves. “Could I be wrong? Could a griffin really love a pony?”
A light tapping snapped Forge from his thoughts. Looking to the window, he spotted Snow Sweeper hovering outside.
Forge rose up and used his magic to toss the window open, letting the gray pegasus in.
“Hey there, Forge.” Snow gave Forge a quick hug. “Something on your mind? You were looking a little lost in thought there.”
“A few things, to be honest,” Forge replied as he returned the hug. “But at any rate, I’ve made you something and I was wondering how’d you’d like it.”
“Oh?” Snow pulled back before spotting the sandwich. “Oh! Is it that grilled cheese?”
“Well, you did say it was your favorite.” Forge offered him a smile as he guided the now grinning pegasus to the bed. “I tried hard to make it.”
“It looks delicious.” Snow licked his lips before giving the sandwich a deep sniff. “Wanna split it?”
It was a short while before dawn when Forge pulled himself from his bed. He began to move away from the bed with a yawn when he felt a gentle weight landing on his shoulder.
“Forge, do you really want to get up this early?” Snow tiredly asked as he nuzzled the unicorn.
“Sorry, Snow.” Forge gave the pegasus’ face a pat. “It’s an old habit thanks to my training and it’s not going away any time soon.”
“Murrgh…” Snow Sweeper groaned as Forge pulled away. “But I wanna have morning cuddles.”
“Wish we could, but I have to get to work bright and early.” Forge gave the weary pegasus a nuzzle. “Maybe you can get Verdant to make you a nice breakfast. It’s bound to be better than yesterday’s sandwich.”
“I could stand a cup of coffee or two.” A small smile crossed Snow’s features and he pulled himself from the bed, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes. “Can I get a little kiss before you go?”
Forge chuckled before he delivered a quick peck to Snow’s lips. “I’d give you more, but I’m pretty sure we both have some pretty bad morning breath.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Snow gave a chuckle.
“I’m free on Friday and Saturday, so we can do whatever you want then,” Forge said as he moved to leave the room.
“I’ll hold you to it, hot stuff!” He heard the pegasus say as he made it to the door. “Take care.”
“I will,” Forge replied as he looked over his shoulder, seeing his boyfriend stretching as he glided down the stairs. With a smile, the cobalt unicorn set off for work.
***
After a few minutes walk, the unicorn arrived at the shop, seeing some smoke coming from the chimneys as he headed in.
As he made his way in and put on his apron, he happily hummed a little tune to himself.
With the last of the apron’s straps tightened, he saw a large shadow looming over him. From the dark form, he knew what was behind him was big and had a set of very large wings.
“Good morning, Mrs. Sorae,” Forge casually said as he turned to face her. “How are you this morning?
To the stallion’s surprise, the intimidating hen looked to be a mix of embarrassed and ashamed. She nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke. “Well, I was hoping you could pass along a message for me.”
“Oh? What’s the message and who’s it for?” Forge asked as the two headed deeper into the smithery.
“It’s for your friend, Vernon.”
“It’s Verdant, ma’am,” the unicorn replied, making the griffin slap her face with her talons.
“Right, Verdant.” She sighed as she dragged her claws over her face. “Sorry, I’m not the best with names.”
“It happens,” Forge said with a shrug as he trotted over to a box full of tools. “So, what’s the message?”
“Ah, right.” Asta snapped her talons in recollection. “I want you to tell him I’m sorry for what happened on his date with Erica yesterday.”
“You mean the… griffin kiss?” Forge shuddered at the thought of what Hatty had described the day prior.
“Yes. It was my fault it happened.” Asta swallowed before continuing. “I was the one that encouraged such a thing, unaware that Erica wasn’t seeing a tiercel. Had I known she was seeing a pony, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I’m very sorry about that and I pray he’s not upset with Erica.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell him that. But if it makes it any better, he didn’t seem upset when he got home last night.” A little greener looking than usual and lacking in appetite, but not upset.
“Oh, thank the ancestors!” Asta sighed in relief. “I was worried I’d cost my daughter her boyfriend after she’d been single for so long.”
“Did she have trouble getting dates?” he asked as she pulled out some sheets of metal and started to mark it.
“Oh yes, sadly,” Asta replied as she stuffed her marker back into her apron pocket. “Ponies tend to stick with their own kind most of the time and none of the few griffins in town really appealed to her much. It was quite a relief when you told me she was dating a former guard.”
“Yeah…” Forge quietly said as he examined the markings on the metal. “He seems to really like her too.”
“Excellent!” Asta excitedly exclaimed as she moved the piece of metal over to a bandsaw and put her goggles over her eyes. “I just wish I could meet the stallion she’s fallen for. Say, could you get me a different set of goggles? I’ve seemed to have cracked these.”
“I’m on it,” Forge replied before running off. After a brief moment, he’d found a good pair and headed back. As he got closer, however, a thought occurred to him.
This… This is something that never would have happened in the old days. His steps started to slow as he drew closer to Asta. You’ve grown comfortable around her. When I met her, I was terrified and worried she’d eat me. But now, after all these weeks, I feel like she’s just another pony… but she’s a griffin.
“Is something wrong, Forge?” Asta inquired as she faced the pony whose movements had slowed to a stop.
“Oh! Uh… no.” Forge ran up to her, giving her the goggles. “Sorry. I was just… lost in thought.”
“No problem,” Asta said and set the goggles over her eyes. “Anything you’d like to talk about? I could lend an ear.”
“Not really, ma’am.” Forge lowered his own goggles as he grabbed another piece of steel. “Ready to get started?”
“Right. Just remember, you can talk to me about just about anything you need,” Asta replied before flipping the bandsaw on.
***
As the day drew to a close, Forge made his way home, thinking about the griffins in his life once more.
Mrs. Sorae… Asta… I think… I think I trust her. She doesn’t seem anything like the griffins that we had back home. She just seems too genuine for it to be some sort of act…
When he reached the house’s gate, he spotted Erica flying away from the back of the house.
Probably going out through Verdant’s window… just like Snow does with mine.
The cobalt stallion sighed as he pushed his way past the gate and headed into the house.
After dinner, Forge was laying in his bed, staring towards the ceiling.
If Asta’s genuinely a good griffin… does that mean Erica is? How do I feel about her?
With a sigh, he rolled off the bed and walked over to his Kre-O castle, seeing the smashed up griffin form.
Erica… she’s known Verdant for about… shoot, months at this rate. She’s spent so much time alone with him, but never once harmed him. His horn glowed dimly as his magic picked up the collection of plastic bricks.
She went to the gala with Verdant. She’s a teacher for young foals… she’s made cookies with your household for charity…
Forge groaned as he slapped a hoof to his forehead.
She’s a griffin… but… everything about her’s just too… pony. Still, she’s been with him far too long for it to be a trap to turn him into a meal.
The cobalt unicorn placed the tiny bricks together, restoring the figure of the fierce looking griffin to one piece before setting it back down, facing the figure of a charging earth pony.
Are… Are all griffin’s like this these days? Forge bit his lip as he sat down before letting out a tired sigh. I… I just don’t know…
After a while of trying to come to an answer, the unicorn felt too tired to continue and went to bed, but sleep would not come to him easily.
***
A loud yawn emanated from the unicorn as he got up. As he stretched to wake himself up more, he heard a nearby door closing, along with a few steps against the hardwood floor.
Trotting over to his door, Forge tossed it open and saw Verdant beginning his walk down the stairs. To his slight surprise, he didn’t see Verdant turning towards the kitchen, but heading for the front door instead.
Curious to where his friend was headed this early in the morning, Forge made his way down. When he arrived at the door, he spotted Verdant heading past the front gate.
After a few moments, Forge drew closer, following the shamrock stallion down the dimly lit street, reflexively falling into the habits of both staying silent and out of sight.
From the distance between them, Forge saw Verdant pull something from his saddlebag and toss it over his shoulder towards the unicorn.
Catching the object in his magic just before it could strike him, he saw it was a stopwatch that Verdant had tossed his way.
“Good to see your reflexes are still sharp, Forge,” Verdant’s voice drew the unicorn’s attention back towards him.
“How’d you know I was following you?” Forge asked as he closed the distance between them. The unicorn guessed he was a good forty to fifty feet away from him.
“No clue,” Verdant replied with a shrug and a smirk. “It's almost like I was picked to be our team’s sniper partially for my eyesight and being able to spot potential oncoming threats.”
“Right. Ask a stupid question.” Forge gave his two-toned silver mane a rub. “At any rate, what are you doing?”
“If you must know, Erica asked me to come by the pool this morning and time her and her friend’s speed,” Verdant answered as they continued to walk. “They’re training to try out for something called the Equestria Games.”
“What’s the Equestria Games?” Forge inquired as the two turned a corner.
“Not a hundred percent sure, but I think it’s a big sporting event.” Verdant offered a quick shrug. “Either way, since it’s important to her, I figure it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Well, hope it goes well for her,” Forge said as they turned another corner. “I was actually hoping to speak to her today.”
“Oh?” Verdant’s curiosity rose alongside his eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
Forge took a deep breath before sighing. “I’ve been thinking for the past couple days… about you and her. I’ve been thinking that what’s going on between you two... I think that’s real; that she’s got genuine feelings for you and it’s not just some scheme to make a meal out of you.”
“Go on…” Verdant gestured with a foreleg as they walked along.
“She’s been with you for too long for it to be a trap…” Forge took another deep breath before looking Verdant in the eye. “I’m not sure about other griffins, but I feel I can trust her and her mother.”
A smile crossed Verdant features as he patted Forge on the back. “Well, I’m glad to hear it, Forge. I know this is a huge thing for you. I’m sure Erica will be glad to hear it.”
“Thanks, Verdant.” Forge gave Verdant a grin as the edge of the community center’s roof came into view.
“I’ll admit I was worried that you might want to pick a fight with her or something at first, bud,” Verdant said as the sun slowly started to rise further, making the dew shimmer in the light. “If it came down to that, I would have pulled out my bow and shot you.”
“That’s kinda funny, Verdant,” Forge replied with a chuckle that ceased when he heard the sound of plastic parts snapping into place. Looking to his side, he saw Verdant had a collapsible bow in his right forehoof.
“I’m not kidding, Forge,” Verdant flatly said as the unicorn looked on in shock.
“Wh-why do you keep a bow on you?” Forge stuttered as the earth pony collapsed the bow and stuck it back in his saddlebags.
“Self-defense, the defense of others, phlume collecting, that sort of thing.” He shrugged as he closed up his bags. “It’s a lot more useful for that than a pickaxe.”
“I’ll… I’ll take your word for it,” Forge said before clearing his throat. “Still, I can see where you’re coming from. If somepony tried to hurt Snow…” He grit his teeth at the mental image of a griffin doing just that. “They’d be flash fried.”
“Thankfully, things are pretty peaceful here,” Verdant stated as the two drew ever closer to the community center. At the building’s entrance, they spotted Erica standing by the door, a pink towel slung over her shoulder. Standing beside her was a zebra mare with a blue towel.
“Say, Forge?” Verdant reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a second stopwatch. “While I’m timing Erica, would you mind timing Ziwa?”
“By Ziwa, I assume you mean the zebra with her?” Forge asked, to which Verdant nodded. “Sure. No problem.”
The two were soon spotted by Erica, who gave them a wave before pulling a set of keys out from under her wing and opening the community center’s door.
“Hey Verdant, glad you could make it this early,” Erica said before giving him a peck on the cheek. “Bit of a surprise to see you here, Forge.”
“Well, I was hoping to speak with you, but it can wait until after your swim,” The cobalt unicorn replied, vaguely aware that the zebra mare was closely observing him.
“Hey there, Forge, was it?” Ziwa moved closer, putting some extra sway in her hips. “You single?”
“Um, no, actually. I have a boyfriend,” The unicorn answered, making her sigh in mild annoyance.
“Oh well, swing and a miss.” Ziwa said as she held the door open. “Anyway, ready to do this?”
“You bet, bubble butt,” Erica jokingly said as she walked past her. “I’m gonna lap you so fast, you’ll think Filli-Second became a griffin.”
Ziwa chuckled as the rest of them followed her in. “We’ll see about that, you over-sized chicken.”
After a few minutes, the pair had started breaststroke swimming back and forth in a pool that was rather impressively sized to the unicorn, though he could go without the stench of the chlorine.
“Almost there,” Verdant said as Erica and Ziwa drew closer to the pool’s edge. “Get ready, Forge.”
Erica smacked her talons against the stone surface of the pool’s edge, making the shamrock stallion click down on his watch. Ziwa did the same nearly a second later as Forge stopped his watch.
“Fifty three point six two seconds.” Verdant offered Erica a hoof and helped her rise from the water.”
“Fifty four point five seven.” Forge’s horn lit up as he plucked Ziwa from the pool and quickly dried her off.
“Well, guess I owe you a sandwich, Erica,” Ziwa trotted over and held out her hoof to the damp griffin who quickly grabbed it and shook.
“Don’t sweat it, Ziwa.” Erica finished shaking her foreleg and stretched out her wings, letting them drip dry. “We’ve both been improving.”
“I’m sure you’ll get on the Vanhoover swim team when the time comes.” Verdant smiled at Erica and stuffed the stopwatches back into his bags. “At any rate, I’ll leave you and Forge to talk.”
“And I think I’ll tag along. I wanna know if Maua’s done anything stupid at the shop.” Ziwa started trotting after Verdant. Forge saw that the pair had stopped at the entryway, though they still had a clear view of the unicorn and griffin.
“So, what’d you want to talk about, Forge?” Erica tilted her head as she drew closer to him.
Forge took a breath and rubbed a hoof against the back of his neck. “First off, I want to thank you… for recommending me to your mother.”
“Ah, don’t sweat,” Erica casually said with a wave of her talons. “You’re Verdant’s friend and a smith, my mom’s a smith and was looking for some new help. Besides, she’s said you’re one of the better employees she’s taught.”
“Oh!” A faint blush came to the unicorn’s face. “Well, I really appreciate that. Still, I feel I need to apologize for how I’ve acted around you. I’ve tried to avoid you and treated you with suspicion up until now… and I’m sorry for that.”
“This is certainly a surprise,” Erica drew closer and folded her wings against her side. “What brought this on?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about things the last couple days. About how long you’ve been with Verdant, how you’ve done that… kiss that you had.” Forge’s blush quickly faded as it was replaced with a faint green. “That, along with how easily griffins can get food and you helped save us when we were all stuck in that cheese… It’s convinced me that you’re not luring Verdant into a honey trap. That your feelings are genuine and that you don’t want to eat him.”
A light chuckle came from the hen as she sat down by the pool’s edge. “No, no, no. Believe me, he’s not getting in any part of my digestive system… Well, not unless I get really drunk first and I’m not much of a drinker.”
“What are…” Forge’s eyebrow rose in confusion for a moment before he understood Erica’s innuendo. “Oh… Yeah.”
“At any rate, this is good to hear.” Erica looked Forge in the eye. “But… how do you feel about other griffins?”
Forge bit his lip and nervously rubbed a foreleg. “To be honest… I’m not sure. I’m comfortable around you and your mother… but I’m not sure I can after everything that’s happened to me.”
“Yeah, Verdant told me about your hometown and what happened.” Erica sympathetically sat back up and drew closer to him. “About your family.”
“It’s a wound that’s still kind of tender to me.” Forge swallowed and stepped closer to her. “Still, while I’m not comfortable around griffins in general, I am around you two.”
“Glad to hear that. I know that this is a really huge thing for you.” Erica held out her talons to Forge. “Friends?”
Forge looked down to the outstretched talons for a moment… then placed his foreleg in her talons, the two giving the other a firm squeeze and shake. The stallion gave Erica a smile as he looked her in the eye.
The late autumn morning in Vanhoover was fairly dark in the skies while the ground was a glimmering white. When the ponies of Barrier’s manor awoke, they saw that there was a fine layer of snow all over the town.
While they were surprised by the shift in weather, the former soldiers decided to go about their business as best they could.
***
“Good morning, everypony,” Swiftsword called out as she entered the Four D’s, brushing some freshly fallen snow from her coat.
“Hey there, Swift!” Punch replied from the back as her magic tied the apron strings on her uniform. “How’s things by you?”
“Fairly well,” Swift replied as she headed into the mares’ room to quickly change into her uniform. “I’ve always enjoyed winter weather, even when it’s this early in the year.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with snow,” Punch said as Swift emerged from the bathroom. “My family would always head south to avoid this stuff before.”
“It’s quite the beautiful sight…” Swift tapped a hoof to her chin as the two trotted into the back to put on hair nets and wash their hooves. “Assuming one doesn’t need to shovel the snow. Then it becomes a plague.”
Fruity Punch chuckled as she put her mane and tail in nets. “Hey Swift, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. What’d you do on Nightmare Night?”
“Well, my friends and I went to Ponyville to visit Barrier’s niece. While we were there, we met up with Princess Luna, played a number of games and ate copious amounts of treats. How did yours go?” Swift asked as she turned on the sink and squirted some soap onto her hooves.
“Miserably,” Punch groaned as she stuck her hooves into the stream. “Not only did Honey and I get a bad case of food poisoning that kept our heads in the toilet most of the night, I also managed to trip and tumble down a flight of stairs. It really bruised up my chest. I was sore for days afterwards.”
“I’m so sorry, Punch,” Swift said with concern as she pulled her hooves from the running water. “I’d give you a pat on the back or offer you some leftover candy, but my hooves are damp and… well, it seems my housemates and I were struck with a sudden bout of hunger and ended up devouring every scrap of food we had.”
“Eh, it happens.” Punch shrugged before shaking her hooves dry. “Still, I do appreciate the thought. Now, let’s get ready for the breakfast crowd.”
“Right,” Swift nodded as she levitated a stack of menus over. “Let the breakfast rush commence!”
***
A thunderous sneeze echoed through the streets, knocking snow from the rooftops as more continued to fall from the sky.
“Wow,” Hat Trick said with a chuckle as Winter Gem rubbed her nose. “It still surprises me that you have so much trouble when it comes to snow.”
Gem gave a snort and glared up at the pegasus flying by her side. “Give me a break. I grew up in a Faust damned desert! I never even got to see snow until I was training in Canterlot.”
“It’s still deliciously ironic for somepony named Winter Gem,” the purple pegasus replied as he glided closer.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Gem rolled her eyes as they headed towards Suits of Utter Perfection. “Either way, I’m getting some winter gear for this crap.”
The store’s bell chimed as the pair made their way in, where a gray unicorn stallion with a red bow tie stood by the cash register. “Welcome to Suits of Utter Perfection. How can I help you today?”
“Well, Dapper,” Gem sniffed as she and Hatty strolled up to the register. “I’m hoping for a sweater, snow pants, a jacket, and some snow boots if you haaa…. Aaa...aaachoooo!”
“Sounds like you need some soup, too,” Dapper Gray said as he wiped down his now filthy counter. “Just remember, the soup store’s across the street.”
“How often does your place get mistaken for that place?” Hatty asked from the back as he browsed some jackets.
“You’d be surprised,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “At any rate, I’m sure I’ve got plenty of winter apparel to suit your needs.”
***
A tiny bit of the setting sun’s light pierced the clouds as Iron Forge and Snow Sweeper went on a pleasant walk through the Vanhoover streets.
“I must ask, does it always snow this early in Vanhoover?” Forge asked, making the pegasus at his side grin.
“Oh yeah. First to start the snow and last to wrap up winter. It’s something Vanhoover’s famous for.” Snow had a prideful grin on his face. “It’s one of the things that makes this place so special.”
“Well, you certainly seem enthused about this.” The unicorn’s reply drew a chuckle from the snowy stallion.
“If you think I like seeing the snow, you should check out my sister.”
“Oh, come now.” Forge rolled his eyes. “How badly could she really like snowy weather?”
A smirk crossed Snow Sweeper’s face as he pointed to the sky. The sound of a band playing reached Forge’s ears as he looked up at the source.
The cobalt unicorn was taken aback at the sight of Snowy Skies with a straw hat and cane, dancing and singing as Fleetfeather followed along with a look of annoyance on her face and a boombox in her mouth.
“I’m Madame Hearth’s Warming, I’m Madame Snow!” Snow loudly belted out as she pirouetted. “I’m Madame Icicle, I’m Madame Ten Below!”
Snow Sweeper had a hard laugh as Forge raised his jaw back up. “If you think that’s bad, you should have seen it last year when she budgeted a live band to follow her as she did this. Let me tell you, the mayor was pissed.”
“Well… At least she’s having a good time.” Forge watched on as Snowy kept dancing in the sky, sometimes tapping clouds with her cane to make more snow fall. “I just hope we won’t have to do too much shoveling.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Snow replied with a casual wave. “This is pretty much just a practice run to get set for full winter. It’ll get melted in a couple days.”
“That’s good to know.” A smile graced Forge’s features as they trotted through the cold streets, the sight of a familiar apartment complex quickly coming closer. “Anyway, what movie did you pick for us tonight?”
“I got us a copy of Screech,” Snow nearly squeed as he said the title. “It’s the greatest horror-satire flick of all time!”
“I hope you're right, Snow,” Forge said as the two arrived at the foot of Snow’s apartment building.
“Oh, trust me.” A smirk crossed his features as the two reached the door. “Even if the movie’s not your taste, I’m gonna make this a fantastic night for the both of us.”
***
“Brrr…” Fruity Punch shivered as she and Swiftsword trotted out of the restaurant. “It’s official. I’m buying a jacket and pants for the first time ever.”
“It’s not so bad, my friend,” Swift replied as they walked along. “At least not compared to spending a week walking towards the Crystal Empire.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna take a hard pass on that,” Punch jokingly said before rubbing her neck. “So Swift, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“Go on,” Swift turned to face her pink companion.
“Well, it’s that…” Punch bit her lip before continuing. “Do you like girls?”
“Are you asking if I'm sexually attracted to mares?” Swift could see that Punch was quite nervous from the way her legs were shaking a bit from the walk. Too much for it to be the cold alone.
“Well, yeah.” Her face became a more reddish pink as she looked away from the blue mare.
“I am, actually,” Swift replied, drawing a surprised look from Punch. “I believe the term that describes me is ‘bisexual’.”
“Heh. Just like me then.” Punch’s tone became calmer and more jovial. “Just like a pendulum, we swing both ways.”
“Is there more to your question?” Swift tilted her head, her question making the pink unicorn nervous once more.
“Well...” Punch swallowed and looked away from Swift once more. “Is there anypony you’re… y’know… interested in?”
“There is one…” Swift’s cheeks became somewhat pink as they walked through the evening streets.
“Oh…” Punch was somewhat taken aback, but put on a smile. “Well, can you tell me who’s the lucky pony?”
Swift took a breath before she spoke. “Her name is Spearmint. She’s a member of the guard in Canterlot. I first met her when Barrier went to the empire with the element bearers.”
“Oh?” A look of confusion crossed Punch’s features. “I thought you said you were hoping to find a noble stallion.”
“I tried, but I didn’t find a noble that was available and met my personal standards,” Swift said as she thought back to the night of the gala. “But Spearmint… She’s strong, brave, a skilled and determined fighter…” Her face became ever so slightly pinker. “And her thighs were spectacular.”
“D’aww…” Punch gave Swift a pat on the back. “Glad you found someone you like. Does she know you’re interested?”
“I do not think so…” Swift replied before a determined look crossed her face. “Still, I intend to speak to her about such a prospect the next time I write her a letter.”
“Well, here’s hoping it works out, Swift,” Punch said as she pulled away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Swift said as the unicorn headed for a side street. “And Punch, I’m sorry if I upset you with this.
“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Punch replied from the street corner. “You’re a good friend and kinda hot. But as they say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”
“A good attitude to have.” Swift nodded while the pink mare happily walked away. “Have a good night, Punch.”
“You too, Swift!” Punch gave a wave before she and Swift parted ways for the night.
***
The night rolled on nicely for Verdant and Erica as they laid back on her couch, watching the end of the movie they’d been enjoying. The griffin’s arm was draped softly over the stallion’s shoulders.
“So, what’d you think of the movie?” Erica asked as she pulled away from Verdant as the reel reached its end.
“I really liked it,” Verdant replied as he watched Erica put the reel back in its canister. “It’s nice that Piney convinced Janice and Buckeye to join them at Brandy’s house.”
“Ditto.” With the film sealed back in the canister, Erica flicked the light back on with her wing. “While I like the third one a bit more, the cleaner scene’s my favorite scene in the whole series.”
“It was pretty spectacular,” Verdant said as Erica took a seat next to him again before he looked up at the time. “Wow. Didn’t notice it’s nearly eleven. I should probably be headin’ home soon.”
The shamrock stallion started to pull away when he felt Erica’s talons gently landing on his shoulder. “Hold on, Verdant.”
“What’s up, Erica?” He looked back, seeing Erica trying to look sly while trying to cover the fact she was a little nervous.
“Well, not only is it really late, but it’s also pretty cold out.” A slight blush appeared on her beak as she continued to speak. “I was thinking you could spend the night here, where it’s nice and warm.”
Verdant briefly thought for a moment on Erica’s invitation.
Hmm… Well, Forge said he’s okay with me and Erica now, so he won’t panic if I’m not home in the morning. Plus, they can go a day without me cooking breakfast for all of them.
“Sure thing, dear.” Verdant leaned closer to Erica, giving her beak a nuzzle and a kiss. “Would you like me to stay on the couch or…”
“Actually,” the faint blush on her face started to become brighter. “I was thinking my bed would be warmer. Heck, we could make it even warmer if you’d like.”
The two shared a chuckle before looking into each other's eyes.
“I’d love to, Erica.”
The two soon made their way to the griffin’s bedroom. What would come next was glorious.
***
“Well, that was definitely a rather fun movie,” Forge said as Snow placed the film back in it’s canister. “Though I do have one question.”
“What’d that be?” Snow winced as he flicked the light switch with his wing, needing a moment to adjust to the brightness of the room again.
“Wasn’t Stew Maker the guy who’d play Fuzzy in the Shoobeedoo cartoons?” Forge asked as Snow sat back down on the couch. “He sounds just like the one from those movies Verdant and Wind Whistler like.”
Snow Sweeper chuckled as he slung a wing over Forge’s back. “Yeah. It’s kinda funny to think one of the killers from a horror movie with a mystery would later play a comedic mystery solver.”
“Either way, I still had a great time.” Forge gave Snow a nuzzle before pulling back. “Say, what time is it?”
“It’s…” the pegasus looked over the unicorn’s shoulder, spotting the clock in the kitchen. “About ten to eleven.”
“My, time just seems to fly.” Forge slid off the couch, much to the pegasus’ surprise. “I should probably get home.”
“Whoa, Forge! Wait!” Snow’s word’s drew the unicorn’s attention back to him. “I was kinda thinking that since Sis is gonna be pulling an all nighter for this snow, maybe you could spend the night.”
“Oh, right,” Forge chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked back to the couch. “So, would you like to cuddle in bed tonight?”
“I was actually hoping we could get a little closer than that,” Snow said as he leaned closer to the stallion that took his seat beside him.
“What do you… Oh!” Forge was taken aback and a tint of crimson splashed across his cheeks. “Snow, I… I’ve never done… well, that…”
“Oh? You’re a virgin?” Snow looked down, spotting Forge fidgeting and playing with his hooves. “It’s okay, Forge.” He leaned closer and gave a kiss on his cheek. “If you don’t want to do this, that’s fine.”
“Don’t misunderstand, Snow. I do.” Forge swallowed as he looked his love in the eye. “It’s just… I don’t really know what to do.”
“Not a problem.” Snow took one of Forge’s hooves in his own, giving it a gentle caress. “If you want to do this, we can take it slowly and I’ll guide you through it.”
“I…” Forge bit his lip as he looked into Snow’s golden eyes. Staring into them, the unicorn was soothed by his gentle gaze. “I would really like that, Snow.”
“Alright, dear.” Snow nuzzled Forge’s face before hopping off the couch. “Nothing to be afraid about, but if you want to stop at any time, just say so and we will immediately.”
“Okay.” Forge took a deep breath as he followed Snow from the couch, his eyes locked on the exaggerated sway of the pegasus’ hips. “I can do this.”
“I know you will, Forge.” Snow gave him a gentle kiss on the lips as he opened the door to his bedroom and led the unicorn inside.
What would come next was glorious.
***
“And thus Princess Crystal Crown and Prince Arrow were married and they lived happily ever after. The end,” Fleetfeather read aloud. Her eye was torn from the book by the yawn that came from the bed in front of her.
“That was a great story, Mom,” Wind Whistler said before turning over. “G’night.”
“Good night to you too, dear.” Fleet set the book aside and gave the filly a kiss on the cheek.
The elder pegasus quietly made her way from the child's room and towards her own across the hall. Once inside her room, she looked towards the large mirror on her desk and slowly took her eyepatch off.
Fleet gave a sigh as she gazed at her reflection, her eye drawn to the scarred socket where its twin once resided.
“Least it doesn’t hurt any more,” she muttered to herself as she crawled into bed. “Still an eyesore, though.”
As she laid in bed, the thought of her missing eye soon drifted to what else she had lost in the empire.
The kids… That will always sting. Fleet sniffled at the thought of her five eldest, now lost to history. Still, at least they lived long, most likely happy lives.
The house in Canterlot… it was quite nice, but this house is also very nice. The hot showers and indoor plumbing are a rather great benefit.
Flash…
Fleet’s thoughts paused as she considered what she thought about her departed husband.
Flash… I love him, but he moved on. He married Silver Wind and even had a daughter with her. I’m happy he was able to be with someone he loved...
He said goodbye to me a long time ago.
Fleet gave one last yawn before closing her eye and drifting off to sleep.
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.”
“Daring…” Barrier swallowed nervously before moving towards the table. “I’ve… we’ve all missed you.”
“Yeah, me too.” Daring looked away and scratched her neck lightly. “I would have been back sooner, but there was this thing with a cult led by the ‘Brothers of Light’. Took me weeks to get outta there. And then I had to sort out this thing with a lava monster on an island called Muiranthias and… Well, long story short, I’m back.”
“So…” It was Fleet’s turn to appear nervous as she moved to follow Barrier, the pair slipping into some nearby chairs across from the tan mare. Fleet took a short breath and opened her mouth before Daring’s hoof rose to silence her.
“Let me say my piece first, please,” Daring said before taking a large swig of her coffee and centering it between her forehooves.
The former soldiers both nodded silently in response as they waited for her to begin.
Taking in a deep breath, Daring briefly locked eyes with each of them before exhaling slowly and beginning. “First off, I forgive the both of you.”
Biting back the urge to respond, Barrier settled for leaning forward in his chair, drawing him ever-so-slightly closer to the mare across the table.
Chuckling faintly, Daring met Barrier’s gaze and nodded, knowing what he wanted to ask. “Yes, I really do forgive both of you. Truth is, I really care about all of you. Besides that, I’ve done some things just as bad, if not worse while intoxicated.”
Reaching across the table, the tan mare took their forehooves into her own and gave them a soft squeeze. “It also helps that neither of you tried to cover things up or hide stuff from me.” Daring briefly went silent to take another drink of her coffee before continuing. “You told me as soon as I got back. Frankly, if you had tried to cover things up or lie, I wouldn’t be here, but…” The tan mare smiled at the both of them.
“We never meant to hurt you, Daring.” Barrier swallowed hard and closed his eyes to take a steadying breath before meeting her gaze once more, this time a relieved smile crossing his muzzle.
“I know.” Daring matched the smile with one of her own as she continued to look at them. “So...” She tapped the table lightly. “How have you two been since I left?”
“In a word, miserable,” Barrier answered as he leaned back into his chair, feeling lighter than he had for quite some time. “But, it hasn’t been all bad. We had quite an interesting time at the gala. We also accompanied the kids on Nightmare Night and helped out Princess Luna. I also had the… unique opportunity of riding a flying orange, courtesy of Discord breaking loose.” The stallion fell silent as he let out a sigh, prompting Fleetfeather to pick up the thread.
“From what the privates told me, they all ended up baked into a giant pizza right after finding the mayor acting like a cat of all things.” Fleet shook her head in bemusement before looking away from the table. “Barrier and I also paid a visit to some graves in Canterlot today… so that we could say goodbye to Flash and Ember.”
“Ah…” Daring gave the pair a sympathetic look. “That’s gotta hurt… I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Fleet responded softly. “It was hard, but... I felt we needed to do it.”
A moment of tense silence was held between the three until Barrier broke it with the soft tapping of his hoof on the table.
“So… what do we do now? About… us?” He gestured between the three of them, hints of his earlier nervousness making a return as he shuffled in his seat.
“Actually, I’ve given a lot of thought to what should come next.” Daring sat straighter in her chair before once more locking gazes with each pony. “While I think that we should take things very slowly… I think it may be best if we officially become a herd.”
Chewing on his lip as he thought, Barrier gave a shaky nod. “Right… Right. I’m willing to try if you both are, but be warned that I know very little about herds.”
Fleet gave the mare across from her a far steadier nod than Barrier, seemingly far more certain of herself. “I think it’s a good idea. I’d once considered herding back when Silver Wind lived with Flash and I.”
“So, we’re in agreement then?” Daring asked as she laid her hooves on the table. “We all start seeing each other starting now?”
The tension was thick enough that even Swift would’ve needed more than one swing of her sword to cut it until Barrier and Fleet both laid a hoof on Daring’s simultaneously.
“Agreed,” the two said in harmony, drawing another warm smile from the golden pegasus.
“Alright.” She gave the pair a nod before looking at Barrier. “It’ll probably be slower than what it was when we first got together...” She then turned to face Fleet. “But I think we’ll be happy together.”
“Alright,” Barrier relaxed in his chair, unaware of just how tense he’d actually been. “Do you need me to take care of your bags or…”
“Nah, the kids already set me up in the guest room.” Daring gave his hoof a pat. “Still, thanks for the offer.”
“Is there anything you’d like for dinner?” Fleet asked as she pulled away from the table and hopped out of her chair.
“Well, I’m thinking of heading to this one place called the Burrito Burro,” Daring said as she and Barrier followed suit. “Been forever since I had some Mexicolt food.”
“Sounds like it could be worth a shot,” Barrier said as Daring quickly tossed on her A.K. Yearling guise. “As long as they don’t use ruby reapers, I should be able to handle it.”
The trio had soon made their way from the home closing the gate behind them. As they trotted along, Daring couldn’t help but notice the stiffness in Barrier’s posture, leading to her prodding his ribs with a wing. “What’s on your mind, old timer?”
Snorting in amusement, Barrier rolled his shoulders and slowed slightly to be better aligned with the golden pegasus. “To be honest, I’m still somewhat nervous about the whole herding thing.” Barrier gave his neck a quick scratch before continuing.
“It’s not something that was practiced too much amongst the families of Canterlot in my day. Swiftsword and my brother are the only nobility I know of that herded. Not to say we had any particular laws forbidding it, it was just… if you herded, you were the exception rather than the rule.”
“Eh, I’m sure you’ll both do a good job with it,” Daring said before flaring her wings out and placing it over the backs of the two at her sides, surprising both of them when she used the deceptively strong appendages to pull the both of them closer to her “Besides, there’s a pretty good chance that Swift or Verdant will be able to give you two some advice about this.”
“Hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Barrier said with a shake of his head as they continued through the streets of Vanhoover. “It’s already an awkward thing to bring up, but with Verdant and Swift? Not exactly eager to broach the topic of herding with those two.”
“Well, we can worry about the exact details later,” Daring said before pulling ahead of the pair and wheeling around to walk backwards. “For now, let’s savor what we’ve got. I’m pretty sure the kids are doing the same thing right now.”
***
In the center of an opulent villa, made of fine marble and gold, a gathering of six ponies and a griffin hen stood at the top of a set of sparkling stairs.
“Everyone,” the shamrock stallion in the green vest atop a white shirt began as he trotted down the stairway. “I have gathered you all here to reveal the identity of the murderer.”
“Well, get on with it already!” the white mare said as she tossed aside her matching alabaster scarf and fur coat. “I’m sweating up a storm in this thing!”
“And these glasses are really bugging my eyes.” The bespectacled pegasus wore a suit that matched his coat and a pair of worn eyeglasses which kept sliding down his muzzle, driving the pegasus to regularly push them upwards, towards his forehead.
“Very well,” the green earth pony took a breath before angrily pointing a hoof at the hen in the tight red dress. “It was Miss Scarlett! In the gallery! With the crossbow!” His shout made all the gathered guests gasp, save for the little filly in the black tuxedo who trotted up to the verdant pony’s side.
“That’s quite the accusation, Mr. Green,” the filly butler said as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a sealed manilla folder. “Let us see if you’re right.”
The five on the stairs quickly ran up to the two as the filly broke the seal on the folder and tilted it over.
From the folder spilt three large cards. One had a picture of a crossbow, one had a photo of the gallery’s interior, and last was a photo of Miss Scarlett herself.
“And Mr. Green wins!” The filly gave a cheer and a bright light flooded the room. When the light had died away, the group found themselves once again gathered around the living room table with a game board made up of a collection of pieces in the various rooms of a cardboard villa.
“Sorry I pointed the hoof at you, Erica,” Verdant said, to which Erica dismissively waved.
“Eh, it’s no problem,” she casually replied. “It happens and besides, I had a lot of fun.”
“I was so close,” Forge said as he leaned back. “I was sure it was either you or Miss Peacock that killed Mr. Black.”
“Say, can I play as a different version of Miss White?” Gem asked as she rose up from the table and stretched. “One that won’t have me melting by the end of the game?”
“Sure thing,” Erica said as she left the table and opened up a cabinet. “I’ve got every version of Clue, including all the figure variants.”
“Do you have something that’s a little more…” Hatty twirled a hoof around. “Spooky?”
“How’s the Vampony Castle set?” Erica asked as she pulled another board out. “It’s got a set of monster pieces for it.”
“I think I’ll take a break,” Swift said as she rose up and walked over to the couch. “Wind Whistler, would you like to play as Miss Peacock this time?”
“Heck yeah!” The little filly’s wings fluttered in delight as she quickly took Swift’s spot while Erica replaced the board and laid the six figures on the table. “Playing Wodsworth and watching the cards isn’t that fun.”
“Can I still play as Prince Azure?” Forge asked, to which the griffin gave a happy nod.
“Of course.” Erica put the masquerade board away before taking her place once more. “After this, how about we get something to eat?”
The ponies at the table all gave nods of agreement as they placed their pieces on the board before disappearing in a flash of light.
***
The trio of Barrier, Daring and Fleet soon arrived at an outdoor restaurant, where several ponies, griffins and others were gathered at the tables, enjoying their meals.
“So, what do you two think you’ll have?” Daring looked over her shoulder at the dark unicorn and sky blue pegasus. “I’m thinking after the bland crap I had to eat for my last two adventures, I’m in the mood for something spicy. I know I’ll regret it later, but it’s a change of pace, y’know?”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have the slightest clue on where to begin,” Fleet answered as she looked at the menu above the cashier. “I don’t know what a… taco even is.”
“I’m in the same boat,” Barrier added.
“Alright. How about I get you two the same stuff I’m ordering and we take it from there?” Daring adjusted her glasses. The pair of ponies nodded, making the tan pegasus grin. “Alright. You two go find a table and I’ll place our orders.”
“One sec,” Barrier held her back before pulling a sack of bits from his saddlebags. “The least I can do is pay for our lunch.”
“Alright. Thanks.” Daring smiled as she grabbed the bag and trotted up to the jenny at the register while Barrier and Fleet looked around before spotting a table that would fit the three of them.
After a minute or two, Daring arrived at the table with a tray that carried a rather large amount of burritos.
“Wow…” Barrier was somewhat taken aback as Daring plucked a burrito from the pile. “You must really like this stuff.”
“Well, there was a sale.” A smirk suddenly appeared on Daring's face. “Say guys, want to play a game?”
There was a moment of nervous silence as the two stared at the yellow mare. “What kind of game?” Barrier leaned closer.
“We’ll each try to see how many of these spicy bad boys we can put away.” Daring gave the pile a pat. “Nothing really at stake, just a little fun while having these.”
Fleet rubbed her chin before shrugging. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”
“Guess I will too,” Barrier chimed in as his horn ignited, bringing burritos to his and Fleet’s hooves.
“On the count of three,” Daring said as each of them pulled back the paper wrappings. “One… two… three!”
Barrier bit down into the tasty treat, only for his eyes to shoot open and his pupils to become pinpricks as the familiar taste and sensation of ruby reaper flooded his mouth.
I’ve made a huge mistake. Barrier looked at the two mares as they were having their food. Fleet seemed to be going through similar pain as he while Daring appeared to be doing better than either of them with far less sweat forming on her brow.
Was this some sort of revenge scheme by her? Barrier wiped his brow before swallowing and taking a larger second bite, deciding the best he could hope for was to end the food quickly.
***
The trio eventually started on the walk home with the leftover burritos bagged up, several cartons of milk from the convenience store, sore bellies and burning tongues.
“I really regret that game,” Daring said hoarsely as she fanned her tongue. “I swear, I feel like if I fart, I’ll set my tail on fire.”
“Dahd ken habben,” Fleet replied as she carried the burrito bag in her mouth.
“What’d she say?” Daring asked before hearing cardboard being ripped open. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Barrier tearing open one of the milk cartons before downing the entire thing.
“Oh sweet Faust, I needed that!” Barrier gasped before wiping away his milk moustache.
“You’re the one that had the least, Barrier,” Daring replied as the charcoal stallion caught up to them. “Meanwhile, Fleet’s taking it like the champ she is.”
“Des iff bahnin aoony. I hin I’b radder ee gibbin baath ahen, Dahrin,” Fleet mumbled with a roll of her eye.
“I’ll ask for a translation after we’ve recovered,” Daring replied as the manor came into sight before them. “I’m glad to be back with you guys again, it’s been fun.”
“You and I seem to have vastly different definitions of fun.” Barrier’s horn lit once more, taking the burrito bag from Fleet and bringing a pair of small, open milk cartons before the two which were quickly snatched up and drunk.
“Thank you, Barrier,” Fleet said before releasing a deep exhale. “I needed that.”
“Ditto,” Daring added as she flicked her wing, holding a house key in the tips of her feathers. “And once again, I’m glad to have you two back.”
“And we’re glad to have you back too, Daring,” Barrier said as the tanned pegasus pushed the door open. “I’ll put the food away. You two get some rest if you want.”
“Thanks, Barrier.” Daring turned about once they were inside before giving Fleetfeather a soft kiss on the lips before shortly following up on Barrier’s. “Goodnight, guys.”
“Goodnight, Daring,” Fleet quietly said as she started to follow Daring upstairs. She stopped halfway up to look down at the unicorn. “Goodnight, Barrier.”
“Goodnight, dears,” Barrier replied before trotting over to the kitchen and stuffing the bags in the fridge. A few moments later, he made his way to his room and all but collapsed on his bed, all of his worries briefly forgotten at the elation Daring’s return had caused him. With a warm smile, the stallion snuggled up beneath the covers and drifted quickly to sleep.
For the first time in a long time, the stallion slept soundly and all felt right in his world.
The atmosphere at the breakfast table felt somewhat warmer for Barrier that day, and not because of the lingering effects of last night’s meal.
A small, somewhat silly grin plastered his face as he watched Daring across from him tearing into a piece of toast.
“Thanks for breakfast, Verdant,” Wind Whistler said as she hopped out of her chair. “Gotta go, Mom. Stakes and I have a great business plan we’ve got to get set up.”
“Alright. Take care.” Fleet smiled as the little filly made her way to the door. She knew that not only did her friend live fairly close by, but that despite being a filly, Wind Whistler was also deceptively capable of defending herself. A perk of growing up with a bunch of guards during war-time she supposed.
Once the door clicked shut, Fleet cleared her throat, drawing the eyes of everypony present. “Now that she’s out of earshot, I’d like to discuss what we’ll do for her birthday party.”
“Windy’s birthday is soon?” Daring asked before swallowing what was left of her toast. “Crud. I’m usually good at remembering dates and stuff.”
“It’s fine, Daring.” Fleet gave the golden coated mare’s shoulder a pat. “At any rate, we need to plan things before the eighteenth.”
“Well, Wind Whistler’s told me she’s been getting interested in stage magic,” Forge said as he rubbed a hoof against his chin in thought, “so maybe we should make that the theme for this party?”
“Great idea!” Hatty grinned as he waved his hoof, making a fan of cards appear from nowhere. “I’ve been wanting to try some of my new tricks, Windy and her friends would make for a good test audience.”
“Actually,” Verdant nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I was thinking we should hire someone else for this.”
“Why would we do that?” Winter Gem tilted her head in confusion. “Hatty would do this pro bono and hiring somepony else just means shelling out bits. I thought you really liked saving money.”
“Oh, I do,” Verdant sighed and rested his hooves on the table. “But my boss’s daughter is a stage magician who’s pretty desperate for work right now. I figure hiring her to do her stuff for the party would help her out.”
“Eh, fair enough.” Hatty shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll learn a trick or two from her.”
“Now that we have a theme and entertainment picked out,” Swift spoke up as she jabbed a fork into a slice of cantaloupe. “Perhaps we should discuss what presents to get her?”
“Well, I know what I’ll get her.” Forge grinned as he rose from his seat. “I saw a rather cute looking toy wand and a book of spells at the pawn shop the other day. If it’s still there, I figure it will be the perfect gift.”
“Excellent,” Fleet said with a nod. “Perhaps we should get her some Foaltron toys as well?”
“I wouldn’t bother,” Forge said, catching Fleet by surprise. “Apparently she thought the most recent comics were rather terrible and isn’t much of a Foaltron fan anymore.”
“Oh, that could be a problem…” Fleet brought a hoof to her chin.
“Maybe she’d like some Glitter Force comics?” Verdant chipped in. “It’s got some magic and fairy-tale themes in it and Erica said girls tend to like it more than Pony Rangers.”
“That might be a good idea,” Fleet replied and set her hoof down. “It’d probably also be a good idea to see if there’s some movies she’d like at Blockbuster’s.”
“Figurine Fantasy and Shoobeedoo would probably be our best bets,” Gem said between sips of her orange juice. “Thankfully there’s like a billion different Shoobeedoo movies, so picking up some she’d like should be easy.”
“Okay, now that we’ve got ideas for entertainment and presents, next up is one of the most important things for a party.” Winter Gem took charge as she dramatically stood up from her chair. “We’ve got to plan what food we’ll be serving.”
“Well one thing’s for damn sure,” Barrier said as he shot a dark look in Hat Trick’s direction. “We’re never buying bite-sized powdered donuts ever again.”
The purple pegasus gave a chuckle. “All I did was point out they resemble a part of Gem’s body.”
“And thus, ruined them for all of us.” Swift gave Hatty a very harsh glare. “Also, do not discuss that while I’m eating.”
“So… Pizza?” Daring suggested, to which all the ponies gathered muttered and nodded their agreements.
“And we can’t forget cake,” Verdant cheerfully said.
“Just don’t pull a repeat of Pinkie’s party this time.” Gem gave the shamrock stallion a wicked smirk.
“Gem, for Faust’s sake, it’s not funny!” Verdant angrily barked, taking her aback with his surprising anger. “I’ve had to suffer going through a digestive tract and all that entails far too many times! It’s like worming your way through a sweltering sewer that’s always moving and tossing you about! How about we shove you through one and see how you like it?!” The stallion seethed, heaving slightly as he took deep breaths.
“I… Wow, I’m… I’m sorry, Verdant…” Gem sheepishly said while her fellow squadmates looked stunned at the angry stallion. “I… I didn’t know it upsets you so much.”
“Sorry… I shouldn’t have snapped…” Verdant found himself unable to look Gem in the eye. “It’s just… getting eaten is something horrifying and gross and… I just don’t like being the butt of every joke about it anymore.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Gem slid out of her seat and trotted to Verdant’s side, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
A tiny smile crept across Verdant’s face as he placed his hoof on hers. “Me too, Gem.”
Barrier leaned a little further back in his seat and smiled faintly as the pair apologized to each other before his gaze was shifted to Fleetfeather.
“At any rate, we should probably make arrangements for this party and get the gifts taken care of.” Fleet started to rise from her seat, only for Swift’s magic to gently hold her in place.
“Worry not, Lieutenant,” the blue viscountess dramatically said as she stepped away from the table. “My fellow privates and I shall handle getting these gifts. You can stay here and do as you wish.”
“Besides, I’ve got some movies I need to return, so Swift and I will head to Blockbuster’s.” Gem quickly trotted to Swift’s side.
“Hatty,” Forge spoke up as he stepped away from the table. “Want to come to the pawn shop with me?”
“Sure thing,” Hatty grinned, hopped out of his chair and stretched out his wings. With a quick kick of his hindlegs, the saddlebags that laid by his chair were briefly sent into the air before landing on his back. After a moment of securing his bags to his barrel, he folded his wings back down. “They tend to have some cool Star Trot stuff I could add to my collection.”
“Hey, Barrier. Want to help me get the cake taken care of?” Verdant asked as he started to gather up the empty plates.
“Not that I’m opposed to it, is there any particular reason you want me to join you?” Barrier asked as he levitated his plate over to the sink. “You know what Windy likes just as much as I do.”
“I ask since I want to not only place our order, but to check on Strawberry and see how her foal’s coming along.” Verdant placed the remaining plates in the sink before trotting over to Barrier’s seat.
“Ah… Right...” Barrier rose from his seat and stretched. “Well, let’s get going then.”
As the six started to head for the door, Fleet smiled before looking down at the table. Hmm… Well with that sorted out… what am I going to do?
“Hey Fleet.” Daring gently nudged the cyan mare’s shoulder. “How about we head into town and do something fun? It’d be a good way to get to know each other.”
“That…” Fleet briefly pondered the golden mare’s words. Well, I’ve been rather focused on work and family for the past while. Perhaps some ‘fun’ would do me some good. “That sounds lovely, Daring. Is there anything you had in mind?”
A wicked grin came to Daring Do’s face. “Oh yeah. I know just the place.”
***
Verdant and Barrier stepped into the familiar restaurant and sweet shop that was Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops, and Sweets. The shamrock earth pony took in the aroma of freshly baked goods while Barrier was looking in mild annoyance at the offensively flashy décor.
Their hooves clicked against the pink and white checkerboard floor while Barrier shook his head silently at the cream yellow, vanilla white and pink striped wallpaper that adorned the walls.
“Hey there, Strawberry,” Verdant chipperly said as he reached the front counter, “How’s things by you?”
“Fairly good, all things considered,” the scarlet pegasus said, followed by a shrug as she leaned against the counter. “Business has been doing pretty well and the doctor gave me a prescription for something that’ll settle my stomach.” She then gave her belly a light pat.
“On that subject, how’s the foal coming along?” Verdant asked, stepping closer to the counter.
“Foals.” Strawberry chuckled slightly as she placed a hoof on her belly. “The doctor’s scans say it’s gonna be twins and from what she could tell, it’s pretty likely they’re fraternal twins, meaning both of you’ve got buns in my oven.”
Verdant grinned so widely, Barrier was worried his face may split open as a delighted squeal escaped the shamrock stallion.
“Speaking of,” Orange Crush interjected as she poked her head out of the back. “We just took some fresh buns out if you’d like them.”
“I think we’ll pass,” Barrier said as he faced Strawberry. “What we’d like to order is a cake for the eighteenth.”
“You got it.” Strawberry quickly ducked behind the counter. When she rose back up, she was holding a clipboard in one wing and a pencil in the other. “So, what kind of cake do you want?”
“Hmm… Knowing how many friends she has, I think a three tier vanilla cake, with cream icing and some peach slices would work.”
“Uh-huh.” Strawberry jotted things down with precise movements of her wing. “What’s the occasion?”
“Wind Whistler’s birthday,” Verdant said as he seemed to finally snap out of his stupor of delight. “Say, could you write, ‘Happy Birthday Wind Whistler’ on it in blue piping?”
“No problem.” Strawberry gave the pair a smile. “Want the words on separate tiers with ‘happy’ on top, ‘birthday’ on the middle and ‘Wind Whistler’ on the bottom?”
“Sounds good.” Barrier nodded along as he pulled out his bit bag. “How much will this cost?”
“Forty-two bits,” Strawberry replied as she jotted down the last details before tearing the page away.
“Wait, shouldn’t it be fifty bits?” Verdant asked as he glanced up at the price guide above the counter.
“I figured I’d give you the family discount since you’re our baby-daddies,” Strawberry replied as Crush came from the back and took the order form.
“Thank you, Strawberry,” Barrier said appreciatively as he placed a stack of bits on the counter. “I’m sure Windy will love the cake.”
“I aim to please,” She said as Barrier started to trot away. “This birthday’s gonna be one she’ll remember for a long time.”
***
“We’re almost there,” Daring said as she and Fleetfeather trotted through a somewhat disused looking street in downtown Vanhoover. “This place took awhile for me to find, but it’s got all sorts of great stuff to check out.”
Fleet nodded along just as Daring started to head down a set of stairs, the saffron mare coming to a halt in front of a heavy looking metal door.
“C’mon down, Fleet. We’re here.” Daring ushered her down, making the cyan mare swallow.
“Do recall the last place I entered like this was a basement where I had to recover after losing my eye,” Fleet said as she descended the steps.
“Ooh, right…” Daring rubbed the back of her neck as Fleet reached the door. “Well trust me when I say this is about a billion times better than just about anything you’ve seen in modern living before.”
“Here’s hoping,” Fleet said as Daring pulled the door open, ushering her inside.
Once crossing the threshold, Fleet was rather surprised by the sight before her. Inside was a collection of shops and businesses, decorated in a collection of blacks, purples and dark blues. While there were a few normal lights in the complex, most of them were neon in the names of the various businesses.
“Welcome to the Midnight Mall,” Daring said as she trotted in front of the surprised pegasus. “A place started up by thestrals where you can live the nightlife twenty-four hours a day.”
“My word…” Fleet’s head turned back and forth as she followed Daring along. “It’s quite big for someplace underground.”
“Yeah, and this is just the first floor,” Daring said as she led Fleet into a place that bore a sign that read ‘Moonlight Melodies’. “There’s another five floors below that have all sorts of restaurants, shops, and even a theater.”
“So, what are we doing here?” Fleet inquired as she looked around. The place seemed to be some sort of bar and restaurant, but with a stage set up where she saw Fruity Punch singing a song with a pale violet unicorn mare with a flowing, two-toned purple mane beside her.
“Ore wa Oingo, henshin dekiruuuuuuuuuu!” Punch belted out, making Fleet quickly understand why she was a restaurant worker and not a professional singer.
“Well, Fleet...” Daring slung a foreleg around her shoulder. “We’re gonna have some food, some drinks, and then I’m gonna introduce you into a wonderful Neighponese creation called ‘karaoke’.”
The Hearth’s Warming spirit was in full swing at the manor. While a light snow was blowing outside, everyone was having a good time chatting amongst themselves in the warm interior of the home.
While Barrier was taking a sip of eggnog, still uncertain on whether or not to add brandy to the drink, he looked upon the joyous looks of all within the living room.
As he walked past Verdant and Erica standing by one of the windows, he overheard a bit of their conversation.
“How bad can Mistletoe really be when she sees someone under mistletoe?” the shamrock stallion asked as he stared out at the falling snow.
“Believe me when I say gender, species and consent don’t mean much when she spots someone under mistletoe. She will force them to play tonsil hockey with her.” Erica shuddered as she recalled one particular past Hearth’s Warming. “I swear, at least three quarters of the adults in Vanhoover have gotten mono from her. I have no idea why this time of year turns her so damn nuts.”
Barrier winced at Erica’s words and turned his attention to the conversation going on between Forge, Gem, Hatty, and Snow as they laid on the floor, huddled around a board game.
“I really doubt you could do it that fast,” Snow said before tossing a pair of dice towards the board. “Eleven.”
“Oh, I totally can,” Hatty replied as he stood up before reaching under his wing to reveal a smoke bomb. “Check this out! It’s morphin’ time!”
Tossing the small orb onto the floor, the space around the board was quickly engulfed in a purple smoke. Once the smoke had cleared, Snow and Forge were rather surprised to see that Hat Trick was now fully garbed in his Pony Rangers outfit.
Winter Gem chuckled at the slack-jawed look on Snow’s face. “It took him over two months to get that good at this trick. At any rate, move your piece, Snow.”
“Make sure you don’t leave any scorch marks or chemical residue on the floor, Hatty,” Barrier said as Hatty pulled the plastic helmet off his head. “Otherwise, I’ll make you clean it up with your tongue.”
“Noted,” Hatty said as he laid back down in front of the board. Only then did Snow rapidly shake his head and move his piece, a silver chariot, around the game board.
The charcoal unicorn made his way over to the couch, where Daring was reading a story to Wind Whistler while she sat on her mother’s lap.
“‘Oh, how sweet! Look what they got you!’ The foolish Wrench said as he pulled the present the rangers left from the box, not paying any mind to the spherical device’s beeping or the timer counting down. When Sledge and Poisandra ceased their arguing, they looked at the gift he held and much to their horror, recognized what it was. ‘Ah! It’s a bomb!’ they screamed just before it went off, destroying them and the ship while the rangers flew away to enjoy a Happy Hearth’s Warming.” Daring dramatically said as she read the tale aloud to the widely grinning filly.
“That’s awesome!” Windy shouted excitedly as she hopped in her mother’s lap. “I hope the bomb killed them off permanently this time!”
“...at least it’s tamer than what I grew up with I guess,” Barrier murmured to himself before a sound made his ears stand at attention. A series of knocks had come from the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Barrier said as his horn glowed brighter before teleporting to the front door. When he opened the door, he was so shocked by what he saw that he nearly lost control of his magic and dropped his eggnog.
“‘Sup, homies?” Princess Luna, draped in a dark blue and black scarf said from beside her sister, who was draped in a two-tone purple scarf.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Barrier,” Celestia said as she looked down at the stunned stallion. “May we come inside?”
“Um… certainly, Princess,” Barrier said as he stepped back so that the massive mares could step inside. It was only then that Barrier spotted the suitcases and animal cages behind them. “This is certainly a surprise. Might I ask what brings you out here?”
A faint scarlet crossed Luna’s face as she levitated one of the pet cages over to her face. “Yes, well, it turns out Tibbles somehow managed to start a large fire in the palace living quarters, so everypony living in them had to leave immediately, ourselves included.”
“Tibbles?” Barrier asked as he looked into the pet cage and spotted an opossum scratching its ear.
“Tiberius, or Tibbles for short,” Luna replied. “He’s my pet opossum and it seems he has an interest in fire that I only recently learned about.”
“I know this is quite the odd situation, Barrier, but may we... crash here?” Celestia bashfully asked as her suitcases and birdcage floated inside.
“Princess, don’t you have rooms available exclusively to you at various hotels throughout the kingdom?” Barrier asked the elder alicorn as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.
“Well, sadly, that’s not an option for us.” Celestia seemed to be deeply interested in examining every last detail of the ceiling, not meeting Barrier’s eye. “We graciously offered our private rooms to those who are temporarily displaced because of this.”
“Bullshit!” Luna coughed into a forehoof. “Burnt bridges.” (Cough) “Ruined toilets.” (Cough) “Can never go back.” (Cough)
Celestia’s right eye twitched as she looked down at her little sister, who merely stuck her tongue out at her.
“...Right...” Barrier said before taking a long sip of his eggnog. “Princess Celestia can have my room while Luna takes the guest room upstairs. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Oh, no need for that, Barrier,” Luna replied as she walked past him towards the living room. “I can take the couch while Celestia takes the guest room.”
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Celestia chipped in as she followed Luna into the living room. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, everypony… Oh, I mean everycreature.”
“Hmm, Barrier,” Luna whispered quietly to Barrier as he walked up to her side, giving Erica a hard look. “Are you aware there’s a griffin in your house?”
“Really? And here I thought Erica was a donkey.” Barrier rolled his eyes while Celestia gave a quiet titter at his sarcastic remark. “She’s Verdant’s girlfriend and the two of them made a bunch of hot chicken and bacon sandwiches if you’d like some.”
“I’ll pass,” Celestia politely said. “I’m trying to watch what I eat this time of year.”
“Which is why you had eleven fruit cakes,” Luna softly muttered, forcing Barrier to bite his lip. “When it comes to me and those sandwiches, I’d hit it.”
The gathered ponies in the living room gave the midnight blue mare a series of looks. Verdant, Swift, Erica, Forge, Snow and Fleet all gave her looks of shock and horror while Daring, Gem and Windy looked like they were on the verge of collapsing into a laughing fit. Hatty’s face remained unreadable thanks to his helmet.
“Um, your highness,” Erica softly said as she held up a talon. “I’m pretty sure that ‘I’d hit it’ doesn’t mean what you think it means.”
“Oh?” Luna arched an eyebrow as she approached Erica and Verdant. The griffin nervously swallowed as the mare, a full head taller than her, was now gazing down at her. “And what pray tell does ‘I’d hit it’ mean in modern terms?”
“Well…” Erica moved closer to the princess’s ear and whispered into it.
Luna’s eyes briefly widened before she let out a sigh of annoyance. “Motherfucker,” she muttered as Erica pulled away. “Well, at least I’ve made progress when it comes to modern linguistics.”
“You certainly have, your highness,” Verdant said as he gave her a bow. “You’ve improved greatly since Nightmare Night.”
“No need to be so formal, Verdant,” Luna said with a casual wave of her hoof before her horn started to glow, making a sandwich from the kitchen float over to her.
“I find there’s no need for a pony who’s been inside me to refer to me by my title when addressing me in a casual setting,” Luna said in a quieter tone before taking a bite of the sandwich, savoring the taste of the chicken, bacon, cheese and honey mustard.
“I’m... gonna assume you’re referring to the whole Butterfly Island thing,” Erica said as Verdant looked away, trying to hide the blush on his face.
“Hmm…” Luna cheerfully hummed as she enjoyed the taste of her sandwich before swallowing. “Well, it seems the two of you are quite good when it comes to making these kinds of foods. Perhaps I shall have Griffin foods more often. Most ponies balk at such meals in this day and age.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Erica said as she gave a quick bow, fanning her wings against the floor. “I used my dad’s recipe for the honey mustard.”
“It’s simply excellent,” Luna said before slowly and carefully examining the hen’s appearance. “Getting back to our previous subject on linguistics, do either of you speak Prench?”
“No, I’d say I know more Neighponese than Prench,” Verdant replied.
“While I was taught it in school, I wasn’t really good at it and I’ve forgotten most of it due to never needing it.” Erica said as she sat down and sheepishly poked her two index talons together.
“Well, perhaps you’ll still be able to answer my next question.” A sultry grin then crossed Luna’s muzzle. “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”
The pair’s stunned faces instantly turned scarlet before Erica’s wings quickly sprung up, knocking Verdant over.
***
“So, Barrier, how’s your holiday season been?” Celestia asked as her sister wandered over towards Verdant and Erica.
“Pretty good,” Barrier replied before taking a sip of his eggnog. “Thankfully, we avoided a shopping rush by getting our gifts for each other about a month ahead of time.”
“Ah, always good to avoid the hustle and bustle,” Celestia said before offering the stallion a smile.
“Begging your pardon, Princess, but I wonder why you’d choose to visit us instead of Twilight for a place to crash for the holidays.” Barrier took another pleasant swig of his drink, savoring the taste. “After all, Ponyville is a lot closer to Canterlot than Vanhoover.”
“True, but there would be some problems with that,” Celestia replied as she opened up the cage at her side, which led to Philomena dashing out from it. Celestia then held out a foreleg, giving the phoenix a place to perch.
“Firstly, Ponyville is not exactly the most comfortable around the two of us.” Celestia gave a warm smile to Philomena as she started to preen her own wings. “They were rather high strung when I went there for tea and you know what happened on Nightmare Night.”
“Yes, I recall what happened then,” Barrier said before taking another sip, polishing off his eggnog. “Any other reason?”
“Other than I worry Twilight would panic herself into a heart attack trying to get her house set up and making sure every last detail was absolutely perfect while getting gifts for Luna, our pets and I, nope. Not at all.” Celestia’s remark drew a chuckle from the onyx coated stallion.
“True. Very true.” Barrier started to make his way to the fridge. “Would you like some eggnog? It’s non-alcoholic.”
“Well, I think I’ll have just the one,” Celestia answered as Barrier opened the fridge.
***
After a few party games and Celestia drinking every last drop of eggnog remaining in the house, everyone save for Barrier all went upstairs.
Barrier went to his bedroom, but stayed awake with a book to keep him company. Nearly an hour later, he set the book aside and turned out the lights.
A few moments before he could settle in to sleep, a loud creaking came from above. Just as he turned his head toward the ceiling, it widely split open before dumping Princess Celestia on top of him.
The princess’s fall was too quick for him to bring up a shield, so he found his entire head engulfed by the princess’s generous rump.
Quickly looking about the darkened room, Celestia was rather embarrassed by what had just occurred.
“Sorry, everypony!” she bashfully called out as she looked up to the hole she’d made. She was rather glad the darkness hid her crimson face. “I was just looking for the bathroom. I didn’t think something like this would happen.”
“I told you you had too many fruit cakes, Sister!” Luna’s voice came from the upper floor, making Celestia’s face grow even redder.
The alabaster alicorn let out an exasperated sigh. “How could this get any worse?”
The princess was rather shocked when she suddenly felt something upon her rump. A pair of hooves pressing into it from below.
With a shriek, she leapt off. With what little moonlight was pouring into the room, she spotted Barrier was laying on the now flattened bed.
“Oh dear Faust, I’m so sorry, Barrier!” Celestia was rather certain that by this point, her embarrassment had turned her entire body pink. “I swear, I’ll pay for all the damages I’ve caused.”
“It’s fine.” Barrier dismissively waved his hoof before sighing. “At least the bed’s still usable and whoever’s room that is up there should be able to jump over the hole to leave their room.”
“Are you two okay down there?” Forge’s voice came from above.
“Yes, Forge, we are,” Barrier replied before looking towards the embarrassed princess and rose from the bed. “Also, if you still need a bathroom, my personal bathroom’s directly behind you.”
“Yes… Thank you, Barrier,” Celestia said before quickly turning away and pushing open the bathroom door, flicking on the light as she went.
Glad the princess didn’t see the salute I was giving her in the darkness. Barrier sighed before slowly making his way from his dimly lit bedroom to the slightly brighter kitchen, running a hoof over his muzzle and wincing slightly. Not too badly injured. A pain killer and a bit of water should do it.
His horn briefly glowed as he pulled open a cupboard door. To his annoyance, instead of a collection of cups and plates on shelves, he spotted the Pink Devil with a smile and pastel colored cannon pointed directly at him.
Barrier did nothing to move away, only letting out an exhausted sigh. “Lemme guess. Knot Cannon?”
“Yeppers!” Pinkie cheerfully replied before pulling a string on the cannon, launching a bundle of tied ropes at the annoyed stallion.
After the ropes had landed on him, Barrier lightly blew a strand out of his eyes. “Could you please pass me the headache medication and a glass?”
“Sure thing,” Pinkie said before reaching to the side and pulling out an empty glass and a pill bottle. “Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“Happy Hearth’s Warming to you too, Pinkie,” Barrier said before closing the door in front of her. “Note to self. Restock the booze once the stores reopen.”
Barrier smiled as he gazed out one of the palace windows. Snow had begun to gently fall as he headed towards the mess hall.
All things considered, things had been going rather pleasantly for the past few months. Training the cadets had gone rather smoothly and the war was gradually starting to turn more and more in their favor. With Hearth’s Warming coming soon, it seemed like things would be almost peaceful for a change.
“Captain!” Swiftsword’s shout echoed through the hallway, followed shortly by the sounds of a stampede of rushing hooves. Looking over his shoulder, Barrier saw the five cadets under his command charging towards him.
“Almost peaceful… I suppose something was bound to happen.” Barrier quietly sighed before the five skidded to a halt in front of him. “Status report, Swift.”
“Sir, we have an emergency!” Swift said as she threw out a salute, followed by the other cadets. “A mouse by the name of Madam Mouserinks got into an argument with Prince Celestia, demanding she surrender the palace to her.”
“After the princess told her where to stick it, the mouse put a horrible curse on her,” Hatty interjected, much to Swift’s annoyance. “And now, Princess Celestia has a curse placed upon her that makes her utterly hideous. Now all the stallions in the castle are being called on to try and break the curse.”
“...A mouse did this?” Barrier asked through a quirked eyebrow.
“Yes, sir,” Gem answered. “Now we need to find a stallion to break this curse.”
“And Ember wonders why I drink sometimes,” Barrier said with a roll of his eyes before starting down the hallway in the opposite direction, the cadets quickly falling in line behind him. “So, what do we need to do to break this curse?”
“According to what we were told,” Forge spoke up. “To break the curse, a stallion who has never shaved or worn boots must crack a Krakatuk nut with their teeth. Once it’s cracked, the princess will only have to eat the nut and the curse will be broken.”
“Princess Luna has a Krakatuk nut in her possession, but so far, none of the stallions in the palace have been able to break the nut yet.” Verdant picked up Forge’s thread as Barrier and the squad started to round a corner.
“Of course. Can’t be something straightforward that breaks the spell. It’s gotta be something really complicated,” Barrier groaned and resisted the urge to pull his flask from a hidden compartment in his armor, work hours be damned. “Still, I don’t know of many stallions that need to shave or wear boots, so we should be able to find one who can do so with little issue.”
“Uh, sir,” Hatty said before coughing into a hoof of his. “I… wore boots once as part of one of my magic shows years ago.”
“And my mother made me wear boots whenever it rained back in Gallopfrey, so I’m out,” Forge bashfully said before rubbing the back of his neck.
“Well, if need be, I should… crap!” Barrier exclaimed as he recalled a distant memory of when he was very small. His mother made him wear a little sailor uniform for a family portrait, complete with four little boots.
With an exasperated sigh, he looked back over his shoulder to look at the stallion with the green and white coat. “How about you, Verdant? Ever shave or wear boots?”
“Sir, no, sir!” Verdant quickly replied, making the group sigh in relief. “I’ve never needed to shave and my mother insisted I never wear boots, saying that ‘earth ponies should never disconnect themselves from the earth by covering their hooves.”
“Well, at least we’ve got somepony that’s qualified to try if the curse hasn’t been broken yet,” Barrier said as he saw they’d reached the throne room doors. With a flare of his horn, his magic pushed the doors wide open. It was then Barrier came across a sight that would make nearly any stallion retch, himself included though he succeeded in choking the reflex down.
Sitting upon her throne was Princess Celestia. The effects of the curse had most certainly made her utterly repulsive to look at. Of all the gruesome battles he had survived to see the aftermath, he’d never seen something as sickening as the princess’s current state.
Her once brilliant alabaster coat had been turned into an eye-gouging bright pink.
“Dear Faust, it’s worse than I ever could have imagined,” Barrier muttered under his breath before he stepped forward. “Your highness, I believe I found somepony who will be able to bust this nut.”
By Celestia’s side, Luna had to choke back a chuckle as she descended the dais, the Krakatuk nut carried in her magical aura. “Excellent, Captain. Who is the stallion?”
Verdant stepped forward at the princess’s question, much to Luna’s chagrin.
“Is this cadet seriously your candidate, Barrier?” Luna harshly whispered into the obsidian stallion’s ear.
“It’s not my fault the rest of us all wore boots at some point,” Barrier quietly shot back, drawing an exasperated sigh from the midnight-blue alicorn. “Hundred bits says he does it.” The stallion glanced at the cadet in question. “No pressure.”
“Very well,” Luna said before the aura around her horn grew brighter, forcing Verdant’s mouth open before she shoved the nut inside and slammed his jaws closed with a loud, wince-inducing crunch.
Verdant, apparently no worse for wear, spat into his hoof. Luna’s magic was quick to pull the nuts from the crushed bits of hard shell.
“Excellent!” Luna beamed with delight before she pried open the pink princess’ mouth and tossed the nuts inside with the strength of a professional ball player.
Celestia swallowed and let out a series of hard coughs. “Not so hard, Luna!” she said harshly before her entire body began to brightly shine with a glaring intensity.
After a few seconds, the bright light coming from the princess died down, revealing her coat had been restored to its former glory.
“Oh, thank you, Cad—” Before Celestia could finish giving her thanks, an explosion of dark purple smoke burst forth from the center of the opulent throne room.
Once the smoke had started to dissipate, Barrier could see a small figure standing within the fog that was glaring at Verdant with murderous intent.
The being in the smoke appeared to be a mouse in rather fanciful clothing. It was a black dress with dark purple accents that reminded him of some of the gowns he’d seen noblemares wearing at the Grand Galloping Gala. Upon the mouse’s head was a tiny golden crown.
“Madam Mouserinks, I assume,” Barrier stated as he and the cadets quickly fell into defensive positions.
“You’re correct, you oafish guard!” she angrily exclaimed in her squeaky voice, her eyes fixed upon Verdant. It was then Barrier saw a violet glow coming from her right paw. “However, you’re not the one I’m after now!”
Before Barrier could raise a shield in front of Verdant, a stream of violet light struck Verdant in the chest, sending him hurtling into the wall as the light consumed him.
The glowing form of Verdant started to contort and shrink until what was once Verdant slumped onto the ground. The light soon died and where Verdant once stood was now a wooden nutcracker with his visage.
“Madam Mouserinks, you’ve gone too far!” Celestia shouted as she rose from the throne. “I could tolerate your assault on me, but harming one of my li-WHOA!”
The towering princess tripped as she trotted down the dais, sending her tumbling down towards the mouse queen. The tiny rodent tried to flee, but she was unable to avoid the flailing alicorn’s form, finding herself being buried under the alicorn’s rump with a sickening crunch.
“Um...” Celestia blushed rather profusely as her horn glowed with her golden aura, bringing the transfigured soldier in front of her face. “So… anypony know how to change him back?”
***
Barrier groaned as he rose from his bed. Looking about, he could see it was still rather dark outside.
He sighed before rubbing the bridge of his snout with a forehoof. “Note to self, don’t eat gingerbread cookies before bed, no matter how many puppy-dog eyes Windy gives you. It’ll just end in weird dreams.”
Before he could lay back down in his bed, he heard a thunderous boom coming from the nearby kitchen. Scrambling to his hooves, he bolted to the room to find the source of the explosion.
He was somewhat surprised by the sight that awaited him. He found Verdant with an annoyed look upon his face, covered in knotted rope and wearing a red jacket with a fuzzy white trim. Sitting at the table across from the shamrock stallion was Pinkie Pie, merrily munching on a few gingerbread cookies. Lastly, on top of the table was Pinkie’s party cannon with a bit of smoke billowing from the barrel.
“Verdant, care to give an explanation?” Barrier asked as his words momentarily drew Pinkie’s attention away from the cookies. She gave him a cheerful and excited wave before returning to the cookies. “Maybe as to why you’re up at this hour in such a suit? No need to try and explain Pinkie and her knot cannon.”
The emerald-coated earth pony signed as he laid his chin on the table. “Long story short, I beat up a group of reindeer I thought were intruders. After going on a mystic adventure to make up for what I did, they gave me a set of boxing gloves, a mouth guard and a card that says, ‘Happy Hearth’s Warming, you pinhead. Round Two is next year’.”
Barrier gave a sigh as he pulled out his flask and offered it to the shamrock stallion. “Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“And Faust bless us, everyone!” Pinkie happily said before giving a wink to some unseen viewer.
A pair of bells chimed as Forge and Hatty stepped into the brightly lit pawn shop. All about were shelves and displays that housed all sorts of collectables, records, books, musical instruments and so much more. Opposite the shop’s entrance was a two-toned green unicorn mare sitting by the register.
“Welcome back, Forge,” the mare said with a thick brogue. “What cannae do for you today?”
“Well, Mrs. O’Chance, I was wondering if you still have that book of spells and toy wand for sale,” Forge asked, drawing closer while Hatty went wandering off to another part of the shop.
“As a matter a fact, I still do,” the mare said as her horn started to shine in an emerald light. From a far off shelf, the wand and a worn looking tome levitated to the front of her. “I think you’re the only pony that’s given a second glance at these things in at least two years or so.”
“Well, my step-sister is interested in stage magic, so I thought she might like them.” Forge’s horn was bathed in orange light while a sack of bits floated up from his saddlebags. “How much for them?”
“Given the condition of the book an’ the wand…” she rubbed her chin as she closely looked over the wand. “I’d say I’d be willin’ to part with them for… twenty-eight bits.”
“Sold.” Forge fished a collection of coins from the sack and placed them on the counter just as Hatty came back into view with a collection of toys in his hooves.
“Think she’d like some of these, Forge?” Hatty looked down at the assortment of figures. “They’re from a toy line called Real Equestrian Heroes, and some of them are even based on ponies we knew way back when.”
“Well, she used to like Foaltron, which had a fair amount of soldiers in it.” Forge carefully eyed the figures when he spotted one that stood out to him. With a quick flare of magic, he pulled the toy from Hat Trick’s grasp. This figure was a gamboge pegasus stallion clad in old fashioned royal guard armor with two shades of blue in his mane and tail.
“Oh, the series one Captain Flash Sentry figure. There’s not many o’ that figure floatin’ around,” Mrs. O’Chance said as she leaned over the counter. “A fair bit of thestrals were more than a might miffed after he was put in the heroes part of the toyline. It got pulled until it was later put in the villains line-up with a different paint job for the armor.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Windy will want these,” Hatty replied as he flew over to the register and laid the toys out. “How much for the lot?”
“Considerin’ the rarity of the Flash Sentry figure, along with the rest of it… A hundred an’ sixty eight bits for the lot.”
“You’ve got a deal,” Hatty said as he made his bit bag appear with a flick of his wing and started to pour some coins out.
“Are you sure about this, Hatty?” Forge asked as he levitated the book and wand into his saddlebags. “I feel kinda bad I spent so little on her birthday present compared to yours.”
“Well, not everything I bought was for her, Forge.” Hatty’s wings picked up some sort of gold badge and what looked like one of the tools they used for cleaning out the couch cushions. “I got the com badge and the phaser for myself.”
“That’s one of those Star Trot things, right?” Forge carefully looked over the toys before Hatty put them into his bags.
“Yep,” Hatty said as the last of the toys were secured away. “If you want, we could swap what we got her so you give her the toy of her dad.”
“No thanks.” Forge gave a quick shake of his head. “I’d rather be honest and say I didn’t think of those gifts.” The cobalt stallion then looked over his shoulder as he and his pegasus companion started for the door. “Thanks, Mrs. O’Chance.”
“Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen,” she said as she leaned back in her seat. “Just remember; when you buy something second-hoof, it’s always a Game O’Chance.”
***
Swiftsword and Winter Gem stepped into the movie store, taking in the sight of shelves lined with film canisters behind cardboard replicas of their respective posters. There were shelves that stood on their own along with ones that lined the walls below rows of plastic tubes lined with lights. Some of the shelves had signs that read ‘rent’ while a few others read ‘sale’.
Between the entrance and exit was a desk where a yellow coated pegasus with a vibrant blue mane sat by a register.
“Afternoon, ladies,” the stallion said, giving the pair a wave. “How can I help you today?”
“Well, Mr. Blockbuster, I was hoping you could recommend some movies for sale that a young filly would like.” Swiftsword broke away from her compatriot.
“I’m not the biggest expert on movies for fillies, but the movies for foals that are for sale are in the back right corner.” Blockbuster pointed towards that corner. When Swift looked over, she saw that Gem had vanished from sight.
Assuming Gem headed to the back room behind the beaded curtain, Swiftsword trotted over to the collection of various films she was pointed to.
“Hmm…” Swift carefully eyed the selection of films as she rubbed her chin. “Escape from Catrina, The Great Rainbow Caper… Oh, The Would Be Dragon Slayer!” Her expression turned brighter than a neon light as she picked up the film in her magic. “That sounds like a magnificent movie for her.”
“Hey Swift!” Gem called as she trotted up to her unicorn companion. “I’ve found what movie I’ll be getting her.” The snow colored earth pony patted the saddlebag on her right, though Swift could spot two films within.
Swift’s horn flared brighter as her magic opened up the bag and pulled the second canister out. Gem tried to quickly grab away the film and stuff it back, but Swift held it out of reach as she read the label on it.
“I assume the other film in your bag is the one for Wind Whistler because I sincerely doubt that her mother would appreciate you giving her ‘Phallus in Wonderland’.” Swift smirked as the now scarlet faced earth pony quickly grabbed the film and stuffed it back into her bag.
“No! I got her The Fugitive Flowers!” Gem huffed while Swift stuck out her tongue.
“Word of advice, my friend,” Swift said smugly as she sauntered over the register. “It would probably be best not to have a friend around while you go to purchase pornography.”
Gem quietly muttered a series of curses as Swift gave Blockbuster some bits.
“Oh, by the way, Gem,” the pegasus said as he looked past Swift. “Your rental of My Little Ponut is two days late. You can either pay the late fee or you could buy the film for a bit more.”
More mutterings of curses followed as Swift suppressed a chuckle.
***
Barrier stood impassively outside of the garishly decorated flower shop as he awaited Verdant’s return, his eyes occasionally scanning around, watching the occasional pony that passed by or tracking the leaves as they were blown around in the wind.
Before he could consider reaching for his flask, the bells on the door jingled as the shamrock stallion stepped out.
“Good news,” Verdant said with a grin. “The magician’s all booked. Thankfully she’s willing to hold off on billing us until after the show.”
“Excellent,” Barrier replied as he stood up. “So, should we head home or go get takeout?”
“Sorry sir, but I’ve got to run some supplies over to the Pear family farm.” Verdant gave his stuffed saddlebags a pat as he started to pull ahead. “Apparently some crows broke into their storehouse and ate a lot of their seeds. You should probably head back home or to a restaurant while I take care of this.”
“Actually,” Barrier sped up, stepping ahead of the shamrock earth pony. “I was hoping to ask you a bit about herds.”
“To be frank, it’s because you’re the only pony I know of who grew up in a herd, so you seem like the best source of practical advice. Herding wasn’t very common amongst the nobles in Canterlot in our era, so some advice would be quite useful.”
Verdant nodded. “I see.” He rubbed his chin in thought, nearly bumping into Barrier as he corrected his path. “Just keep in mind that some of my advice might be outdated what with the whole ‘thousand years’ thing.”
“Maybe, but you’re all I’ve got,” Barrier bluntly said as he pulled his flask from his bags. “So, what would you say is the most important rule?”
“Well that would be not to have sex with anypony you’re not in an active relationship with.” Verdant’s words made Barrier halt the movement of his flask, stopping just an inch away from his lips.
“Ah…” Barrier looked away from the emerald coated pony. “Naturally…”
“At any rate, another important thing is to treat your mates equally.” Verdant gave Barrier’s shoulder a light pat, drawing his eyes back to him. “A good herd is about having a good strong bond between you and all your mates. You’re not to give one preferential treatment and if there’s an argument between the two, you have to try to resolve it or at least calm things down without taking a side.”
Barrier remained silent, nodding along as he walked beside Verdant.
“Another thing is as the stallion of the house, that typically would make your mates the breadwinners of the family.” Verdant continued onward. “Since both have jobs while you are currently unemployed, I’d say that statement seems to hold true.”
“Fair enough,” Barrier said as they both trotted along. “Though I don’t suppose you could recommend some ideas for a job could you? It’s a bit tiresome being at home alone so frequently and I’m mostly caught up on the advancements of magic at this point.”
“Not sure about that, sir.” Verdant seemed slightly taken aback by Barrier’s question. “In the herds I knew growing up, while the mares would have careers, the herd stallion would be the home maker. They’d tend to the house cleaning, making the meals and raising the children.”
“Is that really how things were done back in Dream Valley?” An eyebrow rose in question as the two turned onto a market street, where a variety of stands were set up and ponies were selling their wares.
“Yep,” Verdant cheerfully replied. “My father used to tend to trees and gardens until he got his herd. After that, he’d take care of the house, the cooking and the children while the mares all brought in the bits.”
“Certainly different from how the nobility functioned,” Barrier said before sighing. “I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Anything else?”
“Well, a good idea would probably be to learn some more recipes and perhaps some massage techniques,” Verdant said as he placed a hoof to his chin. “Among other things.”
“Learning proper massage techniques came with my study of anatomy but… other things?” Barrier’s brow rose as a slight crimson appeared on Verdant’s cheeks.
“Well… Y’know…” Verdant glanced around at the stands and spotted a fruit vendor. He quickly grabbed a single cherry with a stem before tossing some bits on the counter. “Something like this.”
Verdant then bit the cherry’s stem off, taking it into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around in his mouth, making Barrier’s eyebrow rise even higher. After a moment passed, Verdant stuck his tongue out, revealing the cherry’s stem was now tied into the shape of a bow.
“Where in Tartarus did you learn to do that?” Barrier asked, somewhat taken aback by the sight before him.
“My dad taught it to me before I started my apprenticeship in Canterlot.” Verdant peeled the stem from his tongue before tossing it aside. “He said it was a vital skill to have in order to pleasure one’s mates.”
“I… think I’ll stick to magical stimulation, thank you very much.” Barrier put a bit of distance between himself and the earth pony, shaking his head slightly.
“Alright, but don’t blame me if your magic is incapacitated again.” Verdant started to toss the cherry up and down in the air like a toy. “Though now that I think about it, there’s something I’ve been wondering about you, sir.”
“And what would that be?” Barrier pulled his flask out once more, bringing it to his lips and closing his eyes.
“Do you have a pegasus fetish?” Verdant asked. To his disappointment, Barrier only opened his eyes and gave him a half-lidded look instead of having a spit take.
“No,” Barrier bluntly replied as he stuffed the flask away.
“Are you sure about that?” Verdant tilted his head as he looked at Barrier. “After all, the only mares I’ve seen you engaged with like that were all pegasi. Ember, Fleetfeather, Daring Do Dazzle-”
“Dazzle?” Barrier looked at Verdant, confusion clearly written on his ebony face.
“You don’t know Daring’s last name?” Verdant choked back a giggle. “But yeah, all three were pegasi, so I think I see there’s a pattern there.”
“Rest assured, Verdant; it’s just a coincidence.” Barrier gave an annoyed sigh as they continued on. “I’ll have you know the first mare I was romantically involved with was an earth pony.”
“Alright then,” Verdant rubbed his neck. “Sorry if I bugged you with that question. At any rate, that’s all I can come up with right now. I hope it’s of some help to you.”
“So do I, Verdant.” Barrier looked towards his hooves as they trotted along. “I love the two of them and I want to do right by them.”
Verdant gave a small smile before he reached over and patted the older stallion on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, sir.”
“You know, Verdant… you can call me Barrier. I’m not your captain anymore… just a friend and relative now.
“Hmm…” Verdant seemed to be thinking hard before he spoke with trepidation. “How about… Brother?”
Barrier smiled and nodded. “It may seem a bit odd in regular conversation, but I’ve no objections. It’s been a long time since I had a brother.” The stallion glanced at his flask for a moment before stowing it without taking another drink, smiling faintly instead. ‘Brother will work just fine. “I suppose I should go make dinner for the family. I’ll catch you later, Brother.”
“You too, Brother,” Verdant said with a smile as he started to pull away. “I shouldn’t be too long at the Pear farm. Try to keep dinner warm for me.”
Fleetfeather was feeling absolutely energized as she and Daring sang on stage. While the few drinks had loosened her up a little, both were only mildly affected when they took to the stage and started to serenade their fellow patrons of Moonlight Melodies.
“So long as someone else gets the Phluuuuuuume!” The pair sang in harmony, drawing cheers from the thestrals in the crowd.
“Very nice, ladies,” a pegasus mare, the bartender and manager, said as she approached the stage. Her white coat contrasted her black mane and purple eyeshadow. “Still, your time’s up unless you’d like to buy another round.”
“Hmm…” Daring looked to a clock above the bar, seeing the clock was just a bit past three. “I think we’re gonna pass.”
“Indeed. Thank you for this, though. It was quite fun,” Fleet interjected as she took off from the stage. “We should be checking on the household. Thank you for the good time, Mrs. Mixture.”
“Take care, now!” The snowy mare gave a wave as the pair took off.
The pair flew swiftly out of the Midnight Mall and took to the skies, wincing as their eyes worked to readjust to the daylight.
After a few minutes of flight, the two gently set down in front of the manor’s steps and walked inside. The scent of tomato sauce reached their noses as they drew closer to the kitchen, where they found Barrier standing before the stove and stirring a pot of bubbling sauce.
“Hey there, Barrier. How’s things going?” Daring asked as she and Fleet stepped up to the table.
“Pretty good, all things considered,” Barrier replied, glancing over his shoulder. “We’ve made arrangements for the cake and the magician while Forge, Hatty, Gem and Swift have already got their presents for Windy all purchased. They’re being wrapped upstairs.”
“Excellent,” Fleet said before giving Barrier a quick hug from behind. “I really appreciate this.”
“Say, where’s Verdant?” Daring inquired as Barrier’s horn flared, pulling out a second pot and filling it with water.
“He had to take care of something at the Pear farm, so I figured I’d make dinner tonight instead of getting take out.” Barrier placed the second pot on the stove. “I’m going to be making some spaghetti with some homemade tomato sauce and shredded Parmesan.”
“That sounds great, Barrier,” Daring said as she and Fleet took seats at the table. “Do you have an ETA for this stuff?”
“Not sure. I don’t have too much experience with preparing pasta and I’m using one of Verdant’s recipe books for the sauce. I have the feeling I’ll know when the noodles are cooked enough.”
Just as Barrier finished speaking, the front door quickly opened and shut before Wind Whistler made her way towards the kitchen. “Hi Mom, Uncle Barrier, Aunt Daring. How goes?”
“Pretty good, kiddo.” Daring gave the filly a smile before rustling her short mane. “Your Mom and I just went out to check out this one part of town.”
“How did your time with your little friend go, Wind Whistler?” Fleet asked as her daughter took a seat by her side.
“Great, Mom!” Her tail shook wildly as she sat up. “High Stakes and I were able to get most of her business all set up. Now all we need is a few extension cords and we’ll be open for business.”
“Great to hear, my dear.” The cycloptic mare nodded, mentally making a note to ask what an extension cord was later. “Did you have fun doing it?”
“Eh, it was a bit tough, even with her dad helping out, but it’s looking really good. I even helped paint some of the signs we’ll be using,” Windy said before taking a sniff of the succulent sauce and happily sighing.
“It’ll still be a while before dinner’s ready, kiddo,” Barrier said without looking back at her.
“You know, if you want, we can play a board game while Barrier cooks dinner.” Daring slid out of her seat and trotted closer to the mother and daughter. “I’ve got my old Marinara Party game up in my room.”
“That sounds great!” Windy giddily squealed as she hopped out of her seat. “Mom, would you like to play with us?”
“Well… I don’t see why not.” Fleet shrugged and exited the chair. Windy excitedly dashed towards the stairs, only to halt when the door opened up. In front of the doorway was Verdant with a small basket of pears in his mouth.
“Hi, Verdant! Save some pears for us later,” the pegasus filly said before dashing up the stairs. “C’mon, Mom! This is gonna be great!”
“Coming, dear,” Fleet said with a chuckle as she and Daring followed her up the stairway. She just caught the end of Windy’s tail as the filly bolted into the room.
“Hey Forge, can you come play with us?” Windy called out just as Fleet reached the top of the stairs.
“Just a second, Windy,” Forge replied, though to Fleet’s mild surprise, his voice came from Hatty and Gem’s room along with the sound of tape being stretched and paper crinkling.
Fleet stepped into the room and sat down with her daughter. A brief moment later, Daring and Forge strolled into the room with the pegasus carrying a large box in her mouth.
Setting the box down between the four, Daring cleared her throat. “Ahem. Alright, so which of the boards would you like, Kiddo?” the saffron mare asked as she pulled the top off the box.
“I wanna play on the Tropical Paradise board!” Windy excitedly fidgeted. “I’ve always wanted to see a tropical island.”
“You got it,” Daring replied before pulling out a piece of cardboard that showed a colorful island setting with an assortment of different colored spaces dotted all over it. “Hey, Fleet. Since you never played this before, how about you pick the first character?” She pulled from the box a small plastic container with a series of colorful figurines.
“Yes, please.” Fleet carefully examined the six pieces. Most of the characters looked to be ponies, but the brown piece seemed to be some sort of dog creature. After a moment of thought, Fleet picked up a figurine that depicted a cross-looking plump earth pony mare. “I think I’ll go with this one since yellow’s my favorite color.”
The cycloptic mare placed the game piece at the start position on the board. Before she could pull her hoof away, the board started to glow and shake as an incredible force began pulling her towards the board. A flash of light blinded Fleet and she soon felt herself falling, her body seeming to shift about as she appeared to be traveling down a dark tunnel. She tried to fly away, but found her wings were now gone.
“Daring, what’s going on?!” Fleet’s scream echoed as she travelled down the dark void.
“Don’t sweat it, Fleet!” Daring’s voice came from above just as she spotted a light approaching them from below. “You’re perfectly safe! It’s all part of the game!”
“I hope you’re right…” Fleet bit her lip as she was engulfed by the approaching light before her. She suddenly felt herself hit the ground, but to her great shock, she landed on all fours and felt as if she only fell from about a foot up.
“What… What the…” Fleet was astounded to see that she found herself standing on a sandy beach with colorful palm trees scattered about. It was then she noticed her voice seemed oddly deep. “What happened to my voice?”
“Don’t sweat it, Fleet.” A voice came from behind her, making Fleetfeather pull a quick about-face. Standing before her was a light green mare with a two-toned green mane and some sort of melon or cantaloupe for her cutie mark. “I thought you knew this was an enchanted board game and you’d take the place of your character.”
“My character?” Fleet looked down and was somewhat taken aback at the fact the hooves she now possessed weren’t her own. The toned, athletic blue pillars that had struck down many a griffin in the past had been replaced by a pair of flabby yellow legs. What surprised Fleet the most was when she opened her left eye, she was able to see. The eye of her character was fully replacing the one that was lost in the Crystal Empire. “So, I’ve turned into my game character?”
“Bingo,” the green mare replied as she was approached from the side by a fuzzy canine creature and a pink alicorn stallion with an expertly styled mane. “We all turned into the Marinara Party characters when we set our pieces on the board. You became Heavy Cream. I’m Honeydew Sweetie. Windy became Doggie Klaw and Forge became Prince Radish.”
“I really hope we get some of those expansions for this,” Forge grumbled as he twitched his character’s wings. “I’m not fond of being a pink stallion.”
“If you’re hoping to get Prince Star Bright, good luck,” Daring said as she trotted between Fleet and Forge. “I heard some jerk decided to buy all the figures so that no one could play as this character he hated.”
“It’s so cool playing as a dog!” Windy happily said, seeming to tune out Daring’s words. “I get to be super tall, I get to see stuff with weird colors, and I’ve pretty much got super senses! This is awesome!”
“Welcome, everybody!” A young voice called from behind the quartet. Quickly turning around, they spotted a pink unicorn filly with a light green mane that was holding a flag. “I am your guide, Radi LeBlanc. This is where the—”
“Skip!” Daring gave a roll of her eyes, much to the filly’s annoyance while Windy chuckled at Radi’s pout.
Suddenly, a ten-sided die appeared over each of the players heads and started to quickly spin.
“Alright, quick run down,” Daring said as she carefully eyed the rapidly rotating block. “Each of us hits the die to roll it. Right now, the highest number determines the turn order. After that, you go around the board and collect crystals so you can buy a Silver Sun from Radi. Blue spaces get you crystals. Red spaces drain them. The ones with the question marks make stuff happen and the ones with a dragon mark summon the evil Bibinba. Once everyone takes a turn, we play a mini-game to earn more crystals. Got it?”
“I think so,” Fleet said as the other three jumped up and hit their dice. Daring got a two, Windy a six and Forge a four. Fleet leapt up and struck the block. She was rather surprised by the height she got considering her current form. When the die was stuck, a large number seven appeared in its place.
“Alright. So Heavy Cream goes first. Doggie Klaw goes second. Radish goes third and Honeydew goes last.” Radi smiled as she walked up to the players. “Here’s ten crystals for each of you. I’ll head over to my space and try to avoid Bibinba’s wrath. Bye!” The radish-flanked filly then suddenly vanished. Fleet quickly looked around, soon spotting Radi was now on a space on the far side of the island.
“Okay, Fleet. You get the first turn.” Daring patted Fleet on the back just before a die appeared above the yellow mare’s head.
Fleet focused on the spinning die before jumping up and striking the block with a hoof. The die vanished and an eight appeared in its place.
“Here goes nothing,” Fleet muttered to herself as she felt herself being guided down a specific pathway. She smiled until she spotted the space she’d be landing on. It was a black space with the image of a fearsome dragon face on it. When she came to a halt, the sky started to darken and ominous music started to play.
Suddenly, a large beast fell from the dark sky and landed in front of Fleetfeather. The ten-foot tall beast seemed to be a mix of pony and dragon. She had bright yellow scales with a cream colored underbelly. She had a long dragon-like tail and a spiky mane that was fiery red, matching her draconic eyes. Atop her head was a pair of viciously curved horns that looked like they could impale a pony with little effort. The last thing Fleet noticed was the dark green cape that lay draped over the creature’s back.
“Well, well, well,” the draconic pony said as she drew closer, flashing her razor sharp fangs to Fleet. “Looks like someone’s run into some bad luck. Let’s have the roulette choose your fate.”
A large board appeared by the beast’s side with a list of possible fates. Amongst them were things such as two instances of ‘Thirty Crystals for Bibinba’, ‘Bibinba Revolution’, ‘Bibinba’s Inside Story’, ‘Bibinba Mini-Game’. The one that stood out the most was a golden one that read, ‘100 Silver Sun Reward’.
Before Fleet could ask what some of these would entail, a pointer resembling a dragon’s claw appeared at the top of the board and started to move through the list of fates multiple times before it eventually started to slow, coming to a halt on ‘Bibinba Mini-Game’.
“Excellent!” the beastly mare flashed a fang-filled grin at the result. “Now we’ll see how you do at one of my games!”
The world all around Fleet quickly darkened before she and Bibinba found themselves in a place with brick walls and a smooth concrete floor. In front of the pair was a metal replica of Bibinba’s snarling face atop a platform with five different colored plungers in front of the face.
“Welcome to the single player version of Bibinba’s Big Blast!” The draconic titaness spoke with grandiosity as she stepped onto the platform. “In this game, you have to pick one of these five plungers to press down. Pick the right one and you win ten crystals. Pick the wrong one…” She rushed into Fleet’s face, baring her fangs with sadistic glee. “You’ll be blasted away and lose ten crystals! Bwahahaha! … Do you need another explanation before we start?”
“Uh, no. I’ve got it.” Fleet said as she tried to move around Bibinba’s large form.
“Good! Then let the game Begin!” Bibinba hamily yelled before she vanished in a puff of purple smoke. “Start!” Her disembodied voice echoed through the chamber as the sound of a whistle blowing followed.
“Right, no pressure,” Fleet muttered as she trotted up and stood before the plungers. Now, red, blue, yellow, pink or green? … Well, yellow already was a bad pick for me, so that’s out. I’ll go with… blue!
Fleetfeather pressed down on the plunger and looked up at the head’s eyes. She felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on her as the head’s eyes rolled downward, replacing the pupils with a pair of threes, followed by twos.
“D’oh, I missed!” Fleet exclaimed as she braced herself for the explosion.
***
It seems Daring’s winning streak for board games had come to an end at the hooves of Iron Forge with Fleetfeather in second and Wind Whistler in third, leaving the esteemed archaeologist in dead last and her character being chased by a giant hungry fish.
After the game had wrapped up, the household had a pleasant dinner and chat before they started to prepare for bed. Once Fleet had emerged from Windy’s room after tucking her in, she felt an autumn chill that made her shiver.
“Damnable cold,” Fleet grumbled as she started for her room.
“Yeah. It’s one of the downsides of Vanhoover this time of year.” Fleet halted as Daring flew up the stairs before landing beside her. “We should probably get some of this wrapping stuff to put on the windows.”
“Probably,” Fleet replied as she pushed her door open. Before she could take a step in, she paused and looked to the mare heading for the guest room. “Daring?”
“‘Sup, Fleet?” Daring looked over her shoulder at the mare that was now rubbing her foreleg.
“Well, since it’s somewhat cold, I was thinking that perhaps you and I should…” Fleet gulped as she tried to keep an eye on the golden pegasus. “Share a bed tonight?”
“Hmm…” Daring rubbed her chin in thought before giving Fleet a smile. “Sure thing. Just a warning though. I think that sauce Barrier whipped up will end up making me turn your room into a Yakyakistani oven.”
“A what?” Fleet asked as Daring slung a foreleg over her shoulder.
“You don’t want to know,” the professor said as the two entered Fleet’s bedroom. In a few moments, the two had slipped into her bed.
Daring moved closer to the cycloptic mare and slung a foreleg around Fleet’s waist. A smile came to Fleet’s face as she did the same to Daring. “Goodnight, Daring.”
The golden mare moved closer, giving Fleet a soft kiss on the lips. “Goodnight, Fleet.”
What followed was the most pleasant night’s sleep Fleetfeather had known for a long while.
The smell that awoke her in the morning was a much different story.
Fleetfeather groaned as she felt her daughter bouncing up and down on her chest, rousing her from a pleasant slumber. Usually ponies get to sleep in on Sunday.
“I’m up, dear,” Fleet said before letting out a yawn. “Happy birthday, Wind Whistler.” She then learned closer, giving the foal a nuzzle and a hug with her wings.
“Thanks, Mom.” Windy returned the hug before slipping out of her mother’s grasp. “Say Mom, I was wondering, does this mean I’m nine or a thousand and twelve?”
“That…” Fleet paused, bringing a hoof to her chin. “That actually is a good question, dear. I’ll run it by Barrier later.”
“If I do count as over a thousand, I wanna get a senior’s discount card!” Wind Whistler hopped off the bed and gently landed by the door.
“I’m not sure if they’ll allow it, dear.” Fleet gave her forelegs a stretch before rising from the bed. “Either way, I’m sure this will be a birthday we’ll never forget.”
***
At one o’clock, the party was officially underway. The privates had rented a table which was set up in the back yard with a collection of wrapped gifts for the birthday girl. Underneath a clear cover was a finely decorated cake with Wind Whistler’s name in blue piping.
“Alright, so we’ve got presents, the table, cake, stage for the magician,” Daring said as she checked over the display that had been diligently set up. “Looks like all that’s left to get is the pizzas.”
Before Barrier could say anything in response, the sound of the knocking on the front door reached his ears. “Excuse me for a moment.” In a flash, he was at the door. When he opened it up, he was surprised by the sight of the little filly standing in front of him.
The filly was a light yellow colored unicorn with bright green eyes. Her mane and tail were a sharply contrasting gold and silver. Her cutie mark seemed to be a trio of differently colored poker chips. Laying atop her back was a suitcase with fancy golden clips. It looked rather expensive to Barrier.
“Hi there!” The tiny unicorn extended a hoof. “You must be Mr. Barrier. Wind Whistler’s told me so much about you.”
“She… has?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he shook her small hoof.
“Yep. Said she learned a lot of stuff from you,” the filly said before taking her hoof back. “Name’s High Stakes. Windy’s been a great help when it came to starting up our business together.”
“That’s great to hear,” Barrier replied as she trotted into the house. “I assume you’re here for the party.”
“You’ve got it,” Stakes said before patting the suitcase on her back. “Got her present for her right here.”
“Alright. Just place it on the table in the backyard. You’re the first one here and we’re gonna wait before we really do anything.”
“Copy that.” High Stakes waved as she walked along, passing by Daring without giving her a second glance.
“Alright, how about you and the cadets wait here while I take care of the pizzas?” Daring asked as she reached the charcoal stallion’s side.
“Thanks, Daring,” he said as he lit his horn and held a hoof out. A bag of bits appeared in his outstretched hoof before giving it to the golden mare. Feels a little light. I should probably swing by the bank after the party’s done.
“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Daring said before giving Barrier a quick hug. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before she tossed open the door and took to the open skies.
Within ten minutes, the rest of the party guests had arrived. Windy had invited her closest friends, the Vanhoover Apple foals, Melony, Shutterbug and Crispy Wings.
A few minutes after everypony had arrived, the party started off with Wind Whistler blowing out the candles on her cake. Once everypony was given a slice, with a piece with a peach slice set aside for Daring in the fridge, Wind Whistler started to open up her presents.
The first present she chose was one given by Fleetfeather. She was ecstatic to see her mother had gotten her a little snow globe with a replica of Canterlot Palace inside. Barrier’s gifts had come next. The first part was a portrait Barrier had commissioned Color Splash to make. It showed Wind Whistler being held by both of her parents with them smiling widely.
The likenesses of the three turned out perfectly due to Flash’s face being in various historical books and Splash having seen the other two personally. Barrier had wished he could include Wind Whistler’s various siblings, but found he wasn’t able to describe them well enough for Splash’s skills to replicate.
That’s where the second part of his gift came into play. It was a set of five dolls that Splash had put together. Thankfully, it was easier for Splash to try to mimic their looks as dolls than a realistic portrait.
Wind Whistler was quite happy and gave Barrier the strongest hug she could muster while fighting back tears.
The other gifts got similar reactions from her. From Aunt Yearling’s gift of a complete Daring Do book set to the bags of apple candy that Dawn and Pippin had given her.
The gift that was the most surprising to Barrier was when High Stakes opened up her suitcase. She said as a bonus for all her hard work at their business, she’d given Wind Whistler a thousand bits.
“Enjoy it, Windy,” the golden girl said before giving the birthday filly a pat on the back. “Feel free to spend it on whatever you like. The briefcase is yours too.”
“Windy,” Barrier said after managing to work his jaw back into place. “What kind of business are you two running?”
“Oh, it’s a ca—”
“Hold it,” Barrier interrupted, his ears standing at attention. “I think I hear someone at the door. One second.” His horn quickly shimmered before he found himself standing in the house and started walking towards the entrance.
Barrier thought he saw the briefest bit of purple from the window before it darted to the side. With a sigh, he opened the door and saw nothing on his front step only for a sudden burst of pink smoke to quickly flood his vision.
On reflex, the stallion fell into a battle-ready stance as the smoke started to dissipate, revealing a blue unicorn mare with a silvery blue mane. She wore a matching violet hat and cape adorned with gold, silver and blue stars.
“THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE HAS ARRIVED!” she boastfully exclaimed as she proudly posed.
“So, you’re Spectacle’s daughter.” Barrier observed as he looked the young mare over. Doesn’t seem to have brought a trunk of supplies. Hopefully she can still impress them. “Hopefully Verdant’s right about you.”
“Rest assured, sir. The Great and Powerful Trixie may be in between jobs at the moment, but Trixie guarantees the foals will all be thrilled.”
“Right, let’s get the show on the road then,” Barrier said as he turned towards the back. “The presents have already been opened, so they could probably use some entertainment.”
“Um, before we begin, there’s one thing Trixie has to ask.” Her words made Barrier look over his shoulder, seeing her fidget slightly and biting her lower lip.
“And what might that be?”
“Where’s your bathroom?” She fidgeted some more. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was rather parched earlier and now needs to empty her great and bountiful bladder.”
Barrier sighed before pointing to the door on his left. “There’s a half-bath in there that you can—” He found himself cut off by the sound of rapid steps, the door being opened and quickly shut followed by a loud sigh of relief from the mare within. Barrier rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the back yard.
Well, so far so good. Barrier noted as he moved along. Cake’s being enjoyed by everypony, the pizzas are on the way, Windy liked all of the presents and the magician’s arrived. So long as her performance is good, things should be smooth sailing from here.
Barrier opened the door to the back yard, but was taken aback by what was happening at the table. The wand Windy was holding in her hooves was glowing and shaking violently while a gust of wind picked up, pushing everypony else away from the table.
The charcoal pony started to race towards the frightened filly when the blinding light quickly grew, enveloping the entire yard. Barrier felt himself being thrown off his hooves and landing hard on his back, winding him and sending stars across his vision as his head bounced hard on the ground.
As his vision started to return to him, the first thing Barrier noticed was the prone form of a blue pegasus mare with a pink tail.
“Fleet!” Barrier called as he hefted himself upright and dashed over towards the mare. It was only when he halted in front of her did he start to notice that several things were very wrong.
The first was that everything around him now seemed a lot bigger. From the yard and chairs to the mare in front of him. The second thing was his voice, which he noticed seemed to be much higher pitched than before. Lastly was the cutie mark on her side wasn’t Fleetfeather’s. In place of a pink pinion was now three purple whistles.
“Urgh… that hurt…” The mare groaned as she started to rise up. Barrier saw that this much larger mare had two perfectly unharmed eyes as she squinted to focus.
When she looked down and spotted Barrier in front of her, she leapt back and took a defensive stance. “U-Uncle Barrier?! I… What’s going on?! Why are you a little foal?! Did the… Wait, what’s wrong with my voice?!”
More groans reached the pair’s ears as the rest of the party-goers started to stand up. All of Wind Whistler’s school friends had become young adults while the reverse had applied to the privates.
“Hey, everypony!” Daring’s voice rang out as she flew into the backyard with several pizza boxes carried in her forelegs. “I got the pizzas and I… what the-”
A burst of pink smoke appeared in the yard as a voice rang out. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to astound you all!” As the smoke cleared, the magician trotted over to the table. “Now, which of you is the birthday girl?”
“Uh… I am…” Wind Whistler said she stood up, leaving Trixie somewhat baffled.
“You… You’re somewhat tall for a nine-year old…” The perplexed performer said, drawing a groan from Barrier.
***
“I can’t believe it! I just can’t friggin’ believe it!” Daring’s eye twitched as she looked over the wand in her hoof. “I look high and low for a decade and a half for the Wand of Magic Star, but it’s not in some ancient temple or lost tomb! It’s in a Faust cursed pawn shop along with her book of spells! What’s next? Tohth’s Tome of Prophecy? Keita’s Cap of Charisma? Or how about the damned Alicorn Amulet?!”
“Aunty, please,” Windy softly said as she gave the bespectacled mare a pat on the back.
“Sorry. I’m just frustrated that I took so long looking for this and it was just in some pawn shop this whole time.” Daring let out a tired sigh.
“Do you think you can reverse this?” Barrier asked as he hoisted himself onto the top of the table.
“Hopefully.” Daring set the wand gently down. “Windy, what were you doing when the wand activated?”
“Well, I was just waving it around while saying some gibberish.” Windy looked down at her hooves in embarrassment. “I didn’t even open the book and I can’t really remember what I said.”
“It’s okay, dear.” Fleet gave her daughter’s side a pat, her hoof now unable to reach her daughter’s foreleg. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to get back to normal.”
“While this is all fascinating,” Trixie interrupted in between bites of her pizza. “Should Trixie start with her performance now?”
“Might as well,” Barrier replied as he rested his chin on the table.
“Excellent!” Trixie said before finishing her slice and hopping to her hooves. “Now, Trixie will start off by making a pony disappear. May I have a foal sized volunteer?”
After a moment of silence, Verdant raised his hoof up and moved away from the table.
“Excellent!” Trixie proclaimed as a light from her horn started to glow under her hat, removing the cape from her back and holding it in front of Verdant like a sheet. “On the count of three, Trixie will make the pony behind the cape disappear! One… Two… Three!”
The light under her hat’s brim glowed brighter just as she pulled the cape away and draped it over her back once more. True to her word, Verdant had vanished without a trace. One thing Barrier had noticed was a strained look on her face and that her belly seemed to poke out from under her cape a bit more than it had before.
“Oh, Trixie immediately regrets this.” Barrier thought he heard her quietly mutter something before she tried to stand up straight once more. “And now, the Great and Powerful-” BUUURRRPP “...Ah-hem. The Great and Powerful Trixie will now make him reappear! One… Two… Three!”
A burst of Trixie’s trademark colorful smoke appeared beside her. Once the smoke cleared, Barrier spotted that Verdant had returned looking slightly damp and now sporting a pepperoni eye patch.
“Ta-dah!” Trixie shakily said as Verdant tried to shake the dampness from his coat. “Now, what trick shall Trixie perform next?”
***
After the party had wrapped up, the privates left to escort the now adult foals back to their homes, as well as explain to their respective employers why they wouldn’t be going to work the next day.
Barrier gave a sigh as he walked into the living room and hopped onto his couch. “Hope I won’t have to get used to this,” he said as he levitated his flask in front of his face.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Wind Whistler said as she snatched the silver container from his magical grasp. “You’re way too young for this stuff now.”
“Windy,” Barrier said as his right eye twitched. “I understand your reasoning, but it’s still my whiskey.”
“And alcohol does a lot more damage to a foal’s body than an adult pony’s.” She replied as Trixie, Daring and Fleetfeather walked into the room. “How do we know this won’t badly mess you up before we return you back to normal?”
“I’m willing to take that risk,” Barrier’s horn lit up as he tried to pull the flask away, but Wind Whistler was able to easily overpower the charcoal foal.
“Uncle, if you don’t stop, I’ll just dispose of this stuff myself.” Wind Whistler gave an authoritative glare, which Barrier tried to counter with one of his own as she uncapped the flask.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Barrier darkly whispered.
“Watch me!” Wind Whistler shot back before taking a quick swig of the drink. Her eyes suddenly bulged out before she spat. “Blaurgh! That’s disgusting! Why do grown-ups like drinking stuff that tastes this awful?”
“Some ponies like the effects it causes and I’ll have you know that is a very high quality whiskey.” Barrier stated as his magic pulled the flask from her distracted grasp. Before it could reach him, however, a light magenta aura overtook his and pulled the flask towards Trixie who took a quick swig.
“Hmm… Not bad, but Trixie’s had better,” the cornflower blue unicorn said before passing the flask to Daring. “At any rate, now that the show has concluded, the time has come to deal with Trixie’s payment.”
Barrier gave a sigh as he leaned back into the couch. “Alright. Might as well get this over with. How much do I owe you?”
“Everything’s itemized here,” Trixie said as her magic pulled a scroll out from under her hat. “This includes the expenses for the various smoke bombs and other supplies Trixie expended during her show.”
“Uh-huh,” Barrier barely listened as he looked over the bill. “So it all comes too… wait, seven-hundred and fifty-eight bits?”
“That’s correct.” Trixie gave a little nod as she took a seat across from Barrier. “This is a rather fair price for Trixie’s services.”
“…I don’t have that kind of money on me at the moment.” Barrier frowned as he felt a bead of sweat starting to form on his brow.
“Well, then you’ll have to fulfill your household’s part of the contract.” A devious grin crossed Trixie’s features as she stretched out in the chair.
“Contract?” Barrier stood up on the couch. “What contract are you talking about?”
“Well, the one your green friend signed when arranging Trixie’s services.” Trixie then pulled a second sheet of paper from her hat. “In the event that Trixie cannot be promptly paid for her services, then Trixie is allowed to stay at the residence of the client until the debt owed has been repaid, along with providing Trixie with food and use of the residence’s facilities.”
“I… What?!” Barrier shouted as he leapt off the couch towards her, barely managing to go two feet.
“Lemme see that,” Daring said as she grabbed the contract from the air and quickly read over it. “Let’s see, party of the first part… Well, crap. Sorry, guys. I’ve gone over my fair share of contracts in my life and this one’s looking pretty air tight.”
“Dammit, Verdant,” Barrier muttered under his breath. “Do either of you have any bits to spare on you? I doubt the bank would let me make a withdrawal like this.”
“Sorry, but no,” Daring said as she gave the contract back to Trixie. “I just sent my editor a cheque for her services, along with paying some other expenses. I won’t be able to pay her off until at least Thursday.”
“And my pay day’s not until Friday,” Fleet sighed. “Sorry about this.”
“If you want, I can just use the money Stakes gave me,” Windy interjected. “After all, it’d be more than enough.”
“No, Windy,” Barrier sighed, giving her foreleg a pat. “You shouldn’t have to pay for our oversight. Especially not with your birthday present.”
“In that case,” the unicorn mare said as she rose from the chair. “It appears unless one of the other residents has the funds to pay, then Trixie shall be staying until further notice.”
“It would seem so,” Barrier groaned as he headed towards the kitchen. “And I’m guessing we’ll be having leftover pizza for dinner.”
“Say, do you have any peanut butter and crackers that Trixie can have for dessert?”
“Now I know how Verdant felt on Butterfly Island.” Barrier muttered under his breath. “And I’m guessing it’s going downhill from here.”
In the sparkling kitchen of a restaurant known to many-a Vanhoover resident as the Four D's, Fruity Punch was carefully stirring together a thick pot full of pasta sauce.
“Time to put this to the test…” the pink unicorn said before bringing the spoon to her lips and taking a quick sip. “Hmmm… I think I’ve got the hang of this recipe, Boss.”
“Well, let’s have a look see.” Drumstick stepped up to her side and also took a quick sip of the sauce. “Very good, Punch. You’re really getting the hang of making a tasty mushroom sauce.”
“Awesome!” the pink mare exclaimed before looking over to another mare working on a different sauce. “Hey, Dolly! Wanna give my sauce a try?”
“Sorry, can’t,” the brown earth pony with a rust colored mane replied. “Let’s just say that due to some stuff, I don’t really have a sense of taste or smell.”
“Then…” Punch gave her a look of utter bafflement. “Then why did you become a chef?”
“Don’t be rude, Punch,” Drumstick chided as she trotted over to Dolly. “Since your sauce is done, could you watch the door for a moment? Powder’s a little swamped from the dinner rush.”
“You got it, Boss!” Punch threw out a salute as she turned off the stove. Just as she arrived at the counter, a pair of ponies entered the restaurant. One was a pegasus stallion that bore the same colors of coat and mane as Clean Cut and his son. Rather surprisingly, the image on his flank was also the image of a winged bucket of fried chicken… something else that Crispy Wings was known for.
“Fruity Punch!” the small blue unicorn filly by the stallion’s side drew her attention downward. “Could you please get Mrs. Drumstick? We need to speak with her urgently.”
“Yeah,” the stallion nervously said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think Mom will be too happy about this.”
Punch was dumbstruck at the sight before her. She found she could only stare in slack jawed silence before she eventually found her voice again.
“Uhh… Boss? I think I might have put some bad mushrooms in the sauce…”
“What are you talking about, Punch?” the plump pegasus mare asked as she trotted out of the kitchen. “I think the sauce was… rather…” Drumstick’s pupils became the size of mites at the sight of the pair before her.
“Uh… Hi, Mom…” the brown pegasus said as he stepped up to her. “So, something weird happened at Wind Whistler’s party…”
After a few minutes, what had happened was explained to Punch and Crispy’s parents.
“I am rather sorry about all this,” Swiftsword said as she stepped in front of her employers. “None of us thought something like this could have happened.”
“It’s okay, Swift,” Clean Cut said before ducking back behind the counter. “This was just some crazy accident.”
“Thank you, sir.” Swift gave a quick bow, accidentally hitting the floor with her snout. “Also, I’m going to have to request some time off until I can get back to normal.”
“Not a problem, Swift.” Drumstick gave her a sympathetic nod and a smile. “You head on home now. Hope this gets cleared up, soon.”
“As do I, ma’am,” Swift replied before heading out the door. Drumstick made sure to keep an eye on the transformed mare until she was out of sight.
“Say, if Swift doesn’t have to work because of this, does this mean I don’t have to go to school tomorrow?” Crispy said with a nervous grin on his face, drawing a chuckle from Clean Cut.
“Oh, ho ho ho, son…” the brown unicorn slung a foreleg over his son’s shoulder. “No.”
“Oh, man…”
***
At the Pretty Petals store, things were getting ready to close up when the bells above the door rang, drawing the attention of the very tall green mare with a ponytail at the counter. What had entered the shop was a little colt that had struggled to push the door open before popping inside.
“D’aww! Aren’t you adorable looking!” the tall and slender earth pony stepped out from behind the counter, trotting over to the foal that she towered over. “I never knew Verdant had a little brother.”
The green foal gave an annoyed sigh as he looked up at her. “I’m not Verdant’s little brother. I’m WHOA!” He was interrupted as the giant of a mare picked him up in her forelegs and held him up to her face.
“Oh, you’re just the cutest little foal ever!” She gushed as the foal glowered at her.
“Beanstalk, I’m Verdant!” the colt with the rather filly-ish voice barked at her. “Now put me down and get Miss Spectacle out here. I need to speak with her right now.”
“What? Verdant?” the giant of a mare tilted her head in confusion. “It can’t be. I’m betting Verdant paid you to dye your coat and—”
“Beans!” the shamrock colored colt barked at her. “Get Miss Spectacle or I’ll tell her about the cactus I caught you ‘watering’.”
The green of her face exploded into crimson as she was taken aback by the foal’s words. “You… You really are Verdant…”
“Yes, I am,” he replied, the annoyance in his tone starting to die as she set him down.
“Alright, I’ll get her.” Beans stood up and started to walk towards the back. “And for the record, my teeth were starting to float and Maua was taking forever. If I hadn’t done that, I would’ve exploded.”
She walked into the back of the shop, where Verdant could vaguely make out a conversation being made.
A moment later, an orange unicorn came out. She was shocked by the sight of her now foal sized employee.
“Wow. Beanstalk wasn’t kidding,” she said to herself as she trotted closer to Verdant. “Did Trixie’s act somehow cause this?”
“No, it was unrelated to her act.” Verdant tried to look as serious as he could, in spite of his short size and high pitched voice. “She should be back soon, provided Barrier’s able to pay her bill.”
“Alright.” Sunflower gave a sigh of relief as she looked down at Verdant. “So, here to tell me you’ll be taking some sick days due to a magical mishap?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded. “Once I’m able to work again, I’ll try to work extra hard.”
“Oh, no need to sweat it, Verdant.” Miss Spectacle chuckled. “I just hope this sorts itself out soon. I'll see you once you’re better. Have a good night.”
“Good night, ma’am,” Verdant replied as he and Spectacle turned away from each other.
Just as she got behind the register, she heard something thud against the floor. Turning to face the entrance, she saw the source of the sound. Verdant was trying to jump up to reach the door’s handle and failing. Sunflower couldn’t help but find the scene to be both cute and funny.
“Oh, for the love of...” Verdant grumbled before moving away from the door. “May I have a little help?”
Spectacle wordlessly replied by lighting her horn and holding the door open for the stallion-turned-colt who then scampered out.
“Thank you!” he called out as he turned the corner and Spectacle released her hold on the door, letting it close with a quiet click.
“Oh, this is gonna be something the girls will love to hear about.” Beanstalk interrupted the quiet moment as she poked her head through the doorway to the back.
“Speaking of things ponies would like to hear about.” Sunflower Spectacle’s kind face became stern as steel as she slowly turned to face her taller employee. “What was that about you ‘watering’ a cactus?”
That night, Beanstalk’s face became all the colors of Hearth’s Warming. Verdant had seen her face go from green to red while Sunflower saw her become white as a ghost.
***
“Well, glad that all went smoothly,” Hat Trick said as he flew above Gem and Forge as they trotted back down the street towards the manor.
“How are you doing up there, Hatty?” Gem looked upwards at the purple pegasus, seeing that he seemed to be struggling to remain airborne.
“Could be better,” he replied before letting out a small huff. “I forgot how tricky it was trying to fly when I was this young.”
“How about you?” Gem looked towards the cobalt colt on her left. “How’s your magic doing?”
“Weaker, but still working,” Forge said as he lit up his horn. “I tried to lift some stuff over at the shop and some of it was too heavy. Still, I can pick up a lot of stuff and set it on fire.”
“Well I wouldn’t set some stuff on fire until you’re back to full strength,” Gem said before running a few steps ahead to push the front gate up.
“Wasn’t planning on it.” Forge rolled his eyes as he trotted past Gem. He soon saw Verdant was at the manor’s door, futilely trying to jump up and reach the handle. “Still, seems we got the long end of the stick.”
“I just hope this crap will either wear off or we find a fix for this ASAP.” Hatty said before flying ahead and kicking down on the door handle.
“Thank you!” Verdant said as he pushed the door open and waited before kicking it closed once his housemates were inside.
A moment later, they arrived in the kitchen where Barrier, Windy, Fleet, Daring, Swift and Trixie were waiting around an open box of pizza.
“So Captain,” Hatty said as he flew up into a chair. “Any updates to give?”
“Well for one, Trixie will be staying with us for a while,” Barrier said as he pointed at the unicorn who was merrily munching on a slice. “Also, Verdant, why did you sign a contract that said she could stay here?”
“How was I supposed to know that this would happen?” Verdant replied as he tried to jump onto a chair. He only succeeded when Gem gave him a boost. “I didn’t think we’d be strapped enough to not be able to pay her… Do you think you’ll be able to make a withdrawal from the bank tomorrow?”
“Probably not, but I’ll try anyway.” Barrier picked up another slice with his magic.
“In the meantime, I’ll start going over the book in the morning.” Daring got up from the seat and headed to the fridge. “Hopefully, I should be able to find the counterspell without too much hassle.”
“Wind Whistler,” Fleetfeather said as her daughter tried to stuff an entire slice in her mouth. “I was thinking you don’t have to go to school if you don’t want to.”
After a large swallow, Windy wiped the sauce from her lips. “Thanks, but I think I should go anyway. I figure my friends will be going too and it would be kinda fun to show off how I look to the class.”
“Well, it’s your call, dear,” Fleet said as she gave Windy’s side a pat.
“At any rate, if we don’t find a solution in the book, I’ll send a letter to the princesses and see if they can help us out,” Barrier said before taking a swig of apple juice, desperately wishing it was hard cider that could help chase his headache away.
Trixie chuckled as she leaned back in her seat. “The princesses? Really? Why would the princesses go out of their way to assist a rag-tag group of ponies turned into foals half a country away?”
“I was a guard back when Nightmare Moon returned. I have a couple of favors because of it.” Barrier shot the smug unicorn a glare that was ignored as she bit into another slice of pizza. “I also assisted with the liberation of the Crystal Empire.”
“Outlandish as it is, it’s true,” Fleet interjected. “I lost my eye fighting Sombra and Verdant’s back was scarred.”
“I even shot him in the face with an exploding arrow.” Verdant tried to stand proudly but failed, his chin barely reaching over the edge of the table.
“Right…” Trixie rolled her eyes in response. “And Trixie once defeated an Ursa Major.”
Verdant grumbled in response to her dismission while Swift levitated a slice of pizza towards him.
“Uncle.” Windy looked down at the charcoal colt. “Since it’s still early in the night and my birthday, think you can help me set up the projector so I can watch the movie Swiftsword got me?”
“I don’t see any harm in that.” Barrier shrugged. Just before he could take another bite of his pizza, he felt somepony biting onto the scruff of his neck and picking him up like a kitten. “Whoa! Wind Whistler, cut that out!”
“Nope,” she chuckled before flying over the table and taking him into the living room. “I’m gonna enjoy being the biggest pony here for as long as I can.”
“Fleet, Yearling, do something!” Barrier shouted towards the kitchen.
“I’m on it!” Daring replied and ran out of the kitchen. To Barrier’s surprise, she didn’t head for the living room, but up the stairs.
Fleet soon entered the room as Wind Whistler pushed the projector into place. With that done, she quickly set up the screen and picked up her canister.
“Well?” Barrier gave the cyclopean mare a raised eyebrow as Windy trotted them back towards the machine. “You going to do something?”
Fleetfeather bit down on her lip before she burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of the pair. She collapsed to the floor just as Daring arrived, carrying her camera.
“Alright, smile and say cheese!” Daring said as she held the camera to her face.
“Cheese!” Windy smiled without letting go of Barrier, who was giving Daring the flattest look he could possibly muster.
Barrier groaned as he started to rouse from his slumber, the sun’s light striking his sealed eyelids.
Urgh… That was a stupid dream. He rolled over beneath his sheets, taking his blanket with him. How insane would it be if Forge found some ancient magical artifact by accide— WHOA!” He exclaimed just before taking a face-first tumble off the bed. As he stood up and groaned, he saw that the room was much larger than it had been the day before.
“Oh, son of bitch…” He grumbled as he lit his horn, briefly struggling to untangle himself from the sheet then tossing it back on the bed. The rumbling in his belly and the smell of bacon, hashbrowns and fresh coffee from the kitchen overrode the will to properly make the bed.
Wait a second… Barrier halted in his steps as a dark thought came to mind. If I’m a foal, that means Verdant is too, and if he’s too short to reach the stove, then who’s cooking right now?!
The charcoal colt dashed into the kitchen. When he spotted who was cooking, he let out a sigh of relief. Verdant was standing on a countertop while overseeing Daring cooking up the food.
“You sure bacon should be this crispy, Verd?” the bespectacled mare asked as the food sizzled. “I’d say if it gets any crisper, it’s gonna be burnt.”
“I always make it this crispy after the one time I made it less crispy and nearly choked on it.” Verdant shuddered before hopping back as a bubble of grease burst, almost spitting at him.
“As fascinating as your near death experience is,” a yawning voice came from the living room. Looking up, Barrier saw it was Trixie strolling in, wearing the blanket that covered the couch in place of her star-spangled cape. “Can you tell Trixie when breakfast will be ready? Trixie doesn’t wish to start her day off with cold pizza.”
Barrier rolled his eyes before focusing the energy in his horn. In a flash, he disappeared from the kitchen entrance and reappeared in one of the seats at the table. When he rematerialized, he immediately regretted the spell he cast. It felt like he had just finished a long run in full gear, on top of the nausea. All in all, a resounding reminder of his first teleport so very long ago.
“Urgh, that was a bad call…” Barrier said as he lowered himself into his seat.
“Alright, I’d say the food’s ready,” Verdant squeaked. Once Daring had turned off the heat, the others started to arrive from upstairs.
Wind Whistler yawned as she took her place at the table. “So, what’s everypony gonna be doing today?”
“Well, we’re pretty much all taking the day off of work,” Hatty said as Daring started to place plates around the table for the housemates and Trixie. “Just about all of us told our bosses we won’t be in today, so we’re free to do whatever.”
“Oh, crap,” Fleet muttered, smacking a tiny hoof to her forehead. “I didn’t do that. Guess I’ll head in and tell them I’ll be out.”
“I’m actually gonna head to Snow’s place after breakfast,” Forge interjected from his seat. “I’ll ask him to pass it along if his sister’s not there.”
“As for me, I’ll be paying Erica a visit in a bit,” Verdant said from the counter, looking at the gap between him, the table and the floor. “Um, could somepony gimme a lift?”
“Trixie will oblige,” the caped mare said, her horn glowing brighter as she took a bite of her hashbrowns. Verdant found himself whisked off the counter and floated over to a free chair before she let go, causing him to plop down into the seat after falling over half a foot. “At any rate, Trixie will be staying here to practice some bits for her new routine. Also, we’re out of peanut butter.”
“How’s that possible?” Barrier’s eyebrow shot upwards at her statement. “We had more than half a jar’s worth in the fridge.”
“Peanut butter makes a good pizza topping,” she flatly stated in reply, as if what she was saying was the most obvious thing in the world.
Barrier sighed in annoyance before turning his attention back to his breakfast. “Guess I’ll get some after heading to the bank.”
“Do you really think they’ll let you make a withdrawal, sir?” Swift asked in between nibbles of her hashbrowns.
“Probably not, but it’s worth a shot,” he answered before looking towards the mare who was now taking a sip of coffee. Still, it’d be nice to get rid of the uninvited guest A.S.A.P.
“Hmm, this is a good blend,” Trixie said before taking another sip. “Trixie knows they make hazelnut cream, but now wonders if stores stock peanut butter cream.”
“Don’t know, but I might check and pick some up if you behave yourself.” Barrier hopped out of his seat and started to walk back to his bedroom. “I should hopefully be back in an hour or two.”
“Oh! Remember!” Verdant leaned out of his seat. “There’s a four for eight bits sale on oatmeal at Einar’s!” He then proceeded to tumble out of his seat, landing on his rump. For an instant, Barrier thought he heard the sound of a toy squeaking when he landed.
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Barrier said as he summoned his now oversized saddlebags to him.
***
The charcoal pony let out a small muttering of curses as he departed the bank. It seems none of the staff were willing to believe his claims about being a thirty seven year old stallion turned into a foal by a magical accident.
Can’t say that I blame them, really. How many foals have tried to pull that as a way to get out of school?
“Hey, colt in the giant saddlebags!” a harsh mare’s voice shouted. Looking to his right. He spotted a mare in a blue uniform with a tie and hat that greatly contrasted against her wild black mane and light grey coat. Her cutie mark was a dark gold lock. “What are you doing out of school?” She harshly inquired as she rushed up to him, her horn occasionally flaring red.
“I’m an adult who was turned into a foal by a magical accident,” Barrier replied, giving a roll of his eyes before he started to walk to the left. Because he wasn’t looking, he was caught off guard when he bumped into someone. To his surprise, it was a mare that looked almost identical to the first mare. The only differences he really noticed were how this mare’s mane and tail were neatly brushed, her cutie mark was a golden badge with a star and her horn was flashing blue instead of red.
“Not to be rude, sir, but that does seem a wee bit far fetched.” The second unicorn spoke in a far gentler tone that her compatriot. She then pulled from her uniform’s pockets a pencil and a notepad. “Could you please give us your name and address so we can check your story?”
“Seriously, Bright Star?” The gruff unicorn gave the gentler one a glare. “This is a clear cut case of truancy. We should just take him back to school and get this over with.”
“Now now, Lock-Up,” Bright Star said as she drew closer. “This could really be the truth. Remember how blue flowers make Beanstalk turn two-hundred feet tall or how a few weeks ago, our badges turned into chocolate and the shower covered you in strawberry jam, sticking you to the wall?”
“Oh, fine…” Lock-Up pouted before focusing back on Barrier. “You’d better not be wasting our time, kid.”
“My name is Magic Barrier,” the charcoal colt gave the gruff officer a glare of his own. “I’m a former captain of the Equestrian guard. I am thirty-seven years of age and my address is 380 Starflower Street. Ask any of the ponies there and they’ll confirm it.”
“380 Starflower. Check,” Bright Star cheerfully said before stowing the notepad and pencil back in her pockets. “Right, Mr. Barrier. Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna head over to your place to check your story out. While I’m doing that, Officer Lock-Up will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don’t get into any trouble. I’ll be able to radio her once we get to the bottom of this. Alright?”
“As long as I can finish up my errands, it will do,” Barrier replied with a flat look at the overly cheerful officer.
“Hey, why do I have to be the one stuck on babysitting duty?” Lock-Up asked as she gave her twin a glare. Bright Star simply gave her a smile in return.
“Because of what happened at the cook off. That’s why.” Bright Star chuckled before heading away.
“You can’t hold that over me forever, Sis!” Lock-Up shouted at the departing mare, uncaring that she was drawing the eyes of other ponies or that her target might be out of earshot. “Everypony recovered fine and the court found that the store was liable!”
“Now, Miss Lock-Up,” Barrier spoke up, drawing the mare’s eye down to him. “I need to head to Einar’s to do some shopping, so please try to keep up.”
The uniformed unicorn growled, but fell in line behind Barrier, keeping a close eye on him.
The pair arrived at the store without incident, though Barrier did occasionally need to ask for the disgruntled officer’s help to reach items on shelves that were now out of range for him.
When Barrier was getting ready to head for a cashier, a distorted voice seemed to come from Lock-Up’s hip.
“Lock-Up, this is Bright Star. I’ve just confirmed Barrier’s story. Apparently he really was an adult that got turned into a foal due to a magical accident. Over.” The voice came from a rectangular brick that the uniformed unicorn pulled from her hip. “Also, one of the ponies there asked to make sure he checks for peanut butter creamer. Over.”
“Copy that. Over and out.” Lock-Up sighed before stowing the device away. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Barrier.”
“Don’t sweat it too much,” Barrier replied as he stepped into the check-out line. “You were just doing your job.”
“Well, take care and hope this gets fixed soon,” she said before starting on her way to the exit.
“Trust me, you’re far from the only one.”
***
After needing to climb up a few tall floors and catch his breath at the top, Verdant had arrived at Erica’s door. He knew Erica had the day off today and they planned to watch some movies together later, but life happened to get in the way.
Verdant let out a sigh before letting loose a series of quick raps on the griffin’s door. “Hello? Anyone home?”
“Just a second!” Erica’s voice came from the other side, along with the sounds of shuffling about. “What kind of cookies are you selling?”
“I’m not selling cookies or anything, Erica. I need to tell you something,” Verdant replied, feeling nervous about what was to come.
“What do you need to tell me, little gi…” The hen was taken aback when she opened the door and spotted the tiny colt. “What the… Verdant?”
“Yeah. It’s me,” Verdant said as he moved closer to the stunned griffin. “Can I come in? It’s a bit of a long story.”
After a few minutes, Erica was caught up to speed on what happened yesterday and what was being done now.
“I… wow, your household seems to be a magnet for weirdness.” Erica said as she sat on one end of the couch with Verdant on the other. “Now I’m kinda glad I had a cold yesterday.”
“Well, I really missed you,” the grass colored colt said as he laid against the couch’s pillow. “Still, you dodged a bolt here. It really sucks being this small. Not to mention I hate this voice.”
“I’m sure that Yearling will find the counterspell for what happened soon.” Erica leaned closer, gently giving his back a pat. “So… do you still want to watch some movies later?”
“You don’t think it will be too awkward?” Verdant looked Erica in the face and saw an unsure expression upon it.
“I will admit, it probably will be a bit weird,” Erica said as she moved a bit closer to Verdant. “Still, as long as we don’t do anything too adultish, I think I’ll be able to handle it.”
“That’s good to hear,” Verdant said, giving her foreleg a nuzzle. “Say Erica, I was wondering if you’d be willing to try something with me. It’s something I haven’t really been able to do in a very long time.”
“What would that be?” she asked, leaning down towards the small stallion.
***
“Whooo! This is great!” Verdant loudly cheered as Erica carried him in her talons and they flew over the city. He enjoyed the autumn wind in his mane, seeing the buildings whizzing by below and enjoying the sound of the griffin’s heartbeat as he was held so close to her chest.
“You really like flying, huh?” Erica asked as they banked, coming close to the tops of some trees.
“Yep! I haven’t been able to do this since I was a foal,” he cheerfully replied as he looked up at her face. “My Aunt Silver Rain used to take me flying until she got pregnant with Parsley. After that, I was too big for her to carry.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re having fun,” Erica said with a slight chuckle. When she banked once more, she saw the school was letting out and there were several ponies coming out of the building that stuck out like a sore thumb. These ponies in school bags were twice as tall as the rest of their classmates. “Hey Verdant, is that one pony there Wind Whistler?” She pointed a talon towards the blue mare with the pink mane who was talking to a colt with a winged bucket of fried chicken for a cutie mark.
“Yep. Say, can we swing by and say hi?”
“You’ve got it. Hold on.” Erica tightened her grip before she reangled herself and headed down towards the chatting pair.
“Hey, Wind Whistler!” Verdant caught the mare’s attention as Erica leveled out just a few feet from ground level, flying by at their walking speed. “How was school today?”
“Urgh…” Windy rolled her eyes. “Do you really want to know?
In a classroom, the teacher, a lavender earth pony with a light blue mane, was sitting at her desk as her students took their places at their desks.
She had started to sort through some papers when a light blue mare walked into the class. “Um, excuse me, miss? Might I ask what you’re doing here?”
“Um,” the mare looked nervously at her. It was then the teacher noticed the familiar white bow on the mare’s tail and the foal sized saddlebags. “I’m Wind Whistler, Ms. Schoolbag.”
“What?” The lavender mare slid out of her seat and quickly examined the mare. She had all the right colors and the cutie mark of the familiar filly, but this was utterly baffling. “How did this happen?”
“We had a bit of an accident at my birthday party,” Windy said as she trotted over to her desk, clearly feeling uncomfortable from both the position of her desk and seat, and from the other foals that were staring at her.
“By we, do you mean—” Schoolbag was interrupted as a pair of ponies burst through the door. Based on their colors, she knew they had to be Gold Pippin and Dawn Apple. “Ah. I see. Did anypony else get turned into adults?”
“Shutterbug, Melony, High Stakes and Crispy Wings were also there, so unless their parents kept them home, we’ll probably be seeing them too.” Windy shrugged as the Apple twins took to their seats.
After a few minutes, the remaining adult students showed up, each one feeling Windy’s discomfort about their desks.
“Oh dear, this could be a problem,” Ms. Schoolbag whispered to herself before clearing her throat. “Alright, children. It’s time for class. Starting off, the first lesson will be about the addition and subtraction of fractions.”
A wave of groans came in response from most of the students, including those now stuck in adult bodies. She had to admit that while what happened to them wasn’t funny, their childish groans were.
Without much complaint, the students took to their studies fairly well. Still, she could see the adult students were having issues sitting at such tiny desks to do their school work. A look of pity came over her as she got behind her desk. I think that if this doesn’t wear off by tomorrow, I should tell them to stay home until they get better.
After nearly half an hour had passed, Wind Whistler raised a hoof. “Ms. Schoolbag, may I please go to the washroom?”
“Of course, dear,” the teacher nodded before turning her focus back to a stack of papers she was marking. “Just try to be back quickly.”
Wind Whistler moved awkwardly between the arrangement of desks until finally making her way out the door.
Several minutes passed by, but Wind Whistler had yet to return to class. This was especially odd to the teacher since she had known Wind Whistler to be rather quick when it came to stuff like this.
Looking up at the class, she scanned her students to see which ones had set their pencils down before her gaze fell upon a certain blue unicorn. “Shutterbug, could you please go to see if you can find out what’s keeping Wind Whistler?”
“Okay!” The unicorn excitedly stood up and started to run for the door, only to trip and knock over several desks and her classmates in the process. “Sorry, my bad!” she shouted as she bolted into the hallway.
After only a couple of minutes, Shutterbug returned with a minor reddish tinge upon her face. “Um, Ms. Schoolbag? Could you give me a hoof? Wind Whistler’s… stuck?”
A bunch of chuckles came from the students as their teacher rose from her desk.
“Keep studying, children. We’ll be back as soon as possible.”
***
“That was humiliating,” Wind Whistler grumbled as she bit into her HBLT sandwich while she and her friends enjoyed their lunch on the school’s playground. “I’m only nine for two days and not only do I have to go through a transformation that makes almost everything too small for me, but my stupid grown-up butt gets stuck on the toilet.”
“I think it’s a pretty nice looking butt, Windy,” Crispy said before slapping a hoof over his mouth. “Uh, I mean—”
“Just stop, Crispy. You’re just making things worse.” The sky blue mare let out a sigh before taking another bite of the sandwich.
“Well, at least we got some cool photos yesterday and we could probably try things that we couldn’t do before, like rent adult only movies!” Shutterbug said before taking a bite of her potato wedges.
“I’m not sure I could do that,” Melony said before sticking her face into her fruit salad and taking several bites. “I still think some PG movies are too scary for me, so there’s no way I’m getting a PG-13 movie, much less an R.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll find something to do like this,” Dawn interjected as she rose up. “At any rate, I’m hitting the swings.”
“Sis, wait!” Pip’s shout was ignored as the thestral rushed towards the swing and leapt to land on the seat. The instant that Dawn landed, the ropes holding the swing up snapped and she fell into the pile of sand underneath.
“Oh, man. I don’t wanna get in trouble,” Dawn glumly said as she dusted herself off.
“This is why I’m sticking to something made of metal,” Wind Whistler said after she finished off her sandwich. “That slide is all mine!”
Windy grinned as she flew up to the top of the slide, relishing how much stronger her grown up wings were. The sky colored pegasus leaned back to let her hind end go down the slide. She went down the slide for only an instant before she found herself halted.
“Oh, son of a…” She grumbled and growled. “Stupid grown-up butt! Somepony get me out of here!” She angrily exclaimed and flailed her limbs in a way that reminded her friends of a turtle stuck on its back.
***
The last bell for school rang out and most of the students started to merrily make their way out. However, the turned foals found themselves rather sore from their day’s experiences. This of course wasn’t helped by the fact that the gym-activity that day had been to play dodgeball. As they found out, they made for much bigger targets as adults.
“Children,” Ms. Schoolbag said as Wind Whistler and her friends headed for the door. “If what’s happened to you hasn’t worn off by tomorrow, I think it would be best if you stayed home.”
“Good call, Teach,” High Stakes said as she gave her a quick salute.
A few moments later, the collection of ponies had started their walk towards their homes while Crispy followed after Windy.
“Hey Wind Whistler,” Crispy said before coughing into his hoof. “There’s… um, there’s something I want to tell you?”
“What’s that, Crispy?” Windy saw his face was quickly turning crimson as they walked along.
“It’s just that…” The pegasus colt in a stallion’s body’s wings twitched nervously as they walked along. “I wanted to say your grown-up self looks really… pretty.”
Windy resisted the urge to chuckle at his nervous confession. “Thanks, Crispy. You look pretty nice too.”
“Hey, Wind Whistler!” What sounded like a filly’s voice reached her ears, tugging her gaze towards the source she spotted Verdant being carried in Erica’s talons, waving at her as the griffin flew closer. “How was school today?”
“Urgh…” Windy rolled her eyes. “Do you really want to know?”
“That good, huh?” Erica asked as she dipped lower and let Verdant land gently on the ground in front of her.
“My butt’s killing me from sitting in a tiny chair, not to mention the stupid thing got stuck on stuff twice. I had the worst game of dodgeball in the history of Equestria and to top it all off, I’ve got to write a book report on The Runaway Rainbow!” Windy ranted angrily, her volume growing with each word until she was shouting.
“Well, hopefully you’ll get better soon.” Erica landed by her side, walking alongside the ponies.
“Maybe if we’re lucky, Miss Yearling will have found that counterspell already.” Crispy tried to sound optimistic, though Windy could tell he had strong doubts.
“She does seem pretty smart. I mean, she writes all those books about an archaeologist hero and while the writing can be a bit silly sometimes, I’ve heard its archaeology is pretty accurate,” The griffin said as a charcoal colt emerged from around a corner. “Hey, is that—”
“Uncle Barrier!” Wind happily exclaimed as she charged towards the stallion. A surprised Barrier raised a shield in front of him, but the charging mare was too much and she plowed right through it, shattering the shield into dust. Barrier was tackled to the ground and pulled into a tight hug.
“Windy, knock it off!” Barrier tried to struggle out of her grip, but it was no use.
“No can do, Uncle,” Windy replied as she tightened her grip. “I’ve had a lousy day and I need something like this.”
Barrier sighed and grumbled before returning the hug as best he could until Wind Whistler finally let him go.
“How was your day, Barrier?” Erica asked as she, Verdant and Crispy caught up to them.
“Besides being unable to withdraw money to get rid of an unwanted guest, being kept away from my alcohol and being followed around by a policemare thinking I was playing hooky, I’m just peachy.” Barrier dusted himself off as he followed the rest of the group along. “How about you?”
“Eh, same old.” The griffin shrugged as the manor’s gate came into view. “At least I’ve gotten over the cold I had. Oh, remind me to get the present I got for you later, Windy.”
“Will do, Miss Erica,” Windy said, her wings a flutter at the thought of getting another present as Barrier pushed the gate open with his magic.
Before the group could go very far onto the property, the front door burst off its hinges as something blue and silver rapidly zoomed around the yard, screaming like a bat getting a colonoscopy.
The rushing mass soon split into two, a slender brown blur and the large blur which proceeded to crash into Barrier, knocking them both onto the lawn and kicking up dust and dirt.
When the dirt settled, Trixie was revealed, trying to brush the earthy debris off of her sore form. “Well, at least we know Tia Freyle is a spell that makes brooms fly.”
“GET YOUR DAMN BUTT OFF ME!” Barrier’s muffled voice said through the thick flank flesh, his hindlegs struggling out from under her.
“Fine,” Trixie rolled her eyes as she lazily climbed off. “But do you know how many ponies would pay Trixie to do that to them?”
“Why would anypony pay another to sit on their face?” Crispy rubbed his chin in curiosity.
“Uh, say, Crispy!” Erica quickly said, hoping to derail that train of thought. “Shouldn’t you be heading home around now?”
“Oh, right!” the amber pegasus exclaimed before spreading his wings and flying over the gate. “Thanks for the reminder! Bye, Windy!”
“Well, at least that’s one less awkward conversation to have.” Barrier breathed a tired sigh and stretched out before getting up and heading to the doorway.
“Say Barrier, can Erica stay for dinner?” Verdant asked as Trixie’s magic picked up the door and managed to stick it back into place.
“Might as well, though we probably won’t have the best food tonight,” Barrier replied without looking back as the five headed into the house. Daring, still garbed in her Yearling guise, looked over the group.
“Well, at least nopony’s badly hurt and we’re only down a broom,” the golden pegasus said as she guided them into the kitchen, where the other foals of the house were assembled around the table.
“Anything close to curing us?” Barrier asked as he removed his saddlebags from his sides and opened up the fridge.
“Well, I’ve found that ‘brickenblaxen’ seems to work as an undo for some of the spells cast by the wand, so all we have to do is find the right spell and try that to see if it will fix you guys,” Daring replied as she moved to the table, taking the book and wand away from it. “Other than that, I’d say the most productive thing I’ve managed to accomplish was making the northern lights appear in the kitchen.”
“Faust be willing, you’ll find it soon,” Barrier said, closing the fridge behind him. “So, what’ll we have for dinner?”
“Well, since we still have leftover pizza, I was thinking we’d try to finish it off before I get back to trying to find the spell,” Daring said as she gently set the book aside. “Sound alright?”
The assembly at the table gave a series of agreeable nods and mutterings.
“Can’t complain about free pizza,” Erica said as she took a seat next to Verdant.
“Trixie calls dibs on having a peanut butter slice!” the magician mare exclaimed, much to the disgust of most of those at the table.
***
“Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup!”
Barrier let out a muttering of curses as he felt something bouncing on the bed beside him. Prying his eyes open, he could see it wasn’t even close to sunrise and that it was a pegasus filly bouncing beside him.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that the filly had a mane that was composed of multiple shades of black and grey while her coat was a light gold. What little he could make out of her face was a maniacal grin that stretched from ear to ear and her eyes were bloodshot.
“Urgh, what the? Daring?” Barrier gave his face a couple of quick slaps to chase away the sleepiness. “What’s going on?”
“I figured out the spell!” She happily exclaimed. “Now I can turn us all back to normal!”
“That’s great, but why are you screaming?” Barrier quickly covered his ears to prepare for the next auditory assault.
“I had way too much coffee to pull an all nighter!” Daring shouted before jumping from the bed and loudly rushing to the kitchen. “C’mon, everypony! We’re getting changed back!”
With a sigh, Barrier climbed out of bed and followed her to the kitchen. From what little light was reflecting off the moon, he could make out that the kitchen clock read that it was a quarter to three.
A few moments later, the rest of the house had entered the kitchen, with Wind Whistler still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
“Right, ready to change back, everypony?” Daring asked with a yell as she dramatically stood on top of the table.
“Give Trixie a moment,” the caped mare muttered as she grabbed the coffee pot with her magic and headed for the front door. “Trixie wants to be out of the blast radius.”
Once the door clicked shut, Daring’s grin returned. “Right, let’s do this!” she shouted as she held the wand aloft. “Uthos Penthros Aetate Inverto Brickenblaxen!”
The wand started to shimmer in her grasp, quickly glowing bright until the room was swallowed by the light and a burst of wind knocked everypony back.
Barrier let out a groan as he tried to get back to his hooves, his eyes starting to readjust to the kitchen’s lights.
“Sound off, is everypony okay?” he asked before a smile stretched across his face. He recognized the voice as one he’d heard every day for over twenty years.
“Yes, I’m a foal again!” Windy happily jumped onto the table and tried to leap at Barrier’s face, only to be caught in mid-air by his magic and given a nuzzle before being gently set down on the kitchen floor.
The others quickly rose up with Swift and Verdant helping Daring to her hooves.
“Ha! Victory!” she exclaimed proudly as she placed the wand on the table. “We’re all back to normal.”
“That’s great, Daring,” Fleet said as she quickly went to her side. “Now, how about we take you up to bed so you can get a good night’s rest?”
“That… that sounds really good,” Daring replied as she leaned into the cyclopian mare’s side. “Hatty, could you put the wand in the study?”
“You got it,” the purple pegasus said tiredly as he grasped the wand with a wing. Before moving away from the table, he tried to speak, only for a yawn to make his speech incomprehensible.
Just as he finished yawning, a white light emanated from the wand once more.
“Oh crap, crap, crap!” Hatty screeched as he tried to toss the wand away. The mystical stick landed on the table just as a second eruption of light flooded the room and knocked everypony back once more.
Barrier groaned as he rose back to his hooves yet again. As his eyes adjusted once more, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw from the height of the table that he was still an adult.
“Sound off, is every… po... ny… Oh, Faust curse it!” Barrier slapped a hoof to his head as he recognized the voice he’d only heard twice before.
A series of groans rang out as the housemates started to rise to their hooves. Taking in their appearance, Barrier confirmed what he thought had happened.
“Urgh, what’d Hatty… wait,” Forge groaned before noticing the emerald colored pony by his side. “Verdant! You’re a mare!”
“What?!” Verdant shouted in surprise as he quickly looked over his now feminine form. “What? I… How?! What the fu…”
“Now you know how I feel when Poison Joke affects me.” Barrier let out a sigh. “At least I can drink again.”
“I… this is unbelievable…” Swiftsword muttered to herself as she examined her new masculine body. “Winter Gem, are you alright?”
“I’m… not sure Swift,” the alabaster pony said, examining her hooves.
“Uncle,” a tiny colt’s voice drew Barrier’s eyes down, seeing the now frightened Wind Whistler looking him in the eye as tears started to form. “What should we do?” Barrier remained silent, only shifting to give his goddaughter a proper hug.
“Sonova…” Daring groaned, slapping a hoof to her masculine muzzle. “I’m too tired to deal with this now.”
As Fleet patted Daring on the back, the front door opened up and Trixie trotted up to the kitchen, a now empty coffee pot in tow.
“Well,” Trixie clicked her tongue as she examined the ponies that had undergone a sudden sex change. “Seems things didn’t go as planned.”
“Yeah,” Forge grumbled before shooting daggers at the purple pegasus. “And Hatty’s the reason we’re like this now.”
Now the rest of the eyes in the room fell upon Hatty like a ton of burning bricks.
“Um… Oops?” the purple pony said as he backed into a corner of the kitchen.
“Show of hooves, who wants to murder Hat Trick?!” Forge’s hoof shot into the air, swiftly followed by his fellow privates.
Hatty let out a bone chilling scream before the four chased after the fleeing purple pony, who bolted for the front door with the others close behind.
“Shouldn’t you head after them?” Trixie inquired as she put the coffee pot back.
“Not really,” Barrier replied as he magically picked up the tired foal by his feminine foreleg and deposited her onto his withers. “They’ll just blow off some steam and make Hatty do more chores or something along those lines.”
Giving a tired yawn, the pony reached out with his magic, digging into the cabinet above the sink and retrieving a small bottle of whiskey. Taking a quick sip directly from the bottle, he returned it to the cabinet and continued. “In the meantime, it’s too early to deal with this, so I’m gonna go back to bed and try to sort things out when I’m not so tired.” Barrier headed up the stairs with Windy dozing on his back and with Fleet and Daring following shortly behind.
“If it makes you feel any better,” the magician called out from the kitchen, “Trixie thinks you all look cuter this way.”
Barrier bolted awake, suddenly roused from his bed by the sudden shouting of expletives from upstairs. With a quick flash of his horn, Barrier vanished from his bed and reappeared on the second floor.
“What’s going on?” Barrier called out. The sound of his voice reminded him that what had happened earlier was sadly not a dream. At least I’m still an adult.
“A minor incident, sir!” a feminine voice with a distinctly Gallopfreyan accent said from behind the bathroom door. “I was just going to… relieve myself, but I had forgotten the changes to my plumbing and… well, I missed the plumbing.”
Barrier sighed in annoyance before heading downstairs. “Just clean it up, Forge.”
“Already on it,” Forge replied just as Barrier spotted Daring leaving the guest room and followed after her.
“So, anything on your agenda today?” Daring asked, stretching out her wings as she followed along.
“Not really, besides maybe getting some new books from the library,” Barrier said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Yours?”
“Trying to find an undo for this,” the golden pegasus replied as they approached the kitchen, when they found Verdant preparing breakfast and Trixie watching from the table. Barrier noticed her eyes were too low to be focused on the food being readied. “After that, I’m shoving the damn wand into a soundproof box and sending it to Canterlot.”
“Morning,” Verdant said as he looked over his shoulder. “Today’s breakfast will be omelets with some diced red and green peppers.”
“If they’re ruby reapers, you’ll regret it,” Barrier said as he and Daring took some seats at the table.
“Relax,” Verdant waved dismissively before cracking a pair of eggs into a bowl. “I’d only do that if it was specifically for my worst enemy… Or Hatty.”
“Can Trixie request a specific thing for tonight’s dinner?” Trixie asked, her eyes never moving away from a certain part of the shamrock pony.
“Sorry, I’m not making dinner tonight,” Verdant replied before taking a whisk between his teeth. “I’ve got plans with Erica, so either somepony else will have to cook or you’ll need to order out.” Barrier was somewhat surprised that Verdant was able to speak so clearly with the whisk between his teeth.
“Drat.” Trixie grumbled with a childish frown.
At least you’re getting a free meal. Barrier mentally grumbled as some more of the house started to arrive at the table. The instant I’m back to normal, you’ll be out of here faster than greased lightning.
“Well, breakfast should be ready shortly,” the green coated pony said before pouring the eggs into the frying pan. “Here’s hoping a good breakfast leads to the start of a good day.”
***
In the kitchen of the Four D’s, Drumstick witnessed Fruity Punch finish up washing her hooves when she heard the front door open up.
“Welcome to Delicious Dining Delights & Deli,” the plump pegasus said as she trotted away from the kitchen. “how can I help you to…” Her words came to a halt at the sight of a rather handsome unicorn stallion entering the restaurant.
“Good morning, Mrs. Drumstick,” Swiftsword gave a quick bow. “Well, I’m no longer a foal and we should be able to restore your son to normal whenever he comes by the house.”
“I… See…” Drumstick was rather stunned by Swift’s new appearance. “I guess there was another mishap?”
“Yes, thanks to my housemate,” the cornflower blue unicorn grumbled before coughing into her hoof. “Still, this won’t have any effect on your son and I’m fully ready to work… Well, provided you have a uniform that would fit me.”
“I’m sure we have a spare somewhere. Punch?” Drumstick was met with a moment of silence. Turning about in confusion at the lack of reply, she spotted Fruity Punch was staring at their co-worker’s new form with a bit of drool leaking from her mouth.
“Punch!” Drumstick barked, snapping the pink mare from her stupor. “Go try to find a uniform that fits Swift.”
“Uh, right!” Punch saluted before guiding Swift towards the supply room. “Do you want a stallion’s uniform or a mare’s?”
“It doesn’t matter much to me,” Swift replied as they reached the back. “Though I think a stallion’s uniform would look better on me currently.”
***
Erica glanced at the clock up on the wall that hung above the cooking instructor’s table. Class was about to start and Verdant had yet to show up. She was starting to grow somewhat worried.
“You think Verdant’s okay?” Erica looked to her side, where she saw Color Splash was standing in front of her station.
“Probably,” the gray unicorn tried to give the hen a calming look. “He’s probably either getting through a busy crowd or having some trouble climbing up the stairs.” She then let out a soft chuckle. “I still can’t believe he got turned into a foal.”
“I’ll admit, it was quite the surprise when I saw it,” Erica said before resting her elbows on the station. “Still, if Beanstalk can turn two-hundred feet tall because of a plant, this shouldn’t surprise me.”
Just as Erica finished speaking, the room to the class burst open and a pink and red blur rushed over to Splash’s table. When it came to a stop, the pair saw it was the huffing form of Fruity Punch.
“Did I… make it?” the pink pony asked between breaths.
“Right on time, Punch,” Splash smiled and gave her a pat on the back. “What happened?”
“Eh, major rush right before my shift ended. Then a cart full of molasses tipped over and spilled all over Squirmy Street, so I had to take the long way around to get here,” Punch replied as she managed to catch her breath. “So, what’s up with you?”
“Not much,” Splash stated, looking at the clock that was steadily counting down, growing ever closer to class time. “Just waiting for Verdant to get here so I can see what this age spell thingie did to him.”
“Oh, you don’t know? They managed to take care of that, only to run into an issue with another spell.”
“Are they okay?” Erica asked in a shocked tone, her voice dripping with concern.
“Yeah, they’re fine.” Punch walked over to her griffin friend and placed a hoof on her shoulders. “Hatty just made it so they magically—” The unicorn paused when she spotted the door opening, as well as the sight of the pony entering the room. “Hi, Verdant!” She waved while Erica whipped around to see what had happened to him.
She was rather stunned by Verdant's new appearance. His more angular, stallionish features had been replaced by smooth, feminine curves. Even his hair had a smoother appearance, as if it were carefully brushed and styled. However, the thing that stood out the most to the hen was how Verdant’s hips were much more shapely, accentuating his flank.
“Hey girls,” he said as he came to Erica’s side, much to her and Splash’s surprise.
“Wow, that spell really made an impact,” the gray mare said as she examined Verdant’s now feminine form.
“Yeah, it did,” Verdant flatly answered. “And this is all Hatty’s fault.”
“Well… you do look pretty nice, Verdant,” Erica said, closely looking him over. “Did the spell style your mane and tail, too?”
“No, that was all me,” the emerald pony replied. “I figured if I’m gonna be stuck this way for a bit, I should try to make it look good.” He punctuated his statement by giving his tail and rump a shake.
“You… you really pull it off.” A crimson tinge started to sweep over Erica’s features, making her facial feathers match her coat.
“Thanks, dear,” he gave Erica’s face a nuzzle and a quick peck on the cheek. “Other than that and a molasses spill making me take a detour, today’s been pretty uneventful.”
“You seem to take this whole, ‘stuck in a mare’s body thing’ in stride,” Splash noted as Erica returned the nuzzle.
“Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve ended up in a mare’s body,” he replied, making the unicorns raise their eyebrows.
“Oh, do you mean like you were controlling a mare’s body like this, or like that thing Hatty said about you getting a tour of Princess Luna’s colon?” Punch innocently asked, making her partner suddenly whip around to face her.
“Wait, what?!” Splash shouted, her jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
Verdant let out a groan and smacked his forehead with a hoof. “Thanks, Punch. I needed another reminder to murder Hatty later.”
“You’re welcome!” Punch cheerfully said, missing Verdant’s sarcasm just as Tablier Bleu entered the room.
“Afternoon, students,” she merrily said as she trotted up to her station. “Today, we’ll be cooking up some tomato risotto.”
“Say, Splash,” Verdant softly spoke. “Can you do me a favor after class?”
***
Barrier strolled into the elaborately decorated library, eyes scanning the interior familiar building. There were four floors that were stacked from floor to ceiling with volumes upon volumes of books. If he’d had to guess, he would’ve guessed that only the Canterlot library held more books… or Twilight.
The transformed stallion lit his horn, pulling a collection of books from his saddlebags. “Hey Due Date. I’ve got some returns for you.”
“Just a second,” a voice said from behind a desk as Barrier approached. “My bag ripped and I spilled my biii….” A blue unicorn stallion rose up, only to be awestruck by the pony before him.
“Yeah, I know. This transformation crap is weird.” Barrier dropped the stack in front of the gray maned stallion, snapping him from his stupor. “Say, did that Knight of Zandar book I wanted come in?”
“Oh, um, yeah, Barrier.” Due Date found himself unable to bring his green eyes to meet Barrier’s steely blues. “It’s, uh over on that one shelf over there. Third row, towards the middle of the second section.” Date extended a sea colored foreleg to a nearby bookshelf.
“Excellent,” Barrier replied before trotting towards the shelf that the librarian had pointed to. “Be sure to register my stuff as back, ASAP. I really don’t want to deal with any late fees.”
Hearing Due Date give only a vague muttering in response, he focused his attention on the aforementioned shelf and started to scan for the title he was after.
“Perfect.” Barrier pulled the book from the shelf, looking over the cover image of a knight in golden armor facing down a red demon with clothes made from tiger skin.
As he pulled a few other books from the shelf to add to this week’s entertainment, he felt as if somepony’s eyes were on him. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted that Due Date’s eyes were locked on him. Or rather, a certain part of him.
“That’s not how you salute a soldier, Due Date,” Barrier barked, making the scrawny stallion tumble back in embarrassment. The charcoal pony smirked as he approached and saw the unicorn go from a dark sky blue to tomato red.
“How about you check these out for me and check my returns in before I have you brought in for lewd conduct.” Barrier kept a stern tone going, despite enjoying the panic on Due Date’s face before he quickly got to work.
After a moment of work, Barrier had his saddlebags stuffed full of books and had started toward the library’s entrance, passing by Sweet Honey as she balanced a stack of books on her back.
“Thanks for the quick work, Due Date. Hello, Sweet Honey,” Barrier said just before reaching the door and nosing his way through.
“Huh? Was that…” Honey’s jaw dropped at the sight of the onyx unicorn. Her mind seemed to grind to a halt at the appearance of Barrier as a mare. Unfortunately for her, her legs kept working fine and she walked into a bookshelf. This led to the stuffed shelf to fall over, causing a domino effect that would soon consume the entire first floor of the library.
“I… Oh… Um… I’m gonna be here a while…” Honey swallowed as more and more thunderous cracks echoed throughout the building, wincing with each one.
Late in the afternoon, the doors to the Four D’s opened to let Wind Whistler and Fleetfeather into the restaurant. The energetic transformed filly quickly flew onto the restaurant’s counter.
“Hey Crispy! You in here?” she shouted before Fleetfeather bit down on the back of her neck and pulled her off, placing her down on the floor like a foal-sized cat.
“Just a sec!” A stallion’s voice rang out from the back of the kitchen. A moment later, the adult sized Crispy Wings emerged. “Wow. That spell really did a number on you.”
“At any rate,” Fleet interjected. “We can get you back to normal once we get you over to our place.”
“Alright. Just a sec,” the pegasus stallion said before facing the kitchen. “Hey Mom, can I go to Windy’s to get the spell undone?”
“Sure thing, dear.” Drumstick’s voice echoed out. “Just be back in time for dinner.”
“Got it! Be back soon.” Crispy smiled as he followed Fleet and Windy out of the restaurant. “Gotta say Mrs. Fleetfeather, you look pretty good this way. Just maybe dye your mane a bit and you’d look like a really cool stallion.
“While I appreciate what you mean,” Fleet’s single eye twitched as they walked along. “I’m still a mare, in spite of what this spell has done to me.”
“Okay.” The colt in a stallion’s body nodded along when he noticed they weren’t headed for the manor. “Say, where are we headed?”
“We’re getting everypony else so we can change you all back at once,” Windy replied, flying up in front of Crispy’s face.
“Right. Right.” Crispy nodded along some more. “So, how was school today?”
“Eh, not too bad.” Windy shrugged before flying over to her mother’s side. “Some of the girls looked at me kinda funny and I made a bit of a mess in the colts’ room, but it wasn’t too bad.”
“You made a mess, dear?” Fleet asked as she looked to her side, seeing her daughter trying to keep pace in the air beside her.
“Well, it’s not like I know how to aim this stupid thing!” Windy half glared as she pointed towards her hind legs. Crispy struggled to keep from snickering while Fleet could only sigh.
***
In a little under an hour, the trio had managed to gather up the Apple twins, Melony, Shutterbug, and High Stakes before their group started for the manor.
“Yearling, we’ve got the foals,” Fleet called out as she pushed open the door. In the kitchen, she spotted Daring in her usual disguise, though it looked somewhat comical on her current form.
“Alright. I needed a break from looking for a counter spell,” she said as she placed a bookmark in the ancient tome and opened it to another bookmark she had placed. “Ready to go back to your right ages, kids?”
“Eh, kinda.” High Stakes shrugged her shoulders as they approached the table. “I just kinda wish I knew what booze tastes like.”
“It’s gross and it makes your throat burn,” Windy casually replied as she hopped into a chair at the table. “Ready?”
The transformed foals all nodded one by one, though Melony’s leg’s fidgeted as Daring lifted up the wand.
“Right, here goes nothing.” Daring cleared her throat before holding the wand aloft, her eyes locked onto the book’s aged words. “Uthos Penthros Aetate Inverto Brickenblaxen!”
The star resting at the tip of the wand started to shine vibrantly before the light expanded and engulfed the room. Once the light had died down, where once stood a group of adults were now foals back to their true ages.
“You did it!” Windy jumped for joy before tackle-hugging Crispy and Melony. “You got them back to normal!”
“Glad to be of service, kiddo.” Daring smiled as she set the wand down.
“Wind Whistler,” Fleet spoke up, making the transformed filly separate herself from her band of friends. “You should stay here while I drop the foals off at their homes.”
“Okay, Mom.” Windy tossed out a salute before the foals started to file behind the cycloptic equine.
“Alright kids. I’m sure your families will be happy to see you all back to normal.” Fleet headed towards the door, just as Barrier reentered with a collection of books in his bags.
“Hey Fleet,” Barrier said casually as the foals passed him by, though Melony slowed down while Shutterbug snapped a picture of the charcoal pony. “How goes it?”
“It goes well,” Fleet replied as she walked past him. “I’m just gonna drop these foals off and head right back.”
“Alright. While you’re doing that, I’ll see if Swift would like to come with me to pick up dinner.” Barrier started walking up the stairs. “I assume she’s in her room?”
“Yep,” Daring said as she cracked open the spellbook once more.
“Alright.” Barrier nodded before heading further up. “I think I’ll try something from this Bitalian place I saw while walking about.”
A moment after Barrier climbed the stairs, a pair of screams came from Swiftsword’s room.
“Uncle, are you okay?!” Windy asked with a shout as she and Daring raced to the foot of the stairs.
“I’m fine, kiddo,” Barrier replied with a bit of exasperation and annoyance in his tone. “I just ran in on Swift polishing her sword.”
“Uncle, I know you mean she was masturbating!” Windy called back. “I had older brothers!”
***
Outside of a movie theatre that was coated in golden glitter known as the Shimmering Spotlight, Snow Sweeper was fidgeting as he stood beside a collection of posters.
“C’mon, Forge,” the grey coated pegasus muttered to himself as he glanced at the clock in the ticket taker’s booth. “You’re cutting it really close.”
“Snow!” A feminine shout made the pegasus’ ears stand on end. Quickly turning to face the source, he spotted a unicorn mare with a familiar set of colors rushing towards him.
“Sorry I’m late!” the cobalt unicorn said before skidding to a halt next to him. “I would have been here sooner, but I lost track of time at work and then there was a molasses spill on Squirmy Street so I needed to go around it and… well, I’m here.”
“I… I just…” Snow was dumbstruck as he looked the unicorn over. “Forge, did another thing with that wand happen?”
“Yes, the bloody thing caused even more problems,” Forge grumbled. “Just as soon as I got back to being an adult, Hatty triggers the damned thing and now I’m the wrong sex.”
“Well,” Snow rubbed his neck, not entirely sure what to say to his transformed boyfriend. “Other than the stuff with the molasses and such, how’s your day been?”
“Eh, mixed bag, to be honest,” Forge said with a shrug. “I got to work on some rather fine armor, though it was purely decorative. I also had a little accident because I’m not used to this stupid form and I pray that I never am.”
“Man, sounds like you really hate this,” Snow said as he walked up to the ticket booth. “Two for The Ghost of Paradise Estate.”
Iron Forge let out a sigh as he leaned against the pegasus. “It’s just… it feels really wrong for me to be like this. Like my body feels wrong. I’m a stallion so having these bits just feels like… I don’t know how to put it! I just want to have who I am on the outside match who I am on the inside.”
“I know the feeling, sir,” the red unicorn mare in the ticket booth said reassuringly before sliding their tickets through the window’s opening. “If you want, I know some clinics that can help with this. They worked wonders for me.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Forge replied as his horn picked up the tickets. “Still, I think I’ll just stick with what I’m doing.”
“Okay. To each their own,” the mare replied. “Hope it goes well and enjoy the show.” She offered the pair a polite wave as they made their way inside.
“Anything you’d like for snacks, Forge?” Snow asked as he gestured towards the well stocked snack bar with a wing. They seemed to have over three dozen varieties of soda, the widest collection of candy Forge had ever laid eyes on, and a pile of popcorn in a machine that was taller than he was.
“None for me, thanks,” Forge replied, looking towards their theatre. “Still, will I be able to stay with you tonight? After all that’s happened, I could use a little comfort from my stallion.”
“Oh, sure thing, Forge.” Snow gave a little nod. “No problem there. Just gimme a sec to get some popcorn and a Mr. Nut-Nut bar.”
A moment later, the two took their seats while some of the previews started to play.
“Snow?” Forge nervously whispered.
“What’s up, Forge?”
“It’s just… are you comfortable with me as a mare?” he nervously swallowed. “I ask since I want to know if this is awkward for you.”
“Forge,” Snow let out a sigh before taking Forge’s hoof in his own. “I’ll admit this is weird for me, but what matters to me is that you’re the stallion I care for, no matter what.”
“Snow…” Forge blinked as he felt his eyes dampen a bit. “Thank you.”
“No problem, Forge.” Snow smiled before giving him a tender kiss on the lips. “We’ll get through this. You mean so much to me.”
“Thank you, Snow.” Forge smiled as he leaned against the pegasus’ side.
***
“Hmm…” Verdant contently hummed as he stretched out on Erica’s bed, the griffin hen laying down on his right. “Thanks for dinner tonight, Erica. I never knew spinach crust and alfredo sauce would work so well in a pizza.”
“Neither did I, but we both liked the results, and that’s what matters.” Erica stretched a wing out, draping it over Verdant’s body like a blanket before nuzzling his cheek.
“Say, Erica?” Verdant’s words made her pull away. “What do you think of me… y’know, like this?”
“Oh, well...” Erica scratched the back of her neck and looked off to the corner of her room, only to catch Verdant and her reflections in the mirror atop her dresser.
“You can tell me, Erica.” Verdant gently stroked her wing, making the slightest red tinge appear on her face as she looked down at him.
“Well, I do think you look really cute and fairly attractive.” Erica gulped, but scooted a bit closer. “I mean, I do find mares and stallions attractive, but you like this is a different kind of attractive than your regular body… and I’ll admit, I do kinda like your flank a bit more like this.”
“Would you…” Verdant’s eyes nervously darted back and forth. “Would you like me to stay like this?”
“Not at all, Verdant,” Erica emphatically said as she took his hoof in her talons. “I want you for who you are on the inside.”
“Thanks.” The shamrock pony gave the tip of Erica’s beak a kiss followed by a smile. “I’m really looking forward to going back to being a stallion P.D.Q. It’s just who I am.”
Erica let out a hum of contemplation as she rose up and climbed atop the pony. “Say Verdant, wanna try things out while you’re like this?”
“I’m not sure what you…” Verdant realized what she meant when he saw the lusty look in her eyes. “Oh! Hmm… y’know, that does sound like something worth trying.”
“Excellent.” A grin crossed Erica’s features as she adjusted herself on the bed. “You may have been eaten by ponies in the past, but now you’re about to be eaten by a griffin.”
A grin that matched the griffin’s came to Verdant’s face, knowing what would come next would be glorious.
***
Winter Gem sighed as she laid down in the bed that she shared with Hatty.
“Gem?” the purple pegasus asked as he crawled into the bed behind her. “I’m sorry for causing all this.”
“I know, Hatty,” Gem sighed before turning to face him. “I think this might be the eighteenth time you’ve said this today.”
“Well I mean it every time,” Hatty apologetically said as he drew closer. “I didn’t think that just trying to talk while yawning like that could cause all this crap to happen.”
Gem remained silent, responding only by stroking his purple mane.
“I know this is weird as all Tartarus for both of us.” Hatty nuzzled the underside of Gem’s chin. “If I could undo this at the cost of my wings, I’d do it.”
“No need for that, Hatty,” Gem replied before placing a kiss on Hatty’s forehead. “I’m sure Daring will find a way to cure us all fairly soon.”
“I know, but I’d still do it for us,” Hatty said softly before placing a kiss on Gem’s chin. “Well, in the meantime, wanna try something?”
Gem pulled back slightly as her eyebrow rose. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” Hatty laid on his side and ran a hoof along his transformed hips. “I mean, while we have bodies like this, why don’t we try a reversal of what we normally do?”
Gem chuckled before drawing closer. She gave Hatty a kiss on the lips and the two pulled each other into a hug. The pony pair rolled about for a minute before they settled with Winter Gem on top of Hat Trick.
What would come next was… less than glorious.
Little over a minute later, Winter Gem’s snowy coat was now apple red while Hatty was somewhat sore and unsatisfied.
“I’m really sorry, Hatty,” Gem said as she covered her face with hooves. “I didn’t think I’d be a sixty second stallion.”
“It happens,” Hatty said as he crawled out of bed. “I recall saying something similar a couple times before. Now, c’mon. Let’s shower off.”
“Okay.” Gem rose out of the bed, following Hatty towards the bathroom. Before he could climb into the shower, Hatty gave her a kiss on the lips.
“Think you have enough energy in you for a second round?” Hatty gave her a wink before entering the shower.
Gem smirked as she followed him inside and shut the door behind them.
Barrier yawned tiredly as he stumbled into the kitchen. He bumped into a chair before pulling it out and taking a seat at the table.
“Morning, Barrier.” The charcoal unicorn was somewhat surprised by the voice that came from the stove. Rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes, he saw that the one preparing breakfast was Fleetfeather.
“Morning, Fleet,” Barrier stretched his neck to try and shake some stiffness out of it. “I’m a bit surprised to see you cooking breakfast.”
“Well, since Verdant isn’t here and I didn’t want take out or pancakes, I decided to cook up some omelets stuffed with some diced peppers and bacon bits,” Fleet replied as a set of steps approached the table. Daring Do pulled up with Wind Whistler by her side.
“Fair enough,” Barrier turned his attention to the golden pegasus. “How’s progress with the spell book?”
“Well, I’d say I’m about halfway through the book, so I’m bound to run across it eventually.” Daring covered her mouth to drown out a yawn. “I’m taking notes on every single one of the spells I try out so other researchers won’t have to go through the trial and error process all over again.”
“You’d think whoever made this spell book would have just written this in plain Equish.” Trixie said from the living room before making her way into the kitchen.
“It’s not that simple.” Daring shot the cerulean mare a glare as she took a seat at the table. “Magic Star was an earth pony who somehow managed to craft a magical wand in the days before the pony tribes were all unified.”
“An earth pony who was a sorceress?” Trixie raised an eyebrow to the bespectacled pegasus. “That sounds like the tripe you’d see in those foalish Daring Do books.”
Barrier had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at the glare Trixie was getting. He was fairly certain that if Daring glared any harder, Trixie’s head would have caught fire.
“At any rate,” Daring said through tightly clenched teeth. “What she wrote this in is a written language from before the tribes unified and shared their literature and writing systems. It’s literally older than Old Equish. To make things worse, the descriptions for the spells are pretty badly faded as well. I don’t really even know for sure what each spell does until I try it out.”
“I’m honestly just surprised the book is as intact as it is,” Barrier spoke up as Fleet started to put some plates full of food around the table. Her timing seemed to be perfect as Hatty and Gem came in from upstairs while Swiftsword arrived from the back yard. Barrier levitated a filled pot of coffee over and filled everypony’s cups as they sat down and tucked in.
“Hey Gem,” Windy said between bites of her omelet. “Could you do me a favor tonight?”
“Sure. What would you like me to do?” Gem asked as she took a seat beside Hatty and Barrier, the latter slowly starting to sip his morning brew.
“Could you please pipe down when you and Hatty screw?” The filly’s statement caused Barrier to chuckle while Trixie spat her coffee across the table. “I don’t wanna know what you did before to be quiet, but you woke me up last night, Miss Sixty-Second Stallion!”
Winter Gem’s entire body turned crimson as she slowly dipped under the table in embarrassment.
“Wind Whistler,” Swiftsword said as she tried to mask a hint of disgust in her tone. “Please don’t discuss such things while we’re trying to eat.”
“But Swift, you saw how funny the looks on Trixie and Gem’s faces were,” Windy pleaded, drawing a chuckle from Fleetfeather.
“While it was funny, Swift is right that you shouldn’t discuss such things while ponies are trying to have breakfast.” Fleet patted her daughter gently on the head as the sound of the front door opening and singing reached their ears, drawing everypony’s attention.
“—and I’ll get there, I swear! With the wind in my hair!” Verdant elegantly sang as he approached the breakfast table. “Morning, everypony.”
“You do know that your singing might bother the neighbors, right?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as Verdant took a seat. “Especially at this early hour?”
“And yet, despite all the morning sparring sessions and other such things, we have not heard a single peep from any neighbors.” Verdant grinned as he leaned against the table. “I’m willing to bet that if we actually have neighbors, they either have some sort of sound proofing or they don’t care.”
Barrier merely rolled his eyes at Verdant’s remark. It was then the charcoal pony noticed something amiss with Verdant’s appearance. “Is there something different about your muzzle?”
“Oh yeah.” Verdant brought a hoof to his muzzle, giving the underside a quick tap. “I wasn’t fond of the sort of gradient transition between the green and the white my muzzle had, so I had Color Splash change it to a more solid break in the colors.”
“I’d say it looks quite nice on you, my friend,” Swift said before taking another bite of her omelet.
“Thanks, Swift.” The emerald green pony smiled. “By the way, Erica and I were thinking of hosting a karaoke session later tonight at this place in something called The Midnight Mall. Any of you’d like to join in?”
While most of Verdant’s housemates said that they would gladly join, Barrier and Daring politely declined.
“Sorry, I’m still trying to get through the pages of the book to get us back to normal,” Daring answered as she and Barrier rose from the table.
“And I’m not really much of a singer.” Barrier stood up from the table. “At any rate, I’m gonna go for a nice long walk. Do we need anything while I’m out?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Fleet said before rising from her seat and opening the fridge. After a moment of contemplation, she shut it. “Nope.”
“Alright,” Barrier said as he placed his saddlebags on his back with a flare of his horn. “Be sure to invite Forge when one of you sees him. Take care.”
***
A few hours later, Barrier’s walk was drawing to a close. He had decided to rent a couple of movies to have playing in the background for when he’d read his books.
When he opened the manor door, a feminine voice reached Barrier’s ears.
“Hey Barrier, perfect timing!” Daring said as she charged towards him. She was smiling from ear to ear. The onyx unicorn could tell it was because her body had been restored to her normal feminine form. “I found the counterspell less than five minutes ago! You ready to get changed back?”
“For the love of Faust, yes!” Barrier said as he drew closer. “I’d like to get back to my old self A.S.A.P.”
“You’ve got it.” Daring winked before pointing the wand towards him. “Uthos Corporis Invertendo Brickenblaxen!”
The star of the wand began glowing a bright white. The light grew brighter and brighter until it consumed the entire room.
Soon the light faded and Barrier’s eyes started adjusting to the daylight once more.
“Testing, testing,” Barrier said before letting out a sigh of relief. His normal voice had been restored. Looking down between his legs, he saw another integral part of his body was also fully restored. “Oh, thank Zacherle.”
“Right, now that this has been taken care of, what’s next on today’s agenda?” Daring asked as Barrier’s horn started to glow.
“First off,” Barrier vanished from in front of Daring and found himself in the living room, where he found Trixie stretched out on the couch while eating some chips. He smirked as his horn lit up and picked the mare from her spot.
“Wait, what’s going on?!” Trixie exclaimed as she flailed her forelegs futilely in the air.
“We’re going to the bank right now to pay you off so your stay is over.” Barrier set her down on her hooves before placing her hat and cape on her back.
“Fine,” she grumbled as she adjusted her hat. “Just let Trixie have a few minutes to gather her things.”
“We leave in five minutes,” Barrier responded with a nod as Daring entered the room. “While I’m taking care of her, could you try to find the others and turn them back?”
“Sure thing,” Daring replied as she slid the wand into her saddlebags. “Once everypony’s back to normal, I’ll send this right off to Canterlot to be taken care of.”
“Alright,” Barrier gave her a smile as she started for the door. “You ready yet, Trixie?”
***
Less than an hour later, Barrier let out a sigh of relief as he strolled out of the bank and tossed a bag of bits towards the cerulean mare. “Here you go, you insufferable mare.”
Trixie managed to catch the bag of bits in her magic. She quickly opened up the small sack and counted the coins. “Very well. Your debt to The Great and Powerful Trixie has been repaid.”
I’d argue with interest, considering how much food you managed to put away. Where you keep all that mass, I have no idea. Barrier rolled his eyes as Trixie slipped the bag into her cape.
“With this, the Great and Powerful Trixie bids you adieu!” Trixie tossed down a smoke bomb that filled his vision. Once the smoke cleared, he spotted Trixie running down the street. She managed to get nearly five yards before she tripped and fell on her face.
“Fuck!” she yelled before taking off once more.
Barrier let out a small chuckle and started to walk away when a small unicorn filly came from around a corner with a sandwich in her magical aura. When she spotted the stallion, she quickly charged towards him with a smile on her face.
“Hi, Mr. Barrier!” The familiar filly that was High Stakes skidded to a halt in front of him. “It’s nice to see you’re back to normal.”
“And it’s a bit surprising to see you out of school when it’s about a quarter to one.” Barrier noted after a quick glance to a nearby clock.
“My Mom-Two’s visiting, so she took me out to lunch.” Stakes then took another bite of her sandwich.
“Mom-Two?” Barrier was utterly perplexed by what she said. “What’s a—”
“High Stakes, where’d you go?” A familiar voice reached Barrier’s ears. A moment later, he was rather surprised by the sight that came from around the corner.
It was Starshine, but she wasn’t carrying her mane in her usual ponytail. Instead she had let her hair loosely flow down along her right shoulder. In her magic was a sub sandwich and a small juice box.
“Over here, Mom-Two!” Stakes excitedly waved the unicorn mare over. “I was talking to my best friend’s uncle!”
When Starshine spotted Barrier beside the filly, she seemed to tense a little before trotting over. “High Stakes, I told you not to run off like this before.” She sternly said to the smaller unicorn. “You’re lucky that Barrier’s a decent pony.”
Decent pony? Barrier was taken aback by her backhoofed compliment which was oddly the nicest thing she ever said about him.
“Sorry, Mom-Two.” Stakes scuffed the ground with her hoof as she found herself unable to face the golden grown-up. “I just heard Mr. Barrier talking and I wanted you to meet my friend’s uncle.”
“Yes, well, we’ve already met.” Starshine let out a sigh as she floated the drink over to Stakes. “Here’s your strawberry juice, dear. Would you mind giving Barrier and I a moment to talk to each other?”
“Okay!” Stakes cheerfully said before she started to drink down the juice.
Starshine led Barrier a little bit away, but still made sure that High Stakes was still in her line of sight.
“Look, Barrier,” Starshine said with a sigh before looking him pleadingly in the eye. “Could we please not have our usual arguments in front of my daughter? I only get to see her on my days off and I don’t want to have her see me argue with somepony, especially a relative of her friend.”
“I… see…” Barrier was rather surprised by what Starshine said. He’d never seen her act in a way towards him that he wouldn’t describe as antagonistic. “Of course. I’ve no doubt we’ll be able to get along for her sake.”
“Thank you,” Starshine gave him a small smile before trotting back towards Stakes. “Come along, Stakes. We’ve got to get you back to school.”
“Okay, Mom-Two!” Stakes replied before tossing the now empty box into a nearby recycling bin. “Say, can Mr. Barrier join us? I’ll bet he’ll wanna see if Windy’s back to normal.”
“I’d say that sounds alright.” Starshine looked back over her shoulder to the charcoal stallion. Barrier made a slight nod and fell in line beside Starshine. Soon the trio of unicorns were walking away while Stakes continued to munch on her sandwich.
“So,” Barrier decided to disrupt the silence that was previously only interrupted by a suppressed belch from the little filly. “Why does she call you Mom-Two?”
“Because my other Mom got really mad that I used to call her, ‘Cool Mom’,” Stakes merrily replied as she hugged Starshine’s leg. “So I call them Mom-One and Mom-Two now.”
“Yes, well, I’m an ovum donor,” Starshine said before patting the filly on her head with a smile. “I started doing it after high school to make some extra money for college and other expenses. Game O’Chance and Lucky Streak asked if I’d like to be in contact with them after High Stakes was born and I’ve been seeing her ever since.”
“Hey, High Stakes!” A voice called out from a bit away. Looking to the source, the three spotted Wind Whistler, now restored to her normal self and standing on the school’s fence. “My uncle’s girlfriend swung by and broke the spell! Now I can pee normally again!”
“Great to hear, Windy!” Stakes started to pull hard on Starshine’s leg as the school drew closer. “C’mon, Mom-Two! I want you to meet my best friend before recess is over!”
“No problem, dear.” The golden mare picked up her pace a bit while Barrier teleported over to Wind Whistler’s side.
“Hey, Kiddo. Glad to see this is taken care of.” Barrier gave the pegasus filly a quick hug. “Think we should get something special for dinner to celebrate this?”
“Oh! Yes!” Windy bounced from her spot on the brick fence. “How about that Mexicolt pizza thing they’ve got at the Four D’s?”
“Sure thing, Windy. Just hope you can handle that spice.” Barrier chuckled and lightly ruffled her mane. “See you after school, kiddo.”
“Bye, Uncle!” Wind Whistler waved to him before he started to pull away, just as Starshine and High Stakes arrived at the school.
***
A few hours later, after reading some of his recently borrowed books, Barrier decided to head out once more. Wind Whistler’s choice of dinner would be a nice change of pace and a good way for the household to celebrate things starting to get back on track.
The walk through Vanhoover was rather pleasant, despite the temperature starting to drop as the leaves started to change color.
Barrier took a deep breath to savor the crisp, autumn air that mixed with the smell of sea water. It was rather pleasant and allowed the dark unicorn to feel more at ease than he’d been in a while.
However, the relaxed stallion was snapped from his state when he spotted something soaring through the sky that made his blood turn to ice. Leaping off the roof of a building was an all-too-familiar large griffin hen with a midnight black coat and wings. There was no mistaking the image of the griffin that had nearly devoured him for anything else.
“Grimhilde…” Barrier hissed to himself as she flew into an alleyway. Stealing himself, he lit his horn and teleported to the alley’s entryway. To his shock, there were only two things in the alleyway. One was a scraggly looking stallion that was cradling a nearly empty bottle of whiskey while he slept, and a dumpster with its lid down.
Carefully stepping past the slumbering earth pony with his horn remaining ever ready, Barrier came to a halt in front of the metal receptacle. With only one moment to take a breath, Barrier’s aura engulfed the dumpster. Straining heavily, the dumpster rose into the air and tilted. He quickly lifted the lid off to see inside.
To Barrier’s shock, the dumpster was empty, save for a few scraps of wet paper that were sitting at the bottom.
“What the… how?” Barrier wondered before tilting the dumpster back and letting his aura dissipate. The heavy metal container landed with a hard thunk that roused the sleeping pony.
“Eh, what the hay’s going on?!” he said as he cradled the whiskey bottle close to his chest.
“Have you…” Barrier huffed. Lifting the dumpster took more out of him than he’d expected. “Seen a black griffin recently?”
“Black griffin?” the earth pony echoed as he scratched his ear. “Ain’t seen a black griffin since the last time I saved up enough to pay the porno theater a visit.”
“Alright,” Barrier said as he started to exit the alley. Looking up, he couldn’t see any ladders, landings or anything in the alley that could have landed on that would have allowed Grimhilde to hide. There’s no way she could have flown back up. I got here too quickly and the angle she entered the alley from was too low.
When Barrier emerged from the alley and started on his way back towards the Four D’s, a thought occurred to him.
This is the fourth time I’ve thought I’d seen Grimhilde… He began to think to himself, eyes scanning his surroundings with a newfound alertness. They’ve nearly all been in a city Starshine was also in. A frown crossed his muzzle. She was in Ponyville when I spotted her on Nightmare Night. She’s in town the day I spot Grimhilde again. And when I spotted Grimhilde after the Discord incident, she was most likely on guard duty in Canterlot. The only exception was that rainy night… but what if...
Barrier let out of a harsh sigh as he continued to walk through the city streets.
“Calm down, Barrier. You’re starting to sound paranoid,” he said to himself with a sense of exasperation as he continued onward.
Still, it is something to note. I won’t be caught off guard again.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Barrier asked as the sun began its slow descent beneath the horizon. Swiftsword and Barrier stood in the manor’s front yard. Glimmering blue barriers covered the house, fence and some nearby foliage.
“Yes, I am.” A look of stern determination adorned Swift’s visage. She looked prepared to face down anything.
“Then begin,” Barrier replied. With that, the blue mare took a breath and her horn began to brightly shimmer. “Slow and steady. Remember what you’ve learned.”
The pale blue aura around Swift’s horn grew brighter.
“You’ve readied the spell properly. Whenever you're ready Swift.”
Tensing her body, the mare took another deep breath.
The instant she exhaled, a bright flash came from her horn. When the light dimmed, Swift had vanished, only to reappear a few meters away next to Verdant’s vegetable patch.
“Congratulations, Swiftsword.” Barrier offered her a soft smile as he lowered his shields and her knees wobbled. “You’ve successfully pulled off your first teleportation, and at a younger age than I.”
“BLAURHG!” Barrier looked away on instinct as she fell to her knees and retched.
“Don’t feel too bad about that,” Barrier said as he approached Swift as she rose back on her hooves and wiped the vomit from her lips. “I’ve yet to see a unicorn that didn’t throw up the first time they teleported. It gets easier after you’ve done it more.”
“Um, did I come at a bad time?” A mare’s voice came from the front gate, making Swift’s ears stand at attention. Behind the gate stood a familiar minty green mare with a spiky, four-colored mane.
“Spearmint! How wonderful to see you again!” Swiftsword tried her best to sound jovial as she approached the front gate. “I was just going through some practice and executed my first teleport.”
“Wow, congrats,” Spearmint replied as Swift’s magic opened the gates.
“Nice to see you again, Lieutenant Spearmint,” Barrier said as he and Swift approached her. “What brings you all the way out here?”
“Well, since Hearth’s Warming is coming next month and I’ve accumulated a bunch of vacation time over the years, I decided to stay at my sister’s in Tall Tale.” The minty mare drew closer. “Since winter hasn’t started yet and Vanhoover’s a fairly quick train ride away, I decided to swing by and see if Swiftsword would be willing to help me practice.”
“Normally, I would love to,” Swift spoke up, rubbing a hoof against her upset and empty belly. “Unfortunately, I’m not feeling up to having any more sparring tonight.”
“Not a problem. I can totally get why.” Spearmint offered the sky blue unicorn a smile.
“Still, I’d be more than willing to show you around Vanhoover, if you’d like.” Swift said before remembering something. “Well, once I’ve hosed off Verdant’s vegetables.”
“Sure, I’d love that.” Spearmint gave Swift a warm smile. “I’ve always wanted to check out a seaside city, so this sounds great.”
“Well, I’ll leave you two to have your fun,” Barrier said as he started to march back to the house. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”
Before Spearmint could give him an answer, Swift interjected. “Oh, let’s not force Verdant to cook up an extra serving. Especially after I vomited on his vegetables.” She then turned her attention to the minty mare. “Please, allow me to show you to a local restaurant once I’ve finished with my cleaning.”
“Okay, sure. Thank you,” Spearmint nodded as Swiftsword quickly ran off to grab a hose by the side of the house.
***
Twilight had blanketed Vanhoover as the two mares approached a familiar restaurant with a neon sign adorning the entrance.
“And now to finish our quick tour of Vanhoover highlights, a rather excellent restaurant, Delicious Dining Delights & Deli.” Swiftsword was nearly beaming with pride as they drew closer to the restaurant.
“Hmm… it’s got a nice, sorta homey look to it.” Spearmint gazed over the building’s white panel walls and green tiled roof.
“It’s understandable.” Swift’s horn glowed as she pushed the door open. “It’s a family owned restaurant that has their house in the back.”
“Hmm… Looks pretty nice,” Spearmint said as her eyes swept over the restaurant. In front of the door was a counter where a plump pegasus mare was standing ready with a smile. To the right, the rest of the restaurant opened up to a dining area, where many tables were scattered about with a plethora of ponies and griffins all happily enjoying their meals.
“Welcome to Delicious Dining Delights & Deli,” Drumstick greeted cheerfully as Spearmint approached. “How can I help you this evening?”
“We would like a table for two,” Swiftsword spoke up as she came to Spearmint’s side. “I wish to show my fellow soldier what delights you can create, Mrs. Drumstick.”
“Not a problem, Swift.” The pegasus offered a chuckle to the pair. “Take a seat at table eighteen and we’ll have some menus ready for you shortly.”
“Excellent.” Swift nodded before trotting into the dining area with Spearmint following behind. Upon arriving at the table, Swiftsword held out a chair for the minty mare before taking her own seat.
“Gotta say, you’re pretty familiar with this restaurant, Swift.” Spearmint began to look about the room, looking over the tasteful white wallpaper adorning the walls and taking in the variety of unfamiliar aromas.
“Well, I should be familiar with this place. I am a waitress here.” Swift’s words took Spearmint somewhat aback.
“That’s… a bit of a surprise,” Spearmint said as she leaned closer to Swift. “I figured that when you said you’d found a career in Vanhoover, you became something like a fencing instructor or something a bit more… regal. Waitress seems sort of an odd job for a countess to have.”
“Perhaps, but there are two important things to remember, my friend.” Swift smiled as she spoke. “Firstly, I am a viscountess, which is a lower rank than that of countess. Secondly, I am still somewhat adjusting to modern ways. I believed it would be best to have a career that could help me understand how things have changed over the centuries. I believe a restaurant where griffins and ponies regularly intermingle would be a good place for such.”
“Hmm… Interesting logic.” Spearmint brought a hoof to her chin just as a certain pink unicorn arrived at their table.
“Hi there and welcome to Delicious Dining Delights & Deli,” Fruity Punch recited with a practiced ease as she held a pen and notepad in her violet aura. “Might I get you two something to drink?”
“I believe I’ll have a sparkling orange juice, Punch,” Swift replied as a pair of menus were placed on the table.
“Hmm… Do you serve virgin strawberry daiquiris?” Spearmint asked as she picked up a menu and cracked it open.
“We do indeed,” Punch said as she finally realized who she was speaking to as her eyes seemed to bug out from her skull. She then quickly stepped over to Swift’s side.
“Hey Swift,” she said as she held a hoof up between her mouth and the blue mare’s ear. “Is this that Spearmint mare you said you fancied?”
“I am,” Spearmint bluntly answered, making Punch’s eyes become the size of pinpricks and her pink coat to turn pale. “When trying to have a covert conversation, remember to lower the volume of your voice.”
“Ah-heh-heh-heh… Um…” Punch rubbed the back of her neck as her coat suddenly shifted from a pale pink to a bright red. “I’ll… I’ll go get you your drinks and take your orders in a few minutes.” With that, the pink mare dashed away towards the kitchen, nearly knocking over another waiter on the way.
“So…” Spearmint clicked her tongue as she turned her attention to the now scarlet mare sitting across from her. “You… fancy me?”
Punch, I will reap a great and terrible vengeance upon thee. Swift thought to herself as she took a steadying breath and her coat returned to its normal shade of blue. “Indeed. I do find you a rather attractive mare and I am rather interested in you personally.”
“Well, that is a pleasant surprise.” A small chuckle came from the green mare as she looked away from the unicorn. “I admit that I think you’re an interesting mare and I also find you pretty attractive. I’m just a bit surprised you’re interested, being a few years younger than me.”
“I believe you’ve said you’re only twenty-two. I would say that much of an age difference doesn’t matter to me,” Swift replied. “After all, my former fiancées were both older than you.”
“Wait, you had fiancées? As in plural?” Spearmint was rather stunned by Swift’s words.
“Indeed. I was arranged to marry a noble stallion by the name of Radiant Spell. As he already had a wife named Ocean Sunset and a child named Radiant Sparkle, we were to become a herd family, which would have made Radiant Spell my husband and Ocean Sunset my wife,” Swift said casually before she spotted Punch leave the kitchen with several trays in her magic.
“Radiant Spell was a year older than you when I last saw him, as was Ocean.” Spearmint nodded along as she listened to Swift’s story.
“Huh… wouldn’t that be a bit… I dunno, iffy with your ages?” Spearmint asked as she nervously rubbed her neck.
“I fail to see how,” Swift replied. “Ponies married younger back then, though I was eighteen when I was introduced to him, which by today’s standards is considered an adult. It was months before I became physically intimate with either of them and I was the one in charge when I did so.”
“Okay. Just wanted to make sure you were alright,” Spearmint said as Punch arrived and set their drinks down. “Ever since that stuff in the empire, I’ve been doing some reading up on olden times stuff and I’ve seen a fair bit of creepy stories of young ponies being forced to marry older ponies and having children by them.”
“I understand and I do admit, there were some instances of such things that, as you would say, ‘creeped me out’ back then.” Swift gently pushed the menu Punch offered to her back. “I’ll have the fettuccine alfredo with grilled chicken.”
“Alrighty.” Spearmint cracked open her menu and quickly looked over the meals offered. “I think I’ll try the… spicy vegetable panini with a side of cheesy garlic bread.”
“Great choices,” Punch said with cheer as she jotted down their orders. “I’ll get these out to you as quickly as possible.”
Once the pink mare had departed, Spearmint decided to be the one to break the silence.
“So, are you saying you’d like to date me, Swift?” A faint scarlet appeared on her minty face.
“Indeed, I do.” Swift gave an affirmative nod. “While you’re not a noble, I do admit that I like your personality, drive, strength, combative skill and consider you a rather lovely mare.”
“Thanks.” Spearmint smiled as the red on her face started to slowly spread. “Hmm… Y’know, I think I’d be willing to give this sort of thing a shot. But just so you know, I don’t really have much dating experience.”
“If it helps, I am rather unfamiliar with modern courtship as well,” Swift replied. “Still, I do believe this is a relationship that would be well worth exploring.”
“So…” Spearmint lightly tapped the table with her hooves. “When we do the training, what do you have in mind?”
“Well, I believe the best way to start would be to spar and allow me to better assess all your skills,” Swift replied. “I could also purchase some sparring weapons and other things to aid with this training.”
“Okay. When do you think would be a good time to start?” the shamrock mare asked, looking over her shoulder to see if she could spot Punch and their food.
“If you stay overnight, we can begin at dawn by running around the city before I have to work my shift.” Swift’s answer drew Spearmint’s attention back to her. “After that, we can have more direct combat practice if this sounds alright.”
“Okay, I should be able to get a hotel tonight, plus my sister’s not expecting me for another week.” Spearmint brought a hoof to her chin.
“There’s no need to stay at a hotel. I can easily loan you my room so we can more easily begin our training at dawn.” Swift offered. “However, if you do wish to stay at a hotel, I will gladly pay for it.”
“Hmm… thanks for the offer, Swift.” Spearmint gave the sky colored mare a smile. “I think I’ll stay at your place. It might be nice to know your friends and I’m sure you’ll be nice while training me.”
“Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, my dear Spearmint.” Swiftsword chuckled and leaned closer to the mare across from her. “By agreeing to this, you have volunteered to be put through Tartarus, and by the gods...” Swift’s expression shifted, a slight grin settling on her muzzle. “I intend to deliver.”
“Um…” The green in Spearmint’s coat turned a paler shade of green as Punch seemed to appear from nowhere and place their plates in front of them.
“Bon Appetit, you two,” Punch said with great cheer before walking away. “Dolly worked extra hard making the sauce tonight.”
“Thank you, Punch,” Swift pleasantly said before using her magic to grab a knife and fork. “Now, let us dine.”
“O...kay…” Spearmint bit her bottom lip as she grabbed her panini. Please Faust, let me regret eating all this cheese more than accepting her offer.
Dusk had barely begun to cross the black sky of Canterlot as dawn prepared to spread its light over the sleepy city.
Even at this early hour, there were some ponies that were up and at attention. They were the cadets of Squad 982 and they stood at attention for their captain, who had a look of supreme annoyance upon his face.
“Cadets, there shall soon be a new challenge for thee to face,” Barrier barked at the five teens, who seemed ready to take on whatever could be thrown their way. “Apparently, Princess Luna has thought it best to pit thee in a competition of five of the most skilled cadet squads in the hopes that a friendly rivalry will encourage thy growth.”
“Sir,” Swift spoke up and stepped forward. “May I ask which squads we shall be facing?”
“You may,” Barrier grumbled, lamenting that it was far too early to begin drinking. “Squad 964, under the command of Captain Longshot. Squad 973, under Captain Hardtack’s command. Squad 999, under the command of Captain Tender Glow. And lastly, Squad 971, under the command of Captain Butter Squash.”
“Sir, won’t things be somewhat unfair for us?” Hatty asked as he held up his hoof. “I am our team’s sole pegasus while the other squads all have two fliers on theirs.”
“I understand thy concerns, I in fact asked the same thing of Princess Luna, but she assured me that scores will be tallied in a way that will make things fair.
“This competition will judge thee on multiple skills, such as armed and unarmed combat, skills with various weapons, magic, flight, stealth, speed, and resourcefulness.” Barrier marched along, seeing the slight tenseness in his cadets. “The ones that score the most overall points will be the winner.”
“Sir, shall there be some sort of prize for the winner of this competition?” Gem asked, almost taking a step forward before moving back into formation.
“Personal satisfaction, a somewhat adjusted training schedule to try to make up for where thou art lacking, and an additional ten bits in thy pay.” The last of Barrier’s words made the cadets' ears all perk up. “I plan on making sure thou art in the best state possible for this competition next week. Now, put on thy weighted armor and saddlebags. We shall begin today’s training with running ten kilometers in full gear.”
***
Eventually, night had fallen and the cadets of Squad 982 were resting in their barracks. Their muscles were sore from their training, along with the fact they had pushed themselves far harder in preparation for the coming competition.
“My friends,” Swift began as she stood by her bed. “Our pride as guards, and to a lesser extent, my pride as a member of the noble Falchion house will depend on this contest. To this end, we shall do everything we can to tip the scales in our favor.
“It is said that a battle is often decided before it starts, and any information on our opponents could be invaluable to our success. Now, dost anypony here have information on our rivals? Particularly Squad 973.”
Both Verdant and Hatty raised their hooves in answer.
“Verdant, if you will.”
The shamrock stallion sat down on his bed before speaking. “Squad 973 consists of the unicorns, Hocus Pocus and Toil ‘N Trouble; the pegasi, Hotstreak and Sandstorm; and the earth ponies, Card Sharp and Night Tulip.”
A cocky chuckle came from the noblemare. “I doubt their unicorns will prove much of a threat. I learned of them before we were assigned together. They art the bastard children of nobles. Hocus Pocus is merely a stage performer whose mother’s a simple low-wage maid who only recently returned to Canterlot. Toil ‘N Trouble, on the other hoof, was tossed off to an orphanage in Hollow Shades, far from professional magical tutors. I have little doubt Forge and I will be able to best them thanks to our superior upbringing and education.”
“It would be highly unwise to underestimate them, Swiftsword,” Hatty said from his spot at Gem’s side. “I have been talking to Hocus Pocus about her tricks and she not only is able to shrink things with her magic and make smoke bombs as well as I can, but she can also teleport.”
“And Toil ‘N Trouble is far more of a threat than you give her credit for,” Verdant said as he rose off his bed. “She’s not only about seven years your senior, but she is the one that’s been teaching me about poisons and herbal remedies. On top of that, she’s apparently been practicing self-levitation.”
“Hmm… Those are good points. They could be serious threats to Forge and I.” Swift brought a hoof to her chin in ponderance. “What of the others who are on that team?”
“Well, Sandstorm was a friend of mine back when I stayed with my parents’ trading post.” Gem stretched before trotting towards Swift. “She’s rather skilled at combative weather and desert camouflage.”
“I believe I would do better in a stealth challenge against her,” Hatty said as he stretched out on his bed. “Hotstreak, however… Well, of all the pegasus cadets I’ve seen, she’s the fastest one here. Not to mention that she’s got a bit more hoof-strength than the average pegasus.”
“That’s probably due to her being a pepper farmer before she joined the guard,” Forge’s ear flicked as he remained standing firmly by his bed. “Now, how about the earth ponies on their squad?”
“Well, Card Sharp is somepony I met on the road to Canterlot,” Hatty said as he sat up on the bed. “She grew up in a different part of Manehattan than me, on the streets. She’s got exceptionally quick hooves and her mind and mouth are even quicker.”
“And her hind end?” Gem asked with a grin on her face, making Hatty blush and the other three roll their eyes.
“No comment. I only knew her for about five days before we arrived in Canterlot,” Hatty replied as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Back to the matter at hoof.” Verdant’s words drew the cadets eyes away from the purple pegasus. “The other earth pony on their team, Night Tulip, is one of the strongest earth ponies in the cadets as a whole. She could probably pick up a unicorn or two and toss them like javelins.”
“Thankfully, that mare’s pretty much all muscle but next to no skill,” Gem replied. “If one of us had to fight her, the best way to take her down would be to move as quickly as possible and try to land some hits on her knees while dodging.”
“Sounds like the basis of a plan,” Forge said before turning his attention to Swift. “What about the other squads?”
A faint chuckle came from the noblemare as she stood tall before addressing her friends. “I rather doubt the others will be of too much consequence. The closest one would be Squad 964, and that’s only because Prismatic Radiance is clearly the most powerful unicorn cadet here. Far better than the bastard riff-raff of 973 or even I.
“However, while she is truly exceptional, she is still only one mare and obviously the one carrying her entire team, despite her lack of physical skills. That is her fatal flaw; should we defeat her, her squad will fall like a house of cards.”
“I really wish thou wouldst stop insulting them because they are bastards, Swift. Especially when it comes to Toil ‘N Trouble,” Verdant said as he rolled off the bed and started for the bathroom. “Despite what you may think, they are far more than you give them credit for and it would be unwise to insult Hocus Pocus in front of Prism since she really cares for her half-sister.”
“On the contrary, I believe I should insult the bastard in Radiance’s presence,” Swift replied as she looked towards the emerald earth pony. “Remember the captain’s words. ‘Anger is a weapon only to one’s opponent’. If she’s blinded with rage, it will make her movements sloppier and make her more likely to expend her power, leaving her vulnerable.”
“If thou truly believe so. Just don’t blame me if she badly injures you.” Verdant looked over his shoulder as he reached the bathroom door. “Forge, would you help me prepare the bath for tonight?”
The cobalt stallion rose from his bed and followed his friend into the bathroom with a silent nod.
Once sure they were out of earshot, the three remaining cadets leaned closer to one another.
“So, who wishes to bet that the reason Verdant’s so defensive about Toil is because he wishes to fornicate with her?” Gem quickly whispered to the two.
“I shall not,” Swift replied before once more chuckling. “Tis rather obvious he does.”
***
The stars were twinkling in the moonlit sky as Barrier made his way through the halls of the palace, hoping to meet up with Ember when the sound of hooves landing on the stone floor behind him made his ears stand at attention.
“Captain Barrier,” the sound of a mare’s raspy voice made Barrier want to groan. “I wish to speak to thee about the coming cadet competition.”
“Go on, Captain Hardtack,” he said as he turned to face the bat pony. Her coat was a shade of blue so pale it could be mistaken for light gray while her leathery wings had a faint purple tinge. In contrast to her coat was her short and messy mane, the hair such a dark shade of purple that it looked black, even in the daylight. Completing the look were her sharp, olive-yellow eyes which twinkled in the moonlight, alongside her fangs. Hidden by both the darkness and her wings was the image of a hardtack cracker on her flank.
“I was simply wondering how thou believe thy cadets will be doing next week,” she said with a clear note of pride in her tone. “Perhaps I am somewhat overconfident, but I believe my squadron will be able to best thee.”
“Mayhaps, but there’s no doubt my cadets will put everything they have into their efforts,” Barrier said before pulling his flask from his saddlebags and taking a quick swig. “No doubt Swiftsword’s pride as a noble will urge her to best your unicorns, refusing to admit defeat to bastards.”
The bat pony brought a wing to cover her muzzle and hold back a chuckle. “Forgive me, but I believe this competition will be good to deflate the egos of some upstart nobles. While I hold no illusions that my cadets could best her in a sword fight, I find it will matter little in a contest where multiple kinds of magic will be tested.”
“And what of thy cadets who are not unicorns?” Barrier’s brow rose as he spoke.
“We shall see, but I truly feel confident in my team. It will be nice to see a noble bested by somepony they look down on as having tainted or degraded blood.” Hardtack flicked her tail as she started to trot past Barrier. “Have a pleasant evening, Captain. And be sure to at least try to be quiet with Sergeant Ember.”
Barrier quietly sighed as Hardtack flared her wings and flew off down the corridor.
“This whole thing is such a pain in the flank.”
***
The week seemed to pass by in a blur as Barrier found himself looking down from the stands that he and the other captains would observe the five squads from. Even now, they could see them facing off in anticipation of proving themselves.
A flash of green came from behind Barrier as Sombra arrived. “Good morning, my friend.”
“And to you, General.” Barrier and the other captains threw out a salute as he came up to the stand’s edge. “I am surprised to see thou art here to witness this competition.”
“At ease, all of you.” Sombra gave a quick salute before taking up a post at the edge of their booth. “As much as the princesses wished to be present, some other business required their attention,” the stallion replied as his eyes swept over the twenty nine cadets that stood at attention. “It will be interesting to watch these bright young individuals show us which is the best batch of griffin slayers.
“The first of these contests will be a race for the unicorns to test not only speed, but also balance and magical skills.” The dark gray unicorn spoke loudly, his words echoing out as he looked down upon the cadets before pointing towards a course that had been set up. “Proceed to the line carved in the ground and we shall begin shortly.”
The unicorns of the groups broke from the lines and made their way towards the starting line. As Swiftsword drew closer, one particular unicorn stepped ahead of her. The mare’s coat was a sickly looking green while her mane and tail were a bright purple with a pale violet streak going down the center. The image on her flank was of a dark metal cauldron with three purple bubbles rising up from it.
She looked at Swiftsword with a smirk as she gazed into Swift’s eyes with her own amber orbs. “Prepare thyself, Swiftsword, for thy ‘noble’ line shall be bested by the bastard daughter of a gardener.” The way she said ‘noble’ made it sound as if the word were a disgusting toxin that needed to be immediately spat out.
“I believe the saying thou wouldst understand is, ‘Do not count thy chickens before they hatch’, Toil.” The flat look she gave the green mare made her face turn into a vicious sneer. “Thy loss at my hoof is almost certain. I will not be bested by a low-class wretch whose existence is a sign of failure for a once dignified noble house to control their libido.”
Before Toil ‘N Trouble could say anything, a silver coated mare with a short, yet well brushed golden mane placed a hoof on her shoulder. Upon the silver coated mare’s flank was the image of a top hat with a silver star beside a wand tipped with a gold star. “Calm thyself, Toil. We both know she’s wrong.”
Toil took a deep breath to calm herself as the three of them reached the starting line. “You have my thanks, Hocus. I will try to keep focused.”
Soon the remaining unicorns had reached the line drawn in the soil. As they moved into ready positions, Swift had her eyes locked on one unicorn in particular. She wasn’t difficult to spot. While her coat was an off-white, her flowing mane was a vibrant red, orange and yellow. Her mane was contrasted by her equally flowing tail, the hair sporting green, blue and purple in equal amounts. The rainbow colored mare briefly gave Hocus Pocus a smile before focusing on the course ahead.
Prismatic Radiance. Swift took a steadying breath as she focused ahead. There would be no shame in losing to a mare of such noble standing and power as thee… But I still intend to win.
“The rules are simple.” Sombra’s voice echoed out from the stands. “Race to the finish line. Thou may not use thy magic on thy opponents or the pieces of equipment on the course. Ready...”
The race’s beginning was signaled by a shot of green magical energy striking the ground near the starting line and kicking up a burst of dirt. The ten unicorns took off immediately along the dirt course. Swiftsword took a quick lead, though a yellow coated unicorn whose name she couldn’t recall was not too far behind as the first obstacle came into view.
It was a climbing wall that was over twenty feet tall with many rough wooden outcroppings speckled along the wall’s surface.
With a running leap, Swift launched herself at the wall and started to make her way up. However, before she could reach the halfway point, she heard a loud noise and spotted a flash of rose colored light from the corner of her eye.
Quickly looking over her shoulder, she spotted several other unicorns approaching the wall. Hocus Pocus’ horn was glowing with a light purple while Toil ‘N Trouble’s was such a dark shade, it was nearly black. However, what stood out the most was that there was no sign of Prismatic Radiance.
Just as Hocus Pocus was about to crash into the wall, the light around her horn expanded and became a near blinding flash. In the instant after the light faded, she saw that the silver-coated mare was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh, bugger!” Swift quietly said through gritted teeth as she tried to scramble up the climbing wall. As she went higher, she could faintly make out the sounds of stampeding hooves coming from the other side of the wall. Note to self, eventually learn how to teleport.
Swift had just passed the fifteen foot mark on the wall when a loud magic hum approached from her side. Looking down, she was stunned to see Toil was quickly rising up without a hoof touching the wall. Her forelegs were stretched out to her sides while her hindlegs were extended behind her, enveloped by the same dark aura radiating off her horn.
The blue noblemare was stunned as the lime-colored mare flew past her and went over the wall’s top.
“This cannot be!” Swift growled as she pushed herself to get over the wall. After a few more moments, she reached the top where she saw a rope that led to the wall’s other side. Swiftsword tossed herself over the side and slid down the rope. She ignored the burn from the rope’s friction before she landed on her hooves and ran forth, seeing the three mares that were still ahead of her.
It didn’t take long before she managed to catch up to Toil, though that still left a large gap between her and the two unicorns in the lead.
After a few minutes where she was only able to get a slight advantage over Toil, she spotted the next obstacle. There was a long, deep pit filled with mud. There were five, narrow wooden beams that spanned the gap of the pit.
Ah, a perfect challenge for me! A smirk crossed Swift’s muzzle as she reached one of the beams and then effortlessly mounted it, trotting across with a well-practiced ease.
Looking to her sides, she saw that both Prism and Hocus had been forced to slow down to cross the beams. While Prism was able to keep her stance mostly steady, Hocus’ was much shakier.
Years of practice with heavy books upon my head have finally paid off. Swiftsword fought down the urge to chuckle as she managed to pass Hocus and grow closer to Prism.
“Whoa!” A loud exclamation and a thick splat from behind made Swift’s ears stand on end and nearly trip. Looking behind her, she spotted Forge just as he reached the beam behind her, along with Toil barely managing to cling to her beam with her entire bottom half stuck in the mud as she tried to pull herself up.
The sight of her foe’s struggle was too much and Swift began to loudly laugh like the noblemare she was. She had to pause to rein herself in when a flash of pink light came from her side.
She found herself blinded for a brief moment before her sight returned and she saw Prism was now past the end of the pit, running along the dirt course.
Oh, rut me sideways! Swift quickly took off, pushing herself hard as she reached the end of the beam in an effort to catch up to the noblemare.
Her forelegs started to tremble slightly as Prism grew ever closer, but she choked down the aches starting to form as the third and hopefully final obstacle came into view. It was a collection of large rocks that littered the path, leaving only narrow gaps for the racers to weave through.
Despite the pain in her legs, Swift quickly began to move between the rocks. This forced her to slow down greatly, but thankfully Prism was also slowed by the stones.
Swift had soon closed the gap between her and Prism, allowing a grin to cross her features at the thought of securing the lead.
However, this grin was shattered as the distinct tingle of magic came from behind her and came quickly. Before she could look over her shoulder to see the source, Toil ‘N Trouble flew overhead. While she wasn’t moving as quickly as when she was running, it was still far swifter than Swift and Prism trying to maneuver through the rocks.
In a matter of moments, Swift and Prism managed to slip past the rocks and continued onto the dirt path. She spotted Toil was a decent bit ahead as she and the multicolored mare took off.
Swiftsword pushed as hard as she could, but her entire body was aching from how hard the contest had been thus far. Despite how hard she was running, Prism, who wasn’t the most physically adept unicorn, was taking the lead and drawing closer to Toil’s tail.
I must do something! I refuse to be bested by Toil! Swift looked over her shoulder. Her brief glance revealed that Hocus Pocus was starting to catch up to her while Forge and the others were a few meters behind her.
Turning back to face the leaders of the race, she spotted there was a large branch ahead of the part of the path they were on.
Well, the general said not to use magic on either thy opponents or the equipment. However, he made no mention of the trees that line the course. A pale blue light appeared around Swift’s horn before firing several volleys at the branch. After her series of strikes, the branch broke loose, falling down in front of Toil and Prism, allowing the blue noblemare to pull ahead while they ground to a halt.
A minute smile crossed Swift’s face as she spotted the finish line up ahead with the stands containing their superiors awaiting the coming cadets.
Swift wished to push herself to reach the finish line more quickly, but she had little left. Her legs felt like they were made of gold coated lead while her chest felt like it was on fire.
As she drew closer to the finish, a flash of pink light appeared ahead of her, revealing Prismatic Radiance who quickly took off as fast as she could.
Swift knew there was no way she could pass Prism with how far ahead she was and how much her own body was strained. In spite of the growing pain, she would still push herself as hard as she could.
A tingling sound reached Swift’s ears, making a chill run up her spine. “No…” she could only hoarsely whisper as the sound drew ever nearer.
What zoomed past Swift was Toil ‘N Trouble, her horn glowing brighter than she’d ever seen it glow before and a large amount of sweat pouring down her face as she rode the levitating branch that once blocked her path like a broom.
“Witch!” Swift viciously spat as she glared at the green unicorn. Toil seemed to ignore her words as she grit her teeth and poured everything into her magic.
In a matter of moments, Prismatic Radiance had managed to pass the finish line, with Toil crossing shortly after before the light from her horn died. The branch fell to the ground before skidding to a halt.
Before Swift could finally reach the finish line, a flash of violet light appeared in front of it, soon revealing Hocus Pocus as she tumbled across the dusty ground.
Swift felt a great deal of shame as she finally crossed the finish line. Once she crossed, she paused to catch her breath before moving off to the side of the track. I lost… I lost to two lowly bastards… all my family’s efforts; my education, my training, and it wasn’t enough to best two low class wretches… or even earn the proverbial bronze medal…
A brief sniffle came from the noblemare as her teammates ran up to her side, including Forge after he placed fifth, to try and offer her words of comfort.
“Hey, Swiftsword!” Toil’s shout made the noblemare turn to the source, where she found the green and purple mare shaking her rump in Swift’s direction before giving it some hard slaps and cackling.
“Come along, Swift,” Forge said as he rested a foreleg on her shoulder. “We should rest up to prepare for the next event they have planned for us.”
“You all did very well in your first challenge, young unicorns,” General Sombra barked from his spot in the stands. “Have thy rest for now. Earth ponies, prepare for thy first competition.”
***
A collection of ten earth ponies clad in dark lead armor stood and observed the obstacle they would all have to face. It was a tall frame that was over thirty five feet high with ten ropes that dangled down from the top. Near the end of each rope was a sizable bell.
“Now, earth pony cadets.” Sombra’s voice rang out from the stands where he and the captains watched on. “The challenge thou shalt face is a rather simple one. Simply make thy bell ring. Thou art clad in armor and weapons much heavier than one would normally carry, though thou are not allowed to use the weapons upon thy opponents. This challenge will test thy strength, speed, and possibly intellect.
“And now…” A blast of emerald magical energy struck the ground near the wooden frame, making the ten earth ponies all charge and leap onto their ropes. Rather slowly, the cadets all started their ascent.
“Now, Captains,” Sombra more quietly said to the ponies with him in the stands. “What dost thou think of this particular challenge?”
“To be fully honest, General, I do not see this as too great of a challenge,” Captain Hardtack replied as she leaned a bit closer, where she saw that a dark purple mare with a smooth, black mane named Night Tulip was neck-and-neck with Winter Gem as they reached the ten foot mark. “It simply seems like a more dull version of the race we put the unicorns through.”
“Then clearly, thou art missing a great deal, Hardtack,” Barrier said as he moved over to her side, seeing the intense strain on his cadets’ faces. “The armor and weapons the cadets wield must be some of the heaviest in Canterlot, solely to make this far more challenging for them. If the earth ponies are struggling this much with these armaments, I suspect the unicorn or pegasus cadets wouldst be able to barely lift them, much less do this well. I expect some of them wouldn’t even be able to stand.”
“Barrier has an excellent point, Captain Hardtack,” Sombra said as he looked away from the vertical race. “I chose these armor and weapons specifically to make the challenge more intense for the cadets. I had hoped this would make them push themselves much harder… Or perhaps work smarter.”
Hardtack’s brow raised in confusion as she turned her attention back to the climb and noticed none of the cadets had reached the fifteen foot mark.
Minutes passed as the already tired and sore earth ponies kept climbing. Fatigue was clearly setting in on the cadets as the leads of Night Tulip and Winter Gem reached the thirty foot mark.
Verdant was nearly two feet behind Winter Gem as he felt his strength reaching its absolute limits. He gritted his teeth, his legs all feeling as if they’d been set ablaze.
The shamrock stallion tried to pull himself just an inch higher, but his grip slipped.
A cold panic shot through his body as he started to feel himself drop. The gasp of the ponies on the ground was drowned out by the wind whistling in his ears. Some of the medic pegasi tried to rush towards him, but the aura of Sombra’s magic kept their wings pinned to their side.
Adrenaline and instinct quickly overtook the falling stallion’s body as he quickly drew the heavy bow and an arrow from his back. Even as the ground swiftly drew closer, he pulled the arrow back and fired it upwards.
The arrow managed to strike Verdant’s bell just as he struck the ground with a powerful *THUD* which was followed by a scream of agony.
“Verdant!” Gem shouted as she saw her teammate strike the ground below. She could faintly make out any movement as Toil ‘N Trouble, Swiftsword, Hatty, Forge and some medical staff rushed to his side.
“Continue thy climbing, Cadet!” Sombra barked from the stands as Barrier teleported to Verdant’s side.
“Sir, requesting permission to accompany Cadet Range to the sick bay!” Barrier exclaimed up at Sombra as he, Toil and one of the medics quickly tore bits of Verdant’s armor away.
“Denied, Captain,” Sombra firmly replied, looking down at the unicorn with a glare. “Return to the stands. The medics shall take Verdant to the sick bay. I’m certain his injuries are not life threatening or at risk of causing permanent harm. Thou art to remain here to monitor thy cadets’ performance and see where they can improve.”
“General Sombra, s-sir.” Toil shakily spoke up as one of the medics picked up the injured earth pony. “R-r-request permission to accompany Verdant to the sick bay. I have been teaching him toxicology and some field medicine and I am concerned about his well being.”
Sombra sneered and rolled his eyes. “Very well, but return before the next unicorn event starts, lest thou wish to be disqualified.”
“Understood. Thank you, sir,” Toil said before darting off after the medic carrying Verdant.
“There shall be no further requests to accompany Verdant to the sick bay,” Sombra barked just as one of the bells was rung by Night Tulip. “I will not allow any further interruptions for these tests.”
Sombra let out a breath as Barrier teleported back up to his side and Winter Gem rang her bell. “If it is of any consolation, thy cadet managed to take first place thanks to his quick thinking during the fall. If he or any of the others had thought to do so from the beginning rather than taking the obvious and difficult route, he’d not have been injured.”
“With all due respect, Sir,” Barrier said as more of the bells rang and he watched Winter Gem slowly climbing down her rope with Hat Trick by her side, hoping to aid her should Verdant’s accident be repeated. “I wish the lesson had not come at the cost of his physical well being.”
The charcoal stallion then let out a sigh as he watched Gem safely touch down on the ground. “Hopefully I’ve not lost yet another member of my understaffed team.”
“Speaking of, I’ve been curious about something,” Hardtack said as she peeled her eyes away from the last few cadets who were yet to ring their bells. “Why is it that Barrier’s squad only has five cadets instead of six as per usual?”
“I believe Princess Luna has said that originally, a Cadet Hookline was meant to act as their second flier but she suffered a career ending injury in a training exercise shortly before she was to be presented to Barrier,” Sombra replied with a slight glare as he focused on the cadets who’d yet to finish their ascent. “It was too late to assign another pegasus or thestral to the team and by the time a new batch was ready, Princess Celestia was concerned adding a sixth cadet would muddy the squad’s team dynamics.”
“Understood, General,” Hardtack said as she turned her focus back to the earth ponies on the ropes, rather embarrassed that Card Sharp was one of those yet to reach their bell.
“Hopefully the next event will be far quicker to resolve and more… entertaining,” Sombra said just before Card Sharp managed to ring her bell, followed closely by another. “This round is over. Pegasi, prepare for the next challenge.”
***
Four posts stood tall out of the ground, forming a large square perimeter. By Hatty’s estimate, the posts had to be at least fifty feet apart from one another. Two feet from the bottom of the posts were ropes that connected the four together while five feet from the ground rested nine fluffy white clouds.
Hatty swallowed just before Sombra’s voice boomed out another explanation. “Now we shall have the first pegasus event. The challenge is to remain in the air as long as possible while knocking thy opponents below the two foot mark on the posts. Those that fall below that point will be considered defeated.”
Just as Sombra had finished speaking, Hat Trick saw that Toil ‘N Trouble had returned from the sick bay.
“Cadet,” Barrier barked at the purple-maned mare. “What is the status of Cadet Range?”
“Doctor Tender Love ‘N Care said he’ll need to stay off his hooves for the next three days, but he will fully recover within a week,” Toil replied as she trotted towards her non-pegasus squad mates. “When I asked how he felt, he said he ‘felt like a rainbow’, though I assume the drugs had an effect on his statement.”
“Very well,” Sombra stated as his horn ignited. “Tis a pity that Squad 982 is down another pony, but the games must go on. With that being said...”
Sombra fired a blast at the ground, making the pegasi take to the air like a flock of frightened crows.
Hatty was feeling a great deal of pressure now resting on his shoulders. He was the sole pegasus for his team, so one third of his team’s score would be based on his performance alone. This wasn’t helped by the fact that with Verdant out of the picture, he felt he would need to push himself even harder to help pick up the slack.
Despite the worries weighing on his mind, Hat Trick kept himself alert while he tried to keep track of the nine other pegasi flying about.
A red and yellow blur zoomed much higher and faster than the rest. Hotstreak. Probably the biggest threat here. Hatty thought to himself as the mare rose more quickly than the purple pegasus could even dream of being.
However, even with his biggest threat soaring ever higher, Hat Trick made sure to also have an eye on those below him as well. It was then he spotted a sky-blue mare with a dark grey mane hovering near one of the wooden pillars with a dark cloud held within her grasp and a wicked grin on her face.
Nice try, Storm Cloud, Hatty thought as he ducked behind one of the pillars. This allowed him to narrowly avoid being struck by the rapid bolts of lightning that Storm Cloud launched, striking three enemy pegasi; the force of nature immediately stunned them and brought them plummeting to the ground.
As Hatty hid, flying silently behind the pillar thanks to his soft, owl-like wings, Storm Cloud turned her attention to the speeding mare with a sandy yellow coat and a dusty brown mane. She was able to avoid the lightning volleys, but each shot was getting closer and closer. It was then Hatty saw a golden opportunity as Storm had her back to him, her focus locked on the sandy mare.
Thanks for the distraction, Sandstorm! With a burst of speed, Hatty launched himself towards the lightning launching mare. As he drew closer, he started to spin his body around. With his right foreleg, he managed to land a powerful blow to her right wing before his left hind leg struck her in the head, sending her tumbling. Storm Cloud’s injured wing and disorientation kept her from being able to right herself and she fell to the ground, landing upon her injured wing.
Before he could let out a sigh of relief at taking out one of his opponents, the sound of hard flapping wings approaching from behind made his ears stand at attention. As Hatty tried to move out of the way, he felt the tip of somepony’s hoof manage to graze the end of his hindlegs.
Swiftly turning about, Hatty saw Sandstorm rapidly turning around to make a second attempt to strike him down.
Hat Trick flew higher as Sandstorm tried to catch up with him. His wings beat hard, but hers beat even harder as she drew ever closer. He tried to dive and maneuver around the pillars, but Sandstorm kept up her pursuit.
When he tried to pull up, he looked back and saw she was now less than three meters away from him and gaining. Just as she was about to come within two meters of the purple pegasus, a yellow blur zoomed between the two. A burst of air quickly followed the blur that sent both Hatty and Sandstorm tumbling, both flapping their wings furiously to regain control of their flight.
Looking down at where the blur had been, Hatty was stunned to see that two pegasi, both of whom he’d have sworn were nowhere near them, were on the ground as the blur rose back up into the sky.
Holy Zacherle, was that Hotstreak that did that?! Hatty felt sweat start to form on his brow as he watched the blur fade away in the distance. Is that her plan? Fly into us super fast and slam us into the ground? Can’t say it’s not effective.
Turning his attention back to Sandstorm, he saw she was still distracted from Hotstreak’s sudden strike and decided to take advantage of this. With a smirk, he charged towards her to try to tackle her into one of the pillars.
However, the sand colored mare snapped to attention, managing to sidestep and grab onto his waist before spinning around and tossing him towards another pillar.
At the last second, Hatty righted himself in the air and touched the wooden surface with his hooves. He then launched himself off the pillar and back towards Sandstorm.
The two started to throw a series of rapid blows at one another, but they both managed to block or dodge each strike they tried to launch.
Hatty gritted his teeth as he tried to attack faster, but no matter how quickly he threw out his hooves, she was able to avoid or stop his hits.
Eventually, the two heard a loud wooden creaking coming from beside them. The two took an instant to look at the source and saw the wooden pillar was starting to fall directly towards the pair of them.
“Crap!” Hatty exclaimed as he and Sandstorm pushed off of each other to try to avoid the falling mass of wood. Hat Trick felt the pillar graze the end of his tail while Sandstorm’s right wing was clipped by the falling wood, sending her spiraling downward as the pillar crashed against the ground.
Looking to where the pillar once stood, Hatty saw a somewhat winded looking light-brown pegasus with a darker shade of brown for her short, messy looking mane.
Wow. I didn’t think Fixer Upper was that damn strong! Hatty briefly thought before the yellow blur returned, striking Fixer Upper down before rocketing back up towards the sky.
“Right… Now it’s just me… and her…” Hat Trick swallowed as he saw the blur that was Hotstreak ascending ever higher.
If her strategy is to crash into me, using her momentum as a weapon, The stallion took off hard, quickly flying towards where he’d seen Hotstreak go. then my best option would be to close the distance between us so she can’t build up as much momentum and speed. If I can strip her of her biggest advantage, I might have a chance.
Briefly glancing down, the ponies below were vanishing from sight while the training courses were starting to look like a child’s models.
Looking about, Hatty was having trouble seeing where Hotstreak could have gone when he spotted something just as it pierced the cloud above him. He just barely managed to face the cloud-piercer when he found himself tackled hard.
Directly in front of Hat Trick’s face was a white muzzle on the bright yellow face of Hotstreak. A vicious look was held in her emerald green eyes as the flaming red and orange of her mane fluttered in the wind as the two of them fell towards the ground.
“Tis over, Hat Trick!” she barked at him as her wings pushed the two of them towards the ground faster and faster. “There’s no way for thee to win now!”
Looking over his shoulder, Hatty had to fight against the water forming in his eyes as the ground drew closer and closer, courtesy of Hotstreak’s incredible speed.
There’s only one way to turn this around, Hatty hastily thought as he looked back at Hotstreak as she continued to barrel the two of them downward, starting to look like a falling comet. Almost… Almost… Almost… Now!
With the right point reached, Hat Trick spat in Hotstreak’s eyes. The instant she shut her eyes and yelled, her grip on Hatty’s shoulders faltered. He took advantage of this to flip the two of them over before punching her hard in the stomach, winding her.
With his blow landed, Hatty flared out his wings to slow his fall while all the momentum Hotstreak had built had been turned against her, sending her straight through one of the low clouds and directly into the hard ground.
Hatty had managed to come to a stop less than ten feet from the ground as the medics rushed up to Hotstreak’s side.
“Excellent work, pegasi,” Sombra barked from his spot in the stands. “This shall be the end of the contests for today. Return to thy barracks and prepare for tomorrow. Rest assured, the games have only just begun.”
The moment Hat Trick touched down against the ground, Gem, Forge and Swift all rushed up to him. Gem pulled him into a tight embrace before kissing him on the cheek.
“Thou wert amazing, Hatty,” she said before nuzzling his face.
“I was most impressed, Hat Trick,” Swift said with an air of formality as she started to lead her squad back to the barracks. “I did not expect thee to be able to turn things around in such a spectacular way.”
“I’m… I’m simply speechless, my friend,” Forge said before patting him on the back. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Some pain medicine for my wings?” Hatty shakily replied. “I feel like they might fall off at any moment.”
***
Three days had passed as Verdant and Toil ‘N Trouble were walking through the palace halls, slowly making their way towards the training fields.
“Art thou certain thou art in good condition?” Toil asked as she carefully looked over the forest green stallion.
“Fine enough to walk, Toil,” Verdant replied, offering her a small smile. “Admittedly, I’m still somewhat sore, but it’s better than I’ve been in days and I appreciate thy concern.”
“Be sure not to push thyself too hard,” Toil said before giving his face a light nuzzle. “I do not wish to see thee hurt again.”
“Rest assured, I won’t. I believe Barrier will assign me some light work, so that won’t be too hard.” Verdant returned Toil’s nuzzle before pulling away. “By the way, I have been meaning to ask, which team won the competition?”
A faint chuckle came from Toil before she patted Verdant on the top of his head. “My team managed to take first place while thy team placed second. 964 placed third and 971 took forth.”
“Oh, I’m certain Swift is upset over this,” Verdant muttered as they rounded a corner and headed onto the field towards the barracks.
“She certainly is,” Toil said as the barracks came into view, where she saw Swiftsword glaring daggers at her. “Especially when my magic blasts were proven to be stronger than hers.”
“Ohh…” Verdant rubbed the back of his neck as they grew closer. “Perhaps it would be best for thee to return to thy squad now.”
“Agreed. Be sure to take care of thyself, Verdant,” Toil said before pulling away from Verdant. Just as he was in line with his squadmates, she called out. “Enjoy thy silver medal, thorough-inbred!”
Swiftsword quietly growled before Barrier appeared in front of the group with a flash.
“Cadets, at attention!” Barrier’s bark made the five shoot upright and snap to attention, ready to respond to their captain’s commands in an instant. “For the most part, I am pleased with how thou performed in the competition and have already singled out some areas where thou can improve.
“Swiftsword, I want thou to practice firing off magical blasts until thou art unable to even make thy horn glow at the target range. This should help to build up thy mana pool.” Less than a second after Barrier finished speaking, Swift darted off towards the target range, no doubt picturing Toil ‘N Trouble’s face on the targets.
“Iron Forge.” The cobalt unicorn stepped forward at Barrier’s word. “Head to the armory and retrieve a chest plate from the earth pony competition before doing twenty laps around the palace. This will build thy speed, strength and endurance.”
“Winter Gem, the same but with leg guards. Thy speed is rather lacking,” Barrier said before Forge could take a single step forward. “Hat Trick, thou and I will be doing target practice. Thou art the target.”
Hat Trick gulped as Barrier walked past him, coming up to his green coated companion. “Verdant, report to the kitchens immediately. Until thou art fully recovered, thou will be doing whatever low strain tasks the cooks ask, from chopping potatoes to preparing food. Understood?”
“Sir, yes sir!” Verdant replied before heading back towards the palace. Barrier noticed he was moving slower than before, but only sighed. “Right, ready for target practice, Hat Trick?”
“Y-yes, sir,” the purple pegasus shakily said as he and Barrier started to trot along.
“Calm thyself, Cadet,” Barrier said, not bothering to look over his shoulder. “The blasts will be fairly weak and thou will be flying no higher than thirty-five feet. At least, I will be shooting weaker blasts. I can make no guarantees about Swiftsword.”
“Understood, Sir,” he said as he spotted Swift in the distance.
This new training should help the cadets plenty, but what more training could I do for them? Barrier pondered as the target range became visible in the distance. Dropping from a chariot to practice landing in hostile territory? Hmm… Perhaps. Still, something less strenuous would probably be a good idea after their most recent exertions
Hmm… perhaps cold weather training would be a good idea as well. A very faint smile came across Barrier’s face as they drew closer. It would give them survival training, and an excuse to see the sights of the Crystal Empire. No doubt that would be a Faust-send compared to that contest. I will likely have to wait a long while to implement this, but I’ve no doubt it will be a trip they shall never forget.
Barrier had no idea how right that final thought was.
Barrier’s morning was going fairly normally, save for the addition of Spearmint joining Swiftsword for her morning exercises and breakfast. He was about to rise up from the breakfast table when Verdant came up to his side.
“Hey Barrier, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor,” the shamrock stallion said as he followed the unicorn walking towards the den.
“That depends.” Barrier looked over his shoulder while pushing open the den door with his magic.
“Well, seems Erica’s parents have finally bugged her enough that she’s given in and wants me to meet up with them,” Verdant stated as he and Barrier walked into the room.
Despite the room having rows of bookshelves lining the walls, most were nearly completely bare; filled only with the few books the household had purchased since their arrival and a few worn out tomes from the house’s previous owner that Daring refused to allow to be thrown away.
“She plans on having us meet up this Saturday and I was wondering if you could possibly come along to put in a good word for me since her mom has a lot of respect for those who serve to protect their homeland.”
“Hmm…” Barrier kept his eyes focused on some of the books they had, trying to find something worthwhile to read. A task easier said than done given nearly all he’d done since arriving in Vanhoover was catch up on a thousand years worth of reading. “I think I can do that.”
“Thanks, Brother.” Verdant let out a sigh of relief. “I hope that some of the stories you can tell will be able to help me get in their good graces.”
“I know a story you can tell them,” a voice said from outside the room. Turning about, Verdant saw Hatty leaning by the doorway with a smirk on his face. “You can tell them all about the time you saw Princess Luna poop from the inside.”
The purple pegasus let out a chuckle, but was rather surprised to hear Verdant joining in as he drew closer.
“Sure thing, Hatty. I’ll tell them all about that.” Verdant’s tone took on a sinister air as he drew closer to the pegasus, whose wings started to twitch.
“But first, I’ll tell them all about the incident in Princess Celestia’s bathroom that had you stain her muzzle and forced us to run all the way from Canterlot to Hollow Shades and back with no sleep so we could turn a three day trip into a two day one.” His words started to morph into a growl as he drew closer, forcing Hatty to back up until his rear bumped up against the wall.
“Y-you… You wouldn’t dare.” Hatty’s tone was shaky as his purple coat turned pale.
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Verdant chuckled. “I’ve repeatedly made threats that have been completely ineffectual. Now, I make a promise, Hat Trick. If you bring up what happened on Butterfly Island again, I will let the story slip out so the public will know all about this. The people of Vanhoover will talk less about the Stomach Stallion, and more of the infamous Facial Flier.”
“Alright, alright! I’m dropping this!” Hatty’s coat quickly turned from pale purple to crimson. “Yeash. When did you get so Barrier-like?”
“We all rub off on each other a little, Hatty,” Verdant replied as the pegasus started to walk away. “And besides, turnabout is fair play.”
Well, good on Verdant for taking a stand for himself without resorting to violence. Barrier thought to himself as his eyes fell upon some of the various manga volumes Verdant had bought. Hopefully this ends up sticking.
“If you want to check out my manga, feel free to do so,” Verdant said as he walked up to Barrier’s side. “I’d recommend GoGo’s Bizarre Adventure since it seems like something you’d like and I figure the stuff in Uma ½ will bring up some less than pleasant recent memories.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Barrier replied as he plucked the suggested book from the shelf.
“By the way,” Verdant said as the unicorn started to walk away. “I’m planning on asking Fleetfeather if she can come along as well after dinner. Is that okay?”
“No hair off my muzzle,” Barrier responded as he reached the door. “Just remember, neither of us will hold back with what we tell them.”
Verdant gave a short nod as he followed along. “That’s good. I figured it’s probably for the best for them to get an honest opinion of me. At any rate, I’d better get heading to work. See you later, Brother.”
“Goodbye, Brother.” Barrier gave a short wave as Verdant headed for the front door. Still weird calling him that. Eh, I’ll probably get used to it eventually.
***
A few moments later, Barrier was laying on the living room couch and enjoying the book as Daring strolled into the room. The pegasus mare gave every part of her body a stretch before flopping down onto a recliner and letting out a sigh of relief.
“Hey Daring. How’re things on your end?” Barrier asked as he set the book aside.
“Pretty good,” she answered as she stretched out. “I got my latest book written and just had it sent off to be edited. Now I can just kick back and relax.”
“That’s good to hear. Anything planned for the weekend?” Barrier inquired as he got off the couch to fetch some water.
“Well, I was thinking of taking Fleetfeather out on a date this Saturday.” Daring gave the lever on the recliner’s side a flick with her wing, making the back of the chair fall while the hoof rest rose to prop up her hindlegs. “I’ve been thinking of this one club I found the other day that I think she might enjoy.”
“Just a head’s up, Verdant is planning on asking her to come with him and I to meet Erica’s parents this Saturday.” Barrier said as he opened a cupboard and brought down a glass in his magic.
“In that case, I can ask her out for Sunday then,” Daring casually replied as she felt her back sink further into the softness of the chair.
“Alright then. You want something to eat or drink while I’m in here?” Barrier asked as he stuck his glass under the tap.
“Hmm… Nah. I’m good,” Daring replied just before Barrier finished filling his glass.
“Very well.” Barrier turned off the tap and headed back towards the living room, taking a refreshing sip of the water. “Say, do you still have those photos you took back in the Crystal Empire?”
“Yeah,” Daring rose up to face Barrier. “Why do you ask?”
***
Saturday had seemed to come rather quickly for Erica as she led the three ponies through a rather cozy looking section of Vanhoover, lined with townhouses with neatly trimmed lawns.
“Okay. Just act normal and everything should be fine,” she said, clearly trying to calm her nerves as she walked along. Verdant gave her neck a quick nuzzle that seemed to somewhat ease her mind.
“Still hard to believe we’re now heading to a griffin’s house,” Fleetfeather carefully whispered to Barrier, making sure what she said was unheard by the pair in front of them. “Things have changed so much since our time.”
It’s guaranteed to be better than the last time I was in a griffin house. Barrier shuddered as he recalled the night that had effectively broken him and subsequently benched him from the field when he’d... He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. It wasn’t the time.
“Okay, everypony. We’re here,” Erica spoke up as they came upon a house that looked rather similar to the rest that lined the street. The single story house’s exterior was covered with white panelling that contrasted the dark green tiled roof. There was a number plate by the door that read Forty-Six. A cobblestone pathway extended from the front porch to the mailbox.
“Did you grow up here, Erica?” Verdant asked as the four made their way along the short path.
“Yep. Hippity Hop Avenue was where I used to live until I got my apartment,” she answered, glad for the momentary distraction until she reached the door. “Right… here goes…”
Erica was barely able to get two light raps on the door when it suddenly swung open and she found herself pulled into a hug so tight that she doubted even an earth pony could squeeze this hard.
“Erica, I’m so glad you’re here!” Asta happily exclaimed as she gave the younger hen a squeeze.
“Hi, Mom.” Erica was relieved when Asta released her grip, allowing her to breathe again. After getting a lungful of air, she straightened her stance and pointed to her side. “Mom, this is Verdant Range. Verdant, this is my mother, Asta Sorae.”
“Nice to meet you, Ma’a—” Verdant was cut off by Asta quickly scooping him up into a hug that was almost as tight as the one Erica had just escaped from.
“It is nice to finally meet you, Verdant! Erica’s told me so much about you!” Asta said as she released Verdant from the bone-crunching hug. It was then she noticed the two ponies who stood behind him. “May I ask who these other two are?”
“This is Captain Magic Barrier and Sergeant Fleetfeather,” Verdant answered as he and Erica stepped aside to allow them to come closer. “They were my superiors and trainers when I was in the guard.”
“Ah! More royal guards!” Barrier and Fleet were eternally grateful that instead of delivering another potentially lethal hug, the muscular hen simply chose to grab a foreleg from both of them and give them firm shakes. “Please, come in. We’d love to have your company.”
The group followed the bulky hen into the house, where they arrived in a living room with dark brown carpeting. There was a dark blue couch near a set of matching chairs. Between the couch and chairs was a coffee table covered in a lacy covering.
“Einar, Erica’s here and not only did she bring her boyfriend, she brought some other guards with her!” Asta called towards a nearby closed door before taking a seat.
“Just a second!” A masculine voice came before a slender, dark red griffin tiercel came out of the door. He was carrying a tray of freshly baked biscuits which he placed on the coffee table and some glasses of water. “Dig in, everyone. Dinner will take a while to be ready.”
“Are you sure having us won’t be too much hassle, Mr. Sorae?” Verdant asked as Erica and him took their place on the couch.
“First off, call me Einar,” the tiercel said as he took a seat next to his wife. “Secondly, I was so excited to have my little girl’s boyfriend over, I made plenty of food to spare.”
“Glad to hear we won’t be a bother then,” Barrier said before trotting up to Einar and holding out his hoof. “Magic Barrier. Former captain in the Equestrian Royal Guard.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Barrier.” Einar gave Barrier’s hoof an eager shake. Fleetfeather soon did the same before she and Barrier took a set of seats between the dating couple and Erica’s parents.
“So, Verdant,” Asta inquisitively said as she plucked a biscuit from the tray. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”
“Okay.” The shamrock stallion swallowed a little before he resumed speaking. “I’m eighteen, though I was born over a thousand years ago. I was born and raised by a herd family in Dream Valley, a place that’s now a part of the greater Fillydelphia area. I was a member of the guard for approximately two and a half years until the liberation of the Crystal Empire and now I work at the Pretty Petals flower shop.”
“Hmm… Interesting,” Asta said before taking a bite out of her biscuit.
“So, are you fertile?” Einar asked, making Verdant’s cheeks quickly flush red while Erica looked horrified.
“Dad, what the shit?!”
Barrier bit his lip to stifle laughter at the sight before him.
“Sorry dear, but I’d like to know if this fine young stallion could provide us with grandchildren.” Einar casually answered before picking up a glass of water.
Verdant coughed into his hoof to regain his composure. “Well, I am an active sperm donor and according to the staff at the clinic the last time I checked, my sperm has been used to impregnate at least four females.”
“Very nice,” Asta said after finishing off her biscuit. “You mentioned that you came from a herd family. Tell me, do you intend to start a herd?”
“Well, y’see,” Verdant nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “Where and when I came from, decisions about herding would come from the lead mare, so any decisions about such a thing would fall on Erica to decide.”
“Eh, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with that sort of thing,” Erica looked away from her pony paramour, who then nuzzled her side.
“That’s okay, dear. I just want to make you happy.” A smile came across Erica’s beak before she wrapped her wing around Verdant’s back.
“Very well.” Asta nodded while Erica picked up a glass of water. “On a related question, how do you… fit?”
“Fit?” Verdant tilted his head in confusion as Erica started to take a sip of her drink.
“You know…” Asta made a circular shape with her left hand before putting her right index talon in and out of the hole she made. Erica and Verdant’s faces exploded in crimson before she spat her drink.
“MOM, WHY?!” Erica screeched before coughing and trying to clear the water from her nostrils.
“What? I’m curious since I heard compared to tiercels, stallions have enormous schwanzstücke,” Asta casually replied, forcing Barrier and Fleet to choke down giggles while Erica slapped her talons against her face.
“Mom, Dad, for the ancestors’ sake, stop asking me questions about our sex lives or Verdant’s junk!” Erica exclaimed before sighing and slumping back against the couch. “I just want to relax with my boyfriend inside me.”
“Um… Erica…” Verdant sheepishly said as he spotted Barrier desperately trying to keep from laughing. Erica’s parents were somewhat taken aback by her words while Fleet looked away, shaking as she tried to contain her laughter.
A horrified look appeared on the young hen’s face when she realized her slip. “BESIDE! I meant to say beside me!”
The proverbial dam burst for Barrier as he collapsed to the floor, laughing his flank off.
After a few moments, Barrier had managed to collect himself, much to Verdant’s relief.
“Now, can we please move onto other questions?” Erica asked, her facial feathers matching her coat. “Preferably not related to sex.”
“Very well, dear. I won’t ask about it anymore.” Asta took a quick sip of water before looking towards the charcoal stallion. “Mr. Barrier, could you please tell me a little about Verdant’s time in the guard?”
“As you wish,” Barrier replied before putting a hoof to his chin and recollecting. “Verdant joined the guard when he was sixteen and was assigned to train under me in Squad 982, alongside four others. He specialized in the usage of a bow, so I specialized some of his training to function as the group’s sniper.”
“Oh, a sniper?” Einar started to look the shamrock stallion up and down. “Seems a bit surprising. No offense, Verdant.”
“None taken, sir,” Verdant replied with a soft smile.
“I found that Verdant’s skill with the bow far exceeds ponies his age. He’s able to reliably strike a target at just over one-hundred feet away while running,” Barrier said, quickly resuming from where he left off. “Some of the things he’s accomplished include travelling from Old Canterlot to Hollow Shades and back in two days' time, normally a three day trip under a hard march. He’s also a veteran of Sombra’s attack on the Crystal Empire and distinguished himself by aiding in the final battle.”
“Really?” Asta’s eyebrow rose. “I hope you’ll forgive my skepticism, Barrier, but I do find this last bit somewhat hard to believe.”
“I assure you, Mrs. Sorae, Barrier’s telling the truth,” Fleetfeather said as she placed a hoof over her eyepatch. “I was blasted out of the sky in the empire by Sombra shortly after the conflict started. My eye was destroyed and I crashed into a shopping stall. From what Dr. Black Harvest told me, Verdant, along with privates Prismatic Radiance and Fixer Upper found me and he personally carried me to the makeshift base we occupied. It is thanks to him that I’m still alive to raise my daughter today.”
The griffin couple were rather stunned by the blue pegasus’ words.
“And as I said before, Verdant did play a part in the final battle against Sombra.” Barrier spoke up once more as he used his magic to pull off his saddlebags. “He managed to strike Sombra with an improvised explosive arrow that allowed Captain Shining Armor and I to hold him off long enough for the element bearers to prepare the Elements of Harmony and neutralize him.” Against my orders, but I do appreciate it.
“And he left the empire completely unscathed?” Asta shifted her eyes away from Barrier to the stallion with Erica’s wing draped over his back.
“No. All three of us were injured substantially in the empire.” Barrier stated simply as he pulled open his saddlebags. “My horn was badly overloaded and cracked from the effort. I’m lucky I still have magic at all. Fleetfeather was bedridden with her injuries when the battle with Sombra occurred and Verdant received a nasty burn scar on his back from when his strike caused Sombra to fumble his magic and send it spiralling throughout the room.”
“Hmm… May I see this ‘scar’, Verdant?” Asta asked.
With a quick swallow, Verdant carefully pulled himself out from under Erica’s wing and off the couch. Turning around, he lowered the back of his vest, revealing the large burn scar that covered a fair portion of his back to his withers.
“Oh my, that does look quite nasty,” Asta said as Einar winced at the sight.
Verdant quickly pulled the vest back up and returned to his spot at Erica’s side. “Thankfully, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Still, I’m glad I’ve got a vest to wear over this.”
“And if you wish for further proof...” Barrier’s horn flared as he levitated a photograph from his saddlebags over to Asta. “I believe this should be sufficient.”
“Bei Königin Faricas heiligem Hintern!” Asta exclaimed at the sight of the photo while Einar leaned closer. The tiercel was rather stunned to see a bandaged Verdant shaking a hoof in Queen Leena’s talons while Barrier stood by his side. Some crystalline buildings stood tall in the distance behind them to complete the picture.
“No, it was Queen Leena that we met, not Farica.” Barrier bore a slight grin at the stunned looks on the griffins’ faces.
Fleet had to bite her lower lip as Erica mouthed ‘You met the queen?’ to Verdant, who could only bashfully shrug.
“When Queen Leena visited the Crystal Empire after Sombra was defeated, Verdant and Swiftsword were the only privates of mine who volunteered to meet her. I was rather proud that even with the past history between our kingdoms, they were willing to do this.” Barrier stated.
“This is rather exceptional!” Asta nearly exclaimed, only to cough into her claw while handing Barrier back the photo with the other. A tiny tinge of red dotted her cheeks as Barrier’s magic grasped the photo. “Sorry, it’s just… I always wanted to meet my queen and…”
Asta hopped out of her seat, her talons clenched together as she pleaded. “Please, could you tell me what Queen Leena was like?!”
“Mooommm…” Erica tensed at the sight before her, her face once again matching her coat. “You’re humiliating me.”
“Well, I didn’t really get to speak with Queen Leena, I merely shook her talons and competed against her in the ruby reaper eating contest the empire held.” Verdant looked away from the older hen as he rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort that was clear to everyone but Asta.
“Ruby what?” Asta inquired as she picked herself up and Einar pulled her back to her seat.
“They’re a type of pepper native to the empire,” Fleet firmly answered. “They’re considered by many to be the spiciest of peppers in the world. Based on what experience I’ve had with peppers, I’m inclined to agree.”
“I was… volunteered to take part in the competition as well,” Barrier said as Einar gave him a look of great interest. “I managed to endure six of these peppers while Verdant took four.”
“How well did Queen Leena do?” Asta stood at the edge of her seat and leaned closer to the unicorn.
“Queen Leena managed to handle nine before she gracefully bowed out. In the end, Empress Cadance won after enduring thirteen of those damned things,” Barrier answered. “I swear, those things are hot enough to melt steel.”
“Hmm… maybe I should start stocking those in my store,” Einar said as he rubbed his chin in thought.
“Only if you have masochistic customers,” Barrier replied, stowing the photo back into his saddlebags.
“Would you excuse me, I need to powder my nose.” Erica stood up from the couch and headed towards the hallway.
“You’ll need to grab a fresh roll of toilet paper from the linen closet!” Asta called out, receiving only silence as a reply.
“Say Verdant,” Einar leaned closer to the now solo stallion, pointing to the door near his side. “Could you check the kitchen timer for me? I’d like to know how much time’s left until dinner’s ready.”
“Of course,” the emerald earth pony said before rising from the sofa and slipping into the kitchen. As he did, a smirk started to form on the tiercel’s face.
Once the door sealed shut, Einar leaned over towards the pony pair. “Alright, now that the kids are out of the room, is there anything you’d like to say about Verdant that they wouldn’t want us to hear?”
“Well...” A grin of suppressed laughter came to Fleet’s face as she brought a hoof to her chin. “Did you know he’s been inside of Princess Luna?”
The two griffins were gobsmacked at the mare’s words, their jaws instantly going slack.
“Fleet, Verdant has asked us not to speak about that,” Barrier said with a tone of seriousness. “I’d please ask that you refrain from speaking any further on that subject.”
“Oh, my apologies. I didn’t realize he’d asked about it.” Fleet apologized. Looking towards the two griffins, she saw that the couple was still stunned by her words.
“Mr. Sorae! I found the timer!” Verdant’s voice came from the kitchen, snapping the pair out of their stupor as he emerged from the kitchen with a small yellow clock carried in his hoof. “Sorry it took so long. Turns out it was at the bottom of a bowl full of lemons.”
“Ah, thank you, Verdant,” Einar replied as the stallion dropped the timepiece into his hands. “My eyes seem to be going bad in my advancing age.”
Asta shook as she tried to keep from giggling at her husband’s transparent deception.
“Alright, I’m back,” Erica said as she walked back into the room, wiping her damp talons against her chest. “Say Dad, how long until dinner’s ready?”
“Oh, about…” Einar gave the timer a quick glance, “eight minutes to go.”
“Hmm, I have another question, Verdant.” Asta leaned back in her chair. “Is there anything you miss from a thousand years ago?”
“My family,” Verdant replied without skipping a beat, his tone very glum. “I only got to see my family the few times they were able to come by Canterlot and I was on a brief break. Now they’re all gone and I learned not too long ago my family had another sister that I never got to know.”
The room fell deathly quiet. Erica pulled Verdant into a hug and wrapped her wings around him.
“Oh… I’m so sorry.” Asta apologized, swallowing hard as she saw how awkward she’d made things.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Sorae.” Verdant replied, focusing his attention on Erica as he returned her hug and water started to form on the edge of his eyes.
“We’re all in similar boats,” Barrier said. “I lost my brother, sister-in-law, niece and parents… along with my lover of the time.”
“And I lost five of my children.” Fleetfeather’s wings drooped as she looked down at her hooves. “The only comfort I took in this news was learning they lived long, fulfilling lives without me.”
“I’d say the thing that stings most is knowing I had a sister that I never got a chance to meet,” Verdant quietly said before sniffing. “It just… I dunno how to put it…”
“Verdant...” Barrier slid out of his chair and moved to the shamrock stallion, placing a hoof on his shoulder comfortingly. “I know how you feel. It’s like an empty hole in your heart that you know you’ll never be able to fill.”
Verdant pulled his head away from Erica’s shoulder to look Barrier in the eye, curiosity dancing faintly across the green stallion’s expression.
“When I was twenty, my father told me I was his second born foal.” Barrier took a breath to steady himself. “I was born as the second of a set of twins. My sister, Arcane Shield, was meant to be the heir to the family. Sadly, she was a victim of crib death before she’d even turned a month old.”
A moment of silence hung in the room as the two stallions looked each other in the eyes.
“I spent many nights wondering what would have happened if she had survived. If she had become the heir to the family instead of I… or Radiant after Nightmare Moon…”
Asta raised a talon to ask a question, only to quickly reconsider and remained silent.
“In the end, I decided to do what I could to spend more time with the family that I still had.” Barrier’s grip on Verdant’s shoulder tightened. “And made sure they knew I loved them dearly.”
Verdant sniffled once more before pulling a hoof way from Erica and placing it on top of Barrier’s hoof. “Thank you, Brother.”
“Wait, you two are brothers?” Einar wore a look of confusion on his face as he looked between the two ponies.
“It’s a long story,” Barrier said as he pulled his hoof away from Verdant while the younger stallion untangled himself from Erica.
“My dad boned his mom,” Verdant said with a very small grin on his face. Asta clasped her talons over her beak.
“Okay, it’s a short story,” Barrier said, annoyed with a half-lidded expression just before Asta fell out of her chair, laughing her flank off.
“Sorry, I just needed a little levity after… that.” Verdant rubbed his foreleg as Barrier rolled his eyes.
“I’d say we probably all needed it,” Einar replied as he rose out of his seat. “Well, dinner should be ready. I hope you’re ready for chinchilladas.”
***
A little over an hour later, the four were bidding a fond farewell to the griffin couple as they waved from the porch.
“Good night, kids!” Einar called out to them as they waved back. “Have a good time together!”
“But remember to use condoms!” Asta shouted along. “Your father may want grandchildren, but I don’t yet!”
“Mom! Seriously!” Erica angrily shouted back, drawing a giggle out of Asta before she and her husband went back into the house.
“Well, that honestly wasn’t too bad, right?” Verdant asked as he patted Erica on the back.
Erica let out a tired sigh as the four trudged along. “To be honest… It was a bit less embarrassing than I expected it to be.”
“Well, that’s certainly a plus.” Verdant cheerfully said. “At least the bandage has been pulled off so there’s less to worry about.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” A small smile came to Erica’s face before draping a wing over Verdant’s back.
“It was a better meeting than I figured it would be, all things considered,” Barrier said as he and Fleet started to pull away from the couple. “You coming along, Verdant?”
“Actually, I was wondering if I could spend the night with you, Erica,” Verdant said, making her chuckle as she pulled him closer.
“Sure thing, Verdant.” She gave the side of his face a nuzzle. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Just remember what Asta said, Mr. Sire-of-Four.” Barrier chuckled before flaring his horn and teleporting himself further down the street and running off.
“And you’re supposed to be older than me now,” Fleetfeather rolled her eye before taking off to follow him.
“So…” Verdant clicked his tongue as he and Erica started to walk away. “Wanna watch some anime and cuddle?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Erica replied. “I just got my talons on this Shinobi Kame OVA, so this should be fun.”
“I’d love that, Erica,” Verdant said as he leaned his head against her neck.
Chapter 73 - A Daring & Fleet Flight for Date Night
It was a peaceful Sunday night as Fleetfeather followed Daring Do, clad in her Masquerade disguise through the brightly lit Vanhoover streets.
“We’re almost there,” Daring said as she looked to her cycloptic girlfriend. “I figure we’ll have a great time there.”
“Hopefully you’re right,” Fleet replied as they turned a corner. It was then a wide grin spread across Daring’s face.
“And here’s the spot.” She thrust a foreleg in front of them towards a black colored building with yellow neon lights that read “Bananas”.
“Bananas?” Fleet tilted her head in confusion as Daring pulled her closer. “Is this some sort of restaurant that specializes in only one kind of fruit?”
A loud bout of laughter erupted from Daring before she bumped Fleet’s hip with her own. “No, Fleet. What they got in there is way better than that.”
After a few minutes in line, the two had entered the building. It reminded Fleet of Midnight Melodies, only there was a larger bar and the stage didn’t seem designed for karaoke. It had a narrow catwalk that ended in a round space surrounded by comfy looking chairs. In the center of the circular area was a pole that reached into the ceiling.
“How about you save us some seats by the pole while I get us some drinks?” Daring asked as she gave the blue pegasus a pat on the back.
“Alright. I’d like a banana daiquiri,” Fleet said as she stepped away from the disguised mare, settling into a comfy seat.
A moment later, Daring returned to Fleet’s side. “Alright, one banana daiquiri for you and a Bloody Marey for me, and just in time for the show.”
Show? What kind of show? Fleet began to ask herself as she took a sip of her drink.
Before she could verbalize her question, a rather odd voice spoke up from a booth near the side of the stage.
“Good evening, ladies and welcome to Bananas!” In the DJ’s booth was a pink unicorn mare whose horn flared while her lips remained shut. “DJ Melodic Harmony here and I hope you’re all ready because we’re about to introduce our first dancer.”
“Hope you’re ready for this,” Daring whispered to Fleet, looking quite giddy.
“Softness in his eyes, iron in his thighs!” The pink unicorn’s horn flared as the warped sounding voice echoed throughout the club. “Sexiness is here! Raise a mighty cheer at the sight of… Twerkules!”
A strange wubbing noise that Daring considered ‘music’ started to boom throughout the club as a large, muscular, gray earth pony stallion seductively made his way on stage and made his way to the pole.
“Hello there, ladies,” he said with a sultry grin as he started to slide his back up and down the pole. His dance movements drew Fleet’s eye to the large blue speedo that left very little to the imagination. “What can I do for you tonight?”
“Well, I don’t think my friend here has ever been to a club like this before, so I figure you could give her a good first time here,” Daring answered as she reached into her saddlebag and tossed a hoofful of bits onto the stage.
“Oh, a first timer.” Twerkules gave a chuckle before thrusting his hips towards Fleet’s face. “Don’t worry, Miss. I’m very experienced, so you’re guaranteed a good time.”
“I’ll… bet…” Fleet seemed to speak in a trace as she found her eye locked onto this singular portion of the stallion’s anatomy.
“Remember, look but don’t touch,” Twerkules said before he spun around and shook his exceptionally well toned flank towards Fleet’s face.
“I… Umm… woof…” Fleet fanned herself with her hoof, unaware that her wings had flared upward.
“Glad to see you’re having a good time,” Twerkules said as he gave her a sensual smirk. “Y’know, I get off in about an hour and a half. If you want, I can really give you two a wild night for a reasonable price.” He then gave her a sexy wink.
“Oh! I, um, while I thank you for the offer, I must decline.” Fleet tried to back up in her chair, only to realize her wings were rather stiff, making her blue face explode into scarlet.
“You sure?” the muscular stallion asked before taking some quick spins around the pole. “I’ve got a long list of ladies that would say I’ve more than satisfied them; Like Kiko Angora, Stopwatch, Swiftsword, Bea Wellington. If you think I can’t handle two at once, just ask High Gear and Pixel Flash.”
“You misunderstand, Mr. Twerkules.” Fleet continued to try and move back in her chair, causing it to tip over. She ablely landed on her hooves and quickly righted the chair. “There’s a stallion that we’re in a relationship with that would not appreciate us making use of a prostitute.”
“Ah. Say no more,” he said before grinding against the pole once more. “I hope you enjoyed my little dance for you, ladies.”
“Oh, we certainly did,” Daring said as she rose from her chair, tossing two hooffulls of bits onto the stage. “Maybe we’ll come back some time.”
“I look forward to it.” He gave one more flirty wink before sweeping up the coins on the stage. Just as Daring left the row, two more mares swiftly filled her and Fleet’s former chairs.
“Well… that was certainly an… interesting experience,” Fleet said as Daring came to her side. The sky blue mare fanned her face as her wings finally started to lower.
“It sure was.” Daring chuckled before giving Fleet a hip check. “Wanna try something else like this, or do you wanna do something a bit cleaner?”
“Cleaner, if it’s alright,” Fleet replied. “Perhaps it’s me not being accustomed to modern customs, but I’m not too comfortable at something so… sexual in a public place.”
“Hey, no sweat,” Daring gave her back a pat and nuzzled Fleet’s face. “Sorry about this.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I did enjoy his… show, but I think something like this is better held in private.”
“Ah. I see.” Daring nodded to her companion as they reached the exit. “If I’d known you felt that way, I probably would have set things up in advance so you’d get a private room.”
“Maybe we’ll try that the next time we go out like this,” Fleet replied as she and Daring pushed through the club’s door.
“I’d like that.” Daring nuzzled Fleet once more. “As for some cleaner fun, I think I know just where to go.”
***
Some time later, Daring led Fleet into a place filled with all sorts of strange machines, bright lights and odd noises.
“Now this is the kind of place I used to visit all the time as a filly.” Daring beamed as her eyes swept over the various machines. “Welcome to High Score’s Arcade.”
“Certainly different from the kinds of arcades I’ve seen in the past.” Fleet’s lone eye swept over the various machines and the ponies playing them.
“Oh yeah. All these games are fun to play.” Daring was grinning like a filly on Hearth’s Warming in a candy store as her eyes wandered over the rows of machines. “I’m seeing Super Marinara Sisters, Iron Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft, Pony Rangers: Battle for the Grid...”
The golden mare seemed to trail off before spotting one machine in particular.
“Bingo! Prance Prance Revolution!” she excitedly shouted before darting off, with Fleet following close behind.
“This… is a game?” Fleet was rather perplexed by the colorful machine. It had two screens that showed arrows pointing in multiple directions rising to the top, along with some odd platforms in front of the cabinets with nine buttons.
“You bet it is,” Daring replied as she climbed onto one of the platforms. “How about I do a round so you get an idea of how to do it?”
“Alright,” Fleet replied, seeing a grin forming on the tan mare’s face.
Daring pulled a bit from behind her ear and slid it into the coin slot. A whirring sound came from the machine and the buttons by her feet began to glow. From what Fleet could tell, Daring picked out a song and made the image on the screen change once more.
Music started to play from the speakers on the sides of the machine as arrows started to quickly rise from the screen’s bottom.
As soon as the arrows rose high enough, Daring’s legs became a flurry of activity as she quickly moved to hit the various buttons around her in step to the beat.
At first, Fleet had kept her eye on the machine’s electric light display, but soon found it drifting lower.
The sky blue mare gulped when she realized her eye had fallen upon Daring’s flank, watching as it bounced around as she danced. She tried to turn her attention back to the screen, but found her gaze continuously being drawn back to her taut rump.
Before she could tear her eye away once more, Daring’s tail shifted to the side, offering her a greater look all the pegasus had to offer. When she tried to look at the screen once more, she saw Daring was looking over her shoulder with a smirk on her face.
Fleet’s face turned a bright scarlet just as the song came to an end. The machine started to spit out a collection of tickets as Daring turned to face her.
“So, liked what you saw?” Daring asked before giving a chuckle. “I don’t really need to ask. Your wings say it all.”
The red of Fleet’s face turned brighter as she realized that her wings were standing at attention. She quickly snapped her wings back into place and looked away in embarrassment.
“Twice in one night, dear Faust…” Fleet muttered to herself when she felt Daring placing a hoof on her shoulder.
“Hey, don’t sweat it. I was kinda hoping for something like that,” Daring said as she stepped aside. “Wanna take a shot at this game?”
“Well, I don’t see the harm.” Fleet stepped onto the platform. Reaching into her saddlebags and retrieving a bit for the slot, the machine whirred to life once more.
With some careful and slow steps, Fleet went through the collection of songs the machine offered before picking a slower song to dance to.
At first, the cycloptic mare struggled to keep the beat, but soon started to pick up the pace. At the song’s conclusion, the machine spat out a smaller collection of tickets that joined Daring’s.
“Nice moves, Fleet,” the golden coated mare said as she stepped beside her on the second platform. “Wanna go two-player?”
“You know you’ll just whip my flank,” Fleet replied with a roll of her eye.
“Nah, I’m not gonna whip a flank that nice.” Daring’s remark drew a grin, snort and a facehoof from Fleet.
“And Hatty’s rubbing off on you.” Fleet chuckled before the pair put some bits into the machine.
***
The two enjoyed playing the dancing game together until the arcade shut down for the night. They traded in their hundreds of tickets for a white bow for Fleet’s tail and a tiny comb.
After the pair swung by a late night café to grab a quick bite, the pegasi took to the skies of Vanhoover and flew back to the manor.
Carefully reaching into her saddlebags, Fleetfeather pulled a key out with her teeth and unlocked the window to her bedroom. Quietly, the two pegasi slipped inside, landing at the foot of the bed.
“Thanks for tonight, Daring.” Fleet’s smile shone in the moonlight as she closed the window.
“I had a great time with you too, Fleet.” Daring nuzzled her cheek and gave it a kiss. “Anything else you’d like to do before we hit the hay?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Fleet responded as she gently laid her saddlebags on the ground. She slunk into the bed and laid on her side. “Perhaps after all the fun and teasing we had tonight, we could have a little release?”
A loving smile graced Daring’s features as she crawled into bed beside Fleet.
“I’d love to,” she whispered before their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss.
What would come next… was glorious.
***
When Fleetfeather awoke, her bed, mane and feathers were all rather disheveled as she found herself wrapped in Daring’s tight embrace.
“Budda, budda, budda; when you need a man, oh cushy, cushy, cushy, cushy; remember I’m your ham…” Daring mutter-sang before she stirred awake.
“Oh, morning, Fleet.” Daring tiredly planted a kiss on Fleet’s snout. “How are you feeling?”
“Hmm… Wonderful,” Fleet answered as she nuzzled Daring’s face and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Me too, Fleet,” Daring whispered as she gently pulled her closer. “Say, wanna take a shower together?”
“Only if you don’t mind seeing me with my eyepatch off.” Fleet pulled away, slipping out of bed and going through some quick stretches.
“No problem.” Daring followed her out of the bed and draped a wing over her back.
The two made their way to the door, but were rather surprised by what they found awaiting them when they opened the door.
Glaring up at them was a rather tired looking Wind Whistler who was glaring daggers at the two of them.
“If you’re gonna fuck my mom, could you not be so damn loud on a school night?!” the little filly angrily exclaimed before sharply turning and heading downstairs.
“Oh… oh Faust…” Fleet’s visage exploded into a vivid scarlet as she used her wings to cover her face.
“Um… sorry about this…” Daring looked away from Fleet as she rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled awkwardly. “Next paycheck, I’ll get some soundproofing installed.”
It was a brisk autumn afternoon as Barrier ducked under the slice of a wooden sword that had almost stuck him in the back of the head. Quickly spinning about, Barrier moved aside and fired a magical blast at the attacker who vanished in a flash.
In a second flash, Barrier raised a shield at his side that blocked the assailant’s follow-up blow.
On the other side of the lawn, Spearmint was attempting to dodge some powerful strikes while delivering some of her own to her attacker. Both managed to dodge more than they took, but there was no question that her opponent had managed to land a few more blows than she did.
A flash appeared in front of Barrier, his opponent was too close for him to be able to raise a shield in time to stop the sword from striking.
“Time out!” A little filly’s voice rang out through the front yard, making the quartet of sparring ponies come to a halt.
Swift’s practice sword was mere millimeters from Barrier’s snout while Spearmint had just managed to push Verdant away. The eyes of the four shifted to Wind Whistler as she walked over to Barrier with High Stakes at her side.
“Hi, Uncle! Hi everypony!” she cheerfully said as the four fell into relaxed stances. “How goes the sparring?”
“Well, I’m getting a handle on teleportation,” Swift answered as she planted the wooden sword into the grass. “Now I only feel a fair amount of nausea when I teleport rather than vomiting.”
“And I’ve gotten a fair bit quicker,” Spearmint chimed in as she rotated her foreleg. “I’m more than a little sore, but it’s a good workout.”
“Hope you’re not hurt,” Verdant said as he stretched out his legs.
“Nah, I’m good,” the shamrock mare replied to the verdant stallion. “Honestly, I’ve felt worse stuff back in high school.”
“Say, Mr. Barrier,” Stakes spoke up, drawing the unicorn’s eye downward. “There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“If it’s a story about the guard, I don’t think I could tell you much. In part due to a majority of them being classified, but also because I can’t think of many that wouldn’t be too gory for a pony your age,” Barrier stated, making the foal roll her eyes.
“It’s not that. It’s about the business Wind Whistler and I’ve been running.” With a flare of pale blue light, her saddlebags rose off her back and landed in front of her, where she began to sort through it.
“Things have been doing so well that I want to expand the business and I figured your front lawn would be a prime location for me to set up.” She continued to rifle through her bag, pulling out a bag of bits and a granola bar. “Would it be okay to set it up here? We’d only need the one half.”
“Hmm…” Barrier looked away, giving her a proposal a brief thought. “Alright, seems fair…” Just as he finished, he saw a piece of paper floating in front of his face, encased in Stakes’ aura. “What is this?”
“It’s a contract,” she said as if it were blatantly obvious. “I want to have our deal in writing. Could you check this over?”
“Very well.” Barrier rolled his eyes tiredly before looking over the contract. Party of the first part, blah blah blah. Party of the second will pay fifty bits a month for rent and utilities, yadda yadda yadda.
“You do realize this wouldn’t be legally binding, right?” Barrier asked as he looked down at her.
“I’m well aware. I’m too young, I don’t have a notary, etcetera etcetera.” High Stakes dismissively waved her hoof. “It’s more just to show we have an agreement about all this stuff in writing rather than just going with a verbal contract.”
“And I thought the war made foals grow up quickly,” Barrier muttered as Stakes held a pen up to him in her magic. Taking the pen, Barrier quickly inscribed his name. With that done, Stakes snatched the pen away and placed a ribbon on the ‘contract’.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Barrier,” she said before tossing her bag of bits towards him. “Here’s the first rent payment. We’ll set it up tomorrow.”
“Alright, take care then,” Barrier said as the two fillies scampered into the house. “Right, shall we continue from where we left off?”
“I believe we should move on to practicing with the paint arrows,” Swift said as she pulled the practice sword from the grass.
“Sure thing, just give me a minute to get on the roof,” Verdant said before darting into the house.
“Hey Swift, I was thinking after this, we could try this one pizza place I spotted this morning. I think it’s called Jungle Karma Pizza,” Spearmint said before spotting the carolina blue mare falling into a defensive stance.
“Sounds like a good thing to try, now ready?” Swift replied before Spearmint took a ready stance similar to Barrier’s.
***
The next day, Barrier decided to relieve his boredom with a long walk around town. It was a refreshing change of pace compared to his usual reading or solo practice.
Practice for what, I don’t know. Barrier sighed and turned a corner, returning to the familiar sight of Starflower Street. What is the point? You don’t want to go back to the guard, and outside of the insanely unlikely chance that a griffin that tried to eat you is back from the grave, it seems utterly pointless.
Before he could think of a mental counterargument, Barrier was snapped from his thoughts by the sight of a long line of foals carrying bags of candy that went past two houses that lead into his property past his open front gate.
Curious to the cause of this line, Barrier teleported past a large chunk of the line and soon went past the gate, where he spotted a fairly long white tent with Wind Whistler, now sporting an intimidating pair of sunglasses, standing by the flap. Looking it over, he spotted a bright orange cord poking out from one of the tent’s corners, connecting it to the house.
“Wind Whistler, what is going on?” The authoritative tone in Barrier’s voice made some of the foals nervously look towards him while Windy stood still like a trained guard.
“It’s our business, Uncle,” Windy responded, standing firmly before the much taller pony. “I’m acting as High Stakes’ enforcer, making sure only paying customers get in and that any troublemakers get tossed out on their flanks.”
“Windy, I’d like to speak to her.” Barrier was barely able to keep a growl out of his tone.
“Normally, I wouldn’t let a candyless pony in, but I’ll let you in due to being pretty much family and our landlord.” Windy picked up the corner of the tent flap before flying up, giving Barrier enough space to enter. “Go on through,” Windy said through gritted teeth.
Without saying a word, Barrier stepped inside the tent. Upon entering, he saw a collection of lights hanging about a small set of tables where ponies were playing card games. What drew Barrier’s eye was the fact the tables seemed to have poker chips upon them. He was then surprised by what looked like a pair of large freezers with padlocks on them off in a back corner, guarded by two foals with sunglasses.
“Hello, Mr. Barrier,” High Stakes voice drew Barrier’s eye down, where he saw the golden coated filly was wearing dark pants and shoes that contrasted her crisp white shirt and red vest. Her little ensemble was topped off by a black bowtie. “What can I do to help you?”
“Stakes, would you mind telling me what exactly is going on here?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he questioned the unicorn filly.
“Ah. Well, let me tell you, this is a place I’ve been dreaming about for the longest time.” Her tone was practically dripping with pride with every word she spoke. “Magic Barrier, welcome to The Candy Casino!”
“You’re… you’re running a casino?” Barrier was stunned by the little filly’s words.
“Yep, and business has been booming ever since we started,” she enthusiastically said. “It’s given a place for foals to play besides the park or arcades, and we have been just raking in the profits!”
“How in Tartarus is this not illegal?” Barrier’s brow quirked upward. “I’ve read up on modern laws, so this should probably break a ton of gambling laws.”
A chuckle came from the filly as she smirked. “Well that would be a problem if it weren’t for two little factors, Mr. Barrier.”
“And what pray tell would those be?” he asked as he lowered himself down to face her.
“Firstly, no actual money is being exchanged here. All wagers are held using candy that has been given a point value. I can provide a chart to see what the rates are,” Stake said as she started to reach into her vest.
“I’ll pass on that. Now, what’s the other thing that lets you avoid getting in trouble?”
“The simple fact is that my games always have some sort of payout.” Stakes sat down and wickedly rubbed her forehooves together. “Every game has the participants always receive a gumball as the prize. This technicality makes it that it doesn’t really count as a gamble since you’re guaranteed some sort of prize, kinda like with trading cards.”
“I’m guessing that a gumball is the lowest value candy on your little chart?” Barrier’s inquiry was met with a nod. “How do you make a profit off this?”
“I sell some of our excess candy back to stores for a tidy profit.” Stakes rubbed a hoof against her vest, as if she were polishing it. “How do you think I was able to give Windy a thousand bits and a briefcase for her birthday?”
“I see,” Barrier said as he rose back onto his hooves. “Still, I’m not sure about having a gambling establishment on my property.”
“Well, you did put it in writing that I’d be allowed to set up, so long as I paid my rent.” Stakes reached into her vest, pulling out their faux-contract.
“One we established is not legally binding,” Barrier instantly replied.
“True, but do you really want to have to talk to my parents about how you broke a written promise to a little filly?” She then put on a pouting puppy-dog face that would melt a lesser heart.
Barrier gave her a flat look and a grumble.
“However... I’d be willing to shut this place down and relocate… if you’re willing to wager for it.” A sinister smirk crossed her features.
“Elaborate.” Barrier bluntly said. “It’d be foolish not to know all the details on this before accepting a bet.”
“It’s simple,” High Stakes said as she looked up at the stallion. “We play some poker with ten chips each. First to lose all their chips loses the game. If I lose, I’ll shut this place down and set up elsewhere.”
“And if I lose?” Barrier’s brow quirked.
“If you want me wagering my casino being here, you've got to wager something of equal value. How about... a million bits!” Stakes smiled villainously as she bounced up in front of him.
“Not a chance, kid,” Barrier bluntly and firmly said.
“Okay, how about…” She put a hoof to her chin as she thought for a moment. “Your soul!”
“No.” Barrier’s reply was somehow even more blunt as he gave her a flat look.
A grumble came from the golden coated filly. “How about if you lose, you've got to provide pizza for my entire class for a whole week. And not just a slice each, a whole pizza for all twenty foals in the class.”
Barrier briefly remained silent as he considered her stakes. “Only if they’re small pizzas.”
“Small, but not personal pan size and I get to pick the restaurant that provides them,” Stakes quickly added.
“Only if the total cost is less than a thousand bits,” Barrier said as he leaned down towards her.
“Deal!” Stakes said before darting over to a table where a little green filly was dealing the cards. “After you finish your round, I’ll be needing this table for a bit.”
The group of foals nodded as Barrier started to wander over.
“Melony, could you bring us a sealed deck and one of the ponies from the house to deal for us?”
“Sure thing boss,” Melony said before flipping over the five cards in front of her. “Ace high straight. House wins.”
The foals at the table groaned as she pulled the chips over to her side before tossing each of them a gumball. The foals then happily moved to other tables while Melony left the tent.
“This should be a good game,” Stakes said as she took Melony’s former place at the table. She tossed ten chips over to Barrier before setting up her own stack.
After a minute or so, Melony returned with Swiftsword in tow. She then pulled a box of cards from her vest and paced it in front of Barrier. “Your deck, sir. Ready for you to inspect.”
Barrier picked up the box with his magic and carefully examined it for any sign of tampering. The box and the plastic wrapping on it made it appear untouched. He then floated the box in front of Swift’s face.
“Please open this and place the cards face up on the table,” he asked as she took the box in her aura. She then tore off the seal, opened the box and made a large fan of the cards.
“It appears to be the standard deck with two Jokers and a card with rules for some games,” the sky-colored unicorn said as she pulled the rules card from the set.
“Is this good enough to make sure this game is fair, Mr. Barrier?” Stakes asked as she put her forehooves together and rested her chin upon them.
“Hmm…” Barrier carefully examined the cards, ensuring they hadn’t been cut to make some smaller. He then cast his aura over to them to try to see if there was some sort of hidden ink markings, only to turn up nothing. “Very well.”
“Good.” A smile appeared on her face. “Shall we have Jokers be wild?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Barrier replied with a cocky grin on his face.
“Good. Miss Swiftsword, if you’ll please shuffle the cards so we may decide the turns?” High Stakes asked, her eyes seeming to be locked on the cards.
“I shall,” she answered as she took the card into a pile and quickly shuffled them. She then dealt a single card.
Barrier’s magic engulfed his card before turning it over. “Nine of Diamonds.”
High Stakes’ magic coated her card before flipping it. “Six of Spades,” she said as she placed it on the table.
“Right. Captain Barrier will go first then.” Swift lit her horn once more as she gathered the cards and shuffled them even quicker than before. She then dealt five face down cards to each opponent.
Barrier kept his face blank as he picked up and examined his cards. He held the King of Clubs, Queen of Hearts, King of Spades, King of Hearts and the Queen of Diamonds.
“I won’t exchange any of my cards and bet one chip.” His magic then levitated a single chip from his stack and placed it on the table.
To his surprise, High Stakes seemed oddly relaxed. She calmly leaned back with a confident smile on her face. She didn’t bother to even pick up her cards before her magic pushed her entire stack of chips forward on the table. “No changes. All in.”
Melony was stunned by what her boss was doing while Swift was merely surprised.
“Nice try, kiddo,” Barrier said before having a light chuckle.
“What do you mean?” She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Barrier.
“I mean, I’ve read GoGo’s Bizarre Adventure so I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make me worry that you’ve got some sort of unstoppable hoof that can beat whatever I may have and make me panic.” Barrier leaned a tiny bit closer. “Trust me, it’s not going to work. I’m not making the same mistake Derby the Elder did.”
High Stakes merely rolled her eyes. “You gonna call or are you gonna fold?”
“I’m calling your bluff.” Barrier’s magic then pushed the rest of his chips forward. “All in. Now let’s see what we’ve got.”
Stakes closed her eyes as Barrier started to lower down his cards. “Full house,” the two simultaneously said, to Barrier’s surprise.
“Wait, how’d you—”
“My turn,” she interrupted, keeping her eyes closed as her aura engulfed her first card and flipped it over, revealing the Ace of Clubs. Barrier’s jaw started to go slack at the sight of the other cards she revealed: The Ace of Diamonds, the Ace of Hearts, a Joker and the Ace of Spades. She then wore a victorious smirk. “Five of a kind.” It was only then she opened her eyes. “I win.”
Barrier and Swift were left speechless at the cards Stakes played as she pulled Barrier’s chips over.
“A word of advice, Miss Swiftsword,” Stakes said before pulling a stick of gum from her vest and popping it into her mouth. “Next time, shuffle the cards in a way that the players can't see them, otherwise there's a chance they'll know what cards are going to be dealt. I taught my dealers that trick already.”
“What?!” Swift was rather incredulous as she looked at the filly. “I sincerely doubt you were able to do that, Miss Stakes. With how quickly I shuffled the cards, you’d only get the tiniest glimpse of them. I’m certain you were simply lucky.”
The golden coated filly sighed and closed her eyes once more. “The next ten cards in the deck are as follows. Two of Diamonds, Five of Hearts, Jack of Clubs, Three of Spades, Seven of Spades, Six of Hearts, Four of Clubs, King of Diamonds, Nine of Clubs and Eight of Hearts.”
Swift gave her a hard look of doubt before taking the cards from the top of the deck and placing them on the table. Her shock grew as she placed more cards on the table, seeing how it perfectly matched her call.
“You played my game and you lost,” Stakes said as she jumped down from her seat. “How do you think I got my cutie mark?”
Barrier let out a sigh as he stepped away from the table. “Right, I’ll go make the arrangements for the pizza week. What restaurant did you want?”
“Jungle Karma Pizza,” the golden filly said as her horn lit up. A red colored gumball levitated up from a compartment under the table and floated in front of Barrier’s face. “And here’s your prize, Mr. Barrier.”
Barrier grumbled a thanks as he grabbed the gumball and walked out of the tent, feeling humiliated by his loss to a little foal.
Well, this has got to be a new low when it comes to humiliation, Barrier. The charcoal stallion’s thoughts taunted him as he headed through the coastal city’s streets. Losing in poker to a little foal, losing what’s going to be hundreds of bits. I’d say this makes the old first time with Saki seem like a minor incident.
“I’m well aware,” he grumbled to himself as he spotted the sign on the sidewalk that read ‘Jungle Karma Pizza’ outside the two story brick building.
To think, the amount of bits you now have to blow would have likely bought a small house back in the old days. The pestering thoughts continued as he approached the door. Makes it all the funnier that you’re the only pony in the house without a source of income.
Barrier paused as he reached for the door. He realized that despite hating what his mind’s taunts were saying, they were correct. He’d gotten comfortable to the point of personal stagnation.
Loosing a sigh, Barrier pulled open the door and stepped into the restaurant. “I'll find a job soon.”
“Welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza,” a violet earth pony stallion in a white uniform said from behind a counter as Barrier drew closer. Adorning the top of his dark purple mane was a chef’s hat that matched his outfit. “How can I help you today?”
“Well Mr…” Barrier’s eyes quickly darted towards a name tag on the stallion’s shirt before returning to his face. “Raspberry Jam, how much would it cost for one hundred small pizzas?”
The violet chef had a small chuckle. “First, call me R.J.. Second, that many little pies would cost… about six-hundred and fifty bits. Might I ask why you’d want to know that?”
“Because I made a foolish mistake,” Barrier replied. “Now I just need to make an arrangement with the principal of Wind Whistler’s school.”
“Oh, and what arrangement is that?” Barrier’s attention was drawn towards the far end of the counter, where a brown-coated earth pony stallion with a nicely trimmed dark brown mane was standing.
“You’re the principal?” Barrier was somewhat surprised by the sight of the stallion as he drew closer. “I can’t say I was expecting to meet up with you so conveniently.”
“And I can’t say I’d expected to meet somepony connected to a filly who turned into an adult before turning into a colt and back again on the one day my husband and I didn’t feel like cooking,” he said as he came up to Barrier before holding a hoof out to him. “Principal Hardbound Text, at your service.”
“Magic Barrier,” he replied as he took the stallion’s hoof.
“Ah, the famed uncle who could kick the flank of anypony’s dad. I’ve heard of you.” Hardbound chuckled before pulling his hoof away. “So, what did you need to speak to me about?”
Barrier let out an annoyed sigh before speaking. “Well, Principal Hardbound, I’m obligated to arrange a pizza week for my niece’s entire class due to some really poor decision making on my part.”
“Let me guess,” an amused grin appeared on the principal’s face. “You made a bet with High Stakes, didn’t you?”
Barrier nodded in affirmation, making the two stallions he was with roar with laughter.
“Oh, I’ve been there before,” Hardbound said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I ended up losing my favorite watch to her. Twice!”
“I swear, she’ll be a millionaire before she turns twenty,” R.J. said before ducking behind the counter. When he rose back up, he had a notepad in his left forehoof and a pencil behind his right ear. “So, want to place the order now so we can get this all set up?”
“Might as well,” Barrier said as he pulled a large bag of bits from his saddlebags, along with his flask.
“Just give me the paperwork when my order’s done, R.J.,” Hardbound chuckled one more time before moving back to the part of the counter he previously occupied.
“You got it. Lily should have your order ready shortly.” With a surprisingly dexterous flick of his hoof, R.J. quickly moved the pencil to his mouth and jotted down Barrier’s order. “Right, I’ll be sure to have the first wave of orders set for Monday.”
“Thank you,” Barrier said as R.J. opened up the bag and counted his bits.
“By the way,” R.J.’s words made Barrier pause before he could move away from the counter. “I couldn’t help but overhear you’re looking for a job.”
“For the record, I’m not that experienced as a cook. I primarily specialize in pancakes and I have sincere doubts I’d make a good delivery stallion.” Barrier stated, making R.J. chuckle.
“Don’t make assumptions, Barrier. I can tell you’re a fighter just by looking at you.” R.J. leaned over the counter towards the unicorn. It was then that Barrier spotted an odd tattoo on his foreleg that looked like a trio of black claw marks.
“At any rate, a friend of mine who was a self-defense trainer at the community center recently retired, so I figured maybe that’d be something up your alley.”
“Hmm… Perhaps that’d be worth a shot.” Barrier gave his chin a rub as he thought.
“I figure you’d be a shoe-in. All you’d need is the approval of Heavy Weight, the head physical trainer there.”
“I have to admit, that does sound like a job that’d be fitting for me.” Barrier nodded to the purple pony. “Any advice?”
“Hmm…” R.J. looked towards the ceiling for a brief moment of thought. “I believe she tends to be there fairly early in the morning and that’s when I think she’d be in the best mood.”
“Got it,” Barrier said before he turned towards the door. “Thanks for the advice, R.J.. I’ll be sure to remember it.”
“No problem. Have a nice day.” R.J. waved as the door closed behind the unicorn.
“Y’think you should have warned him about what Heavy Weight’s like?” Hardbound Text asked from his spot.
“Nah, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” R.J. dismissively waved before thinking over the principal’s question. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be unharmed… Well, not permanently harmed anyways.”
***
After a quick breakfast and some coffee, Barrier arrived at the community center promptly at seven in the morning. Stepping inside, he made his way to a large area in the back of the community center which served as a gym.
Oddly enough, there was only one pony in the gym at the moment. It was a freckled earth pony with a light pink coat and a deeper shade of pink for her mane, tied into a ponytail. She was garbed in a white t-shirt and a pair of red shorts. She seemed to be focused on the stretches she was going through, her eyes sealed shut.
“Excuse me,” Barrier called out, making the pink mare open her blue eyes and look at him. “I’m looking for a pony by the name of Heavy Weight.”
“Well, you found her,” she cheerfully said as she walked up to him. “Are you planning on signing up for my exercise courses? If so, it’ll be a few hours before we start.”
“Actually, I was told to speak to you about applying for the role of self-defense teacher,” Barrier replied as he looked the mare over. He found himself rather surprised that this average looking pony was called Heavy Weight.
“Aw, wonderful!” A wide grin stretched across the pink mare’s face, sending a cold shiver down Barrier’s spine. “Now, can you tell me what your qualifications are Mister?”
“Barrier. Magic Barrier,” the unicorn started. “I was a member of the guard for just over twenty years, the last two being spent training a group of cadets in an experimental program.” His horn glowed a bright blue as he opened up his saddlebags and pulled out a resume. “Here’s a more detailed list of my credentials.”
Heavy snatched the paper from the air and quickly looked over it. “Okay, hope you don’t mind me putting you through your paces.”
“Perfectly fine by me, ma’am,” Barrier replied. “What would you like me to do?”
“Well, how about you run as fast as you can and then do a bit of a kata for me?” Heavy asked as she sat down. For an instant, Barrier thought the floor shook from the force of her sitting.
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Barrier said before starting to gallop around the gym, interweaving between some of the equipment and weight sets that were strewn about. Once he had lapped the large room, he skidded to a halt in front of Heavy Weight who seemed surprisingly unimpressed.
After a brief moment to catch his breath, Barrier started to fall into the well practiced movements that not only he had trained under, but movements he’d had the privates practice for many an hour.
Once the kata was done, Barrier trotted up towards the painfully pink mare. “So, any thoughts?”
“Hmm…” She brought a hoof to her chin. “It seems pretty good. Sorry if I don’t sound impressed, it’s just that I have a bit of a hard time measuring ponies’ strength compared to my own. I’m actually not allowed to compete in sports competitions because of this.”
“Really?” Barrier’s eyebrow quirked. “That seems a bit surprising.” I’d also say hard to believe, but then again, I’ve lost a game of poker to a nine-year old who could keep track of how quickly Swift shuffled, so what do I know.
“Say, would you be willing to help me get a ball down?” Heavy pointed towards the ceiling. When Barrier craned his neck up, he spotted a basketball that was lodged up in some of the metal beams high above.
“I don’t see why not.” Barrier shrugged his shoulders before he felt Heavy grabbing onto his sides. He immediately regretted his previous words when she tossed him up into the air. It took every ounce of his will to not scream like a terrified foal.
Just as he felt the force sending him upward had stopped, he saw that he was now in front of the lodged basketball. On instinct, he plucked the ball free with his magic just before he felt gravity reasserting itself and sending him tumbling back downwards.
Halfway into descent that would surely severely injure him, if not outright kill him, Barrier found himself being grabbed in mid-air. The unicorn found himself in Heavy Weight’s grasp before she managed to land on her hindlegs and gently set Barrier down.
“And that is why I’m not allowed to compete in sports. Friggin’ magical anomaly,” she muttered her last few words as she gently dusted herself off. She didn’t seem to notice that Barrier was staring at her with a slack jaw. “So, you still want the job?”
“Uh… yes, I would…” Barrier hesitantly answered.
WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU THINKING?! Barrier’s mind screamed at him. YOU’RE VOLUNTEERING TO WORK WITH A PINK DEVIL!
“I need to do something for a job and this still seems like the best option,” he quickly muttered under his breath.
“Alright, Mr. Barrier,” Heavy cheerfully said as she trotted up to him. “I’ll just have to get your credentials checked, run a background check, etcetera and we’ll be all set. Should only be a few weeks before you hear from us again.”
“Very well then, Ms. Heavy Weight,” Barrier said before he turned and started to trot back to the entrance. “Just don’t use me as a projectile ever again.”
“Aww,” Heavy put on a large frown. “But you’d be perfect for the javelin throw.”
“Uhh… I’ll keep that in mind,” the onyx unicorn said before slipping out the exit. Once he was out of sight, he let loose a large sigh. “Well, at least that’s over with. With any luck I should hopefully land a job.”
***
It was past three as Barrier finished reading one of his books and had a long stretch. Soon after, he languidly rose from the couch as he heard the front door open and the sound of small hooves bolting towards him.
As soon as she turned the corner, Wind Whistler found herself halted in her charge. The little filly pouted while Barrier smirked and picked her up before pulling her into a hug. “Good afternoon, Windy. How’s your day gone?”
“Pretty good, Uncle,” The little filly replied as Fleetfeather walked into the room. “I had to toss somepony out the gate for once and Stakes gave me a nice bonus for it.”
“Well, hopefully you didn’t rough them up too hard,” Barrier said as he set the filly down before facing Fleet. “How about you?”
“Pretty good,” Fleet answered as she gave her wings a stretch. “We’ve got everything set up for tonight’s snowfall. This time, it’s here to stay for the season.”
“Well, that will be a bit of a nice change to the scenery.” Barrier and Fleet both trotted over to the table. “So, what would you like to have for dinner tonight, Windy?”
“Hmm… is pizza an option?” Wind Whistler wore a grin at the flat look Barrier gave her, forcing her to choke down a snicker.
“I just spent hundreds of bits setting up your boss’s little pizza week at school. I’m not buying pizza again for a long damn time.” As Barrier took his seat, Windy felt her dam breaking and fell into a laughing fit.
“Well…” Fleet tapped her hooves against the table. “Maybe we get Windy and the rest some pasta for delivery while I treat you, Daring and I to a nice fancy dinner tonight at the Four D’s?”
“That sounds wonderful, Fleet,” Barrier replied, giving her a warm smile. “On a side-note, I applied for a role as a self-defense instructor today.”
“R.J.’s gonna have you teach ponies how to fight? That’s awesome!” Windy excitedly said, hopping onto the table and wagging her tail in a puppy-like fashion.
“Uh, no, Windy.” Barrier’s magic picked up the now frowning filly and set her back down into her seat. “He had me meet up with Heavy Weight at the community center. If she likes my credentials, I’ll be teaching there, possibly under her supervision.”
“Awww, but R.J.’s a Pai Zhua master! He’s an awesome fighter.” Windy then childishly crossed her forelegs.
“Yeah, and I’m sure he’s a Pony Ranger too,” Barrier said as he rose from his seat. “So, what kind of pasta would you like, kiddo?
“... Fettuccine Alfredo… with hay bacon bits…” She answered before Barrier gave her mane a light tussling.
“No problem, dear,” Fleet said just as she heard the front door open. Turning about, she saw Daring in her full Yearling attire. “Perfect timing. Do you feel like having a nice romantic dinner with Barrier and I?”
“Sure thing,” Daring said as she pulled her glasses from her eyes. “Just give me a few minutes to take a shower and put on a clean disguise.”
A cool breeze wafted through the air as Swiftsword and Spearmint trotted along the pier, ignoring the light layer of snow. Spearmint was enjoying a hot snack on a stick while Swiftsword’s was being scrutinized as it floated in her magical aura.
“I still say the damned name of these makes no sense,” the unicorn said as her eyes examined every millimeter, making Spearmint chuckle and roll her eyes. “Other than having a stick, this has nothing to do with those bouncing pole toys.”
“Then just call them corn dogs, Swift!” Spearmint laughed as she took another bite.
“I’d argue that name makes even less sense.” Swift sighed before taking a bite and swallowing. “While it has cornbread as a coating, what’s in the center has nothing to do with dogs. It’s a sausage made of either tofu or pork.”
“Hmm…” The minty mare hummed as she enjoyed the last bite of her corn dog before tossing the stick in a recycling bin. “Well, at any rate, they’re quite tasty.”
“I think I’d prefer burritos over it.” Swift’s remark drew another chuckle from the green earth pony. “What’s so funny, Spear?”
“Sorry Swift, it’s just that based on my experience with nobles in the past, you’re a lot different than what I’d expect.”
“Could you please elaborate?” Swift asked before taking another bite of her treat.
“I mean, you’re really refined in many ways and you have a certain grace that you’d expect from a noblemare, but you’ve also got a fondness for foods that’d likely be dismissed as for commoners. On top of that, you play the electric guitar.”
“It’s not my fault I found the lute to be a boring instrument,” Swift answered between bites of her corn dog. “Now the axe, that is an instrument with some power behind it.”
“Still, it’s something I really like about you,” Spearmint said as she leaned closer to Swift, giving her face a nuzzle. “Say, do you have anything planned for Hearth’s Warming?”
“Well, I hadn’t put too much thought into it.” Swift turned her head to look into the windows of the various shops that ran alongside the pier. “I’ll probably get you and my housemates some gifts, and perhaps spend time with you for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Uh, Swift? About that…” Spearmint nervously rubbed her neck. “I promised my sister that I’d spend Hearth’s Warming at her place.”
“Oh? Well, wouldn't I be able to visit? I’ve little doubt I could afford a train ticket.”
“It’s not that, Swift.” Spearmint swallowed as she came to a halt.
“Is it an issue of space at your sister’s place?” A note of worry entered Swift’s voice as her next question came up. “Or because we’re both mares?”
“No, it’s not that, Swift.” Spearmint smiled as she laid a reassuring hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “It’s more I worry how she’d react to the age thing.”
Swift let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, is that all?” She chuckled before finishing off the last of her corn dog. “If she raises that concern, I will merely remind her I am an adult who is a trained soldier and who was bred to be a warrior. I trained for years in the way of the sword with the intent to kill griffins and I have slain ponies both living and undead alike. I’m certain the age difference will be of little consequence.”
A look of astonishment struck Spearmint’s face.
“Is something wrong, Spearmint?” Swift worriedly asked as she placed a hoof on her companion’s cheek.
“No, just… well, if I were a pegasus, my wings would be sticking straight out right now.” Spearmint’s remark drew a powerful, full bellied laugh from Swift.
“Ah, I appreciate a mare with a liking for strength.” The unicorn gave Spearmint a quick peck on the cheek. “Rest assured, I think your sister will be happy for us.”
“Thanks, Swift.” Spearmint gave the blue mare a kiss of her own. “Say Swift, since I keep calling you that for short, could you come up with a nickname for me as well?”
“Such as?” Swift tilted her head and brought a hoof to her chin.
“Well, how about Minty? That's what my sister calls me,” Spearmint said before running a hoof through her mane.
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I think Verdant said that was his grandmother’s name.” Swift put a hoof to her chin and attempted to think of a new nickname, only to be halted by Spearmint hitting her with a set of puppy dog eyes. “Well, I suppose Minty is a good nickname.”
“Wonderful.” A large smile quickly spread across Spearmint’s face as she deactivated her weaponized cuteness. “Say, have you thought about what you’d like for Hearth’s Warming?”
“Hmm… Not really.” Swiftsword replied as she looked down towards the beach, where she spotted a gathered crowd of ponies doing some stretches. “Maybe some Flame Crest books or some hair metal albums. What about you, dear?”
“Well,” Spearmint brought a hoof to her chin. “There’s… Nah, forget it. Too expensive.”
“Minty, I assure you, nearly anything you’d like is unlikely to be too expensive.” Swift said as she looked into Minty’s deep green eyes. “Please, tell me.”
“Okay,” Spearmint rubbed the back of her neck. “Some jewelers are making custom necklaces based on the Elements of Harmony, but they have the gem in it custom made to look like your own cutie mark.”
“Ah. Some jewelry. That sounds like a wonderful gift.” Swift cheerfully nodded. “Will I need to have a photo taken of your cutie mark for the jeweler?”
“Swift, please. That would be really expensive.” Minty darted in front of the unicorn. “Like, about five thousand bits.”
“Only five thousand?” Swiftsword chuckled. “My dear, I paid four times that much for my gala attire. Besides, my fellow privates and I not only have a good deal saved away, but I have been studying business investments to further increase my house’s wealth. I assure you, getting you this necklace for Hearth’s Warming would merely be a drop in the bucket.”
“Swift… Are you sure?” Minty asked as she took one of Swift’s hooves in her own.
“Absolutely, Minty,” Swift answered as she leaned in and gave the mint-colored mare a nuzzle.
“Okay… But I’m gonna work my rump off to find you a great present.” Minty pulled Swift into a hug, which the taller mare quickly returned.
“I’d advise against that. I rather like your rump.” Swift chuckled as she leaned into the hug.
Once the two pulled away, Swift’s attention then fell upon the stretching ponies once more. “Minty, what are those ponies doing?”
“Oh, I’m guessing they’re polar bears. They run into the freezing waters, usually for some sort of charitable cause… or they’re just nuts and want to take the physical challenge.” As Minty finished her explanation, the two spotted Winter Gem and Hat Trick as they exited one of the nearby stores.
A smirk then crossed Swiftsword’s features. “Oh, Gem! Hatty! How would you like to partake in a physical challenge for charity?”
“Swift,” Minty said as she placed a hoof on Swift’s shoulder while the others drew closer. “I really don’t think we should do this.”
“What’s the challenge?” Gem asked as she and Hatty came to a halt.
“Running out into the freezing water with the rest of those ponies.” Minty pointed towards the nearby beach. “There’s no way in Tartarus I’m doing this. Especially since we just ate.”
“Isn’t that an old pony’s tale?” Swift inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Even if it is, I’m not doing it.” Minty started to trot away. “I’m thinking I’ll head back to the manor to watch a movie. Wanna come with?”
“I think I shall,” Swift answered, quickly following behind Spearmint.
“What about you, Gem?” When Hatty looked to his side, he saw that Winter Gem was no longer there. Instead, he saw her leaning against a railing, looking out towards the prepping ponies. “I thought you hated cold stuff?”
“Oh, I do… but I don’t like turning down physical challenges.” Gem looked over towards the pegasus. “Besides, not only is this apparently for charity, but the snowfall only started two days ago. How bad could it be?”
Halfway to the manor, Swiftsword and Spearmint both heard a loud screech that echoed all throughout Vanhoover.
“I REGRET EVERYTHING!!!”
***
The pair had a rather pleasant walk as they approached the manor. However, just as the pair reached the gate, the sounds of a yelling mare seemed to be growing ever closer.
Looking over her shoulder, Swift spotted Punch screeching; “Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys!!!!!!!” before skidding to a halt in front of them.
Taking a deep gasping breath, Punch threw herself at Swift hooves. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” She groveled before Swift lifted her back onto her hooves.
“Punch, calm down. What’s going on?” Swift asked as she brushed some snow off the pink mare’s form. “What are you so sorry about?”
Taking a moment to catch her breath. Her face soon became a redder shade of pink as she nervously rubbed her left foreleg. “Well, there was a bit of an accident in cooking class and… well…” She gave a large, hard swallow. “I set Verdant on fire.”
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that? You grew too quiet towards the end,” Swift asked as she leaned in.
“I set Verdant on fire.” Her words were even harder to make out.
“Come again?” Minty asked as she tilted her head.
“I SET VERDANT ON FIRE!” Punch exclaimed, making Minty gasp in shock.
“You WHAT?!” Swift threateningly asked as her horn started to angrily flare.
“It was an accident!” Punch pleaded as she started to back away. “I screwed up and made some grease in my pan catch fire! I tried to throw it into the sink, but some of the burning grease fell on Verdant!”
“He had better be in good condition, Punch,” Swift said as she threateningly approached.
“Thankfully, Splash got a fire extinguisher and put it out after a couple seconds.” Punch’s answer made the light from Swift’s horn vanish before she let out a sigh of relief. “Some of his mane and tail got burnt, and his vest was ruined, but I think he’ll be okay.”
“Alright,” Swift replied before taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry for how I acted, Punch.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it, Swift.” The pink mare put a hoof on the noblemare’s shoulder. “I know how much you care about your housemates. I’d react the same way if one of my siblings were hurt.”
“Thank you, Punch.” Swift smiled as the pink mare pulled the hoof away. “Where’s he now?”
“I gave Erica and Splash my bit bag so they could take him to see Tidy Trim to see if she could do something about his hair,” Punch answered. “I figure after that, they’ll probably take him to S.O.U.P. to get a new vest. Can’t say I blame him for wanting one. That’s one nasty scar on his back.”
“Very well.” Swift gave the pink mare a nod. “Thank you for telling us and trying to help out, Punch.” The sky blue unicorn then gave her friend a quick hug. “I’ll see you later.”
“Sure thing, Swift,” Punch said as she turned about. “I’m looking forward to the new recipes I’ll get to try tomorrow. Bye!” She then waved to Swift, who returned it alongside Minty.
Once Punch was out of sight, Swift let out a sigh as she pushed her way past the gate. “Well, I’m glad Verdant’s fine. Punch had me worried.”
“Yeah. Though there’s one thing I wonder…” Minty put a hoof to her chin as she pondered.
“What’s that?” Swift asked as she looked over her shoulder.
“Why is he buying clothes at the soup store?” Minty was rather baffled when Swift started to laugh heartily.
***
A little more than an hour later, Verdant and Erica stepped through the door. His mane and tail were now both shorter and a bit more rugged looking. Adding to this new look was his new vest, which was more defined yellow than his previous somewhat yellowish-green.
“Hey guys,” Verdant said somewhat nervously as he and Erica drew closer, one of her wings tightly draped over his back. “How do I look?”
“Looking good buddy,” Hatty said as he flew closer to him. “I’d say it’s an improvement. Less ‘colt next door’.”
“I’m with him,” Gem added. “I find it’s a lot more handsome. Really makes you look more like a stallion than a teenager.”
“Thanks guys,” Verdant said as he gave his housemates a weak smile. “Say, Erica and I are still a bit shaken up, so I don’t really feel like cooking dinner.”
“Not a problem,” Forge replied as he drew closer. “I’ll go get us some takeout and I’ll bring it up to you two. I’ll even keep it nice and warm for you. Does Burrito Burro sound good?”
“Sure thing. Thanks, Forge,” Erica said as she and Verdant headed towards the stairs. “We’ll just be upstairs if you need us.”
“No sweat,” Barrier said as Forge headed for the door. “Hope you feel better soon.”
***
After approximately a half hour, Forge stepped back through the manor’s door with several paper bags carried in his orange aura. “Dinner’s here!”
“Thank you, Forge,” Swift said as he started to give out bags of food. “I’ll take Verdant and Erica’s food up to them.”
“Thanks, Swift,” Forge replied as he continued to pass along the food.
Swift made her way up to Verdant’s room a moment later. Gently pushing the door open, she saw he and Erica were cuddled up in each other’s forelegs, softly sleeping.
With a smile, Swift placed the bag of food on Verdant’s nightstand and quietly opened the bag to let the warm meal’s aroma gradually reach their noses. As she turned to leave the room, Swift noticed that on Verdant’s table was a collection of six pony plushies. Based on what the shamrock stallion had told her before, the dolls seemed to be based upon his lost sisters.
“Oh, Verdant…” she whispered as she headed for the door. Just as she crossed the threshold, the sound of Erica yawning and stretching reached her ears.
“Thanks, Swift,” the hen said before gently nudging the stallion awake. “Wakey-wakey, Verdant. Dinner’s here.”
Swift soon arrived in the living room, where she saw Minty sitting on one of the couches waiting for her. “How are they doing?”
“They were having a little nap before I dropped off the food,” Swift said as she took a seat at Minty’s side and pulled her burrito out of a bag. “What do you think of the food?”
“Well, I think I’m starting to develop a taste for chicken,” Minty said before taking another bite.
“Wait until you try bacon,” Swift said with a grin before taking a bite of her meal. “That’s a true miracle meat.”
***
Night soon came to the Vanhoover manor. One by one the manor’s various residents started to head off to bed, leaving only Swift and Minty to chat amongst themselves in the living room.
“So, any plans for tomorrow?” Swift asked as she stretched out on the couch. “I think we could get some good sparring in.”
“Actually...” Minty rubbed the back of her neck, making Swift’s brow raise. “I was thinking I should head back to Tall Tale tomorrow. It’s been a bit since I checked in on my sister and I promised I’d help her decorate her place for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Ah, not a problem,” Swift happily said. “I hope it goes well, Minty.”
“Same here,” the minty mare said before giving Swift a kiss on the cheek. “Say, Swift? Before I head home, think we could… well…”
“Fornicate like rabbits in heat?” Swift’s words caused an explosion of pink to dance across Minty’s face. “I’d love to, my dear. Come, let us make for the bedroom.”
The two trotted alongside one another, leaning into each other as they headed up the stairs. Making no noise, the two made their way into Swift’s rather spartan bedroom. It was furnished with only a bed, a nightstand with a lamp, and a small desk with a collection of books on them.
Spearmint crawled onto the bed and laid back before Swiftsword climbed on top of her. She then leaned forward and gave the earth pony a kiss as she wrapped Spearmint’s minty green forelegs around her waist.
What would come next was glorious.
***
Spearmint was left gasping as Swiftsword laid down by her side. “I… Whoa… You were... incredible.”
“So were you, my dear Minty treat.” Swift softly smiled before pulling her into a deep kiss.
“I mean that thing with your horn? It was like fireworks!” A shiver of pleasure ran down Minty’s spine at the mere thought of it.
“Oh, that reminds me. You’re on the pill, right?” Swift asked as she sat up.
“...What?” Spearmint went pale at the unicorn’s question.
“I mean, don’t they teach you that in school? If a unicorn does what I did to a mare, it can cause pregnancy, even if the unicorn’s another mare.”
“WHAT?!” Minty exclaimed as she bolted upright.
Swift started to snicker, which soon grew into full blown laughter. “I can’t believe you fell for that!” The unicorn’s rambunctious laughter was cut off by the minty mare smacking her in the face with a pillow before the pair broke out with laughter.
A series of furious raps came from the other side of her bedroom door.
“Pipe down, you two! I’ve got school tomorrow!” Wind Whistler’s furious shout came from the hallway, soon followed by muffled grumblings.
The green and blue mares both felt their coats turning a bright scarlet.
On a pleasant snowy day, Snow Sweeper was travelling through a snow-laden park with his dear Iron Forge by his side. He let out a deep breath just so he could see it hanging in the cold air.
“Have I ever said how much I love this time of year, Forge?” the pegasus asked as he watched his breath slowly fade away. After a moment, he turned to look at the cobalt unicorn. “Forge?”
When he looked at his boyfriend, he saw that his eyes were focused on a pair of parents playing with their foals in a nearby spot of the park. “Oh, sorry. You were saying, Snow?” The stallion turned his gaze, refocusing on his companion.
“Forge...” Snow took Forge’s hoof in his. “Is something on your mind?”
“Oh… well...” Forge looked away, his eyes rapidly shifting.
“You can tell me, Forge.” Snow tenderly squeezed the unicorn’s hoof. “Whatever it is, I’d like to help.”
“It’s a bit of a long story…”
“And we’ve both finished our day’s work, so we’ve got plenty of time on our hooves, Hot Stuff,” Snow said as reassuringly as possible.
“Okay.” Forge took a deep breath before he continued. “I never told my parents I was gay before. Even when I was about to head off to the Crystal Empire, I promised my mother that I’d sire plenty of foals.”
“Oh, is that it?” Snow replied before softly chuckling. “Forge, keeping your promise to your mom is easier than ever now. You could just become a sperm donor.”
“Well, I know I could, but there are some concerns about that.” The unicorn was having trouble looking his love in the eye. “Like, what if the clinic were to turn me down?”
“I’m pretty sure they’d accept you, Forge.” Snow let go of the unicorn’s hoof before gently placing it on his cheek. “You’d just need to get a check up and then you should be ready to go spend some time with Mr. Frog.”
A chuckle then came from the pegasus. “Besides, I figure this is probably a better use for your sperm than filling my stomach or my—”
“But…” Forge interjected. “What if the children I sire end up with bad parents?”
“Oh…” The joking tone vanished from Snow’s voice before he let out a sigh. “I’ll admit, that is a possibility, but I think that the families that use this kind of service have to go through some sort of screening process.”
“Maybe…” Forge turned back to look Snow in the eye. “But what if I want to be able to spend time with the foals I make?”
“Well…” Snow took the foreleg from Forge’s cheek and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. I think maybe that you’d have to chat with whoever you donate to, in order to make some sort of arrangement… But…”
Forge’s brow rose, curious about where the pegasus was going.
“Maybe… Maybe, mind you, some time down the line…” Snow gave a swallow. “If we’re still together in a few years or something, maybe I could talk my sister into acting as a surrogate mother if we choose to have foals together.”
“Wait, really?” A glimmer of hope was in Forge’s tone as he grasped Snow’s hoof.
“Like I said, maybe,” Snow said as he saw the twinkle in his eyes. “That would be a big step and we’ve only known each other for a few months.”
“Ah. Very true.” Forge moved in close and gave the pegasus a nuzzle. “Still, no matter what, thanks.”
“No sweat, Forge.” Snow returned the nuzzle before giving the unicorn a peck on the lips. “Say, do you know anyone who is a sperm donor already?”
“Well, I think Barrier and Verdant might be sperm donors,” Forge said as he brought a hoof to his chin.
“In that case, it might be a good idea to ask them about this since they might have some insight that I don’t,” Snow said as he moved to Forge’s side before covering his back with a wing.
“That does seem like a good idea,” Forge replied as he nodded. “So, where would you like to go for dinner?”
“I don’t know about you, but I was thinking of getting some chili and toast from Pepper Belle’s.” Snow licked his lips at the thought of the hot food. “Would be a nice contrast to the cold weather.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Forge said before placing a kiss on the pegasus’ cheek. After that, maybe I’ll be thinking of my own plans.
***
As Forge stepped into the manor, he covered his mouth with a hoof to suppress a belch. The food was quite tasty, but I’ll be having gas for hours.
Heading towards the living room, he saw that Gem and Hatty were playing a game of Battleship.
“Evening,” Forge said as he entered the room. “Say, where’s everypony else?”
“Swift should be on her way back from dropping Spearmint off at the train station soon,” Gem said as she picked up a red peg with her teeth. “Verdant’s upstairs, Fleet’s taking Windy to see a movie, and Barrier and Daring are out on the town. B-15.”
A sigh came from Hatty before placing a peg on one of his ships. “Hit.”
“Alright,” Forge said as he pulled an about face. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
A moment later, the cobalt stallion had arrived outside of Verdant’s room. With a swallow, he gave the door a knock.
“Come in.” The shamrock stallion’s voice came from the other side before Forge opened the door. “Hey Forge, what’s up?” Verdant asked as he placed a bookmark in his manga and set it aside.
“Well, I was hoping I could ask you some questions about being a sperm donor,” Forge said before sitting down on the bed near Verdant.
“Well, hopefully I can help you,” Verdant said as he sat up. “I did a fair bit of reading before signing up for it, so fire away.”
“Very well.” After a deep breath, Forge started to speak again. “Do those that want to use artificial insemination have to go through some sort of screening process?”
“Oh yeah, they have to go through a whole lot of hoops,” Verdant replied. “I think I recall them mentioning inspecting their living space, background checks, income check and all sorts of stuff. Even couples that are using this process with their own cells have to go through a screening process, and this is rather pricey for them to go through.”
“Hmm… I see.” Forge nodded along. “What about if you want to be in the lives you sire?”
“Now, that’s a bit more complicated,” Verdant replied as he stretched out. “I personally chose to sign that anyone qualified can use my sperm without having to ask me for permission. Still, the clinic here does allow you to speak to the prospective parents and make arrangements for this.”
“That does sound pretty good,” Forge said as he brought a chin to his hoof. “Might I ask why you were so willing to let anypony use your sperm?”
“Sure thing, but it’s not just ponies I allow,” Verdant said as he started to lay back. “You can choose what species and tribes are allowed to use your sperm, including donkeys, zebras, griffins, etcetera. I chose to allow every compatible species to have my foals since I promised my mother I’d sire as many as possible.
“As for why I chose to make it that they don’t need to contact me, I did so because I figure that the clinic’s screening process should help ensure the foals all go to good families.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Forge said as he looked down on the laying pony. “Do you know how many ladies are carrying your foals right now?”
“Yep.” A smile appeared on the stallion’s white muzzle. “Currently, it’s now five, including Strawberry Sundae. She and Summer went to the extra effort of contacting me and saying they’d like the foal I sire to know me.”
Forge hummed as he contemplated Verdant’s words. “Well, thank you for the insight, Verdant,” He said as he slid off the bed. “By the way, how are you doing after that incident?”
Verdant sighed as he stood back up. “I’m doing better. I’m a bit skittish over cooking something with oil or grease, but I figure I’ll recover from that soon enough.”
“For what it’s worth, I do find you’re more handsome looking with your new look,” Forge said as he opened the bedroom door.
“Thanks Forge.” Verdant smiled as the unicorn walked out the door. “Hope what I said helps.”
“It certainly did, Verdant.” Forge said as headed towards his room.
***
Forge had made his decision. The next day, he went to the doctor’s for an examination. Three days later, he found himself in the office once more. The clock seemed to tick ever so slowly as he awaited the doctor’s return.
A moment later, the door creaked open and a bespectacled alabaster mare with an orange mane entered the room. “Good news, Mr. Forge. The test results and paperwork say you’re fully qualified to become a sperm donor.”
“Thank you, Dr. Remedy.” Forge let out a sigh of relief as a clipboard and pen were levitated over to him in a dark aura.
“All you need to do is check the boxes and sign your name, then you’ll be all ready to donate your sample.” The mare cheerfully said as she adjusted her purple frames.
“Very well,” Forge said as he looked over the wide assortment of boxes on the form.
Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies and thestrals? Check, check, check and check. Donkeys? … Hmm. I don’t think so. Mum probably would like grandchildren who could have their own children. Zebras? Check, though I wonder what they’d look like. Griffins…
Forge paused as he stared intensely at the box.
After a long hard moment of consideration, Forge took the pen and checked the box.
Mum would probably have a heart attack at the thought of a griffin having her grandchild, but if a griffin meets this place’s qualifications, they’ll probably be good parents, he thought to himself as he finished up the paperwork and gave it back to the doctor.
“Alright,” she said as she quickly looked over it before pulling a small plastic container from one of the office drawers. “Everything seems to be in order. Now head over to room 104 and fill this cup with your sample. Then place it at the front desk.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Forge said as he slid off the examination table and out the door. “I shouldn’t be too long.”
Forge wasted no time in making his way down the hall, soon finding himself in front of the proper room. Taking a quick breath, the stallion went inside. He saw there was a collection of magazines with some provocatively posed mares on the covers.
Forge chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Oh well, they tried,” he said as he unscrewed the cap from the cup.
The cobalt unicorn sighed before looking down between his forelegs. “Well lads, this is where we say farewell. I’m sure you’ll be going to some great parents.”
***
After a hearty dinner that Snow Sweeper joined in on, Forge laid on his bed with his boyfriend cuddling up beside him.
“So, how are you feeling, Forge?” Snow asked as he nuzzled Forge’s neck.
“Pretty good,” the unicorn replied as he stretched out. “Just a bit weird to think that someone will have a foal that I’ve sired.”
“I’m sure they’ll be in good hooves… or wombs in this case.” Snow’s words made the two stallions chuckle as they held each other close.
“At any rate, I’m going to be heading back in about three days from now to give them another sample,” Forge stated.
“Actually,” a sexy grin came across Snow’s face as he sat up. “I think you should wait four days instead.”
“But Dr. Remedy said that I should wait every three days between...” It was then that Forge looked up to see the look on Snow’s face as he crawled atop of him. “Ooooh! Right. I see. That does sound like a good idea.”
Forge pulled Snow Sweeper down into a deep, passionate kiss. Snow’s wings started to rise as he felt Forge slowly start to push his tongue into the pegasus’ mouth.
What would come next was glorious.
***
Two days later, after spending the previous night over, Forge and Snow headed downstairs with the rest of the household as Verdant and Barrier were cooking up breakfast.
“Hey Forge,” Verdant called out as he reached into his vest, pulling out a sealed envelope. “You’ve got some mail.”
“Oh?” Forge lit his horn and floated the message in front of his face. “It’s from the clinic,” he said as he tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.
“What’s it say, Forge?” Hatty asked as he tried to look over the unicorn’s shoulder.
“Oh, just that a couple wishes to speak to me about my donation tomorrow afternoon,” Forge replied as he sat down at the table. “It shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“Well, congrats, Forge,” Verdant said before putting some scrambled eggs on a plate. “Hey Snow, how would you like your eggs?”
“Extra salt, please,” Snow answered as he sat beside Forge, placing a wing on his back.
***
The next day, as Iron Forge arrived outside the clinic, his legs started to feel like lead while an upset rumbling was making a strong showing in the pit of his stomach.
It’s okay, Forge. You can do this. The unicorn swallowed as he stepped inside. Whoever asked for your sperm are qualified based on the clinic’s screening process. They’ll be good parents.
After getting directions from one of the staff, Forge stepped inside an office where Dr. Remedy was sitting behind a desk. Seated in front of her were a pegasus stallion with a blue coat and a grey mane, along with a familiar looking bluejay-like griffin.
“Perfect timing, Mr. Forge. You arrived just after the prospective parents.” The doctor’s words made the couple look over their shoulders to Forge.
“Say, I remember you!” the hen said as she hopped out of her seat. “You were stuck in that giant pizza with me!”
“The what?” Dr. Remedy and pegasus looked at the hen in confusion.
“It was on that day when everything went crazy,” the griffin said with a chuckle before holding out her talons to Forge. “Still, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” Forge said as he placed his hoof in her talons and shook it. “Jaylin, was it?”
“Yep, and this is my husband, Stormy Sea,” Jaylin said as she released Forge’s hoof only for it to be snatched up by the short haired pegasus.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Forge,” Stormy said before relinquishing Forge’s hoof and taking a seat beside his wife again.
“So, I assume this is the couple that wishes to use my sperm, Doctor?” Forge asked as he sat down in the last chair.
“Correct, Mr. Forge,” the doctor said before opening a file. “Rest assured, the two have both fully passed all of our screening tests with flying colors.”
“That’s good,” Forge replied as he looked over the pair. “But might I ask why they require my sperm instead of using Mr. Stormy Sea’s?”
“Yeah, about that,” Stormy Sea said as he looked down between his hindlegs. “Let’s just say that an old hoofball injury during high school has left me shooting blanks, if you catch drift.”
“It’s okay, dear,” Jaylin softly said as she draped her wing over Storm’s back. She then looked over to Forge. “We wanted to try to find a stallion with a similar set of colors to Storm’s and then we read your profile. It seems you’re about as perfect as we could wish for.”
“I see,” Forge brought a hoof to his chin. “I was wondering… Well, would it be alright if I could play some part in the child’s life? Like, perhaps babysit or something. Or at least have it that they’ll be able to contact me someday?”
Stormy Sea hummed before he leaned over to Jaylin. The pair quickly shared a series of whispers to one another before they both looked at the cobalt stallion.
“Sure thing, Mr. Forge.” Stormy happily nodded. “We’ll try to keep in contact with you and may call on you to babysit on occasion.”
A wide smile graced Forge’s face as Dr. Remedy pulled out some papers. “Excellent. Now, all that’s left is to have you sign some paperwork and we’ll be all set to set up this procedure.”
After a few minutes going over the papers, the three all signed their names and left the clinic together. Before Forge could pull away to head home, he found himself suddenly pulled into a very tight hug by Jaylin.
“Thank you so much, Forge!” the hen happily said before loosening her grip. “Stormy and I’ve wanted to become parents for so long and thanks to you, we’re finally gonna be able to!”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Blauhäher,” Forge replied as Stormy gave his mate a nuzzle. “I’m glad to help and admittedly a bit nervous about this too.”
“Can’t say I blame you, buddy,” Stormy said as he reached over and patted Jaylin on the stomach. “Still, Jay and I can’t wait to put a baby in her belly.”
Huh. Hadn’t thought of that. My foal being inside of a griffin’s belly. Never thought that’d be a good thing before. Forge said as he started to walk away. “Well, best of luck, you two. I’m sure that you two will be fantastic parents.”
As he trotted, Forge kept looking over his shoulder to the couple as they continued to cheer at the thought of their coming bundle of joy.
When he arrived home some time later, he found Hatty in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee.
“Hey Forge,” the pegasus called out as he looked up from his drink. “How’d the meeting go?”
“Swimmingly,” Forge cheerfully answered as he started to head upstairs. “Now my foal will be in a griffin’s belly.”
“Cool,” Hatty replied as he took a sip of his drink. “Ahh, That’s good… Wait, what?”
Swift stretched her legs and back as she walked into the manor after a hard day of work. As she approached the kitchen, some odd pounding noises made her ears stand at attention.
Looking into the living room, she saw Verdant was merrily humming along as he was hammering some nails in the mantle above the fireplace.
“Verdant. Might I ask what you’re doing?” Swift inquired, cautiously approaching the stallion.
Looking over his shoulder, Verdant spat the hammer into his hoof. “Oh, I’m just setting up a little Dream Valley tradition for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Ponies in Dream Valley celebrate Hearth’s Warming by… hammering nails into fireplaces?” She tilted her head as she spotted a small pile of something by his hindlegs. “Are those… socks?”
“Yep,” Verdant replied before picking up a pair from the pile. One matched Verdant’s coat and bore his cutie mark while another matched Swift’s. “I had Splash make some socks for everypony here so we can partake in the tradition my family started, to go along with the dolls she’s making for a more modern tradition.”
“Your family… started a Dream Valley tradition?” the unicorn asked as she took the pale blue sock in her magical grasp.
“Yep. It’s where everypony in the house puts small gifts into the other pony’s socks as they’re hung by the fireplace,” Verdant explained before placing his sock onto one of the nails. “Y’see, it all started when my grandma Minty accidentally smashed a magical candy cane into a bunch of crackley little pieces. This lead to—”
“Well, it’s certainly a nice story,” Swift cut him off. “So, any idea on what to do for dinner tonight?”
“Not sure, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to help me with something,” Verdant said as he started to put another sock onto one of the nails.
“I do believe that I could help you hammer the remaining nails in,” Swift said as she picked up the hammer.
“Actually, it’s not that. I need you to go and do some information gathering with me.” A smirk then appeared on his muzzle. “Covertly.”
“Verdant… while I like the idea of participating in a covert mission, I must ask what kind of information requires you to covertly gather it.” Swift set the hammer aside as her brow rose.
“Well, some ponies at the community center were putting together a secret gift swap thing for Hearth’s Warming and I ended up getting this one mare called Pixel Flash,” Verdant answered as he walked up to the unicorn’s side. “I know she likes video games, but I don’t know what sort of games she has already, so I want to ask her wife so I know what to get.”
“And I assume there’s some sort of rule that indicates you can’t just ask her directly?” Swift asked as she and the shamrock stallion walked towards the kitchen.
“Yeah. One of the rules of this little thing is that we're not supposed to directly ask others what the one we’re getting gifts for likes.” Verdant looked the noblemare in the eyes. “This is why I need somepony who can be stealthy… and perhaps to play the bad cop.”
“Verdant...” She looked down at the shorter earth pony. “This seems like a somewhat underhoofed way to achieve a goal...”
“I know, but I’m not doing this to try to win some competition or anything. I just want to give Pix a nice little present for Hearth’s Warming that she’d actually like,” Verdant pleadingly said.
“And that’s why I’m willing to help you,” Swift replied with a smirk. “So, where shall we find this wife you mentioned?”
“In fact, I know just the place.” A grin from Verdant joined Swift’s smirk.
***
The pair eventually found themselves standing outside a large building that was five storeys tall. The building was a pristine white that matched the snow upon the ground. Carved above the building’s front entrance were the words ‘Vanhoover Institute for Science and Technology’.
“Here’s the place,” Verdant said as he and Swift headed towards the front door. “High Gear works on the third floor.”
“Well, this is quite the facility,” Swift observed as she looked around the lobby. “Do you think they’ll allow us to see her?”
“I’ve got something that’ll guarantee that,” Verdant replied as he reached into his saddlebags. He then pulled out a pair of laminated cards that had the pair’s faces and fake names on them.
“Take your card and follow my lead,” Verdant whispered as Swift took her card in her magic. A moment later, they arrived at the lobby’s front desk.
“Afternoon. We’re here to pay Dr. High Gear a visit,” the two then held their cards up to the mare at the desk.
“Sure thing, Dr. Lettuce Leaf and Dr. Scalpel. She should be up on the third floor,” she said as she pointed towards an elevator.
“Thank you. Have a good day.” Verdant waved as he and Swift stowed the cards away.
Once the pair were at the elevator and certain the lobby attendant was out of earshot, Swift leaned close to the earth pony’s ear.
“How did you manage to get fake identification for us?” she whispered as he pressed the button to call down the elevator.
“A certain mutual acquaintance who would wish to remain anonymous for this sort of activity,” Verdant answered as the chime rang out and the doors opened. “Once we’re done here, I will return the cards and have them disposed of.”
“Very well,” Swift replied and was about to press the button for the third floor when Verdant suddenly hit the one for the fourth. “Why’d you do that?”
“My plan will have us in disguise and I figured it’d be best to change and access her lab from the fourth floor instead of the third,” Verdant said as he kept his eyes on the floor indicator lights.
“Fair enough.” Swift nodded as they felt the elevator slowly start to rise. “Might I ask why you chose me to accompany you for this task? I recall Hat Trick was the one of us with the greatest stealth skills.”
“True, but there’s two good reasons I asked you.” Verdant looked the unicorn in the eyes. “One was that I don’t really get to do much stuff with you, Swift. I mean I hang out with Hatty or Forge sometimes and I even sometimes lend Gem a hoof when she’s working at the farm. I mean, what was the last time we really did anything together? Y’know, just us?”
“Hmm… fair point…” Swift brought a hoof to her chin in thought as the elevator chimed and the door opened up to the fourth floor. “I’d say the last I recall was when we fornicated to comfort each other after learning about the time shift in the empire.”
“Yeah… That was…” Verdant rubbed his neck as he and Swift disembarked. “Well, more than a little awkward the next day.”
“Indeed,” Swift replied as she followed closely behind the short stallion. “Still, I did initiate things and we did both require comfort and to… I believe ‘vent’ is the term?”
“Yeah, it is,” Verdant said as they turned a corner. “Um, sorry about just leaving after you fell asleep.”
“It’s alright. What we did was about letting off steam after everything we’d gone through,” Swift replied as she patted his shoulder. “Besides, I really needed the sleep.”
“Okay then.” Verdant came to a halt when they reached a pair of washrooms. “We’ll need to change into our disguises. I’ll sweep the stallions’ room. You check the mares’.”
“On it,” Swift said as she and Verdant darted towards the doors. Stepping inside, the two quickly scanned the rooms before leaving just as quick.
“Stallions’ room’s occupied,” Verdant whispered before Swift grabbed onto him. In a flash, the two were in the mares’ lavatory.
“This room’s clear. Let’s get changed.” Swift then noticed how Verdant’s face was a more sickly shade of green.
“Could you give me a little warning before you teleport next time?” The shamrock stallion swallowed before he and Swift reached into their saddlebags and pulled out some dark blue body suits.
“Sorry, my friend,” Swift replied as she and Verdant started to put on the form fitting clothing. “A downside of developing a teleportation tolerance is that it makes one forget others aren’t so used to it.”
“It’s okay,” Verdant replied as he pulled a mask over his face. “Now, follow me.”
Poking his head out to check the hallway, Verdant and Swift soon made their way to a door that bore a plate that read ‘maintenance access’.
“Watch my back while I pick this lock,” Verdant whispered as he pulled some small tools from his sleeve. Swift took a defensive position, ready to quickly knock out anyone who might stumble upon them.
She didn’t need to hold the position for long as the door clicked open and the pair slipped inside.
“This will take us to the maintenance tunnels. Apparently, the wiring here is so complex and needs to be changed every so often, they made these pathways for ease of access.” Verdant whispered as he hugged the wall, carefully moving about.
“Verdant, how do you know all this?” Swift inquired as she followed suit.
“Pix gave some of us at the community center a tour of this place before showing off this game she was working on,” Verdant replied as he gazed up at a placard on the wall that acted as a map. “Oh, word of advice. If the ponies from the second floor offer you something to eat or drink, don’t take it. Punch did and the results weren’t pretty.”
After a few moments of quietly travelling through the passageway, Verdant held up a hoof. Looking down, Swift saw there was a grate in front of them. Below was a room where a wall-mounted ladder led right to the grate.
It was then Swift heard a click and a voice coming from the room.
“High Gear audio log number seventy eight,” the mare’s voice said as Verdant cautiously moved the grate aside before climbing down the ladder. “My miniature cannon prototypes have been turned down by the guard once more.”
Verdant softly touched the floor as the mare let out a sigh. It was then Swift started to climb down, seeing the lab coat wearing mare had her back to them as she recorded. She could only see her light violet mane and tail.
“I can’t really say I blame them, but I am making progress. Dr. Bunsen Burner has seemed to figure out a good formula for the chemical propellant and we’ve concluded that a more rounded arrow shaped projectile would be far more efficient than a spherical one. The issue seems to be figuring out what would be the optimal material. Perhaps instead of a harder metal for striking power, a softer one would be better.”
As the mare continued to talk, Swift touched down on the floor and along with Verdant, slowly stalked their way towards her.
“On the bright side, my teleporter prototype will be getting a test run tomorrow, so hopefully it goes well. End log.” The mare pressed down on a button on the recorder before letting out a sigh. It was then Verdant reached the mare.
“Hello, Doctor,” Verdant spoke in a much deeper voice than his usual tone.
Upon hearing his words, the mare quickly spun around to face the unexpected voice. Swift saw the panicked looking mare had a light blue coat, a set of green spectacles and a pair of amber eyes.
When her eyes fell upon the disguised stallion who was glaring at her, she let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, hi Verdant. Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, son of bitch! How’d you know it was me?” Verdant foalishly grumbled as he pulled off his mask.
“Not to be rude, Verdant, but you’re the only stallion I know that’s that short.” The scientist giggled when Verdant’s right eye twitched.
“I’m not that short. I’m only slightly shorter than the average mare,” Verdant muttered as Swift pulled off her mask.
“Yeah, and you’re a stallion. The only shorter one I know is Short Circuit.” High Gear said before patting him on the head. “Anywho, what brings you two here?”
Verdant took a cleansing breath before he spoke. “What I’m about to tell you can’t get back to anyone at the community center. Alright?”
“Lemme guess. You got Pix for the secret present thing and you came to ask me what she’d like?” High Gear asked as she moved around the room, behind a large console.
“You are correct, Doctor.” Swift stepped forward, holding out a foreleg for her. “Swiftsword, at your service.”
“Nice to meet you,” the spectacled mare replied as she shook Swift’s hoof. “So, anything in particular you had planned?”
“Well, I was thinking about getting her some sort of video game, but I don’t really know what she has or would like to have.” Verdant stepped up to Swift’s side in front of the console.
“No problem, just gimme a sec,” Gear said as she reached into her lab coat and pulled out a notepad. “Seems some games on her wish list are Mighty Morphin’ Pony Rangers: The Fighting Edition, Mortal Fighters: The Movie: The Game, Super Marinara Sisters Vs., Neightendo World Championships in either the gray or gold cartridges, and Ponybius. I figure if you get her one of those, it’ll be the perfect gift for her.”
“Alright. Thanks, Doctor.” Verdant nodded as he and Swift started to disrobe. “Just remember, we were never here.”
“You got it. Say, want me to use my teleporter to put you outside the lobby?” High Gear asked as Swift’s magic stuffed the bodysuits into Verdant’s bags.
“Pfft. Yeah, right. I’m gonna test out some experimental teleportation device.” Verdant rolled his eyes as he and Swift made their way to the door. “I’d have to be crazy or incredibly stupid to do that, Gear. I’m a pony, not a guinea pig.”
“Eh, suit yourself.” High Gear shrugged as Verdant stepped out the door. Swift turned to look at the bespectacled mare.
“Your machines seem quite amazing to me, Doctor.” Swift offered her a soft smile. “Miniature cannons and a teleportation machine are things I never would have dreamed of before. You seem to be the most brilliant earth pony I’ve ever met. I swear, no unicorn could ever come up with amazing inventions like you earth ponies.”
High Gear gave Swift a flat, half-lidded look. “I’m a unicorn.” She then raised her bangs, revealing a scar on her forehead where a horn would be.
“Ah… Sorry… My bad.” Swift said sheepishly as she backed towards the door. “I’ll see myself out.”
After a brief trip to Color Splash’s kiosk, which ended with Verdant placing a custom order, the pair soon arrived at a shop whose sign was completely coated in glitter. The sign read ‘Glittering Treasures Jewelry’.
Stepping inside, the two found a pink coated unicorn mare with a flowing pale blue mane standing by the register. “Welcome to Glittering Treasures. I’m Jewel Twinkle. How may I be of service?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Glitter.” Swift’s horn ignited as she pulled a photo from her saddlebags. “I was wondering something. I heard that some jewelers make custom necklaces based on the Elements of Harmony. Are you one such jeweler?”
“Indeed I am, ma’am.” A wide grin stretched across her face as her magic placed a book on the counter, flipping to a page that showed the necklaces. “These babies are specially made to order, based on the photos of the elements taken in the very few times they’ve been seen in public.”
“Hmm… They do seem quite accurate,” Swift muttered as she examined the images in the book. “Very well, I’d like to order one such necklace.”
“Splendid!” Jewel excitedly said as she put the catalogue back behind the counter. “Now, would you like it based on one the element bearers’ or would you like one based on sompony else’s cutie mark?”
“Somepony else’s,” Swift replied, placing the photo in front of Jewel. Verdant then saw it was a close up photograph of Spearmint’s flank, showing the fleur dis lis surrounded by three diamond-like sparkles.
“Alright, this is a great reference.” Jewel picked up the photograph in her aura. “The fleur dis lis should be easy, but I’m not sure I could do the stars around it too well.”
“That will be fine, Miss Glitter,” Swift said as she pulled a cheque book from her bags. “Now, how much will this commission cost?”
“Well, first we need to figure out what kind of gemstone you want me to use. Gimme a sec.” Jewel left the pair, heading through a door to a back room.
“I’m sure Minty’s gonna love this, Swift,” Verdant said as he looked at the noblemare.
“Thank you. I certainly hope so,” the carolina blue mare replied back.
A smirk slowly crept across Verdant’s muzzle. “Gotta pay her back for that wild night two weeks ago?”
A low growl came from Swift. “What all did you hear?”
“Let’s just say that I never realized magic or horns could have such creative applications,” Verdant said before chuckling.
“And I assume hearing us kept you from making one of your ‘donations’ on your typical schedule,” Swift coyly said, noticing a tiny trace of a blush forming on his face.
“I will neither confirm nor deny,” Verdant replied just as Jewel returned from the back, carrying a case with some gemstones inside.
“Well, here we have a sampling of some different green jewels that I could use for order,” Jewel said as she set the box on the counter. “I’d probably go for the tsavorite garnet due to the color match.”
“It does indeed have a very good color,” Swift responded quietly as she closely examined the stones. She soon pulled back and looked the jeweler in the eye. “Very well. I shall go with the tsavorite garnet.”
“Excellent choice, ma’am.” Jewel nodded, picking up the box. “The total will come to four-thousand, eight-hundred and twenty bits.”
“Very well. That’s less than I expected,” Swift replied as she took out a pencil and quickly wrote out a cheque.
“Thank you. I should just be a moment,” Jewel said as she grabbed the cheque in her magic.
“Just a moment to process the cheque?” Verdant asked, quirking his brow.
Jewel gave the shamrock stallion a chuckle. “No, I meant crafting the necklace.”
She picked up one of the gems in her aura where it started to change form in the air. “My special talent is remolding and rearranging stuff. I just need to get some gold and tsavorite garnet from the back and I should be right back with your order.”
“Ah. Quite impressive,” Swift stated as Jewel headed into the back. “Considering her and Color Splash, I think Vanhoover has a talent for pulling in talented artistic unicorns.”
“Perhaps, but I would still prefer something hoofcrafted, y’know?” Verdant replied to the noblemare.
A brief moment later, Jewel came back, carrying the necklace in a red velvet carrying case. “Tah-dah! One custom made necklace, just as you ordered.”
“Thank you, ma’am. This is truly a work of art.” Swift smiled widely as Jewel levitated the box over to her, which she took in her pale blue aura.
“Any time. Feel free to recommend this shop for all your jewelry needs.” Jewel smiled and waved as Swift and Verdant started to depart.
“So, now that I’ve taken care of Minty’s present, where shall we go next?” Swift looked to the shorter stallion.
“That would be this one little game shop in the Midnight Mall,” the emerald coated earth pony answered, looking up to the unicorn. “It’s called The 8-Bit Basement. It’s a place for all things video game related in Vanhoover.”
“My, I didn’t know video games were so inexpensive. A mere eight bits seems ridiculously cheap.” Swift’s reply made Verdant let out a loud and hearty laugh as they trotted along.
“Oh, I wish this stuff would be that cheap,” Verdant said, trying to keep from chuckling. “Eight bit is some sort of video game related term. I wouldn’t know exactly what it means, but it’s not something about their price.”
“Ah, my apologies,” Swift said as they trudged along the snowy streets. “Well, hopefully we’ll find one of the games High Gear mentioned.”
***
The pair had soon started down one of the sets of stairs in the Midnight Mall, taking them down to the third floor. The floors were practically sparkling black tiles while the walls were a deep midnight blue. The ceiling was a lighter shade of violet, the various lighting fixtures acting like stars in a night sky.
“Hmm… Perhaps I should visit this place more often,” Swift said as she gazed about the various shops. “Does this place have a theater?”
“I think there’s two, and one’s a pornographic theater,” Verdant answered as something caught his attention up the hallway. “Alright. The 8-Bit Basement is right th—”
A loud and excited squeal drowned out Verdant’s voice as a violet unicorn mare rushed out of the store. Her long and jagged mane was a striking combination of pink, yellow and light blue. She paid the pair of former guards no mind as she darted past them, a strange golden object carried in her light gray aura.
“Well,” Verdant said before clicking his tongue. “That was Pixel Flash and she seems to have gotten her hooves on that gold Neightendo World Championships game.”
“That just means you’ve only four more options to get her.” Swift gave Verdant a pat on the back as they drew closer to the store.
Stepping inside the shop, Swift was rather stunned by the amount of strange devices that were set up behind the counter where a gray unicorn stallion stood. Lining the other walls and shelves were many different kinds of smaller devices, along with toys, collectables and apparel.
“Hello there, sir.” Verdant’s words drew Swift’s focus away from the wall that held a Flame Crest game, complete with Mars Falchion’s appearance on the box. “I was wondering if you could help me find a certain game.”
“Well, you’ve come to the best place in Vanhoover for it,” the grey stallion replied. “If you can’t find it here, you can’t find it anywhere. So, what are you looking for?”
“I need to find one of four different games for a friend,” Verdant answered as he reached the counter, where he could see a name tag that said the clerk’s name was High Score. “I need either Ponybius, Mortal Fighters: The Movie: The Game, Mighty Morphin’ Pony Rangers: The Fighting Edition, or Super Marinara Sisters Vs..”
“Okay, when it comes to Ponybius, I’d say it’s one of those ‘you can’t find it anywhere’ cases,” High Score replied as he took a catalogue out from behind the counter. “As for the rest… Ah. We’ve got the Super Neightendo version of that Pony Rangers game. The Hayga Luna version of the Mortal Fighters: The Movie is available for pre-order and we do have that Super Marinara Sisters Vs. game, that’s a full arcade cabinet, so that’s gonna be more expensive than the other two games.”
“How much are we talking here?” Verdant asked as his brow rose.
“Well, I think we can work out a deal,” a grin crossed High Score’s face as he leaned across the counter.
“Hey Swift, do you feel like browsing around?” Verdant looked over his shoulder to the noblemare. “I get the feeling I’m gonna be here awhile, haggling.”
“Very well,” Swift replied as she wandered about the store, taking in the various odd sights of the shop. There was a vast assortment of different games and figurines that covered the store’s walls.
“I never knew there were so many games based on Flame Crest,” she muttered to herself as she pulled one of the boxes over to closely examine it. “Perhaps this would be an interesting thing to try. Hmm… Requires Game Filly to play.”
Swift started to look about to try to find one of these ‘Game Fillies’. Eventually, she saw that what she sought was hidden in the counter in front of High Score in a wide variety of colors.
As Swift drew closer, Verdant turned about to face her. “Hey Swift. Found something you’d like?”
“Yes, I have,” the noblemare quickly replied as she set the box on the counter. “I’d also like to purchase a… silver Game Filly Pocket.”
“Can I get you these for Hearth’s Warming?” Verdant asked the tall mare. “I have plenty of shopping to do and this would let me cross you off the list.”
“Hmm… I suppose so. Thank you,” Swift said before giving Verdant an appreciative nod.
“Right, so your total for the cabinet, gift wrapping, delivery, and the Game Filly and game comes to eleven-hundred and fifty eight bits.”
“Not a problem,” Verdant replied as he pulled a cheque book and a pencil from his vest. Once the purchase was made, the shamrock stallion slipped Swift’s gifts into his saddlebags.
The two soon made their way out of the shop, back into the large halls of the mall.
“That was quite the large set of purchases you made, Verdant,” Swift said as she pulled ahead.
“You should have seen what the price for the cabinet was before I started haggling.” A wide, prideful grin came across Verdant’s muzzle. “It was originally twenty-two hundred bits, not factoring in tax, delivery or gift wrapping.”
Swift let out a low, impressed whistle. “Seems you are quite the haggler, my friend.”
“I got it from my mom,” Verdant said as he shrugged. “So, want to come with me to Stellar Imports? I’m going to get Erica’s present next.”
“Hmm… I think not,” Swift gently replied. “I believe I’d like to explore the mall on my own, as well as get Hearth’s Warming gifts for you and the rest of our housemates.”
“Alright. I’ll see you later, Swift.” Verdant started to pull away before turning a corner, leaving the noblemare on her own.
Now, what would be gifts that Hat Trick, Gem and Forge would like? The unicorn mare asked herself as she reached what seemed to be some sort of odd plastic tablet in the middle of the hallway.
Gazing upon the strange obelisk, she saw the names of various different shops placed over boxes, as well as a dot with the words ‘You are here’.
Ah, a map! Swift grinned as she started to examine the elaborate display. Seems that there’s a place called Terrific Tomes. That should have some of Hatty’s Star Trot books, along with a cookbook for Verdant. Not too far from that is the Massive Movie Museum. Hopefully it’s just the name of a shop and not an actual museum, otherwise it will make getting something for Forge trickier…
Swift’s eyes started to dart about, hoping for more shops to hit up.
There’s a ticketmaster on this floor. Perhaps Gem would like a season pass for those wrestling shows. She seemed to like them. Hmm… Littlest Pet Shop on the second floor. Maybe I should get a pet for Wind Whistler? … No, that’d be thrusting a lot of extra responsibilities on her. Ah! Perfect! There’s a Hassenfeld Bros. toy shop not too far from there. I’m bound to find something she’d like there.
That only leaves Barrier, Fleetfeather and Daring to get gifts for.... But that leaves the question of what they’d like for gifts… Swift brought a hoof to her chin as she tried to think what to get for the three. Unfortunately, she drew a blank.
Drat it all. Swift thought as she stomped her hoof in frustration. I suppose I will have to get their gifts tomorrow after a bit of questioning.
***
Swift had a rather restful night after having purchased a Star Trot novel for Hatty, 1001 Vegetable Delights for Verdant, a copy of The Kre-O Movie for Forge, the season pass for Gem and a set of Glitter Force: Star Twinkle figures for Wind Whistler.
The next day, while the rest of the adults were out spending time with their special someones and Windy was at the casino on the lawn, Swift found herself in the kitchen, getting a drink of water as Barrier was working on cooking dinner while Daring and Fleet were chatting amongst each other at the table.
“Excuse me, everypony,” Swift interjected as she finished her drink off. “Might I ask what you’d like for Hearth’s Warming?”
Barrier hummed as he shut off the oven, pulling out a large roast chicken that he set in the center of the table. “Hard to say… How about a history book? Specifically about the fallout of what happened with Nightmare Moon.”
“I think I’d like a book or two on Neighponese legends, particularly yokai,” Daring said as Barrier placed some mashed potatoes beside the chicken. “It would be useful for this one book I’m writing.”
“And I think I’d like… a scarf,” Fleet replied as a gravy boat levitated onto the table in front of her. “I’m sure you’ll find one that would look nice on me.”
“Very well,” Swift nodded as she committed their requests to memory. “I’ll be sure to remember—”
Suddenly, a bright flash of light flooded the room, blinding the four as a loud crunch reached their ears, followed soon by a splat.
When the light died down, the four were surprised to see a crate that had apparently crushed Barrier’s chicken. The impact also caused the gravy boat to tip over, spilling it all over the table. Meanwhile, the mashed potatoes fell off the table entirely, breaking the bowl and scattering the spuds all over the floor.
Craning her neck to examine the crate, Swift spotted a sign atop it that made her sigh.
If found, please return to Dr. High Gear Vanhoover Institute for Science and Technology - 46 Sunlight Street Laboratory 13, Third Floor
As Barrier’s eye furiously twitched, Swift picked the crate up with her magic. “I’ll take this back, and procure some take out. Want me to get some scotch as well?”
“Yes, please,” Barrier said before letting out a sigh. “I’ll need it after I finish cleaning this up.”
A gentle afternoon snow was falling through the cozy little Vanhoover district as Hatty flew about with Winter Gem who was wearing a rather heavy jacket and set of boots, keeping pace below him.
“Gotta say, while autumn is my gold medal season, winter is a very shiny silver,” Hatty said as he looked down at the snow colored mare, who responded with a sigh.
“Maybe it’s just me, but I just hate this time of year,” Gem grumbled as she passed by several ponies carrying large stacks of gifts. “It’s way too damn cold for me, the snow’s troublesome to get through, and you have to put on all sorts of clothes just to make things tolerable.”
“You say as I’m up here buck naked. Besides, you’re not even wearing pants.” The purple pegasus chuckled as he flew down lower, towards Gem’s side.
“The only reason I’m not wearing any pants is I couldn’t find a pair that didn’t ride up my buttcrack.” the snow colored mare replied. “Plus, I couldn’t find any with pockets.”
“Y’know, you could have had some custom tailored that not only fit, but could have had as many pockets as you’d like.” Hatty quickly replied.
“Eh, I’m not really keen on the idea of getting custom made pants. I’d have to be measured and spend a fair amount of bits on them. And even then, I’d really only use them for a single season of the year. Not to mention…” Gem’s words suddenly halted, making Hatty’s brow rise.
“Not to mention what, dear?” Hatty turned about so he was flying backwards to look at the bundled-up mare.
“Well, I tend to stay inside during the winter and not get as much exercise so… Well, those custom pants probably wouldn’t fit for very long.” A faint reddish tint came across her cheeks.
“Fair enough,” Hatty replied as he turned about once more, facing the oncoming street. After a moment of quiet, the stallion spoke up once more. “Say Gem, I just thought of something.”
“If it’s, ‘let’s try the polar bear challenge’ again, I’m punting you all the way to Horseshoe Bay.” Gem glared at Hatty, only for him to laugh in response.
“No, not that.” Hatty flew in front of her, looking over his shoulder with a smile. “You told me how you only ever encountered snow after you came to Canterlot. Meaning, after you joined the guard; right?”
“Yeah,” Gem’s brow furrowed as she tried to ponder where Hatty was going with this particular thread.
“Meaning, every time you dealt with snow, it was when you were working.” The violet stallion started to glide, gently landing in front of the alabaster Apple. “So, you never got to try some of the really great stuff you could do during winter.”
“Such as?” Gem’s curiosity started to rise as Hatty continued to speak.
“Well, there’s stuff like snowball fights, making snow ponies and ice sculptures, skiing and ice skating.” Hat Trick let out a happy, nostalgic sigh. “Makes me think of all the fun I used to have with my parents way back when.”
“So, you think I should take a stab at some of these things and maybe it’ll make me like winter a bit better or something?” Gem asked as she started to trot past him.
“Or something, at least,” Hatty said as he kept pace behind Gem. “I want to give you a good time, Gem.”
“Well… I guess I’d be willing to give it a shot,” the Apple mare replied as she looked at Hatty over her shoulder. “So, what do you think we should start with?”
“How about we head back home and start with a snowball fight?” Hatty asked before taking to the air. “I figure if the others join in, it’ll make it more fun.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Gem replied as she shrugged. “Just hope you’re ready to be buried in snow, Hatty.”
***
Approximately a half an hour later, the games were set to begin in the manor’s back yard. Because Erica was in the house with the privates, Swift had suggested making this a battle of the sexes, but they eventually decided to make it a free-for-all instead.
Soon they all stood ready to square off, eager for the games to begin. Hatty stared down Gem, both sporting confident grins. Erica and Verdant playfully smiled at each other, awaiting the game. Swift’s look towards Forge made it clear the unicorn mare was out for blood, making the stallion somewhat nervous about how far she would go.
“The rules are simple,” Swift bellowed, drawing all eyes to her. “If you’re hit five times, you’re out. No use of wings or magic will be permitted. Only the use of hooves or talons is allowed for the crafting and throwing of snow balls. Should you violate these rules, you’re disqualified. Is that understood?”
A muttering of agreements emanated from the five.
“Then let the games begin!” Swift bellowed before leaping away from the crowd and darting towards the house.
The rest soon took off as well. Verdant ducked behind Forge’s shed while Erica leapt into a bush. Forge hid behind a tree as he started to sculpt some snowballs while Hatty leaned against one of the manor’s walls. Gem pressed her back against the fence while she formed a generous collection of snow ammunition, trying to keep her eyes on her opponents.
Swift suddenly rushed from her corner, carrying a collection of snowballs in her left foreleg. Unfortunately for the noblemare, each of her opponents launched a snowball at her. Forge darted out from behind his tree as three of the snowballs collided with Swift. Forge’s second toss of a snowball managed to hit home while Gem rushed forth and threw the final ball that eliminated the viscountess from the game.
“Oh yeah!” Gem exclaimed excitedly, not seeing Forge had another snowball at the ready. With her distracted by her celebration, he launched the icy projectile, aiming for the back of her head.
“As my cousin would say, yippee-ki-yay MOTHERFUCKER!” Her joyous proclamation turned into a furious scream as Forge struck her uncovered nethers. Her tail slammed against her hindquarters before a forehoof pressed against her now freezing injury.
“Sorry, Gem!” Forge worriedly said as he and the others rushed over to the mare with gritted teeth. “I was aiming for your head, I swear!”
“Screw this game!” Gem growled as she hobbled towards the manor. “I’m going where there’s nothing frozen that can smash against my crotch!”
“Sorry about all this,” Hatty said to the crowd before flying after Gem. “You guys can keep playing if you want. I’m gonna make sure she’s okay.”
Hatty managed to just barely squeeze through the manor’s back door as it slowly started to close.
“You okay, Gem?” Hatty rushed to her side, ignoring the snow that fell from his hooves to the floor.
“I will be when this cold ache goes away,” Gem muttered before sighing. “I know you’re trying Hatty, but—”
“I get it, that was a disaster. I didn’t think anything like that would happen,” Hatty interjected as he brushed snow from his mane. “Still, I think we could try something else. Maybe some skating?”
Gem was silent as she walked towards the stairway. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder to the purple pegasus. “I’ll be willing to give it a shot tomorrow. But right now, I just want to take a nice hot soak in the tub and wait for this pain to go away.”
“You got it, Gem,” Hatty apologetically said as she started to clamber up the stairs. “While you’re doing that, I’ll make… Well, I’ll get Verdant to help me make some grilled chicken and rice for you.”
“Ah-hem.” The clearing of a throat drew Hatty’s eyes to the living room, where he spotted Barrier pointing at the trail of snow and water he and Gem had brought in with them.
“Well, after I get the mopping done, I will.”
***
The next day, Hatty had taken Gem to the park, where a skating rink had been set up. Lots of ponies were enjoying their time gliding across the ice while Gem was simply trying to keep steady on her unstable legs.
“This will be pretty fun, Gem,” Hatty said merrily as he skated around her in circles. “All you need to do is get used to the skates.”
“Easy for you to say,” she shot back as she coasted along the icy surface. “You’ve got wings to help keep your balance.”
“Gem,” Hatty skidded to a halt beside her, his wing ever so slightly extended. “Want me to help you keep balance?”
“Yes, please,” the snowy Apple replied before the purple stallion gently placed a warm wing upon her back.
“Alright. I’ll hold you steady and we’ll move at your pace. That sound good?” He gave Gem a smile that made her feel warm despite the biting cold.
“Sounds good,” she responded before slowly starting to move towards the wooden walls that surrounded the rink. “Think we can stick to just skating around the rink in some loops?”
“You got it.” The pegasus nodded, giving her a soft peck on the cheek. “We’ll just coast along around the rink as fast as you like for as long as you like.”
“Thanks.” A smile crossed Gem’s face before she looked down at her hooves. She moved very carefully with each and every movement of her legs to avoid tripping onto her face.
The pair made their way around the rink as if it were a slow, gentle dance. After nearly five minutes, the two had started to pick up speed as more and more loops were made.
Soon, nearly twenty minutes had passed and the two were now looping around the rink rather quickly.
“Say, I think I’m getting the hang of this, Hatty,” Gem said with a smile as they finished another lap.
“I can tell you are, Gem.” Hatty’s words were filled with joy as he saw how much his beloved was enjoying his favorite winter activity.
“Think you can take your wing off? I’d like to try to see how well I can do with no back-up.”
Gem was rather surprised as Hatty seemed to laugh at her request.
“Gem, I took my wing off about eight minutes ago,” he said as he smiled proudly. “You’ve been doing this speed all on your own.”
Winter Gem looked over her shoulder and saw Hatty’s wing was folded tightly against his side.
“I… Whoa! I’m really doing it!” Gem joyously exclaimed as she started to gain even more speed. “I’m really doing it!”
“You are, Gem!” Hatty shouted as he picked up speed to keep pace. “You’re really—”
The pair were silenced as the gate to the rink suddenly swung out in front of them, making them crash face first into it.
“Alright, Beans. You’re finally gonna learn to…” the towering mare had her attention pulled away from the rink when she heard a pair of pained groans. Looking down, she saw the crumpled up forms of Hatty and Gem. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t see you there! Are you two okay?”
“Yeah I’m fine,” Gem winced as she started to get back onto her hooves. “Only thing wounded was my pride.”
“Um, your nose too, judging from the blood coming from it.”
***
A brisk winter night had fallen as Gem laid in her bed. She was rather grateful that the doctors were able to give her and Hatty clean bills of health and that the bleeding had eventually stopped.
The alabaster earth pony had a quick stretch before she continued to read from the novel in her forehooves. It was a tale of murder and mystery in a quaint little town.
Just as the young detective in the tale reached to pull back a curtain to see whose body had fallen from the library’s top row of books, Gem found herself pulled from the tale as Hatty entered the room with two cups of hot chocolate carried in his dexterous wings.
“Sorry about how the skating turned out today, Gem,” the pegasus said with a mix of sadness and embarrassment in his voice as Gem dogeared the book and set it aside.
“Don’t be,” Gem warmly replied as she grasped one of the cups of hot chocolate. “It was pretty fun once I got the hang of it. The only real issue was because of the accident with Beanstalk.”
“Oh…” Hatty was rather stunned by her words, falling silent before he took a couple sips of the hot drink. “So… wanna try it again?”
“Sure thing,” Gem happily answered before chugging down the mixture of chocolate and marshmallows. An instant later, she let out a strong belch that was followed by a short series of coughs. “Urgh, that was a dumb idea.”
Hatty chuckled before taking another careful sip of his own brew. “Glad to hear it, Gem,” he softly said before placing a kiss on her cheek. “So, what did you get the others for Hearth’s Warming?”
Hatty was surprised to see Gem’s coat had somehow grown pale as her pupils dilated.
“Hearth’s Warming is soon?” Her whisper would’ve been more at home on Fluttershy or a mouse.
“Uh, yeah. It’s next week,” Hatty answered in confusion. “I thought everypony knew that.”
The empty cup fell from Gem’s hooves. Hatty was rather grateful that it didn’t smash to pieces against the carpeted floor.
Barrier stretched as he trotted into the kitchen on a cool winter morning. To his surprise, he saw the rest of his housemates were already huddled around the table and chatting about something. His ears stood at attention at the mention of his name and the word ‘birthday’.
Right. That’s this week. Barrier thought to himself as he moved closer to the table. The day I turn thirty eight.
“Everypony.” Barrier’s words drew the attention of everypony at the table. “I know you’re talking about my upcoming birthday and I’d like to say a few things about it.”
The onyx stallion’s horn glowed blue as he pulled a mug from the cupboard and filled it with fresh coffee. A moment later, he pulled a few ice cubes from the freezer and dropped them into the hot brew.
“While I’d be okay with getting gifts, I’d say you save them for Hearth’s Warming since that’s only two days later.” Barrier then took a quick sip of his brew before sitting down at the table. “And I’m not really a party guy, so no parties, please.”
The privates silently nodded while Daring looked at Barrier with a raised eyebrow. Fleet focused on having a forkful of scrambled eggs while Wind Whistler stood up in her seat.
“Are you sure, Uncle?” the little filly asked. “We could do some really nice stuff for you.”
“I’m positive, Wind Whistler,” Barrier replied from his seat. “Still, if you all really wish to do something for me on my birthday, there are a few things you could do for me.”
“And what would that be, sir?” Swift enquired, leaning the smallest bit closer to the charcoal unicorn.
“Well for one, I’d like the day to be fairly hassle free,” Barrier stated before taking another sip of coffee. “No messes, no fights, that sort of thing.”
“That sounds… doable…” Hatty said as he looked around the table. “Anything else?”
“I think I’d enjoy a somewhat fancy dinner, if possible,” Barrier stated as Verdant placed a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of him, receiving a grateful nod in thanks. “I was thinking of trying this food I heard of in a book. Spaghetti al nero di seppia with cheesy garlic bread and a marinara dipping sauce.”
“That sounds like something I could do,” Verdant replied as he returned to his seat. “Though it may take me a bit to find the exact recipe for the pasta and the squid ink.”
Hatty, Gem, Forge and Wind Whistler gave the shamrock stallion odd looks, as if asking ‘what kind of recipe would ever need that?!’.
“And to top it off, I was thinking of seeing a few movies,” Barrier said as he started to cut into his eggs. “I was thinking of some films such as The Climax, Disorder in the Court and Strangers on a Train.”
“I’ll see if I can find those the next time I head to Blockbuster’s,” Gem said as she stood up from the table before picking up her empty plate and putting it in the sink. “Well, I’m heading out. Belmont’s gonna be doing some maintenance and taking inventory, so I’m gonna be helping out.”
Shortly after Gem left, the rest of the household went out to attend to their daily lives, leaving only Barrier and Daring at the table.
“So, you’re sure about this stuff, Barrier?” the golden coated mare asked as she put her plate in the sink. “Seems like a pretty regular day really.”
“Yes. Parties were never really my thing, so at least I can help steer this to something I would enjoy as well as help keep it from getting out of hoof,” Barrier said before taking the last bite of his breakfast. “Just having a nice relaxing day, enjoying an especially nice dinner with you all and watching some classic movies.”
“Okay, just wanted to make sure,” Daring replied as Barrier’s plate levitated into the sink. “Any particular reason for the gift thing, though?”
Barrier offered a shrug as he slid out of his seat. “Perhaps it’s just me, but growing up, I never really saw birthdays as something really celebratory or restful. More a reminder that I was getting older and as such had to take on more responsibility. Hearth’s Warming, by contrast, just felt a lot more joyous and fitting for gifts to me, hence my preference.”
“Fair enough, I guess,” Daring said as she moved away from the table. “Well, I’m thinking about going for a fly. Wanna come with?”
“Sure, I could use the air,” Barrier replied shortly before the golden mare flew upstairs, leaving him to casually walk to the front door. After a few moments for Daring to put on her A.K. Yearling guise, the two set off into the snowy morning.
***
The two were soon strolling along the pier, with Daring flying a few feet off the ground while Barrier followed from below.
Daring took a deep breath of cold sea air. “Ah. The smell of the sea in winter. It’s more refreshing than a hot shower.”
“I’ll take your word on that one,” Barrier quickly replied as he looked out to the Luna Ocean. “I’ll stick to something less salty to feel refreshed.”
A chuckle came from the golden pegasus as she halted in the air and looked out to a nearby part of the beach. “Remember this spot, Barrier?” she asked as she held out a foreleg.
Barrier’s eyes carefully examined the spot she was pointing towards. A sudden wave that crashed against the spot drew the charcoal unicorn’s memory to a rather passionate night at that very spot which was ruined by a combination of sand, seaweed and cold water.
“Yes. That was a rather poor decision on our parts.” Barrier let out a light chuckle as he looked into Daring’s magenta eyes. “Why they made an alcoholic beverage named after something so uncomfortable, I’ll never know.”
Daring soon joined in on the stallion’s chuckles as they continued their way along the pier. Eventually, the two made their way to a fish and chip restaurant near the pier’s end.
A few minutes passed before they received their meals. Daring had opted for a haddock sandwich with a side of chips while Barrier had a large cutlet of sole with mashed potatoes.
As the meal was drawing close to an end, the pair was having a laugh that was loud enough to be joyous, but quiet enough to not annoy the other customers.
“So, that little bathroom stunt Hatty and Gem pulled made it so that the whole squad had to run all the way from Old Canterlot to Hollow Shades?” Daring tittered as Barrier savored another piece of potatoes.
“And not only that, they had to get a parcel she had in Hollow Shades, and then bring it back, all in the span of two days.” Barrier quietly chuckled as Daring clamped a hoof over her muzzle to keep from disturbing the other customers.
“Sweet Luna, that sort of trip is insane!” She said as she adjusted her glasses and leaned closer to the unicorn. “That’s a three day trip on hoof, even if you went at a good clip. I’ll bet they were nearly dead when they got back.”
“Well, they certainly were wishing for death,” Barrier stated as he started to cut another piece off the sole. “And after that exhausting trip, do you know what Princess Celestia had them pick up and bring to her?”
Daring leaned closer to Barrier, who noticed a slight twitch of her wings in anticipation, even with the cloak covering her.
“A single small strawberry cake.” Barrier’s words caused Daring’s hooves to slip out from under her in surprise, causing her face to hit the table.
It seemed whatever pain she’d experienced from that was overpowered by her laughter at the thought, which Barrier soon joined as he recalled the absolute disbelief when the cadets had discovered what their errand was for. It took a long moment for the two of them to rein themselves in.
“Aaaah, I missed moments like these,” Daring said as she fell back into her chair. “Just swapping stories and enjoying good food with someone close to me.”
“So, did I, Daring,” Barrier replied, leaning closer to her. The unicorn then let out a small sigh. “I’m still sorry about—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there, Barrier.” Daring hushed the unicorn by gently placing a hoof on his lips. “I forgive you for what happened.”
A moment of silence passed between the pair as she pulled her hoof away. Once the moment had passed, Barrier chose to break the silence. “May I ask why you did so?”
“You mean besides the fact I suggested we started herding before we officially did because I kinda saw something like this coming?” Daring asked before taking a bite of her sandwich. “Let’s just say that I have some experience with doing stupid shit in an altered state,” she said through her mouthful.
“Might I ask what?” Barrier’s question made the pegasus mare pause as she prepared to take another bite of her sandwich. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” He quickly added.
“Nah, it’s fine.” Daring sighed as she set down her sandwich. “It involves some really stupid stuff when I was younger that I still regret.”
“Rest assured, that’s a feeling I’m quite familiar with,” Barrier said as he gently reached across the table and placed a hoof on hers. He then gave her a gentle smile as he rubbed her hoof.
“Thanks.” Daring returned the smile before she took a deep breath. “Okay, here’s the thing. Back in high school, I was a… well, to be frank, a moron that would do stuff like trying really dangerous stunts without thinking or experimenting with drugs.
“One day, while I was high as a kite, I was in a shady poker game with some sleazy ponies. When I ran out of money, I decided to break into the house of my best friend, Heartbeat, while she and her family were out of town. I ended up stealing her family’s valuables while wrecking the place in my stumblings.
“After her family returned and learned what happened to their house, they were absolutely furious. Meanwhile, I had a splitting headache after coming down. It really stung to see how badly hurt my friend was by my actions.”
Barrier saw the faint appearance of water forming in the edges of Daring’s eyes before they were wiped away with her wing. “Did you tell her what happened?”
“No. Not at first.” Daring looked down to her hooves. Barrier could practically hear the guilt and remorse in each word that she spoke. “I helped with some of the clean up and once that was done, I tried to scrounge up what money I could to eventually get her family’s stuff back.
“At first, when I showed up with a wagon full of their stuff, she was happy… but then I told her about what I had done…” She let out a sigh that was both sad and tired. “She beat the shit out of me, but I really think that seeing how hurt she was, especially at the fact that I’d hid this from her, hurt a lot more than the bruises or chipped tooth I ended up getting.”
Daring slipped her hoof out from under Barrier’s and placed it atop his before staring her rose colored eyes into his icy-blues. “She may have decided to not press charges against me, but she never wanted anything to do with me ever again.
“After I had some time away and wrapped up that cult thing, I was thinking about what you and Fleet had done that night and realized that it was pretty much just the shoe being on the other hoof here, albeit with different circumstances… except for one crucial detail. That was how you two didn’t try to hide what you did like I did. You confessed to me what you did as soon as you could. I tried to keep what I had done secret until I couldn’t keep it bottled up inside anymore and had their stuff back. You two, though? Instant confession. Plus, you didn’t try to dismiss your actions because you were in an altered state like I did.”
Barrier tried to interject, but the second he tried to open his mouth, he found Daring had softly placed a hoof upon it to silence him once more.
“That stupid little experience made me realize something important, Barrier, and that was to know how much somepony means to me.” Her words were as soft as a baby pegasus’ down as she leaned in closer to him. “And you and Fleet matter a great deal to me.”
Barrier felt a bit of dampness starting to form around his eyes at Daring’s words. “I… Thank you, Daring.”
The two silently gazed into each other’s eyes, no words needing to be said between the two of them. Soon they had leaned towards each other and gave one another a tender nuzzle, followed by a soft kiss.
***
Dinner that evening was a rather scrumptious affair, coupled by a visit from Erica and Snow Sweeper who had dropped by to wish Barrier a happy birthday. Despite some initial hesitance to have pasta that was covered in squid ink, everyone at the table had found the dish to be quite delicious.
“Very good work, Verdant,” Barrier said as he dipped a stick of garlic bread into his bowl of marinara sauce. “The pasta was especially splendid.”
“Thanks, Barrier. I decided to make the effort to do the pasta and marinara by hoof,” Verdant said before taking a bite of his own sauce-covered breadstick. “Though it’s a bit spicier than I planned on.” As he started to pull away from the table, Barrier held out a hoof to him.
“If you’re going to get some milk, I was about to stand up anyway,” Barrier said as he stood up from his chair.
“Alright. Thanks.”
Barrier opened the door to the fridge with a quick flash of his horn. When he looked inside, he felt his heart sink in his chest and only years of practice allowed him to resist the urge to leap back.
Sitting in the fridge was none other than the Pink Devil. Despite the coldness of the fridge, she sported a warm smile as she held a large cake in her forehooves.
It was a long cake covered in vanilla frosting with more dollops of frosting lining the top that alternated between the two shades of blue that composed Barrier’s mane. The words, “Happy Birthday Barrier” were written on the cake in fancy cursive blue piping. On the top of the cake was a single candle flanked by two small replicas of Barrier made of modeling chocolate.
“Um… Thank you for the cake, Pinkie, but we’re in the middle of dinner right now,” Barrier said as he cautiously drew closer to the fridge, feeling the eyes of everyone at the table falling upon him. “We’ll save it for dessert later.”
“Okie-dokie-lokie,” Pinkie replied with her usual level of cheer. “Happy Birthday, Barrier.”
“Thank you, Pinkie… Have a good day,” the onyx stallion replied as he slowly closed the fridge. After a moment had passed, Barrier felt oddly curious and opened the door once more. To his mild surprise, Pinkie had vanished, but the cake was sitting perfectly fine in the center of the fridge and nothing else appeared to have been disturbed.
“So… how the heck did she do that?” Erica asked from her seat beside Verdant as Barrier picked up a milk carton in his magic.
“Don’t ask,” Barrier replied as he closed the fridge once more and pulled a glass down from a cupboard. “Trust me, it’s for your own sanity.”
***
The night quickly wound down after the household watched the movies Barrier had picked out. Overall, it was a rather pleasant evening for the unicorn. Dinner was quite good, there weren’t any things that had annoyed him and the movies were better than he’d hoped they’d be.
When it was nearly half-past ten, Barrier headed to his bedroom to turn in. Giving the door a gentle kick to close it, the stallion noticed that rather than hearing it click into place, he instead heard something hard making contact with the wooden surface, followed shortly by the creak of its hinges.
Quickly turning about, he saw Daring entering the bedroom. She was no longer sporting either her Yearling disguise or any other form of attire.
“Hey there, Birthday Boy,” she said in a seductive tone as she strode into the bedroom. “I was finding tonight a bit chilly and I wanted to give you a gift that I don’t want to save for Hearth’s Warming.”
Before he could respond, Daring had pressed her lips against his. As he closed his eyes and returned the kiss, he felt Daring stroking his back with her wing.
Once she pulled away, Barrier opened his eyes to see one of the most sultry gazes he’d ever witnessed.
“How about you open this gift tonight to make up for some lost time?” Daring pressed her lips to his once more, but more passionately than before.
Barrier felt as if the temperature in the room began to rise as he pulled Daring into his forelegs. The two then tumbled onto his bed and rolled, eventually ending with the pegasus straddling the unicorn.
A light snow was falling in the town of Vanhoover as the townsfolk were hurriedly bustling about. Hearth’s Warming was a mere two days away and some were still rushing to prepare for the holiday season.
Meanwhile, at the city’s train station, the ponies of Barrier’s manor were waiting for a train to arrive.
Swift took a deep breath of the chilly air as she glanced up at a clock on the wall.
“It should be in shortly.” Hatty’s words snapped Swift’s concentration and drew her eyes to the pegasus.
“Buhsuds,” Winter Gem’s speech was muffled from the thick parka that was snuggly wrapped around her entire body. “Ahm zre dad erryfin wuh ee juh fine.”
“I… Thank you?” Swift tilted her head as she tried to decipher what her compatriot had said. It was then that a thought crossed her mind. “Oh! Before I go to Tall Tale, I just recalled that Blockbuster said you have a number of movies that are overdue.” The unicorn mare’s horn flared as she pulled a note from her jacket.
“Uhnu!” Swift was rather surprised that despite only Gem’s snout being exposed to the elements, it had managed to turn a bright red. “Swf, fur da rub uh Faus, dunt reeh duh rizd auh lowh!”
Poor dear, Swift thought to herself as she unfolded the paper. She must be much colder than I thought for her to be this red.
“The movies you need to return are Wild, Wild ‘Cest, Backdoor Ruts 9, Buttmare V. Superschlong: Dawn of Just Ass, Pielander II: The Dickening, Donkey Dong Country Returns, Ejacula’s Guest, Plan 69 from Outer Space, Monster Humper, Hooking Mama, The Humpa Bunch, Mighty Morphin’ Rump Rangers, Dildo’s Bizarre Adventure and A Plug’s Life.”
When Swift looked up from the note, she saw that Hatty’s coat was now as red as Gem’s while Forge was rolling upon the concrete floor, laughing. Verdant and Barrier were biting their lips while Fleet was chuckling from behind the wing she had in front of her face. Wind Whistler was merely giving the parka wearing mare a glare of annoyance.
“Seriously, how much porn do you two go through?” Windy asked while Gem’s face was locked onto Swift.
“Fuff uou, Swf.” Gem’s mumbling couldn’t go any further as the sound of a train whistle echoed throughout the station.
Looking to the source of the sound, Swift saw a train with fancy looking white and blue cars pulling into the station.
“Attention passengers,” a stallion’s voice rang out from the station's speakers. “The four-fifteen train bound for Tall Tale has just arrived. All those bound for Tall Tale, please prepare for boarding.”
“Well, it seems this is where we part ways, my friends,” Swift said before giving each of her housemates a quick hug. “Farewell, my friends. I’ll miss you while I’m with Minty.”
“We’ll miss you too, Swift,” Barrier stated as she finished hugging him.
“Also, I slipped your presents into your bag so you can have more to enjoy with her,” Verdant spoke up. “I hope you’ll like what I put into your sock.”
“I’m certain I will,” Swift replied as she flared her horn to pick up her bag. “Goodbye my friends! Have a Happy Hearth’s Warming!”
A cacophony of farewells and goodbyes came from the household as Swift darted onto the train. Only a few minutes later, the train started to pull away.
Once the train had pulled too far away to be seen from the platform, the gathering of ponies started to trickle out of the station.
“Say guys,” Verdant piped up, drawing the attention of the cobalt unicorn walking alongside him. “The community center’s having a party for Hearth’s Warming Eve. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me. ”
“Hmm… I think I will,” Forge replied with a slight smile. “Will I be able to bring Snow?”
“Of course,” the shamrock stallion answered as he faced Hatty and Gem. “How about you two?”
A groaning came from Gem as she struggled to adjust the tight hood of her parka, finally succeeding in freeing her mouth. “We’re gonna have to pass. Hatty and I will be at a party that my cousins will be having and we won’t be heading back until late.”
“No problem.” Verdant nodded before looking over to the four remaining housemates. “How about the rest of you?”
“I think I’ll pass on that,” Barrier flatly answered. “I don’t really know that many ponies and I think I’d rather just stay at home.”
Fleet and Daring both replied similarly while Windy pulled down on Barrier’s foreleg. “Can we do some stuff at home, Uncle? Maybe watch some movies, play some games and bake some holiday treats?”
“I think renting some movies would be a fine idea, Wind Whistler. Maybe play a game or two.” Barrier smiled down at her before giving her mane a light tussle. “As for baking, I think—”
“I could probably help with that,” a mare’s voice drew the household’s eyes to the side, where they saw Fruity Punch and Sweet Honey walking towards them.
Punch was sporting a thick white jacket that contrasted her electric pink pants. Upon each of her hooves was a long fuzzy pink boot with white trim. Upon her head was a matching touque.
Meanwhile, Sweet Honey was merely wearing a deep red scarf with her wings outstretched to carry a collection of shopping bags.
“That’s quite the generous offer, Punch,” Barrier stated as the two mares approached. “Still, I wouldn’t want you to keep you away from your family on Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
Punch bit her lip, rubbing one foreleg with another. “Yeah… About that…”
“Sadly, we can’t really visit family,” Honey said as she stepped ahead of her sister. “Mom and the rest of the family are really busy with stuff back home, so they had to turn down a lot of visiting family this year.”
“I figured it’d be kinda lonely just having Honey with me for the holidays, so I was thinking maybe I could spend some time with some friends of ours,” Punch then said. “Besides, I want to try cooking some desserts and Honey wouldn’t try mine.”
“Because I want to be able to fit into my postal uniform by the time New Year’s Eve comes by,” Honey said as she gave her sister a gentle jab with a foreleg.
“Well, I think that sounds reasonable.” Fleet’s words brought a smile to the pink unicorn’s face. “What do you say, Barrier? Yearling?”
Barrier hummed as he considered the sisters’ offer. “Well, that does sound fairly nice and gives me an excuse not to cook… Alright, sure.”
“Thanks, you guys!” Punch cheerfully said as she pulled Barrier into a tight hug. “This’ll be great! I’ll be baking up a storm and we can all kick back, watch some fun movies and play games together.”
“Speaking of movies,” Daring said as she adjusted her glasses before looking towards Hatty and Gem. She then pulled a bag of bits out from under her schall. “How about you go rent the movies while returning your late rentals.”
Gem’s coat turned scarlet once more as she grabbed the bag of bits, muttering what Barrier assumed was a series of mild curses.
“Rest assured, everypony,” Punch said with a grin that threatened to split her face. “I’m gonna do everything I can to make this the best Hearth’s Warming ever!”
***
The community center was absolutely bustling as the party was underway. The room normally reserved for athletic training had all the sports and training equipment put away and replaced with rows of tables. One row was stocked with snacks while another row was stacked with dozens of gift boxes.
“This is quite the grand assortment,” Forge muttered to himself as he and Snow looked over the large collection of decoratively wrapped boxes.
“You should have been here the other day when they were wrapping the toys and stuff for charity,” Snow said as he laid a wing on Forge’s back. “I swear, there was at least three times the amount of gifts there.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” Forge turned to address his mate. “I’m sure those ponies will have a ha—”
The distracted unicorn’s words were interrupted when he bumped into a pegasus stallion who was placing a box on the table.
“Oh, my apologies, sir,” Forge hastily said as he used his magic to gently dust the pegasus off and smooth out his feathers.
“Eh, no problem there… Hey, Forge!” the pegasus joyfully said before suddenly pulling Forge into a hug. It took a moment, but the surprised unicorn soon recognized the smiling stallion.
“Oh, a pleasure to see you, Stormy Sea,” Forge replied as he returned the smile. “How is your wife doing?”
“I’m doing fine, save for the whole ‘feeling sick in the mornings’ thing,” Jaylin’s voice rang out, drawing Forge’s eye to a nearby snack table where he saw her approaching while enjoying a gingerbread cookie. “How are you doing, Baby Daddy?”
“Oh, I’m guessing you’re that couple Forge donated to,” Snow said as he moved ahead, holding out a foreleg. “Nice to meet you. I’m Forge’s boyfriend, Snow Sweeper.”
“Nice to meetcha, Snow,” Jaylin said through a mouthful of cookie before swallowing and grabbing Snow’s hoof. “Jaylin Blauhäher. You’ve already met my husband.”
“Yes, I have,” Snow replied as he gave a warm smile.
“So, Jaylin,” Forge started with a hint of nervousness in his tone. “How’s the… pregnancy going?
The blue jay-like griffin chuckled before patting her belly. “Just fine so far, Forge. I’m barely pregnant and aside from the morning sickness, I’d say everything’s going smoothly.”
“Okay. I’m just a bit… nervous. Never done anything like this before.” The faintest of blushes appeared on Forge’s face as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was then he was pulled into a hug by a once more chuckling Jaylin.
“Hey, relax there,” she said as she tightened her hug. “If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Plus, you’re not the only one with first time parent jitters,” Stormy interjected as he joined at his wife’s side and patted Forge’s back with a wing. “Rest assured though, there’s no better place for someone to be than inside my dear Jaylin.”
A mischievous grin stretched across Snow’s muzzle. “You say from experience.”
Jaylin suddenly roared with laughter as she pulled away from Forge to slap her talons against the table. It took a long moment for her laughter to settle down. Stormy slapped a hoof against his forehead as his cheeks turned crimson.
“Oh, Forge, you’ve got a real keeper here,” Jaylin chortled as she wiped a tear from her eyes.
“I certainly do.” Forge smiled as he wrapped a foreleg around Snow’s. The movement made the snowy pegasus smile warmly before they gave each other a quick kiss on the lips. “I always liked stallions that could make me laugh.”
“Then how come you’re not with Hatty?” Snowy asked with a smirk.
“Laugh with their wit, not at their stupidity, dear,” Forge replied before the pair started to giggle.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Hatty sneezed and he didn’t know why.
***
In another part of the party, Verdant and Erica were enjoying the songs the partygoers were singing, even joining in on a few. The pair had a good laugh at the fun they were having as a pegasus mare with a snowy white coat that sharply stood out against her deep red and forest green mane stepped up to a small platform and picked up a microphone.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve everypony.” The mare’s voice boomed throughout the room, drawing the eyes of all the party-goers. “My name is Frosty Night and I’m the organizer for this year’s festivities. I hope you’re all enjoying the little party we’re having.”
The snowy mare then raised a wing in front of her face to read off a little card held between her feathers.
“Before we start the Secret Gift Exchange, I have an announcement to make.” A tender smile came across her face as her eyes started to slightly water. “Thanks to the generous donations of everyone in Vanhoover, we have received record numbers of toys for underprivileged families, as well as record high numbers of bits and food donated to the local food bank.”
A tear streamed down Frosty’s face as she dropped her wing to face the applauding crowd. “It really warms the heart to see the people of Vanhoover are so willing to help those in need. Thank you all.”
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers once more as a large cow walked onto the stage beside Frosty, carrying a top hat in her mouth.
“Thank you, Bea.” Frosty smiled warmly to the black and white bovine “Now, it’s time we begin the Secret Gift Exchange. When I draw your name from the hat, you can go to the table to retrieve your present. First up, Alfredo.”
“WHAT?!”
After several minutes had passed, Frosty Night called Pixel Flash’s name and the violet coated mare began to search the table.
“Watch this,” Verdant whispered into Erica’s ear as Pix reached a large box covered in gray wrapping paper with red bows. “She’s gonna love this.”
Erica’s curiosity peaked as Pixel Flash let out a chuckle.
“Yeah, I know how this gag goes,” Pix said aloud as her horn began to glimmer in a light gray and tug on the ribbons. “I unwrap this thing and it’ll have a box in a box that keeps on going until I get to the real present.”
To the surprise of not only Pix, but the entire crowd, the wrapping paper fell away to reveal a cabinet for Super Marinara Sisters. A large collection of gasps rang out at the sight of the large gift.
“Wow, Pix,” High Gear said as she strolled up to Pix’s side. “That’s certainly a nice surprise, right? ...Pix?”
High Gear gave the stunned unicorn a gentle pat on the side, causing her to topple over like a statue.
“Did you get that for her?” Erica whispered in askance to Verdant as High Gear pulled Pix back onto her hooves.
“Yep,” Verdant replied with a cocky grin on his face.
“How the hay did you manage to keep that in the twenty bit spending limit?” Erica asked as Pixel Flash rushed up to the cabinet and started to hug it, wagging her tail like a puppy.
“I’m one heck of a negotiator,” Verdant casually replied. That’s it, Verdant. Keep smiling and pretend you didn’t forget the spending limit like an idiot.
“So Pix,” High Gear said after managing to pry her girlfriend off the cabinet. “How are we gonna get this home?”
A cool autumn breeze was blowing through Vanhoover as Barrier trotted through the city, his saddlebags stuffed with freshly bought groceries.
Taking in a deep breath, Barrier looked at the ponies walking the streets. One would have no idea that just one week prior, a draconequus had broken free and unleashed chaos throughout all of Equestria. Barrier recalled how he had to ride half of an oversized orange while his cadets regaled him with how they were baked into a giant pizza.
“Hey there, Barrier!” The charcoal unicorn’s ears stood at attention as he saw Verdant running up to his side. “How’s your day going?”
“Pretty well, Verdant,” Barrier casually replied as he looked at his saddlebags. “We should have enough vegetables to last the week. I even got some tomatoes that should make a good pasta sauce.”
“Excellent,” Verdant said as he rolled his right shoulder. “Things got pretty intense at the community center. These two mares, Triple Crown and Moonshot, were having a crazy intense tennis match.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t that intense,” Barrier scoffed.
“I’m not kidding, the building’s now got a ton of holes in it. It had to be evacuated and a building inspector’s been brought in to see if it needs to be condemned,” Verdant stated. “You know what’s the real crazy thing? Neither of them were earth ponies. Moonshot’s a pegasus and Triple Crown’s a unicorn!”
“Hmm… Either that’s rather impressive or the building’s made of breadsticks, hoofpaint and shellac,” Barrier said as the two of them saw the manor’s front gate up ahead.
The pair were suddenly taken aback as the gate was knocked down by a flying blanket encased on a magenta light that was being clung to with a living chain made of Winter Gem, Hat Trick, Swiftsword, Iron Forge, Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler. Eventually, the blanket was pulled from Gem’s grip, making the pony chain collapse to the ground below.
“Fleet, what in Tartarus is going on?” Barrier exclaimed as he rushed over to Fleetfeather’s side.
“I have no idea!” Fleet said as she got to her hooves before rushing to Windy’s side and making sure she was unharmed. “One moment, I was reading a book to Windy on the couch when suddenly, the blanket starts glowing and we’re sent flying before it takes off!”
“Do you think maybe Discord’s back again?” Just as Forge finished speaking, the sound of glass shattering started to fill the street as blankets started to shoot through many of the windows that dotted Starflower Street.
“I don’t think it’s Discord,” Hatty said as he took to the air, seeing many of the blankets flying towards a single point. “Guys, they’re all heading to the center of town!”
“Windy!” Fleet barked as she flew up to meet Hatty. “Run to High Steaks’ immediately. We’ll try to see what’s going on.”
Wind Whistler gave a salute before she darted off as Barrier raised an eyebrow towards the pink-maned pegasus. “I don’t recall you being a higher rank than me, Fleet.”
“I really liked that blanket, dammit!” Fleet roared, taking Barrier and the privates aback before flying off towards the source of what was now a swirling vortex of blankets.
With a sigh, Barrier started to charge after the cycloptic mare. The privates quickly started to follow along after him.
***
In a matter of minutes, the band of former soldiers made their way through the crowd of stunned ponies to the center of town. The townsfolk were chattering at the sight before them.
Above the fountain in the center of the plaza was a violet coated unicorn mare with a frazzled indigo mane with pink and purple streaks. Her horn glowed violently with magenta light as her twitching eyes glowed with white light.
“Twilight Sparkle!” Barrier barked as he teleported closer to her as some of the blankets flying above them were flying into a formation as glowing needles and thread quickly started to bind the sheets together.
“Oh, hello, Barrier!” Twilight gently floated to the ground with a manic grin. “I’m so glad to see you! I’m here to fix your problem!”
“Problem? What are you talking about?” Barrier’s muzzle scrunched in confusion as a mad giggle came from the violet mare.
“Well, I tried to find a friendship problem in Ponyville, but I couldn’t find a single one! I thought I was doomed to be failed back to magic kindergarten, but then I remembered I have family and friends in Vanhoover with a massive problem that needs fixing!” Twilight’s left ear jittered while a maniacal grin formed on her face once more.
“And… And what would that be, Twilight?” Barrier cautiously asked as he took a single step closer, his housemates getting into positions around her in case things got ugly.
“Why, Vanhoover winters of course!” Twilight nearly shouted as her magic kept sewing the many blankets together into a chaotic quilt. “Vanhoover gets the harshest cold and more snow than anywhere else in Equestria for winter, and thus the longest winter wrap-ups in all of Equestria! So I decided to take care of that issue before it could even come up!”
Twilight giggled madly as she pointed a hoof up towards her colossal sewing project. “You see, I’m going to make the biggest blanket Equestria has ever seen! With this blanket covering Vanhoover, you’ll all be toasty and warm without a speck of snow to be shoveled off! Isn’t it wonderful?!”
“I’m certain your intentions are noble, Twilight, though your plan seems to me more than a little lacking.” Barrier’s words made one of her eyes twitch. “I suggest you put the blankets down and we talk things out like sane, rational adul—”
“NO!” Twilight roared, causing a magenta shockwave that knocked down the ponies in the area. As Barrier tried to get back to his hooves, he found his body engulfed by the mad mare’s magic. His forelegs became pinned to his sides and he was lifted into the air.
“I’m not going back to magic kindergarten! I’m going to fix Vanhoover’s friendship problem and none of your are going to stop me!” A fierce wind started to roar during her angry shouting.
“Somepony… stop her…” Barrier winced as he tried to struggle out of her powerful binding, but even with all his might, he wasn’t able to even move a millimeter.
“On it!” Verdant reached into his saddlebags before tossing something at the violet mare. In its speed, Barrier could only see the spherical object whizzing past as it approached Twilight’s head.
With her focus on the sewing in the sky, Twilight was caught off guard by the round object that quickly planted itself on her horn.
The sudden impact caused her magic to suddenly stop, dropping Barrier to the ground and the blankets to drift downward.
As Barrier looked up towards Twilight, both he and the unicorn mare were rather perplexed by what was now planted on the end of her horn; a tennis ball.
“What the—” Before Twilight could gather her thoughts, the sound of an explosion rang out as something struck her. In an instant, she was bound up in a collection of knotted ropes.
“Y’know, I wish I got used for stuff other than my knot cannon.” A voice made a chill run down Barrier’s spine as he saw Pinkie Pie, the other element bearers, and Spike emerging from an alleyway. Pinkie was rolling along a large colorful cannon as Spike ran up to Twilight’s side.
“Twilight, we need to stop this! Pretty soon, Pri—” Spike was interrupted as a bright flash of golden light appeared above the fountain. Once the light started to fade, several ponies gasped at the sight of an alabaster alicorn looking down at her. The large crowd quickly started to bow.
“Twilight Sparkle—” Princess Celestia was interrupted as a large white blanket with red polka dots landed on her head. “We need to talk.”
As the alicorn pulled the blanket off her head, Swiftsword trotted up to Verdant’s side. “Excellent work, my friend. I never would have thought of using a tennis ball to neutralize a unicorn’s magic.”
“Uhh, yeah… That was my plan that whole time,” Verdant said as his eyes quickly shifted from side to side. “And definitely not to throw a flashbang grenade that I stole from our time in the empire… Heh… That would be crazy… Eh heh… heh.”
***
After night had fallen, the element bearers were gathered in Barrier’s living room along with Princess Celestia and the mayor of Vanhoover. She was a yellow-light brown unicorn with a long, curly mane. On her flank was the image of a short wooden hammer. It was fitting for a mare named Chestnut Gavel.
“So, in the end, Twilight doesn’t need to send a friendship report to you every week and we can also write them. Right, Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked as Celestia took a sip from a cup of tea.
“That is correct, Rainbow Dash,” the alabaster mare answered as she set the teacup down on the silver tray Verdant was holding before turning to the violet coated mare with a sullen, ashamed look plastered all over her face.
“Twilight… I wish I knew before this how much pressure you felt you were under. I just hope this doesn’t happen again.” Celestia gently brushed Twilight’s back with one of her large wings.
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said as a tear fell down her cheek. After taking a deep breath, she turned her attention to the rather stern looking mayor. “Is there anything I can do to make up for what I’ve done?”
“First and foremost, you’ll be billed for the damages you’ve caused,” Chestnut Gavel said. “Both for what was done to the blankets and the many windows of the city.”
“That’s understandable. I'm glad it’s just a fee,” Twilight said before sighing in relief.
“Oh, I’m afraid you misunderstand, Miss Sparkle. That’s just for the damages. The punishment for your actual crime is much worse.” The mayor’s words made a cold sweat form on Twilight’s brow as she swallowed.
“Now hold on now,” Applejack said as she stepped up in front of Chestnut. “Is takin’ all those blankets really worth a worse punishment than a fine? She returned them all and they weren’t even that damaged.”
“I’m afraid this is far more complicated than you know, Miss Apple,” Chestnut Gavel said as she brushed past the farm pony. “Vanhoover has always been known for its harsh winters, ever since its founding. Because of this, the theft of blankets, A.K.A., grand theft blanket, is treated far more harshly here than in any other city in Equestria.”
“Twilight,” Celestia said with a hint of fear in her voice. “I know what the punishment is and if you wish, I’d be willing to grant you a full pardon for this.”
“I… While I do appreciate the offer, Princess, I believe I should face the consequences for my actions.” Twilight’s response made Celestia wince before the lavender unicorn faced the mayor. “Mayor Chestnut Gavel, I’m willing to face whatever punishment you’ll bestow.”
“Very well then,” the mayor said just before a knocking came from the front door. “I believe that should be what’s required for this punishment.”
Barrier teleported to the front door and opened it up. With the door opened, he spotted Erica with a wagon being pulled by her tail. The contents of the wagon were completely covered by a gray tarp.
“Hey, Barrier. The Mayor asked for an express order from my dad. Can I come in?”
Barrier stepped aside as Erica and the wagon inside, pulling all the way to the living room.
“Perfect timing, Miss Sorae. Now we can carry out the sentencing immediately.” The mayor’s horn began to glow with amber colored light that appeared on one of the corners of the tarp. “Are you ready for this, Miss Sparkle?”
Twilight uncomfortably swallowed as she approached the wagon. “I am, Mayor.”
With a strong tug, Chestnut Gavel pulled the tarp off the wagon, revealing ten large jars of mayonnaise.
“Your punishment, Miss Sparkle, is to eat the contents of all these jars,” Gavel said as Twilight’s face started to turn pale. “As has been done since antiquity, the punishment for grand theft blanket is for the convicted to eat ten jars of mayonnaise. Mr. Range, bring Miss Sparkle a spoon.”
“Urgh… this is going to suck.” Twilight muttered as her magic picked up one of the mayonnaise jars.
***
Over the course of three hours, Twilight slowly emptied all the jars of mayonnaise. Not long after, the mayor and princess left the manor, followed by Twilight tasting all the mayonnaise a second time as she occupied Barrier’s bathroom.
As she and her friends took the train back to Ponyville, Twilight swore a hatred on mayonnaise. Her hatred of the condiment would be passed on through other unicorns for centuries to come.
“Hey, Rarity, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said as she stood up in her seat. “What do you think that you didn’t get a speaking part in this chapter?”
“Chapter? What are you talking about, Pinkie?” Twilight asked, clear queasiness in her voice.
“Oh, nothing.” Pinkie sing-songed before winking at someone her friends couldn’t see.
In the cozy home of the North Grove Apple farm, the young foals of Dawn and Pippen were locked in a rather intense game of Battleship while nearby, the two were being watched by their parents, grandparents and time-displaced cousins who were standing around the kitchen.
“Times like this really bring me back,” Winter Gem said as she watched the pair of youngsters being so focused on their game in between sips of her hot cider. “Family brought together on Hearth’s Warming Eve with games, delicious food and tasty hot cider.”
“Say, speaking of,” Hatty interjected as he gently swirled his mug. “Think once the foals are asleep, we could switch up to having some hard cider?”
To the pegasus surprise, the modern Apples slightly winced at his request.
“Sorry Hatty, but we’ve sent out the last batch of hard cider we had on hoof,” Belmont answered, rubbing the back of his head with a leathery wing. “Besides, even if we did have any, the last time we had hard cider on Hearth’s Warming Eve… Well, the results weren’t pretty.”
“Oh, yeah. I’d argue I had it the best,” Red Bouquet chipped in as she sat down in a chair. “And even then, I woke up with a splitting headache and was vomiting for hours afterwards.”
“And then I couldn’t walk for a week afterwards,” Belmont added before shuddering. “From that day forth, I was glad we had more than one bathroom.”
“Oh, don’t remind me,” Autumn Gold said, bringing a hoof to her forehead. “From that day forth, I forever declared chili a mortal enemy of mine.”
Hatty’s brow rose as Pip not only remained silent from his spot at the table, but also looked away from the rest of his family. “How about you, Mr. West?”
“Well, I will say that that particular Hearth’s Warming was not my proudest moment, old chum,” Pip said before sighing. “I made a cape and cowl out of a bathroom towel and was later arrested for assaulting a griffin, an abyssian and a clown.”
“And that was before the story made it to the papers,” Autumn added with a groan. “It was just awful.”
“Still, at least two good things came from that night.” Red warmly smiled as she turned her attention to the foals at their play.
“Well, I can see why you don’t do hard cider anymore,” Gem said as she and Hatty took some seats at the table. “Still, what’s your policy on eggnog?”
“Here’s a hint,” Belmont smirked as he raised his cider mug. “Unlike someponies here, it would be wearing white at its wedding.”
Belmont’s crack led to Hatty and Pip smacking their own faces with their wings, Gem to roll her eyes, Red to grumble and blush, and a blushing Autumn to smack the back of his head.
“Well, since we finished with one set of embarrassing stories, anypony want to hear some stories about what Belmont used to do as a foal?” His mother’s words caused the young batpony’s yellow coat to suddenly grow pale as the others all started to lean closer.
“Since you’re all listening, I think I’ll start with the story about the Flame Crest sheets we got him one Hearth’s Warming that we had to throw out the very next day. It’s also another reason I hate chili.”
***
In the city of Tall Tale, a pair of ponies stood upon the balcony of an eighth floor apartment. The pair gazed out at the bright lights of the city that stretched onwards for miles. Even from the distance between the ponies and the streets, the pair could still see the ponies below going about and caroling with festive cheer. Only the faintest notes of their songs managed to reach their ears.
“I must say, this is a most spectacular view, Minty,” Swift said softly as she leaned against the pale green mare. “In my youth, only pegasi and royalty would be able to enjoy such a wonderful view.”
“And now, it’s something Tall Tale’s best weatherpony can afford.” Spearmint’s ears stood at attention as the door behind the two slid open. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that approaching them was a pegasus with a greenish white coat. Her mane was two deep shades of green that matched her emerald eyes.
On one of her wings, she carried a plastic tray with three mugs of hot chocolate with pink, white and purple marshmallows floating on the surface.
“Sis, don’t oversell me just to impress your girlfriend,” the pegasus chuckled as the pair grabbed a mug each. “It’s a pretty regular one-room apartment on the eighth floor.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Miss Wintergreen,” Swift said before taking a quick, silent sip of her hot beverage. “This is still rather spectacular for me. What I said before was not hyperbole in the slightest.”
“Thanks, Swift,” Wintergreen nodded before using her free wing to grasp the mug’s handle between two feathers. “Now Swift, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Have you met anypony famous?”
“Hmm…” The sky blue mare pondered the pegasus words between long draws of her chocolate. “Well, I was familiar with a number of ponies from the era before the Crystal Empire vanished, but I fear that most of those names would be unfamiliar to those who aren’t historical scholars or a reader of the Flame Crest books.”
“Probably right,” Wintergreen said just as Spearmint quickly stepped in front of her sister.
“Oh, I know of some more modern ponies I know she’s met.” A wide smile stretched across her muzzle as she pressed closer to Wintergreen, making the pegasus take a step back. “She and I both met Princess Cadance, who is now the ruler of the Crystal Empire.”
“Really?” Wintergreen’s voice became surprisingly perky to the unicorn. “I’ve heard the Crystal Empire’s absolutely beautiful.”
“Yes, I’d say it rather was,” Swift replied. Wintergreen seemed to miss how the noblemare looking away from her and rubbing her foreleg in discomfort. However, Minty did not miss the signs.
“Y’know, maybe one day all three of us could go there for a vacation. I’m sure we’ll make plenty of great memories there.”
“Forgive me for saying this, Wintergreen, but to be quite honest, I’d rather not return there if at all possible because of the memories I made there,” Swift said as she drew a little closer to the pegasus mare. “I had to witness much death and dismemberment while I was in the empire. Not only did Sombra slay many of my brothers and sisters in arms, but many were turned into horrific undead monsters. Monsters that I and my few remaining allies were forced to take down… monsters that wore the faces of my former friends and comrades-in-arms. In the end, only six ponies were still in fighting form before the element bearers and your sister arrived.”
An uncomfortable silence held in the air as Wintergreen was stunned into silence by her words. Spearmint slung a foreleg over Swift’s shoulders as she started to lead her back towards the door. “How about we head inside? It’s getting pretty cold and I’d like to put some movies on.”
“Right, right,” Wintergreen said as she quickly followed the two into the apartment. “Swift, which would you prefer to start with? We’ve got a pretty wide assortment of them.”
“Well, do you happen to have any Pony Rangers Hearth’s Warming specials? I’ve grown oddly fond of the franchise since my return,” Swift replied as her magic slid the door shut behind her.
“You bet. I think I’ve got about ten. Grab a spot on the couch and I’ll prep Alpha’s Magical Hearth’s Warming,” Wintergreen said as Minty and Swift made their way to the couch.
“I’m sure you’ll love these movies, Swift… Well, except for the first.” Spearmint sat down on the right side of the emerald colored couch while the unicorn sat close beside her.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Swift said as she nuzzled close to Spearmint, resting against her as the earth pony ran a foreleg down her back.
“By the way!” Wintergreen’s voice called out from the kitchen. “That couch is also the pullout bed you’ll be sleeping on. Try not to leave any love stains on it later tonight, okay?”
A quiet yet dark chuckle game from Spearmint as her hoof drifted further down, drawing a faint blush from the unicorn.
“No promises.” Her whisper drew a matching chuckle from Swift.
***
As Barrier observed from the edge of the kitchen, Punch seemed to be cooking up a storm of cookies. The table was covered by four trays of chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, peanut butter and chocolate cookies.
Meanwhile, the various counters were nearly all covered with cooling racks that held gingerbread, cinnamon, wafer and fudge cookies. Thankfully, it seemed Punch was preparing the last batch, which he’d been told were chocolate sandwich cookies that would alternate between strawberry, vanilla and mint creams.
“My dad is a deadbeat, he loves fish more than me.” The cheerful tone of the song the bright pink mare was singing was rather surprising to the charcoal unicorn as he took a light swig from his flask. It was quite odd to see her happily singing such a downbeat song as she mixed together not only batter, but three bowls of flavored cream as well. “He’d rather study a starfish than come home on holidays!”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Punch,” Barrier said as he approached, pulling the mare from her singing and cooking. “Would you like to talk about it… or maybe you’d like a drink?” As he asked, he held out the flask in his magic towards her.
A look of confusion briefly found a home on her face before it morphed into realization followed by laughter. “Oh, I wasn’t singing about myself, Barrier. It was a parody I heard about GoGo’s Bizarre Adventure in my cooking classes.”
“Ah. My apologies,” Barrier replied as he pulled the flask back.
“Aww, don’t be,” Punch suddenly jumped over to Barrier and pulled him into a hug. “It’s nice to know you care.”
“You’re… you’re welcome, Punch.” Barrier hesitantly returned the hug. Once Punch pulled away from the hug, she hopped back into the kitchen and resumed her stirring.
Leaving Punch to attend to her baking, Barrier strolled into the living room. The room was vacant, save for a board game that laid in the center of the room.
As Barrier sat down on the couch and started to stretch out, the game board started to glow white. The light grew brighter until Daring, Fleet, Windy and Honey suddenly appeared in a flash around the board.
“Well, now I know what Queen Bibinba’s colon looks like,” Honey said before shuddering. “If we play another game, can it be something where we can’t get eaten like that?”
“Sure thing,” Daring said as she stood up. “I recently managed to dig up a copy of Marinara Party 2, as well as the figures for some of the newer characters, including the rare Light Balsamic and Prince Star Bright.”
“I’m game for that,” Honey replied before turning her attention to the stallion on the couch. “Hey Barrier, you wanna take a crack at Marinara Party?”
“Maybe later,” Barrier said as he leaned back against the couch. “Right now, I’d just like to stretch out and relax.”
“Okay, but promise you’ll play the round after this one with us,” Windy said as she stood up from her spot beside Fleet.
“Sure thing, Wind Whistler.” Barrier gave her a nod as the sound of the front door creaking open reached his ears.
“Good evening, everyone,” Forge said as he and Snow made their way into the living room. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited some guests in on the way back.” As he finished speaking, Asta and Einar made their way in from behind.
“Not a problem. Just means less leftovers for us to deal with,” Barrier said from his spot on the couch, where he noticed a slight shiver from Wind Whistler at the sight of the two griffins. “Windy, these are Mr. and Mrs. Sorae, Erica’s parents.”
Barrier was glad to see the filly relax a bit as the two griffins came over. “Ah, you must be Forge’s step-sister. He’s told me so much about you,” Asta cheerfully said as she laid down in front of Wind Whistler. “He says you’re the most adorable little ‘enforcer’ he’s ever seen.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Sorae.” Windy smiled to the hen as Daring returned with a new set of game boards. “Wanna play some Marinara Party? I’m pretty sure we have enough figures for two games at once.”
“As much as I’d like to, I’m afraid the cold is making my joints hurt,” Asta said as she stood back up. “Still, if you have games that don’t need too much moving around, I’d be up for it.” Before Windy could respond, the sound of the front door creaking open again drew everyone’s attention as Hatty and Gem returned.
“Hey everypo…” Hatty’s words ground to a halt as he spotted the pair of griffins in the living room. “One. How’s everything going?”
“Pretty good,” Punch said from the kitchen as she slid the last tray of cookies into the oven. “We’ve got leftover homemade pizza, tons and tons of cookies, and we can play some games together or put on a movie.”
“Well, that sounds nice,” Gem said as she drew closer to the living room. “Hatty and I had some good times at the farm, save for the lack of hard cider.”
“If you want, once I finish baking, I could take a stab at making some eggnog.” Just as Punch finished, the front door opened once more. Shortly after, Erica made her way to the space between the kitchen and living room.
“Hey everyone,” the young hen greeted as she walked up to her parents and gave the two of them a hug. “Sorry it took us so long, but we had to help Pixel Flash get her arcade machine into her apartment.”
“Say, Erica, where’s Verdant?” Forge asked as he sat down on the couch.
“Well, y’see, we ran into some ponies that said they’d like to see you guys. He’s probably helping them put their clothes aside.”
Before Barrier could rise from the couch to ask who these ponies were, he spotted the shamrock stallion rounding the corner.
“Announcing, Her Imperial Majesty and Princess of Equestria, Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, accompanied by her fiancé Captain Shining Armor and future in-laws, Night Light and Twilight Velvet,” he loudly declared, making the former guards all stand at attention.
“Oh come on, Verdant,” Punch dismissively said as she stepped out of the kitchen with floating bowls of cream that she kept stirring. “Like a princess would really—”
“Oh, are those gingerbread cookies? I haven’t had those in forever!” Punch was stunned into silence at the sight of the tall cerise alicorn and the rugged alabaster unicorn coming up from behind Verdant, along with a pair of older unicorns.
Snow, Honey, and the Soraes all gasped while the soldiers and Wind Whistler all bowed. Punch, however, remained stock still and slack jawed, the light from her horn fading away. While the bowls of strawberry and vanilla cream landed safely on the floor, the last one shattered and spilled minty cream all over.
“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” Barrier said as he rose from his bow and approached the new visitors, including the cerise-coated empress. “What brings you all here?”
“That is rather simple, Barrier,” Cadance replied matter-of-factly as she approached the kitchen, carefully sidestepping the broken glass and spilt cream. “Things have been pretty difficult in the empire, so I set some things up several days ahead of time so that I could take a small break for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Cadance and I talked about where to go for this little vacation and we eventually decided on Vanhoover.” Shining Armor’s horn flared a light rose color as his magic swiftly gathered up the shards and cream before dumping them into a trash can. “We figured it’d be a nice place for it, what with the snow, the pleasant atmosphere and the fact she and the other princesses have an exclusive room constantly reserved at the Delta.”
It was then that Night Light moved towards Barrier. “Meanwhile, Velvet and I asked Twilight if she’d like to come home for Hearth’s Warming, but she said she’d like to try and spend it with her friends back in Ponyville.”
“With her away, the house was feeling rather empty,” Velvet added as her cerise aura lightly pinched Shining Armor’s cheek. “That’s when our little colt decided to invite us along.”
“It only took a quick little letter to get them a room at the hotel. After we got our stuff put away, we decided to swing by and see how you were doing,” Cadance said as she stood in front of the still slack-jawed Punch. “I hope you don’t mind, Barrier.”
The charcoal stallion chuckled warmly as he set his flask aside. “Not at all. After all, you’re technically family. Besides, Fruity Punch offered to make all these snacks for free. Your visit probably means we’ll have less cookies to put away when the night’s done.”
“Thanks, Barrier,” Cadance gave an appreciative nod to the older stallion before turning her attention to the mare that stood still as a statue. “And thank you for making all these wonderful looking treats, Miss Punch. Would you say the gingerbread cookies are ready?”
Punch had remained frozen from when she first laid eyes on the princess. The only sign that the princess could see that she was still alive was she could hear the quiet sounds of her breathing.
Cadance lifted a foreleg to extend it out to the stunned mare, but Honey quickly darted over to Punch’s side. “C’mon, sis! Snap out of it!” she harshly whispered before turning to the towering alicorn and bowing once more. “My apologies, your imperial majesty. Forgive my sister’s actions. She is not used to being in the company of an empress.”
“Oh, no need to worry,” Cadance kindly replied. “Besides, this isn’t some formal thing. This is just a little get together with family and friends. Right, Punch?”
The unicorn mare was snapped from her stunned state and her cheeks became a deep crimson against her pink coat. She then quickly gathered up the two surviving cream bowls in her magic. “Um, yes! Yes, that would be swell, your majesty. Also, the cookies just need a few more minutes to cool down before they’re ready.”
“Thank you, but remember, there’s no need to be formal tonight,” Cadance humbly said as she made her way over to the living room. “Tonight, I’m just Cadance. A mare that decided to crash a party and plans to have a nice little holiday before heading back to the proverbial salt mines in a few days.
“Until then, it’s party time,” Cadance’s violet eyes then fell upon some of the game boards laying around on the ground near Wind Whistler and Daring. “May Shining and I join in?”
“Sure thing,” Windy instantly replied. “Just remember, I called dibs on Doggie Klaw!”
“That’s fine,” Cadance replied as she fished up a figure from the box. “I call dibs on Bibinba the Second.”
***
Asta and Einar sat in a far corner of the living room, watching in stunned awe at the sight of a princess playing games with the little filly and other members of the house.
“It’s so strange,” Asta muttered to Einar over the crackling sounds of the fireplace. “A princess… No, an empress, is just laying around here, playing games like any other pony.”
“If you think this is something, imagine seeing her offering to babysit your daughter,” the griffin pair stood at attention at the voice of the unicorn stallion who approached them, along with a light gray coated mare.
“Hi there. I’m Night Light and this is my wife, Twilight Velvet,” the phthalo blue stallion said as he held out a hoof to the pair.
“Asta and Einar Sorae,” the hen replied as she carefully took Night Light’s hoof in her talons and shook it. “I believe you’re related to Barrier?”
“That’s right,” Velvet replied as she shook Asta’s hand. “Barrier’s pretty much a very, very distant uncle on Night Light’s side.”
“Ah, well, that clarifies things a bit,” Einar added before shaking Night Light and Velvet’s hooves. “So, congrats on your son’s engagement to the princess. You must be happy.”
“Oh, we sure are,” Velvet warmly smiled as she sat down on the floor. “Our son’s captain of the palace guard and engaged to a princess while our daughter is Princess Celestia’s former student and thrice over, a hero to Equestria.”
“Well, that’s… quite good,” Asta awkwardly said as she scratched the back of her neck. “It’s good to hear your family’s doing so well.”
“Oh, sorry.” A faint hint of blush danced across Velvet’s cheeks as she saw the looks in the griffin’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to sound so boastful. How’s your family doing?”
“Well, our daughter’s training to hopefully be on the Vanhoover swim team when the Equestria Games come around. Other than that, I recently made some prop swords for a movie while Einar’s been doing very well at his grocery store.” Velvet smiled at seeing Asta start to relax as she spoke.
“Oh, you do stuff for movies?” Night Light’s tone quickly perked up. “That’s pretty amazing to hear. Any particular stuff you can say about these swords?”
“Sorry, but we have non-disclosure agreements, so I have to keep my beak shut about any further details on the recent work we did,” Asta quickly replied. “Still, I can tell you how we previously crafted some swords, armor and other props for the Lady of the Rings movies.”
While Night Light was engrossed by Asta’s tales of sword smithing, Einar chuckled before turning to the unicorn mare. “So, now that you know what Asta and I do for a living, may I ask what you do?”
“Why, certainly,” Velvet cheerfully replied. “Night Light is a stellar cartographer while I’m an editor for some book series, such as the Flame Crest and Daring Do books.”
“Ah, I remember reading some of the Daring Do books to Erica when she was little,” Einar said before letting loose a chuckle. “Still, I always thought that those were some of the silliest books I’ve ever read.”
“You may want to be a bit quieter when you say that,” Velvet harshly whispered before looking over her shoulder, seeing that the golden coated pegasus was still within the enchanted game board. “One mare here is the author of the books. She might get more than a little ticked off if you insult her books in earshot.”
“Say guys,” Night Light injected, his conversation with Asta apparently wrapped up. “Since the kids are playing some games of their own, how about we play a game of bingo? I brought everything we’d need to play.”
“Uh, say, do either of you know somewhere in the city where we could find something more… thrilling?” Velvet asked as Night Light started to dig into his saddlebags.
“Well, I think the skydiving place in town is open during Hearth’s Warming.” Einar was rather surprised by the wide grin Velvet sported in response to his reply.
***
Some time had passed while the games were played. During that time, Hatty, Verdant, Erica, Forge and Snow had gathered around the table to shoot the breeze.
Shortly after a light had filled the nearby living room and signaled the game’s end, the five found themselves joined by Shining Armor as he helped himself to one of the cookies.
“Hey there, everyone,” Shining said as he plucked a cookie off a tray with his magic, not seeing Verdant whispering something to Erica. “How’s things been by you recently?”
“Well, pretty good, Captain,” Hatty replied as he sat in one of the table’s chairs. “We’ve managed to get some jobs after the empire. I’ve gotten one as a party magician.”
“And I’ve become a smith, and I’ve found a special somepony,” Forge added as slung a foreleg over Snow’s coat, which led to the snowy pegasus stallion giving him a nuzzle.
“Meanwhile, I’ve gotten a job with Sunflower Spectacle’s flower shop and met the hen of my dreams.” Verdant’s words made Erica smile and blush before she draped her wing over his back.
“Oh, I’ve heard of Sunflower Spectacle. She used to do our gardening before Twily was born,” Shining replied before taking a quick bite of cookie and swallowing. “Dad once said she and Mom gave him the best birthday present ever… which, knowing him, was probably something bingo related.”
“Now that you’re done with that, anyone wanna join in with some bingo?” Night called from the living room, making his son roll his eyes.
“So, any other adventures you’ve had since the last time we met up?” Shining asked before he tossed a cookie into his mouth.
“Well, I burned down a bunch of vines that were attacking ponies,” Forge said as he brought a hoof to his chin.
“Got turned into a foal,” Hatty added as he leaned back in his chair.
“Ended up in Pinkie Pie’s stomach,” Verdant chipped in.
“Learned to call some griffins friends,” Forge said, earning a smile from Erica.
“Got turned into a mare,” Hatty said as he placed his forelegs behind his head.
“Ended up in Trixie’s stomach,” Verdant rattled off.
“Was baked into a giant pizza,” Forge recounted as he picked up a gingerbread cookie.
“Got sent to the hospital briefly due to a skating accident,” Hatty said as he ceased his leanings.
“And ended up in your sister’s body.” Verdant finished off as he picked up a pair of strawberry cream cookies.
Shining Armor’s jaw was slack, despite the fact he managed to keep his mouth full of cookies closed. The surprised look on his face vanished just as he swallowed. “Well… you’ve certainly had an exciting time since you left the empire…”
“Sure have,” Hatty said as he stretched out his forelegs. “Still, it’s been quite the fun ride.”
“Well, I’m gonna go check on Cadance and my folks,” Shining said as he turned away from the kitchen. “Hope you all have a Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
Just as he was making his way from the kitchen, Shining felt something small and metallic striking his flank. Quickly looking over his shoulder to see the source, he spotted Erica catching a coin that was headed towards her.
“Sorry about that,” Erica said as she caught the coin in her talons. “I was trying to flip it to pick which kind of cookie to try first.”
“Alright then.” Shining gave the hen’s words no further thought as he made his way to the living room.
With the alabaster unicorn out of sight, a smile and half-lidded expression quickly formed on Verdant’s face.
“Told you you could bounce a bit off that flank,” he said to Erica before chuckling.
“Yeah, I can see why you like it,” the griffin replied before giving him a nuzzle. “Still, I prefer a certain stallion who’s a lot cuter than that.”
***
Barrier sat quietly upon the couch as he watched the board games shining with a blinding white light as the ponies within finished their game.
“Good game, Wind Whistler,” Cadance said as she rose up and moved towards Barrier. “I’ll be sure to get you next round.”
“Remember, you promised you’d play, Uncle!” the little filly called out to the charcoal unicorn as he laid on the couch.
“And I will but how about you let some of the others relax so they can recover a bit before the next round?” Barrier said as Cadance sat down on the couch beside him.
“Okay,” Windy replied as she picked up a collection of different boards. “That gives me time to pick what board to go with next.”
As the rest of the party goers went about chatting with each other, or in the case of Fruity Punch passing out cookies, Cadance stretched as she laid back against the couch.
“So, Barrier, has anything interesting happened to you since moving here?” the cerise coated alicorn asked, to which Barrier shrugged.
“Well, I went to the gala, spent Nightmare Night in Ponyville with Luna, ended up riding an orange partway to Canterlot when Discord broke out, got hit by a spell that turned the adults here into foals, and once that mess got sorted out, another spell ended up causing us to magically change sexes.” Barrier sighed before taking a swig from his flask. “At least now everypony here knows what it’s like when I’m afflicted with poison joke.”
“Ah, that’s gotta be annoying,” Cadance said as Punch held out a tray of cookies to the two of them. She quietly thanked the unicorn mare as she plucked a gingerbread one from the tray. “Still, I’d say either Verdant or I have the worst poison joke afflictions of us all.”
“Oh? And what happens when you’re affected by poison joke?” Barrier’s brow rose as he leaned back and asked.
“Well, it was… quite the scary thing,” Cadance said before she took a small bite of the cookie. “Y’see, somepony on the palace gardening staff mistook them for blue roses. Several hours later, when it kicked in, I turned into a seapony.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Barrier replied, but then he saw a slight twitch in her left eye. “But I assume there’s something I’m missing about this.”
“Yeah, it’s a real problem when you can’t breathe,” Cadance said before letting out a sigh. “I was lucky that Auntie Celestia dropped by to check on me and found me gasping for breath and flopping around on my bed. She had to rush me to the bathroom and fill the tub up for me.”
“Okay, now I see what the problem is…” Barrier said as he looked away from the alicorn just as Shining had arrived and Punch trotted away with her tray.
“Hey guys, how’s it going?” the alabaster stallion asked before Cadance gently pulled his face towards her and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Pretty good, dear. Just talking about poison joke and stuff,” Cadance said as Shining Armor sat down between her and Barrier.
“Oh yeah, I know about that plant. It’s a real pain,” Shining Armor said before chuckling. “Say Barrier, I just noticed that somepony seems to be missing.”
“Yes. Swiftsword’s spending Hearth’s Warming with her girlfriend over in Tall Tale.” Barrier’s statement made Velvet’s ears stand at attention from her spot near Wind Whistler. “She’ll be back for New Year’s, though.”
“Excuse me,” Velvet spoke up and she quickly made her way over to the gathering on the couch. “Barrier, you said one of your housemates is Swiftsword. As in, Swiftsword Falchion?” she asked with a shocked expression on her face.
“Yes. Is this a problem?” Barrier asked before Velvet let out a sigh.
“Well, I’m the editor for the Flame Crest books and Swiftsword has been brought up a few times in the books,” Velvet replied as she rubbed the bridge of her snout with a hoof. “Before now, this wouldn’t be a problem since she was assumed to be a long dead historical figure. However, since she’s alive, this could cause all sorts of issues with the books and merchandising.”
“I’m certain the writer will be able to iron things out once Swift returns,” Barrier nonchalantly said. “I don’t see her making too big a deal over this.”
Barrier’s words seemed to alleviate Velvet’s thoughts as she went back to chatting with Night Light, Verdant and Erica.
“Hmm…” Cadance hummed as she leaned against Shining Armor on the couch. “This is something I really needed. No ponies demanding I not replace the lead pipes, or that I should reignite the war with the griffins, or dye my coat blue and put on some weight so I look less like a stallion.”
“Wait, what?” Shining Armor asked in surprise as Barrier looked away from the alicorn.
“Yeah. Apparently by the beauty standards of the past, I look like an anorexic drag queen,” Cadance said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s nothing I can’t deal with, but it is kinda annoying.”
“Yikes,” Shining quietly said as he pulled her into a hug. “If it helps, you’re the most amazing, kind and wonderful mare I’ve ever known.”
“Thanks, Shining.” Cadance smiled before giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. “Maybe once we get back to the hotel, you can get a little—”
“Cookie?” Punch interjected as she shoved the tray of cookies between the pair. “We’ve still got plenty.”
“Maybe later, Punch,” Barrier replied as he rose from the couch. “Wanna play another round of Windy’s game, you two?”
“Sure thing,” Cadance said as she and Shining Armor untangled from each other and followed the charcoal stallion towards the boards and the filly whose tail was shaking like a puppy on a sugar rush.
***
Nearly an hour had passed before the game ended and Daring escorted Wind Whistler back up to her room to sleep. Barrier had a small chuckle at the sight of Fruity Punch and Sweet Honey passed out on the couch with swollen bellies.
A few moments of chatter passed before Shining Armor spoke up. “Hey, since so many of us are here, how about we take a nice little Sparkle family photo that we can have and send to Twily?”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Shining,” Velvet replied. “Let’s do it in front of the fireplace.”
“I’ll get my camera for this,” Daring chipped in before she flew off to the den, returning shortly as Barrier took his place on the far right of the family beside Shining Armor who held Cadance closely while Velvet and Night Light held each other on the alicorn’s left.
“Ready?” Daring asked as she held the camera in her hooves, the rest of the housemates watching from behind her.
“Hold on,” Barrier called out. “Verdant, come over here.”
The shamrock stallion was rather surprised at Barrier’s request. “Wait, are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Barrier said with a firm nod. “You’re my brother and a part of my family. You belong in this photo too.”
Verdant remained silent as the Sparkles nodded affirmatively. With a smile, he quickly ran up to Barrier’s side, where the onyx unicorn slung a foreleg over his shoulders. With the collected family smile, Daring pressed down on the camera’s button, flooding the room with white light as a click rang out. “Alright. Once I get these developed, I’ll be sure to send copies to all of you.”
“Thank you, Yearling,” Velvet said as she pulled away from Night Light. “Also, I wanted to say, Barrier, your house looks quite nice. I especially like how your household did the research on modern Hearth’s Warming traditions and had custom made dolls and socks for the fireplace.”
“Oh, I didn’t do any research on the socks, Mrs. Velvet,” Verdant said aloud. “That was just an old Dream Valley tradition that my Grandma Minty started.”
“Whoa, hold on a second!” Daring exclaimed as she darted in front of Verdant, nearly pressing her snout against the surprised stallion’s. “Are you telling me that your grandmother was the Minty the Third, the mare that created the sock tradition, wrecked a magic candy cane, a special Hearth’s Warming tree and was the rescuee in one of the biggest rescue missions of olden times?!”
“Wow, I didn’t realize Grandma was so famous nowadays.” Verdant’s words made Daring groan and smack a hoof against her forehead.
“Any other famous ancestors you happen to have?” Daring slowly grumbled as she dragged her hoof down her face.
“Well… one of my ancestors was Mirror Shine, who acted as one of Princess Platinum’s body doubles.” Verdant looked towards the ceiling as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
“OH COME ON!” Daring’s right eye twitched as she exclaimed. Barrier held his flask out to her, which she quickly grabbed and chugged down. “Right. I’ll be sure to research this sometime later.”
Velvet covered a hoof to her mouth to suppress a chuckle.
Over the next half hour, the various guests of the manor would gradually return to their homes or hotel rooms while the residents started to make their way off to bed.
As Barrier started to head for his bedroom, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Looking behind, he saw Fleetfeather was giving him a smile with a light blush on her face.
“Barrier,” she softly spoke. “I was wondering if we could… Well… spend this evening… together.”
“That does sound nice, Fleet,” Barrier quietly replied. Hearing a light thudding sound behind him, he quickly looked to the source and saw Daring on the stairs, giving him a smile, a wink and a mimicry of the griffin talon gesture of approval known as a ‘thumbs up’ with her right wing before heading the rest of the way upstairs.
With a warm smile, Barrier turned back to Fleet. The two then shared a gentle kiss on the lips before heading to his bedroom.
What would come next was glorious.
***
Hearth’s Warming Day was a very pleasant day for all the manor’s residents. Gifts were happily given and received amongst the residents and guests. Games were played, songs were sung and movies were watched before a well prepared feast was held.
Plans were made for New Year’s amongst the residents, save for Verdant, who would be spending the holiday with Erica and her parents at their timeshare.
Meanwhile, in Tall Tale, Swift enjoyed the most festive yet casual Hearth’s Warming of her life with Spearmint and Wintergreen. She most especially enjoyed cuddling up with Minty as she watched a movie of the Pony Rangers defeating the monsters of the special by pelting them with snowballs before delivering toys.
All in all, Hearth’s Warming was an excellent time for all who called the manor home… save for when Velvet got blown off course while skydiving and her parachute got tangled up on the roof.
Six days had passed since Vanhoover had finished celebrating the coming of the new year. Swift had returned to her home in the manor while Minty had gone back to Canterlot. Things seemed to be going well for the household until one particular morning, Barrier found himself awaking nearly an hour before he’d intended.
The umbra unicorn tried to return to the peace of slumber, but all his efforts had failed. With a sigh and disinterested in reading one of his books, he pulled himself from the comfort of his bed and headed out into the city.
Despite having lived in Vanhoover for several months now, Barrier found that he was still unfamiliar with a vast portion of the sprawling coastal city. To try to rectify that and occupy his time, he set off into the dark city for a pleasant early morning walk.
***
A faint snow was falling in the twilight as Barrier quietly arrived at the manor’s front steps. The charcoal stallion lightly brushed some snow from his coat as he gently nosed his way inside.
At the breakfast table, he caught the sight of his housemates all enjoying a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast while Wind Whistler was finishing off a glass of orange juice.
As Barrier drew closer, the pegasus filly gave Barrier a warm smile. “Hi, Uncle!” she excitedly said from her seat just before he teleported over to the one unoccupied chair.
“Good morning, everypony,” Barrier said as he sat down, seeing that whoever had cooked breakfast had made sure to prepare a plate of food and coffee for him. “How’re things going on your end?”
He received a collection of responses that amounted to “Same old, same old” before Windy stood up in her seat.
“Uncle, there’s something I’d like to ask you,” she said as she reached into her school saddlebags.
“And what would that be?” Barrier’s right eyebrow rose as she pulled a few papers from her bags.
“My class is going to have a field trip to a museum in Canterlot next Friday,” she said as Barrier picked up the forms in his magic. “We could use some chaperones to go with us, but everypony here’s gonna be busy with work. Could you help chaperone for us?”
Barrier hummed as he brought a hoof to his chin and quickly read over the papers. He saw that Fleet had already given the filly permission to go on the trip and there was a cheque attached to pay for it.
“I don’t see why not,” Barrier replied with a shrug as he floated the papers back to Windy, making the filly grin widely. Besides, I still haven’t gotten word from Pink Devil II about the job at the community center yet, so it should be a good way to kill time.
“Thanks, Uncle!” Windy joyfully said as she pulled one other form from her bags. “I just need you to sign this and I’ll give it to Ms. Schoolbag.”
Barrier picked up the form and quickly looked it over. Everything seemed to be in order, so in a flash, he’d vanished from the kitchen and reappeared in the study, where he pulled a pen from one of the drawers to quickly write down his name.
In a second flash, Barrier had reappeared in the kitchen and returned the paper to Windy. “Here you go, Kiddo.”
“Thanks, Uncle!” Windy said before she stuffed the paper away and jumped down from her seat to rush over and give the unicorn a hug. After a rather brief hug, she pulled away and darted for the front door. “Bye, everypony! I’m off to school!”
The household all gave Windy warm goodbyes before they too went about their daily routines.
***
When the day’s mail arrived, one of the letters Barrier had received was from Heavy Weight.
Opening the envelope, Barrier found that the message was written in a glittering pink ink, much to his annoyance.
Hey there, Barrier! I’ve got some good news!
All your background stuff finally went through and now you’re all set to start teaching your self-defense course starting on Monday the 21st. I’ll leave forming the lesson plans to you. I’ve already taken care of all the other paperwork you’d need, including the liability, advertising, signing some ponies up and stuff. Plus, I’ve included a copy of your schedule, so you’ll know just when to do stuff.
I just know you’ll do a great job with this.
Love, Heavy Weight.
Barrier let out a sigh of annoyance as he headed back towards the house. “Did she seriously need to make it that the dots on her I’s were little hearts?”
Soon he’d made his way to the living room, where Daring was writing down some notes as she sat back in a lounge chair.
“Hey there, Barrier,” Daring began as she looked up from her notes. “Looking forward to the museum trip?”
“Well, I will so long as the kids are well behaved,” the onyx unicorn replied as he trotted over to the couch.
“If it helps, there’s gonna be some really cool stuff there,” Daring said as she set her quill behind her right ear. “I found out earlier that they’ve recently got some neat Neighponese artifacts, including Kazemaru, the famed sword of the Ran ninja clan, made famous when it was used by Ran Saki in a legendary battle against Dokuro Dayu.”
“Oh?” Barrier’s ears perked up. “Y’know, I knew Ran Saki back in my time. She was my first love, before I met Ember.”
“Really?” Daring’s eyebrow rose, skepticism clear on her face.
“It’s true. My father hired her to train me before I joined the guard.” Barrier sat down on the couch across from her and pulled his flask from his saddlebags. “Not only did she give me my flask, but part of me’s thinking that this ‘Kazemaru’ is the sword I gave her as a parting gift.”
“Oh, come on, Barrier!” Daring said with a roll of her eyes that turned into a light glare. “I can buy a lot of the historical connections you and others here have told me about, including Verdant’s connections to Minty the Third and Mirror Shine, but I seriously doubt you knew one of Neighpon’s most historic ninja and even gave her her famed sword.”
A sly smirk then crossed Barrier’s face. “Tell me, does her sword have a sixty centimeter blade, an etching of two six pointed stars on the collar, and a hidden screw-on compartment at the bottom of the handle?”
A look of stunned shock graced Daring’s face as she looked to the stallion across from her. Silence hung in the air for a prolonged period until she found her voice once more. “...There’s a hidden compartment in the handle?”
“I should know. I’m the one that commissioned and paid for it,” Barrier replied with a hint of smugness in his voice as Daring slowly rose from her seat.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to send an urgent letter.” No sooner had Daring finished speaking before she gave a hard flap of her wings and flew upstairs, drawing a chuckle from Barrier.
***
The day had come for the large museum trip and save for having to put up with his usual troubles on trains, things were going alright for Barrier. The group was composed of Windy’s class, a collection of other parents Barrier had made a pointed effort to avoid bothering and Ms. Schoolbag who was at the front of their group leading the way.
The gathering of ponies had soon made their way to the museum’s front entrance, where upon the front steps was the instantly recognizable green coat and blue mane of Dusty Tome.
“Good morning, Everypony. Welcome to the Canterlot Museum of Equestrian History!” The older mare warmly said as she addressed the crowd. “My name is Dusty Tome and I’ll be guiding you through the museum today while providing some interesting historical facts for you.”
“I suggest you all take notes, class,” Schoolbag said as she stepped up to Dusty’s side. “There will be a test next week to see what you learned.”
A collection of childish groans came from the foals as Dusty started to lead them into the building.
“I can’t wait to show you guys Grimhilde’s skull!” Wind Whistler enthusiastically said. “She was this evil griffin that Uncle Barrier and my dad fought long ago.” The little filly’s words made Dusty’s ears stand on end before she faced the crowd.
“Oh, I’m sorry dear, but the skull of Grimhilde was stolen some time ago,” Dusty glumly said, making many of the foals groan and Barrier flinch. “Still, we do have plenty of other neat things I’m sure you’ll like.”
“Excuse me, Dusty,” Barrier spoke up, stepping ahead of the crowd of foals. “Might I ask when the skull was stolen?”
“Well, it was the darndest thing. It happened during the chaos back when Discord broke free.” The mare’s words made a pit form in Barrier’s stomach. “The glass shards seemed to go outward, but considering that my toilet suddenly turned into fly paper, we think that may just be a strange quirk of what was happening at the time.”
“I see.” Though he put forth a calm front, the unicorn couldn’t help but be worried. That was the day I’d have swore I saw her on the train… Did Discord raise her from the dead? … Can he do that? But, what about when I thought I saw her during that storm? Was that just a trick of the light?
“Well, children, at least Miss Tome will be able to show us a sword that was used by a legendary ninja in many great battles,” Ms. Schoolbag tried to assure the crowd of foals, only for Dusty Tome to cough into a hoof.
“Actually, thanks to a letter we received by one of our experts, Ran Saki’s sword, Kazemaru, had to be reexamined due to a recent discovery. Sadly, this means it won’t be available today.”
Another collection of groans came not just from the foals, but several of the parents.
“However, we do have several other items donated by the Ran clan, including the twin wakizashi that were used by Ran Saki’s daughter, Ran Yoru.” Dusty was rather grateful that her latest statement managed to cheer some of the visitors up.
“Now, shall we get started with the tour?” she asked as she gave a warm smile.
***
After a long examination of the ninja weapons and equipment, the next stop on the tour of the museum was to a selection of portraits that depicted historic moments in Equestria history.
While Barrier ignored some paintings that were even older than he was, his attention was captivated by a portrait that depicted Princess Celestia shaking her hoof with a golden coated griffin hen donning a crown. Behind the regal hen was a second one with a black coat and striking blue eyes. However, the thing that caught Barrier off guard was the fact the dark coated hen’s tuft of tail fur was two shades of blue, much like his own.
“And here we have a portrait depicting Princess Celestia offering her hoof in peace with Queen Farica Imperator shortly after the signing of the Pony-Griffin Concordat, which made Equestria and The Griffin Kingdom official allies. Also depicted in this painting is Ambassador Varia LeGrande.” Dusty said as several ponies stared at the work of art.
“Miss Tome, was Varia LeGrande related to Grimhilde LeGrande?” Windy asked, her foreleg outstretched.
“Yes, she was,” Dusty replied. “It’s rather surprising to many that the hen that helped to make our two kingdoms allies was the daughter of the Butcher of Gallopfrey.”
“Excuse me, Miss Tome, but could you tell me why Varia LeGrande has such an oddly colored tail?” Barrier asked as he slowly drew closer to the portrait.
“Ah. Very good question, Mr. Barrier,” Dusty said as she gestured towards the tail in question. “Once things started to become more prosperous in the Griffin Kingdom after the war, something that became a fashion trend with griffin hens for a while was dyeing the tips of their tails like this. If you look closer, you may see that there’s a red streak in Queen Farica’s tail.”
Turning to the image of the crown-wearing griffin, Barrier then noticed the red streak on her tail that contrasted against her white and golden fur.
“Tell me, who was Varia’s father?” Barrier turned his attention back to the dark coated griffin, still getting an unshakably odd feeling from her image.
“Sadly, the identity of Varia’s true father is currently unknown,” Dusty Tome Answered. “A common theory among historians is that Varia’s father was King Alarick due to how close Grimhilde was to the king and how many illegitimate children he had sired. It’s believed that nearly ten percent of griffins today are descended from King Alarick.”
“I see.” Despite his words, the old stallion still couldn’t shake the strange sense of unease the image of Varia brought him. Is it because she looks so much like her mother…?
After a few more minutes, the tour had moved on to an exhibit Barrier had previously visited, a display depicting a fight between the pony and griffin forces. The charcoal unicorn’s unease grew somewhat as he saw the mannequin of Grimhilde. It may have been his imagination, but it somehow seemed more frighteningly lifelike than before.
“And here, we see a display depicting a hypothetical battle between pony and griffin forces from approximately a thousand years ago. Some of those depicted were some of the most important soldiers of the era, such as Brigadier Grimhilde LeGrande and—”
“Daddy?” Though Wind Whistler’s words were quiet, it seemed to drown out all other sound in the room as she slowly made her way towards the model of her father. The eyes of everypony were locked on her.
“It… It looks so real… But it’s not…” The sadness in voice was clear as a bell before she quickly turned around and ran towards Barrier, grabbing his foreleg before she silently started to cry.
“It’s okay, Wind Whistler,” Barrier whispered softly as he kneeled down and stroked the filly’s back. “I’m here for you.” He then shot a glance up to the crowd of ponies. “If you’ll excuse us.”
The crowd gave him a quiet nod as he gently guided Wind Whistler a little further away from the group. Barrier could faintly hear Dusty starting to explain some of the display once more, but paid it no attention as he focused exclusively on Wind Whistler.
Soon enough, the tears stopped and she pulled away from Barrier with a sniffle. “Thanks, Uncle Barrier.” Her eyes were bloodshot and Barrier could see some of the lingering sadness behind them.
“Are you okay, Windy?” he asked as he kneeled down to face her directly once more.
“I think I will be in a bit… It’s just weird to see that statue of Daddy after so long and… I still miss him.”
“It’s okay dear, I miss him too,” Barrier quietly said as he pulled her into a hug. “He was my best friend and he still means a great deal to me.”
After a moment of silence, Windy spoke up as she looked up to Barrier. “Uncle, I think I’m ready to continue the tour.”
Barrier gave the filly a soft nod as they started to turn back towards the group, Windy keeping her eyes firmly locked on the floor in front of her while Barrier looked ahead.
It was then, while the rest of the tour was focused on the displays that Barrier saw something that made his blood run cold.
At the far end of the hallway, running across it was the clear and towering form of a black-coated, muscular griffin hen.
“Windy, stay with the group…” Barrier quietly said before his face contorted into a vicious sneer. Igniting his horn, the stallion vanished from Wind Whistler’s side and reappeared at the end of the hallway, where he spotted Grimhilde’s form turning a corner into another corridor.
You’re not getting away from me this time! His mind roared as he charged after her, skidding to turn the corner.
To his shock and horror, the hallway he’d entered was empty, save for an assortment of stone statues that lined it.
No, no, no! How does this keep happening?! Barrier managed to keep himself from snarling as he cautiously made his way through the corridor, carefully examining the stone statues.
Starscream… Charlatan… Porcina… Tirek… some Raptorians… Is this some sort of hall of villains or something? He thought to himself as he assessed the statues, coming to halt as he stopped at the statue of a unicorn mare he didn’t recognize. Wait, why doesn’t this statue have a name plate beside it?
Barrier was pulled from his thoughts as he heard a set of footsteps approaching from the left corner ahead of him. Acting quickly, he rushed down the corridor to find the source.
When he rounded the corner, he found himself face to face not with the griffin of his nightmares, but another face that was, while to a lesser extent, still quite irritating to him. “Starshine.”
The golden coated mare was rather taken aback by the obsidian unicorn who’d suddenly appeared in front of her.
“What the— Barrier? What are you doing here?” She asked in confusion as she took a step back from him.
“I was one of the chaperones for a class field trip when I thought I spotted something,” Barrier bluntly replied. “May I ask what you’re doing here?”
“I knew about the field trip and was hoping to surprise my daughter by stopping by during my lunch break,” she replied, now obviously irritated. “Now, could you please guide me to the tour?”
“Sure,” Barrier replied before slowly starting to make his way back to the tour with Starshine in tow.
Why? Why does this keep happening? Why do I keep seeing the damn griffin!? Barrier silently fumed behind a calm expression as he tried to figure out what was going on.
“Mom-Two!” He paid little mind as High Stakes ran up to Starshine and the two shared a hug.
“Uncle?” The soft, concerned voice of Wind Whistler snapped Barrier from his thoughts.
“Sorry about that, Windy. I thought I saw something… I guess I was wrong.” Barrier leaned down and gave Windy a nuzzle. “Ready to continue the tour?”
“I think so,” the filly said unsurely. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure,” Barrier offered her a reassuring smile. At least… I hope so…
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.”
After returning home, sure of his sanity, Barrier’s evening had been a rather pleasant one. Dinner was good and he was able to hit the hay early, leaving him well rested.
However, one downside of his early sleep was that he’d woken up earlier the following morning. Feeling too awake to go back to sleep, the charcoal stallion had decided to slip on his saddlebags and quietly head into the city, intent on exploring another area he’d yet to mentally map out.
It was still dark out as he made his way out the front door and the street lamps and stars were the only real sources of light he had to allow him to see. The city was still asleep on this Sunday morning as he went about the dim streets.
The quiet gradually started to gnaw at the unicorn. The only noises he’d hear would be the occasional flap of a bird’s wings or ice and snow falling off of a roof. This left him alone with only his thoughts to keep him company.
Y’know, looking back, I should have taken those photos Spectral took for me, he thought as he approached a section of the city with a fair amount of hotels and small apartment buildings. Not only would it be solid proof I’m not crazy, but the police might have wanted the photo of the stolen skull. Maybe I could ask her for them.
As Barrier drew near a corner, the silence of the early morning was shattered by an ear-piercing scream.
Instincts taking over, Barrier took off in the direction of the scream, coming towards a two-storey apartment complex that bent into an L-shape. A set of metal stairs connected the snow covered pavement to the upper floor, but Barrier’s eyes were focused on what was at the bottom of the metal stairway.
At the bottom of the steps lying still in the snow was the form of a unicorn mare, her forelegs bent at odd angles.
As Barrier drew closer to the fallen mare, he saw several ponies from the apartments tiredly poking their heads out their doors to try and find out what made the scream. However, one figure was racing past the second floor apartments towards the top of the stairs. It was a yellow coated mare in a postal worker’s uniform with a bag slung over her shoulders.
He recognized the postmare as Sweet Honey just as she reached the top of the stairs, looking down in horror at the mare just as Barrier started to slow his steps. He saw the face of the mare in the snow and a horrible feeling churned in his stomach as he recognized her.
Lying in the snow with her mouth hanging open and her eyes staring off into nothingness was none other than Spectral Image.
Barrier fought back the urge to swallow as he stepped up to Spectral’s body. He felt compelled to confirm her condition despite knowing how painfully obvious it was. He held a hoof in front of her nostrils, feeling no breath coming from her. He then placed a hoof on her neck to check for a pulse.
“B-B-Barrier…” Sweet Honey said from her spot, hovering at the top of the stairs. “Is she…”
“I’m sorry, Honey. She’s dead,” Barrier said as he stepped back, making sure to carefully step into the same holes he’d made in the snow with his previous hoofsteps. “Did you see anything?” He asked as his horn began to glow.
“I… I was just making my morning rounds…” Honey replied as she found herself wanting to look away from the dead unicorn’s body, but unable to so much as move from her spot. “I was putting some mail in one of the mailboxes when I heard her scream and saw her go down the stairs.”
“Did you see anypony push her?” Barrier asked as the blue light around his horn turned crimson and shot off into the sky as a series of flares.
“No… Nopony was there…” the shaking mare answered as tears started to form in her eyes. “Oh, Punch is gonna be heartbroken…”
Before Barrier could ask what she meant, the sound of running ponies reached the onyx stallion’s ears. Looking over his shoulders, he saw two familiar police mares rounding the corner with impressive speed.
“We’ve gotta hurry, Lock-Up! Who knows what…” Bright Star suddenly stopped at the sight of Spectral lying dead in the snow, the charcoal unicorn standing near the victim, Honey hovering at the top of the stairs and even more of the confused residents starting to peek their heads out their doors at the commotion. “Oh dear Faust…”
“Off… Officer Lock-Up to HQ,” the second mare shakily said into her walkie-talkie. “Send CSIs and a paramedic to the Double Tall Apartments on the corner of Snowcap and Peach Blossom, ASAP. It… it looks like we have a D.B..”
***
The first bits of sunlight had begun to peek over the horizon as police swarmed over the scene. A large area had been taped off while some uniformed ponies were combing over every corner of the apartment’s exterior.
Meanwhile, Barrier and Sweet Honey had been pulled to the side. While the unicorn kept up a stoic appearance, the pegasus was shaking like a leaf, even with a blanket draped over her shoulders.
“Are you okay, Honey?” Barrier asked the mare on his right, her eyes locked on the spot where Spectral’s body once laid, now emptied and being carefully examined.
“I… I don’t know, Barrier,” Honey drew the blanket tightly around herself. “I’ve never seen anyone’s dead body before… I knew Spectral. She was a friend of Punch’s… I’m… I’m not really sure how to process this sort of thing.”
Before Barrier could say anything in response, somepony clearing their throat drew his attention away. Turning to the left, he saw a mare that he briefly thought was Color Splash, but quickly realized that this mare had no horn but instead wings at her sides.
While her coat was the same shade of gray as Splash, her short, straight mane was a dark gray while her eyes were a magenta. Craning his head a bit, he saw the mare’s cutie mark was a magnifying glass.
“Excuse me, Mr. Magic Barrier, Miss Sweet Honey,” the gray pegasus said as she drew closer, brushing her mane with her right wing. “I’m Detective Gray Skies. I’ve been informed you two were the first ponies on the scene. I need to take your statements. Mr. Barrier, I’d like to take yours first.”
“Very well,” Barrier said as he rose up and followed the detective as she led him away from Honey. Once she was certain Honey was out of earshot, she stuck her wings into her saddlebags. When she pulled them back, she held a pencil in her right wing and a notepad in her left.
“Right, let’s take this from the top. Name and occupation?”
“Magic Barrier. As for occupation, I start as a self-defense teacher tomorrow.”
“Can you tell me what led to you coming across the body?” Gray asked as she jotted some information in her notepad. “It seems a bit odd for somepony to be up this early.”
“I’d woken up earlier than I wanted and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to go for a walk. I’m still somewhat unfamiliar with this city, so I decided to head to a part that I hadn't visited before,” Barrier stated as the pegasus quickly wrote in her notepad.
“I was passing by Salty’s Sandwich Shop when I heard a mare screaming. I headed towards the source to see what was going on and found Spectral Image at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Did you touch the body or anything at the scene?” Gray bluntly asked.
“I did.” The stallion answered matter-of-factly. “I approached the body and left hoofprints in the snow while also pressing a hoof to her neck to check for a pulse. After confirming what I knew, I stepped back into the same prints I’d left and sent a flare into the sky. Less than a minute later, Lock-Up and Bright Star arrived at the scene.”
“That means we’ll have to take your hoofprints, get a cast of them and examine them for trace evidence,” Gray stated, her eyes locked on Barrier as she continued to write. “Were there any other ponies in the area?”
“The only other pony there before the scream was Sweet Honey as far as I’m aware. She was over by one of the apartments at the other end of the bend,” Barrier answered. “As I arrived, she hovered above the top of the stairs, never touching down until she flew over to this side of the street.”
“Do you know the victim in any way?” Skies asked with a quirked eyebrow.
“I met her for the first time yesterday at the Midnight Mall in the early afternoon,” Barrier said, drawing a little bit closer to hopefully not be overheard by any of the other ponies nearby. “I had asked her to use her fortune telling skills to tell me about some things I’ve recently been dealing with involving someone imitating Grimhilde LeGrande as well as someone having stolen her skull. According to Spectral’s reading, the culprit behind the impersonation and harassment is a unicorn stallion with a lime green coat, blue-ish green mane, and a yellow lemon for a cutie mark.”
“Hmm… Interesting,” One of Gray Skies eyebrows rose further as she wrote. “You mean to tell me you met a fortune telling mare who helped you find some answers about some crook and the next morning, she winds up dead. Very interesting and pretty fishy.”
“If I may, what do you mean to imply by that, Detective?”
“It means this is something that should be noted for the investigation,” she replied simply. “Anything else you’d like to add?”
“Actually, could you see if she has the photos I mentioned somewhere in her apartment? I didn’t think to request them from her before, but in hindsight they’re rather important to me.”
“Sorry, no can do,” Skies replied. “That stuff would be considered evidence. Even if they’re not connected to her death, this would be connected to those other crimes you mentioned. Unless they’re completely dismissed as evidence, I can’t just give them to you if we find them.”
“Understandable,” Barrier said before sighing. “Sorry, but out of nagging curiosity, I feel the need to ask if you’re related to Color Splash.”
Skies’ writing came to an abrupt halt as her left eye twitched. She then harshly glared at the dark unicorn. “I don’t like talking about my ex-con twin,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Right. Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.” Barrier’s reply caused the detective to tiredly sigh.
“At any rate, I’ll need to ask you for your contact information before I pass you off to the CSIs.” The gray mare soon jotted down Barrier’s home address before she moved over to Honey.
While a unicorn mare in a blue uniform and glasses examined Barrier’s hooves, the charcoal stallion caught a bit of the conversation between the detective and the shaken pegasus.
“Spectral… She was a friend of my sister’s. They liked to go to a karaoke place in the Midnight Mall in their off time. Last I saw her was a few days ago when she helped us move some stuff into our new apartment.”
“Alright, Mr. Barrier,” the investigator tending to him spoke up. “I’ve finished checking you for trace. Could you please follow me so I can take your hoof prints and make plaster casts? I figure it’s too cold to do it out here.”
“I... Sure,” Barrier replied with a sigh as he started to follow after the mare whose name tag read Minute Detail.
***
Sometime later, Barrier had found himself returning to the manor, where he saw the somewhat nervous looking household gathered around the kitchen table, each of them suddenly looking relieved at the sight of the approaching unicorn.
“Well, glad to see you’re back,” Daring said as she and the others quickly made their way from the kitchen to the entryway. “We were getting worried. Where’ve you been?”
“I woke up rather early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to go for an early morning walk,” Barrier stated as he walked up to Daring and Fleet before giving them a quick hug. “Unfortunately, I ended up stumbling upon a dead body, so I had to be questioned by the police.”
A gasp came from Wind Whistler while the former privates somewhat tensed. After a few minutes, Barrier explained what had happened to Spectral Image as they made their way to the living room.
“Damn, that’s horrible,” Verdant said as he sat by the fireplace. “I think I talked to Spectral once or twice. It’s sad that somepony so young can be killed in an accident like that.”
“I don’t think it was an accident…” Barrier meant to mutter from his spot on the couch, but he was apparently loud enough for his housemates to hear. A look of stunned surprise was all over their faces.
“Sir… what makes you think this wasn’t an accident?” Swiftsword asked nervously.
Great. Now there’s no way out of this. Barrier sighed, feeling even more drained despite how it wasn’t even noon yet. Still, the ponies here all care about you. Maybe you should just tell them about what’s been going on?
A tense moment held in the air as Barrier looked over the ponies that were all looking at him in concern.
I don’t think I can… at least not all of them… “Daring… Fleet… could I speak to you in private?” Barrier asked as he rose off the sofa.
“Sure, Barrier. No problem,” Daring replied as she quickly moved to his side with Fleet joining in short order.
“Uncle, can’t you tell us?” Wind Whistler pleaded, grasping onto his foreleg.
“I’m sorry Windy, but I don’t think I can.” Barrier’s horn glowed as he gently pulled the filly off of his leg and placed her by the privates. “I want all of you to stay right here while I discuss this with Daring and Fleet.”
“Understood, sir,” Swiftsword said as she placed a hoof on Windy’s shoulder. “We shall remain here.”
The herd trio soon walked to Barrier’s bedroom door. As Daring and Fleet made their way inside, Barrier took one last glance back to the six in the living room, seeing that true to their word, they didn’t move from their spots.
Without another word, Barrier went into his room and quietly closed the door behind him.
“Alright, Barrier, spill it,” Daring firmly said as she sat down on his bed.
“Please, tell us, Barrier,” Fleet asked as she stood near him. “Tell us why you don’t think this was an accident.”
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Barrier looked his mates in the eyes. “I don’t want anypony else to hear this, but several times since we’ve come to Vanhoover, I’ve seen glimpses of Grimhilde alive in various places.”
While Daring brought a hoof to her mouth, Fleet spoke up. “Do you mean like what happened with that costumed mare in Ponyville?”
“Somewhat, but not quite,” Barrier replied as he felt himself faintly shake. “The first such time I saw one of these visions of her was during that night when you were called away to deal with a storm. I thought I saw her in the backyard during the lightning flash. I rushed outside, to try to confront what I saw, but all I found was you.”
“And there were other times you saw her?” Daring asked from her place on the bed.
“Yes, I did…” Barrier said before swallowing. “When I was in Canterlot, I saw her on the train I boarded to return. She rushed into one of the cabins, but when I got there, there was only a pony that said she didn’t see anyone come into her room.
“Later on, after Daring undid that sex switcheroo spell on us, I thought I saw her go into an alleyway here. There was no way she could have escaped when I teleported to the alleyway’s entrance, but all that was there was a sleeping scruffy stallion and an empty dumpster.”
“The most recent sighting I had of her was when I went to the museum in Canterlot. I thought I spotted her in the hallway. I tried to follow after her but all I found was a hall full of stone statues… and this was shortly after I learned Grimhilde’s skull had been stolen from the museum.
“When I met Spectral yesterday, she used her talent to show me that Grimhilde was definitely dead by showing her skull in a dark room. When I asked if someone was pretending to be Grimhilde, I got the image of a green unicorn with a blueish green mane and a lemon for a cutie mark looking in a mirror… I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I asked about who’s hounding me like this and the pony who got me answers suddenly winds up dead.”
“Yikes…” Daring said, her and Fleet looking a good deal paler after hearing what he’d said. “That… that’s terrifying…”
“I know…” Barrier said before sighing once more. “I wish I’d thought ahead and kept those photos. For all I know, those photos are somewhere in Spectral’s apartment. I told the detective in charge of this case about all of this, but I’m not sure if she’ll be able to help us.”
“I… I wish I knew what to say, Barrier…” Fleet said before wrapping her forelegs around him. The onyx unicorn quickly returned the hug. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“If only I had an answer,” Barrier replied as Daring joined the hug. “I only ask that you don’t tell the others about me seeing Grimhilde… I worry they may think I’ve lost my mind.”
“While I can see where you’re coming from, I’m not sure that’s the best option,” Daring said as the three-way hug broke off. “I think you should tell them about this lemon stallion that’s screwing with you, just in case they might spot this guy. And maybe you should…”
“...should?” Barrier asked as the golden mare bit her lip.
“Well, maybe, just to eliminate all possibilities, you could talk to that therapist that Princess Celestia told you about back when we were in the empire?” Daring somewhat hesitantly said. “Don’t get me wrong, I do believe you, but I also think we should examine whatever’s going on from all possible angles.”
She may have a point there, Barrier. His mind’s voice said to him. After all, so far, you’re the only one that’s seen Grimhilde at all and you were all alone when you met with Spectral. Maybe seeing what this pony has to say could help prove your sanity.
“Perhaps that would be a good idea.” Barrier said as he briefly looked the mare in the eyes. “I will tell the others about the lemon pony... And… Thank you for believing in me.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it, Barrier,” Daring said before giving him a peck on the cheek, followed shortly before she gave one to Fleet. “We care about you. We wanna help you. And I’ve seen enough crazy stuff to know better than to discount anything.”
“Indeed.” Fleet then gave the two gentle kisses on the cheek before looking the charcoal unicorn in the eye. “We’re your family and we wish to help you.”
“Thank you…” Barrier whispered before gently kissing the two on the lips and hugging them. After the prolonged hug broke off, the three went to the door and back into the hallway. Looking to the living room, he saw the privates and Windy had kept their places without moving an inch. The six all looked to Barrier as he and the others returned to the living room.
“Alright everypony, listen carefully. I don’t want what I’m about to tell you to be spread around.” Barrier stated before he took a deep breath. “I want you to keep an eye out for a green coated unicorn stallion with a blueish green mane and a lemon for a cutie mark. I have reason to believe this unicorn may be connected to Spectral’s death, along with some other things going on. Understood?”
“Sir, yes sir!” the five young adults said in unison while Wind Whistler nervously nodded. Barrier genty picked up the filly and gave her a hug.
“Thank you and be careful,” Barrier said as Windy tightly squeezed him. “In the meantime… I think I should try to take it easy for the rest of the day and let my mind unwind.”
“Understandable, sir,” Swift said while Windy broke off the hug and Barrier sat down on the couch. “We’ll tend to things while you rest and get ready for tomorrow.”
Ah, right. I’ve got a job now. Barrier thought as he leaned back, practically feeling himself melt into the softness of the couch. Hopefully things go smoothly.
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.
A cold dampness hung in the air as Iron Forge stepped into the early morning light. With a flare of his horn, an orange glow encased the unicorn stallion, wrapping him in magical warmth as he stepped through the snowy pathway and soon reached the manor’s gateway.
“Forge,” a mare’s voice from behind him drew the cobalt unicorn’s attention. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the source of the voice was a familiar unicorn mare with a softer, lighter blue coat, Swiftsword. “May I accompany you to your place of work?”
“Uh, sure, Swift,” he replied as he pulled the gate open with his magic. “May I ask why you’d like to come to the shop?”
“It has to do with a family tradition of the Falchion clan,” Swift answered as she and Forge left through the gates and headed down the street. “It is expected of a Falchion to have a sword crafted for them specifically. To serve as their own specialized, personal blade.”
“And I’m guessing that the Pony Rangers sword I made for you wouldn’t count?” Forge asked as his brow rose.
“Verily, my friend. Besides, I know how to wield multiple swords at once and it may be useful to have an additional weapon if we run into this lemon stallion that’s been hounding Barrier,” the taller mare replied. “I had something rather special for my sword in mind and I’m certain you and the shop will be up to the task.”
“Well, thanks for the compliment, Swift.” Forge offered the carolina blue mare a smile. “I’ll make sure this sword will be something you’ll be proud of.”
A few minutes passed for the unicorns as they made their journey to the smithing shop. When the pair stepped inside and Forge dispelled his warming spell, two things immediately caught the pair’s attention. The first was the sickening sounds of someone vomiting from a nearby bathroom and the second was Silver Swirl wincing at the disgusting noise.
“What’s going on?” Forge asked as he stepped closer to the bathroom door.
“Well, I have a hunch,” Asta’s weak voice came from behind the door before she stepped into the shop entrance. “Either I had some bad eggs for breakfast or Einar’s condom broke, fertilizing mine.”
“T.M.I., Asta,” Silver Swirl said from behind her counter. “You think you’ll be alright?”
“Yes, after another minute or two,” Asta replied as she moved to a nearby chair and held some talons to her stomach. “Oh, good morning, Forge.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Sorae. I hope your stomach feels better soon,” he said before he stepped up to the counter. “Ms. Swirl, my friend would like to commission something.”
“Well, I’m sure we’d love to take your order,” she said as Swift stepped up to the counter, pulling out a clipboard and pencil. “What would you like to commission, Miss?”
“Swiftsword Falchion,” the noblemare stated as she pulled a scrap of paper from her saddlebags. “I would like to commission an arming sword and scabbard. For the blade itself, I would like the entirety of it to be made of mystibane.”
Forge fought back the urge to gasp while Silver Swirl’s jaw dropped and her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. The pencil that was once held in her mouth clattered against the counter it fell upon. Even Asta was slack jawed before she had to slam her beak shut and cover it with her talons as she turned green.
Mystibane was a rather rare and expensive metal. The black substance was the same material used for the crafting of magic suppressing horn rings. A single ring could disrupt a unicorn’s magic well enough that most unicorns wouldn’t be able to conjure even a glow with their horns.
A blade like that could probably serve to cut through nearly any shield spell, as well as dispel and negate almost any magic thrown at its wielder. Forge thought as he saw Asta fight against her sickness and swallow.
“I’ll leave you to choose what materials will be used for the pommel, hilt and crossguard,” Swift said, ignoring the stunned expression on Swirl’s face. “As for decorative details, I’d like to have my cutie mark on both sides of the pommel and a five pointed star with a lightning bolt on each side of the star for the crossguard.”
Silver Swirl blinked before she picked up her jaw. “Um… Swiftsword… Do you know how insanely expensive that’ll be? Like, just the mystibane for the blade alone would cost around two million bits.”
“Rest assured, I’m well aware of mystibane’s rarity and price,” Swift calmly responded as she stepped up to the counter. “Suffice to say, I’m willing to pay the price for this weapon.”
“Forge…” Silver Swirl slowly turned her neck to face the cobalt stallion. “Can your friend actually afford this?”
“Yes ma’am, though it will put a major dent into her savings,” Forge said, still somewhat stunned by the outrageous request she had just made.
“Alright then…” Swirl sighed before pulling out a book with a wide assortment of listings for the prices of various services and materials. “Okay, that much mystibane and weapons grade steel for the handle, crossguard, pommel, custom engravings… Do you want anything covering the grip?”
“Pleather, please.”
“Right. All that, plus the work for this thing puts your costs in the ballpark of…” Swirl winced as she quickly calculated the price in her head. “Two million, three-hundred eighty thousand, eight-hundred sixty-nine bits.”
“Very well.” A broad smile graced Swift’s face as she ignited her horn, pulled out a cheque book and a pencil from her saddlebags and quickly filled out the slip of paper. “And I shall also include a fifteen percent tip.” She then took the cheque from her book and floated it in front of Swirl.
“Right,” the blonde earth pony replied as she slid the cheque behind the counter. “Hope you don’t mind if I wait for this thing to clear before we start making this sword.”
“Naturally, my dear,” Swift said as she turned towards the door. “Take all the time you require. I wish for the best quality possible.”
When she reached the door, she paused and looked to Forge and Asta. “Have a good day, Forge. I hope your stomach feels better soon, Mrs. Sorae.”
“Thanks, Swiftsword.” Asta gave a weak wave as she felt another harsh churn in her belly.
“Good day, Swift,” Forge said as she started out the door. “Remember, I’m the one that’ll be doing dinner on Friday.”
Swift paused halfway in her step. Forge would’ve sworn that he saw a shiver run down her spine.
“I’ll be cooking canned stew.”
“Oh thank you, merciful Faust,” She said in a quiet, relieved sigh before putting on a smile. “I look forward to it.
Once the door closed and Swift vanished in a flash of teleportation, Forge turned to look at the hen near him. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’ll live,” Asta replied as she rose from the chair. “Besides, if my past experience is anything to go by, I should be fine within a few hours.”
“Glad to hear that, Asta,” Swirl said from her spot behind the counter. “Thankfully, work’s gonna be more on the light side today.”
***
The afternoon eventually crept by and true to Swirl’s word, the workload was somewhat light compared to the average day.
As the clock struck five, the unicorn kept a close eye on Asta as she started to put her gear away. “How are you feeling?”
“Thankfully, my stomach’s doing a lot better now,” the hen replied as she stretched her wings. “Still, I will be making a doctor’s appointment later.”
“Probably a good idea,” Forge said as he placed his saddlebags onto his back and headed for the door. “Have a good evening, Asta.”
“You too, Forge.” Asta smiled warmly and waved as Forge headed outside into the winter cold, a harsh contrast to the previous warmth of the forge he’d been basking in.
Eventually, the cobalt stallion made his way to the gate of the house where Swift was standing, alongside Fruity Punch.
“Are you really certain about this?” Forge managed to overhear Swift asking the pink pony.
“Damn sure,” Punch replied sternly, as if trying to keep a growl out of her tone. “If this lemon stallion really did kill Spectral, I want to be able to defend myself in case I run into him.”
“Might I ask what’s going on?” Forge inquired as he stepped up to the conversing mares.
“Punch is hoping Barrier will teach her self-defense lessons outside of the classes he teaches,” Swift replied as she pushed the gates open with her magic. “You’ll have to ask him, but I believe he’ll allow it.
“Here’s hoping,” Punch said as she and Forge started to follow behind Swift. “I want to tear that bastard to shreds for what he did.” An angry growl started to form in her voice.
“Say, Punch…” Forge spoke up, hoping to alleviate some of her negative feelings. “Do you like stew?”
“Hmm? Well, it’s been a long, long time since I last had stew.” Punch looked at the cobalt stallion with a hint of confusion on her face. “How come?”
“Well, I’m planning on cooking up a big stew dinner later on Friday and I was wondering if you’d like to have some,” Forge said as they reached the front door. “Sure, it’s pretty much just gonna be me heating up canned food, but I’m sure it should still be good.”
“Hmm… Well, it still sounds better than Sis’s cooking,” Punch said as they started to head for the living room. “Speaking of, can I invite her over?”
“I don’t see why not,” Forge cheerfully replied. “And hey, no princesses should be showing up, so you won’t have a repeat of Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
“What happened then?” Swift looked over her shoulder, seeing Punch’s face had turned crimson and sweat started to form on her brow.
“Um… I don’t want to talk about it-Hey, Barrier!” Punch rushed away from Forge’s side, skidding to a halt by the sofa where the charcoal unicorn was reading a book. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to teach me some more self-defense stuff outside the classes.”
“Normally, I would say no,” Barrier replied as he dog-eared his book and set it aside. “However, given recent circumstances and the fact that I could use some more exercise, I’d be willing to train you on… Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“Oh, thank you, Barrier!” Punch said as she pulled him into a hug. Her tail rapidly wagged before Barrier slowly returned the hug. The pink coated mare was practically beaming as she released Barrier. “Do you want to train today or—”
“I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Barrier interjected as he picked up his book. “After that, we’ll begin your extra training.”
“Alright, no problem,” Punch replied before she started toward the door. “Bye, everypony! I’ll see you later! Looking forward to the stew, Forge!”
“So am I, Punch!” Forge said before the sound of the front door opening and closing reached their ears. “I’m sure things will go rather well then.”
***
Friday had come and the dinner was going rather well. The scent of hot stew filled the kitchen which now had a second table set up to accommodate all the guests. Besides the residents of the manor, Snow Sweeper, Erica, Fruity Punch and Sweet Honey were digging into their meals as well.
“Gotta say,” Erica said between spoonfuls of the stew. “This turned out really well.”
“I will admit, I wasn’t sure about this since it has meat in it,” Honey said from her spot. “But the little pork chunks actually go well with it.”
“Thanks, both of you.” The faintest blush appeared on Forge’s face before Snow slung a foreleg around his shoulders.
“Here’s to Forge, our chef of the evening!” Snow said before kissing Forge on the cheek, leaving a gravy lip print upon his face.
“While I appreciate the praises, all I did was buy the stew and heat it up,” Forge replied as he used a forehoof to wipe the gravy off his face. “The real credit for the stew’s quality goes to the chefs at Hearty Time.”
Suddenly, a clatter of spoons falling filled the room. Forge, his fellow former soldiers, Windy and Punch looked confused while Daring, Erica, Snow and Honey looked at him with horror and shock upon their faces.
“What? What’s wrong?” Forge asked, utterly lost by the reaction of his friends.
“Forge…” Snow said, his face somewhat green and his pupils dilated as he leaned closer. “Did you just say that the stew you fed us was Hearty Time brand?”
“Yes, but I fail to see the problem.”
Forge’s answer made Daring groan in disgust while she, Snow, Erica and Honey pushed their plates away.
“Forge… Hearty Time’s a brand of dog food.” A new series of groans followed Snow’s words.
“Oooohhh… That explains the cardboard cutout of the purple dog advertising it and saying it’ll give you a glossy coat. Sorry, everyone. I didn’t know.” A nervous sweat formed on Forge’s brow before he looked around the table.
Wind Whistler, Fleet and Gem pushed their plates away while Barrier, Verdant, Hatty and Swift looked conflicted about what to do with their remaining food.
To the shock of all the guests, Punch was continuing to happily enjoy her dinner.
“Punch, what’s wrong with you?!” Honey’s right eye twitched as Punch continued to eat.
The rose colored unicorn then pulled the spoon from her mouth and glared at her winged sister.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said as she scooped up another spoonful. “Mom said to never waste food, this tastes pretty good and it’ll give you a glossy coat. Who doesn't want a glossy coat?”
A series of disgusted groans came from the two tables as Punch continued to feast.
“So… who wants me to go get some pizzas?” Forge asked as he slowly looked over the tables.
“AYE!” Nearly everyone said before stepping away from the table.
“Say, can I have your Hearty Time?” Punch asked before taking another bite. “This is some damn good stuff.”
Forge walked along the lightly lit path to the smith’s shop in the early morning light, still somewhat waking up while his companion, Swiftsword, was walking along with a grin on her face and her tail wagging like a puppy expecting a fresh, tasty bone.
It had been four days since Swift had placed her order for a custom sword and two days since the cheque cleared. With payment complete, it was an all hooves and talons on deck situation for this sword’s crafting. Silver Swirl had insisted that even the shavings of mystibane were to be stored away for future use because of how much they cost.
Now, Swiftsword was excited beyond belief at the thought of the weapon she would soon receive. Forge wished her energy was infectious so he wouldn’t need coffee in the morning.
The two soon arrived at the smithy and stepped inside, where Silver Swirl was sitting behind her desk with a large smile on her face.
“Good morning, you two,” she said as Swift came up to the counter. “Miss Falchion, you’ll be pleased to know your sword is ready to be taken home.
“Thank you, Miss Swirl!” Swift’s voice cracked during her exclamation, the act causing a faint blush to appear on her cheeks. “Ah-hem. My apologies, Miss Swirl. I’m just… incredibly excited about this. May I please have my sword?”
“Of course,” Swirl replied before ducking behind the counter, coming back up with the sword in its scabbard and placing it on the counter. “Ready for your inspection.”
Swift’s horn glowed a pale blue as her magic picked up the weapon by its hilt and pulled it from its scabbard.
The noblemare was awed by the beautiful black sword. The blade, the crossguard, the pommel, everything was exactly as she had hoped.
“Tis the most magnificent weapon I’ve ever seen,” Swift whispered with stars in her eyes as she looked over every last millimeter of the sword. She then cleared her throat before turning to face Forge.
“My friend, it’s time to test this sword’s anti-magic capabilities.” Swift quickly moved into a combative stance, ready to be attacked. “First, try to pull the blade from my grasp.” The light of her horn glowed bright as she tightened her grip on the handle.
Forge’s horn ignited in a flaming orange as he fell into a similar stance. He tried to focus his aura onto the blade, but found his magic simply fizzling out, barely forming the faintest of sparkles within centimeters of the blade.
“Excellent!” A vicious grin formed on Swift’s face as she saw how ineffective Forge’s attempt to take the blade was. “Now, fire upon me! Blast me with all your might!”
“Whoa, wait a sec—!” Silver Swirl tried to shout, but Forge launched a volley of magic shots towards the noblemare without hesitation.
The sword quickly moved in the air, slashing at each shot and reducing them to nothing, much to Swift’s delight.
“Fantastic work, Miss Swirl,” Swift said as she sheathed her weapon and turned her attention to the shaking shopkeeper. “All your staff deserve great praise for all the work they did in crafting this magnificent blade.”
“N-no problem, Swift. But next time, could you test your new weapon outside? Or more preferably, at your home?” Swirl’s right eye twitched as she glared at the unicorn mare.
“Ah. Of course,” Swift sheepishly said before turning to the door. “At any rate, you have my sincerest thanks and I do hope to do business with you again. Farewell.”
“Well, I’m glad she’s a satisfied customer,” Forge said as he headed into the back and his friend slipped outside. “I’ll be clocking in, Boss!”
***
The morning had soon given way to afternoon and as Forge left the shop, the sun was starting to set.
“Good evening, Forge!” An approaching mare made Forge’s ears stand at attention. Looking to the source, he saw Swiftsword approaching. “How was your day, my friend?”
“It was pretty good,” Forge replied as she reached his side. “We got a good amount of work done and Asta confirmed that she’s pregnant.”
“Ah, wonderful!” Swift replied as she and Forge set off towards the manor. “I wonder how Erica is taking the news that she'll be a big sister.”
“I’m not sure she knows, yet,” Forge said. “Asta told me she only got the confirmation from her doctor today.”
“Fair enough,” Swift said as she turned her gaze skyward, carefully watching the first stars of the night taking their place in the heavens. “Still, based on what I’ve seen of her character, I don’t doubt she’ll be a good sister to them.”
A faint chuckle came from the cobalt stallion. “It’s kinda funny to think how well we get along with griffins nowadays, considering what we went through with training and the war.”
“Oh, most certainly,” Swift said as she turned her attention back to her companion. “I still vividly remember being taught by my father which parts of a griffin were best to slash, depending on intent. Things such as how to readily remove their wings or cripple them and leaving them to bleed out slowly. And now, I serve food to griffins almost daily.”
“Yeah, and to think, it’s been less than a year since we left the empire.” It was now Forge’s turn to gaze upon the stars. “So much has changed.”
“Still, I am rather thankful that those I care deeply about are still by my side,” Swift said as pegasi lit some of the streets’ lanterns. “Never forget that you and the others are cherished loved ones, just as much as my brother was.”
“Thanks, Swift,” Forge said as he looked the taller mare in the eye. “The feeling’s very mutual.”
***
As Swift and Forge entered the manor’s front door, the two were surprised by the sight of Verdant in the kitchen with a bowl of fruit on his head and his saddlebags at his sides.
“Ah, perfect timing, Swift!” Verdant said as he turned towards the living room. “Could both of you follow me? There’s a couple of ponies here to speak with you.”
With a quick flare of Swift’s horn, the noblemare was at Verdant’s side while Forge had to run up to them quickly.
When they arrived in the living room, the entire household was gathered while a pair of unfamiliar unicorns sat on the couch. One was a stallion with a cream colored coat and a short yet styled deep, grayish blue mane while the other was a pink coated mare with a long, flowing blonde mane and a sharp blue suit jacket and red tie.
“Ah, Miss Swiftsword, it’s an honor and a privilege to meet you,” the unknown stallion said as he held out a foreleg to her. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Pencil Scratch, the author of the Flame Crest books. The mare by my side is Fine Print, my lawyer.”
“Charmed tah meet yah, darlin’.” She also held out a hoof that didn’t have to wait long before Swift had shook both of them.
“Good evening, Mr. Scratch and Miss Print,” Swift said as Verdant placed the bowl of fruit on the coffee table in front of them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? I assume this has something to do with your line of books?”
“Ah, I’m glad to hear you’d like to get straight to the point,” Scratch said before clearing his throat. “Yes, I’m here because my editor recently informed me that you’re still alive, which might make some of my books involving you as a character a bit problematic.”
“What mah client means is that since you’re not a long deceased historical figure, your appearance in future books and more importantly, merchandise and reprints of past books, will likely have some legal complications if we can’t get yah tah sign off on them.”
“Well then,” Swiftsword said as her magic pulled a chair from the kitchen and she sat down on it. “It would be most fortunate that I recently started to read some of your books. While there are some things I do not like with my characterization in them, my character has so far been rather minor. This has the benefit of being less bothersome than if I were a more major character.”
“Yeah, that certainly helps,” Pencil replied. “I tried to focus mostly on Mars due to the lack of historical information about you. I was hoping to do something based on you and your old squad, but I’d probably need your help tracking down them or their closest surviving relatives if I wanted to do that.”
“Well, you can actually skip that part,” Hatty casually said from his spot by Gem. “We’re all here, so you can get info about us straight from the horses’ mouths.”
Pencil Scratch’s jaw dropped, stunned. His eyes slowly swept over the ponies in the room before his lawyer picked his jaw back up. “You’re… you’re all Squad 982?”
“Indeed, they are,” Barrier said from his chair. “You also have the captain that trained them and the sergeant that took them on the ill-fated journey to the Crystal Empire.”
“I… I just… Holy crap, Yearling, is this a prank?” he asked as he turned his gaze to the bespectacled pegasus.
“Nah, though it would be funny if it were,” she replied as she readjusted her glasses. “But no, these are the real deal. I met them all when I went to the Crystal Empire. I even took a photo of some of these guys shaking hooves with Queen Leena.”
“Well don’t that beat all,” Fine Print said, her horn glowing a pale green as she picked up an apple from the fruit bowl. She then looked towards the shamrock coated stallion. “Ah’ve read some of mah clients’ notes about the figures in his books. While Ah can believe most of y’all are the real deal, Ah kinda doubt yer the Verdant Range Ah read about.”
“Oh,” Verdant tilted his head in confusion. “What makes it so hard to believe I’m me?”
“The Verdant Range in the notes we were able to scrounge up was said to be a fast and effective sniper that could take out a target over eighty feet away while runnin’,” she said with her eyes closed as she brought the apple closer to her mouth. “Sorry to say it, but yah don’t really look like the sniper type. No offense.”
Just as she was about to take a bite, a quick whoosh went through the air. When she closed her mouth, Fine Print found she had only bitten the air. Opening her eyes, she saw the apple was gone. Quickly looking around the room, she gasped as she saw the apple was now impaled on an arrow that was lodged in a log in the fireplace.
“So, what was that about me not looking like a sniper?” Verdant’s words turned Fine Print’s attention to him, where she saw he was now resting a bow upon his shoulders with an amused grin on his face.
“Oh hohohoho! This is awesome!” Pencil Scratch giddily said as he childishly clapped his forehooves together. “I always wanted to see the historical figures I write about in action and I just saw a centuries old sniper showing his stuff!”
Fine Print gave Pencil Scratch a light jab in the shoulder which caused him to cough into his hoof in an effort to rein himself in and take on a more serious tone. “Right. Back to business.”
The unicorn writer’s horn glowed a vibrant yellow as he pulled out five stacks of papers from his saddlebags and floated them all in front of the privates’ faces.
“I wanted to write a brief story where griffins attacked you on the way to the Crystal Empire, but I figured I should get Swift and the rest of you to check over some of these rough character profiles I wrote up before I really start to write things.” Pencil said as the five grasped the stacks and quickly started to read them over.
The five remained silent as they read over Pencil’s writings. After a minute or two, most of them looked rather shocked and confused with the sole exception of Forge, who fell back, bursting into a fit of laughter.
“I… take it that what I got was pretty off?” Pencil nervously asked as Forge slowly rose back up, still laughing.
“Well, first of all, an attack by griffins that far north and inland would be rather… unlikely to put things gently,” Swift began as she carefully scrutinized the papers. “Secondly, even if they did show up to attack us and Sgt. Fleetfeather was not present, then I, as the senior most member of the squad, would have led the counterattack, not Forge. And I can assure you, I was very well trained in how to carve a griffin to pieces. My book counterpart seems rather… dainty.”
“You should see how they characterize the rest of us,” Hatty chirped in. “The summary here says that Gem and I were the fiercest of rivals, that we despised each other and threw a lot of tribalist comments at one another.”
“Just so you know, Mr. Scratch, Hatty and I became lovers less than two weeks after we were assigned to the squad and we’re currently engaged,” Gem said with a flat look aimed at the writer.
And I can personally attest to the less than two weeks bit. Barrier remained silent as watched the cadets.
“My character seems really cold and emotionless, save for wanting to exterminate the griffins. ‘The only good griffin is one burning to death’?” Verdant looked rather disgusted by the words on the page. “I was always hoping we’d somehow manage to end that peacefully, plus my girlfriend is a griffin.”
“Not to mention you checked out Queen Leena’s buttocks,” Swift said with a smirk towards the shamrock stallion.
“I did not!” Verdant childishly yelled back at her as his face turned a light scarlet. “I told you, I was looking at Fizzy Tower!”
“Um… Mr. Forge,” Pencil Scratch nervously began as he turned his attention to the cobalt unicorn who was still chuckling heavily. “Might I ask what’s wrong with your profile?”
“I’m a ladies’ stallion that’s bedded a mare in every corridor of the Castle of Two Sisters?! Bwhahahahahahaahahaha!” Forge barely managed to get the words out between the hard laughs that had restarted in earnest. “I’d say a better way to describe me is ‘as queer as a three-bit coin’! Hahahahahahaahah! I’d never even kissed a pony until last year!” Forge then collapsed to the floor as he continued to laugh.
“Right…” Bullets of sweat poured down Pencil’s face as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Good thing I hadn’t started writing in earnest…”
“Indeed,” Swift said as she set the profile down on the coffee table. “Now, before we discuss how to revise this story, I believe we should negotiate licensing rights for our names and likenesses.”
***
After multiple hours with Daring’s knowledge of modern business deals, a healthy contract was drafted for the rights to the privates, Barrier and Fleet’s likenesses, names and stories. The day after, the privates and Fleet were all consulted on how to revise Pencil’s story.
In the end, the privates were rather excited at the thought of not only being in a famed book franchise seen by millions, but also the thought of action figures being made of them.
As Pencil Scratch and Fine Print left the manor after the papers had been signed, the privates waved him goodbye with all but Swift sporting rather large grins on their faces.
“This is gonna be huge!” Hatty exclaimed as Swift gently closed the door. “This’ll not only get us a good deal of bits, but this could even get us put on the silver screen!”
“Eh, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you, Hatty,” Daring said as the household started to head towards the living room. “Considering the royalties deal we worked out, plus how little you guys made an impact in the distant past, I get the feeling that they’ll purposely avoid making too many things out of you guys.”
“Ah… you’re probably right,” Hatty replied as he rubbed the back of his head with his wing.
“Well,” Barrier drew everyone’s attention. “with that done, how about I get us something from a restaurant for dinner?”
A round of agreement was the response he received from the rest of the household.
“Alright. I think I’ll swing by the Four D’s and pick something up.” Barrier summoned his saddlebags onto his back from the rack near the door. “Anypony want to come with me?”
“Sure, I think I will,” Daring said as she walked up to Barrier’s side.
“As will I,” Fleet chimed in as she flew up above Barrier and Daring, briefly looking towards her daughter. “Windy, please be good for the privates while we get dinner.”
“No promises,” Windy replied before playfully sticking out her tongue. Fleetfeather only chuckled before she, Barrier and Daring departed.
Once the trio of ponies were onto the streets outside the manor, Daring looked back to her lovers. “Say guys, I never did get to see the profiles that Pencil Scratch wrote. How bad were they?”
“Dreadful.” Fleet rolled her eye as she gently landed beside Daring. “The profile he wrote portrayed me as a secretary that only knew how to file paperwork. I placed fourth in a cadets competition for combative weather skills and have grown greatly since then.”
“Wow, that sucks,” Daring said before patting her on the shoulder and turning to look at Barrier. “How about you?”
Barrier remained silent as he marched along the street.
“Barrier?” Daring gently nudged him with her wing. “C’mon. Tell us.”
The charcoal unicorn sighed before giving the pair a half-lidded look. “I was portrayed as a noble who abused my position of authority to lay with many members of my father’s maid staff, siring at least fifteen bastards that I’d refused to even look at. In addition, I looked down very heavily on the common folk. For icing on that disgusting cake, I was described as a ‘whiskey puking alcoholic’.” Barrier took several deep breaths in an attempt to bleed off his clear annoyance.
“To elaborate a bit more, I never once so much as laid a hoof on any one of my father’s maids and while I might have had an arrogant view of commoners when I was young, my time with Ran Saki taught me how wrong I was. And lastly, while I do enjoy a drink, even at my worst moments, I would say I’ve kept relative control of my drinking, save for two occasions.”
“I can guess what one of those occasions was,” Daring said as she stretched out her left wing and placed it on his back. “Was the other one in the past?”
“Yes,” Barrier quietly replied, lightly shuddering as he recalled that awful night. “It was after the mass funeral was held for the Crystal Empire. I thought the cadets, Fleet, Windy and everypony who went to the empire was dead. Their families were all heartbroken and Verdant’s mother punched me in the face.” Barrier began to withdraw his flask before abandoning the habitual motion with a sigh.
“That night, Ember and I were both feeling terrible.” Barrier swallowed before he continued on. “The two of us drank long and heavily into the night. I ended up waking up three hours late for my shift and was violently sick for the remainder of it.”
“Yikes,” Daring said as Fleet quickly pulled about and made her way to Barrier’s left while she pressed in on the right. “If you ever need to talk about it, we’re here for you.”
“Absolutely,” Fleet agreed before draping a wing on his back and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you both,” Barrier smiled before giving each of them a nuzzle. “I appreciate the two of you more than I can express. Suffice to say, that was the start of a rather dark time in my life.”
Barrier took a deep breath. When he exhaled, it almost felt as if heavy weight had been lifted off of his back. “Now, how about we get some boneless wings and potatoes for dinner?”
It was late in the afternoon as Barrier and Fruity Punch sat upon the couch in the stallion’s living room. The rosey colored mare was rubbing her sore shoulders while Barrier relaxed against the comfy couch as he waited for Verdant to finish cooking dinner.
“You’ve certainly been improving, Punch,” Barrier said as Punch flopped down onto the floor before slowly pushing herself up and stretching her limbs. “You think you’ll be able to make it through class tomorrow? You pushed yourself pretty hard today.”
“Pretty sure,” Punch said as she lowered her front end and raised her back to stretch. Her tail flicked up, brushing against Barrier’s face and giving him a good glance at her rose-colored rump. The charcoal stallion looked away, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “I’ve tomorrow off work, so it’ll give me more time to rest and recuperate before class.”
“Alright then,” Barrier replied without looking at her as Hatty and Gem walked into the living room, looking directly at him. “Anything up, you two?”
“Besides Punch presenting to you, not really.” Gem smirked as Punch squawked and scrambled to sit down on the couch, her pink face turning scarlet. “At any rate, Hatty and I were chatting and we were kinda wondering if you had any plans for Hearts and Hooves Day.”
Ah, right. Barrier recalled the day of lovers was drawing close. I’ve little doubt I’ll be able to do something Daring and Fleet will like.
“I believe I’ll take the two out for a fanciful night on the town. Dinner at a nice restaurant, and perhaps a movie at the theater,” Barrier stated. As he finished, he heard a smack that was followed by a groan beside him. Looking to his left, he saw Punch had slapped a hoof against her forehead.
“Yeah, good luck trying that without getting a princess or someone to pull some strings.” Punch shook her head before prying her hoof from her forehead. “I know for a fact that pretty much every fancy restaurant is already booked up, so unless you’re taking your mates to McSoy’s, Al’s or Jungle Karma Pizza, you’re not getting into a restaurant at all. We got booked up at the start of January. I’m probably gonna be working overtime until then.”
“Hmm. That could be a problem. I’d rather not give either princess leverage of any kind,” Barrier said as he brought a hoof to his chin. Before he could begin to ponder, he found himself being pulled off the couch by both the pegasus and earth pony.
“C’mon, Barrier! Let us help you out here!” Hatty pleaded as he pushed himself off the floor to be eye level with the unicorn stallion. “Gem and I have been learning a lot about modern courting and how to have a good time, so we’d be great for how to have a romantic night with your mates.”
“How about we wait until after dinner before we try to work on a plan?” Barrier asked as Gem let go of him.
“Alright, but we will be going out to help you work on your romantic plans,” Gem stated as she and her housemates headed for the kitchen while Punch gave her goodbyes and headed for the front door. “Hey, Voredant! Any E.T.A. for dinner?”
“Voredant?” The shamrock stallion was confused for a moment before he turned his attention back to the stove. “The lasagna will be ready in about eight minutes.”
“And what’s this sauce you’ve got here?” Hatty asked as he examined the pot with a strange, bubbling dark purple brew. He reached for the spoon sticking out of the pot, only for his hoof to be lightly smacked by Verdant.
“That’s a potion I’m working on for my Hearts and Hooves date with Erica,” Verdant said as he turned off the burner under the pot.
“You’re making a potion for a date?” Gem’s eyebrow rose at his statement. “What kinda potion and plans do you have?”
“You don’t want to know,” Verdant replied without skipping a beat.
“Yeah, we probably don’t,” Gem agreed as she took a seat at the table. “Hatty and I have plans to see a wrestling show, a movie, and then to go up to a scenic hill to drink hard cider and enjoy the stars.”
“Well, try not to get arrested for lewd conduct or public fornication,” Verdant replied with a smirk as Gem gave him a half-hearted glare before having a slight chuckle. A moment later, the rest of the household came down to the table.
“Hey Swift, Forge, you got any plans for Hearts and Hooves Day?” Hatty asked as they slid into their seats.
“Well, Snow’s reserved a hotel room for his sister so we can spend the whole night at his place,” Forge answered warmly. “We’ll probably watch some movies, take a stab at making a home cooked meal, and just enjoy our time together.”
“As for myself, I have arranged plans to go to Canterlot and spend a fair amount of time with Spearmint,” Swift chipped in. “Minty has said she wished to surprise me for the night after what I did for her for Hearth’s Warming.”
“And I’m gonna try to relax since Stakes figures business is about to really pick up,” Windy said as she shuffled in her seat. “She says that with Hearts and Hooves Day over, a lot of ponies will be coming in with discount candy.”
“How about you, Barrier?” Daring asked from her seat across from him. “Anything planned out?”
“Not in full, but I am working on plans,” Barrier answered shortly before he felt a hoof strike him in the knee. Across the table, he saw Gem giving him a hard glare while Hatty was shaking his head in disappointment. “However, I do plan on doing my absolute best to give both of you the Hearts and Hooves Day you deserve.”
“Aww, thank you, Barrier,” Fleet sweetly said while he observed Gem mouth the words, ‘Nice save’.
***
After dinner had wrapped up, Gem, Hatty and Barrier had all headed into the city. While Gem’s eyes were sweeping over the various shops, Barrier saw that Hatty was using his left wing to read a book entitled “Baka no Tame no Neighpongo”.
“It’s a bit surprising to see you reading something like that, Hat Trick,” Barrier said, snapping the pegasus’ attention away from the pages.
“Yeah, well, I was thinking about how much Neighponese Verdant knows that I don’t,” the purple pegasus replied. “It’s kinda embarrassing to think I know so little when my parents actually were Neighponese and still spoke it around me when I was little while Verdant’s more knowledgeable because he likes to read manga. I decided to try and work on it in my spare time.”
“How’s that been working out?” Barrier asked as the trio trekked along.
“Boku wa Hatto Toriku desu,” Hatty said, sounding oddly serious to Barrier. “Boku wa Ekuesutoria kouma desu. Boku no sukinairo wa tiru desu.”
“Hmm… Not bad,” Barrier commented with a hum and a nod. “I didn’t know teal was your favorite color.”
“Thanks,” Hatty replied just as Gem came to a halt in front of a store, making the purple pegasus stow his book away in his saddlebags.
“We’re here!” Gem said as she looked up at a sign that read Suits of Utter Perfection. “I figure the first thing for a nice Hearts and Hooves Day date will be getting you a fancy suit.”
“That would likely be better than my dress uniform,” Barrier agreed as he followed the pair into the shop. “So, besides a suit, is there anything else we should pick up while we’re here?”
“Well…” A wicked smirk crossed Gem’s features as she reached into her saddlebag before pulling out a magazine that made him go pale.
On the magazine’s cover was the image of a somewhat annoyed and embarrassed looking Barrier in a frilly pink lingerie set. In an instant, a blast fired from Barrier’s horn had vaporized the rag. “Where did you get that?” Barrier asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh, that’s not important. At least not more than the fact I’ve got plenty of other copies elsewhere,” Gem replied with a small smirk. “At any rate, maybe some sexy clothes would make your mates happy for Hearts and Hooves.”
Barrier groaned, fearing what sort of things the pair had planned for him. “While I do want to make them happy, I will not wear something like that ever again.”
“Not a problem,” Hatty said as he placed a wing on Barrier’s back and started to guide him towards a section of the store where there was a large collection of socks. “I think some of these will help you out.”
Barrier rubbed his temples tiredly. “Alright, but I don’t want anything that comes near my loins. The fabric rubs me in a way I don’t like.” Barrier’s eyes started to sweep over the large assortment of socks, which had a large variety of colors and styles, from rather plain to frilly and translucent. “Hopefully this won’t take too long.”
***
After an hour of trying on a large variety of suits, shirts and socks, the trio had left the clothing store, a large bag carried in Barrier’s aura as they made their way back into the chilly Vanhoover streets.
“Well, now that we’ve finished that, what do you think we should do next?” Barrier asked as darkness started to fall over the seaside city.
“Next up, we should probably have you pre-order some bouquets of flowers,” Hatty said, flying close to his side. “There’s only two weeks until Hearts and Hooves Day, so hopefully we won’t have to pay through the flank to get these.”
“From what I’ve heard from Verdant, the best flowers to show you love someone are red roses.” Gem’s eyes fell upon the still open Pretty Petals store. She started to pull ahead of the stallions and looked over her shoulder. “I know Red’s place is sold out, but hopefully we’re in luck.”
With the ringing of a bell, the trio stepped inside, where they saw that behind the counter was an earth pony mare that dwarfed even Barrier. By Hatty and Gem’s best estimate, the light green mare with the ponytail was at least as tall as Princess Luna.
“Good evening and welcome to Pretty Petals,” the mare cheerfully greeted the trio. “My name’s Beanstalk. How can I help you?”
“Well Miss Beanstalk, I’d like to know if I could pre-order a couple bouquets of red roses for Hearts and Hooves Day,” Barrier stoically said as he stepped up to the counter, looking up and mentally noting just how much the young mare towered over him.
“You’re in luck, sir!” She smiled warmly before ducking behind the counter and pulling out a book. “We’ve got a few bouquets worth of red roses available. How many can I put you down for?”
“I would like two,” Barrier quickly replied. “Also, I am Verdant’s step brother.”
“Oh?” Beanstalk’s brow rose before she turned towards the door to the back room. “Miss Spectacle, Maua, could you come here for a sec?”
After a brief moment, an orange coated unicorn mare and a green eyed zebra with a long, straight mane stepped out from the back. “What’s up, Beans?” Sunflower asked as her eyes fell on Barrier and his companions.
“Wanted to know if you know this guy,” the gigantic mare asked as she pointed towards Barrier, accidentally booping his snout.
“Yes. I do,” Spectacle said with a warm smile. “He’s Verdant’s step brother and he hired Trixie to act for a birthday party they had.”
“Gotcha.” Beans nodded before turning her attention back to the onyx unicorn. “So, that means you’re eligible for the employee family discount. Anything else you’d like to go with your bouquets? Cards? Delivery?”
“No thanks,” Barrier replied as his horn gently glowed and his bit bag was pulled from his saddlebags. “I could use the walk.”
“No problem. That’ll come to one hundred and fifty bits,” Beans said before she started to quickly note down Barrier’s order. After taking his bit and putting them into the register, she turned her attention to the pair of ponies behind him. “Can I help you two?”
“Hmm, no thanks,” Gem replied as she swept her eyes over the flowers one last time. “We already have dinner plans for then.”
“Though I would like a few yellow tulips,” Hatty interjected. “I could use a little snack.”
***
Once the orders had been placed and the trio departed, they traveled through the lamp-lit streets, occasionally looking up as the moon and stars occasionally peeked through cracks in the clouds.
“So, since the restaurants are gonna be a no-go, any meal plans for your mates?” Gem inquired as Hatty munched on his small bouquet of tulips.
“Some salads with chunks of citrus chicken in them, perhaps,” the charcoal unicorn replied, looking towards the alabaster mare on his left.
“Well,” Hatty spoke up before swallowing some of his snack. “Would you be willing to help us work on making food for our little picnic?”
“If you’d like, but I believe the community center classes and Verdant would be far better for that than I,” Barrier replied as Hatty took another mouthful of flowers and shrugged.
“Fair enough,” Gem said as she walked ahead. “Maybe if we can find the time in our work schedules, we’ll try the community center. Hopefully it won’t go too badly.”
The next Tuesday, Gem and Hatty went to the community center to try to make the dish of the day, a mild apple and honey curry with rice.
Their curry was so bad, after Gem had hers, three ponies ended up wearing it.
It was a chilly Monday afternoon that saw Barrier leading his self-defense class through sparring. Barrier himself was paired with Fruity Punch while Short Circuit was trying to dodge Bea’s blows and Nickel flailed as she tried to toss Holly off her back and escape from the headlock she was trapped in.
Punch charged towards Barrier, her horn brightly glowing purple as she gritted her teeth. As she drew closer to the charcoal stallion, she fired a volley directly towards his face.
A shield swiftly winked into existence in front of his face to catch the blast, but it appeared as if it’d been a mere distraction, Punch dived into a slide to try and strike his forelegs. However, Barrier’s horn shone brighter as he dispelled the shield and teleported behind Punch.
“Time!” Barrier’s bark echoed throughout the room as the students halted and turned their attention to the older unicorn. The sole exception was Short Circuit, who was pinned under Bea’s belly as she laid atop him while his hindlegs futilely kicked from under her. Holly slid herself off Nickel’s back and let go of her neck. Punch slowly rose back to her hooves and brushed some dust off of herself while a blushing Bea lifted herself off the now gasping Short Circuit.
“You did well today, students,” Barrier said as the five straightened themselves out before turning his attention to Bea. “You did fairly well improving your speed, Wellington. I hope to see further improvement still. Same for you and your strength, Rangifer. Shorty, your movements are much less sloppy, I’m impressed. Nicky, you may want to follow his example.”
“Punch.” As the pink coated mare stood at attention, he saw the clear signs of tiredness and soreness in her stance. “You’ve done well today, but I suggest you take some time off from training. It’s clear you’re overdoing it to the point it’s starting to negatively affect you.”
Barrier leaned close before his voice dropped to a whisper. “I highly suggest we cancel the extra practice this week, for your health.”
“I…” She started but stopped. “Understood,” Punch weakly finished, a note of shame clear in her tone.
“There is nothing to be ashamed about with this, Punch,” Barrier said aloud. “But it’s important to know when your body needs proper rest. You don’t want to overtax yourself into an injury.”
“No problem,” Punch replied before wiping some sweat from her brow. “I’ll definitely try to take things easy this weekend.”
“Glad to hear it.” Barrier nodded before looking back to the rest of his class. “With that, I’d say class is dismissed.”
As the earth ponies, cow and reindeer made their way towards the door, Punch walked up to the obsidian unicorn. The somewhat cautious look on her face made Barrier’s brow rise. “Barrier, can I ask you a favor?”
“Depends what the favor is,” Barrier replied as Punch swallowed.
“Well… I plan on going to Midnight Melodies this Friday night to sing… It’ll be the first time I’ve been there since Spectral…” Barrier saw the fur on her neck bristle at the thought of what happened to her friend. “Anyway, I plan on singing this one song that needs two others, a male and a second female. I’ve got Honey doing the other female voice, but I still need to find a male voice for this. I was wondering if you’d be willing to fill the part.”
“I… can promise only to try. I’d likely be better with a piano than singing,” Barrier replied as he looked into Punch’s blue-green eyes. “Why not ask Shorty to do it?”
“Because I’ve heard him sing before,” Punch said with an annoyed, half-lidded look. “I’d be better off with a dying yak.”
“I see.” Barrier winced at the thought of how terrible Shorty’s singing could be. “Could you tell me what song you plan on singing? I could probably stand to practice if I’m to sing it.”
“It’s a song called Reunited,” Punch answered as she rolled her shoulders. “It’s a song from a musical adaptation of a choose your own adventure book and record set.”
“Reunited, got it,” Barrier said as he nodded and Punch started to head for the door. “I should be ready to handle things come Friday.”
“Thanks, Barrier. The show’ll start at seven.” Punch pulled Barrier into a quick hug before charging ahead towards her friends, only briefly looking over her shoulder to face him once more. “See you on Wednesday.”
Once Punch and her friends were out of sight, Barrier groaned and slapped a hoof to his forehead. “I should have asked what musical it’s from.”
***
Night had fallen as Barrier invited his housemates into the living room for a little house meeting, everypony waiting with rapt attention for whatever he had to say from his spot on the couch.
Barrier took a breath before he faced the gathered eight and began. “Fruity Punch informed me she is going to be singing at Midnight Melodies for the first time since Spectral Image’s death, singing a song called Reunited from some sort of musical adaptation this Friday at approximately seven at night. I agreed to be one of her singing partners for this and I'd like some of you to help me practice, if you’re willing. Given the circumstances, I’d like to at least be passable… that said, does anypony know what musical this is from?”
“Well, kinda,” Hatty spoke up as he nervously stepped forward. “I think I talked to Showtime about this song in the dressing room. I think it’s from something called Wonder Tale: The Musical or something like that. Still, I know she said Reunited was her favorite song from that show.”
“Alright. I’d like you to get us a karaoke machine and the song so I can practice, if you don’t mind,” Barrier said as he rose from the couch. “I’ll be needing at least two ponies to help me practice the song ideally.”
“Hold on a sec,” Hatty interjected. “I’ve got an idea about this.”
“Well, that’s a first,” Verdant quietly snarked, only to wince slightly as he was roughly elbowed in the ribs by Gem.
“While the bulk of the song only uses three singers, the very tail end of it has a large chorus join in.” Hatty continued without missing a beat, apparently not even hearing the insult. “I was thinking that since this is gonna be something hard for Punch, maybe it’d be best to get a bunch of ponies we know to join in, to help let her know she’s not alone and show that we care about her.”
“That’s… that’s actually not too bad of an idea,” Daring said with a wingtip to her chin. “I wonder how many we’ll be able to get on such short notice.”
“It can’t hurt to try,” Fleet spoke up from Daring’s right. “We should gather up who we can for Friday night and try to get them ready to sing this song.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem like it’d be too bad,” Forge said as he rubbed a forehoof against the floor. He then turned his attention back to the captain. “Right. I’ll give it a shot.”
After Forge, the rest quickly agreed to aid Barrier with his and Hatty’s plan.
“Excellent,” Barrier said as he trotted up to Daring and Fleet. “I pray this goes well. Punch has suffered a great tragedy in Spectral’s loss. Hopefully this will bring her at least a little bit of happiness.
***
The next evening, Barrier had just put the finishing touches on the grilled chicken salads he was preparing for dinner when he heard the front door opening. Looking towards the house’s entrance, he saw Hatty wheeling in a machine with a projector on top. By his side was a somewhat green looking Winter Gem, a cross looking Verdant and a somewhat uncomfortable looking Erica. The latter two headed upstairs while Hatty and Gem brought the machine towards the kitchen.
“Good news. I managed to snag this karaoke machine and the song we need,” Hatty said as Gem rested her chin on the table.
“And the bad news?” Barrier asked with a raised eyebrow as he turned off the stove and started to move the pieces of neatly diced and fried chicken into the salad bowls.
“Well, I learned we can’t make curry to save our lives… and Punch, Splash and Verdant are pissed at me because I puked on them,” Gem weakly said as she raised her chin from the table.
“Sorry to hear that,” Barrier responded as he drizzled some dressing onto the salads and gave them a quick toss. “I’m sure they’ll forgive you soon enough and I made plenty of spare salad. After what you went through, it sounds like a good meal should be helpful.”
“So, we’ll practice the song after dinner?” Hatty asked as he walked up to Gem’s side and gently began to rub her back with his wing.
“Indeed.” Barrier started to place some of the salad bowls around the table. “Did you invite anyone to come on Friday?”
“Yeah. Belmont, Red, and the rest of the family will be there,” Gem said right before hopping onto a chair and diving into her salad, wanting desperately to refill her empty belly.
“I got Showtime to come along and Tuxedo says he’ll talk to his wife and brother to see if they can make it,” Hatty said as he slowly sat down on a chair, stunned by how quickly his mate devoured her food. “I think I saw Verdant ask Erica and Splash once Punch was out of earshot.”
Shortly after Hatty had finished speaking, Fleet, Windy, Daring, Forge and Swift arrived at the table to partake of their food.
“Good news, my friends,” Swift said as she stabbed into a piece of chicken with her fork. “I have asked Clean Cut, Drumstick and some of my other co-workers to come to the karaoke night.”
“Snow and Snowy are also onboard,” Forge chipped in as he made sure his lettuce leaf was completely covered in dressing. “As are Asta and Silver Swirl.”
“Summer Eve’s said she’ll tentatively be there, so long as Strawberry’s feeling up to making it,” Fleet said before biting down on a crouton.
“And some of my friends said they’ll be there as long as their parents are okay with it,” Windy cheerfully chirped.
“Fantastic, thank you all for this.” Barrier responded as he moved some of his salad around his bowl with his fork. “Windy, could you fetch Verdant and Erica from upstairs once dinner’s done?”
“I think Hatty or Gem should do that instead,” the filly replied before munching on some lettuce and croutons. “I may like Miss Erica, but I don’t wanna risk walking in on the pair screwing.”
“That… is a fair point,” Barrier admitted just before Gem rose up from the table, her bowl now completely empty.
“I’ll do it,” she said through the bowl in her mouth before dropping it off in the sink. “Besides, this’ll gimme an extra chance to say sorry.”
As Gem started to head for the stairs, Windy’s eyebrow rose in curiosity. “What’s she gotta apologize for?”
“You don’t wanna know while eating,” Hatty replied, making the filly lightly shudder before returning to her meal.
***
Barrier ducked under the buck Punch tried to launch at his head, barely striking the tips of his mane before he shoved his shoulder into her belly and sent her tumbling onto the bright blue mat.
Just as he rose back to his hooves, he heard something heavy charging towards him. In a flash of light, he had teleported himself onto Bea’s back and delivered a foreleg strike to her shoulder, making her stumble and fall to the mat beside Punch.
When Barrier landed on the mat, he saw he was now being charged simultaneously from both his left and his right by the earth pony twins. Tensing his legs, Barrier waited until the last moment before jumping back, making the two collide face first against each other. Just as he landed however, he felt himself being grabbed from behind by Holly. Gritting his teeth, he leapt up and spun so the clinging reindeer was slammed into the mat and under Barrier’s weight before rolling off.
“Time!” Barrier called out before lightning his horn and bringing Holly to her feet with his magic. “Today went better than I had anticipated for all of you. Are you alright?”
“Nothing too bad,” Holly said as she brushed herself off. “Still, I’m glad we have a day off before the next training session.”
“I’ve been better,” Nicky answered before rubbing her jaw. “I swear I’ll get yah next time, Teach.”
“Same here,” Shorty added as he rubbed his sore snout. “How ‘bout you, Bea?”
“Well, Ah don’t feel totally tenderized,” the cow replied before turning to the unicorn mare. “Punch?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Bea,” Punch said as she rolled her shoulders. “So, anything planned for tonight?”
“Well, mah friend Kiko’s in town and Ah was hoping to introduce y’all to her.” The cow warmly smiled before pulling her nearby companions into a group hug. “Wanna come?”
“Sorry, but I’ve got a date tonight,” Shorty said as he slipped out of the group hug.
“Hopefully Tiger Stripe doesn’t break your hips, Bro,” Nicky said with a smirk, to which Shorty blew her a raspberry. “Sorry, Bea, but I’ve got plans with Honey Droplet later.”
“Oh, not a problem, Darlin’,” Bea said as she let her remaining friends go. “How ‘bout you two?”
“Sure thing,” Punch said with a soft smile. “I didn’t really have any plans.”
“Same here,” Holly chipped in before turning to face Barrier. “Anything else before we leave, Barrier?”
“Just a quick word in private with Bea before you all leave,” the charcoal unicorn said. “Other than that, class dismissed.”
Bea stepped towards Barrier as the other four headed for the door. Once they were out of earshot, the cow spoke to the shorter stallion. “Ah can guess what this’s about. Mah milk costs twenty bits per bucket and rest assured, it’s top quality stuff.”
“What I wished to ask isn’t about your milk,” Barrier said, resisting the urge to face hoof. “I was wondering if you knew about Punch’s plans to visit Midnight Melodies this Friday and sing for the first time since Spectral Image’s death.”
“Oh, well O’course Ah do, Barrier,” Bea replied. “She told all of us at her place the other day. The rest of us are all gonna be in the audience fer her, though she doesn’t know it. S‘gonna be a nice little surprise.”
“That’s good to hear,” Barrier said, feeling some of the weight he’d felt slipping off of his shoulders. “I’m going to be singing with her and I was hoping to get as many as I can to attend to show their support for her.”
“Ah, that’s so sweet,” Bea smiled before pulling him into a quick hug. “Ah’m thinkin’ Ah’ll invite Kiko tah join in as well. She might like it.”
“Excellent,” Barrier nodded. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll see you Friday. Hope you and your children have a good time.”
An amused chuckle came from Bea as she started to head for the door. “Ah don’t have kids, Barrier. Ah take hormone pills to make mah milk.”
“Ah, well, I hope you have a good time, regardless.” Barrier shrugged his shoulders before he started to leave. “At least all my ducks seem to be in a row now.”
***
After an uneventful Thursday, the big day had finally come. With class wrapped up, Barrier had decided to walk with Punch to Midnight Melodies. Their trip took them on a slight detour to Punch and Honey’s apartment building. The pair had to wait several minutes outside before Honey hurriedly flew down from the fifth floor.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Honey said as she came down next to the trio.
“The heck, Sis?” Punch huffed as she started to lead the way. “Did you forget about all this until the last second?”
“No! I didn’t!” Honey grumpily replied. “I remembered things exactly, but… um… I got constipated… That’s why I took so long.”
“Eww… TMI, Sis.” Punch grimaced and tried to pull away from the pair. “I didn’t need that mental image.”
After a moment, certain that Punch’s eyes were locked on the path ahead of them, Honey leaned close to Barrier’s ear.
“That’s not really why I’m late,” Honey cautiously whispered into the stallion’s ear. “I had an unexpected guest that’ll be showing up for tonight’s song session.”
“That’s fine. It will give what I’ve got planned more time to work,” Barrier softly replied, making Honey’s eyebrow raise. “Trust me. She’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
After several minutes of walking, the trio had entered the Midnight Mall and soon came to Midnight Melodies. There were few lights on at the bar and on stage, masking the many guests from Punch in the darkness.
Briefly talking to the manager, Punch led Barrier and Honey onto the stage, the lights pointed at her prevented her from making out the crowd. With a swallow, Punch grabbed a microphone, followed quickly by Barrier and Honey. The pegasus mare tended to the karaoke machine while Punch attempted to address the crowd.
“Good evening, everyone,” Punch somewhat nervously said. “I hope you have a good night tonight. My friends and I will be singing a song that’s a tribute to a fallen friend of mine. Spectral Image, wherever you are, I hope you hear this song and that it brings you a smile.”
Punch closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Honey pressed a button on the karaoke machine. A gentle music box-like melody came from the speakers as Barrier came up to Punch’s side.
The trio began to sing together in chorus before the song transitioned to a part with Punch’s leading and Barrier accompanying her. Barrier heard a faint wince in her voice at the lyrics, “So much pain”.
Soon the song became a duet shared between the sisters, both singing in harmony with one another. Punch’s gentle, nurturing voice was accompanied by Honey’s high, somewhat childish voice.
Once the song moved to an instrumental moment, Punch swallowed and stepped forward. “Specky, this is for you,” she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Sit down, children. Do not quail…” Barrier could hear the pain in her words before he soon joined in, repeating the words.
When the song was about to move to another chorus, the stage lights shifted to the audience and Punch opened her eyes. She was shocked, but continued her singing without missing a beat, by the sight before her.
The crowd was almost entirely filled by familiar faces that joined in with her song. All of Barrier’s housemates, Erica, Snow Sweeper, Snowy Skies, Clean Cut, Drumstick, Crispy Wings, Dolly, Summer Eve, Strawberry Sundae, Color Splash, High Gear, Pixel Flash, Silver Swirl, Asta and Einar, Bea, Shorty and Nicky, Holly, and many others she didn’t recognize were all there, singing together with her.
A second tear, one of joy streaked down her face when the gathered harmony sang, “Let us not forget to say, all the friends they made on their way.”
Punch felt Honey’s wing being draped over her back as the large gathering reached the end of their song, the ponies being met by thunderous applause.
“Thank you, all of you, for all of this,” Punch happily said as some more tears began to flow. “I didn’t know you’d all show up, but I’m very glad you did.”
Setting the microphones aside, Barrier hopped down from the stage and made his way over to the table where his housemates were seated while Punch practically dragged Honey along to meet her classmates.
***
Several more joyous songs were sung that night from the assemblage Barrier’s friends had gathered. After nearly over an hour, the gathered band started to go their separate ways. Barrier, his household, Erica and Snow Sweeper had offered to accompany Punch and Honey home.
“Thanks again, everyone,” Punch said as they started to leave Midnight Melodies. “It’s just… really nice to know so many care about me.”
“More than you know, my dear,” a deep yet feminine voice made Punch instantly come to a halt while the rest of her traveling companions slowed and looked over their shoulders to the source.
Emerging from the darkness of Midnight Melodies was a tall unicorn mare with a smooth yellow coat, a stunning straight crimson mane topped with a dark cerulean hairband, and piercing harlequin green eyes.
“Hello, Punch. It’s been far too long,” the mare said as she drew near, allowing Barrier to see that her cutie mark was a glass of milk with a honeycomb printed on the glass.
“M-M-Mom?!” Punch asked shakily as she drew closer to the older unicorn who quickly nuzzled her. “W-What are you doing here? I thought work—”
“While vitally important doesn’t change the fact one of my children needs me,” the mare said as she gently gave Punch’s back a stroke. “I wanted to see how you were doing. I met Honey earlier, followed you three from a distance here and watched your little performance from the back.
A merry chuckle came from her as her eyes swept over Barrier and the others. “I’m very glad to see my daughters are so loved.” She stepped away from Punch and held a foreleg out to Barrier. “Milk ‘N Honey, at your service. Thank you for being there for my children, Mister…”
“Magic Barrier,” Barrier answered as he took her foreleg and gently shook it.
“Ah, so you’re the one that’s been teaching my daughter self-defense after what happened to her friend,” Milk ‘N Honey said as her eyes swept over his young housemates. “Her letters have told me much about you all. A group of soldiers from centuries past flung through time. It’s quite an interesting tale. Still, I must ask… which one of you fed my daughters dog food?”
A scarlet tinge exploded across Forge’s face while Hatty pointed at the unicorn stallion with his wing. “Um, that was me, ma’am. I’m deeply sorry about all that. I honestly didn’t know it was dog food until Erica told me. I just thought it was stew with a dog as its mascot.”
“So I’ve been told.” Milk ‘N Honey chuckled as her eyes went over the privates.
“At least it made our coats glossier.” Sweat poured from Punch’s brow as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“To get to the point, I appreciate what you’ve done for my daughter, Barrier,” Milk ‘N Honey said before leaning close to his ear. “You seem like the kind of stallion who could give her some good loving, and I’ve heard you’re the sharing kind.” As she pulled back, she gave Barrier a wink.
“Mom, what’d you say to Barrier?” Punch nervously asked of the older mare.
“Nothing to worry yourself with, dear,” she said before chuckling. “I was just thinking about how he can juggle two things and was wondering if he could handle three.”
“Mom…” Punch groaned as her coat turned redder while only a faint tinge appeared on Barrier’s.
“At any rate, I won’t be able to stay for too long before I’ve got to head back north,” Milk ‘N Honey said as she pulled away from the group. “How about we all head to your apartment and spend some time as a family before I leave?”
“Uh, sure thing, Mom,” Punch said as Honey came up to the older mare’s side.
“Would you like us to join you?” Barrier asked, to which Milk smiled.
“Oh, most certainly,” she said with a warm smile. “I’d like to know everything I can about my daughter’s former guard friends.”
The trip to Punch and Honey’s apartment was rather uneventful, save for the former guards regaling Milk ‘N Honey with tales of their past and present adventures, from the mundane to the bizarre. When they reached the building’s entrance, it was rather dark out. The stars twinkled brightly against Luna’s dark backdrop.
“Thank you for all you’ve done for my daughter, Barrier,” Milk said with a smile. “I wish you a good night. My daughters and I have much to talk about.”
“Not a problem.” Barrier gave a respectful nod to the mother mare before turning his attention to the pink coated unicorn. “I’ll see you on Monday, Punch.”
“Right. See ya Monday, Barrier,” Punch gave a wave as she opened the door for her mother and sister. “Later!”
Once she had slipped back inside, Barrier led the remaining ponies and griffin back towards the manor. “Well, that actually turned out far better than I had expected.”
“Always nice to see a plan pan out,” Fleet said from where she stood with Windy nestled on her back, trying to keep warm in the chilly winter evening. “Hopefully this helps her heart heal somewhat.”
“Say, speaking of hearts…” Snow started as he walked closely beside Forge. “You guys got plans for Hearts and Hooves Day?”
The cadets and Erica all gave affirmative responses before Snow’s eyes fell on Barrier.
“Indeed, we do,” Barrier quickly replied. “Rest assured, I intend to make it a Hearts and Hooves Day well worth remembering.
The day known as Hearts and Hooves Day had finally come. As the sun was starting to set, Wind Whistler was walking through Vanhoover beside her mother and Daring Do, a sleeping bag and pillow being carried on her back.
“You’re sure you’ll be alright tonight?” Fleet asked of the little filly.
“Sure thing, Mom,” Windy replied, looking over to her cycloptic mother. “Stakes and her parents have everything covered and we know who to contact if something goes wrong.”
“Alright. I hope you have fun with your sleepover,” Fleet said before she and Daring both gave the filly a nuzzle.
“I’m sure I will.” Windy saw the door of Stakes’ house and rushed forward before looking over her shoulder to the older pegasi. “Besides, I’d rather be with my friends than be kept up all night by old folks rutting.”
A chuckle came from Daring and Fleet blushed as Windy started to knock on the door. After only a few seconds, the door swung open and revealed three ponies.
One was an excited looking High Stakes. The second was Game O’Chance, the mare Fleet had occasionally seen when browsing the pawn shop. The last was a unicorn stallion with a blue-gray coat and a short, rough silver mane. On his flank was the image of four aces.
“Ah, you must be Fleetfeather. Windy’s told me so much about you,” the stallion said as he held out a foreleg to her. “I’m High Stakes’ father, Lucky Streak and this is my wife, Game O’Chance.”
“A pleasure, Mr. Streak,” Fleet said as she grabbed his hoof and shook it. “I’ve had the pleasure of your wife’s company before.”
“Excellent,” Streak said as pulled away his foreleg and stood aside to let Windy inside. “Come on in. The first guests are just arriving and we’ve got a ton of food and movies for you.”
“Alright.” Windy stepped into the home, where she saw several of her friends from school in the living room. She then turned back towards her mother and Daring. “See ya in the morning, Mom! Have a good time!”
“I wish you the same.” Fleet waved to the filly as Daring put a foreleg over her shoulder.
“Have fun, Kiddo,” Daring said as she tenderly squeezed Fleet’s shoulder. “We’ll see yah in the morning.”
“Bye!” Windy waved one last time before the two mares turned away and Lucky closed the door before them.
“Ahlright, lassie,” Game spoke up as she moved away from the door and headed towards the cozy kitchen. “Jus’ set yer sleepin’ bahg down in the livin’ room and have some fun. I’ll have macaroni an’ cheese ready fer yah in a few minutes.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. O’Chance!” Windy replied as she followed her instructions, heading into the living room and rolling out her sleeping bag between Melony and Shutterbug’s.
“Hey um, Windy?” Crispy Wings hoarsely spoke up, making the filly look ahead. She saw that his face was crimson, his eyes shifting rapidly as if he’d done something bad and he wanted to hide it. However, the thing that stood out the most to the pegasus filly was the fact there were a fair amount of bandages covering the colt’s forelegs that hadn’t been there when she saw him at school.
“What’s up, Crispy?” Windy tilted her head as he rose up and pulled a small white box out of his saddlebags. He then placed the box down in front of her hooves.
“I, uhh, tried cooking up a little treat earlier and I figured you might like the best one I made.” The red tinge on his face grew a shade brighter as sweat started to form on his forehead.
Gently opening the box, Windy saw that inside was a piece of chocolate roughly in the shape of a heart. It was clear that Crispy wasn’t a professional chocolatier from how uneven the coating was, with bits of runoff going over the edges and small gaps in the shell letting her see bits of a pale yellow fruit underneath.
“I wanted to try to get some chocolate covered banana candies for you, but the stores were sold out. I tried to make some on my own and… well…” Crispy looked down at his bandaged covered hooves. “It wasn’t the best. At least I know what a double-boiler is now and Mom said she’ll be giving me less chores for the week.”
“Aww. Thanks, Crispy,” Windy said before giving him a quick nuzzle that turned his face crimson. “I… I don’t really have anything for you, but how about I get you something after school tomorrow?”
“Sure!” He squeaked aloud, making Melony and Stakes giggle while Shutterbug snapped a photo of the blushing colt. “Uh, I mean, sure. Thanks, Windy,” he said in an attempt to sound cool.
***
Forge was happily humming a tune to himself as he and Snow walked along the streets of Vanhoover. In his aura sat a few bags containing some simple ingredients for the dinner the two had planned, along with a few movies they’d picked up at Blockbuster’s.
“I hope you like Kung Pow, Forge,” Snow said with a pair of bags being carried by his wings. “It’s one of my favorite action comedies of all time.”
“Well, I can’t recall disliking any of the movies you’ve showed me, save for that one with the eclairs and the dog—”
Forge was cut off when a reindeer bumped into his side. The unicorn was lightly pushed aside while the red-headed reindeer fell onto her rear beside her cow companion.
“Oh, y’all okay, Holly?” Bea asked before biting down on the scruff of her neck and pulling her back onto her hooves.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” the doe replied, shaking her neck and the bag around it.
“Oh, sorry about that…” Forge said as he started to recognize the doe and cow. “Oh! You’re some of Punch’s friends.”
“Hey, Ah remember you from that karaoke night!” Bea said warmly as she looked down at the cobalt stallion. “How’re y’all doin’ tonight?”
“Pretty good,” Snow said as he stepped up to Forge’s side. “We’ve just finished some grocery shopping before we have what I hope will be a wonderful first Hearts and Hooves Day together. How ‘bout you?”
“Same here, boys,” Bea said with a warm smile. “Holly, Punch, Honey and Ah are gonna have a fun little singles night tonight. We’ve got plenty of things planned.” As the cow spoke, Holly dug into the bag around her neck and pulled out a bunch of bananas and waggled her eyebrows.
“Ah… well, have fun, ladies,” Forge said awkwardly before the four went their separate ways.
“Oh man,” Bea excitedly said as Holly replaced the bananas in her bag. “We’re gonna make so many milkshakes!”
“By the way, Bea; I’m rather curious about something,” Holly said as they trotted along the lantern lit streets. “What kind of plants do milk come from? I assume the milkweed plant, but I’m not sure how it’s extracted.”
“Uh, Holly… That ain’t where milk comes from. Y’see…”
As Forge and Snow reached the ground floor of his apartment building, the piercing sound of Holly’s scream echoed through the street.
“Huh…” Snow said as he reached for the door. “Guess those bananas were really cold.”
***
In the moonlit bedroom of Erica Sorae, the hen’s face was buried in a pillow as she tried to hold back her groans.
“Verdant… almost there…” she whispered as her talons dug into the sides of her mattress. The sensation she was experiencing had been building for quite some time, but she knew release was very close at hand.
“You got it… almost… just… aaahhh…” Erica sighed in relief as her grip on the mattress loosened, her wings fell at her sides and her body practically melted into the bed. She then looked over her shoulder with a smile on her face. “Thanks, Verdant. I needed that.”
Verdant gave her a smile before he dropped the large feather that was in his mouth. “No problem, Erica. I know that some feathers can be really hard to reach.”
Erica rose up on the bed and gave the shamrock stallion a nuzzle. “How’d you get so good at preening feathers?”
“My Aunt Silver Rain made sure I knew how in case I got a pegasus mate. That, and so I could help out Star Hopper. She was never that good at taking care of her own feathers,” Verdant replied as he pulled Erica into a hug and started to gently stroke her back.
“Well, I’d say you took those lessons to heart,” Erica said as she closed her wings around him and ran her talons through his mane. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me today.”
“I loved it, Erica. Besides, you made a fantastic dinner.” He looked up into her eyes. “But I did notice a fair bit of tension in your shoulders during the backrub. You wanna talk about it?”
“I can’t really hide anything from you, can I?” Erica sighed with a faint smile as she rubbed her talons against his head. “Honestly, I’m worried about a few things with my family. I know my mom’s excited about being pregnant, but I’m worried about her health considering her age. Plus, I’m not sure how much of a good big sister I’ll make once the baby’s born.”
“Well, I’m certain you’ll be a great big sister, Erica.” Verdant planted a tender kiss against the side of her beak before giving her a smile. “And if it helps, Star Arcana had one of my sisters when she was in her fifties and she was fine, despite how much worse medicine was at the time.”
“Thanks, Verdant.” Erica smiled back at her lover. “That really does make me feel a bit better.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” Verdant said as Erica placed her talons on his shoulders.
“Well, now that you’ve done all sorts of things to make me feel good today...” Erica gently flipped Verdant over so he was on his back, his head against the pillow with her shifting to straddle him. “How about I make you feel good by getting you back inside me?” she said in a sultry tone with a seductive look on her face.
Verdant quickly returned the grin. “I would like that very much, dear,” he said before leaning up and kissing her beak.
What would come next was glorious.
***
In Canterlot, a pair of ponies walked in relative silence through the palace’s quiet, moonlit hallways. One was Swiftsword, her eyes taking in every little detail of the architecture composing the intricate hallways, having ignored them when chasing down Jack O’Lantern during her last visit.
By her side was Spearmint, leading the way towards a large set of doors. Pushing through the doors with her snout, Spearmint led Swift into a large, well decorated guest room. There were dark purple curtains decorating the windows and a plush, four poster bed.
While there were finely crafted wardrobes, nightstands and an unlit fireplace, Swift’s eyes were drawn to the view of the city below from the window, nearly mirroring the stars in the dark night sky.
“Liking the guest room? Minty asked as the sound of a match being struck reached Swift’s ears. Looking back, she saw the earth pony had tossed a match into the fireplace and lit the kindling and logs within.
“Most assuredly,” Swift replied as she trotted up to the mare while she put a cover in front of the fire. “I’m rather surprised you could get this room.”
“You can thank Captain Armor for that,” Spearmint said as she took off her helmet and started to strip off her armor. “He granted my request for this. I’m guessing he thought this is something Cadance would approve of.”
“Well, it’s very nice,” Swift said before giving her lover a nuzzle. “I’d say there’s only one thing missing.”
“Wait, really?” One of the earth pony’s eyebrows rose in surprise at Swift’s words. “What’d I miss?”
A saucy grin came across Swift’s muzzle as her horn lit with blue light. Her aura wrapped itself around Spearmint and lifted her off the ground. With a bit of strain on her face, Swift quickly levitated Spearmint onto the bed before gently dropping her down. Once her head landed on the pillow, Swift teleported so she was now laying atop the prone mare.
“A mint on my pillow.” Swift lightly chuckled before leaning down and pressing her lips against Spearmint’s own.
Spearmint moaned into the kiss as Swift lowered herself against her, both mares wrapping their forelegs around one another as they deepened their passionate embrace.
Their moans grew in volume and passion as the bedroom door creaked open and a towering mare stepped inside.
“Tibbles, are you in h—” The words died in Princess Luna’s throat as she saw the two mares with their lips locked together. Their eyes shot open and the two looked towards the dark blue alicorn.
“Oh, my apologies!” Luna quickly said as the faintest shade of crimson crossed her muzzle. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anypony’s private time! I just wanted to find my pet opossum.”
Spearmint sighed and rubbed her snout in annoyance. “No, it’s fine, Princess. Since you’re here already, why don’t you join in or something?” She said with a note of mild sarcasm in her tone.
With a brief hum of thought, Luna gently closed the door behind her.
“Um… Princess, I was kidding,” Spearmint said as the alicorn drew closer.
“Oh…” Luna’s steps suddenly came to a halt. “Well… are you sure? I can leave if you both wish, though I was hoping to have some… fun with a pony or two tonight.”
“Uh… Swift…” Spearmint turned to look at her partner above her. “What do you think?”
“Hmm…” Swift rubbed her chin in thought as she looked between the two mares.
What would come next was most glorious.
***
In Snow Sweeper’s apartment, the grey-coated stallion and Forge were caught in a hearty set of laughs as the movie they were watching reached its conclusion.
“Well, that was certainly a good comedy,” Forge chuckled as he rose off of the couch and flipped off the projector. “Did they ever actually make a sequel to it?”
“Sadly, no,” Snow responded as he picked up the empty bowls that had held the carrot, tomato and noodle soup the two had enjoyed for dinner. “Not sure how it would have turned out, but this got a ton of laughs out of me.”
“My favorite bit was when Betty declared he was a great magician and made that stallion’s clothes change colors.” Forge said with a chuckle as he picked up several film canisters in his aura. “So, what film should we watch next?”
“I was thinking we could watch When In Roan,” Snow answered before putting the bowls in the sink and filling them with water. “It’s a romantic comedy, but most of the comedy is unintentional.”
“Well, it’ll be hard to top Attack of the the Eye Creature,” Forge said as he set down most of the canisters and started to prep the next movie.
Snow snorted in amusement as he sat down on the couch. “I’ve seen this movie before. It’s gonna be a trip, Dear.”
“We’ll see,” Forge said before flipping the projector on, sitting down on the couch and cuddling into the pegasus stallion. “I’m sure it’ll be worth some laughs… maybe help set the mood for later.”
With a chuckle, Snow brought a hoof to Forge's chin and raised it up before kissing him on the lips. The first preview on the reel had finished playing by the time the kiss ended.
“Rest assured, I plan on making tonight amazing,” Snow whispered into Forge’s ear as one foreleg slowly trailed down to his thigh while the other stroked his horn. Forge let out a groan of delight and leaned closer to the pegasus.
Before the film could even end, Forge and Snow’s night became not amazing, but glorious.
Snow thought it was well worth his sister yelling at him the next day for the stains on the couch.
“LEARN TO EAT SOUP LIKE AN ADULT, FLANKHOLE!!!”
***
Late into the night, a pair of ponies were trotting along through the park, cuddled close together. Their bellies were full from their little picnic and they remained entertained, courtesy of the movie they’d seen. As midnight drew closer, the two decided to take a brisk stroll through the park before finding a hotel room.
“The stars are really beautiful tonight,” Hatty said as he gazed up at the dark sky. The moonlight and stars twinkled in the sky and shined brilliantly on the snow below.
“It looks nice, but you should see it when you’re out in the desert,” Gem said as Hatty’s wing stroked her back and they passed by one of the lamps along the concrete path. “The lights from the city drown out some of the starlight. Out there, miles and miles away from the city… now that’s spectacular.”
“Maybe we’ll see it next year,” Hatty said as he took a deep breath of the chilly air. “So, what’d you think of tonight?”
“Fantastic,” Gem said as she nuzzled his neck. “Maybe next year, we’ll be able to cook our own food instead of going store bought or making Verd cook it the night before.”
“Yeah,” Hatty replied as he used his free wing to scratch the back of his head. “Though I don’t think we’ll do so bad that the food will make you sick again.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Gem replied before the pair shared a brief kiss. “Well, since it’s pretty cold, how about get to a hotel room and really heat things—”
Gem and Hatty’s ears stood at attention as the sound of delighted laughter reached their ears. Looking about, the pair saw a plump pegasus mare with a cream coat and crimson mane, and a muscular unicorn with a burnt orange coat and a dark brown mane. They recognized the pair as Drumstick and Clean Cut and they were merrily playing on a swing set and loudly laughing.
“Oh, I remember you!” Drumstick continued to swing back and forth as her eyes fell on the pegasus and earth pony. “You’re Swift’s friends, Hatty and Gem. How’s your Hearts and Hooves Day going?”
“Pretty good, Mrs. Drumstick,” Gem replied as the swinging pair started to slow. “We’ve been having a lot of fun tonight.”
“Excellent,” Drumstick said before she whispered something that Hatty and Gem couldn’t hear into her husband’s ear. Once she finished, he chuckled and enthusiastically nodded.
“Well you two,” Drumstick gave a quick lick of her lips as she and her husband focused their half-lidded gazes on them. “How’d you two like to try something really fun tonight?”
A crimson tinge crossed Hatty and Gem’s faces as they realized the implications of their words.
When the two reached their hotel room, their night became glorious.
***
Daring and Fleet reached the front of the manor and gently pushed the door open. Stepping inside, they noticed the manor was surprisingly dark with only a few faint beams of moonlight cutting through the darkness.
“Hey, Barrier?” Daring called out as she slowly took off her glasses and stepped inside. “You in here?”
“I am,” the stallion’s voice rang out from the back when a blue light appeared in the kitchen along with a small object the pegasi couldn't identify in the darkness, despite the light of his aura.
As they took a step closer, the small object in the glow moved and a tiny flame leapt from the object, revealing it to be a single match. The two mares drew closer as the match moved about, lighting three candles resting upon a silver candelabra in the middle of the dinner table.
“I wanted to make the two of you a romantic candle-lit dinner,” Barrier explained as his horn pulled out a pair of seats for the mares. The charcoal stallion stepped closer to the candle light, revealing that he was sporting a midnight blue suit jacket that was complimented by a crimson tie. “Dinner should be ready momentarily.”
“Thank you, Barrier,” Fleet said as she and Daring took their seats at the table. The sky-colored mare gave a quick sniff of the air, catching a pleasant, citrus scent. “Might I ask what’s cooking?”
“I decided to make some salads with a chicken recipe Verdant learned from Erica. The chicken’s been marinated in a soda called Mountain Dew,” Barrier replied as he stood by the oven and flicked on the light inside.
“Play your cards right and you’ll be mountin’ Do, alright,” the golden coated mare muttered, drawing a chuckle from Fleet and Barrier both as he pulled the chicken from the oven.
“Oh, by the way, I got you two some gifts,” Daring said as she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out two felt boxes. One was a bit long and narrow while the other was somewhat small. The narrow box was placed in front of Fleet while the other was placed in front of Barrier’s seat. “Feel free to open them.”
Fleet gently picked up the narrow box and carefully opened it up. In the candlelight, what she saw was a metal pen that had been designed to look like a pink feather quill, exactly like what she sported for her cutie mark.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, Daring!” Fleet said before giving the mare a warm hug and a kiss on her cheek. “This looks amazing.”
“Glad you like it. I had it and Barrier’s gift made at Silver Swirl’s,” Daring replied as Barrier floated the now completed salads in front of them. “C’mon, Barry! Open yours!”
“Very well,” Barrier cheerfully said as he sat down and flared his horn. The box floated in front of his face as he slowly started to open the present. When it was fully opened, Barrier saw it was a pin shaped like his cutie mark, made from shining silver.
“This is magnificent, Daring.” The charcoal unicorn smiled warmly and gave Daring a kiss on the cheek before attaching the pin to his jacket. “How do I look?”
“So sweet that I don’t need dessert,” Daring said before chuckling. “Though I do hope there is some kind of dessert. Preferably bon bons. Those are my fave.”
“I’ve some strawberry cheesecake in the fridge for the two of you,” Barrier replied.
“Well, since Daring’s given her gifts,” Fleet said as she picked up her saddlebags and started to dig through them. “Then it’s my turn.”
Reaching into her saddlebags, Fleet pulled out two boxes that were a fair bit larger than the two Daring had given out, surprising her two mates.
Setting his fork aside, Barrier opened up the box in front of him and pulled from it a bottle of Royal Crown Select scotch. The charcoal unicorn smiled widely at Fleet. “Thank you, love.”
“My turn now.” Daring eagerly rubbed her hooves together before carefully lifting the top of the box away. With the top gone, the sides of the box fell away. Illuminated by the candlelight was a blue, conical hat covered with glittering pink stars and crescent moons and two pink streamers with golden edges. By the bottom of the strange hat was a small comb that was made entirely of a glittery purple crystal.
Daring gasped at the sight of the hat and her wings instantly shot up from her sides. “Fleet…” she hoarsely whispered. “Do you know what this is?!”
“Well, I assume it’s something more than just an antique hat and comb now,” Fleet replied as she carefully looked over the hat. “Is something wrong?”
“Fleet… This is the long lost hat worn by Princess Royal Blue! And not only that, but that’s her tanzanite comb! It’s gotta be worth over a million bits!” Daring’s words were practically drenched with excitement. It looked to Fleet and Barrier as if Daring was resisting the urge to hop up and down in her seat like a foal that had just been given their dessert. “Where the heck did you find this thing?!”
“Well, I was flying by Bouncy Street when I tried to think of something to get you, and that’s when I saw—”
“Oh Faust,” Daring said as she pressed a hoof to her forehead. “Please tell me you didn’t find another ancient treasure in the Faust damned pawn shop.”
Fleet remained silent, replying only with a nervous smile.
“Urgh… rut me.” Daring’s hoof slid down her face and landed on the table tiredly.
“I think we should wait until after dessert’s finished, dear.” Fleet’s response drew a chuckle from the other two before they started to dig into their meals.
Nearly a half-hour passed before dinner and dessert was put away. With the meals done and the gifts stowed, Barrier teleported away from the kitchen.
Daring and Fleet both saw the flash of blue light that shone from underneath Barrier’s bedroom door right before the sound of cloth shuffling could be heard.
Fleet gently pushed the door open, revealing a rather stunning sight for the two mares. Barrier was stretched out on his bed donning fine silk socks that matched the darker shade of his mane. Upon the nightstands were two more candelabras with three white candles burning in the darkness.
“Well my dears,” Barrier said as stretched out on the bed, putting long disused skills to work and posing sexily for them. “Which one of you would you like me to treat first?”
Daring and Fleet looked to one another, with looks of surprise and faint shades of pink on their faces.
“Coin toss?” Daring asked.
“I’ll toss it,” Fleet replied without skipping a beat and using her wing to pull a coin out of her saddle bags. With a quick flick, the coin was spinning in the air. “Call it mid-air.”
“Heads,” Daring answered just before the falling coin had reached her eye level.
The coin soon hit the floor. To the shock of the mares, the coin landed directly on its side, standing straight up.
“Huh. Don’t that beat all,” Daring said as she used her wing to scratch the back of her head.
“So… we start with both?” Fleet asked as she tilted her head.
“Hmm… sounds good to me,” Daring replied as she brought a hoof to her chin in thought before she turned to the stallion on the bed. “Think you can handle the two of us at once, Barrier?”
“I’ve a fair certainty that I can manage. Rest assured, I will make this the most passionate night of your lives,” Barrier said with a somewhat cocky smile on his face. You fool! You know one’s hard enough to handle in bed! You’ve just signed your death warrant!
Despite how his mind screamed at him or how exhausted he was by the end of the night, it was most glorious.
***
Some time after midnight, Windy was sleeping comfortably in her sleeping bag when she felt her side being repeatedly and rapidly nudged.
“Windy!” Crispy spoke in a panicked whisper as he nudged the pink maned filly once more. “Wake up! It’s an emergency!”
“Urgh…” Windy groaned as she slowly rose and looked at him with eyes just barely open. “What’s wrong?”
“I think there’s ghosts here!” Crispy shivered as he looked into Windy’s now glaring eyes. “I need you to beat them up!”
“Ghosts… Seriously?” Wind Whistler barely had the energy to raise her eyebrow as she slowly looked over the other sleeping foals, greatly envying them at this particular moment.
“Yes! Really!” Crispy’s shivering grew more intense as he leaned closer to the tired filly. “Just listen and you’ll hear their ghostly wail!”
With a sigh, Windy closed her eyes and tried to hear anything in the dead of night. After a moment of concentration, she managed to hear a moaning sound coming from the back of the house. However, she could tell the voices weren’t ghosts, but Lucky Streak and Game O’Chance.
“Urgh.” Windy groaned before she picked up one of her pillows and tossed it at Crispy’s face, gently knocking him over. “It’s not ghosts. Stakes’ parents are fucking. Go back to sleep.”
Without giving the colt a chance to get back up, Wind Whistler flopped back down into her sleeping bag.
Crispy shook his head as he rose back up, a rather confused look upon his face as he looked to the filly whose back was now to him. “They’re doing what now?”
The skies covering Vanhoover were various shades of gray as Winter Gem and Belmont Apple pushed a steel plow. While both were straining to push the metal slab through the thick snow, Gem could easily see that the strain was much greater for her bat pony cousin.
“I swear to Faust, if I find out who’s the featherbrained flankhole that decided to drop over a foot of snow on us overnight, somepony’s gonna lose some teeth,” Belmont grumbled between bouts of shoving.
“At least we’re almost done,” Gem chipped in, starting to regret the fact she’d decided to wear two layers of jackets and pants instead of just one. “Think we could take a break? We’re well overdue for lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Belmont responded before letting his wings droop to his sides as he started to head towards the house. “So, what would you like? I could cook up some hash browns or some sandwiches or something.”
“I’m thinking… sandwiches. Maybe hay bacon, honey mustard and…” Gem trailed off as a sound she’d been long trained to recognize reached her ears.
It was the sound of approaching wingbeats and it was both headed directly towards them and actively accelerating.
“Get down!” Gem exclaimed before jumping onto Belmont’s back and tackling him to the ground just as a blur flew over their heads and skidded against the snow in front of them, hiding their attacker from view.
Winter Gem quickly stepped in front of Belmont and took up a defensive posture when a voice came from the snow screen.
“Heh. Senses sharp as ever, Stock Girl,” the voice said as the snow began to clear, revealing who’d nearly struck them.
It was a pegasus mare with a cream-colored coat and a short, pale-brown mane and tail. Her colors brought to mind a sandy desert, the perception aided by the image of a cactus with a pink flower upon her flank.
Recognizing the mare with a cocky smirk, Gem rushed up to the mare, nearly knocking her off her hooves before pulling her into a hug.
“Sandy!” Gem shouted as the pegasus started to weakly return the hug, both of their tails excitedly wagging.
“Uh, Gem?” Belmont was utterly baffled by what was going on in front of him. What had begun as a sneak attack that had missed, had quickly turned into a pair of mares now happily hugging each other. “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
“Oh, right.” Gem quickly untangled herself from the mare before facing Belmont and slinging her foreleg over her shoulder. “Belmont, this is my old friend from back when I lived at the family trading post as well as a fellow former guard, Sandstorm. Sandstorm, this is my cousin, Belmont Apple.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sandstorm said as she held out a foreleg to the stallion who, rather excited to meet another veteran of the Crystal Empire, quickly started shaking it. “This is quite the nice little place you’ve got here.”
“Thanks. My family works hard for this place,” Belmont replied before Sandstorm took her hoof back and was pulled into another hug by Gem.
“I’m so glad to see you, Sandy! I didn’t expect you to be dropping by. Last letter you sent said you had just gotten out of the hospital,” Gem said before releasing her crushing grip on her.
“Yeah, letters still take a while to go anywhere, but at least it’s a heck of a lot faster than it used to be,” Sandy said before stretching her wings. “Frankly, I needed to get out of Canterlot. I never wanna see that hospital room again and the buildings are just too tall and close together for my liking. There’s a lot more airspace out here.”
“Well, there is plenty of space out here.” Gem confirmed before slinging a foreleg over the pegasus shoulder. “If you want, I could give you a tour after I finish my work today.”
“Thanks, Gem, but there’s something else you should know,” Sandy glumly said before sighing and looking Gem in the eye. “While I really wanted to see you again, the main reason why I’m here is because of Storm Cloud.”
“Oh…” Gem recalled the mare her friend named. She was a fellow guard from a cadet squad that was stuck with them in the empire. Storm Cloud was a lightning sniper who’d helped with many of their supply runs, trying to sneak around Sombra as they tried to get whatever scraps they could while dodging the undead.
Storm Cloud sadly was one of the ponies who was injured far worse than many of the other survivors. Even in the winter breeze, she could still feel a chill run down her spine as she recalled a magic volley striking the pegasus down, sending her tumbling to the ground with a foreleg messily shot off.
“Somepony named Dr. High Gear is supposed to make some sort of prosthetic for her,” Sandy’s words snapped Gem from her gruesome recollection. “My squad, her’s and even her father will be there. I need to book some hotel rooms for them.”
“Well, in that case, how about you give your friend a hoof, Gem?” Belmont piped up as he started to head towards the house. “I figure this snow’s not going anywhere, so you two can take off early and look once you’ve got some lunch.”
“Thanks, Belmont,” Gem said as she started to guide her friend to the North Grove’s home. “Maybe during lunch, you can tell him some stories from way back when?”
Sandstorm chuckled before she looked at Gem with a sinister grin. “You mean like when you sent an end table flying into my face when Tex and you fu—”
“NOT LIKE THAT!!!” Gem screeched burying her face with her forehooves. “Fuck me…”
“Nah, you were most enthusiastic when you said that to Tex.” Sandy’s remark forced Belmont to muffle his muzzle with his wing, trying desperately to keep from laughing.
***
Darkness was beginning to fall as Winter Gem and Sandstorm looked out at the sea from the pier. The setting sun was shining off the water as Sandstorm took in the sight.
“It’s… I’m not really sure how to describe it, Gem,” Sandy said as she continued to look out in awe. “I’m used to seeing huge expanses of sand, rock and sky, but this much water… It’s just… I don’t know.”
“I had a similar reaction when I first saw this,” Gem replied before chuckling. “We even had a dolphin jump up and splash us.”
“Yeah, it’s somethin—” Sandstorm froze as she spotted something approaching from up the street. It was a griffin hen with a crimson coat, carrying a pair of paper bags in her forelegs as she flew towards them.
“Hey, Gem,” the griffin said as she stopped to hover a few feet from them. “I was going through the mall earlier and saw that Bounds of Books had the new Detective Mike Roscope volume in.”
“Thanks, Erica.” Gem’s casual reply to her made Sandstorm’s jaw drop. “Say, got anything planned with those groceries?”
“Nothing really that special,” Erica shrugged as she continued to hover. “Just some fruit for smoothies, some croutons, bacon, potatoes, and a bottle of merlot for this pork recipe I saw in a manga. I figure I might as well give it a shot.”
“Well, hope it goes well,” Gem said before pointing to the pegasus by her side. “By the way, this is an old guard buddy of mine, Sandstorm.”
“Nice to meet you, Sandstorm. I’d shake your hoof, but my talons are way too full,” Erica said, offering her a smile.
“Nice… nice to meet you too. Sorry, just…” Sandstorm swallowed and her hindlegs uncomfortably fidgeted.
“I know, bad history with griffins way back when,” Erica interjected. “Not a problem. I hope you have a good time in Vanhoover.”
“I… Thank you,” Sandstorm’s reply was seemingly drenched in awkwardness before the hen began to pull away.
“Not a problem. Wish I could stay longer, but I’ve got dinner to make,” Erica slowly started to rise past the roofs of the nearby buildings. “See ya later!”
With the hen out of sight, Sandstorm let out a sigh of relief. “I know that we’ve been at peace with the griffins for centuries, but it’s still weird seeing you being so… friendly with one.”
“Yeah, I will admit, it was quite something to get used to,” Gem said before looking back towards the sea. “Still, Erica’s Verdant’s girlfriend and she’s pretty nice.”
“Huh. That’s a bit of a surprise,” Sandstorm shrugged before stretching out her wings. “If it were one of my teammates, I'd be worried they’d end up inside her… NOT LIKE THAT!” The pegasus quickly exclaimed as Gem started to open her mouth.
“Killjoy,” Gem replied with a pout before stepping away from the pier. “Well, how about we get you a pizza to try? This city’s got quite a few.”
“Sounds good.” Sandstorm took to the air beside her ground-bound compatriot. “It’d probably be good to get the smell of salt water out of my nose.”
“Yeah, that was something that took a while to get used to too,” Gem stated casually as she trotted along. “Which sounds better? The Four D’s or Jungle Karma?”
“Dunno, don’t care. Honestly, I don’t even know what this “pete-zah” stuff is.” Sandy shrugged her shoulders as she glided by one of the street lamps.
“Oh, you poor dear,” Gem replied with a light chuckle. “You’ve been in modern Equestria for months and you don’t even know what pizza is. I’ll need to rectify this immediately.”
“I doubt this’ll be as good as you make it out to be,” Sandy dismissively said as flew by a lamp, knocking some snow off of it with the tip of her wing.
***
In the lavish room that was one of the units in the Delta Hotel, a large belch echoed throughout the third floor before Sandstorm flopped back on her bed.
“Okay. That’s some good stuff,” Sandstorm said as she stretched out on the mattress.
“Be glad I made sure you didn’t eat so much you got a stomach ache,” Gem said before she hopped onto the bed beside her and licked some marinara off of her lips.
“Gotta say...” Sandstorm forced herself up into a sitting position before rubbing her swollen belly. “This city’s pretty nice. I’m liking it more than New Canterlot.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Gem replied as she stretched out on the sheet before looking up to her friend. “So, how long do you think you’ll be here?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know,” Sandy replied before rubbing the back of her head. “Storm’s likely gonna be receiving a fair amount of therapy to get used to this new leg of hers.”
“Gotta admit, it's a little surprising to see you doing this for her, Sandy.” Gem started to lift herself up to look the pegasus in the eye. “You two were more rival-y back in training.”
“Yeah, well… the empire really changed things for us,” Sandy said as she wrapped her wings around her barrel like a blanket. “Sure, we always tried to one-up each other, but I did respect her… and then I saw her get her leg shot off right as I was sent spiraling through a window.”
Brushing her left foreleg with her right, the movement of her fur revealed several scars the glass shards had left behind. “Did you know that our three squads are the only ones that have all their members still alive?”
“Wait, really?” Gem was taken aback by what her old friend had said. “But… but what about 984? I thought all of their members survived.”
“Sadly, Spring Song died in transit to Canterlot, despite the doctor’s best efforts.” Sandstorm sighed before Gem comfortingly patted her on the back. “Of her squad, Flowerburst took it the hardest.”
“That’s just awful…” Gem glumly responded before rubbing her chin. “Y’know, I just thought of something that could help your squads if Storm needs to be here for a while.”
“What? Like buy a house or something?” Sandy looked up with a quirked brow. “Gem, it’d have to be a pretty big house for me and the rest of the girls. I don’t think I could stand being too far away from them.”
“And Barrier once told me how there was another house that was an option when he was house hunting.” A grin slowly started to form on Gem’s muzzle. “He was looking for a house that fit my squad, him, Fleetfeather, and her kid. Even then, we still have a guest room to spare. I figure that we could easily get you guys a place to stay.”
“But what about 964?” Sandy asked with a nervous croak in her voice. “I mean, none of us would want to be separated. Plus I’m pretty sure Captain Javelin wouldn’t want to be too far from Storm.”
“I figure we could find something. I mean, Barrier found a place for nine ponies, we should be able to get you all places that suit you.” A silence held in the room for a moment before Gem scratched the back of her head. “I mean, unless you don’t want to or have jobs or something.”
“Honestly, none of us do,” Sandy said before slumping down on the bed. “Most of us only got out of the hospital recently and have either been staying in hotels or cloud houses… but it’s getting pricey over time.”
“I’m pretty sure you all got a lot of back pay, but it would probably be good to get a place to stay instead of constantly paying for pricey hotels.”
A hum of acknowledgement came from Sandstorm’s throat as she laid on the bed and thought. After a while, she rolled onto her back and looked back up at Gem. “I’ll run it by the others and see what they think… Though I will say that despite it being cold enough to freeze my nips off, I would like to be able to stay in the same city as you.”
Gem chuckled before leaning down and giving Sandstorm a quick hug. “Trust me, the feeling’s more than mutual.”
Pushing herself back into a sitting position, Gem looked Sandstorm in the eyes as she rose to meet her.
“I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to help you all out.”
Three days after the arrival of Sandstorm, Barrier and the others found themselves waiting in front of the train station alongside the desert pegasus. Her eyes were firmly locked on a clock that read that it was four minutes to noon.
“They should have been here five minutes ago,” Sandy muttered before she felt Gem place a heavily dressed foreleg on her shoulder.
“Relax, it’s not that big a deal,” Gem said with a smile that was obscured by her hood. “Once that’s done, we can get everypony into their hotel rooms, kicking back and enjoying pizzas.”
A loud whistling drew the attention of the pair. Looking down the tracks, they could see a red train pulling into the station.
“Well, speak of Tirek and he shall appear,” Gem said before she led the collection of ponies into the building. It took only a few minutes before the passengers started to disembark.
At first, there was no sign of the coming squads until Verdant exclaimed, “Over there!” and pointed towards the far end of the train, where they spotted a unicorn with a tricolored mane stepping on to the platform.
The mare’s coat was a light gray, a stark contrast to her mane and tail. Her mane was an assortment of red, orange and yellow while her flowing tail was green, blue and purple. Upon her flank was a twelve-pointed white and black star surrounded by six smaller stars with six points each.
“Hey, Prism! Over here!” Sandstorm shouted, grabbing the mare’s attention as she flew ahead of Barrier’s household.
“Glad to see you, Sandstorm,” Prism said before her horn glowed with rosy pink light as she plucked several bags from the train. “And you too, Squad Nine-Eight-Two.”
“It’s wonderful to see you in good health, Prismatic Radiance.” Swift offered a bow to the rainbow-maned unicorn before holding a hoof out to her.
“And to you as well.” Prism offered a warm smile as she grasped Swift’s foreleg and gently shook it. “I wish I could say we all escaped the empire as well as your team did.”
Before anypony could offer a retort, an annoyed shout came from within the train car. “Dammit, Father! I’m fine! I’m not made of glass!”
From the train car an athletic pegasus mare emerged into the air. Her coat matched the sky while her short and messy mane and tail were the color of clouds in a somewhat heavy spring storm. One thing that quickly caught the eye of several ponies in the crowd was how her left foreleg ended in a stub just below her knee.
“I meant no offense, my dear,” a gruff stallion’s voice said as he emerged from the train, revealing a second pegasus, this one with a pale bluish gray coat, a two-tone gray mane and unshorn fetlocks, revealing dark hooves. “I just don’t want to see you getting any more hurt after all you went through.”
“I believe she can handle herself here, Captain,” Barrier spoke up as he strolled over to the pegasus, drawing a smile from him as he stepped onto the platform. “This place is rather peaceful all things considered.”
“Ah, Barrier, you old dog,” he chuckled as the charcoal unicorn came up to his side. “It’s good to see the old dragon slayer once more. Or would you prefer the slayer of Sombra?” he cheerfully said, not seeing the wince from Barrier.
“I’d prefer just being referred to by my name, Javelin,” Barrier spoke with a hint of weariness and irritation in his tone. “Saying my experience with the dragon was unpleasant would be a great understatement and I don’t like that I had to mercy kill someone I considered a friend after they committed atrocities.”
“Ah, my apologies.” Lightning Javelin took an awkward step back from Barrier. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think… Ah, Fleetfeather. How have you been?”
“There have been ups and downs since my release from the empire,” the cyclopian mare replied before she slung a wing over Barrier’s back as Daring trotted up to their sides. “Wind Whistler’s been doing rather well, I’ve found new love in two wonderful ponies, and I’m starting to see the rest of our housemates as a sort of family.”
“That’s good to hear,” Javelin nodded and gave a warm smile. “After what we went through with the war and the empire, there’s nothing more valuable than family.” Just as he finished, Storm Cloud landed by his side, where she was quickly pulled into a tight hug.
“Dad…” Storm grumbled just before a chubby, pink-coated, violet maned bespectacled mare disembarked the train alongside a pegasus with short, messy brown hair.
“I wish one of my parents were here to do that,” the violet maned mare said as a chilly breeze blew through the station. “Or even Captain Longshot, hardass she is.”
“Sorry, Pen.” Storm Cloud pulled out from her father’s grasp and flew up beside her and patted her back with her foreleg.
“I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Pen ‘N Paper sniffled as she pushed her glasses up.
“Remember, we’re sisters in arms and we’ll always be there for you,” the two-toned brown pegasus said with a high, squeaky voice that reminded Barrier of the pink devil.
Another two mares stepped off of the train. One was an earth pony with a light violet coat and a grape purple mane. The second was a creamy yellow unicorn with a puffy white mane and tail. To the surprise of Swift, the violet mare, Vin Rouge, seemed to be doing what she could to keep her distance from Storm Cloud, unlike Spicy Omelet, who seemed to be looking at her like an overprotective mother hen.
“Is… is there something wrong between—” As Swift’s eyes darted between Rouge and Storm, the brown pegasus, Fixer Upper, bolted to the unicorn’s side and pressed very close to her ear.
“Rouge confessed that she loves Storm last week, but Storm said she’s not interested in her that way, so things are pretty awkward between them right now,” Fixer whispered into the unicorn’s ear. “I wish I knew how to fix things up between them, but this isn’t a birdhouse or shelf or something… I just don’t know what to do besides just being there.”
“Hey, you’re blocking the way!” A gruff mare’s voice made the hairs on the back of Swiftsword’s neck stand up as her attention instantly shifted to the train entrance.
Floating above the group of Storm, Omelet, and Pen was a unicorn mare with a sickly green coat and a vibrant purple mane with a pale streak traveling down its center. Her horn was glowing with a nearly black aura that covered her hooves before she floated down by Prism. Her cutie mark was a black cauldron with a trio of purple bubbles rising up from it.
Swift gritted her teeth at the mare she saw as a bitter rival, a mare of a low standing that had managed to best her more times than she had cared to admit. She was the product of a noblemare having an affair with a gardener that she then tossed away to a far off orphanage. Despite this, she still managed to defeat a mare of noble standing with extensive formal training.
“Toil ‘N Trouble…” Swiftsword growled before a second unicorn appeared between Swift and Toil. This one had a silvery blue coat and a short, curly golden mane.
“Ladies, could you please not start a fight?” the silver mare asked as Toil shot a glare towards her rival.
The green and violet unicorn sighed before putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Fine, but I’m doing this for you, Hocus.”
“Ten bits says it’s gonna fall over.” A smooth mare’s voice spoke up, drawing Swift’s attention back towards the train’s entrance, where an earth pony with a short and rough reddish brown mane emerged onto the platform. Upon her flank was the image of a fan of red and black backed cards.
“Not a chance,” a second earth pony followed shortly behind, this one with a light violet coat and well-brushed, dark purple mane adorned with a scarlet band. Her flank was adorned with the image of a black-petaled tulip, but what drew the eye to her more than anything was the large stack of boxes taller than she was stacked upon her back. “I need my weight training after all that time in the hospital.”
“Five bits say she’ll make it to the hotel without spilling, Sharpy.” Following closely behind the earth pony was a bright yellow pegasus with a white muzzle. Her mane was jagged, looking like a wild campfire with its red and orange colors. Her cutie mark was five red peppers surrounded by a roaring fire.
“Card Sharp, Night Tulip, Hotstreak, fall in!” the silvery mare with the wand and star-adorned top hat on her flank called out. “I’d like to get us settled in as soon as possible.”
“You may want to lighten up, Hocus Pocus,” Barrier said as her squadmates quickly fell in beside her. “You're all civilians now and it may be best to try and put your time in the guard behind you.”
“Maybe,” Javelin said before his eyes fell upon Sandstorm. “So, are you all about ready to head to the hotel?”
“Sure thing,” Sandstorm cheerfully said before she hopped over to Hocus Pocus and slung a foreleg over her shoulder. “After that, we’ll be able to get some pizzas.”
“Y’know, it’d probably be a good idea to have somepony get the pizzas now while you go check in.” Daring quickly interjected before looking over her shoulder to the shamrock stallion behind her. “Verdant, how about you go get them along with cauldron butt over there? She looks like she might like checking out that potion shop on Happy Glow near Jungle Karma Pizza.”
“Cauldron butt?!” Toil asked somewhat incredulously at Daring’s remark before sighing. “Still, it’s been a while since I’ve studied up on potions and I could stand to stretch my legs. Come along, Verdant.”
“Sure thing,” the white muzzled stallion said before he started guiding the lime-colored unicorn out of the station.
“Think they’re gonna rut?” Swift’s ears perked as she heard Sandstorm whisper into Hocus’s ear. The silver mare winced and shuddered at the askance.
“No. Not in the slightest,” she quickly replied before she led Sandstorm to the entrance. “Now let's get out of this cold. Hopefully the hotel’s decent.”
***
In one of the hotel rooms, Storm Cloud lightly bounced on one of the two beds in the room as the rest of her squadmates, her father, Barrier and his housemates tried to fit themselves in.
“Hmm… I like it,” Storm said as she had one more light bounce. “Not cloud levels of soft, but not floor levels of hard. Just right.”
“So, how’ve you been holding up, Storm?” Hatty asked as he and Gem took spots in front of her bed.
“Better than when you kicked me in the wing,” she said through gritted teeth as she glared daggers at the purple pegasus. Just as he nervously swallowed, her grimace morphed into a grin that was accompanied by a chuckle. “I’m just messing with yah, I’m not bitter over that.
“Honestly, all things considered, it could be a lot worse.” Storm’s voice became quieter as she looked down at her stump. “I mean, yeah, losing a limb sucks, but I’m a lot more intact than a lot of the vets back at the hospital.”
“Y’know, it’s kinda surprising to see you’re all speaking pretty modernly,” Gem said from her spot by Hatty. “When Princess Luna visited Ponyville for Nightmare Night, her speech was still pretty old fashioned.”
“Eh, it’s probably because we get out more or talk to doctors and other patients,” Storm replied as she laid back on the bed. “I’d take any chance I could to get outta that hospital though. It just smelt way too… clean, y’know? I’d do stuff like fly around by the park, or visit some shops. You check out this place there called Donut Joe’s? It’s one of the few places without nobles with their noses so high, they’d drown if it’d rained.”
“Ah-hem,” Swift cleared her throat to draw the pegasus mare’s attention, only for Prismatic Radiance to come up to her side.
“Honestly, I agree with her assessment. Most of the nobles I had encountered were rather dreadful,” the rainbow maned unicorn said as she turned her gaze out the window to the city below. “Still, it was nice to hear how one rather rude prince had cake shoved into his face at the gala and some nobles were upset by a mare’s birthday party crashing one of their events.”
“Sadly, my assessment isn’t too dissimilar, Duchess,” Swift replied as she followed her gaze. “Not too many nobles I saw at the gala exemplified what I would find noble behavior. Still, at least there are a few… Do you… plan to return to Canterlot someday?”
“Frankly, I don’t know what I want in general.” Prism sighed as she looked out the window, where she saw some foals gleefully playing in the snow while their parents watched with smiles on their faces. “I was under my parents’ hooves for most of my life, constantly studying and practicing magic until I would exhaust myself, never granted a moment’s reprieve to play or to read a book not related to my studies. It was only when they tried to arrange a fiancee and a career for me that I decided to put my hoof down and say no… Admittedly, blasting down the wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen was a bit extreme, but I made my displeasure known.”
“I… Had no idea you felt that way, Prism,” Swift said as she looked away and uncomfortably adjusted her mane. “I knew other noble ponies tended to have stricter childhoods than commoners, but I had no idea that yours were that controlling.”
A sad chuckle emanated from Prism’s throat as she turned to look at Swift. “Did you know that when I first ate in the mess hall was the first time I’d tried things like apples and potatoes? That was truly a life changing experience. A mere apple slice and a spoonful of mashed potatoes let me feel free as the wind, Swiftsword.”
A gentle series of knocks came from the door, drawing everypony’s attention.
“Pizza delivery!” Verdant’s voice came from behind the doorway before the handle glowed in a rose light, allowing the shamrock stallion into the room, a stack of seven boxes on his back. “Also, I brought a guest you may want to speak to.”
As Verdant made his way through the bunch of ponies towards a table, a light blue mare with a short, jagged violet mane and green glasses followed in behind and went up to the bed Storm Cloud was on.
“Hello, Miss Storm Cloud, I was hoping I would see you,” the bespectacled mare said before she pulled the white saddlebags off her back and onto the floor. “I’m Dr. High Gear.”
“Ah, so you’re the one that’s gonna be setting me up with that fake leg,” Storm said as High Gear reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a tape tailors would use for measuring. “What’s with the tape? Do you really need to be that precise to give me a wooden peg or something?”
High Gear let out a chuckle before she picked up the tape with her hooves. “Oh, I’m doing a lot more than just giving you a wooden peg. Could you please hold out your right foreleg?”
With her eyebrow raised and muzzle slightly scrunched in confusion, Storm cloud did so.
“What I’m gonna do is give you something much better than some old fashioned wooden peg,” Gear answered as she wrapped the tape around Storm’s leg. “This new leg will be made of specially insulated, high impact materials, be waterproof so you can safely wash or swim in the ocean, and even have a bit of articulation so you’ll be able to move the hoof around more naturally.”
“Will… will it match my coat?” Storm scratched the back of her head with her wing as Gear measured from her knee to the tip of her hoof. ‘I’m not crazy about having a fake leg that really makes me stand out in a crowd.”
“It will once Color Splash is done with it,” the scientist mare replied before pulling back the tape, reaching into her bags once more and pulling out a notepad and pen. “Right. I should be able to have this made in a few days and then we can have the surgery to put it on. After that, you’ll probably need some time in physical therapy in order to adjust to the new leg. Possibly a few weeks.”
“That reminds me”, Gem said as she stood up and looked around at the various ponies of Squad 964. “Have you thought of getting yourselves a place to stay?”
“Not really, but then again, Canterlot tends to brush all of us the wrong way,” the plump pink pony with the purple ponytail near the table with the pizzas, Pen ‘N Paper, replied. “Are you proposing we stay in Vanhoover?”
“It’s something to consider,” Barrier said before turning to Lightning Javelin. “I know of a stigmatized property large enough. It’s unfurnished, but it’s naturally lower priced than most houses and is near a local vineyard.”
“Hmm… That does sound somewhat appealing,” Vin Rouge replied as Verdant handed her a slice of pizza. “Naturally, we’ll all need to discuss this.”
“Of course,” Barrier nodded as Swift’s magic grabbed several slices of pizza and handed them out amongst the visiting ponies. “Vanhoover’s a nice enough city and I find my time here to be pleasant. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your pizza.”
“It looks good, but I dunno.” Storm Cloud gave her slice a quick sniff before closing her eyes and taking a sizable bit. Once the flavors hit her tongue, her eyes shot open, looking practically starry.
“I’ve tasted the food of Elysium… and it is glorious…” She whispered before she tried to cram the rest of the slice into her mouth.
***
In an adjacent room of the hotel, five of the mares of Squad 973 were chatting amongst each other on the prospect of staying in Vanhoover.
“I’ve only been here for a few days, but this place has all sorts of great things in it,” Sandstorm said as she hovered near the ceiling alongside Hotstreak, giving the three on the ground a little more room. “It’s got all sorts of places for food, entertainment, medical supplies, and we already have friends here. I figure this place would feel a lot better than Canterlot.”
“I’m not so sure,” Hocus Pocus said as she squeezed a pillow against her chest. “I’m not sure I’d want to live in a different city than Prism…”
“I’m sure that Barrier’s squad’s making the same kind of pitch to her,” Card Sharp said as with a flick of her hoof, she seemed to make a fan of cards appear from nowhere. “Good odds say she’d say something similar about this place.”
“Another issue would be finding jobs,” Night Tulip said as she paced around the room, a hoof rested upon her chin. “I don’t just want to live off our back payments forever. It just doesn’t seem right.”
“I figure that won’t be too big of a problem,” Sandstorm replied, floating down to look the purple mare in her orange eyes. “Gem works at her cousin’s orchard while Hatty’s got a job as a party magician, Forge’s a smith, Verdant works in a flower shop and Swift works at a restaurant. I figure we could all get stuff we’d be comfortable with.”
Hotstreak hummed and brought a hoof to her chin as a knock came from the door.
“Hey girls! I got the pizza!” Toil ‘N Trouble’s voice said from behind the door. In an instant, Hotstreak zipped down to the ground and opened the door, the breeze from her movements jostling the bedsheets.
“Great to hear, Toil. How was the trip through town?” Sandstorm asked as she and Hotstreak fluttered over to one of the beds, the former’s hooves eagerly shuffling about as her eyes were locked on the six pizza boxes in Toil’s aura.
“Save for the cold, pretty good,” Toil replied as she placed the stack on a table. “The potion shop looked nice and I met Verdant’s girlfriend. Turns out, to my surprise, she’s a griffin.”
“Really?” Card Sharp said with her brow raised, giving Toil a look that screamed ‘Are you stupid?’. “His letters said her name was Erica, and you’re surprised.”
“Yeah, I know, I realized how dumb it sounded when I said that outloud, but I thought she was named after the flower genus. Still, she seems nice,” Toil replied as her magic opened one of the pizza boxes. “Hocus, could you give me a hoof passing these out?”
“Sure thing.” In a flash of violet light, Hocus Pocus was at Toil’s side. As she grabbed three slices of the pizza and floated two over to Hotstreak and Card Sharp before leaning closely to Toil’s ear.
“Did you tell Erica you’re—” she started to whisper.
“Yeah, I did,” Toil quietly answered back as she grabbed her own slice and tossed two over to Tulip and Sandstorm. “I figure with what Verdant said about her, she can keep our secret.”
The morning skies of Vanhoover were a dark silver from the clouds that blanketed the city as Storm Cloud stood in front of the large building that was Vanhoover General Hospital.
The sky-blue pegasus swallowed as she stared down the building before feeling a hoof on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the unshorn foreleg of her father giving her a warm smile.
Behind them were her squadmates, alongside most of Barrier’s household and Squad 973. The only exceptions were Verdant and Toil, who said they were preparing something for after the operation.
“It’s understandable if you’re scared, my dear,” Lightning Javelin quietly said as he tenderly squeezed her shoulder. “This is a big step and we can reschedule if—”
“No,” Storm Cloud said as she stepped forward, pulling away from her father’s grip. “I’ve gotta do this…” She then cast a glance to the unnatural end of her left foreleg. “I want to stand on four legs again.”
“Alright, then, Storm Cloud.” Javelin came back up to her side and looked over his shoulder to the accompanying crowd. “Let’s move out, everypony!”
The assemblage of ponies quickly fell in with practiced ease as they made their way into the hospital and took seats in the waiting room.
After only a few short minutes of waiting, Dr. High Gear emerged from one of the hallways and offered Storm Cloud a smile as she made her way over to her. “Good morning, Storm Cloud. How’ve you been the last few days?”
“Well, the hotel was nice, though I frankly just wanted to just go for a run, which is a little tricky when… well…” Storm held out her stump foreleg out to the bespectacled mare.
“Believe me, I understand,” High Gear said before bringing a hoof to her forehead to move her bangs out of the way, revealing a large scar in the center of her forehead. “I know what it’s like to lose a body part like that.
“At any rate, we should get you ready for surgery.” High Gear let her bangs drop back into place as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a clipboard. “We should be able to get you ready in just under an hour and then we’ll keep you here at least overnight for observation.”
“Right, right.” Storm Cloud’s wings bristled as she looked over her shoulder to her squadmates. Prism, Fixer, and Pen who all tried to look encouraging for her. Rouge was trying to give her a similar look, but she clearly had uneasy feelings hiding just below the surface. Omelet however, was sweating bullets, wearing her fear on her proverbial sleeve.
“You’ve got this, Storm,” Javelin said from his seat beside Barrier. “You survived the empire. This is nothing compared to that.”
“Yeah…” the three-legged mare took a deep breath before turning her attention to High Gear. “I’m ready, Doctor. Let’s do this.”
***
A long time had passed since Storm Cloud went into the operating theater, though only her father had followed in to watch the procedure long enough to see his daughter being anesthetized.
The eighteen ponies sat in the halls outside the operating room like a sort of honor guard, waiting for any news on how Storm was progressing. The silence was tense, only disrupted by the occasional sound of medical equipment or somepony being called elsewhere in the hospital.
Getting fed up with the uncomfortable quiet, Hatty sighed and stood up from his spot against the wall. “So, I’ve been wondering, what’s happened to your captains?”
“Well,” Hocus Pocus stood up and stretched before facing Hat Trick. “Captain Hardtack left the hospital at the first chance she got, saying she wants nothing to do with the guard anymore. She got a job at a bakery in Canterlot. I forget the name, though.”
“Meanwhile, Captain Longshot’s response was the complete opposite.” Prismatic Radiance did an elegant stretch before she walked up to Hocus’ side. “She re-enlisted in the guard at the first opportunity. From what I’ve heard, she’s been butting heads with Captain Shining Armor and Lieutenant Starshine—”
“Despite the severe tail-kicking the pair of them handed her,” Rouge spoke up from her spot with her Neigh Orleans accent. “Hard to say that the guard’s gone soft when they put her down without much hassle.”
“Have you given any thought about what you’ll be doing after Storm Cloud’s recovered?” Barrier asked from his spot beside Lightning Javelin.
“Actually, we have,” the weary pegasus stallion replied. “Both squads talked at length about what to do and we settled on buying homes in Vanhoover. I hope you don’t mind showing me to a real estate agent once Storm’s out of surgery.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Barrier answered before pulling out his flask and taking a quick swig. “Though you may want to stop by the bank and prepare proof of funds.”
A small smirk crossed Javelin’s muzzle before he reached into his saddlebag with his left wing and pulled out a piece of paper between his feathers. “You mean something like this?”
“Hey there, Barrier!” A voice exclaimed from down the hall. Soon the eyes of everypony gathered fell upon a monochromatic unicorn mare who was dragging a tall and slender blue stallion by the ear with her magic. The occasional wince expressed just how unpleasant the experience was. “Sorry I’m late for Gear’s patient, but somepony didn’t bother to wake me up when my alarm clock failed, despite me saying my appointment was important!”
“Apparently I’ve been upgraded from roommate to secretary,” the slender unicorn stallion replied tiredly with a roll of his eyes. “Truly I’ve peaked.”
“Oh, shut up, Due Date!” Color Splash barked at the taller pony. “I pay for most of the damn expenses and I’m the one of us able to cook stuff besides ramen!”
“Please, you waste a ton of bits buying so many varieties of foods,” Due Date gave Splash a flat look. “Unlike you, I can live on bread and cheese.”
“And only on that?” Splash sounded mildly impressed by his response.
“Yep.”
A wicked smirk formed on Splash’s muzzle as she gave him a flat look. “So can a rat.”
“As much as your arguments with your roommate are riveting, Splash, what matters is that the patient is still in surgery.” Barrier’s words drew the arguing ponies' eyes away from each other and towards the collection of former guards. “Also, I’d suggest you refrain from having a shouting match in a hospital.”
“Umm… Right…” A faint scarlet graced Splash’s face while Due Date slowly tried to back away. “So, how’s she doing?”
“We’ve got no word y—” Javelin was interrupted by the doors to the operating room being pushed open.
The first thing to emerge from the room was High Gear, dressed up in blue scrubs, rubber gloves, a pair of caps that completely covered her mane and tail, and a medical mask covering her face.
“Good news,” the masked mare said as a gurney with a sleeping Storm Cloud on it was pushed out of the room, though what truly caught the attention of Javelin and the others was what appeared to be a white ponyquin-like leg with an odd hoof that was attached to where her stump once was. “The operation was a complete success.”
“Fantastic news, Doctor!” Javelin said as he rushed to Storm’s side and brushed a lock of her mane from her eyes. A small smile was on his muzzle as he watched her gentle slumber.
“She should be up in a couple hours,” Gear said as Color Splash made her way to Javelin’s side. “We’ll probably be keeping her for a few days to make sure it’s working well with her. That and we’re waiting on an enchanting expert to place the finishing touches on it.”
“What sort of ‘finishing touches’ do you mean, Doctor?” Javelin stepped away from the gurney as Splash’s magic swept over the leg, turning it to a sky blue to match Storm’s coat.
“Currently, it can’t magically grip stuff like a real hoof can and it’ll pass right through a cloud,” Gear replied as one of the nurses pushed Storm’s gurney down the hallway. “Once the enchantments are put on, it should be able to do almost everything a real foreleg can.”
“That’s wonderful, Doctor.” Javelin felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “Is it alright if I accompany her to her room?”
“Just as long as you follow the rules. Only two ponies in at a time and once visiting hours are up, you’ll have to leave.”
“Thank you,” Javelin said before he looked at the rest of the assemblage. “I hope you don’t mind waiting in the hall.”
“We wouldn’t be here if we did, sir,” Prismatic Radiance replied, making the smile on the stallion’s face grow a smidge wider.
***
With a yawn and a stretch, Storm Cloud started to rouse from her slumber. As her vision started to clear, she saw the artificial leg that was attached to her limb.
Looking to the side of her bed, she saw her father and Fixer Upper, who offered her warm smiles.
“Hey there, Stormy,” Javelin quietly said as a few small tears started to form in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“A bit sleepy, and it feels kinda weird having this thing on me,” she answered as she turned her attention to the new leg. She rotated the leg around, allowing her to see a pivot point where the hoof met the leg. “Still, I think I’ll be liking this over a stump.”
“That’s good to hear.” High Gear’s voice drew the attention of the three pegasi to the door, where another doctor, Rainbow Remedy, was by her side.
“I think it’ll be best for you to stay in bed for at least a few days before we start to really take this leg for a spin.” Dr. Remedy said as she came up to Storm’s side and examined the leg.
“Ditto,” High Gear chipped in. “This apparatus is attached surgically, so it’d be best to allow your fleshy bits to heal up before we see how well things are working.”
“Good thing I got some stuff to help you kill time,” Fixer said in her normal chipper tone as she lifted a saddlebag onto the bed at Storm Cloud’s side. “Got a bunch of books from the library.”
“Thanks, Fix,” Cloud said before she pulled the bag closer. As she did, Fixer leaned close to whisper into her ear.
“And I slipped in a few issues of Play Filly for some nighttime fun.” When Fixer pulled away, she gave Storm a wink, making the recovering mare chuckle.
“I think we should head out so your other friends can see you.” Javelin brushed Storm’s mane out of her face before placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’m gonna head out with Barrier and see about getting us that house.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Storm replied as the pair started to head for the door. “I’ll see you guys later!”
Shortly after the two stepped out of the door, Prismatic Radiance and Vin Rouge stepped into the room. The unicorn carried something in a long, white cardboard box.
“Good afternoon, Storm Cloud,” Prism said as she and Rouge sat down at her bedside. “Verdant and Toil put together a Caneighda county delicacy called a ‘ketchup cake’ in order to celebrate your successful surgery and we agreed you should have the first piece.”
“Ketchup cake?” Storm Cloud was somewhat taken aback by what Prism had said. “You mean that weird tomato sauce some ponies put on potato fries?”
“We all had a similar reaction when Verdant said what it was,” Rouge said as Prism opened up the box, revealing a red cake decorated with white frosting. “Apparently it’s a somewhat popular form of spice cake here and he says it's really good. Then again, he’s sleeping with a griffin, so who can really say?”
“Well, I figure it’ll be worth a shot and I’m not one to turn down free non-hospital food,” Storm replied with a shrug as Prism’s magic carried a paper plate with a wedge of cake and a fork and placed it on top of the pegasus’ belly.
“At any rate, we wish you a safe and speedy recovery, my friend,” Prism said as she plucked a wedge of cake from the box for herself.
“Y’all…” Rouge fidgeted before placing a hoof on Storm’s organic one. “Y’all take care. We’re rootin’ for yah.”
“Don’t sweat it, girls,” Storm said as a cocky smirk appeared on her face. “I’m betting I’ll be outta here in fighting form in a week.”
Storm’s remark got some giggles from her two friends as they moved away from the bedridden patient.
“Well, try to take it easy, Storm,” Rogue said as she and Prism headed for the door. “Don’t give the ol’ sawbones reasons to keep yah longer.”
“No promises!” Storm chuckled as the two went out the door. She didn’t even have time to grab the fork that rested atop her belly before the last of her squadmates had entered the room.
“Storm Cloud, do you really think it’s a good idea to have cake right after surgery?” Spicy Omelet asked as she went to Storm’s right side while Pen ‘N Paper went to her left.
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Storm casually waved her new leg before she picked up her fork with the other. “Besides, after this, I’m gonna be stuck with hospital food for at least a week. You know what that’s like.”
Omelet winced at the recollection of the various ‘meals’ she’d endured when she was in multiple casts, stuck to a bed in Canterlot’s hospital. “Point taken. Still, I’ll try to bring you some better food, ideally made with farm fresh eggs.”
“Frankly, I’d take Fixer’s cooking over hospital food.” As Storm jabbed the cake, Omelet heartily laughed at her remark.
Licking her lips, Storm Cloud brought a piece of the red colored cake towards her lips, but her attention was drawn to a scribbling noise. Looking to the source, she saw that Pen ‘N Paper was quickly switching back and forth between observing the mechanical leg and sketching its image onto a drawing pad with a pencil held in her mouth.
“Liking the leg, Pen?” Storm asked as her eyebrow rose.
Flicking her head towards the ceiling, Pen let go of the drawing tool. It flipped several times in the air and nearly reached the ceiling before it came down, landing in the narrow space between her left ear and her mane.
“Oh, sorry, dear. I just couldn’t help myself,” The ponytail sporting mare answered as she flipped the pad around, revealing a well detailed sketch of Storm’s leg. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. It might be something that’d be interesting for my novel.”
“What’s the plot of it now? Sky pirates are forced to find magical keys to save the world and the captain falls in love with a competitive animal tamer or something?” Storm’s question made Pen hug the drawing close to her chest and bury her face against it to try to hide her blush.
“It’s… it’s still a very rough draft,” Pen mumbled before she slowly looked back up. “Besides, with how comics have emerged as a form of storytelling, I believe that will make it easier to tell my story.”
“Well, I’m sure it’ll be great once it’s done,” Storm replied as she leaned back against her bed. “Best of luck, Pen.”
“And I wish the same to you,” Pen said as she and Omelet rose up from the bed and headed for the door. “Have a good night, Storm. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“See ya!” Storm said just as Omelet closed the door behind the two, leaving Storm the only one left in the room.
Alright! Time for cake and porn! Storm chuckled as her wing brought her saddlebag full of books to her side before opening her maw wide for cake.
“Excuse me, Storm?” Swift’s voice reached her ear as the noblemare and Verdant stepped through the door.
Faust dammit.
***
A gentle snow was falling outside as Barrier, Javelin and Toil stepped into the offices of Red Blazer Realty. After a few minutes of waiting, the trio were met by a zebra mare with a swollen belly dressed in a red blazer stepping into the lobby to meet them.
“Ah, Mr. Barrier, nice to see you again,” the spiky-mohawked mare said as she shook the stallion’s hoof. “How can I help you today?”
“Well, it’s not I that needs the help, Inira, but some acquaintances of mine.” The stallion looked over his shoulders to the pair of ponies. “By the way, do you still have the house that suffered the double equicide?”
“Honestly, we’ve had it for about twenty years and I don’t think we’re ever going to be rid of the damn thing.” Inira gave Barrier a tired sigh at the thought of the seemingly unsellable property.
“In that case, I’ll gladly take it off your hooves,” Javelin gave the zebra mare a cocky grin as he flashed his proof of funds paper. “How much?”
For a moment, Barrier thought he saw a sparkle and the image of gold coins in Inira’s dark purple eyes. She then licked her lips before speaking. “Let… Let’s discuss it in my office.”
“After that, I’m also looking for a house,” Toil spoke up as she flared her horn with her dark light, making another proof of funds receipt appear out of seemingly nowhere. “I’m looking for somewhere big. Six bedrooms at a minimum and a basement.”
“I’m sure I’ll…” Inira’s excited voice was very high and squeaky until she coughed into her hoof. “I’m sure I’ll be able to help you Miss…”
“Toil ‘N Trouble,” the slime-colored unicorn answered. “Still, I’ll let Captain Javelin take care of his business first. I’d say his money’s burning a hole in his saddlebag.”
“Yes, well, could you please excuse me for a moment?” The zebra quietly stepped through a door before she closed it shut. After a brief moment, a boastful exclamation pierced through the door and walls.
“Eat it, Thatch! I’ve not only got a buyer for the murder house, but another one lined up right after wanting a six bedroom and basement house!”
“Hurray for you,” a tired and sarcastic male voice replied. Despite the walls and door separating them, the voice’s tone put a strong mental image of a stallion rolling his eyes at Inira. “I’ll be sure to hold you a party at Strawberry’s.”
After a brief clearing of the throat came from behind the door, Inira stepped back through with a warm smile on her face. “Now, shall we get down to business, Mr. Javelin?”
***
After some hours had passed, the trio had finally left the realty office. Both Toil and Javelin were very satisfied by their successful purchases.
“I’m sure Storm’s friends will be glad to see the place,” Javelin said before stretching out his wings and flying a few feet off the ground.
“Honestly, I’m just glad to be far away from Canterlot. Far too many stuck up and inbred ‘noble’ unicorns that need a good flank kicking for my liking… Uh, no offense,” Toil said as she turned to face Barrier.
“None taken,” Barrier replied. “I’ve never been especially fond of other nobles myself, Toil. I’ve witnessed much of the crap they pulled back in our heyday and I find the current nobles to be little more than griffin bait.”
“And yet you let one of your cadets court one of those beasts,” Javelin interjected as he flew a few feet ahead of the unicorns. “You do realize the dangers of letting him being a hen humping—”
“Verdant is in no danger with Erica,” Barrier firmly stated as he gave the pegasus a slight glare. “Things have changed radically over the centuries and I know that Erica is a good hen.”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I could ever be that comfortable around griffins after what those bastards did to my wife,” Javelin replied through gritted teeth.
“Forge once said something similar after what happened to his family and Gallopfrey,” Barrier said as he trotted along. “However, in under a year, he views Erica as a friend, works under her mother and has even impregnated one. Perhaps with time, things will change for you as well.”
“Perhaps, but I doubt it,” Javelin said as he rubbed his chin in thought. “By the way, Barrier, since you and your squad are more accustomed to modern things, could you please explain something to me?”
“I can certainly try,” Barrier replied and shrugged his shoulders. “What do you want to know?”
“What was with that strange black and white pattern that mare had?” the pegasus asked. “Is it some sort of weird fashion thing or… what?”
Barrier let out a tired groan of embarrassment and slapped a hoof against his forehead as Toil collapsed to the ground in a loud cackling fit.
The morning light coming from the clear skies created a fair bit of glare that reflected off of the freshly fallen snow and into Barrier eyes while various ponies around him swept up the snow.
The charcoal unicorn had decided to go for a nice little stroll that morning before he would have to begin his classes later that afternoon. As he drew close to Einar’s grocery store, he spotted one of his students stepping out with a bag full of things carried in her magical aura.
“Good morning, Punch,” Barrier called out, drawing the mare’s attention and a smile to her face.
“Good morning, Barrier!” Punch said as she rushed up to the unicorn stallion. “How are you doing?”
“Alright, all things considered.” Barrier casually shrugged his shoulders. “How about you?”
“Pretty good. I was just getting some paper towels, window cleaner, and some other stuff. I managed to get a—”
“Barrier! Over here!” A mare’s sudden exclamation made Barrier’s ears stand at attention while startling Punch, nearly making her drop her bag.
Turning his attention to the source of the voice, Barrier saw a very familiar violet mare with a pair of saddlebags approaching him, making a smile grace his features. “Good morning, Twilight. It’s a bit of a surprise to see you here.”
“Well, I was called in to help with an enchantment needed at the hospital. Apparently a bit of a food poisoning incident at an enchanters convention put a bunch of the professional enchanters out of commission, so here I am.” Twilight said before she gave Barrier a quick hug that he just as quickly returned.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Barrier said as Twilight pulled back to face him.
“Well, I was hoping I could talk to you about something anyway,” Twilight said before she turned her attention to Fruity Punch, who oddly seemed rather frightened.
“Hello there.” The violet mare held out her foreleg to the mare that was sweating bullets. “I’m Twilight Sparkle and—”
“STAY THE TARTARUS AWAY FROM ME!” Punch exclaimed as she quickly backed away from Twilight, staring at her as if she were some kind of freakish abomination from her worst nightmares.
“Fruity Punch—” Barrier started.
“You’re that crazy mare that used a doll to brainwash Ponyville!” Punch shrieked as she pointed a trembling foreleg at the violet unicorn. Her sudden exclamations made the eyes of many passing ponies fall on her, with Twilight feeling as if a hundred sets of eyes were staring at her in judgement.
With a panicked scream, Punch turned and ran off, quickly turning a corner and disappearing from sight.
After Punch was out of sight, Barrier looked around the street and saw that while some ponies were nervously eyeing Twilight, others were either deliberately looking away or trying to get away as quickly as they could without drawing attention to themselves.
With a sigh, Barrier walked up to the crestfallen Twilight and slung a foreleg over her shoulder. “I’m sorry about that, Twilight. I didn’t expect Fruity Punch to react to you like that.”
Twilight tiredly sighed from within Barrier’s grasp. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the news about my little… breakdown to spread this far, but news travels pretty fast and far these days.” The violet unicorn glumly said as she tilted her head to hide her eyes with her bangs.
“Honestly, that’s the worst reaction I’ve gotten in a long time.” Twilight pulled away from Barrier’s grasp. “Most ponies are willing to let me shop at their stores again and it’s been three months since the library’s last been egged or had a brick tossed through the window.”
“You don’t deserve that sort of treatment, Twilight,” Barrier said, feeling a great deal of anger building up inside him for what had been done to his distant niece.
“Let’s… let’s just try to focus on something else,” Twilight said as she tried to sound a bit more chipper while turning to face Barrier. “Could you take me to Vanhoover General Hospital? This patient really needs some enchantments.”
“Of course.” Barrier moved ahead of the younger unicorn, making sure to keep a concerned eye on her from over his shoulders. “Out of curiosity, would these enchantments happen to be for a mare named Storm Cloud?”
A look of mild surprise appeared on the violet mare’s face. “Oh? You know her?”
“We’re acquainted,” Barrier replied as he turned his attention forward. “She’s part of a squad of privates that were injured in the Crystal Empire. Storm Cloud was recently outfitted with a prosthetic leg and I recall one of the doctors saying how they were planning on getting somepony to put grip and cloud walking spells on it.”
“Ah. I remember… all those injured guards in that basement.” Twilight briefly shuddered at the recollection of the many injured ponies seemingly resigned to meeting the reaper.
“I read the notes on this leg Dr. High Gear made. Hopefully this prototype can help many other ponies that need replacement limbs.”
“Hopefully. So, what was it you said you wanted to talk to me about?” Barrier inquired as he looked back over his shoulder to see Twilight with an uncomfortable look on her face.
“Well, it’s…” Twilight paused as she spotted something in the distance. “Oh, it’s the hospital. Do you think we should save this for after I take care of Storm Cloud?”
“Of course,” Barrier acquiesced, trying to mask his concern and curiosity about what she wanted to talk about. He wasn’t somepony that others readily sought out for a great many reasons.
***
In a matter of minutes, the pair of unicorns made their way to the fifth floor of the hospital. The floor was oddly quiet with only a few odd noises and indecipherable words being spoken in the distance as they made their way towards Storm Cloud’s room.
When they drew closer to the door, one particular voice became clear to the two.
“Audio log for patient Storm Cloud’s status.” Barrier recognized the voice of High Gear as the sounds of hooves and metal clopping against the floor rang out. “Day: Monday, March fourth. The tissue on the patient’s limb has healed up well with no signs of infection detected by either Dr. Rainbow Remedy or Dr. Apple Aday. Patient has been adjusting to the new limb rather well over the last four days.
“The next step: placing enchantments on the artificial limb that will disallow it to pass through clouds unintentionally and to extend the body’s natural magical field to allow her to grip things, much like a normal foreleg. I’m currently waiting for the enchanter to show up.” Barrier and Twilight reached the open doorway just as High Gear was finishing up the sentence she was speaking into her tape recorder. Inside the room alongside her was Dr. Remedy and Storm Cloud, the latter of which was pacing around the room.
“Excuse me,” Twilight spoke up, drawing the three mares’ attention to her. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to handle Miss Storm Cloud’s enchantments.”
A light chuckle came from High Gear as she adjusted her glasses. “Speak of Tirek and who should appear?” The amber eyed mare said before she pressed the stop button on the recorder.
“Good morning, Miss Sparkle,” Dr. Remedy went up to Twilight, quickly grabbing and shaking one of her forelegs. “We really appreciate you coming all the way out here on such short notice.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I already had plans to come here,” Twilight admitted as Remedy released her grip on her. She then turned her attention to the sky blue pegasus mare, her eyes briefly going down to her prosthetic leg. “Nice to meet you, Miss Storm Cloud. How have you been?”
“Other than going a little stir crazy being in here, not too bad. My friends have been bringing me decent food and despite the lack of feeling in this leg, it’s working pretty well. I like it a lot more than just having a stump.” Storm Cloud moved her left foreleg about, her movements were surprisingly fluid to the visiting unicorns. “Still, I wanna get this thing done and get out of here as soon as possible.”
“Right then. Let’s get to it.” Twilight’s horn began to sparkle with magenta light as Storm held the foreleg out towards her. A matching light soon appeared to cover the limb before it slowly crept up Storm Cloud’s body and covered her entirely. The pegasus began to look somewhat nervous as her entire body tingled and glowed. After nearly half a minute, the light faded away.
“Is… is it done?” Storm Cloud asked as she turned her foreleg towards her to look at it.
“It should be if I cast the spells properly,” Twilight replied as she looked the pegasus in the eye. “Try grabbing something with it.”
Briefly looking about the room, Storm Cloud’s eyes quickly fell upon a water pitcher that stood on the small cart. Rushing up to the cart, the pegasus slowly raised her mechanical foreleg up to the pitcher’s side and placed the artificial hoof upon the glass surface.
Cautiously, Storm Cloud raised her leg up, carrying the pitcher along with it.
An excited gasp came from the pegasus as she looked at the pitcher in her grasp. “I’m doing it! I can’t feel it, but I’m really doing it!” She happily exclaimed.
“Excellent. That means your body’s natural magic field has been extended to include your new foreleg.” Twilight smiled as she nodded with closed eyes. “Now all that’s left is to see if the cloud walking enchantment—”
The purple pony was suddenly interrupted by a rapid series of hoofsteps as Storm Cloud charged towards the window. Acting on impulse, Twilight’s horn flared as her magic lifted the window open.
“Thanks, Purple Curple!” Storm Cloud called out as she dived through the window.
“Oh Faust!” Twilight and the others in the room rushed to the window to see what Storm Cloud was doing. Sticking her head outside, she saw that the pitcher in Storm Cloud’s hooves was now empty while a cloud was in front of her.
A cocky smirk could be seen as she tossed the empty pitcher up into the air before giving the cloud a hard punch with her left foreleg.
An explosive boom echoed out as a bolt of lightning flashed and streaked through the air off into the distance.
“Still got it,” Storm Cloud said before the pitcher fell to eye level. She effortlessly caught it then flew back up to the window.
“Great job, Twilight. Now I can feel somewhat like my old self again.” Storm casually flew through the window and shoved the pitcher into High Gear’s forelegs. “Thanks to you too, Docs.”
“You’re welcome,” Gear replied in mild annoyance as she put the pitcher back on the cart. “We’ll still be keeping an eye on you for another two days before we let you go. And even then, we ask you to go easy on the new leg for a week or two.”
“No sweat, Doctor,” Storm Cloud dismissively said before standing up on her hindlegs and stretching out her forelegs and wings. “Well, I’m gonna hit the showers and get back to my reading.”
A few minutes later, the ponies in Storm Cloud’s room had walked out. Barrier stood closer to Twilight as they walked through the hospital’s corridors. “So, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?”
“Well, it’s about—” Twilight was interrupted by a loud grumble coming from her belly, making a hint of scarlet appear on her face. “Um… can we discuss this after lunch?”
***
Barrier and Twilight soon made their way to The Four D’s. Upon entering the restaurant, they saw Fruity Punch standing behind a podium in a waitress uniform consisting of a white button-up shirt, a black pleated skirt and a black bowtie.
Spotting the two unicorns, the pink unicorn nervously swallowed as her violet magic picked up two menus. “W-w-welcome to Delicious Dining Delights & Deli. C-can I serve you today?” Punch was unable to keep her voice from cracking.
“A table for two,” Barrier replied.
“Right.” With a wave or her hoof, Punch led the two over to a table in a back corner of the restaurant. Barrier was rather glad they’d managed to arrive before the lunch rush. There were only a few occupied tables in the section Punch was leading them to. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No, thank you.” Barrier turned his attention to Twilight as Punch placed a pair of menus on the table. “Twilight?”
“No thanks.” Twilight’s response made the pink pony nod.
“Right. I’ll give you a bit to pick out your orders while I take care of some of the other tables,” Punch said before quickly moving to another table. Barrier noticed that even when taking an order from another table, she was clearly keeping an eye on Twilight.
“I read a book on Delicious Dining Delights & Deli on the train ride over,” Twilight said as her horn glowed with magenta light. Along with her menu, she lifted up a book that read, ‘A History of Vanhoover Tourist Locations’. “Did you know it was previously owned by another pony that made it an entirely potato themed restaurant?”
“Twilight—”
“The name of the restaurant was called Master Taters, but it sadly went out of business after only three months before the owner, Julian Fries, sold it to Drumstick and Clean Cut.” Barrier could clearly tell from her tone and how she kept rambling that the purple pony was nervous about something.
Seeking to cut to the chase, Barrier firmly planted a hoof on the table. “Twilight. What is it that brought you all the way out here to talk to me?”
The charcoal stallion saw a trickle of sweat rolling down the side of the mare’s face before she took a deep breath and gave a hard sigh.
“Right. I shouldn’t be wasting time.” With a swallow, Twilight’s face shifted to a sterner expression as she looked Barrier in the eye. “Barrier, I’d like you to teach me how to fight.”
“Barrier, I’d like you to teach me how to fight.” The charcoal unicorn was somewhat surprised by both the stern look and what Twilight had just requested.
“That’s a bit of a surprise, Twilight.” Barrier gently set his hooves upon the table as he looked the young mare in the eye. “Out of curiosity, what brought this on?”
“It’s… well, several past events have been a contributing factor,” the violet mare responded as she now found herself having trouble looking Barrier in the eye. “The first is something that happened when Discord attacked.”
Curious, Barrier leaned back slightly as he continued to listen.
“Early on, Discord set up a game which involved separating all of us in a maze. Not only was I separated from all my friends, but with a snap of his talons, Rarity’s and my own horn vanished, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy lost their wings and from what I can tell, Pinkie and Applejack lost their earth pony strength.
“While we did beat Discord in the end, I can’t help but look back at it and come to a terrifying realization.” Twilight Sparkle swallowed before she looked Barrier in the eyes. Even from just a glimpse, the elder unicorn could clearly see the fear behind them. “If Discord hadn’t restored my horn after the maze, we would have lost.
“My magic, specifically, the memory spell I used on my friends, was the only reason we were able to use the Elements of Harmony and defeat Discord. If he hadn’t done that…” The unicorn mare shuddered at the thought of what horrors her mind conjured up.
“And the other reasons?” Barrier brought a hoof to his chin as he carefully observed Twilight.
“There are, and both are connected to the Crystal Empire.” Twilight’s gaze fell to her hooves as she continued to speak. “There were two incidents that replayed in my mind several times from before we restored the Crystal Heart.
“The first was when your cadets managed to ambush us and the guards assigned to us.” Barrier noticed Twilight’s slight fidgeting as she recalled the incident. “Verdant had me pinned to the ground in an instant with a blade pressed against my throat before he whispered, ‘If I see the faintest glimmer of thy horn, thy life is forfeit’. His knife against my throat and seeing my friends all helpless before you and BBBFF showed up… It was honestly one of, if not the most terrifying experiences of my entire life.”
“That’s not surprising in the slightest,” The gruff stallion said before he reached across the table and placed a hoof atop Twilight’s. “However, you said ‘both’ earlier, meaning there’s a second thing from the empire that’s been on your mind. I assume it’s something to do with Sombra?”
With a sigh, Twilight slowly shook her head side to side. “No. It’s about something I’ve told very few about.”
The violet mare swallowed once more before she turned her eyes back to Barrier’s.
“After you… killed Sombra, I followed a lead to the Crystal Heart which led me to a door with an enchantment on it. Going through the door forced me to see a vision of my worst fears and it wasn’t Sombra, Nightmare Moon, the near death experiences I’d had before, or what could happen if we failed, but it was Princess Celestia being angry at me for failing her.
“That vision of her being so upset with me was something that stood out in my mind for quite some time, Barrier. Even when I was standing beside her at the gala or when we went to fight Discord, it still lingered… I think this is part of the reason I cast the want-it, need-it spell on my doll, because I so badly didn’t want to fail her.”
“Twilight…” Barrier said as he gave the violet mare’s hoof a light squeeze. “I’m certain Celestia would be proud of you after all you’ve accomplished in less than a single year. That being said, this sounds like something you should talk to her about.”
“That’s another part of this, Barrier.” Twilight swallowed once more and the dark unicorn felt her lightly shake. “I did talk to her about this. And what she told me was… not what I was expecting.”
***
The afternoon sun was bright in Canterlot as Twilight sat upon a large purple cushion in the princess’s private chamber with the alabaster alicorn laid before her.
“—so… I think that’s why I thought casting that spell on Smartypants was a good ide—” The violet mare was unable to finish her sentence as she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by Princess Celestia, the larger mare’s forelegs and wings wrapping around her.
“Twilight… I’m so sorry.” The violet mare was surprised to hear the slight trembling in the princess’s soothing voice as she felt her back being gently stroked. “I had no idea you were putting so much pressure on yourself to please me.”
“Well, Equestria has often been on the line,” Twilight’s voice was partly muffled by the princess’s plush coat. “And your school is the most respected school for unicorns in the entire kingdom.”
“Twilight…” the princess sighed as she slowly pulled away. “You don’t need to push yourself so hard for me. Equestria won’t fall apart if you can’t come up with a friendship lesson every week or things like that. And I’m sorry that I’ve put you and you friends in danger so many times to save Equestria from the various threats we’ve faced.”
The princess’s horn glowed with magenta light that appeared around her crown before it lifted off of her head and gently floated over to a nearby ponyquin.
“You don’t need to try so hard to be perfect for me.” A sad chuckle came from Celestia’s throat as her peytral rose from her neck and joined the crown on the ponyquin. “Especially since I’m far from perfect myself.”
“Princess, there’s no need for you to be modes—” Twilight was silenced by Celestia holding a now shoeless hoof in front of her face.
“A good ruler should be modest, Twilight, as well as being keenly aware of their flaws,” Celestia said as she stepped out of her remaining golden shoes and laid down before the violet unicorn, now completely bare.
“Twilight, did you know that while freeing Gallopfrey, I killed three-hundred and eighty six griffins?” The princess’s tone sent a slight chill down Twilight’s spine. Something about how she spoke of it seemed wrong, as if she were listening to a dark confession.
“Well, yes, but that was a time of war and you were acting like a soldier to—”
“No, I wasn’t,” the princess interrupted, stunning the unicorn mare. “I didn’t act as a soldier when I arrived in Gallopfrey. I killed them in rage. I was enraged at the various failures I’d had over the months. Over failing to save Luna, failing to prevent Captain Flash from slaughtering thestrals en masse because of my grieving and failure to end the war sooner.
“When I arrived on the island, I was filled with a rage that made incinerating those griffins frighteningly easy.” Twilight was shocked and clasped her hooves over her mouth as she heard the princess talk of her actions with such disgust. “I killed even those that dropped their weapons and surrendered. They begged for their lives or tried to flee in terror while I let my anger flow freely. I carved my way to Grimhilde, bound her in blistering hot chains and took her directly to King Alarick’s castle. I dropped her at his feet after destroying the gates to his palace and blasting down the doors to his throne room.”
Were Twilight not laying on her belly, she would have stumbled back at what the princess was telling her. The only comfort she could find in Celestia’s confession was the historical knowledge that made it clear to her that by technicality, her beloved mentor wasn’t a war criminal since this was before such laws for war were made.
Taking a deep breath, Celestia sadly exhaled before looking the smaller mare in the eyes. “I have many regrets in my long life, Twilight. I learned the names of every single griffin I killed on that day so that I don’t see them as faceless enemies, but people whose lives I’ve ended, whether justified or not.
“Luna became Nightmare Moon because I did a poor job being the sister she needed. Sombra fell to darkness and slew many innocents in the Crystal Empire, including their royal family, because I failed to see the dark path he was treading. Sunset Shimmer gave into her ambitions and betrayed me because I taught her things before she was ready to handle them while Discord was able to get free and wreak havoc because I failed to properly secure him or best him again.”
“Princess, you tried your best with all of those,” Twilight said, wishing to comfort the alicorn any way she could. “Luna, Sombra and Sunset all made their own choices in life and Discord was incredibly powerful. There’s nothing you or that dagger you tried to use could have done.”
“Twilight, my dagger is coated with a poison that causes agony proportionate to the amount of magic in its victim,” Celestia said with a stern glare at the young mare. “Had I managed to strike him with it, he would have been in more pain than a pony could fathom, allowing us a chance to seal him away provided the agony didn’t burn his mind out first.”
The violet pony gasped at her mentor’s words. Hearing that she would use something so brutal to defeat Discord was shocking and she felt her stomach tying itself in knots.
With a sigh, Princess Celestia’s eyes softened towards the unicorn. “I’m sorry to say this, Twilight, but I’m nowhere near as good of a pony as you think I am.”
“Princess… I admit, it’s shocking to hear that you’d use such… extreme measures to deal with threats to your kingdom, but I think it’s partly because of how much you care about Equestria and are putting a lot of pressure on yourself for past mistakes and things that spiral out of your control.” Twilight fidgeted nervously with her forelegs as she looked at the princess in her amethyst eyes. “In the end, I don’t see you doing anything willfully bad or selfish.”
A tense silence held in the air before, to Twilight’s shock, the princess started to chuckle. The chuckle from the princess was low and Twilight felt it sounded rather sad.
“Twilight, let me ask you something,” the alabaster mare said before she leaned closer to her. “Have you heard anything about my love life over the centuries?”
“Well…” Twilight found herself unable to look her mentor in the eye as she fidgeted and spoke. “I recall one of Barrier’s soldiers mentioning a rumor about you and Sombra being lovers at some point, and I recall when the Flame Crest books claimed you encouraged Captain Fireball to have an extramarital affair with you, but I stopped reading those books after such a bold-faced, disgusting bit piece of libelous—”
“They’re both true.” The princess’s sudden interruption stunned Twilight and forced her to look the larger mare in the eyes.
“I… I jus… what?” Twilight quietly asked as she felt her throat constrict and turn dry.
“Sombra was a lover I had for many a year, Twilight. I didn’t pursue him in an official capacity due to our respective roles and the fact it would’ve caused a scandal due to his rapid rise in the ranks. Our relationship might be the reason I didn’t see what he was becoming until it was too late.
“As for Captain Fireball…” Twilight saw the princess’s forelegs twitch a bit as she took a breath. “It’s true. He was married to Emerald Dawn, but I still pursued him and we became lovers outside his marriage. I encouraged him because I truly did love him and he was one of the few ponies able to bring me happiness after the loss of Luna a few decades prior. The sole reason we stopped was because he chose to break things off after his wife became pregnant.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, Princess,” Twilight said as her eyes fell to her hooves. “This… this is all a lot to take in.”
“Understandably so,” Celestia said before she brought a hoof to Twilight’s chin and raised her face to look her in the eye. “I know you and many others think of me as infallible, Twilight, but I have killed more than serial killers and I have failed those I care about. I’ve cost the lives of many with my failures and even encouraged a stallion to be an adulterer with me.
“Twilight,” Celestia took a deep breath before she continued speaking. “You are an exceptional pony. In many ways, I'd say you're a better pony than I. Please, don't push yourself so hard to try to please me. I'm prouder of you than you could possibly imagine.”
***
Barrier was rather stunned by the rather intimate secrets that Twilight had shared with him. From his spot at the table, he could only stare at the violet mare before another voice snapped him from his stupor.
“So, can I take your order or…” Punch asked from her spot beside the table.
“Uh, right. I’ll take the chicken sandwich with honey mustard on the sourdough bun,” Barrier replied as Twilight turned her focus to the open menu beside her. “And I offer a request that anything you overheard stays private.”
“I’d like the romaine salad with extra dressing and croutons with a side of poutine,” Twilight glumly said as Punch jotted down Barrier’s order.
“Chicken sandwich on sourdough with honey mustard, one romaine salad, extra sauce and croutons and a poutine. Got it,” Punch quickly replied before heading towards the kitchen window.
Barrier felt Twilight moving her hoof out from under his before she spoke again. “Even learning that, I still want to do my best. Not just for her, but for all of Equestria. However, that conversation and what happened with Discord made me discover a new fear I never had before... losing my magic.
“During those times, when I couldn’t use my magic like when I had a knife to my throat or when Discord made my horn vanish, I was utterly helpless. Those were times where I could have been easily killed and there was nothing I could do to stop it. After I helped Verdant and Daring with their research, I tried to minimize the amount I use magic in my life… It’s been a real struggle and I’ve been nervous about the coming Winter Wrap-Up. Because the town was founded by earth ponies, it’d feel wrong to try to use magic to help.
“Still, I don’t want to feel helpless without my magic, Barrier.” Twilight slowly raised her eyes to look Barrier in his. “That’s why I’d like you to teach me about non-magical combat. In case some other threat attacks Equestria and I can’t use my magic.”
A tense moment held in the air as Barrier looked at the mare sitting at the other end of the table.
“I’m proud that you’ve had that talk you needed with Princess Celestia, and even more so that you wish to learn how to defend yourself without magic. That said, I really don’t think I’m suited to teach you.”
A stunned look came over Twilight’s face at Barrier’s response. “What?! But why?!” the violet mare loudly whispered. The charcoal stallion sighed before a sad smile crossed his muzzle.
“I’m a killer, Twilight.” The stallion smiled tiredly, a hint of sadness dancing behind his eyes. “My personal style evolved from ninjutsu taught to me by my first mentor and specialized lethal combat skills from my second. My style really doesn’t have a place in this day and age. You need a teacher who wasn’t training highly specialized killers.
“Besides that, repetition is key and to train you effectively, either you’d need to almost constantly commute to Vanhoover or have one of us move away.” Barrier leaned back before he continued his speech. “I doubt you want to be separated from your friends for too long and due to my current commitments, me moving to Ponyville isn’t really an option. Have you thought about asking your brother if he or one of the other guards could set something up to train you?”
Twilight sighed as she rested her chin on the edge of the table. “Asking BBBFF for help was the first thing I tried. Unfortunately, he and his forces are busy preparing for after the wedding. Once it happens in May, he’ll be transferring to the Crystal Empire and Starshine will take over in Canterlot. Besides…” The violet mare’s words were interrupted as Punch placed two plates with their orders on the table.
“Bon appétit! I think Julian really outdid himself on the fries this time," Punch cheerfully said before she moved to a nearby table and started picking up several empty plates.
“You were saying?” Barrier asked as Twilight’s horn glowed, picking up a fork that poked at her salad.
“... Part of me worries that some day, I’ll have no choice but to use lethal force to protect Equestria.” Twilight kept her eyes away from Barrier, instead focusing on the fork she used to rearrange her croutons. “That making somepony a friend or locking away someone bad won’t be enough. After all, the Crystal Empire was only able to be saved because of you…”
Barrier could see a faint shudder from the mare, knowing she was recalling the sight of him snapping the sickly Sombra’s neck.
“If Sombra weren’t so far gone with dark magic, I’m sure the elements would have merely cleansed him and afterwards, he’d be standing trial for his many crimes,” Barrier said before picking up his sandwich and taking a bite. Whether or not he’d be executed for his actions, that’s another story.
A light groan came from Twilight’s throat before she jabbed a lettuce leaf from her salad and stuffed it into her mouth.
Swallowing the bit of sandwich he had, Barrier brought a hoof to his chin. “Do you plan to stay overnight?”
“Well,” Twilight said through a mouthful of salad before swallowing. “I think I should. Even if I left right after lunch, it’d be late by the time I got back to Ponyville. Why do you ask?”
“You could attend the self-defense class I’ve been teaching at the community center,” Barrier responded as Twilight shoved another mouthful of salad into her mouth. “After that, however, I know a stallion that owes me a favor and who might be able to train you in more conventional non-magical combat. There are killshots to be had in his style, but thankfully nothing like mine.”
The look on Twilight’s face quickly seemed to brighten up as she raised her chin off of the table. For a moment, Barrier thought he spotted her tail excitedly wagging.
“He may not be as specialized as I and my ponies were, but rest assured, he’s skilled in teaching ponies how to fight and survive,” Barrier added. “However, that is still an if.”
“Well, no matter what, I do appreciate this. Thank you.”
“Just know this, Twilight…” Barrier started to speak before taking a breath to steel himself. “I know what it’s like to be in a dangerous scenario and not be able to use magic to get out of it. During the one fight I had with Grimhilde, she was able to slam a magic suppressing ring on my horn. The shock and cutting me off mid-cast led to her beating me to a pulp and nearly eating me alive.”
Twilight nervously swallowed her large mouthful of salad, letting out a few quick coughs. As she coughed, Barrier saw a glass of water floating up to Twilight in a pale blue aura. Snatching the glass, the violet mare quickly downed the water and turned to face where the water came from.
“Thank you, Swiftsword,” Twilight said to the approaching unicorn as she carried a water pitcher on her tray.
“Think nothing of it, Lady Sparkle,” Swiftswod replied. “Still, remember that even with no magic, a unicorn is able to accomplish great things. For example, did you know Dr. High Gear, the mare that made Storm Cloud’s new leg, is an inventor of many other devices and is also a unicorn who lost her horn?”
“I… I did not,” Twilight answered as she poked her salad with her fork.
“Indeed. I praise you for wishing to learn non-magical combat. Bettering one’s self by shoring up their weak points is something that I truly respect,” Swift said, Barrier noting a hint of pride in her voice. “It’s why I’ve become rather good with magic blasts alongside my sword skills.”
“Didn’t you lose to Toil ‘N Trouble in the cadet competition?” Barrier fought back the urge to smirk and chuckle as he saw the blue mare’s face twitch.
“Yes, well, I hope you enjoy your meals. I should return to my tables,” Swift replied before she headed towards another section of the restaurant floor.
***
After finishing lunch and heading back to the manor to drop off some of Twilight’s things in the guest room, Barrier and her eventually made their way towards the community center.
Partway to the large building, Barrier and Twilight ran into the familiar shades of gray and white that made up Color Splash.
“Hey Barrier. How are… oh…” Splash’s eyes fell upon Twilight. “Oh, I know you.”
“Oh boy, here we go again.” Twilight brought a hoof to her forehead. To her surprise, Color Splash pulled the hoof away from her face and placed some bits in it.
“Buy yourself some ice cream with that,” Splash said before her horn glowed with white light. The light from her horn washed over her body, making her colors match Twilight’s, even painting over her cutie mark with a copy of Twilight’s before walking away down the snowy street.
“Uh… Barrier, do you know what that was about?” Twilight asked as she watched her doppelganger walking away.
“Not really, but I don’t talk to Splash that often,” Barrier replied before he set off once more as Twilight stowed the coins away in her saddlebag.
***
Barrier and Twilight soon found themselves in the community center’s gym shortly before some of Barrier’s students began to arrive.
Punch was the first to arrive and she nervously kept her eyes on Twilight before trying to put as much distance as she could before Bea and Holly arrived. A few moments later, the twins arrived, completing Barrier’s little class.
“Good afternoon, students. We have a special guest with us today,” Barrier said as he addressed the five creatures standing in a row. He then pointed to the violet unicorn as she took a step forward. “This is my niece and one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle. Today, we will be doing basic sparring practice and I’d like you to spar with her.”
“Not it!” Punch nearly screamed as she quickly brought a hoof to the side of her snout.
After a brief moment, the cow in the crowd smiled as she stepped forward. “Well I’d be happy to spar with her.”
“Thank you, Bea. Just remember that she’s relatively new with hoof to hoof combat. I’m not asking you to pull your punches, just to keep that in mind. Twilight, I want you to try to observe their moves and try to handle Bea.
“Now, Punch, you’re with Nicky and Holly, you’re with Shorty,” the charcoal unicorn barked, making the students start to break off into pairs. “On my mark… begin!”
***
As class was wrapping up, Bea’s face was drowned by the crimson of her blush while Twilight was slowly stretching, her bones making uncomfortable crunches with every move.
“Urgh… Well, besides seeing some basics, I learned that a cow weighs more than a piano.” Twilight cricked her neck before turning to Barrier. “How did I do?”
“Not the best, but admittedly better than I expected,” Barrier said before giving her a gentle pat on the back that despite how careful he was, still made the mare wince. “Bea, would you be willing to escort Twilight back to my house while I see an old friend about something?”
“Sure thing, Barrier,” the cow replied as she walked up to the sore unicorn. “Come along, Darlin’. Ah’ll make sure you get there safe and sound… Uh, do you know the way there?”
With a faint chuckle, Barrier tossed on his saddlebags and began his journey out.
***
After a twenty minute walk, Barrier had arrived at the Delta Hotel and made his way to a room on the third floor where he gave the door a few light raps.
A brief moment later, the door swung inward, revealing Lightning Javelin. “Ah, Barrier. I’m a bit surprised to see you here.”
“I’ve come to ask a favor, Javelin,” Barrier said firmly, drawing a sigh from the pegasus.
“Well, you did save my life during that training exercise Bliztwing put us through, so I do owe you.” Javelin slowly stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. “So, what is it you need?”
Barrier took a deep breath before looking the blue-gray pegasus in the eye. “My distant niece, Twilight Sparkle, is seeking to learn non-magical combat in case she’s rendered unable to use it. I have too many commitments to move out to Ponyville to train her and I think she needs more than what I offer in my defense class. I’d like to ask you to train her.”
Javelin’s jaw went slack as he looked at the charcoal unicorn. “Are you crazy? I just bought a house and my daughter’s not yet out of the hospital, and you want me to move myself all the way out to Ponyville in order to train your niece?”
“She’s not just my niece. She’s also the current bearer of the Element of Magic and a mare that’s saved Equestria no less than three times so far,” Barrier responded as he stood firm. “The last threat she faced was able to render her unable to use magic and she believes she was only able to save the kingdom once it was restored, hence why she wishes to learn non-magic combat for when her other options are unavailable.”
A deep and annoyed sigh came from the pegasus as his wings drooped. “...Alright, I’ll do it, but not only will we be even afterwards, but I want something from you in exchange.”
“Such as?” Barrier asked as his right eyebrow rose.
“Firstly, when Prism gets the key to our place, you have to assist her and the squad with moving in, including helping them shop for whatever furnishings they’ll need,” Javelin firmly stated as he took several steps closer to the unicorn stallion.
“Anything else?” Barrier asked as the pegasus’s snout was now only a few inches away.
“Either you or your niece has to take care of some sort of housing for me in Ponyville. Also, if my daughter and her squad needs anything, you’re going to help them. And should something come up, you’ll contact me immediately.” The protective note in the pegasus tone was something that didn’t go unnoticed by the charcoal unicorn. “And should an emergency involving them come up, I’m free to drop training your niece like a ton of bricks to rush back here and take care of it. Understood?”
“Agreed,” Barrier said before holding out a hoof to Javelin, who grabbed it with his own and shook it.
“Alright. I’ll do it, but first I’ll need to tell Storm and her friends… and this mare at the bar.” A faint blush came across Javelin’s face.
“Thank you, my friend,” Barrier nodded before he headed for the stairs. “Have a good evening, Javelin. Also, if the mare at the bar’s who I think it is, try not to break Rye’s heart.”
***
The sun was setting as Barrier made his way into the manor, where he saw Twilight and his housemates gathered around the kitchen table while Verdant manned the stove.
“Oh, hello, Barrier,” Twilight said from her spot between Daring and Fleet. “How’d things go with your old friend?”
“Good, all things considered,” Barrier said as he removed his saddlebags and approached the table. “Lightning Javelin, a former pegasus guard from our era has agreed to train you, provided one of us is able to provide housing for him. Is the guest room at the library still available?”
“Yes, it is,” Twilight said, sounding rather relieved as a smile graced her muzzle. “Thank you, Barrier.”
“Trust me, you won’t be thanking him once the training begins,” Gem said from across from Twilight before she turned her attention to the stallion at the stove. “Hey Verdant, how’s dinner coming?”
“I think this risotto’s just about done,” Verdant replied as he started to take some of the meal, put it onto plates and bring them to the table. “Bon appetit.”
“Verdant,” Fleet spoke before leaning closer to her risotto and giving it a quick sniff. “I think you used too much wine in making this.”
“Really?” the shamrock stallion asked before he carefully looked at his cook book. “I could have sworn I… Oh… that was a three, not an eight.” He winced at what he had done. “Sorry.”
“Wind Whistler, I don’t think you should eat this risotto,” Fleet said as she gently pulled the filly’s plate away. “Verdant, could you make her something for dinner that won’t get her drunk?”
“On it. How about spaghetti and marinara sauce?” Verdant said before he brought the empty pan to the sink.
“Sounds good. Thanks, Verdant,” Windy said as Twilight picked up a fork full of rice.
“Well, I’m sure the rest of us will be just fine with this risotto,” The violet unicorn said before taking a bite.
***
The next morning, Barrier woke up and stretched out his limbs as Fleet and Daring shifted closer to each other for warmth.
After quietly making his way out of the bedroom, he headed for the door so he could go for an early morning stroll.
Just as he reached the base of the stairs, the early morning quiet was disrupted by a noise coming from upstairs. It was the sound of violent retching.
In a flash of mystical light, Barrier vanished and reappeared at the top of the stairs, where the sickening sounds came from the bathroom. As he stepped closer to the bathroom, he saw the guest room door had been thrown open as the ponies emerged from their rooms.
“Twilight,” Barrier cautiously asked as the sounds of vomiting ceased. “Are you okay?”
A tired and sickly groan came from beyond the bathroom door. “Urgh… I’ve got a terrible headache and my stomach’s killing me,” Twilight’s hoarse voice answered before the sounds of vomiting returned.
With a sigh, Verdant walked past Barrier and headed downstairs. “I’m gonna cook up some of Toil’s hangover brew. Hopefully it works.”
“Poor thing,” Gem said as she heard Twilight groan. “Sure there was more wine in the risotto than there should’ve been, but I didn’t think she was this much of a lightweight.”
“And I’m the one that had Windy’s portion,” Forge said as they heard a flush coming from the bathroom.
“Urgh… I’m never eating risotto again.” Twilight’s weak voice came from behind the bathroom door. “And why were there carrots? Did… did the risotto have carrots? My head hurts and I can’t remember…”
“At least you’ve gone through a rite of passage for adulthood, Twilight,” Hatty said to the mare behind the door. “Your first hangover.”
“Urgh… This is Faust punishing me for the spell on Smartypants… And could somepony turn off the… sun?”
It was a beautiful summer day in Vanhoover and Barrier was trotting home from his latest grocery trip. The seaside air was crisp and clean while the sun beamed over the city. The charcoal stallion enjoyed the pleasant warmth as he listened to the tweeting of the birds.
He knew things were going to be rather exciting today since it was Verdant’s birthday and to Barrier’s delight, the shamrock stallion decided to forgo getting a cake. He decided that for today’s little party, he’d be holding a barbeque. Since Barrier enjoyed the taste of many griffin foods far over sugary desserts, this was a pleasant treat for him as well.
Barrier made his way onto the manor grounds as he carried in his saddlebags a wide variety of meaty treats such as bacon-wrapped sausages, turkey burgers, and chicken breasts that were waiting to be drenched in barbecue sauce.
When the obsidian unicorn made his way to the back door, he saw the party was in full swing. Verdant had invited a number of ponies from his cooking classes who were all enjoying the glasses of punch that Winter Gem was serving while Hatty was performing some new tricks for the group.
While Swift was chatting with the guests, Barrier’s eyes fell upon Iron Forge, who was standing in front of the charcoal grill. However, what drew his eye was not the cobalt unicorn himself, but the large metal barrel that was pouring a clear liquid onto the coals.
“Forge, what’s that you’re pouring?” Barrier asked as he cautiously stepped forward.
“Oh, it’s just lighter fluid, sir,” Forge responded as he finished pouring and tossing the barrel causally aside. “Got to get the coals piping hot.”
“While I don’t have any grilling experience, I’m fairly sure that’s far too much lighter fluid,” Barrier said as drew ever closer.
“Oh, trust me, sir. This will be needed in order to get things nice and hot,” Forge said as the grin on his face started to turn manic. “Besides, the fire will be glorious.”
“No!” Barrier barked as his horn glowed, encasing Forge’s horn in his azure aura. “I’m not letting you light this. We’re going to wait for the fumes to dissipate before we light the coals. Understood?”
“Oh, fine,” Forge said in annoyance as Barrier started to pull him back towards the house. “So, what are we going to do until then?”
“We’re going to put the meat in the fridge for a while and… Wait a second,” Barrier paused as he noticed that something was off with the party. He saw Swift at the table while Hatty was nearby, performing his tricks. Gem was pouring herself a glass of punch while Daring, Fleet and Wind Whistler’s focus was on Hatty.
At the table, he saw many guests he recognized like Erica, Storm Cloud, Toil ‘N Trouble, Color Splash, Due Date, Fruity Punch, Spectral Image, Bea Wellington and others, but one particular pony was missing.
“Forge…” Barrier saw there was another grin on the cobalt stallion’s face. “Where’s Verdant?”
Forge took a deep breath.
“TAKE THE SHOT!!!” He exclaimed, drawing everypony’s attention.
Acting quickly, Barrier teleported further into the yard. From there, he saw Verdant on top of the manor’s roof. The shamrock stallion stood on his hindlegs as his one foreleg held his bow while the other let go of the string, firing a flaming arrow at the grill.
Barrier’s horn shone brightly as he started to raise a shield around the grill. Unfortunately, the rising shield came up too late to stop the arrow from striking the coals.
***
In Canterlot palace, Princess Celestia sat upon her throne as she listened to the rambling presentation of the two-toned pink earth pony before her. While she did her best to keep a straight face, she felt the coming of a migraine thanks to the little pony before her.
“So, as you can see from my seventy-eight point presentation, my patented knot cannons will be a great addition to the royal guards’ arsenal,” Pinkie Pie said as she folded up her collapsible pointer and leaned beside her cannon. “It’ll not only stun targets, but wrap them all up, easily capturing them. So, what do you think?”
“Umm… Pinkie, while your weapon has… some merit, I believe that a weapon like this might be difficult to roll into position,” Princess Celestia responded, hoping to wrap up this meeting soon. “It likely would only be viable if placed in the tower parapets.”
“Oh, just you wait! I’ve got plans for smaller versions that are carried on the guards backs,” Pinkie excitedly said as she zipped up to Celestia’s side. “And to get the R&D started, all I needed is a total of—”
The throne room started to shake shortly before a thunderous boom echoed all throughout Canterlot. Before the two ponies could wonder what caused that, one of the stained glass windows was shattered as over two dozen ponies, a griffin and a cow crashed through before skidding to a halt on the floor. All of them had various burnt patches in their fur while being entirely covered in soot.
The princess pressed her eyes several times before sighing. Standing up from her throne, she descended the steps and looked over those who’d landed on the floor. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be seriously injured.
Celestia approached the pony closest to her steps, a light blue mare with a short violet mane and green glasses. The blue coated mare coughed as she tried to stand up. Upon seeing the towering form of the alicorn princess, her pupils shrank and she gave a hard swallow.
“Dr. High Gear,” Princess Celestia sighed in mild annoyance as she looked down at the bespectacled mare. “Tell me, what exactly blew up this time?”
“I honestly have no idea, Princess!” High Gear exclaimed as she tried to brush the soot out of her coat. “I was trying to mod an arcade cabinet by removing the suicide battery when I spilled my soda. The next thing I know, there’s a huge boom and I’m flying a no class flight to Canterlot!”
The princess groaned as she brought a hoof to her snout before looking down at the glasses-wearing mare. “It’s the popcorn incident all over again.”
High Gear groaned as Barrier stood up, his head throbbing as he looked around the throne room.
“Ugh… What happened?” Barrier said as he ached all over. “Last thing I remember, I was in the backyard. Everything after that’s a blur.”
“Apparently, I blew something up and sent us flying all the way to Canterlot,” High Gear responded in frustration as she kicked the floor. “Not sure how much of the city was blown up in the process.”
“You certainly have a knack for costing the crown a great deal of bits. First Beta, and now this,” Celestia replied as she trotted back up the dais to the throne before sighing. “I’ll provide you train tickets back to Vanhoover. We’ll talk further as the damage is assessed. Guards, please escort them to the train station. Tell the ticket master it’s a number four.”
“Yes, ma’am!” A gamboge pegasus stallion said with a salute. “Come along, everyone. I’ll get you guys some Donut Joe’s on the way there.”
As the party guests and High Gear entered the palace halls, Forge cleared his throat. “Well, this day’s been crazy. I know it’s hard to believe an arcade machine caused all this, but that’s definitely what happened. Right, everyone?”
“Oh, yes! That’s definitely what happened,” Verdant said before it was followed by the agreement of his party guests and a suspicious glare from High Gear. “Still, I wish I got to have at least some—”
The door to the throne room suddenly burst open before a pink blur dashed in front of Verdant, where he found himself bumping his snout against Pinkie Pie’s with a cartoonish squeak.
“Pinkie sense told me you’d need this!” Pinkie energetically said as she pulled from her mane a two layered Boston cream pie cake with strawberries and a single lit candle on top.
“Good thing I always have an emergency birthday cake. Happy birthday!” She exclaimed before gently placing the cake in Verdant’s hooves.
“Oh, thanks, Pinkie,” Verdant said before blowing out the candle. “I really appreciate this.”
“No sweat. I’m just glad I got a bigger role in this chapter than the last few,” she said before she bounced away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna make Princess Celestia pay for my cannon R&D by offering discount cakes. Later!”
“Honestly, I can’t say this is the worst or weirdest birthday I’ve ever had or seen,” Verdant said as he started to walk along with the cake. “Still, I’m gonna get some barbecued chicken after we’re home.”
“Alright everyone, let’s keep moving,” Barrier said as he led the group along. “I'd like to get off the screaming metal death trap and back to whatever’s left of Vanhoover before midnight, if at all possible.” The obsidian stallion sighed as he ran a hoof through his mane. “This’s turning out worse than April Fool’s Day.”
Hat Trick stood in front of a small dressing room within the back of Confetti & Coattails, where he was carefully examining the experimental new ensemble that he was trying on for his on-stage look.
Since he had claimed his job as a party magician, the room had become a place he quickly grew attached to. He believed he could navigate his way past the three make-up chairs and reach the changing screen with his eyes closed.
His clothes consisted of a white, button-up shirt under a purple vest with a turquoise bow tie as he placed a black scalloped cape onto his back. By his hooves were his saddlebags, filled with a collection of supplies.
“Hmm…” Hatty rubbed his chin as he examined himself in the wide mirror. “Not bad, but will it go with my hat?”
Just as the pegasus began to reach for the tophat with a question mark on it atop a nearby bust, the door to the far left of the room creaked open.
Stepping into the room was Hocus Pocus, a silver coated unicorn Hatty had been seeing a lot more since she’d moved to Vanhoover with her squad. He gave her a warm and inviting smile. “Good afternoon, Hocus. How’re things with the new house?”
“Pretty good,” Hocus Pocus calmly replied as she walked past the purple pegasus towards a changing screen at the far back corner of the room. “Toil’s turned about half the basement into a potions lab while I’ve been practicing some tricks in the other.”
Hatty lightly chuckled as he closed his eyes and fiddled with his bow tie, trying to straighten it out a little. “Good to hear. Are you still able to do that shrinking trick of yours?” As he spoke, he felt a tingle in his fur and heard a light humming coming from all around him.
Though Hatty could guess what the blonde maned mare had done, he was glad he didn’t open his eyes to check as a bright flash came from beside him.
Slowly opening up his eyes, he realized he was staring into the gigantic face of Hocus Pocus, grinning at the puny pegasus.
“A LITTLE DUSTY, BUT NEVER RUSTY.” the unicorn’s whisper echoed like the Royal Canterlot Voice, nearly blowing Hat Trick over.
Hatty chuckled lightly as he spread his wings and took off, hoping to land on the massive mare’s muzzle. “Not bad. Still, nothing beats sleight of WHOA!”
The shrunken pegasus was cut off as he found himself suddenly pulled forward by an intense wind. In an instant, he found himself tangled up in a collection of slime covered hairs within a fleshy tunnel.
As he tried to untangle himself from the unicorn’s nose hair, he felt her stumble back from his sudden unintentional intrusion.
Hat Trick frustratedly tried to pull himself from the hairs as the mare’s breath pushed and pulled him.
“AH… AHH…” The tangled stallion knew what the thunderous noise signaled and closed his eyes to brace himself for the coming onslaught.
“AHHHHCHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
The purple pegasus felt himself being swept away by an explosive wind greater than any storm he had felt in the past. He knew he was spiraling through the air before he felt his back colliding with a smooth, hard surface.
“SORRY SORRY sorry!” The echoing voice quickly grew quieter as the hum of magic filled the pegasus ears and he weakly opened his eyes. He saw Hocus Pocus with her horn covered in a violet light and a deeply apologetic look on her face as she hurried over to him. “Are you okay?”
“Other than now knowing a sample of what Verdant goes through is like, alright,” Hat Trick replied as he slid off the make-up counter he was sitting on, resisting the urge to shake like a damp dog. “You’re lucky I’ve got spares of this outfit.”
“Sorry. This is the first time that has ever happened,” Hocus quickly and apologetically said, giving the pegasus a chance to take in the clothes she had donned behind the screen.
She was wearing a similar white shirt to him under a black jacket with white cuffs and a purple bow tie.
“So, think you’re ready to give Mrs. Flare a demonstration of your skills?” Hatty asked as he started to take off his now slime covered clothes and wipe his face with his hoof.
“Yeah, though I shouldn’t have gone to Al’s and tried the ‘breakfast burrito’,” the mare said as she placed a hoof over her belly. “I’m not sure if it’s nerves or if I just had a bad breakfast that won’t sit.”
“Well, I think you’ll be able to impress her without much hassle,” the stallion said as he pulled fresh clothes from his saddlebags. “Though a word of advice: foals like to throw stuff, so you’d better learn to either dodge or better yet, catch their stuff.”
“Got it.” the silver unicorn nodded as the door creaked open once more.
Stepping into the room was a tired-looking peach colored earth pony with a long and flowing blonde mane. She didn’t pay much attention to Hatty and Hocus as she tossed down her yellow saddlebags covered with black X’s and dots.
“Ah, this is Showtime Spectacular, A.K.A. Slippy Shoes the Clown,” Hatty said as he started to slip into his back-up clothes while Showtime pulled a large make-up kit from her bags. “Should you get this job, she’ll be one of your co-workers.”
“Nice to meet you, Showtime,” Hocus said with a warm smile before she held out a hoof to the mare just as she started to apply white make-up to her face. “I’m sure you must love this job.”
“I’d honestly be getting screwed less if I went into porn,” the brown-eyed earth pony gloomily said, ignoring Hocus Pocus’ hoof.
“Don’t worry about her too much,” Hat Trick said before gently patting the unicorn on the back. “When she’s like this, it just means she didn’t have her coffee this morning.”
“I blame my roommate,” Showtime spoke up, her face almost completely covered in white make-up as she pulled a frizzy crimson wig and a bright red rubber nose from her bag. “Still, at least I don’t have a costume that looks like it’s designed to draw ponies’ eyes to my ass.”
To her surprise, Hocus Pocus tittered at her comment. The silver colored unicorn then made her way to the door. “I designed it to look like that. It makes the distraction part of sleight of hoof so much easier.”
Hocus gave a quick shake of her flank before tossing the door open. “Wish me luck.”
“Break a leg!” Hatty said just as Hocus stepped out and headed towards the storage and practice area Flare had set up a couple months prior.
Just as the door clicked shut behind her, Hatty’s attention was drawn to his co-worker as she sighed while slipping into a clown suit that looked like an explosion in a rainbow factory. She then donned her wig and put the fake nose onto her face.
“Once more unto the breach, to face the slings and arrows of life,” Showtime overdramatically said before she took a deep breath. An instant after she exhaled, she quickly stood up.
“C’mon, Hatty! We’ve got a party for a pair of twins named Slippers and Flippers at Eighteen, Singalong Street!” In a sharp contrast to how she normally spoke, Showtime spoke in a rather goofy sounding clown voice, having fully slipped into her Slippy Shoes persona.
Hatty merely rolled his eyes as the mare darted out of the room like a ferret on a sugar rush before following along behind her.
***
A little over an hour and a half later, Hatty and Showtime had finished the party and had nearly returned to the shop. While Hatty was in good condition, save for a few strawberry pudding stains on his cape, Showtime, while still in her full clown regalia, trotted along with an ice pack against her right eye and carried a pizza box on her back.
“Pigeons are now on my list of mortal enemies,” she said in a venomous tone Hatty knew she normally only brought out when she’d stubbed her hoof. “They’re right above cranberries, but below squirrels.”
“At least they gave you one of the pizzas.” Hat Trick rolled his eyes yet again as his eyes fell upon the form of a light gray unicorn mare with a red, orange and yellow mane that sharply contrasted her green, blue and purple tail. The unicorn stood by the door as she read from an old looking book.
“Hey there, Prism!” Hatty called out to the unicorn mare, drawing her attention and earning a warm smile from her.
“Good afternoon, Hat Trick,” the noblemare said as Showtime paid her no mind and slipped back into Confetti & Coattails. “How has your day been?”
“Nothing too out of the ordinary,” the pegasus replied as she slipped her book into her saddlebags without bothering to place a mark or even dog-earing it. “I’m just waiting for Hocus to tell me how her interview went.”
“If I were a betting stallion, I’d say she’s got the part and Fiesta’s now giving her a tour of the place,” Hat Trick said as he looked into the shop’s windows, only seeing Tuxedo Tails behind the register.
“That’s a relief to hear,” Prism said as out of the corner of his eye, Hat Trick spotted Hocus and Fiesta Flare coming from behind one of the shop’s aisles, a broad smile on her face. “Though honestly, I’m simply glad I’m able to count myself among the few guards to survive the empire, much less alongside a family member.”
“Yeah, I don’t think many of the surviving guards had any of their family come with them,” the pegasus said as he saw Hocus reaching the door and starting to push it open.
“To my knowledge, the only ones fortunate enough to have a close family member survive with them are Hocus Pocus and I, Fleetfeather and Wind Whistler, Storm Cloud and Lightning Javelin, and Toil ‘N Trouble and Ver—”
The prismatic-maned mare was suddenly cut off by a violet aura that slammed her muzzle shut. Looking past her shoulder, Hatty saw Hocus Pocus with a panicked look on her face with her horn glowing brightly.
“Excuse us, Hatty, but Prism and I need to have a word before we go for dinner,” Hocus Pocus shakily said before taking her sister and herself into a nearby alleyway.
While the purple pegasus could make out a series of rapid and harsh whispers coming from the alleyway, what he had heard before was much more important to the pegasus as he made his way back into the store, a stunned expression on his face.
***
In the small laundry room of the manor, Hat Trick tossed his soiled clothes into the washer just before he heard the front door opening. Briefly glancing out into the entryway, he saw the emerald-coated earth pony closing the door behind him.
“Hey, Verdant,” the pegasus said as he turned the dial on the washer and activated the machine. “Could I talk to you for a moment?”
“Sure thing,” Verdant replied before he slipped his saddlebags off and hung them on a coat rack.
“Let’s talk about this upstairs,” Hat Trick quietly said as he approached the earth pony. “I don’t want the others to hear this.”
“Oh?” Verdant tilted his head in confusion as Hat Trick flew up the stairs. A moment later, Verdant arrived at the top of the stairs and led the pegasus into his room. “So what’s up, Hatty?”
The pegasus sighed before his wings nervously twitched. “This is gonna be awkward, but… are you and Toil related?”
“What?” Verdant asked with a chuckle as he hopped onto his bed. “Hatty, that’s crazy. She’s of noble blood and my family was made up of commoners. Besides the fact we’re both green, what would make you think we’re related?”
“Prismatic Radiance let it slip earlier and Hocus Pocus quickly tried to silence her.” The pegasus’ reply made the amused look instantly fall from Verdant’s face as he gave him a flat look.
“Oh…” Verdant tiredly sighed and ran a hoof through his mane.
“Verdant, is it true?” the pegasus asked as he cautiously drew closer to the earth pony.
“Yeah, it is,” Verdant answered as he looked the purple pegasus in the eye. “Toil ‘N Trouble is my half-sister on my father’s side.”
“I’m just… I’m stunned to hear this, Verdant,” Hat Trick said as he put a hoof on Verdant’s knee. “I mean hearing she’s your sister is one thing, but the fact you kept a secret from all of us is just... unbelievable.”
“Really?” Verdant said with a mildly amused smirk on his face. “This after I kept the fact I was seeing a griffin romantically for as long as possible?”
“Ah… right.” Hatty pulled his hoof from Verdant’s knee and scratched the back of his head. “Still, I can understand why you kept dating Erica from us back then because of how we felt about griffins at the time. But what I don’t get is why you would keep the fact Toil was your sister from us.”
“This was something Toil asked me to do when the two of us were coming to Canterlot to work at Cosmos LeBlanc’s flower shop,” Verdant replied as he slid off the bed to face the pegasus. “She had been to Canterlot once before after she left Hollow Shades’ orphanage to try and find her mother… Considering the fact that ‘bitch’ was the kindest word she used to describe Moonlight Radiance, it’s safe to say it didn’t go well.”
“Ouch,” Hat Trick winced before he swallowed and looked the earth pony in the eye.
“After that, Toil came to Dream Valley and father took her in almost immediately,” Verdant mused as a small smile formed on his face. “I can remember the night I first met her like it was yesterday.
“About six years later, after we agreed with Cosmos’ to work as her apprentices, the two of us set off for the capital. Toil knew that she would likely be treated like crap by the nobles, so she told me to pretend we were strangers while she would say her clan name was Hollow Well, after the orphanage she grew up in.” Verdant took a deep breath and the smile on his face faded away. “Considering how Swift alone treats her, it looks like she was right.”
“Sadly, yeah.” Hat Trick nervously rubbed his foreleg as he recalled all the times Swift and other nobles insulted her for her bastard status. “The only nobles I don’t recall insulting her were Barrier and Prism.”
“Yeah, Prismatic Radiance was one of the few nobles I know of who treated noble bastards decently,” Verdant said as his gaze seemed to move away from the pegasus towards his door. “She and her father deeply cared about Hocus Pocus and it seems she also wasn’t too fond of how her aunt treated her daughter.”
“Ah, so that’s why Prism would know Toil’s secret.” Hatty cupped his chin with his left wing and gave it a little rub. “So, besides Prism and Hocus, does anypony else know about you and her?”
“Only a few,” Verdant replied. “Twilight and Daring learned she was my sister back when I was looking up mine and Forge’s family history because I visited her in the hospital. Erica knows since Toil let me tell her our secret.”
Slowly, Verdant brushed past Hat Trick and moved closer to the bedroom door. “And Swiftsword knows since she’s been eavesdropping on us!” Verdant barked before a scrambling of hooves came from behind the door.
After the clatter died down, the door slowly opened, revealing a rather shame-faced Swiftsword on the other side.
“Verdant… I…” The noblemare found it hard to look the earth pony in the eye. “I… I’m so sorry. I hadn’t known that—”
“Sorry Swift, but I don’t think knowing she and I were related would have improved how you treated her.” Verdant’s blunt interruption left the unicorn mare stunned. “After all, you thought it was a good idea to insult Hocus Pocus in Prism’s presence purely so you could try to gain an edge in the contest of cadets.”
“I… You are right.” Swift tilted her head so her eyes were hidden by her bangs. “I… I am truly sorry. I had no idea my actions had hurt you like this.”
“Well, now you know,” Verdant bitterly replied. “The only times Toil and I were able to act like siblings was when she was teaching me how to make potions and poisons late at night.”
“Ah, so that’s what you two were doing,” Hat Trick said before mildly chuckling. “Honestly, I thought you two were rutting or something.”
Verdant slowly turned to face the pegasus stallion with a half-lidded, unamused look.
“Right… shutting up now,” Hat Trick said before Verdant silently slipped past him and approached Swift.
“I’ve got a dinner to prep,” Verdant quietly said as he bypassed Swift and made his way towards the stairs. “Should be about thirty minutes.”
“Verdant,” Swift called out to the earth pony, but he seemed to ignore her as he descended the steps.
That night, dinner was rather awkward after Verdant confessed his and Toil’s connection. Swift tried to speak with him several times, only to be ignored.
***
Swiftsword found it next to impossible to fall asleep. Her thoughts were plagued by how Verdant was acting around her. A close friend that she deeply cared for like her own brother revealed a hurt he’d been keeping for a long time.
As hard as it is to admit, he has every right to be upset with me, the unicorn mare thought to herself as she turned in her bed, feeling far too upset and awake to find a wink of sleep.
I insulted his sister on too many occasions to recall, all for her bastard status, making me feel superior to her with my refined breeding… and yet I have never once been able to best her in a single one of the contests against each other…
Throwing off the covers, Swiftsword groaned and rose from her bed. With cat-like steps, she made her way to her window and gazed out. Beyond the backyard and the mountains off in the distance, her focus fell upon the stars that decorated the night sky.
The sun will rise in approximately forty minutes… The noblemare brought a hoof to her chin as she gazed out on Luna’s tapestry. I can’t let this rift between my friend and I last a day longer. Far too long has it festered away in the dark.
Quickly spinning about, Swiftsword turned towards her closet. Even in the light of the moon and stars, she could easily find her saddlebags and dagger. In an instant, her saddlebags were on her sides while her dagger was concealed within her mane. The last thing she took from her closet was a two-toned blue scarf that she wrapped around her neck.
Putting the stealth training Barrier had taught her to use, she hardly made a sound as she made her way to the stairs. In three quick flashes of light, the noblemare had made small teleports that brought her from the top of the stairs, to the landing and ending in front of the manor’s front door.
Note to self, teleporting on an empty stomach makes one more nauseous than on a full stomach. Making as little noise as possible, Swift opened the door and slipped out into the early morning darkness, closing the door behind her.
***
In the early rays of sunlight, Swiftsword had arrived at the large house at two-fourteen Dancing Butterflies street. The two storey house had an off white panel exterior while the roof had a few spots of dark green peeking out from under a foot of snow.
“No turning back,” Swift whispered to herself as she marched towards the door, teleporting past the birch fence that blocked her way. “A noblemare must be willing to face any challenge that faces her, whether it be fighting off a hundred griffins… or eating crow.”
Giving the royal blue wooden door a few gentle raps, Swiftsword quietly swallowed as she awaited whichever member of Squad 973 would be the one to answer her, hoping it wouldn’t be Toil, if only to delay the ordeal.
After only a few seconds of waiting, an orange earth pony mare with a short, reddish brown mane opened the door, mildly surprised by the unicorn’s appearance.
“Good morning, Miss Card Sharp,” Swift courteously said with a small bow. “Is Toil ‘N Trouble here?”
“Yeah,” the mare said as her pale green eyes scanned over the unicorn, curious as to what would bring the noblemare here at this hour, and to see Toil of all ponies.
“May I please come in to speak to her? I have something I need to say to her.” Without giving her a reply, Card Sharp turned and walked away from the door, giving Swift space to follow her.
Trotting past the stairs next to the door as they travelled down the hallway, ignoring the side door that led to the foyer, the two ponies soon made their way to the kitchen.
Around the table, Sandstorm was holding a clipboard with a checklist in her right wing and a pencil in her left. Hot Streak and Night Tulip were in the far corner of the room, standing by the sink, whispering to one another.
However, Swift’s gaze fell upon an odd sight at the kitchen table. Toil ‘N Trouble had a black stripe of cloth over her eyes with her mouth open while Hocus Pocus levitated a spoonful of a strange, pale orange sauce into her mouth.
“Hmm…” the green unicorn mare hummed as she savored the sauce she’d just taken. After a few seconds, she swallowed as a smirk formed on her muzzle. “Nice try, girls. That was an equal parts mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup.”
“And ten out of ten,” Sandstorm said before checking one final box on her little list. “You’ve got a good palette, Toil.”
“Hey Toil, you’ve got a visitor,” Card Sharp said as the blindfolded mare started to magically untie the cloth on her eyes. When she opened her eyes and saw who stood by Card Sharp, the satisfied look on her face quickly fell.
“Oh. It’s you.” Toil grimaced as she stepped out of her chair. “What do you want?”
“I… may I speak to you in private?” A hint of nervousness could be heard in Swiftsword’s voice as a dark glow appeared over Toil’s horn.
In a flash of nearly black purple light, Toil was now standing only half an inch from the noblemare. “If you’ve got something to say to me, especially in my house, then you can say it in front of the rest of my squad.” The green unicorn barked as she lightly jabbed Swift in her chest.
“Very well.” Swiftsword took a deep breath to compose herself. “I have come to apologize for my behavior to you in the past. I’ve treated you terribly due to your illegitimate status, proclaiming myself to be superior due to my legitimate noble breeding… It was wrong and I am deeply ashamed of my actions and wish to atone.”
A tense silence held in the air until Hocus Pocus coughed into her hoof. “Hey girls, I just remembered something I bought yesterday that I wanted to show you. It’s up in my room. Shall we go now?” The silver-coated unicorn quickly asked.
Tulip, Hotstreak, Sandstorm and Card Sharp muttered a rapid series of agreements and then quickly passed Swiftsword before Hocus Pocus teleported out of sight.
“Well… this is unexpected,” Toil said as she hopped into one of the chairs around the rounded table. “Did one of your squadmates put you up to this?”
“No. To my knowledge, they don’t even know I’m here,” Swift replied as she took a cautious step towards the older mare. “I chose to come to apologize on my own after learning how I treated you upset your brother so much.”
A quiet sigh came from Toil as she rubbed the bridge of her snout. “Well, there’s probably no point keeping things secret anymore since we’re not in Canterlot. So who told you about this?” She asked as her amber eyes bore into Swift’s vibrant blues.
“From what I overheard, Prismatic Radiance let it slip in front of Hat Trick.” Swift’s answer drew a light chuckle from the pea-soup green mare.
“Ironic. One of the few noblemares I trusted and didn’t treat me like shit is the one that blew my secret.” Once she had stopped laughing, Toil slipped out of her chair and trotted over to a door near the hallway entrance. “Well, since you said you want to make things up for me, how about you follow me to the basement?”
“Very well.” Swift swallowed as Toil opened the door and started to head down the darkened stairway.
As Toil was swallowed up by shadows, Swift stood at the top of the stairs, hearing wood creaking from within the black void.
Swift started to step onto one of the few visible steps when she heard a click in the distance and the dark stairway was suddenly lit up.
“What’s the matter? Afraid of the dark?” Toil’s voice rang out as Swift started to speed up her descent.
“Hardly. I simply didn’t wish to risk tripping and falling on my face,” Swift responded as she reached the bottom of the stairs, finding herself in one of the basement’s corners.
The room somewhat reminded Swift of some of the dungeons of the palace with their dark gray stone walls and few sources of natural light in the distant corners.
However, unlike the dungeons, this room’s floor was covered with a beige carpet. In one corner of the room was a collection of silver rings, smoke bombs, and a small desk with a few books. Another had a washer and dryer while the last one had a refrigerator that Toil was headed towards next to a table covered with empty beakers, vials and cups. In the middle of the room was something that had taken Barrier and Forge quite some time to assemble; an air hockey table.
“Well, if it weren’t for the fact you look the same as you did a thousand years ago, I’d say you look like somepony that’s had a nose job,” Toil said as she opened up the fridge. As Swift drew closer, she saw that the fridge, instead of being filled with food, was stuffed with a collection of odd liquids that she couldn’t identify and a single carton of milk.
“Might I ask when you learned to teleport?” Swift asked as she slowly started to close the gap between her and Toil as she searched through her collections of jars.
“Eh. About a month or so after I was able to walk again, so just a bit before Nightmare Night,” Toil said as she grabbed a jar in her aura before placing it back. “It's a useful spell, but I was barely able to keep down my lunch the first time I did so.”
“Well, that’s better than I did,” Swift replied as she came to a halt behind Toil. “May I ask a bit about your family? Both sides.”
Toil ceased her sorting before she set one of her jars back, closing the fridge and slowly turning to face Swift.
“Well, on my mother’s side, there’s not too much to say.” Swift could hear the restrained anger in her voice as she spoke. “Moonlight Radiance was a quim that married a stallion named Argent Coins for money. She hired a young stallion from Dream Valley named Viridian Forest as her gardener and because her husband was an old fart that could barely walk, much less satisfy a mare, decided to take her gardener’s virginity before firing him for firing off early and inside her.”
Swift winced at the rather graphic way she talked about her parents and conception.
“About two weeks later, Moonlight learns she’s pregnant with the gardener’s bastard and her husband died. She then used mourning to explain why she didn’t leave her manor for about a year.” Toil halted in her tale, taking a breath to steel herself.
“Eventually, I was born and when one of the maids asked what to name me, she said Sweet Tonic… but that’s just because she wanted some booze after giving birth.” The anger in Toil’s voice faded and was replaced with silence as her voice grew quieter. “She then told that maid to dump me off somewhere far away, just to make sure nopony knew she had a bastard.
“So that maid, Carrot Soup, wanting to make sure I was somewhere decent, headed off, taking me all the way to Hollow Shades, where she dropped me off at the Hollow Well Orphanage with a note saying my name was Sweet Tonic, that I was born on April thirtieth and that my mother was Moonlight Radiance in Canterlot.”
Toil paused as she opened the fridge once more and pulled out a jar out of the fridge. Looking closely, Swift saw what was in the jar was dozens of ruby reaper peppers in water.
Swiftsword swallowed as Toil drew closer with the jar carried in her dark aura.
“For fourteen years, I lived in Hollow Shades with no knowledge of any of my family until the mare who ran the place, Prudence, told me about the note, feeling I was old enough.” Toil came to a stop and placed the jar between the two of them. “After that, I packed up some supplies and headed off to Canterlot to meet her.”
“Considering the… colorful language you used to describe her, I assume it went terribly,” Swift said as Toil turned back towards the table and fridge.
“If by ‘terribly’, you mean she said my existence was a mistake caused by a commoner failing to scratch an itch and said a pony like me had no place amongst the nobles in Canterlot, yes!” Toil’s horn flared as she picked up one of the empty cups and pulled the milk carton from the fridge.
“Faust, I… I am sorry, Toil…” Swift felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach by what the witchy unicorn said. “I knew many nobles treated bastard family members poorly, but how could a mare say that to her own daughter?! It’s disgusting!”
“On that we can agree. She really hurt me,” Toil replied as she came to a halt in front of her. “Thankfully, Carrot Soup was willing to tell me about my father and my life vastly improved once they officially adopted me… Still, you hurt me too, Swiftsword, and I want to make you pay.”
“And it will involve these peppers, no doubt.” A bead of sweat formed on Swift’s head as Toil unscrewed the lid on the pepper jar.
“Yep,” Toil replied as she pulled two peppers from the jar with her magic. “I want to see you eat ten of these things. Chewed up for fifteen seconds each before swallowing.”
“Very well.” Swift nodded as the two peppers started to float in different directions towards each of them. “Might I ask why you’re taking one as well?”
“I’ve kinda grown fond of these things.” Toil shrugged before tossing her pepper into her mouth and started to chew. “That, and I’ve built up an immunity to these.”
“Right then. Here we go.” Swift’s horn glowed a pale blue as she pulled the other pepper from Toil’s aura and threw it into her mouth. Even after a few seconds of chewing, Swift felt a burning heat forming in her mouth. After a few seconds, the two mares swallowed and started to pull out their next set of peppers.
“Y’know, Moonlight Radiance being a heartless quim isn’t the first time the ruling class has screwed over my family.” Toil bit her pepper in two before tossing in the second half and spoke through her mouthful. “Ever heard of Mirror Shine?”
“Of course,” Swift said before she took her second pepper into her mouth and rapidly chewed it up, wishing to make the pain end as quickly as possible before swallowing. “She was a unicorn mare who was one of the first pioneers in magical shapeshifting, reshaping her body and facial features. She then served as Princess Platinum’s body double for over a decade. For her years of dedication and thwarting several assassination attempts, she was granted the title of marchioness.”
“Yeah, well, her service to Platinum ended when she asked the queen to bless her marriage.” Toil slowly picked up another pepper as she looked Swift in the eye. “She wanted to marry Mint Sprig, an earth pony and son of minister Minty the First.”
“I… I had not heard of that in my history lessons,” Swift replied as she and Toil both started to eat their third peppers.
“Well that’s because her request infuriated Queen Platinum,” Toil said before swallowing. “While living in peace with the other pony tribes was something she could live with, the thought of a noblemare marrying an earth pony commoner was far too much for her to stomach.”
Swift swallowed her pepper in surprise by what Toil had said, nearly coughing as she pulled her fourth pepper from the jar. “What happened then?” she hoarsely asked as she felt the burning growing worse and worse.
“She had her stripped of her title, spat on, disowned by her family and exiled from the capital,” Toil replied before she and Swift bit into their peppers at the same time. “Still, at least from what I can tell, Mirror Shine did love her new family, so that’s what matters.”
“Verily,” Swift said before she swallowed her fiery morsel, grabbing her fifth pepper with her hoof because the pain was growing too strong for her to concentrate her magic. “Family is something I value deeply… and I miss all of mine… I’m the last Falchion…”
Toil paused as she was about to bite into her fifth pepper. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t know that… If it helps, I know what it’s like. I lost my father, my stepmother, my aunts, and my sisters.”
“Thank you,” Swift said before she and Toil bit into their peppers. The sky blue mare had reached the personal best she had managed to set in the Crystal Empire. The blazing feeling was great, but she gritted her teeth to persevere. “Still, I’m able to take solace knowing my dear Radiant Spell’s family legacy carried onto this day.”
“And I’m able to take some solace learning the quim perished in a house fire caused by her falling asleep with a lit cigarette,” Toil said as her magic pulled a sixth pepper towards her. “That was some of the best news I ever got since I wound up in this era.”
“At any rate, even with my great loss, I still have a family. The found family I’ve formed with my squadmates,” Swift said as she slowly brought the pepper into her mouth and started to chew. “Even though they may drive me mad sometimes, I treasure them.”
“Yeah, the girls here are like my sisters to me,” Toil said before pulling out another pepper and starting to chew it up. “I love them, but sometimes you just want to throttle ‘em, y’know?”
Swallowing, Swift felt the heat burning from the tip of her tongue all the way down to the bottom of her belly. Taking a steadying breath, she pulled her seventh pepper from the jar and held it out towards Toil. “To found family… and to fresh starts, hopefully.”
Toil lightly chuckled as she floated her eighth pepper to Swift’s and tapped them together. “To fresh starts and found families.”
As the two started on their next peppers, a thought occurred to the noblemare. “Might I ask… why you were… testing your palette?”
“Well, since I need a degree in order to work in a potion shop nowadays, I’ve had to do a lot of studying on modern potions,” Toil replied before she swallowed and grabbed her final pepper. “But I still want a job, so I thought I’ll try getting a job as a chef. To that end, I decided to test my palette.”
“In that case,” Swift fought back the urge to vomit as she reached for her ninth pepper. “I will speak with my employer and see if she can hire another chef.”
“Thanks, Swift. I appreciate it,” Toil said as she watched Swift bite down on her second-to-last pepper.
After a few more moments, Swift had eaten her final pepper, her mouth burning more intensely than she had ever felt before. She breathed heavily and tried to fan her tongue with a hoof.
Toil quickly poured a glass of milk for the noblemare and floated it to her. Swift quickly grabbed it and didn’t bother to maintain a regal image as she gulped down the substance as hurriedly as she could.
“Well, thanks for doing all this, Swift,” Toil said as she stood up and held out a foreleg for the noblemare, which she gratefully accepted and was pulled to her hooves.
“I am glad we were able to clear the air and we’ve had some reconciliation.” Swift replied before shaking Toil’s hoof. “Farewell, Toil. I wish you well.”
“You too, Swiftsword,” Toil said before patting Swift on the shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”
In a flash of blue, Swift vanished from in front of Toil and reappeared halfway up the stairs, trotting the rest of the way up.
Once Toil could no longer hear Swift’s hoofsteps, she quickly grabbed the milk carton and chugged down all of its contents.
“Oh, Faust… That was worse than breaking my legs!” Toil nearly exclaimed before letting out a belch with a small gout of fire, much to her shock.
The faint light of morning twilight was drowned out by a thick fog that had blanketed Vanhoover as Storm Cloud was cautiously trotting through the park. Her ears stood at attention as her hooves clacked and klanked against the concrete path she trotted along.
The sky blue pegasus felt as if an attack could come at any moment. Her feeling was proven right as she heard wingbeats rapidly approaching from behind. Storm Cloud was barely able to jump to the side as her flying attacker whizzed past and skidded over a nearby snow pile, sending up a flurry of white powder that made visibility even worse.
“Right, it’s on.” Storm Cloud gritted her teeth and flared her wings. She carefully took a step forward when another attacker launched themselves out of the snowbank.
Rather than dodging out of the way, Storm rose to her hindlegs, grabbed the attacker’s forelegs and spun to toss them back where they came from.
To her surprise, the attacker held their grip and a bright purple light illuminated their head. The attacking unicorn fired a magical volley that Storm was barely able to avoid taking to the face, feeling the heat as it passed her head.
Seeing that spinning wasn’t working, she gave a powerful flap of her wings to take the two of them into the air before somersaulting and slamming the unicorn into a snowbank.
Before she could push herself back to her hooves, a flash of blue appeared at her side and she saw another unicorn with two swords in her aura about to slam into her sides.
Storm rolled to her left to avoid the strike, seeing the sword wielding unicorn halt her attack before it could strike her fallen ally.
The pegasus flared her wings and rushed towards the sword wielder when she heard a whistling in the wind. Swiftly falling to her belly, she saw an arrow cutting through the fog just above her head and landing in the snow from where the two unicorns rose to their hooves.
Crap, crap, crap! Storm Cloud fought down the urge to swear as the two unicorns charged towards her and tried to strike her with a flurry of hoof and sword strikes. Despite her efforts to dodge their blows, their attacks forced her to back up towards a nearby tree as they drew closer.
Storm Cloud tried to look for a break in their attacks where she could roll to the side, when she heard a creak from above. She didn’t even have a chance to look up before she felt the weight of someone landing on her back.
The determined pegasus had planned to repeat her flip attack on the unicorn as she began to rise up, but her attacker wrapped their hindlegs tightly around her neck while their forelegs latched onto her flared wings.
Before she could even blink, the one unicorn had her crossed blades pressed against her throat while the second unicorn’s horn flared with violet light. To make matters worse, she could hear the flap of wings coming from behind. Her speedy attacker had returned, but was approaching much more slowly, knowing Storm Cloud was trapped.
“Urgh…” Storm Cloud grumbled, knowing there was no way she could win against the four. “Uncle.”
“You honestly did better than I expected,” the sword wielder said as they pulled their wooden swords away and put them back in their scabbards. “As did you too, Punch.”
“Thanks, Swift,” Fruity Punch replied as the legs binding Storm Cloud were released and their owner rolled off her back. “I think Barrier’s training’s really been doing wonders.”
“And you're still a crack shot, Verdant,” Storm said as she turned to see the bow wielding stallion behind her, standing beside Hotstreak. “Surprised you’re not out of practice.”
“I’ve been doing stuff like this almost daily before work,” Verdant replied as he held out a foreleg to the pegasus that she quickly shook. “I’ve actually grown pretty attached to archery, outside of guard work.”
“And your reaction time’s even better than before the empire,” Hotstreak said before lightly jabbing Storm in the shoulder.
“Heh. More like the hospital food and pizza’s made you put on a few pounds.” Storm chuckled as Hotstreak gave her shoulder a harder jab before joining in the laughs. “Either way, thanks for helping me practice. This’s really helping me get used to the new leg.”
“Think nothing of it. I relish the chance for combat practice,” Swift said before she turned to Punch. “Now, let’s head off. We’ve got an early shift.”
“No sweat,” Punch said before she and Swift started down the paved pathway that led out of the park. “Bye, everypony! See you later!”
“And I think I’m gonna fly a few laps around town,” Hotstreak said as she flared her wings and took to the sky. “Got a few pizzas to burn off. Later, you two!”
“Bye, Hotstreak! Be careful with the fog!” Verdant said as he collapsed his bow and stowed it away in his saddlebags.
“So, wanna get some breakfast? I hear that Al makes some great scrambled eggs and orange juice,” Storm Cloud asked as she flapped her wings to take to the air while Verdant stepped onto the path.
“Maybe, but I promised Erica I’d swing by the community center to help her time laps in the pool,” Verdant replied as he pulled his foam-tipped arrow from the snowbank. “That’ll have to come first.”
“Say, can I come with you? I’ve been thinking about taking up swimming. Never really got a chance to learn it, living up in the clouds for so long.” she asked as she flew only a few feet above the emerald earth pony. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to see what this griffin girlfriend of yours is like.”
“I guess, but no challenging her to a fight,” Verdant replied as he stepped onto the street outside the park. “She’s not really a fan of fighting and she’s training hard to be in the Equestria games.”
“No problem. Besides, you, Swift and Hotstreak give me enough of a workout already.” A chuckle accompanied her flying in a small loop above Verdant.
After a few minutes of travel, the pair reached the community center where they spotted a pair of zebra mares loudly arguing.
“I know you stole my damn danish, Bubble Butt! Just admit it already!” A green eyed zebra with a smooth and straight two-toned mane yelled in the face of a blue eyed mare with a wavy tail.
“More like you can’t count and forgot you ate the damn thing already!” the second zebra shouted back before the pair growled at each other, looking ready to tear one another apart.
“Good morning, Maua, Ziwa,” Verdant said as approached the door. The two zebras sighed before turning to face the earth pony.
“Morning, Verdant,” the two said in synchronization before turning their attention back to one another.
“Ziwa, I’ll be able to time you once Erica’s done,” Verdant said as he placed a hoof on the door handle and Storm landed beside him. “And Maua, you left your danish at Pretty Petals in the fridge. It still has that label you put on it.”
A rosy tinge erupted on the smooth maned zebra and her eyes shrank to the size of gnats as a smirk appeared on the wavy-maned zebra’s muzzle.
“Um… Sorry, Sis. I’ll be going,” Maua bashfully said before turning about and walking away, not seeing Ziwa sticking her tongue out at her.
“Right, time to head in”, Verdant said as he pushed the door open for the mares. “After you.”
The two mares started to head in, Ziwa leading the way as Storm Cloud stayed by Verdant’s side.
“By the way, if you take swimming lessons here, Erica’s gonna be your teacher,” Verdant said as Ziwa took a turn towards the pool area.
“Not a problem. I’m more concerned about foals pissing in the pool or something.” Storm Cloud’s response drew a chuckle from Verdant.
When the two reached the pool area, Storm Cloud’s eyes fell upon the reddish-brown griffin as she stood upon her hindlegs. Her forelegs and talons were outstretched above her head and her wings spread far to the sides. However, what drew the pegasus’ attention more was a part of her that was uncovered by her tail.
“Wow, I didn’t think a griffin could have such a great butt.” A snicker from Ziwa drew Storm’s attention away from Erica as Verdant also looked like he was holding back laughter.
“You just said that out loud, Storm Cloud.” Verdant’s remark made Storm’s sky blue face quickly turn crimson as Erica stopped her stretching to look upon the blushing pegasus.
“Oh… Um… Eh heh…” The embarrassed mare rubbed the back of her head with her wing. “Good thing I don’t know how to swim. Makes drowning myself a lot easier.”
***
As Swift and Punch arrived at The Four D’s, she saw Toil ‘N Trouble putting on a hair net and approaching Drumstick in the kitchen.
“I hope you’re ready to show us what you’re made of, Miss Toil. I expect the best from those that work as my chefs.” The plump pegasus said as the unicorn tossed a chef uniform into the air and teleported into it in a flash.
“Yes, ma’am. Though it’ll probably be a while until I’m ready to handle meat and fish dishes,” Toil replied before giving Drumstick a salute out of reflex.
“I’m sure that Dolly, Clean Cut and I will be able to help you get the ropes,” Drumstick replied before turning to the register. “Speaking of; Dolly, I suggest you and our newest employee begin prep work. We’ll be opening in about an hour for breakfast.”
“You’ve got it, Boss,” the brown coated earth pony said before she and Toil headed towards the back of the kitchen.
“Swift, Punch,” Drumstick said as her eyes fell upon the noblemare and her companion. “Perfect timing. Silver Platter’s roommate said she’s sick with the feather flu, so we’re a bit short hooved at the moment.”
“Not a problem, Ma’am. We'll be ready momentarily,” Swift responded before she and Punch made their way to the bathroom to change.
With her horn flaring brightly, Swift tossed her uniform from her saddlebags into the air and vanished in a flash. When she reappeared an instant later, her left foreleg was sticking out of the neck hole, her head and right foreleg were jammed up against each other in the torso, her skirt was stuck halfway up her hindlegs and her bowtie was now on the base of her tail before she fell upon the smooth and freshly polished floor.
“Dammit all!” Swift struggled to pull herself from her uniform before Punch magically lifted her up with a sigh, pulling the shirt off Swift’s head.
“I know teleporting’s cool, but just dress like a normal mare,” Punch said as she pulled her own shirt over her head while the noblemare embarrassedly tried to straighten herself out.
“Sorry, Punch,” Swift replied as she tried to smooth out any wrinkles in her shirt before pulling her bowtie from her tail. “I was hoping to try something with my improving teleportation skills.”
“I get that, but let’s save that for when we’re not on Mrs. Drumstick’s bit,” Punch replied as she pulled her skirt up. “Now come on, we’ve got tables to polish.” The pink unicorn added as she tied her bowtie around her neck.
“Right, coming,” Swift added before she pulled up her skirt, fastened her bowtie and followed Punch out the bathroom.
***
A gentle night fell upon Vanhoover as Barrier snuggled into bed between Daring Do and Fleetfeather, enjoying their warmth and the gentle feeling of their feathers brushing against his sides.
All in all, the day had gone rather well for not only him, but everyone in the manor. The day went smoothly, dinner was splendid and the Winter Wrap-Up was scheduled for later that week.
However, during his rest, Barrier would receive a request from Princess Luna. A request that would require Barrier and his privates to put their skills to the test.
This request would soon become what the princess would dub ‘Operation: Burning Morning’.
A light blanket of clouds held over Vanhoover as a spring shower poured upon the city. The weather felt oddly fitting that Friday afternoon due to what had happened four days ago.
On April 1st, while Daring was called away for her archaeological expertise, Barrier and the privates had, on Princess Luna’s request, aided her in pulling a prank on her elder sister. To say Celestia did not take their prank well would be an understatement. Barrier had received a taste of his own medicine when Princess Celestia made him and his former privates believe they were to be executed in what was actually a prank.
The only one in the house who seemed to be in a cheery mood was Fruity Punch, who had volunteered to make dinner using a recipe she learned for beer battered fish and chips.
“Thanks for doing this, Punch,” Barrier said as he watched the pink-coated unicorn putting dinner in the oven. “We’re all just feeling… well, drained right now.”
“No problem,” Punch replied as she turned back to face the cobalt unicorn. “I’ve always loved the rain. It just leaves me feeling refreshed, y’know?”
“Wish I could say the same,” Barrier replied as he rolled his neck. “After that little prank Luna asked us to pull, along with what the privates did with my mother, I can officially say I hate April.”
“Well, I’m sure this month will pick up shortly,” Punch said as she took a seat at the table. “Maybe when the weather’s decent, we could do our training outside. I’m pretty sure that it’d be a nice change of pace.”
“Perhaps,” Barrier said as he rolled his foreleg, not wanting to admit that the dampness was making his joints sore. “Though I get the feeling Bea would use the opportunity to eat some of the grass on the lawn.”
“Fair point,” Punch replied as a series of knocks came from the front door. “Want me to get that or—”
“I’ll get it,” Barrier said as his horn glowed and in a familiar flash of blue, the stallion was at the front door swinging it open.
He was surprised at the sight of the mare standing in front of the door, to say the least. Of all the ponies who could have stopped by his house, she was the one he expected the least given recent events.
“Good afternoon, Barrier,” Princess Celestia warmly and regally said as she looked down at the shorter stallion, an aura of golden magic forming a shield to keep the rain off of her and the two guards standing behind her. “May I come in? I need to speak to you and your housemates.”
“Of course,” the charcoal stallion replied as he stepped back from the door before turning towards the stairs. “House meeting, right now!” Barrier barked as the princess stepped into the manor.
In a flash, Swiftsword appeared at Barrier’s side while Hat Trick, Gem, Verdant and Forge rushed down the stairs. Windy, Fleet and Daring rushed to the entryway and came to a halt.
“Hey guys, what’s... go...iiiinnn…” Punch’s words died in her throat as she saw the towering alabaster alicorn as her two guards entered the house and closed the door.
“Good afternoon, everypony,” Celestia said just as everypony in the house, save for Barrier and Daring, started to take a knee for her. “No, there’s no need to bow.”
“What services do you require, Princess?” Fleet asked as she looked the towering mare in the eye.
“I currently don’t require anything for myself,” Celestia said as her eyes swept over those in the house and spotted Fruity Punch. “Could we please move to the living room? I’d like to speak to the residents of this house in private.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Barrier said with a nod as he turned to head for the living room, only to almost bump into the still as a statue Fruity Punch, her response to the sight of the princess reminding him of how she reacted when she met Princess Cadance.
“Punch, are you alright?” Barrier asked as he waved a hoof in front of her face before giving her head a gentle rap.
“BATHROOM!” Punch suddenly exclaimed before dashing past the charcoal unicorn and running into the half-bath.
In a matter of moments, Barrier and his housemates were standing in the living room with the princess. The former privates and Wind Whistler all stood together in a line like practiced soldiers.
“Might I ask what brings you all the way out here again, Princess?” Daring asked as she removed her hat and glasses for the alabaster mare.
“Well, I had a meeting with the mayor earlier about several things today, so I decided to kill three birds with one stone.” Celestia answered before taking a deep breath. “First of all, Barrier. I owe you and your housemates all a well deserved apology.”
Barrier remained still and silent while Swift was the only one of those in the line that was unflinching in her stance.
“My actions in response to your practical joke were far more than called for and cruel,” Celestia continued as she looked over the little ponies. “I shouldn’t have made you think you were in danger of execution and made such a spectacle out of it. It was wrong and for this, I am truly sorry.”
“I must admit, it was surprising to see you do such a thing for a practical joke, Princess,” Barrier stated as he took a step closer to the line. “Though I did perform the exact same thing as a prank a long time ago, so I can’t exactly cast stones.”
“At any rate, you all have my sincerest apologies,” the princess said before she sighed. “Honestly, April Fools tends to bring out the worst in me.
“Long ago, I met a former student of mine, Sunset Shimmer, for the first time on April 1st. Over the years, we would pull small practical jokes on each other for the anniversary of our meeting until…” The princess fell silent for a moment before coughing in her wing. For an instant, Barrier thought he saw the glimmer of a tear in her eye and he had to resist the urge to try and offer a comforting word.
“Suffice to say, for many years, April fools was a sore spot for me because of all the memories it brought back, both good and ill.” The princess swallowed before she continued speaking. “My day was already one I didn’t look forward to, and you and Luna managed to pull a prank on me, ruining my breakfast in the process.
“Still, none of that excuses my actions. In retrospect, I should have gone with something much milder like perhaps pretending to arrest you for assault, only to take you to a bakery or something. I am sorry for my cruel joke and I wish to make amends for that night.”
Barrier began to speak in response, only for the alabaster alicorn to hold up a hoof and silence him.
“Rest assured, I insist that I make this up to you,” Celestia said as she set her hoof down. “To that end, I would like to offer you a weekend length vacation to the destination of your choosing, with the travel and hotel expenses provided by me.”
“I… don’t know what to say,” Barrier said as he took a careful step towards the towering mare. “You know that we could easily afford such a vacation, Princess… While the gesture is appreciated, you don’t have to do this.”
“I know, but I want to do something nice to make up for my bad prank,” she replied. “There’s no need to choose the destination now. Simply write me a letter with the location and I shall take care of things.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Barrier said, resisting the urge to bow before her. “I’m sure I speak for us all when we say we’re thankful for this and I personally forgive you.”
“Thank you, my little pony,” the princess said before her eyes moved from Barrier to the gray-maned, gold pegasus. “Now, for my last bit of business here, I have something to discuss with you, Professor.”
“Yes, Princess?” Daring asked as she drew closer to the regal giant of a mare.
“I’ve received word from some ponies that an ancient text was recently uncovered. The writing has yet to be fully translated, but they believe it’s a map to one of two potentially dangerous artifacts,” Celestia said in a firm and serious tone. “One possibility is that this is the Sun Stone of Flutter Valley. Another is that this could be the magic coins that once plagued Dream Valley.
“No matter what, though, it seems that whatever treasure they’ve found is within the long lost tomb of Dazzleglow.”
Daring gasped at what the princess had said.
“D-D-Dazzleglow?! I… I thought she was a myth!” Daring turned to face her housemates, all of whom seemed to have no idea what she was talking about. “Dazzleglow was supposedly an alicorn from long before the royal sisters! From way before the earth ponies first encountered pegasi or unicorns! If we really do have her tomb, this is rewriting the history books stuff! And not to mention how dangerous those coins and the Sun Stone are!”
“I’ve never heard of this Dazzleglow before,” Barrier said as Daring rushed up to the princess.
“Princess Celestia, I… I will prepare to depart immediately!” Daring said, making the alabaster mare lightly chuckle.
“Calm yourself, Daring. The translation isn’t nearly done and because of the condition of the text, they are treating the parchment very delicately.” Celestia’s statement made the pegasus let out a sigh of relief. “However, I ask that you be prepared, should the translation be finished sooner than expected.”
“You’ve got it, Your Highness,” Daring said as she gave the alicorn a salute. “I’ve been itching for an adventure.”
“Well, I am grateful for the acceptance of my apology and for your dedication, Professor Dazzle,” Celestia said with a nod. “Now, I must return to Canterlot, so I bid you all farewell.”
“Farewell, Princess,” Barrier said, giving a quick bow to the alicorn as she started to head for the door.
Princess Celestia soon made her way to the door, where her two guards stood at attention and saluted. As one reached for the door, a quick knocking came from behind it.
With a quick glow of her horn, the door swung open and revealed an excited looking griffin hen sorting through her saddlebags.
“Verdant, there’s a big sale going on at Cut Corners Groceries on bacon and I’ve got a ton of coupons, so we’ll be able to get this for free! We’ve… got… to…” Erica’s words slowed to a halt as she saw the mare that towered over her in the doorway.
“My, that sounds like quite the bargain. I hope your shopping goes well.” Celestia offered Erica a kind smile before she and her guards stepped outside, leaving room for her to enter. “Have a pleasant afternoon.”
Erica just stared slack jawed at the sight of the alicorn as she and her two guards headed for the gate. A moment later, she slowly made her way into the manor, where she saw Punch cautiously stepping out of the half-bath.
“Is… is she gone?” The unicorn nervously asked as the household started to make their way to the entryway.
“Yes, she is,” Barrier stated, drawing a sigh of relief from Punch. “She was apologizing for what happened on April Fools and has offered us a weekend vacation at the location of our choosing.”
“Well, that’s good,” Punch said as she brushed a foreleg against her forehead. “Gotta say, that was a really bad time for me to get the trots, right? Eh heh… heh.”
“And you’re about as transparent as glass,” Hatty said as Verdant went up to Erica’s side, saddlebags on his sides while Punch was looking at her foreleg.
“No, I’m still opaque.” Punch replied, drawing a chuckle from some of the household as Verdant and Erica headed out the door.
***
With dinner complete, the household had all gathered in the living room. The ponies all stood at attention as Daring stood in the center of the room.
“Alright, since the princess is giving us a free trip wherever we want, we should have a discussion about where to go,” the golden pegasus said, her eyes swept over her housemates. “I’ve done a lot of traveling in my life, so I know a fair amount of nice places to visit. Still, feel free to toss out any ideas for this.”
The room was silent for a moment as they pondered. After a prolonged moment, Forge, who was sitting in a chair, slowly started to raise a foreleg.
“Forge, you’ve got the floor,” Daring said as she pointed her foreleg, making everypony’s eyes fall on him.
“Well, I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea to visit Trottingham,” Forge said before rubbing his left foreleg with his right. “It was quite the place to be back when it was Gallopfrey, so it’s probably a lot better now that it’s been freed from griffin control for centuries.”
“Hmm… not a bad call,” Daring said as she rubbed her chin with her wing. “It’s got quite a number of popular tourist spots, to say nothing of the various shops, restaurants and beaches. It would be a pretty nice place to visit.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve visited myself,” Barrier quietly said, recalling the night where he’d nearly met his end at Grimhilde’s talons. “It wouldn’t be hard to top that particular trip.”
“I heard that the food scene there is something else,” Verdant chipped in. “Several restaurants that specialize in griffin recipes, and this really famous dairy with high quality milk and cheese products.”
“I recall the island being a rather high class city. My family once visited there for the wedding of a cousin,” Swift said as she moved up to Forge’s side. “I would also like to visit Trottingham.”
After several minutes, the household had come to an agreement. They would have their vacation in Trottingham.
“The next question would be when to go,” Barrier said, rising up from the couch. “Since the princess said she’d be willing to accommodate for a weekend length vacation, it would probably be best to have it on an actual weekend when we’re available.”
“Sir, might I suggest we consult Snowy Skies, Erica and Spearmint?” Gem asked from her spot beside Hatty. “I mean, it would kinda suck for Forge, Swift and Verdant to go on vacation without their special someponies. Oh, and Verdant will probably want to bring along Toil.”
“Good call, Gem,” Daring said before she started to head out of the living room. “You guys take care of setting things up with them. I’ve got to take care of something else.”
Shortly after Daring finished speaking, Verdant and Forge left the manor while Swift went upstairs to write a letter.
Barrier started to follow behind Daring as she headed into his bedroom. Stepping into the room bathed in moonlight, he could see Daring pulling out a dark green backpack that she started to fill with a variety of tools like grappling hooks, a collapsible pickaxe, a compass and some books.
“Daring,” Barrier began as he slowly approached. She briefly paused her packing to face the charcoal stallion. “How dangerous are those treasures?”
Daring let out a heavy sigh as she walked up to Barrier, gently rubbing a hoof against his face. “The Sun Stone was something that supposedly could rival, if not surpass things like the Elements of Harmony or the mythical Rainbow of Light. As for the magic coins, most legends describe them as something that could grant wishes with no real known limits. Either way, they’re dangerous and need to be locked away if we find them. That’s why I’m going to be prepped to go at a moment’s notice.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Barrier asked as he gently placed a hoof on hers.
“I… I’m not sure,” Daring said, looking Barrier in the eye. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a more than capable fighter and stuff, but there’s a lot more to finding dangerous treasures than just being able to survive battles with killer griffins.”
“Yeah, like going to a pawn shop,” Barrier remarked, making the pegasus mare chuckle.
“Thanks. We’ll just have to wait and see what the translators say,” Daring replied as Fleet came into the room. “Plus, I don’t want to uproot you guys after you’ve been having such peaceful lives here.”
“You know we’d gladly do so for you,” Fleet said as she stepped up to the stallion and mare. “We love you, Daring.”
“And I love you too,” Daring said before she placed gentle kisses on Barrier and Fleet’s cheeks. “Y’know, the packing can wait. How about we just head to bed?”
With quiet nods of agreement, the three crawled into the large bed. Daring happily laid in the middle while Fleet wrapped a wing over her left side and Barrier cuddled against her right as his magic draped the warm blanket over the three of them as they slowly drifted to sleep.
In the week since Princess Celestia’s visit to the manor, things moved quickly to arrange the household’s trip.
Spearmint, Snow Sweeper, Erica and Toil were all able to come along. After an uneventful train ride that lasted several hours, the party arrived in Manehattan.
Briefly checking some of the sights along the way, they made it to the pier, boarded their ship, the Marey Celestia, and departed for Trottingham.
Breathing deep of the salty sea air, Barrier gently sighed as he and his companions watched the Statue of Friendship in the distance fade from sight. Now this is the way to travel. No rickety tracks, no being confined to a small tin death trap. Just the open ocean and a ship… maybe I should’ve been a sailor.
“Y’know, all the skyscrapers and that statue really do look a lot nicer than the old buildings,” Hatty said before looking to the stallion beside him. “Say, Forge, what kind of metal has that kind of green color to it?”
“Rusty copper,” Forge replied as he gazed upon the distant statue. “Still, it is a rather impressive sight.”
“I’ll say. It’s way bigger than I thought it was,” Snow said as he leaned against the railing. “I swear, you could fit a whole city in that thing.”
“Would suck to literally be in the ass end of town,” Toil said before chuckling and turning to the earth pony and griffin beside her. “So, since it’s past noon, how about we hit the lounge deck and soak in some sun?”
“I think I’ll find the karaoke lounge,” Swift replied as she pulled away. “Minty, would you care to join me?”
“Sure thing,” the shamrock colored mare replied as she quickly followed along. “Still, I want to hit up the buffet after this. I heard this ship has great shrimp cocktails.”
The gathering soon broke up into smaller groups, leaving only Barrier, Daring, Fleet and Wind Whistler looking over the rear of the ship.
“Well, we’ve got about five hours to kill before we get to Trottingham,” Daring said as she stood up on her hindlegs and stretched out. “So, what should we do first?”
“Oh, let’s hit the pools!” Windy excitedly said as she hovered up by Barrier’s head. “There’s a wave pool and a big pool for playing, and even a few hot tubs!”
“That does seem like an idea, but I think we should save that until after lunch, dear. That food on the train wasn’t very filling,” Fleet replied as she turned to Daring. “Any recommendations?”
“I figure your best bet would be to order something from the galley instead of just the buffet,” Daring said as the four pulled away. “Also, if you want to get a good fill, avoid the bread. They want you to fill up on bread since that’s the cheap stuff that breaks down slowly.”
“But we can still try the wave pool after lunch, right?” Windy asked as she flew alongside the three adults.
“Rest assured, I’ll make sure you get to have some fun in the wave pool,” Barrier stated before patting her on the head.
***
Swift and Minty soon arrived in a large room with a collection of empty tables and a stage with a microphone and a karaoke machine.
“Man, this room’s like a ghost town,” Minty said as she cast her eyes towards a wall mounted clock and read the time. “Still, I doubt too many want to do some karaoke at twelve-thirty.”
“Looks like it would have great acoustics.” Swift said as her horn began to glow. In a flash, she vanished from Spearmint’s side and reappeared on the stage.
“Oh what will the signal be, for your eyes to see me?” Swift’s brief song echoed about the room, drawing a slight chuckle from the minty mare.
“You really liked that silly little movie, didn’t you?” Minty inquired as she approached the unicorn on stage.
“Not so much the movie, but that particular song,” Swift replied as her companion pulled herself on stage. “The vocals, the guitar riffs and everything else combine to create something glorious.”
“I will admit, it’s a pretty catchy song,” Spearmint said as she looked out across the empty room. “It’s not a whole lot of fun to sing for an empty venue.”
“Sadly, I must agree.” Swiftsword sighed before she and Minty trotted off the stage. “Well, perhaps we’ll find somewhere to sing in Trottingham. In the meantime, I believe some shrimp cocktails are calling our names, begging to fill our bellies.”
A giggle came from Minty as she leaned in close to Swift. “Kinda like your friend, Verdant?”
“For the record, he was only in my nose and mouth. He never entered my belly,” Swift replied as she leaned close to her.
***
On a deck by a pool, Toil was stretching out on a deckchair while Erica relaxed on her belly, her wings scraping against the polished floor.
“So, Erica,” Toil asked as she turned to face the relaxing griffin. “How did you and Verdant first meet?”
“Eh, it’s kinda boring actually,” Erica replied as she looked over to the lime green unicorn. “We were in cooking class and he came up to me, asking if he could be my partner for it. After that, we became friends and I eventually asked him out.”
Toil chuckled as she turned onto her back. “Heh. Y’know, if you weren’t a griffin, you would have been a pretty typical Dream Valley girl, way back when. Pretty strong, knows how to handle herself, assertive enough to pursue the stallion she’s after.”
“Thanks… I guess,” Erica said as she pushed herself up off the chair. “So, were herds a common thing back in Dream Valley?”
“Oh yeah. Pretty much every adult was either living on their own or part of a herd of some kind,” Toil casually replied. “Our family was considered pretty average. Still, some herds had no stallions at all, or if they had two stallions, they’d have around eight to ten mares.”
“I… Wow.” Erica was stunned at the lounging unicorn’s words. “Must have been cramped.”
“A little bit, but I grew to find it kinda comforting.” A twinge of sadness was in Toil’s voice as she thought back to the days of her youth. “Back at the Hollow Well Orphanage, I was almost never alone. There were other foals or Miss Hollow Well, but I wasn’t that attached to them… but after I was taken in by my family, surrounded by ponies that loved me, it was really comforting.
“Even when I was living in a flower shop’s cramped attic or a tool shed, I found some comfort by having Verdant by my side.” Toil paused to hum and ponder for an instance. “Y’know, this might be part of the reason why I like having my squadmates living with me… Sure, they can’t replace my sisters, but they’re almost as close to me.”
“Hey there!” Verdant’s voice made the two ladies turn to see him carrying a tray with a pair of drinks on his back. “How are my favorite ladies doing?”
“Pretty well, Verdant,” Toil replied, ruffling his short mane with a hoof before picking up one of the drinks with magic. “Just having a nice little chat with Erica.”
“It’s pretty nice getting to know her.” Erica flipped around to face Verdant before picking up the remaining glass. “She told me some pretty interesting stuff about life back in Dream Valley.”
“Well, I’m glad to see you two getting along so well,” Verdant said before giving Erica a nuzzle, quickly followed by Toil. “I was worried it would take a lot longer for you two to warm up to each other, considering she’s…”
“Yeah, I know.” Toil stretched out against her chair before taking a sip of her drink. “It’s because your coats clash.”
The pair chuckled before Verdant moved over to a chair on Erica’s other side. “So, what’ll be the first place you’ll want to see in Trottingham?”
“I’d like to hit up this one dairy. I heard they’ve got some of the best milk and cheese in Equestria,” Toil answered as she rose up to look at the pair from her chair. “I’ve packed a half ton of hay bars just to balance it out.”
“Y’know, you’re not the only one with food on the brain,” Erica said as she leaned back. “I’m planning on checking out this one restaurant. It’s run by some abyssinians and they cook up these great big dishes on a hot stone slab with stratodon steaks, fish, chicken and a ton of other stuff, all part of a great big delicious platter with fresh bread, stew, skewers, sausages and so much more! I am gonna stuff myself until I explode!”
The reddish-brown hen’s stomach grumbled, as if begging to be filled at just the thought of food.
“Aren’t you training for some big athletic thing?” Toil asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, but I’m making this a cheat day.” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head. “Besides, I’ve skipped breakfast and lunch just for this dinner.”
“Just don’t be too loud when Verdant stuffs you with a different kind of meat,” Toil said, causing Erica to sputter and Verdant to face hoof.
“Sis, do you want me to tell Erica about the chili incident?” Verdant’s question nearly made the unicorn drop her drink on the deck.
With a defeated sigh, Toil finished her drink. “Right, no more innuendo. I’ve got it.”
***
On another part of the ship, Hat Trick and Winter Gem sat across from one another at a white table. Between the two of them were plates full of seafood, salad, and a few griffin dishes from the buffet.
The violet stallion was about to dive into his stuffed plate when Gem piped up and stopped him.
“Hatty, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“What’s up? Hatty asked back as he focused on Gem’s emerald eyes.
“I was kinda wondering… what did you think of Manehattan?” When Gem finished, Hatty brought a hoof to his chin as he thought.
“Well, I think the buildings and everything look a lot nicer than ones back in the Manehattan I grew up in, but I will admit that I can’t really see it as the same city.” Hat Trick replied as he fidgeted his hooves. “Just… nothing about it seems to fit. The piers, the buildings, the concrete everywhere… it’s beautiful… but just doesn’t feel like the same place.”
“Hatty…” Gem swallowed before she gently placed a hoof on his. “I wish I knew what to say.”
“It’s okay, Gem,” the pegasus replied before taking a breath. “Frankly, I figured one of us would be hit with this sort of thing. I mean, Barrier grew up in Old Canterlot. Now that’s just a bunch of ruins in the Everfree Forest and you know how the new Canterlot is.”
“Yeah. It’s just not the same,” Gem sighed. It was then that Hatty pulled his hoof out from under hers and placed it on top of it.
“Say Gem…” Hatty started as he looked into Winter Gem’s eyes. “Do you think you’d feel similar if we tried to track down where your old trading post used to be?”
“Eh… probably not,” the snow coated mare said as she looked out to the vast expanse of water around the ship. “The desert’s a lot like the sea to me. You see one stretch of sand and stone, you’ve seen them all.”
“Yeah, I guess I can see that,” Hatty replied as he rubbed the back of his head with his wing. “Y’know, maybe one of these days, we could go on a trip to Manehattan and see what it’s really like. Just the two of us.”
“I like the sound of that.” Gem gave Hatty a warm smile before pulling her plate closer. “Now, let’s get some lunch in us before we starve.”
“Sure thing, dear.” Hatty weakly held back a chuckle before placing a kiss on her cheek and pulling in his plate.
***
As the sun was drawing closer to the horizon, Forge and Snow were leaning against the railing of the ship’s bow as they saw the approaching image of the island of Trottingham.
“It’s been far too long since I’ve seen it,” Forge whispered as Snow’s wing rubbed his back, sounding as if he was trying to hold back joyful tears. “Last time I saw my home island was on the ship so I could go to Canterlot to join the guard.”
“How are you holding up, Big Guy?” Snow asked as he leaned his muzzle closer to the unicorn’s.
“Honestly, I feel kinda happy and sad.” Forge tightened his grip on the railing. “Sad that the ponies I knew and cared about are long gone… but happy that I’m coming back… Does that make sense?”
“Of course, Forge.” Snow nuzzled the unicorn’s face before he turned his eyes to the island. “Even from here, it looks beautiful.”
“After we get there, there’s something I’d like to show you on the island,” Forge said as he turned to face Snow.
“Are you sure it’s still there, Forge?” the pegasus asked.
“Almost certainly,” Forge confidently replied. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to see again for the longest time.”
“Sure thing, Forge,” Snow said as he leaned his head against Forge’s. “When we get there, there’s something I want to show you too.”
“Oh? May I have a hint?” Forge’s question made Snow Sweeper chuckle.
“Sorry, Hot Stuff, but I’m keeping it a surprise for now.”
“Attention all passengers...” A voice echoed out through the ship’s speakers. “We will be arriving in Trottingham port in approximately one hour. Please have all your things ready for when you disembark.”
“Alright, you ready?” Snow asked as he pulled away from the cobalt coated stallion.
“I think so,” Forge replied as he followed along behind the gray coated pegasus. “Next stop, good ol’ Gallopfrey.”
After arriving on the island of Trottingham, Barrier and his companions did a small bit of sight-seeing before they checked into their rooms in the Gilded Stable Hotel.
Later that night, Snow Sweeper felt something nudging his side, disturbing his sleep.
“Snow. Wake up.” The sound of Forge’s whispering voice reached the pegasus ear, quickly rousing him from his slumber.
“I’m up. What’s wrong, Forge?” the tired pegasus asked as he fumbled around for a lamp cord. With a brief flare of fiery orange, Forge’s horn glowed and the lamp turned on.
“Nothing’s wrong, my dear,” Forge said as he gently brushed the pegasus’ shoulder. “Remember how I said I wanted to show you something? Well it’s almost time, so we need to go now.”
“Forge,” Snow groggily said as he looked around the room until his eyes fell upon the wall clock. “It’s five in the morning. Do we really have to go now?”
“Yes, we do,” Forge replied as he leaned closer to his boyfriend. “Please, we need to go immediately.”
“Alright, alright,” Snow said as he yawned. “But can we get some coffee on the way?”
“Of course, now let’s go.” Forge patted Snow’s shoulder as a smile began to form.
In a matter of minutes, the pair were headed through the darkened streets of Trottingham, pausing only briefly to grab a pair of coffees from a local vendor.
Even in the near utter darkness, Snow Sweeper was surprised to see how easily Forge seemed to be able to navigate the cobblestone streets. While the unicorn’s horn glowed, it was only to act as a beacon for the grey-coated pegasus.
The two soon made their way onto a deserted beach. The only sounds were the crash of waves and the occasional squawk of gulls.
“We’re here,” Forge said as he sat down on the sands. “We’ve made it.”
“Made it for what exactly?” Snow came to a halt by Forge’s side before taking a sip of the piping hot drink and enjoying its contrast to the brisk chill in the air.
“For something I’ve not seen in over a thousand years,” Forge answered as he felt Snow draping his wing over his back. “Something I’ve wanted to share with somepony I deeply care about.”
As Snow opened his mouth to ask what the unicorn was talking about, he felt a bright light starting to strike his eyes.
“A Gallopfreyan sunrise,” Forge said as he widely grinned and tears formed in his eyes. “I’ve seen it many times before with my parents from this very spot on this beach. The last time I saw this was the day I shipped out… It was the last day I ever saw my father.”
“Oh…” Snow said as he turned his face towards the rising sun, seeing the beautiful collage of colors in the sky as the sun’s warming light sparkled off the surface of the water and washed over them.
“It’s… It’s beautiful, Forge.” Snow tightened his wing’s grip on the cobalt unicorn’s back before pulling him into a hug. While this was far from the first sunrise he’d witnessed, the way it shined over the water and sent the night away was something truly stunning to him.
“I know.” Forge sniffed and rubbed his snout. “I’ve missed this so much… After everything I lost, having you here with me… I feel like… I’m home.”
Snow Sweeper said nothing as he and Forge gazed out upon the ocean, simply savoring the moment.
After a few moments, Forge let out a contented sigh and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Thank you, Snow. This meant a great deal to me.”
“No sweat, Hot Stuff,” Snow replied before planting a gentle kiss on Forge’s two-toned silver mane. “I’m glad I was able to share this with you.”
“Me too,” Forge said as he rose up from the sands and offered a hoof to pull Snow back onto his. “So, what is it you wanted to show me?”
“Oh, you’re not gonna believe this,” Snow said as he held his coffee in one wing and reached into his saddlebags with the other. “I entered a raffle a while back, figuring at best I’d get a Timberwolves t-shirt or something, but what I got is a lot better.”
Snow Sweeper’s hoof retracted from the saddlebags, revealing a pair of tickets that read, “Timberwolves vs. Cragodiles”.
“I won tickets to the playoffs!” Snow nearly squealed with excitement as he showed Forge the tickets. “And not only did we score these tickets, but also travel and hotel expenses so we can see the game in Baltimare!”
“Snow, that’s wonderful!” Forge excitedly exclaimed as he pulled Snow into an energetic hug. As he pulled away, Forge’s eyes fell upon the date for the hockey game. “Once we get back, I’ll be sure to mark May twenty-fifth down in my planner for this.”
“This is gonna be amazing, Forge!” Snow said as he stuffed the tickets away. “I’ve never gotten to see a game as important as this!”
“Well, I’m sure this is going to be a most splendid game,” Forge said as he pulled away from Snow and started to trot towards the city. “Now come along. Let’s get some breakfast before we do some exploring.”
***
As the morning started to give way to the afternoon, Winter Gem and Hat Trick went about the island. The former took plenty of photographs while the latter did a fair bit of shopping.
“Who’d have thought there’d be so much great sci-fi stuff here?” Hatty said aloud as Gem took a photo of one of Trottingham’s famed double-decker carriages. His saddlebags were almost bursting with books and merchandise.
“It’s pretty neat, but I still say that one toy you got looks more fitting for a bedroom than a sci-fi collection,” Gem said as she lowered the camera strapped around her neck. “Seriously, it’s arm looks like a toilet plunger.”
“Eh, Trottingham film serials don’t really have the same sort of budget as ones made ‘across the pond’, as they say,” Hatty replied as the two of them started to trot along the street.
“Well, I’m glad we’re both having a good time. I just hope Forge is alright,” Gem said as she looked around, seeing a good number of ponies and griffins filling the streets. “After everything that happened here because of the war. It’s just—”
“Oi, you two!” The two former privates turned about and saw a large griffin as he quickly approached the pair. His feathers looked rather rough and he was wearing a pleather vest.
“What is it?” Hatty asked as he and Gem quickly shifted into defensive postures. While they had never done battle with a griffin, this was something they trained for years for and instinct was hard to override. They were ready for almost anything.
Something they didn’t expect was the tiercel reaching into his vest and pulling out a bag of bits. “You’ve got a tear in your saddlebags, mate! I’ve been lookin’ for ye for the last three blocks.”
“Oh.” Hatty looked back at his saddlebag, seeing there was indeed a small tear in it before accepting the bag from the griffin. “Thank you, sir.”
“Not a problem. You may want to either get that patched or just replaced. There’s a place just down this road on the left.” The large griffin replied before taking to the sky. “Have a good day, chaps.”
“Thanks again,” Hatty said as he and Gem waved at the griffin as he flew away. “Huh. Y’know, I’ve had dreams about encountering a griffin in Trottingham before, but they always turned out a lot less pleasant.”
“Well, let’s get this taken care of before we meet up with Verdant and Erica for lunch,” Gem said as she moved behind the purple pegasus. “I’ll make sure nothing else falls out.”
***
After quickly replacing the bag, the two stumbled upon Verdant and Erica sitting at a bench, having a merry little chat.
“Hey guys! Over here!” Gem exclaimed, drawing the two’s attention. Verdant and Erica waved them over as the pair approached. “How’s it going?”
“Pretty good,” Verdant replied as he pointed towards a nearby building. “Toil’s just checking out that dairy over there. She’s heard really good things about the milk and cheese there.”
“Well, hopefully she’s ri—”
“HOLY MASSIVE MAMMARIES, BAT-MARE!” Toil’s shout coming from the building made Verdant jump to his hooves and charge towards the building with Gem, Hatty and Erica quickly following behind.
As they drew closer, they saw Toil emerge from the shop with a massive blush on her face.
“Toil, are you alright?” Verdant asked as he skidded to a halt in front of her.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Toil replied as the blush refused to leave her face. “It’s just… that one yellow mare in there… Wow… bigger than my damn head.”
“I would assume most ponies would be bigger than your head,” Hatty said before turning to Gem. “Say, wanna get a wheel of cheese while we’re here?”
“Sure thing,” Gem answered before she and Hatty headed to the door.
Once the two entered the building, Toil began to whisper.
“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”
“OPPAI DEKKAI!” Hat Trick’s shout was heard from outside the shop as Toil slowly began to snicker.
A few moments later, the two exited the shop with a cheese wheel in Gem’s saddlebags and bright blushes on both of their faces.
“Thanks, Miss Milky. And sorry about the outbursts,” Gem said as she walked up to their companions. “So, where are we headed for lunch?”
“It’s a place called The Hunter’s Canteen. It’s a restaurant run by abyssinians that’s got all sorts of delicious griffin dishes,” Erica answered with a slight twinkle in her eyes. “Yesterday, I had a small platter for dinner, but now, I’m gonna order the Chef’s Choice Stratadon Platter! I swear, there’s so much, it’ll fill me up for at least the whole day!”
“Well, let’s get going!” Toil said as she teleported ahead of the others. “Last one there pays the bill!”
The four quickly followed after Toil, pushing as fast as their wings and legs could carry them.
In the end, Verdant ended up paying for the large and expensive meals.
***
Spearmint and Swiftsword were following behind a large group of ponies as they explored the large, marble building that was the Trottingham History Museum. The tour group had already seen some classical works of art when they arrived at a wing filled with a wide assortment of pony and griffin weapons.
“And here we have a collection of weapons from the Pony-Griffin wars which ended shortly after the era of Nightmare Moon,” the tour guide said as several ponies snapped photographs. While she was listening to the guide’s words, Swift’s eyes were firmly locked on the various swords adorning the walls.
“To your left, you can see a wide assortment of iron swords that were used by griffin forces. Due to economic issues and the lack of knowledge in metal refinery among them, steel was something available to only the very wealthiest or highest ranking members of the griffin military,” the guide mare said, drawing a loud “Ooohh” from the group. “Any questions?”
“Were any of these swords used by Grimhilde LeGrande?” a stallion asked as a lime green foreleg rose from the crowd.
“Actually, no,” the guide replied, drawing Swift’s attention away. “Grimhilde, due to her large size and combat skills, preferred to use her beak and talons to tear her enemies to pieces. Now, if you’ll please follow me, our next exhibit is the bones of Starscream, a pony that betrayed Equestria, but was later ‘reassigned to breakfast for his incompetence’ after his cover was blown, according to Grimhilde’s journal.” With practiced ease, the tour guide motioned them along.
“And here we have our exhibit on art pieces created after the liberation of Gallopfrey.” As the tour guide started to lead the crowd away, Swiftsword remained firmly rooted to the ground, looking down at her hooves.
“Swift?” Minty gently asked as she tried to look the light blue unicorn in her downcast eyes. “Swift, what’s wrong?”
With a sigh, Swiftsword slowly craned her head up to look at Spearmint’s concerned face.
“I’ve known Starscream was a traitor ever since Captain Barrier returned from his mission here,” Swiftsword said with a hint of sadness in her eyes as she motioned towards the exhibit. “Still, it hurts to hear somepony who was like an uncle to you was a filthy traitor.”
“You… you knew Starscream?” Spearmint asked as she placed a hoof on Swift’s shoulder.
“He was a squadmate of my father’s. Him and his sister, Slipstream, were in my father’s squad back when he was in the guard. They remained good friends even after he retired and frequently visited my family’s home… he even gave me a dagger he claimed off a fallen griffin for my birthday.” Swift sniffled before Minty pulled her into a comforting embrace.
“Oh, Swift…” Spearmint found herself at a loss for words as she patted Swift’s back.
“Of all the ponies out there, I never believed Starscream could betray us to the griffins…” Swift said as she pulled herself out of Minty’s embrace. The mint colored mare could hear her trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
As she wiped what little water was starting to form in her eyes, Swift’s face became as hard as steel. “I hope Grimhilde enjoyed her breakfast. He was rewarded as a traitor deserves.”
“Swift,” Minty cautiously looked the unicorn noblemare in the eye once more. “Do you want to continue the tour?”
“If it’s alright with you… not really. This place has brought up some upsetting memories for me,” Swift replied as her eyes drifted towards the weapons lining the walls. “Would it be alright if we went to do something more… fun?”
“Of course, Swift,” Spearmint said before giving Swiftsword a nuzzle. “I think I saw a karaoke bar on Lofty Lane. How about we head there?”
“That sounds lovely,” Swift replied before planting a kiss on Spearmint’s cheek.
Soon the two ponies departed the museum, though Swift had a nagging feeling that she’d missed something.
***
As Barrier looked out his hotel window and gazed out at the twinkling lights of the city contrasting against the night sky, he let loose a contented sigh.
“I must say, tonight’s been far more wonderful than I could have hoped,” Barrier stated, turning his attention towards Daring as she stretched out on the bed. “Delicious food, Windy had a blast souvenir shopping, Fleet snapping a million photos. It’s been amazing.”
“Well, it’d be hard to be worse than your last time here,” Daring replied as she slowly rolled over on the bed.
“I think the only pony I know to be inside a griffin this time is Verdant,” Barrier said with a smirk, making Daring cover her snout with her hooves to try to cover her laughter.
“Pfft… Oh dear Faust, that was awful,” Daring said before she slid off the bed. “Well, I’m gonna be hitting the shower. Wanna join in?”
“I think I’ll be a minute,” Barrier replied as he turned his attention back towards the window. “I’d like to take in this sight just a bit more.”
“Sure thing,” Daring replied as she trotted towards the bathroom. “I’ll try to save you some hot water.”
After a moment, Barrier heard the bathroom door clicking shut, followed by the sound of rushing water shortly after.
I wonder what Ember would think of this, Barrier thought as his eyes fell upon a pegasus mare happily nuzzling up against a griffin tiercel. Would she be happy that things are so peaceful, or would she be disgusted over how ponies and griffins here are acting together?
As his eyes drifted over the streets lit by highly decorative old fashioned looking lamps, he spotted something that made his blood turn cold.
Strolling along the now empty street was an unmistakable sight. It was a unicorn stallion with a lime green coat and messy blue-green mane. Even in the low light, there was no missing the image of a lemon on his flank.
Barrier’s icy blood began to boil as his horn flared. In a flash, Barrier vanished from the hotel room and reappeared onto the street a floor below.
Spotting the lemon stallion coming to a halt in front of a soda machine, Barrier grit his teeth as he rushed over to the mysterious unicorn as he put a coin into the machine.
“You…” Barrier growled as the stallion picked up a can of soda in his violet aura.
“Can I help you, sir?” The lime unicorn asked as he spun the soda can in his aura.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know me,” Barrier nearly spat at the stallion who merely smirked. “I know who you are. You’re the stallion that’s been hounding me for Faust knows how long. You’ve somehow been pretending to be Grimhilde after you stole her skull and you’re the one that murdered Spectral Image!”
As he spun the can faster, the unicorn chuckled. “My, my, my, Barrier. You have quite the active imagination.”
“If I’m imagining, how did you know my name?” Barrier’s horn began to flare. Instead of being scared, the lemon stallion chuckled once more.
“Oh, I know a great deal about you, Captain Barrier. You’re a centuries old war horse living with a collection of old soldiers and a treasure hunter who publishes stories about her exploits.” The stallion casually rolled his shoulders as he looked Barrier in the eyes. “But you don’t have the slightest clue about me.”
“I’m taking you with me,” Barrier stepped closer to the cocky green unicorn. “And you’re going to answer for what you’ve done.”
The stallion gave a dark laugh as he looked into the icy eyes of the charcoal unicorn. “Barrier, what I’m about to tell you is the absolute truth, no matter how hard it is to believe.”
The green unicorn leaned closer to Barrier’s ear and whispered into it.
“I’m not the one that stole the skull and I’ve never killed anypony.”
“You’re a filthy liar!” Barrier glared daggers as the lemon stallion pulled back.
“Oh, but it’s all true. Theft and murder are not my style,” the stallion flippantly replied. “Now, necromancy, on the other hoof…”
“Enough of this!” Barrier roared before slamming his hooves into the lemon-marked stallion’s chest, pinning him to the wall. “You’re coming with me!”
“Oh, I don’t think so!” the lime-colored stallion said before slammed his soda can in Barrier’s face, flooding his eyes with a stinging flood of citrus and sugar.
“GAH! Dammit!” Barrier winced before his prisoner pushed him down to the street. As he squinted to try to get the soda out of his eyes, he could make out the stallion rushing down an alley, ducking through an obstacle course of crates and rubbish bins.
Gritting his teeth as his vision started to return to him, Barrier scrambled to his hooves and rushed down the alleyway. He weaved through the obstacles, deciding not to teleport due to the darkness, his vision not being fully restored and the fact the city was so unfamiliar to him. After a matter of seconds, he spotted the silhouette of a pony round the corner at the end of the alley.
Forcing his legs to push as hard as he could, Barrier rounded the corner, only to smash into a vest clad pony, knocking them to the ground. Barrier looked down and saw the somewhat blurry, sprawled out form of Verdant as he pushed himself onto his hooves
“Gah, what the—? Barrier, what’s goin—”
“He’s here! The lemon stallion!” Barrier barked to the shamrock stallion. “He threw a soda at me and ran off! He was right here! Find him!”
“On it!” Verdant saluted before jumping up at a lamppost and kicking off of it to land on top of a news stand to scan for and try to spot Barrier’s target. “...Dammit, I’m not seeing him, sir.”
“Son of a…” Barrier growled before Verdant hopped down from the news stand’s roof.
“You should probably head back to the hotel, wash out your eyes and put on some disinfectant. It looks like you got some scrapes when he knocked you down,” Verdant said as he looked over the obsidian unicorn. “I’ll try to sweep the area and I’ll tell you if I find anything in the morning.”
“Thank you, Verdant.” Barrier sighed before he started to make his way down the alley. “Just be careful. We don’t know what this stallion’s truly capable of.”
“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll be sure to keep safe,” Verdant replied before taking off, leaving Barrier to wander the alley.
Why is he doing all this? Did he want me to see and talk to him tonight? Barrier pondered before he sighed. Why the Tartarus is he doing all this? It’s just not adding up.
The next morning, Verdant didn’t say a word to Barrier about the lemon stallion. It was as if he’d simply vanished.
Upon returning to Vanhoover, Barrier did what he could to hide his frustration. He had come so close to putting an end to whatever the lemon stallion was doing, but in the end, he managed to escape the former guard captain using just a can of soda.
The charcoal unicorn was rather grateful that his defense lessons allowed him to vent some steam, though he was still careful enough to make sure his students were only sore, yet unharmed.
“Alright, everyone. You did good today,” Barrier said as he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. “I’ll see you all on Wednesday and hopefully you’ll do even better.”
After his students had all departed and he and Heavy Weight put away the equipment for the night, Barrier stepped out into the cool spring air. Still feeling a little steamed and full from lunch, he decided to go on a long walk to work off his meal and cool down a bit before going home.
Eventually, the obsidian coated stallion found himself strolling along a strip of restaurants that offered a wide variety of foods from all across Equestria and far beyond.
A rumble in his belly told him he should return home just as he spotted Color Splash stepping out of a restaurant in front of him with a sub sandwich in her magic.
Y’know, if there’s anypony that has any sort of clue about who the lemon stallion is, it’d be Gray Skies and you don’t know how to contact her, but maybe Splash does.
Feeling that he was running out of options, Barrier took a deep breath and trotted up to Splash’s side.
“Excuse me, Miss Splash. I need to ask a favor of you,” Barrier said, making the gray coated mare face him.
“Ohh shure,” Splash cheerfully replied with a mouthful of bread and vegetables before swallowing. “Whatcha need?”
“I need to speak to your sister about an incident that happened a while back that I know she was the detective on.” As Barrier finished speaking, he saw the happiness in Splash’s face seemed to be sucked away in an instant.
“Oh… Um… Well, my sister and I aren’t on good terms, like in the slightest,” Splash said as she swirled a forehoof against the smooth pavement. “After I got arrested, she’s been furious at me.”
A white light washed over Color Splash, turning her snowy mane a dark gray while her slate gray eyes turned magenta.
“Not only is Dad horribly depressed to learn you’ve been pulling this thievery crap, but my reputation’s ruined! I’m the detective sister of one of Equestria’s greatest thieves, so every single one of your crimes and my cases are being opened and looked over with a fine tooth comb so the cops don’t think I helped you pull these!” Splash mock-yelled in an imitation of Gray Skies voice before she sighed and dispelled her color change spell.
“I’m… sorry to hear that,” Barrier said, feeling rather awkward and trying to look away from Splash. “Sibling issues can be quite the thorny predicament.”
“Well at any rate, Gray is a private detective that’s sometimes called in for cases that need some expert help.” Splash looked up to Barrier as she tried to keep the sadness out of her voice. “Her detective office is above a bistro on the north end of the beach. If she’s not there, her partner or assistant will be and they should be able to help you.”
“Thank you, Splash,” Barrier said before he patted the mare on the shoulder. “I know that sibling fights can be hard to deal with, but I believe you’ll be able to work things out.”
“Thanks, Barrier.” Splash sniffled before taking a quick nibble of her sandwich. “If you talk to her, could you tell her I really am trying to go straight and haven’t been going back to my old ways?”
“If I do, I will,” Barrier replied before he headed off. He hoped that the detective would be able to give him some new information.
***
It did not take Barrier long to arrive at the neon lit bistro known as Nights. After a quick trot up a flight of wooden stairs, he arrived at the door with the words Private Investigations written on the frosted glass with some light coming from behind it.
Cautiously, Barrier pulled open the door and looked inside the small office with three desks and filing cabinets. Behind the one near the far wall was a unicorn mare with a flowing violet mane and magenta eyes. In front of her was a nameplate that read “Snapshot Flash”.
Upon the sound of the door opening, the mare’s eyes shot up to Barrier and she cautiously observed the approaching stallion. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes, I’d like to speak to Detective Gray Skies,” Barrier stated as he drew closer to Snapshot’s desk. “I’d like to ask her if she’s got any updates on the death of Spectral Image. My name’s—”
“Ah, Magic Barrier,” Snapshot said as she moved from behind her desk and flared her horn to pull open a desk drawer. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while.”
“You have?” Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he watched her sort through the drawer, seeing some sort of thing that looked somewhat like a folded book made of plastic and a collection of cables. Eventually, she pulled out what appeared to be some sort of plastic rounded purple rectangle with what looked like a camera lens in the upper corner.
A flash came from the odd device and Barrier heard what sounded like the whirring a camera would make. Barrier could see the reflection of colored light from the back of the device on Snapshot’s face.
“Yes. Gray’s been telling me all about the case you’re involved in and I do find it pretty notable,” Snapshot said as she held the device close to her face. “A death that appears to be an accident with suspicious circumstances is quite something.”
“I have some new information regarding this case that I’d like to share with her,” Barrier stated as he sat down in front of Snapshot’s desk.
“Well, I’m afraid she’s been brought on to another case and she’ll probably be busy for the next little while. However, I can record what you have to say so she can listen to it once she gets back.” Her magic seemed to be doing something to her odd device before she set it down on the desk.
To Barrier’s surprise, the device showed him the bright image of a tape recorder rolling and a few buttons that seemed to be behind a sheet of glass.
“Time of recording: seven twenty-eight PM, Monday, April fifteenth. Subject: Magic Barrier, wishing to provide more information related to the death of one Spectral Image.” Snapshot said towards the device before turning to the charcoal stallion. “Mr. Barrier, please proceed.”
“What… What kind of device is this? Is it some kind of camera?” Barrier asked as he tried to look at every angle of the strange rectangle, trying to figure out how a device could be both a camera and recorder.
“Yeah, it’s a recorder, camera, clock, music player, and so much more. It’s… imported,” Snapshot answered. “Now, what is it you’d like to add?”
“Right… On Saturday, April thirteenth, I had an encounter with the stallion I had seen in one of Spectral image’s photos while I was in Trottingham.”
“For the record, you’re referring to the one you dubbed as the Lemon Stallion, due to his lemon shaped cutie mark, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I believe it was around a quarter past eight at night when I spotted the stallion walking down a street from my hotel room. I quickly teleported down to confront the stallion.”
“Seems pretty dangerous to directly confront somepony you suspect of murder.” Snapshot interjected as she brought a hoof to her chin.
“I believed I could handle him due to my experience in the guard,” Barrier firmly replied. “At any rate, I confronted him as he was using a soda vending machine not far from the Gilded Stable Hotel.
“He knew my name and a good deal about my history. Military history, the identity of one of my housemates whose name I’d like to keep off the record, and he mocked how I knew very little if anything about him in return.
“When I told him I was going to take him in for what he’d done, he told me that he wasn’t the one that stole the skull nor the killer of Spectral Image.”
“By the skull, you’re referring to the skull of Brigadier Grimhilde LeGrande, which is still currently missing from the Canterlot Museum, correct?”
“Yes… I called him a liar, but he insisted that theft and murder weren’t his style, but implied that necromancy was.” When Barrier finished speaking, she saw that Snapshot was remaining silent, merely folding her hooves and resting her chin on them. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“On the contrary, I do.” Snapshot said as she looked sternly into Barrier’s eyes. “Over the last couple years, I’ve learned to accept things like strange magic, portals to other worlds, mystical creatures I couldn’t have dreamed of being real before, full body transformations, rainbow explosions and all sorts of phenomenal things. Somepony successfully raising the dead with a thousand year old skull doesn’t seem unbelievable in the slightest.”
“I… I thank you. I was somewhat concerned that my testimony would be unbelievable.” Barrier let out a sigh of relief.
“Now, what happened after the Lemon Stallion said this?” Snapshot inquired, her face becoming like an unreadable stone.
“I tried to force him to come along with me, but he smacked a soda can in my face. It exploded, making me stumble back and blinding me briefly. When my vision returned, I saw him running down an alleyway, weaving around some trash. However, by the time I reached the end of the alley, he’d managed to escape and my housemate, Verdant, was unable to spot him.”
“By Verdant, do you mean Verdant Range?” Snapshot asked, making Barrier’s eyebrow rise once more.
“Yes… He’s my housemate, step brother, and former cadet. He tried to search for the stallion while I returned to my hotel room, but he was unsuccessful,” Barrier stated. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?”
Stretching her foreleg out, Snapshot tapped her hoof against the device. When her hoof touched the glass, the spools for the recorder seemed to stop.
“Two quick questions, both off the record for my personal curiosity.” Her words made Barrier feel as if there was something very odd about the mare. “Firstly, were you ever a history teacher?”
“No, never,” Barrier answered. “The closest I’ve been to that is a guard instructor and a self-defense teacher.”
“Alright. Now, are you familiar with the names, Iron Forge, Swiftsword, Jaylin Blauhäher, Winter Gem, or Hat Trick?”
“All of them except Jaylin,” Barrier replied. “The rest, like Verdant, were cadets I trained in the royal guard and they’re now currently my housemates.”
A moment of silence was held between the two unicorns before Snapshot tapped the device once more, making the spools start to spin again.
“That should be everything I need to tell Gray Skies. Thank you for coming in, Mr. Barrier. This should be all.” As Snapshot finished speaking, she tapped the device one final time. The spools stopped once more before she stuffed the odd device back into her drawer.
“Thank you,” Barrier said as he stood up. “Hopefully she’ll—”
The door behind the stallion slammed open, making him turn quickly to face the source.
Standing in front of the doorway was an orange coated unicorn with a short and wild brown mane. A greatly annoyed expression was on their face behind the red framed glasses that covered their purple eyes.
The glasses wearing unicorn was covered in grime and other pieces of trash. Barrier had to force his eyes away from the banana peel on their head and instead glanced at what appeared to be the image of a lightbulb on their flank.
“I swear to Faust, I’m never dumpster diving ever again,” the unicorn spoke with a deep, scratchy voice as their horn glowed a bright blue and tossed the banana peel into a trash can. “I don’t care how badly I lose a bet, I’m leaving that shit to Gray.”
“Hey Tracey, perfect timing,” Snapshot said as she stepped out from behind her desk. “This is Magic Barrier, from the Spectral Image case. I just recorded some new information from him. Mr. Barrier, this is Trace Evidence, A.K.A., Tracey. They’re Gray Skies’ partner and one of the best detectives in Equestria.”
“Oh Faust dammit, not this case again…” Tracey rubbed the bridge of their snout with a hoof, only to regret it as the scent of garbage struck them, “Look, I know there’s some suspicious circs when it comes to her death, but it’s clearly an accident.”
“And how can you be so sure, Detective?” Barrier fought back the urge to glare at the androgynous unicorn. Tracey rolled their eyes before they drew close to the charcoal stallion.
“We had Dr. Cold Slab go over Spectral Image’s body with a fine-toothed comb. She’d just had had some coffee and toast shortly before her death, there were no signs of foul play or other fishy substances in her bloodstream, and based on her injuries, how far she was from the top of the stairs when she fell, the fresh snow on top of the icy patch at the top of the stairs with only her hoof marks, it all indicates that what happened was she tripped on an icy patch and broke her neck when she hit the stairs. It. Was. An. Accident.” Tracey grit their teeth as glared at Barrier.
“And what makes you think a unicorn, such as the Lemon Stallion, couldn’t have used their magic to push her?” Barrier nearly barked at the detective, making their right eye twitch.
“Hey, Genius, don’t you think the first thing we did when we got to the top of the stairs was have one of the C.S.I.s do a mana sweep?” Tracey stood up on their hindlegs to look Barrier in the eye and gave him a good whiff of their pungent garbage scent.
“The sweep showed the only magic to be used there within the past hour and a half was when a somepony flew by, which lines up with the mail mare’s testimony. All that, combined with the sharpest coroner in Caneighda county’s expert view and your testimony that said that nopony was near that part of the stairs pretty much proves that her death was an accident!” Tracey sighed in annoyance before they fell down to forehooves.
Barrier grumbled as he glared at the smaller unicorn. “And did you find any of the photos that the Lemon Stallion no doubt disposed of?”
Tracey’s horn flared with blue light, making the Barrier think they were about to blast him. However, instead something flew up from their saddlebags in front of Barrier’s face.
“You mean these photos?!” Tracey barked as they held three dirty photos in front of Barrier’s eyes.
The dark coated unicorn had to keep from stumbling back at the sight of the images before him. One was a griffin skull between two boxes and partly covered in cobwebs. The second photo was of a profile with information about the charcoal stallion. And lastly, though rather roughed up, it was the image of the Lemon Stallion looking into a mirror.
“Yes! That’s some of them!” Barrier was gobsmacked as he looked at the trio of photographs he’d seen so long ago. “Where’d you manage to find them?”
Tracey sighed as they slapped the photos down onto their desk. “I just spent the last eight hours going through garbage after trying to find these photos, trying to figure out where they could have been. Based on my searches, it looks like Spectral Image tossed them in a second floor trash can of the Midnight Mall after she finished work.”
“This is it… we’ve got real evidence,” Barrier whispered before turning his attention back to the detective. “Are you going to take this to the police?”
“Oh yeah, this’ll be perfect for a B.O.L.O..” Tracey rolled their eyes once more as they moved towards the door to a side room. “Officers, we have photographic evidence of a unicorn stallion that another unicorn stallion believes is a murderer despite all the hard evidence that shows Spectral Image’s death was an accident,” they said in a harshly mocking tone.
“To be fair, Boss,” Snapshot said to the bespectacled unicorn that fought the urge to groan. “The photo of the skull along with his picture and with Mr. Barrier’s testimony, we might be able to pin them with possession of stolen property. I know it’s not a murder charge, but it is something.”
Tracey groaned before repeatedly smacking their head against the doorframe and sighing.
“Fine… I’ll get in contact with the police in the morning. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go shower for the next five hours,” Tracey tiredly said before they looked over their shoulder back to Barrier. “But before I hit the showers, there’s something important I should tell you.”
“And what’s that?” Barrier’s brow cautiously rose as he saw the grime covered unicorn push open the door to a cramped restroom.
“That profile about you from Spectral’s photo? That’s not a piece of official government paperwork.” Tracey’s words made a chill run up Barrier’s spine. “Whoever made that profile has to be somepony that’s seemingly stalking you.”
“I… Thank you, Detective,” Barrier replied as Tracey walked into the restroom. “I do appreciate this.”
“It’s all part of the job… And be careful, Soldier Boy,” He heard Tracey say shortly before the sound of water began to flow.
“Do you really think that possession of stolen property is the best charge we can expect?” Barrier turned to Snapshot, making her nervously rub her neck.
“Well… I’m no legal expert, but based on what you said and what the photos show, it seems like this lemon guy didn’t steal the skull, but it’s possible they might have it. And I don’t think there’s really substantial evidence to link him to Spectral’s death. Sorry.” Snapshot apologetically said as she looked at the charcoal unicorn.
“Don’t be. I know you’re trying everything you can and I truly appreciate it,” Barrier said as he started to turn to the main door. “Thank you, Snapshot and good night.”
In a matter of moments, Barrier reached the bottom of the stairs and started to walk home. Not long into his journey, he spotted something on the roof of a building looking down at him.
It was Grimhilde and the Lemon Stallion, with the latter sporting a wicked grin on his face before the two turned back towards the roof.
“Not this time!” Barrier roared as he pushed his hooves as hard as he could and flared his horn. When he approached the building’s fire escape, he jumped and in a flash found himself in front of the final set of stairs separating him from the rooftop.
When Barrier vaulted onto the roof, he barked out, “Halt!” before he was startled by the sight before him.
Instead of the black coated griffin and the lime green unicorn with a blueish green mane, he found a dark coated bat pony with a dark blue mane and her flank raised up in the air with a pale green unicorn with a forest green mane who stumbled back on his hindlegs.
“Hey, Flankhole! Don’t clam jam!” the mare shouted at Barrier as pink tinges appeared on her and her companion’s face.
“I… What the…” Barrier was puzzled by the sight before him as the embarrassed green unicorn hid behind the bat mare.
“Look, I know what we’re doing’s lewd conduct and such, but we’re still on my roof and unless some pegasus flies overhead, it shouldn’t be a problem and you sure as Tartarus don’t look like a cop,” the bat pony barked as she faced Barrier and flared her leathery wings.
“Lumi, please calm down,” the green unicorn meekly said as he gently placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Relax, Forest. I’ve got this,” the bat mare sweetly said before she glared at Barrier once more.
“This is… a rather awkward case of mistaken identity…” Barrier said, making Lumi’s one eyebrow rise. “Did either of you happen to see a green unicorn with a lemon cutie mark and a large black coated griffin?”
“No, we haven’t, you Faust damn madpony!” Lumi exclaimed as Forest cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“No, sir. We’re the only two that’ve been here for the past two hours having a little picnic before… well…” The pale green stallion blushed as he pointed a forehoof towards a nearby picnic basket and blanket.
“I… see. Sorry for the interruption,” Barrier said as he slowly made his way down the fire escape. “Have a pleasant evening.”
“Yeah, you too, you psycho!” Barrier heard the bat pony bark once more before he teleported back down to the ground.
Y’know, maybe she does have a point.
“Shut it.”
After all, not only is this yet another sighting of Grimhilde that was a total bust, but you’re talking to yourself. Remember the first sign of insanity.
Barrier trotted along for a prolonged moment before he sighed.
“Alright. I’ll send a letter to Celestia after dinner and see about that therapist she mentioned back in the empire… I need to know I haven’t gone mad.”
Barrier was grateful that Princess Celestia had been encouraging when she received his letter requesting to see this particular therapist, especially when she was able to secure an appointment with her as early as that Thursday.
The two days between were rather uneventful, save for when Verdant attempted to make chili on Tuesday, leading to a household of stomach aches on Wednesday. However, while Barrier was preparing to see the doctor, the rest of his housemates were spending the day preparing for Hat Trick’s birthday.
With his afternoon clear, the obsidian unicorn eventually made his way to the doctor’s imposing office. The six-story office building near the center of the city made Barrier feel out of place amongst the taller structures. It was a section of town he rarely visited and not one he particularly enjoyed.
After a trip in an elevator that uncomfortably reminded him of being on a train, he soon arrived at the top floor and made his way into a waiting room.
The room had a rather ornate maroon and gold carpet that matched the dark red walls. There were half a dozen burgundy couches that lined the office walls. Beside a large pair of doors was a mahogany desk that had a brown colored unicorn with a graphite colored mane done up in a messy ponytail. She was busily writing down some notes while she adjusted her large glasses.
Seems even one of Equestria’s best therapists can’t afford good taste. Barrier rolled his eyes as he trotted up to the mare at the desk.
“Excuse me, I’m here for my appointment. I hope I’m on time,” Barrier said, briefly drawing the mare’s attention away from one book before opening up a second one.
“A Mr. Magic Barrier, is it?” she asked, making the stallion nod. “You’re a couple minutes early, but her previous patient had to reschedule.”
The bespectacled mare rose up from the desk and slightly pried the door beside her open. “Doctor, your two-fifteen’s here.”
“Excellent. Send him in.” An older mare’s voice came from behind the door, making the glasses wearing unicorn turn to Barrier.
“Doctor Sound Mind will see you now.” Her horn glowed with goldenrod light as she pulled the door open for Barrier.
Quickly swallowing, Barrier stepped into the doctor’s office. Instead of a back wall behind a mahogany desk, there was a large set of windows that overlooked the city below. The walls to the left and right were lined with mahogany bookshelves that covered multiple, widely varying subjects related to mental health, along with a set of books about a cat wanting lasagna.
“Welcome, Mr. Barrier.” The stallion’s eyes fell upon the mare behind the desk. Though this indigo coated mare’s mane was puffy and light gray, her face seemed to indicate she wasn’t a day over thirty. Her azure eyes seemed to twinkle from behind her pale-blue horn-rimmed glasses. “I’ve been hoping for the day I’d get to meet you.”
“Is that so, Doctor?” Barrier asked as her horn shimmered with cornflower blue light, making a couch similar to one he recalled seeing at Carousel Boutique appear out of seemingly nowhere.
“Well, not just you, but several others I’ve been informed about,” Doctor Sound Mind said as she stepped out from behind her desk, revealing that her cutie mark seemed to be a somewhat cartoonish depiction of an equine brain. “Princess Celestia informed me months ago that you, along with other soldiers from the pre-Nightmare Moon era, would be settling down here. I’ve been curious, but also nervous since I rarely have had to tangle with ponies who’ve experienced anything quite like you and yours.”
“Yes, well, that’s understandable,” Barrier stated as the doctor gently guided him over to the couch. “Hopefully this will go well.”
“I certainly hope so, Barrier. Now, lay back on the couch and relax.” Sound Mind soon made her way back to her desk before pulling out a quill and a notepad. “So, how do you feel right now?”
“Understandably, somewhat nervous,” Barrier answered as he laid down onto the couch. “Something like this was quite unheard of in my time, doubly so as a soldier and I worry about what some of my housemates will think about this. I’ve told them I’m at a work meeting today.”
“Barrier, there’s nothing to be nervous about,” Sound Mind soothingly said from her spot behind the desk. “Not only do a lot of ponies see therapists like me these days, but nothing you tell me leaves this room. I’m not here to judge you, but to help you.”
The charcoal unicorn sighed as he felt his back sinking into the cushy couch. Her words did help put him at ease, but only somewhat.
“Now, how have things been since the Crystal Empire?” Sound Mind asked as Barrier stared up at the ceiling.
“Hmm… Overall, it’s been very good,” Barrier replied as he recalled some of the events that had transpired since he’d returned to the empire. “While I had to mercy kill my mentor, I know it was better than simply allowing him to expire from his medical problems. I’m confident I’ve come to terms with that, thankfully.
“After that, things started to improve more and more,” Barrier continued. “I grew closer to ponies I once thought lost. I bought a home for them and myself, I got a job as a self-defense teacher, I had a good Hearth’s Warming with my found family and remaining blood relatives.” The charcoal stallion shook his head in amusement. “I managed to become friendly with a griffin family, started a herd, held a party for my goddaughter, and took a brief vacation to Trottingham not too long ago.”
“Very nice to hear.” A wide grin graced Sound Mind’s muzzle as she jotted some things down in her notepad. “Would you say there were anything you’d call negative experiences since then?”
“There are a few, to be certain.” Barrier quickly glanced towards the doctor before turning his attention back to the ceiling. “I learned my mother left my father, remarried the father of one of my cadets and had a sister I never got to meet. I got drunk and slept with somepony that wasn’t my lover, but that’s thankfully been resolved. I got turned into a foal and then a mare for a few days due to a magical mishap. I tried to help when Discord was attacking, but all that resulted in was me having to hike up to Canterlot and out a thousand bits. Still, the worst thing has been…”
“Go on, Barrier,” the doctor said in a comforting tone. “I’m here to help you, but I need you to be honest and willing to tell me what is bothering you.”
Taking a deep breath, Barrier felt a chill running down his spine before he spoke. “Sometimes, I’ve seen the image of an old one-time enemy of mine, Grimhilde LeGrande. She’s a griffin that nearly ate me back during the war and easily beat the tar out of me in the one fight we had.”
Barrier heard the doctor’s quill suddenly stop scratching on her notepad.
“When you say that, do you mean in dreams or in real life?” the doctor asked, no readable hint of emotion in her tone. It was somewhat off putting for the charcoal unicorn to hear from the formerly warm doctor.
“Both, but there was only one terrible dream where I saw her,” Barrier answered before swallowing. “The first time I saw… I thought I saw her was during a stormy night. It was in my backyard when the lightning flashed. When I rushed out, I only found one of my pegasus housemates.
“There were other times where I believe I saw her. One was in Canterlot when I was getting on the train back to Vanhoover. I thought I saw her enter a cabin, but all that was there was another acquaintance of mine.
“There’ve been more times since then. Once going to an alleyway in town, another on a roof in Ponyville, alongside a traitor who worked with her on Nightmare Night. Yet another in a museum in Canterlot. And the most recent one was… Monday night, where she was on a roof with another stallion that’s been vexing me for some time.”
“And how did those other encounters go, Barrier?” The doctor’s comforting tone was slowly returning as she asked.
“The alleyway only had a drunkard sleeping in it while in Ponyville, it turned out it was a pair of ponies in costumes. After turning a corner in the museum, all I found was a hall full of statues and with the most recent encounter, I found a couple on a roof as they were about to fornicate.”
Facing the doctor, he saw only the faintest tinge of red on her cheeks as she jotted down more notes.
“Very interesting, Barrier,” the doctor said as her scribbling came to a halt. “Now, what about this other stallion who’s vexing you? Who is he?”
Barrier felt a pit forming in his stomach as he looked back towards the ceiling. He sighed before speaking once again.
“It’s a bit of a long story. I met with a mare named Spectral Image, who was able to use her magic to answer some questions of mine. She told me that the one responsible for my Grimhilde sightings was a lime green coated unicorn with a blueish green mane. His cutie mark was a large lemon, so I’ve been calling him the ‘Lemon Stallion...’ The next day, I found Spectral Image dead at the bottom of the stairs outside of her apartment.”
The doctor’s writing halted once more for an instant.
“After that, I encountered the Lemon Stallion outside my hotel when I went to Trottingham. We had a brief scuffle before he managed to escape, claiming that he didn’t kill her and that he didn’t steal Grimhilde’s skull from the museum. He followed that up with the implication that he dabbled in necromancy.
“When I tried to take him in, he smashed my face in with a soda can and managed to escape from me after I chased him down an alley.”
“Hmm… Barrier, have there been any other witnesses to what you saw?” The doctor asked as she crossed her forehooves.
“...Sadly, no. The closest to somepony else seeing them was when I ran into one of my housemates after he escaped.” Barrier sighed before he looked the doctor in the eye. “You think I’m hallucinating?”
“Because I’m a doctor, I want to be very thorough when it comes to your treatment. I need to eliminate all possibilities to make sure you get the help you need. If it’s a neuro-chemical imbalance causing hallucinations, then I might be able to prescribe proper medication.” Sound Mind took out a sheet of paper and quickly jotted something down on it before levitating it over to the charcoal unicorn.
“I’d like you to take that note to the clinic on the corner of Doodles and Noodles so they can run some bloodwork on you.” Doctor Sound Mind took off her pointy glasses and moved out from behind her desk. “After that, the lab should have results within a few days.”
“I see…” Barrier said as he stood up and stuffed the note into his saddlebags. “Thank you, Doctor. I do appreciate your efforts.”
“Best of luck, Mr. Barrier. I hope you have a good day,” The doctor said as Barrier turned to the door, seeing the final wall of the room covered with a multitude of degrees.
“Same to you, Doctor,” Barrier replied before sighing and leaving the doctor’s office.
***
Barrier felt drained as he made his way up to the manor thanks to the bloodwork he’d gone through. Though the orange juice and sugar cookie helped, he was still feeling tired and heavy as his horn lit up and pushed open the gate.
“Hello there, Barrier.” The obsidian unicorn’s mane bristled as he heard the voice coming from behind him. It belonged to the stallion that managed to escape him back in Trottingham. The Lemon Stallion.
With his horn already ignited, he grit his teeth and spun about, firing a volley magic at the feet of the source.
The blast struck the ground at the hooves of not the lemon marked stallion, but a pink coated mare who leapt back in fright.
“Holy crap! What the heck, Barrier?! I just said hello!” Fruity Punch said as she breathed heavily down at the hole and scorch mark on the ground.
“Punch, I’m so sorry!” Barrier rushed up to the mare, his eyes panickedly darting between the unicorn and the scorch as well as his surroundings. “I… I thought I heard… someone else. Are you okay?”
“Well, I’m not hurt and I haven’t left anything on the ground behind me, so I guess I’m okay,” Punch replied as she got her breathing under control. “How about you? You’re looking like crap warmed over.”
“In that case, I’m looking better than I feel,” Barrier said as he wiped his brow. “Sorry to say that I’m not feeling up to doing our normal practice after having some blood work done.”
“I’ll bet,” Punch said as she put a hoof on his back and started to pull him towards the house. “Let’s get you inside. You look like you could use some rest and food. Maybe some of Hatty’s birthday cake will do the trick.”
“I agree, Punch. Though I’m not too fond of cake,” Barrier said as he passed by the High Stakes’ tent just before he saw Wind Whistler carrying a baseball bat in her mouth as she headed into the tent. Not long after, he heard the sound of a foal crying out, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”.
“Should… should we check on that?” Punch asked as she looked over to the tent in uncertainty.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m betting a foal just lost a game and the bat’s to replace a broken table leg,” Barrier answered as Punch opened the door for him and guided him inside.
A moment after the two unicorns went into the house, Wind Whistler came out of the tent, escorting another foal out.
“This isn’t fair! I would have won if you didn’t jinx the table! Twenty-eight’s a magic number!” The foal grumbled as she led him to the front gate.
***
The party food and lighthearted atmosphere greatly helped to reinvigorate Barrier. Verdant, Erica and Gem had brought in a cake covered in fondant and frosting that matched Hat Trick’s coat while Swift and Forge brought in a large stack of pizzas.
Many guests were in attendance, most coming from Hat Trick’s work or Gem’s family. Everything was rather cheerful for the party, though Showtime Spectacular spent most of the party nursing a bottle of brandy. Games were played for a good three hours before it came time for the birthday colt to open up his presents.
Verdant, Erica and Toil had brought him a large collection of smoke bombs that came in a wide variety of colors, while Forge crafted him a steel recreation of the E.S.S. Endeavor and the station Terra Noir from Star Trot. Swift gave him a new silk top hat while Gem said; “I’ll show you your present later” and offered a wink.
Barrier didn’t pay attention to many of the smaller gifts the others gave him as he was still feeling somewhat drained from his bloodwork. Still, he did note that Hatty greatly appreciated the coupon booklet for Blockbuster’s that he’d gotten him.
The last one to bring a present up to Hat Trick was Fruity Punch. The vibrant pink mare placed a small, narrow box in front of the pegasus stallion with a wide smile on his face.
“I hope you like this, Hatty,” Punch said as he picked up the box and examined it.
“I’m sure I will, Punch,” Hatty replied as he slowly started to pull the lid off the box. “I’m sure I could make real good use of a wa—”
The words died in his throat as he saw the box didn’t have what he expected. Instead of a watch of some kind, he saw what looked like an airship ticket.
Slowly picking the ticket, he found a second ticket that he passed off to Gem. Under that was what looked like a postcard with the words “Congratulations!” written in gold on top of the image of an elaborate casino as fireworks were exploding behind it.
“For my present, I’m giving you and Gem a grand prize all-expenses paid, week-long romantic trip for two to Las Pegasus next month!” As Punch cheered, Hat Trick and Gem’s jaws went slack and their eyes remained locked on the tickets.
“Holy crap, how the Tartarus did you get that?!” Toil nearly exclaimed as she looked over the congratulating card.
“Well, it’s a funny story,” Punch said as she started to rub the back of her neck. “Y’see, my sister entered a sweepstakes a while back, figuring she’d end up with a toaster for it, but she ended up getting the grand prize. Since both of us are single, we figured we’d give them to someone else and then I remembered your birthday, so here you go!”
“I… I don’t know what to say but thank you, Punch,” Hatty said before pulling the unicorn mare into a deep hug. “This is just… phenomenal.”
“No problem. The back of the postcard should have the info for how to claim the prize and all that.” Punch let out a pleasant sigh as Hatty released her from his bone crushing grip. She then picked up a glass of Caneighda Dry and lifted it up. “To Hat Trick, may this birthday be just one of many!”
“Here here!” the other partiers said in unison as they clinked their glasses against hers.
The party would go on for a good while before the guests all went home while the household eventually slipped into bed, enjoying a very pleasant night.
Especially for Hat Trick and the red and black negligee sporting Winter Gem.
The warm afternoon sun was beaming down upon Vanhoover as Barrier and Verdant stepped out of Strawberry Sundae’s Sodas, Scoops and Sweets, the latter balancing a large four tier blue cake with silver piping.
“Do we really need to get another cake? We still have some left over from yesterday’s party,” Barrier asked as his horn glowed, at the ready if the cake started to falter.
“Of course. That’s Hatty’s birthday cake and this is for Swift,” Verdant matter-of-factly stated. “It’s not her fault her mother squeezed her out two days short of a year before him.”
Barrier sighed as they trotted down the street, drawing the eye of several ponies as they walked by. “This week is gonna be terrible for our diets.”
“Well after Gem’s birthday on the first, it’ll be a couple months before we have to get to mine in July,” Verdant cheerfully replied.
“And then we have Fleet’s less than a week later,” Barrier added. “Still, I’ll relish the break from the excessive amounts of desserts.”
A few minutes passed for the pair of stallions as they walked along the city streets before the shamrock stallion broke the silence between them.
“Say Barrier, does killing zombies count?” Verdant asked, making the charcoal unicorn’s eyebrow rise.
“That’s… a bit of a surprising thing to ask. Pray tell, what brought this question on?” Barrier asked as the pair of them cautiously rounded a corner.
“Well, I was talking with Storm Cloud when we were sparring the other day and she brought up whether or not we have body counts. This means I either have a body count of zero or…” Verdant paused to think as he seemed to be doing some calculations in his head. “One-hundred and three.”
“That’s… surprising. You kept track of that?” Barrier asked, somewhat unnerved by what the young stallion said.
“Yeah… Well, many of those I had to take down were friends or acquaintances I knew in the guard,” Verdant glumly said as his gaze fell down towards his hooves. “After I had to take out Sugar Twinkle after she turned…” The stallion fell silent for a second. “Her blood was still warm when it covered my cloak… I got sick before we had to run away.”
Barrier pulled out his flask and held it out to Verdant, but he gently pushed it away.
“I understand. I had a similar reaction the first time I killed a griffin,” Barrier said as he slipped the flask back into his saddlebags. “At any rate, I wouldn’t say you’re a killer, Verdant. What you did was destroy a corpse that was being moved about by dark magic like a puppet on its strings. Your body count is zero. If anything, you were doing your former allies a favor so they could rest in peace.”
Verdant held silent before he slowly looked the obsidian unicorn in the eye. “Barrier, what would your body count be?”
The tall unicorn sighed once more before running a hoof through his mane. “I don’t keep track, Verdant. It’d be akin to torture if I did. I recall very few of those whose lives I’ve claimed clearly. The first griffin I killed and a few others. However, it’s safe to say that I’ve taken some twenty five lives at minimum, not counting those who had the opportunity to fight back.”
“I… I see,” Verdant said before swallowing. “I appreciate what you said.” While Barrier could hear some relief in the earth pony’s voice, he could still tell he was feeling rather uncomfortable with the whole topic.
“So, any plans for tonight?” the unicorn asked, hoping to change the uncomfortable subject.
“Well, Erica, Storm and I have plans for dinner and to watch some movies at Erica’s. I’m gonna try cooking this pseudo pork roast thing Erica got from a manga,” Verdant replied, sounding a bit more chipper than before.
“Oh? Interesting,” Barrier said as he brought a hoof to his chin. “Is there something going on between you, Erica and Storm Cloud?”
“Well… I’m not entirely sure,” Verdant replied as he and Barrier turned another corner. “I know she finds Erica attractive and we enjoy spending time together, but I’m not sure what exactly describes the three of us right now.”
“Well, whatever happens, I wish you well,” Barrier said as they passed by several more ponies. “She seems like a rather nice young mare.”
“At any rate, do you have any plans?” the shamrock stallion asked as the two spotted the sight of the manor coming into view.
“Besides a date at a fancy restaurant with Fleet and Daring next week and reading some books I’ve gotten, not particularly,” Barrier answered, earning a nod from Verdant.
After a few minutes, the two entered the manor and put the cake in the fridge. Just as the refrigerator door closed and Verdant wiped his brow, a tingling sound reached their ears as a wispy light flashed above the kitchen table.
The light vanished as a rolled up piece of paper landed upon the table. On it was a wax seal of the royal coat of arms.
“Gather the household, immediately,” Barrier quietly said, Verdant acting on the order before Barrier could even finish.
Barrier’s horn glowed with a gentle blue as he picked up the letter. Though he didn’t know what the message was about, it had to be something of importance to have the royal seal placed upon it and to be delivered directly.
In a matter of minutes, the adults were all gathered within the manor’s living room. Fleet and the privates all standing at attention, looking like they would be ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice.
Barrier was standing in front of the coffee table as he cautiously looked upon the wax seal.
“Don’t keep us in suspense, big guy. Open it up,” Daring said with a mixture of impatience and anxiety.
Taking a deep breath, Barrier slowly broke the wax seal and unfurled the letter. The obsidian stallion quietly read over the message.
“Barrier, please don’t keep us in suspense. What is it?” Fleet inquired just before Barrier let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s a wedding invitation.” A small smile appeared on Barrier’s muzzle as he looked over the note. “All eight of us have been invited to the wedding of Empress Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor.”
“Thank Faust, I was worried it was draft orders or something.” Hatty wiped his brow as his fellow privates relaxed their stances.
“The wedding is set for the twenty-fifth of May in Canterlot. Each of us is allowed a plus one and we’re asked to respond to the invitation so the wedding accommodations can be properly set up.” As Barrier took his eyes off the letter and set them onto his housemates, he saw that all of them, save for Daring and Swift, were looking somewhat apologetic. “Is something wrong?”
“Well, Snow and I already have plans. He got tickets for the hockey playoffs in Baltimare, so we can’t make it,” Forge said as he had trouble looking Barrier in the eye. “He’s had his heart set on this game for months and the hotel’s already booked. I couldn’t just cancel on him.”
“We can’t make it either,” Gem spoke up, drawing Barrier’s eye from the cobalt unicorn. “The wedding date is right smack dab in the middle of the trip to Las Pegasus Punch gave us.”
“Erica got news last week about the Equestria Games,” Verdant said as he stepped forward. “Apparently, that’s when there’s going to be some sort of qualifiers for the Vanhoover athletes, so I promised her I’d be there when she heads to Rainbow Falls.”
“And I’ve volunteered to chaperone Windy’s upcoming overnight school trip to Manehattan to see the zoo,” Fleet said as she rubbed the back of her head with her wing. “I can’t just cancel on her. It’d break her heart.”
“How unfortunate that you’ll be missing this historic moment, my friends.” Swift took a step towards the table and the charcoal unicorn. “I am rather fortunate to be free, so I shall be able to attend. Hopefully I’ll be able to spend some time with Minty during this.”
“And what about you, Daring?” Barrier asked the golden coated pegasus as she rubbed her chin in thought.
“Hmm… I’m pretty sure I’m free,” Daring cheerfully answered. “Besides, it’d give me an excuse to pig out on the crown’s bit.”
“Very well. I’ll send a response immediately,” Barrier replied as he rolled up the letter and started to head for the study. “Now, I suggest you all think about what you’d like for dinner tonight.”
***
One week had passed since the household received the invitation to Cadance’s wedding. Save for Swiftsword trying to cut her cake with her swords and her needing to replace the bifurcated table and broken plates, the week had been uneventful.
This was rather frustrating for the charcoal unicorn as he walked home after finishing his class.
How Faust damned long does it take for them to do that bloodwork? A grimace stretched across Barrier’s muzzle as he made his way to his front door. Shouldn’t they have gotten their results by now?
As Barrier stepped into the house, he saw Verdant at the kitchen counter, expertly chopping up a variety of vegetables while humming a tune to himself.
“Hey there, Barrier,” the shamrock stallion said as the unicorn drew closer to the kitchen. “How’s your day going?”
“Not much different from last week, and that’s the problem, unfortunately.” Barrier sighed before he sat down at the table.
“Well, if you want, I’ll have plenty of stir-fry done in a bit,” Verdant said without looking at the unicorn. “With Melony’s birthday and the rest of the house on dates, it looks like it’s just the two of us tonight.”
“Thank you. I could use something like that,” Barrier replied as he leaned back in his chair. Taking a deep breath to try to release some stress and irritation, he coolly exhaled before looking over to the vest-clad earth pony. “Verdant, do you know how long blood work tends to take?”
“Hmm… Sorry, but no,” Verdant replied as he started to chop up some celery. “The best guess I could offer would be based on how to poison ponies. Waiting for some test results?”
“Yes. Dr. Sound Mind asked me to have some blood work done after I talked to her about Grimhilde and the Lemon Stallion. It’s been over a week and I haven’t heard a single word from her or anypony about this.” Barrier rubbed the bridge of his snout with a forehoof.
“Well, hopefully the results come soon,” Verdant said as he kept up his chopping. “At any rate, wherever this mystery unicorn is, he’s probably a million miles away or something. Nopony’s seen hide nor hair of him in months.”
“Verdant, you know I saw him in Trottingham, remember? You tried looking for him after he ran off.”
The kitchen fell silent as the young pony’s chopping suddenly stopped. Slowly, Verdant turned to face Barrier with a perplexed look on his face.
“Barrier, what are you talking about?” Verdant tilted his head as he saw his former commanding officer’s eyebrow rise.
Sighing, Barrier rose out of his chair and looked at the young stallion with a look of clear annoyance and frustration. “Don’t play dumb, Verdant. I ran into you after I chased him down an alley near the hotel. You jumped onto a news stand and tried to spot him and said you’d try to hunt him down while I showered off.”
“When did this happen? Was I with anyone else?” Verdant asked as he leaned against the counter.
“Oh, for the love of…” Barrier rubbed the bridge of his snout before glaring at Verdant. “It was around a quarter past eight on the second night we were there and you were on your own.”
“Barrier…” Verdant sounded nervous as he tried to look the unicorn in the eye and swallowed. “I wasn’t there.”
The charcoal stallion tilted his head, shocked but what the earth pony had said. “What? What do you mean, ‘I wasn’t there’?”
“I mean, I didn’t get back to the hotel until eleven. Erica, Toil and I were spending the night on the town with restaurants and sights before we returned for the night. And even then, I never left their side.”
“I… but… that’s impossible…” Barrier muttered to himself as he brought a hoof to his forehead. “I know I met up with you. You told me you’d tell me if you found anything. When you didn’t say anything, I thought your search came up negative.”
“Was there anypony else there that saw you?” Verdant asked as he stepped away from the counter.
“I…No.” Barrier’s shoulders slumped as he answered. “After that talk I had, I returned to my hotel room and waited a few minutes before Daring finished using the shower.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say,” Verdant said before putting a hoof on Barrier’s shoulder. “All I know for sure is that I didn’t see you that night. I’ve got two ladies that can confirm that.”
Closing his eyes, Barrier took a deep breath. As he exhaled, Verdant felt a tired shakiness in the strong unicorn.
This doesn’t make any Faust damn sense! How could I see Verdant alone while he was with Erica and Toil?! None of this is adding up!
“How about I finish making this stir fry and we have a nice dinner?” Verdant tried to comfortingly say as he patted Barrier’s shoulder.
“I… That would be nice,” Barrier said as he pulled away from the earth pony and sat back at the table, his thoughts going a mile a minute.
While the meal was a delight, it couldn’t dispel a thought that gnawed at the back of Barrier’s mind for the entirety of the night.
Those four words seemed to echo in Barrier’s mind as he made laps around the gymnasium of the community center. In the few days since Verdant had said that to him, they seemed to haunt the charcoal unicorn.
Did I just imagine the whole thing? His brow furrowed as he slowed to a trot and continued to pace about the large room, occasionally glancing at the clock as he waited for his class to arrive.
The gnawing thought was dispelled as he heard the door open up. To his mild surprise, it seemed that only Fruity Punch was there.
“Good afternoon,” Barrier said as the warm colored unicorn walked up to him. As she drew closer, Barrier caught a rather strong lavender scent. “Did you see any of the others on their way?”
“Yeah, about that…” Punch rubbed the back of her head as her hindlegs rubbed together. “I saw the class earlier and most of them are sick or injured. Shorty and Nicky have the stomach flu, Bea’s got a really bad case of the trots and Holly cracked a leg bone after she got drunk and tried to fly off a roof, so it looks like it’s just the two of us.”
“How unfortunate. Hopefully they recover quickly,” Barrier stated as he noticed Punch biting her lower lip and fidget. “Punch, is there something wrong?”
“Um… About that?” A faint hint of red appeared on Punch’s pink cheeks before she quietly muttered. “I’m in heat.”
“Did you just say you’re in heat?” Barrier’s question made the rosy unicorn wince a little.
“Yeah. It’s a really strong one and I forgot to get any meds for it.” Embarrassment and annoyance were drizzled over her words as she slowly looked Barrier in the eye. “Best I could do is take a bath in air freshener to try to cover my scent.”
“Well, you certainly did that,” Barrier said as he noticed an uncomfortable twitch in her right hindleg. “Do you still want to train today? I know how much of a pain estrus can be, so we can just call this day a wash since there’s no one else here.”
“No! I mean, no. I want to do this,” Punch said as she slowly fell into a combative stance. “Please. I need something to take my mind off this.”
“Very well, so be it,” Barrier replied as he moved over to one of the training mats. “In that case, come at me.”
Taking a breath, Punch launched herself at Barrier. She jumped into the air and tried to deliver an axe kick to the charcoal stallion, but he dodged out of the way.
“Flashy, easily signaled,” Barrier stated before Punch spun around and tried to land a buck on his chest, the stallion quickly rose onto his hindlegs to block her hooves with his own.
The spar lasted nearly a half hour as the two exchanged blows. Punch managed to land a few on Barrier and while he could have blocked nearly all of them with the aid of his magic, he chose not to, feeling it would provide too much of an edge.
As Barrier used his forelegs to block a jab meant for his chest, Punch followed that up with a sweep of her hindlegs that managed to catch him off-balance and caused him to start tumbling backwards. The red-maned mare quickly seized her opportunity and tackled the larger pony, sending him onto his back with her on top.
The obsidian stallion soon found Punch’s forelegs harshly planted on either side of his head as she huffed. Her body was drenched in sweat as she leaned down closer to him.
Suddenly, Barrier’s cheeks turned crimson and Punch’s breath hitched as she felt her lap grinding up against his.
“Sorrysorrysorry!” Punch exclaimed as she leapt off, looking away from Barrier in shame. “I didn’t mean to do that! It was just… Oh, Faust dammit!”
“It’s okay, Punch.” Barrier coughed into his hoof as he tried to push that incident aside. “I know you didn’t mean to do this and that heat makes things all the more awkward.”
“Yeah…” Punch remained stock still as she kept her eyes focused on the entrance door, clearly wanting to avoid eye contact.
“You can take some pride in how well you performed today,” Barrier said as he came up to the rosy mare’s side. “Since time’s just about up, we’ll call it a day and head home.”
“Alright then.” Punch bit her lip as Barrier trotted towards the door. “Say Barrier, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
As Barrier faced the unicorn, he saw her face had grown much redder as she rubbed her right foreleg. “What is it?”
“Well…” Punch swallowed as she nervously looked Barrier in the eye. “I was thinking that since you have a herd, I was wondering if you… would have me as a herdmate?”
A tense silence hung in the air as Barrier was caught off guard by the mare’s question.
“That is… a rather surprising request, Punch,” Barrier said, watching as her face somehow grew even redder.
“I know. It’s just you’re a pretty attractive stallion, pretty nice and really smart. Got a sort of tall, dark and handsome thing going on,” Punch started to ramble as she avoided making eye contact.
“Well, I am flattered, Punch, but there are several issues with what you ask,” the charcoal unicorn stated, making the smaller unicorn wince. “First off, there is the age difference between us.”
“Well, I’m twenty-six and you’re like what, thirty-eight? I figure since we’re both adults, it’s not really that huge of an issue,” Punch anxiously replied.
“Another is that I am currently your self-defense teacher,” Barrier added.
“And we first got to know each other outside of your class. We’ve known each other a good deal longer than I’ve been your student.” A hopeful smile graced Punch’s face.
“Fair point. However, there is one more important thing to consider,” Barrier said as he took a step closer to Punch. “Now, I fully admit I’m no expert on herds, but from what I do know based on the word of others is that if you wish to be in a relationship with me, you’d need to get approval and enter a relationship with the other herdmates.”
“I… I understand,” Punch said as her smile quickly faded. “So I’d need to date the other two mares if we were to be together.”
“Indeed,” Barrier said before he sighed. “Just remember, Punch. It would probably be a bad idea to try to enter a romantic relationship while you’re under the effects of estrus.”
“I… Yeah, you’ve got a point,” Punch lightly fanned her face before she trotted past Barrier. “I think I’ll go take a nice cold shower. I’ll see you tomorrow, Barrier.”
“Very well. Have a good day, Punch,” Barrier said before following Punch out the doors and heading for home.
***
As Barrier reached Starflower Street, he was rather relieved how quiet it was. No foals were gathered outside the house to visit the Candy Casino, thanks to the fact High Stakes was busy with her parents' wedding anniversary.
Taking a deep breath, Barrier enjoyed the scent of spring flowers and freshly cut grass. Along with a cool breeze, it was as if a relaxing aura was washing over the weary stallion wearing.
As Barrier reached the front gate, any positive feelings he had vanished as he saw, standing in front of the manor door, the familiar form of the massive black griffin that haunted his nightmares.
Baring his teeth, Barrier charged forward as he fired a volley of magic blasts towards the griffin. Alerted by the sound of the approaching shots, she quickly leapt to her left, the shots striking the door and leaving scorched indents in it.
Quickly charging a strong blast, the unicorn shot a larger shot at Grimhilde. With a look of horror on her face, she spread her wings and took to the air. The shot barely slipped under her tail before it obliterated the vegetable patch behind her.
“I won’t miss next time!” Barrier barked as he prepared to teleport directly above the frightened hen so he could blast her in the head point blank.
Just before Barrier was ready to teleport, something struck the back of his head, shattering his concentration and making him fire another volley that the griffin dodged and shattered the window for the upstairs bathroom.
Turning to face what had struck him, Barrier only got the barest glance on a pink hoof before it slammed into his left eye, knocking him back.
Before he could gather his bearings, he saw a furious Fruity Punch landing on top of him with a vicious sneer on her face taking up his field of view.
“WHAT THE TARTARUS IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Fruity Punch screamed in the stunned unicorn’s face before his face turned into a snarl.
“What does it look like?!” Barrier spat back as he pushed the pink mare off of him and quickly rose to his hooves. “I’m trying to…”
The words died in Barrier’s throat at the sight before him. In the place of a massive and vicious black griffin hen was a frightened yellow pegasus in a postal uniform. A look of pure terror was plastered all over her face as she slowly lowered herself to the ground.
“I run all the way here after seeing you forget your saddlebags, and I find you trying to kill my Faust damn sister!” Punch’s shout made Barrier quickly turn to face her. “What is wrong with you?!”
“This… this is impossible.” Barrier felt his mouth going dry as he felt his stomach twisting itself into a knot. “I… I’m sorry, Punch. I don’t know what—”
A bundle of letters smacked Barrier in the face, cutting the charcoal unicorn off.
“There’s your damn mail! If it weren’t for the fact I’ve got a super strict schedule, I’d be pressing charges.” Sweet Honey glared at Barrier as she straightened out her ruffed uniform. “C’mon, Punch. Let’s get outta here. This guy’s as looney as a lightbulb-battered bug.”
“Right.” The venom in Punch’s tone was something that managed to make Barrier’s already twisted-up belly feel even worse. Sweet Honey took to the sky while Punch reached the gate just as Verdant came to a screeching halt as he turned a corner.
“I heard magic blasts and shouting! What’s going—”
“Ask him,” Punch angrily replied before she turned and gave Barrier one final glare. “And don’t expect me to show up for any more classes!”
As Punch walked past Verdant with her snout upturned, the shamrock stallion surveyed the damage to the house.
“What the… Barrier, what the heck happened that made—” Verdant suddenly gasped before he rushed past the unicorn to the remains of what was once his vegetable patch. “My… My tomatoes… My carrots…”
“Verdant, I’m so sorry,” Barrier said as he saw a faint tear in the stallion’s eye. “I thought I saw… Well, an old enemy and I tried to stop her… but it was only Honey.”
“I just… How?” Verdant asked in sadness and perplexment as he rose up to look at Barrier. “How do you mistake Sweet Honey for an old enemy? Who’d you even mistake her for?! Starscream?! Grimhilde?!”
“I… I can’t say.” Barrier found it hard to look the white-muzzled stallion in the eye. I can’t tell him what I saw. That would only make things worse.
Verdant took a deep breath before walking past Barrier, heading for the door. “I’ll ask Fixer Upper to handle the house repairs since I figure she could do it cheaply, but I’m not taking care of dinner.”
“That’s completely fair and I’ll pay for all the damages. And Verdant,” Barrier said as the earth pony reached the door, halting to look Barrier in the eye. “I’m deeply sorry about your vegetables. You know I’d never intentionally do anything to hurt you or the other cadets.”
“I know.” Verdant sighed before he pushed the door open. “I… I need some time to cool off. I think I’ll take a hot… Oh, right.”
“I’ll sweep up the glass and if you wish to use my bathroom, feel free to do so,” Barrier said as he followed the earth pony inside. “And after that, I’ll go get dinner.”
Verdant muttered his thanks before he started to slowly pull himself up the stairs.
A few minutes later, after Barrier swept up the glass, the obsidian unicorn headed downstairs, letting out a tired sigh just before he slipped out the door. Spotting his saddlebags on the lawn, Barrier picked them up and quickly tied them into place.
Well, it seems despite all your protests, you might really be crazy. Barrier’s mind chided as he made his way out the front gate.
“I can’t be crazy,” Barrier muttered to himself. “We have physical evidence that the Lemon Stallion’s behind the Grimhilde sightings. Spectral was killed because of those photos.”
And yet, all the times you saw the griffin before were when there was nopony else around. But this time, there was no way Punch couldn’t have seen Grimhilde. Instead, she saw you blasting at her sister as she tried to drop off your mail!
The charcoal unicorn winced at his own mental chiding as he walked.
“First thing tomorrow, I’m seeing Dr. Sound Mind to see if she’s gotten any word on my bloodwork. I can’t wait any longer.”
I think we both know what the end result of that will be.
***
A light fog held in the early morning air as Barrier stood outside the large building that held Sound Mind’s office. His sleep had been restless the night before, so he decided to walk about the city until he eventually came to the office building’s front door.
Looking down the street to the left, Barrier saw a nearby clock that read the time as twelve past seven.
“Barrier?” The stallion’s ears perked as he quickly turned to his right, where he spotted the glasses wearing purple unicorn. “What are you doing here this early?”
“I’m sorry, Doctor, but there’s something I need to know that’s very important,” Barrier stated as he rubbed one of his tired eyes. “I need to ask you if my test results said anything.”
To his surprise, the doctor looked somewhat annoyed at him. “I’d like to know that too since I haven’t gotten anything from the clinic about it! Heck, they can’t even say you were there!”
“What?!” Barrier was taken aback by Sound Mind’s words. “That’s impossible! I know I was there! I had my blood drawn by a Dr. Lovely Brew! They have to have my blood!”
With a deep sigh, a cyan light came from Sound Mind’s horn as she plucked her glasses off her face and started to rub the bridge of her snout.
“Maybe the paperwork and sample got lost. I don’t know.” Sound Mind placed the glasses back on her snout. “Still, we’re going to have to wait about a month before we can take another blood sample.”
“Are you sure they can’t take another one right now?” Barrier nearly pleaded as she trotted past him to reach the office building’s door.
“Unfortunately, no. It’d be too dangerous to drain the amount of blood needed for a sample so soon after the last time.” The doctor took one last deep breath before looking at Barrier one last time. “I suggest you go home and take it easy. I’ll be sure to send you a letter when it’ll be safe for you to get tested again.”
“I… I understand. Thank you, Doctor.” Barrier sighed before he pulled away and took a short swig from his flask before heading off once more into the fog-covered streets.
Just before the doctor fell out of earshot, Barrier heard two words from her.
It was a cool Wednesday afternoon as Barrier sat on a bench in the community center’s gym. The sole sound that occupied the room was the sound of an old clock ticking on the wall.
The charcoal unicorn’s thoughts twisted a knot into his stomach. Why had he mistaken Sweet Honey for Grimhilde? Why was there no record for his blood work?
Would Punch ever be able to forgive him?
Several minutes passed until the sound of the door opening broke the silence as three of his students entered the room. Bea, Shorty and Nicky all looked somewhat nervous as they approached their teacher.
“Good afternoon, class,” Barrier said as he slowly pulled himself off the bench. “How’s your day been?”
“Well, Ah’ve been pretty good,” Bea cheerfully stated. “Still, it ain’t exactly hard to top the terrible Monday Ah had.”
“Eh, I didn’t spend yesterday huddled ‘round the toilet, I’m good. Right, Shorty?” Nicky said before gently nudging her brother in the shoulder.
“Yeah. Could be worse,” Shorty added as he tried to look away from Barrier.
“Is something wrong?” Barrier asked as he took a step closer. He saw that this made Short Circuit nervously swallow.
“Well, Barrier…” Bea rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to think of a reply. “We talked to Punch and she told us about what happened with y’all tryin’ to blast Honey outta the sky.”
“Oh.” Barrier took a deep breath before sighing in regret. “I am truly sorry for that. It was… a very bad case of mistaken identity. However, it’s not going to happen again. This I swear to you all.”
A smile stretched across Bea’s muzzle while the twins looked somewhat more relaxed.
“By the way, how’s Holly?” Barrier asked as he drew closer to his students, relieved to see none of them looked as nervous as before or flinching.
“Doc’s said she’ll be outta commission for a few weeks, but she’ll get better,” Shorty replied.
“Lesson learned: Don’t get drunk and try to fly, especially if you don’t have wings,” Nicky added with a mild smirk on her muzzle.
“Good to hear. Now, it’s time to get down to business,” Barrier said as he began to stretch. “We’ll start with some stretches before we get into the Weekend Whip training. Bea, I’ll be your sparring partner while the twins handle each other.”
***
As the class was finishing up, Barrier felt fairly well. The training had gone better than he’d expected, with Bea’s speed greatly improving from when she had started while the twins had committed the steps he’d taught to memory. The dark-colored unicorn was only mildly sore after the long sparring session.
After a quick shower, Barrier headed to the manor. As he walked along Starflower Street, he saw a long line of foals that led to his house.
As Barrier reached the front gate, he saw there was more than just the Candy Casino drawing the foals’ attention.
On the other side of the lawn was a sparring session going on between Swiftsword, Verdant and Storm Cloud. In Swift’s aura was a pair of wooden training swords that she swiped at her opponents. Verdant ducked and rolled under Swift’s strike while Storm Cloud backflipped into the air.
“So was that stuff Erica made chicken or oysters?” Storm asked before she dashed towards Swift, tackling her to the ground and flipping her on her back before the unicorn teleported out from under her and reappeared behind the pegasus. Storm was only barely able to dart to the side, away from Swift’s follow-up strike.
“No, what she made was a part of a chicken called the oyster,” Verdant said before drawing his bow from his saddlebag. Swift quickly turned her attention to Verdant and tried to hit him with an overhead strike with her blades. The shamrock stallion blocked the blow with his bow, but Swift ran forward and landed a slide kick on his left foreleg, making him land belly first on the ground.
“Afternoon,” Barrier called out, just as Verdant barely rolled out of the way of Swift’s blades.
“Good afternoon, Barrier,” Swift pleasantly said as she pulled her swords close to her sides. “I was sparring to prepare for the wedding. Would you care to join us?”
“...Why would you need to prepare for battle at the wedding?” Barrier asked with an eyebrow raised as he drew closer.
“Well, it’s rather simple.” Swift firmly stated. “A royal wedding is a major political event, and with this being held at the royal palace, it would make it a tempting target for someone wishing to harm or threaten the kingdom, so we must remain on guard.
“Besides, I have been reading Canterlot newspapers and have found out that some - as the reporters have put it - ‘country hicks’ have shown up at major Canterlot events. While I didn’t see them, they were apparently at the gala bothering some of Princess Celestia’s menagerie and disrupting things on the dance floor. Later, a larger group of them crashed the Canterlot Garden party.
“Should these rowdy country ponies show up to disrupt the wedding… Well, I will be ready to do whatever is necessary.”
“Alright. Just try not to kill anyone at the wedding,” Barrier said as he headed past the trio towards the manor.
“No promises,” Swift bluntly replied as she picked up her blades once more. “Now, let us resume our truel.”
The sounds of flapping wings and quick hoofsteps on the grass reached Barrier’s ears as he pushed his way into the manor. As he headed towards the kitchen, he saw Wind Whistler doing her homework while Daring was sitting right beside her with an open text book. Hat Trick was standing beside Winter Gem as she was sticking her head into the fridge.
“Got things cleared with Mrs. Flare. Think Belmont will be alright without you to help out?” Hatty asked as Gem pulled her head out of the fridge, carrying a cup of fruit cocktail in her teeth.
Gem spat the cup onto a kitchen counter before turning to Hat Trick. “Actually, he’ll be fine. Cousin Bailey Sweet’s coming to stay with them for a while since things are apparently getting really crowded at the farm in Tall Tale.”
“Alright, Kiddo. Pop quiz time. Who were the original founders of the ancient earth pony parliamentary government?” Daring asked the pegasus filly, making her set her pencil aside.
“Hmm… It was Minty, Butterscotch, Cotton Candy…” Wind Whistler’s muzzle scrunched as she tried to recall the rest of her answer. “Blossom… Blue Belle and… Snuzzle?” A note of uncertainty was clear as she finished.
A warm smile graced Daring’s face right before she mussed up Windy’s mane. “Right on, Windy. You’ve got that test in the bag.”
“Thanks,” Windy beamed before she picked up her pencil once more and returned to her homework.
“Hey, Barrier,” Daring said as she spotted the charcoal unicorn approaching the table. “How’s it going?”
“Could be better, could be worse,” Barrier said with a shrug before he reached Daring and gave her a nuzzle. “How’s the school work going?”
“Alright, but the history test is gonna really suuuuuuuuuck,” Wind Whistler said as she held her pencil between her teeth. “Couldn’t make it about something cool like the battle against the raptorians or a war. Noooo, we’ve got to take a test on crap like the founders of the earth pony parliament or who was the first llama ambassador to Equestria.”
“It was Cha Cha, by the way,” Daring added, making Windy roll her eyes before turning her attention back to her homework. “So, how’s your day going?”
“Not too bad, all things considered,” Barrier answered before taking a seat. “The class has really improved. Tomorrow, I think I’ll get my mane touched up and see if my suit needs any adjustment before the wedding.”
“Glad to hear,” Daring said as she rose from her chair and had a quick stretch. “Fleet’s out picking up dinner for us and grabbing a couple of movies. Hopefully, she’ll be able to pick up a copy of The Ice Cream Wars. It’s based on one of my favorite historical events.”
“Wish I could study about the Ice Cream Wars…” Barrier heard Windy mutter as she jotted down some notes in her homework. “Not this junk.”
“Well, if you do well enough on your test, I’ll get you a big tub of ice cream,” Barrier said before reaching over and lightly tussling her mane. “How does that sound?”
“Alright, but this is still a pain in the butt,” Windy replied before she looked up to her uncle.
“Say, Barrier,” Daring began as she gently stroked his back with her wing. “I’m thinking after the movie, we could have a little fun tonight. You feeling up for it?” She gave the unicorn a sultry wink, making the nearby filly roll her eyes.
“Certainly,” Barrier answered before he rose up from his chair and nuzzled her neck. Just as he planted a kiss on her cheek, the sound of the front door opening drew everypony’s attention to the sight of the cycloptic mare heading up to the table.
“Hey, Fleet,” Daring said before she pulled away from Barrier to give her marefriend a nuzzle and kiss on the cheek. “How’d your trip go?”
“Very good,” Fleet replied as she took off her saddlebags. “I got some food from Burrito Burro, The Ice Cream Wars and I had a check-up at work. Turns out I’ve got a minor ear infection. Thankfully, I got a prescription to take care of that.”
“Great to hear,” Daring said as she patted Fleet on the back. “Barrier and I were thinking of having some grown-up fun tonight—”
“Just say ‘have sex’. Everypony in my class already learned about it in school,” Windy grumbled without taking her eyes off her homework.
“Um… Anyway, wanna join in?” Daring asked the one-eyed mare.
“Sounds like a plan,” Fleet replied as she placed her saddlebags on the table. “Barrier, could you gather everypony so we can have dinner?”
“With pleasure,” Barrier said as he caught a quick whiff of the food in the saddlebags. “Hmm… It smells delicious.”
***
With a tasty dinner and an exciting movie long over, Barrier found himself being guided into his bedroom with two wings on his back. The room was darkened with the only light coming from the moon and stars outside the bedroom window.
Barrier hopped onto the soft bed, followed shortly by Daring. The charcoal unicorn rolled onto his back while Daring clambered on top of him. He soon found her forelegs planted beside his head before she lowered her head to his with their lips meeting in a fiery embrace.
The unicorn soon found Daring’s tongue beginning to poke against his lips. Before he could open his mouth in reply, his ears stood at attention as he started to hear the tingle of magic above him.
In a flash of green, a scroll appeared in the air before bouncing off the top of Daring’s head and landing the bed.
“Oh, bewitching bells, what now?” Daring grumbled as Barrier’s’s horn flicked on the lights. With the room lit up, Daring picked up the scroll as Fleet hopped onto the bed with them.
Quickly unfurling the scroll, Daring’s eyes began to dart over the message as she scanned over the letter. As she read, Barrier could start to see her jaw slowly drop and her coat turning pale.
With a frustrated sigh, Daring tossed the letter to Barrier and hopped off the bed. “Burn it.”
“Daring, what’s going on? Fleet asked as Daring headed for a closet she and Barrier shared.
“The translators finally finished that decryption and we know where Dazzleglow’s tomb is, along with the magic coins,” Daring answered as she pulled out a saddlebag and her adventuring attire. “I’ve got to get onto the next train to Dodge City so I can head to the badlands.”
“Daring, it’s nearly midnight,” Barrier said before he teleported to her side. “I know we’ve had to ship out at all sorts of hours, but do you really think any trains will be running to Dodge City at this time?”
The golden pegasus paused to consider what Barrier had said. “Probably not,” Daring sighed as she took her outfit and saddlebags.
“Let’s get some rest before you have to head out,” Fleet said as she glided over to Daring and put a wing on her back. “If you’re going on a possibly dangerous adventure, it would be a good idea to be as well rested as you can be.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Daring replied as the sky-blue mare guided her back towards the bed. “Still, it might be a good idea to have what fun we can before I have to leave.”
Soon, all three ponies were together on the bed.
What would come next was the last glorious night before the wedding.
In the darkness of his bedroom, Barrier was awakened by a feeling of movement on the bed beside him.
As his eyes adjusted to the low light provided by the moon, he spotted Daring making her way to their closet.
“You may want to take a shower before you put your adventuring outfit on.” Barrier’s whisper made the golden pegasus pause. “We worked up a bit of a sweat before we went to sleep.”
“Sorry if I woke you,” Daring quietly replied before quickly sniffing her foreleg’s pit and wincing. “Yeah, I should take a shower.”
“I hope you weren’t planning on leaving without saying goodbye.” A voice beside Barrier made the unicorn’s ears stand at attention, letting him see Fleet start to sit up in the bed.
Daring sighed as she slowly dragged her way back to the bed. “I find it tends to be a bit easier when it comes to trips like this. I’ve got no idea how long it’s gonna take me to take care of things at the tomb and such.”
“Personally, I’d prefer to get a goodbye,” Fleet said before pulling Daring into a hug and planting a kiss on the cheek.
Daring sighed again as she fell into the hug that Barrier quickly joined. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”
Breaking from the hug, Daring started towards the bathroom. “Would either of you like to join in?”
***
Nearly a half hour later, as darkness still covered the city, Barrier, Fleet and Daring were gathered at the train station, awaiting the first train to Dodge City, due in ten minutes.
“Y’know, it’s kinda weird,” Daring muttered to herself as she used her wing to adjust her pith helmet. “It’s been so long since I’ve needed to go on an adventure that I started to get used to having a pretty calm life in this city with all of you and the others.”
“Is it really wise to be out and about outside of your disguise?” Fleet asked as she leaned over to see if she could spot anything on the tracks.
“I figure it’s fine since it’s not even dawn yet, and I doubt that any of my enemies are watching, much less would know I’m here and where I’m about to go,” Daring casually replied as she patted Fleet’s back.
“And even if some were here…” The three quickly spun about to see the privates coming up to the station with Swift leading and carrying a tired Wind Whistler on her back. “You have seven ponies who would strike them dead if they tried anything to harm you.”
“Make that…” Wind Whistler widely yawned as she looked over Swift’s shoulder. “Eight.”
“Did you really think you could just head out without saying goodbye?” Hat Trick asked as he trotted up the steps.
“Sorry, kids, but this is important. Getting to the tomb takes priority,” Daring answered as she leaned against a support post.
“Well, in the event that one of your enemies shows up, I suggest you take this.” Swiftsword’s horn glowed, cutting through the dark as she pulled a sheathed dagger out of her mane. “Remember, pulling the blade out of a wound will likely cause your enemy to bleed out.”
“Ugh… Thanks, Swift,” Daring nervously said as she grabbed the dagger with her wing and stowed it away in her saddlebags.
“We’re all gonna miss you, Aunt Daring,” Wind Whistler said before she fluttered off Swift’s back and to Daring’s side, where she gave her foreleg a tight hug.
“I’ll miss you too, Windy,” Daring said before nuzzling the little filly. “Hopefully I’ll be able to take care of this and be able to get back as soon as I can.”
Breaking the hug, Windy wiped her eye with her wing before returning to her mother’s side. “Hopefully. Try to get back in one piece.”
Daring chuckled. “You’ve got it. I’ll try to see if I can get you something as a souvenir.”
***
After Daring had left, things fell rather quiet for the household of ponies, with the only issues arising from preparations for their upcoming trips.
The time soon came for the ponies to go their separate ways. Hat Trick and Winter Gem were the first to leave, setting off for the vacation in Las Pegasus. Forge prepared for his hockey game with Snow Sweeper.
Eventually, on the twenty-third of May, while Wind Whistler and Fleetfeather left so they could go on on the school’s trip to Manehattan and Verdant went with Erica and Storm Cloud to Rainbow Falls to prepare for the Equestria Games that morning, Barrier and Swiftsword were off to Canterlot that afternoon for the royal wedding.
While Swiftsword was nearly bouncing in her seat with her two swords on her lap, Barrier was staring out the window, going over a mental checklist to recall if he’d missed anything.
Tell Heavy Weight I’d be out of town? Check. Inform class there's no training on Friday? Check. Packed my uniform? Check. Got my mane touched up? Check. Barrier sighed, somewhat annoyed that his thoughts weren’t distracting him enough from the train’s rumbling. Wait, is the milk about to expire? … Crap, this is gonna bug me the rest of the way to Canterlot.
“Attention passengers,” a mare’s voice came from the hallway. “We shall be arriving in Canterlot shortly. All those not bound for Baltimare, please be ready to depart.”
Turning his gaze out the window, Barrier spotted the capital city. To his mild surprise, the city seemed to be encased in a translucent magenta bubble.
At least they’re taking precautions with the wedding coming up. Barrier thought to himself as Swiftsword slid off her seat and carried her luggage in her magic.
A few moments after leaving the cabin, a field of magenta light washed over the train, briefly sparking when it reached Swift’s black sword, seeming to be unable to touch it.
Soon after the train came to a halt, as they stepped off, Barrier saw a large number of guards standing at attention at the train station. Several were on the platform and waiting on top of the station.
“Halt, ma’am,” a white-coated pegasus said as he flared his wings and approached Swiftsword. “Why are you carrying those weapons?”
Several of the guards tensed. Barrier raised an eyebrow in amusement as he saw several of the unicorns flaring their horns while the pegasi looked ready to charge and the earth ponies tightened the grip on their spears.
“At ease, everypony.” A slight smile graced Barrier’s face as Shining Armor stepped forward from the crowd, decked out in full armor. That smile quickly faltered as he saw that Starshine was closely by his side with her usual glower. “They’re guests for the wedding… Though I am surprised that Swift’s got a pair of swords on her.”
“A Falchion goes nowhere unarmed, Captain,” Swift said as she threw out a salute.
“She thought it would be best to have them, should something go wrong,” Barrier stated as Shining and Starshine came to a halt before them.
“Well, considering you were there for both Nightmare Moon and Sombra, I can see why,” Shining said as he glanced over Swift’s sheathed blades. “Was one of those things made of mystibane?”
“Indeed, sir,” Swiftsword proudly answered. “It was very expensive, but I’d say it was worth every bit for such a weapon.”
“Guess that explains the weird feeling I had with the forcefield a bit ago,” Shining muttered as he brought a hoof to his chin.
“Captain, such a weapon seems highly dangerous and I don’t like her reasoning for bringing these weapons into Canterlot,” Starshine said as she maintained a defensive stance. “I suggest confiscating these weapons.”
“I understand your reasoning, Lieutenant, but I trust Barrier and Swiftsword after the Crystal Empire,” Shining replied, making Starshine’s glower intensify. “However, should she draw them without the need to, feel free to confiscate them and only return them only after she’s outside the city’s limits.”
“Aye, Sir,” Starshine said as Shining Armor led Barrier and Swift over to a nearby bench.
“Cadance’s should be arriving in a few minutes, so we might as well just stay here and go to the palace together,” Shining Armor said as he sat down on the bench. “So, how’s things been treating you?”
“Eh, mixed bag,” Barrier responded as Starshine sat down on the bench beside Shining Armor. “Mostly work related stuff, teaching self-defense classes and the trials of maintaining a herd.”
“Heh. I don’t think I could ever do that. Cadance is the one mare for me.” Barrier thought he spotted Starshine’s green eyes twitching at Shining Armor’s words. “So, how come it’s just the two of you?”
“Save for Daring, who had a sudden business to attend to, all of them had previous engagements of some sort. A school trip, acting as a chaperone, trip to Las Pegasus, a hockey game and some kind of qualifiers for the Equestria games,” Barrier answered as he leaned up against the bench.
“Huh. Didn’t know they did qualifiers this far in advance,” Shining replied as he focused his gaze on the train tracks. “Still, glad to have you two here. And I’m sure Twily will be happy to see you again. When was the last time she saw you? Nightmare Night?”
“Actually, she visited a while back to help find a self-defense teacher.” Barrier’s ears pricked up as he heard a train whistle somewhere off in the distance. “I managed to get an old friend of mine to take care of it.”
“Nice. Hopefully learning a bit will help her feel better,” Shining said as he rose up from the bench. “I spoke with her after Discord’s attack and she confided how worrying it was to not be able to use her magic.”
After a few minutes had passed in relative silence, Barrier spotted something that made him hate trains even more. The engine car seemed to be carved entirely out of light blue crystal while the cars it pulled seemed to be crystalline as well, in the colors of red, purple and magenta.
“I’m guessing a modern designer picked the colors for this train,” Barrier remarked as the train started to pull into the station. “That, or they’re severely colorblind. I feel like my eyes are going to bleed.”
Not long after the train stopped, a pair of guards emerged from one of the cars. After glancing at the fellow guards and getting a nod from Shining Armor, one of the guards barked, “All clear,” before they stepped away from the doorway.
With the doorway cleared, a tall, vibrant pink alicorn stepped off the train, her eyes covered by a pair of heart shaped sunglasses.
“It’s great to finally see you again, Shining,” Cadance said before she gave the captain a nuzzle, “It’s been far too long.”
“I missed you too.” A warm smile graced Shining Armor’s face before he pulled back to look upon the elegant empress. “Is there anything I can get you?”
Cadance chuckled as she brought a hoof covered by a gold shoe up to her glasses. “A hot cheesy pizza with extra mushrooms, a good book…”
The alicorn slid the glasses off her face, making Swift gasp at the alicorn's baggy and bloodshot eyes. “And a cannon to shoot me.”
“Oh, Cadance, what happened?!” Shining asked worriedly as the alicorn slipped the sunglasses back on.
“Nothing too much,” Cadance tried to sound casual as she masked her tiredness. “I just put my snout to the grindstone to try to get everything taken care of ahead of time so we’ll be able to have a nice, peaceful honeymoon.”
“Aw, that’s sweet, but Princess Luna could have handled things in the empire while we’re having the wedding and honeymoon,” Shining said as he nuzzled the alicorn’s neck.
“I know, but I didn’t want to burden her too much. Spending so much time in the empire helped me see how much adjusting she’s probably gone through.” Cadance fought back the urge to yawn as a pair of guards emerged from the train. While one carried what looked like a large luggage bag, the other seemed to be carrying a large plastic cooler.
As Barrier observed the cooler, a pair of loud thuds came from inside the plastic bin, nearly causing the guard carrying it to stumble.
“Might I ask what’s in the cooler, your imperial majesty?” Starshine asked as she took the cooler in her brilliant green magic aura, stabilizing it on the guard’s back.
“Oh, it’s a rainbow quartz trout I had caught since one of the guests is Queen Leena,” Cadance said as she leaned against Shining Armor. “I figured a big, fresh fish from the empire would be the perfect treat for our griffin guests. Now, can we please go to the palace? I’d like to take a well deserved power nap.”
“Of course, dear,” Shining said as he and Cadance lead the way. “Lieutenant, please take care of the empress’s bags.”
“Yes, Sir,” Starshine nearly growled as her magic picked up Cadance’s luggage and followed her, the golden mare’s eyes filled with venom.
“Come on, Barrier, Swift,” Shining Armor said as he headed towards the palace with Cadance leaning against him and weakly nuzzling him. “Let’s get you all settled in at the palace. I figure it’ll probably be a while before Twily and her friends get here.”
“Very well,” Barrier replied as he and Swift fell in line behind Starshine, with the charcoal unicorn noting the look of hatred in her eyes.
I can understand why Starshine dislikes me, but why does it look like she wants to murder Cadance in a grisly fashion?
As the afternoon rolled on, Barrier and Swiftsword followed Shining Armor, Cadance, Starshine and the guards that surrounded the rosy alicorn as they came up to the palace gateway.
“So, what exactly are the plans for the wedding so far?” Barrier inquired as a pair of guards opened the gates before them.
“Twily and her friends are going to be handling a good chunk of it,” Shining Armor replied, looking over his shoulder as he crossed the threshold. “We’ll have the rehearsal tomorrow and then after that, the big day.”
“Seems rather odd to do the set up for something as large as a royal wedding so close to the actual day,” Barrier responded as the entourage entered the palace hallways.
“Well, we’ve been planning for months so most of the planning has been handled in Ponyville,” Cadance responded as she fought back a yawn. “Rarity got my measurements for my wedding dress last week while Rainbow Dash set up a stunt show to follow the wedding, including a sonic rainboom. Fluttershy got things planned out with animals which just leaves Pinkie Pie to handle the decorating and Applejack to handle the catering.”
“Not to mention we’ve got the best little sister in Equestria acting as the best mare,” Shining Armor added as he gave Cadance a nuzzle. “Starshine, please take Empress Cadance to her room. I’ll visit her later.”
“Yes, sir,” Starshine replied before falling in alongside the tired alicorn mare. “Come along, Your Imperial Majesty. I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.”
“As for you…” Shining turned around to face Barrier and Swift. “Spearmint and Cobalt Lancer will take you up to your rooms while I’ll go oversee Princess Luna’s departure to the Crystal Empire.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Swift said with a quick bow. “Have a good evening.”
***
Barrier tiredly sighed as he laid his suitcase beside the bed of his opulent guest room. Quickly pressing a hoof against the bed, he grunted in annoyance, the bed too soft for his liking. Glancing towards an ornate clock that hung above the fireplace, he saw that it wasn’t even four in the afternoon.
And I forgot to pack a book. Dammit. The charcoal stallion sighed in annoyance as he made his way to the door. Stepping outside, he spotted a blue coated guardsmare standing next to his room as well as Swiftsword and an unarmored Spearmint chatting just a few rooms down from his own.
“So, any plans, Swift?” Barrier asked, interrupting the two mares.
“Uh, yes, sir.” Swift replied as she leaned up against Spearmint’s side. “Minty and I will be heading out for dinner, checking out one of Canterlot’s various restaurants.”
“Well, have a good time,” Barrier said before turning down the hallway. “I figure that I’ll head towards the train station and wait for Twilight and her friends.”
“Tell them I said hello,” Swift called out as Barrier headed out, his body moving almost automatically.
Even after the months of absence since he’d trained the trio of ponies to fight in preparation for Sombra’s return, he could still navigate the palace’s many hallways like the back of his hoof.
After nearly twenty minutes of casual walking, the obsidian stallion saw the train station coming into view at around the same time he spotted Twilight Sparkle, the other element bearers and Lightning Javelin emerging from the train.
As he drew closer to the station, he noticed what looked like bags under Twilight’s eyes as her friends started to emerge from the train.
Well, her friends seem to be in better standing than her. Barrier thought as he saw Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash left the train, leaving no sign of—
“SURPRISE!” A sudden burst of pink popped up in front of Barrier, making the unicorn dance backwards and throw a hard right jab at the surprise invader of his personal space. However, the pink menace nimbly darted her head away from the strikes as if it were a natural movement before she sent a foreleg of her own forward, stopping just short of and gently pressing it against his snout.
“Boop!” Pinkie Pie giggled, much to Barrier’s immense annoyance as he regained his composure. “Nice try, Barrier, but I’ve been waiting six years to do this! I’m not getting punched this time!”
“Six years? What are you talking about? You’ve known me less than one year, Pinkie,” Barrier said in bewilderment as the pink devil rolled her eyes.
“Riiiiight. That was definitely less than a year ago,” Pinkie said with a sweet-sounding sarcasm as her friends came up to her side.
“Good afternoon, Barrier,” Twilight said before rubbing her tired-looking eyes.
“Are you alright, Twilight? You look like death warmed over.” Barrier’s question made the violet unicorn sigh before she took the lead towards the castle.
“Remember how I told you I became a pariah after what happened with the Want-It, Need-It spell, but I started to get back in ponies’ good graces?” Barrier only nodded in response to Twilight’s question. “Well, I ended up doing that again when a mare with the Alicorn Amulet came to Ponyville.”
“I’ve heard about that amulet,” Barrier replied with some surprise. “Said to greatly boost a unicorn’s power while heavily affecting their mind. Daring’s mentioned it a few times.”
“That’s putting it mildly…” Twilight sighed. “At any rate, this mare wanted revenge against me and started using her powers to attack and harass ponies in Ponyville,” Twilight sadly said as she recounted what had happened. “Stuff like making one of Rainbow’s wings huge, fusing two unicorn foals together at the horn, tossing Spike around like a basketball and even taking Pinkie’s mouth away.”
‘That last one doesn’t sound too bad,’ Barrier thought idly as he bit the inside of his cheek to help keep the thought from being vocalized.
“She then challenged me to a magic duel before she turned the library upside down and started shaking it around. I was so furious, I accepted her terms. Loser would be banished from Ponyville… And this is where things went bad.” Twilight swallowed and took a short breath before continuing.
“She opened by firing a beam of magic at me. I teleported behind her and hit her point blank with a concussive blast. It sent her crashing into a nearby wall and before she could get up and before I realized what I was doing, I teleported to her and started to attack her with both my hooves and more concussive blasts. Eventually, she started screaming at me to stop and took off the amulet, begging me to spare her life. It was only then that I realized what I had done. I’d lost control and had her blood on my hooves, literally. I’d let my anger at what she’d done consume me and I lost control.”
Twilight took another, slightly shakier breath. “I tried to apologize and explain that I never wanted to kill her, but she just threw the amulet at me and ran away screaming.”
Barrier could see tears starting to form in her eyes. “Except for my friends, everypony who saw the fight thought I was going to kill her.”
“And frankly, you should have,” Lightning Javelin said, making the violet mare wince. “Not only was she attacking Ponyville along with threatening to do more damage, she challenged you to a duel. As far as I’m concerned, you were fully within your right to kill her where she stood. To say nothing of the dark artifact she wielded.”
“Enough, Javelin. She isn’t, nor should she be like us in that regard. We fought to ensure she wouldn’t have to be,” Barrier stated harshly to his fellow ex-captain before gently patting Twilight on the back. “What matters, Twilight, is that you stopped before going too far. She threatened your friends and your home and you stopped her. Be proud of that and to Tartarus with anybody too short sighted to realize the necessity of what you did. She may never be your friend, but I wager she learned a life lesson that will serve her well.”
“That doesn’t change the fact I feel awful,” Twilight morosely responded, looking very glum as she walked along the cobblestone street. “Not to mention I haven’t been sleeping well for a while and last night…”
Barrier’s eyebrow rose as he saw Twilight grit her teeth and shudder. “What happened, Twilight?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Twilight quickly said as a faint tinge appeared on her muzzle. “Spike, Lightning, I don’t want you talking about it either.”
“Uh, okay, Twilight,” Spike said from his spot near Rarity while Lightning simply nodded.
“At any rate, I want us to get to the castle so we can get to work on the wedding preparations,” Twilight said, sounding very stern and determined all of a sudden.
“If I recall, Shining Armor and Cadance told me most of the work’s done,” Barrier replied.
“Still, we have to take care of some important things. Pinkie has to handle the decorations, Applejack the catering, and while Fluttershy has a routine planned out, she still needs to train the animals for their performance,” Twilight hastily said, making her mane look somewhat frazzled.
“Don’t forget me!” Spike piped up from behind the pair of conversing unicorns. “I’m the one that has to take care of Shining Armor’s bachelor party! … Say, Barrier? What’s a bachelor party?”
“I haven’t the foggiest, Spike,” the charcoal unicorn replied. “I’m more than certain you’ll all handle your parts well however.”
Besides some idle chatter, the band of ponies and young drake made their way to the palace in relative quiet.
As they continued to walk, Barrier decided to guide the guests to their rooms. Just as the band entered the hallway, the tired Twilight spotted the pink, sunglasses wearing alicorn down by the far end of the corridor.
“Cadance!” the violet mare excitedly exclaimed before she darted down the hall, skidding to a halt in from the empress before entering a routine Barrier recalled from when the two reunited before they departed to battle Sombra. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!”
“Clap your hooves and—” Cadance covered her mouth to yawn before she used her hoof to lower her heart-shaped glasses. “Do a little shake… Sorry that I’m not up to doing the dance, Twilight. All the prepping for the empire and the long train ride has left me feeling older than Celestia. My bones are just aching.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Twilight sounded somewhat glum before Cadance pulled her into a tight, warm hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Cadance,” the violet mare said as she returned the alicorn’s embrace.
“I missed you too. I wish I got to see you at Hearth’s Warming,” Cadance replied as she loosened her hug and looked down at the unicorn with a warm smile. “Now, how’s my future-sister-in-law doing?”
“Well, not the greatest,” Twilight answered as she tried to avoid the alicorn’s eye. “Haven’t been sleeping well, I was way too harsh when somepony tried attacking Ponyville, and last night, somepony left the window open, so when we woke up, the library was completely infested with… with…”
“Ladybugs?” Cadance’s question made Twilight nod in embarrassment before burying her muzzle in the alicorn’s chest. “Darn it, Shining.” The alicorn sighed.
“Wait, ladybugs?” Barrier tilting his head in a mixture of surprise and confusion. “I could understand cockroaches or some other kinds of bugs, but ladybugs?”
“Long story short, Shining Armor convinced little Twilight that all those spots on ladybugs are actually eyes,” Cadance said as she gently stroked Twilight’s back with her wing. “Ever since then, she’s been terrified of ladybugs.”
She’s faced Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Discord, and Faust knows what else, but the thing that scares her is ladybugs? Barrier fought back the urge to vocalize his thoughts as Twilight practically melted into Cadance’s hug. Wait a second, her song with Cadance has ladybugs in it!
“Well, how about we get you settled into your room, Twilight?” Cadance said as she rose up and started guiding her to one of the guest rooms. “It looks like we both could use a good nap.”
“Empress Cadance,” Rarity said as she rushed up to Barrier’s side. “If you want, I could help apply some make-up to hide those unsightly bags under your eyes.”
“Thanks for the offer, Rarity, but I just need some sleep,” Cadance replied as she pulled Twilight along. “Trust me, after I get a good night’s sleep, I’ll look as fresh as a daisy.”
As Cadance led Twilight away, Barrier decided he’d have a stroll around the gardens to try to enjoy the scenery.
When the charcoal unicorn finished a long walk and smelling the scent of nearly every flower, a thought occurred to him.
I really should have brought a book, or at least my thinking ball. Barrier huffed before beginning the walk back to his room.
It’s probably too late to go to the library, Barrier thought as he spared a glance out the window, letting him see that night had fallen. And I don’t want to bother Twilight for a book to borrow. Guess I’ll just turn in.
He soon reached the outside of his room, where he saw the blue coated guardsmare standing by the door.
With a yawn, Barrier nosed open the door, but stopped when he saw something that made him feel a pit forming in his stomach.
Written on his mirror in blood red were the words, “The stars are silent, the vulture is headless”.
“Guard!” Barrier barked as he leapt away from the door. “Has anypony been in my room?!”
“I’m the only one that’s been inside since you dropped off your things, sir!” The guardsmare ran up to Barrier’s side. “What’s wrong, sir?”
“What’s wrong?!” Barrier nearly shouted as he pushed the doors open with his magic. “Do you see my mirror?!”
“Yes, I do, sir,” the guard replied as she and Barrier headed into the room. The obsidian stallion quickly darted over to the windowsill, where he could see a fine amount of dust on it and the hook holding the window shut.
“A pegasus didn’t sneak in this way,” Barrier grumbled aloud before turning back to the guard. “You! Stay here while I alert somepony. Make sure nopony enters the room but us.”
“Uh, sir?” The guardsmare could barely say before Barrier teleported into the hall and took off like a shot.
After nearly a minute of running, searching for somepony to alert, the unicorn was halted as a light golden aura held him in place. “Barrier, what’s going on?”
As the aura holding him faded, he spotted Princess Celestia and Empress Cadance emerging from a room.
“Your majesties, I worry we’ve an intruder in the palace,” Barrier responded as he turned to the royals. “Somepony managed to get past the guard in the guest hall and vandalized my room. I was looking to alert the others.
“Oh dear, this is bad,” Cadance said in surprise as Celestia stepped forward.
“Take me to it, Barrier. I won’t let anypony harm my subjects,” Celestia commandingly said, reminding Barrier of the olden days of the war. “Cadance, find Shining Armor and alert the other guards.”
With a nod, Barrier led the alabaster alicorn through the halls back to the guest hall, partly lit up by the light from his open doors. When the doors came into view, he felt himself being picked up by Celestia’s magic before the two teleported to the front of the door where she set him down.
To Barrier’s surprise, while the guardsmare looked unmoved from where he last saw her, the mirror was completely spotless.
“What’s going on?” Barrier muttered as he and Celestia entered the room, letting him see nothing looked out of place.
“Barrier, where’s this vandalization you mentioned?” Celestia asked, perplexed by the room’s rather unremarkable appearance.
“Guard, what happened to the graffiti on the mirror?” Barrier hastily asked as he rushed up to the guardsmare.
“What graffiti, sir?” The guardsmare tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t see what’s meant to be amiss in this room.”
“I… I just… I saw…” Barrier brought a hoof to his forehead before he let out a sigh. “My apologies for the false alarm, your highness. I must have seen things in my tired state.”
“Well, at least it looks like everything’s alright,” Princess Celestia said before she slowly made her way to the door. “Guard, you may return to your post. Barrier, I suggest you get some rest so you’re ready for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow.”
“Yes, Princess. I will,” Barrier said as the guardsmare saluted and left the room.
Feeling tired and embarrassed, Barrier started to pull himself into bed before shaking his head, grabbing his pillow and blanket and settling down on the floor, his back to a wall and his front to the door as he let sleep consume him. The discomfort over his apparent hallucinations still worried him.
A deep feeling of regret was what Barrier felt as he peeled himself off the marble floor. With how sore his back now was, perhaps taking the cloud bed wouldn’t have been so bad.
Giving his eyes a quick rub with his foreleg, his vision soon cleared and saw that it was a quarter to eleven in the morning.
“Faust sake, why is it that I feel more tired after oversleeping than I do with less sleep?” Barrier rolled his shoulders and stretched his legs out before trotting over to the door.
“Sir!” Looking to his right, he saw the same blue coated guardsmare from the night before. “I have a message for you.” She then took her helmet off to pull out a piece of parchment that she handed to him.
Taking the parchment in his magic, Barrier quickly scanned over the message.
Dear Barrier,
Spearmint, Lightning Javelin and I are going to have lunch at a restaurant called The Bitalian Lunchbox. It’s located on the corner of Dainty Drive and Frilly Flower Street. It’s a casual restaurant, so if you wish to come, feel free to drop by.
~ Private/Viscountess Swiftsword of the Falchion Clan
“Hmm…” Barrier briefly brought a hoof to his chin before his stomach made itself known by growling like a starved timberwolf. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Guard, do you know the way to Dainty Drive or Frilly Flower Street?”
“Sorry, sir.” The guardsmare gave Barrier a salute while keeping her eyes focused on the wall on the other side of the hall. “I’m new to Canterlot and the only restaurant I’ve been to is Donut Joe’s.”
“Thanks anyway,” Barrier said as he rolled his eyes and started down the hallway. Don’t really have anything else to do. I’ll probably just have a quick bite with Swift and company before I swing by the library to get something to pass the time.
***
“Faust dammit,” Barrier muttered as he wandered through the shining capital city. It had been nearly an hour since he’d set off to find The Bitalian Lunch Box, but it seems Swift had picked out a restaurant on the corner of a pair of streets he’d never visited.
Just as he felt like giving up and returning to the palace, he saw a sign up ahead that read Frilly Flower Street. A wave of relief washed over Barrier as he headed towards the street corner.
That relief was quickly dispelled as he saw a white covered wagon zip by. A wagon that had a large red emblem on the side and emitted a loud noise.
An ambulance? Barrier quickly darted up to the corner, where he saw several such wagons being loaded up with sick looking ponies.
Sick ponies all around a restaurant that had a sign that read The Bitalian Lunch Box.
“Always something…” Barrier’s horn quickly ignited as he teleported as far as he could down the street before rushing up to a crowd where a unicorn stallion in a white paramedic uniform stepped in front of him.
“Sir, I need you to stop!” The paramedic said as Barrier came to a halt. “We can’t let you in here. It’s really bad.”
“What in Tartarus is going on?!” Barrier shouted as he looked over the unicorn’s shoulder, seeing that there had to be at least a dozen ponies being loaded into ambulances while many more were groaning and holding their bellies in pain.
“Apparently this restaurant had a really bad case of food poisoning,” the paramedic said as he quickly looked over his shoulder. “We’re still trying to figure out how and why this happened, but suffice to say, a bunch of ponies are sick and the restaurant’s been closed so it can be investigated.”
“My friends were having lunch here,” Barrier said as he tried to see any sign of his companions from the crowd of sick ponies, but couldn’t find any trace.
“If they’re not in the crowd or in one of the ambulances, they might be on their way to the hospital already,” the paramedic said as a pair of ponies pulled away with one of the ambulances. “Sir, it’ll likely be a while before we’ve got everything sorted out here. You may want to go somewhere else to eat while you wait for everypony to get treated.”
Holding back a growl, Barrier let out a defeated sigh and started to turn away.
Something has to be going on. It’s just too coincidental that three skilled members of the royal guard all get severe food poisoning the day before the royal wedding. Barrier felt rather frustrated as he headed back down Frilly Flower Street. I’d better get back to the palace… After I get something to eat.
***
Due to the intense lunch rushes the restaurants faced, along with Barrier wanting to get back to the palace as quickly as possible, he returned to the palace halls with a bag of donuts in hoof.
Not the healthiest option, but seeing as I’m starved for choice .... Barrier thought as he took another bite of a donut.
Just as he finished his latest donut, he arrived in the guest wing’s hallway, where he saw a somewhat nervous looking Twilight Sparkle.
Swallowing his bite, Barrier approached the violet mare. “Is something troubling you?”
The indigo maned mare slightly jumped as she turned to face the charcoal unicorn. “Oh, Barrier. I didn’t see you there.”
“Sorry if I startled you,” Barrier said as he levitated a donut from his bag and offered it to Twilight, who practically inhaled the baked good. “Is something on your mind?”
“It’s just—” she said before she swallowed the donut and continued. “It’s Cadance. She seems really off to me.”
“How so?” Barrier asked, tilting his head as he pulled another donut from his bag.
“Well, Applejack offered her an apple fritter. She said she: “loved, loved, loved” before Applejack gave her a bag full of them. Then, when Applejack wasn’t looking, she tossed the bag of them in the trash!”
“That seems odd. I do recall her eating a fair amount of desserts back during Hearth’s Warming,” Barrier said before swallowing his bite of his donut. “Have you known her to have a dislike of apples?”
“I… Well, I can’t remember a moment where she had apples when she was foalsitting me or in our more recent interactions,” Twilight said as she rubbed her foreleg, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Are there any other issues with her? So far, what she did could be for a multitude of reasons like trying to spare Applejack’s feelings or worrying about being able to fit into her wedding dress.” Barrier thought he saw a light behind Twilight’s eyes as she faced him once more.
“Oh! She seemed rather insistent about her dress having more beading and a longer train to Rarity!” Twilight said, coming very close to Barrier’s face.
“Forgive me, but I’m no expert on what brides would like for a wedding dress,” Barrier responded flatly as he took a step back. “Was she overly demanding or cruel?”
“Well… no,” Twilight sighed as she brought a hoof to her forehead. “In fact, her exact words were that she was just hoping for those things. It’s probably not too bad of an addition, especially compared to what we did for our gala dresses.
“But!” She shot up to Barrier’s face once more. “She was really insulting to Pinkie’s party planning earlier! When Pinkie asked if things were perfect, she said it was, “Perfect if we were celebrating a six-year old’s birthday party”.”
“How was Pinkie’s work?” Barrier asked as he gently pressed a forehoof to Twilight’s chest and lightly nudged her away.
“She…” Twilight groaned as she put a hoof over her eyes and dragged it across her face before looking at Barrier again. “She set up a bunch of balloons, a pinata, pin the tail on the pony, board games, and picked out polka music for the dances.”
“Hmm… Maybe she had a point?” Barrier tried to sound comforting.
“I just… I don’t know, something feels off to me,” Twilight said as she trotted over to a nearby window, where she spotted Rainbow Dash soaring through the sky. “Maybe I’m just feeling off, I haven’t been sleeping well for a while, seeing Sombra, the stress of—”
“Wait, back up!” Barrier said as he shot over to Twilight’s side. “You’ve been seeing Sombra?!”
Twilight quickly shushed Barrier, hoping nopony heard them. Thankfully, it seemed the hallway was empty.
“It’s just… There have been times at night where I’d see something in the dark that I would mistake for Sombra, but whenever I would go to see what it was, it was either nothing or I mistook somepony else for him,” Twilight said in clear embarrassment. “I think it’s just due to exhaustion, courtesy of some bad dreams about what I did to Trixie or watching you… well, snap his neck. But it’s probably nothing.”
“If it were just you having an issue like this, I’d probably agree,” Barrier wearily said as he leaned closer. “But you’re not the only one that’s been seeing their dead enemies.”
“Wait, what?” Twilight was stunned by what Barrier said before he looked around the hall, seeing if anypony would overhear.
“Since the day Discord got unleashed, I’ve been seeing what appears to be Grimhilde LeGrande in various locations.” As Barrier spoke, he could see the violet in Twilight’s coat turning pale. “Not only that, but I believe that this is connected to the murder of a mare in Vanhoover and a unicorn stallion who might have stolen Grimhilde’s skull.”
“This… this is unbelievable,” Twilight whispered to the dark-coated stallion. “Are you saying there’s some kind of conspiracy going about this?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Barrier answered. Though, several of these appearances of Grimhilde happened to be around the times I’ve seen Starshine; the pony who’s about to become the new guard captain who I haven’t seen since yesterday. Still, it would be a bad idea to voice the thought without solid evidence.
“Barrier, Twilight!” Cadance’s voice reached the pair’s ears, making them turn to see the rosy alicorn as she came around the bend in the hallway. “It’s been a while since I saw the two of you. How’s your day going?”
“Rather poorly right now, Empress,” Barrier quickly responded. “I went to meet with Swiftsword, Spearmint, and Lightning Javelin for lunch, but by the time I arrived there, there was a mass outbreak of food poisoning.”
“Wait, what?!” Both Twilight and Cadance were taken aback, with the latter nearly tripping in her steps.
“How’s that possible?” Cadance asked in visible shock.
“I have no idea. It’s only due to the fact I slept in and had trouble finding the restaurant that I didn’t succumb to the same fate as them,” Barrier stated before rubbing the bridge of his snout.
“Three skilled guards all apparently taken out by food poisoning right before the royal wedding,” Cadance said as she rubbed her temples. “Either this is insanely bad luck, or something fishy is going on.”
“I pray that it’s the former,” Barrier stated to the towering mare. “Have you seen Lieutenant Starshine recently?”
“Sorry, but I don’t think so,” Cadance responded as she stopped massaging her head. “Then again, I could be wrong. I’ve had a lot on my plate and despite how much I slept, I’m still feeling pretty tired.”
“At any rate, we should try to keep our guard up while we get things ready for tomorrow,” Barrier turned around and started to walk away from the pair of mares. “I’m going to try to find whatever hospital they were sent to.”
“Good luck, Barrier. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.” He heard Cadance call out as he drew away. “Try to be back in time for the rehearsal.”
“Cadance, might I ask why you threw out those fritters Applejack made for you? You said you loved them.” Barrier heard Twilight ask as he drew further away.
“Oh, well, I wasn’t personally too fond of how overly sweet they were, but I thought other party guests might like them more,” the empress nonchalantly answered. “Still, throwing them away was a mistake. I should have given them to somepony else, but I was too tired to think straight.”
“I see.” Barrier heard a note of venom in Twilight’s words as he started down a flight of stairs.
***
After checking several hospitals full of food poisoning victims, Barrier arrived at Rosedust Memorial Hospital, where he finally learned that this was where his friends were taken.
“Do you have any idea what caused all this?” Barrier asked the curly maned receptionist as she quickly rushed about and moved multiple stacks of papers.
“I’m no doctor, but I think I heard something about somepony at the restaurant mistaking a three on an expiration date for an eight on a tub of mayonnaise. Right now, we’re swamped and have had to send ponies to other hospitals,” the mare quickly said as she darted around, not sparing Barrier a single glance.
“Would it be possible to see them?” Barrier leaned against the reception counter.
“Sorry, but visiting hours are over for today,” she answered as a nurse dumped off a large stack of papers on her back. “You can come back tomorrow at Nine A.M. if you’d like to see them.”
With a tired and annoyed groan, Barrier walked away and headed for the exit. As he drew near the doors, he spotted a clock on the wall that said it was ten to six.
Crap. I’m going to be late for the rehearsal. Barrier took a deep breath before stepping outside, where he started running back towards the palace. Hopefully nothing too crazy happens before I get back.
***
Several guards were startled as Barrier rushed by, hoping that he would be in time for the rehearsal ceremony. His forelegs were aching and he’d spent a good amount of magic teleporting multiple times along the way.
As he approached the chamber where the ceremony was being performed, he caught the sound of ponies loudly arguing from behind the closed doors.
That can’t be good. Barrier slowed down as he came up to the door. Taking a deep breath, he gently nosed the door open, where he saw a sad looking Cadance by a furious Shining Armor’s side as he was yelling at his stunned younger sister.
“-In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show up to the wedding at all!” Shining Armor barked at the violet unicorn, making tears form in her eyes.
“Shining… I…”
“Shining, wait,” Cadance said as she put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “Don’t do this. We’re all stressed, and Twilight told me a bit what she’s been going through recently.”
“Cadance…” Shining quietly said as she nuzzled his cheek.
“I want to be a part of your family, dear, and that includes her,” Cadance said before she pulled back and looked the alabaster stallion in his eyes. “I want her to be there for us, but we’re all a bit stressed. Please, just let me talk to her so we can make amends.”
Looking between his teary eyed sister and the pleading princess, Shining Armor sighed before nuzzling Cadance.
“Alright, Cadance. If anypony could solve this, it’s you,” Shining said before giving her a light peck on the cheek. He then turned to face his younger sister. “Twilight… I’m sorry for snapping like that.”
“C’mon, Twilight. We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Cadance said in a firm tone as she came up to the violet mare’s side. It was then she spotted the charcoal unicorn who caught the tail end of the shouting match. “Barrier, you should come with us. I overheard a bit of what you and Twilight were talking about earlier and you could use this as well.”
“I don’t think that would be necessary, Ca—”
“Don’t make me make it an order, Barrier,” Cadance interrupted as she and Twilight came up to him.
“I… Very well, your highness.” Barrier answered with a sigh as he fell in line beside an ashamed looking Twilight as they followed the rosy alicorn.
An uncomfortable silence was held in the air the entire time the two followed behind the empress. After several tense minutes, the trio reached a room with a pair of guards watching it and the princess gave a quick nod. Cadance led them into a room that to Barrier had the most coltish paint job he’d ever seen. Nearly every single item in the room was some form of pink.
“Take a seat,” Cadance said as she passed by a table with a quartet of pink cushions, heading towards a cabinet full of liquor bottles and wine glasses while the guards closed the doors behind them. With a flare of her magic, the cabinet opened and she levitated a bottle and a trio of glasses towards her.
Twilight quickly took a seat like a child who was frightened after a scolding while Barrier more casually sat down.
With a deep breath, Cadance popped the cork off the bottle and started to fill the three glasses.
“We’ve all be pretty stressed recently,” Cadance said as she finished pouring the wine and picking up a glass. “If we’re all going to be a family, I want us to try to relieve this as much as we can so the wedding can start off on a good hoof.”
“Are you sure drinking would be a good idea, Cadance?” Twilight fidgeted as the alicorn slid the two glasses over to the unicorns. “I found out I can get a hangover very easily.”
“Rest assured, we’ll be fine,” Cadance said before she picked up her glass and took a large swig, much to Twilight’s surprise. “Besides, I get the feeling I’ll end up having the most.
“Still, at least I’m back in Canterlot with loved ones and not surrounded by advisors who are telling me things like, ‘Empress, it’s foolhardy to even consider getting rid of the lead pipes’, or ‘Empress, you need to eat a lot more so you don’t disgust the empire’s foals’, or ‘Empress, there’s a protest going around that has citizens demanding you dye your coat blue so you actually look like a mare’!” Cadance said in an annoyed and mocking tone before taking some deep breaths and stretching her right foreleg back and forth.
“Sorry about that,” Cadance quietly said with a light scarlet tinge on her muzzle before taking another swig of wine. “It’s just… there’s a lot that comes with being the leader of an entire people.”
“I… I didn’t know you had to deal with problems like that, Cadance,” Twilight softly said before she picked up her glass and started to sip her wine. Without making a sound, Barrier started to quietly drink his wine as he watched the two mares.
“It’s okay. Not only can I handle it, but I know it’s small potatoes compared to what you’ve gone through,” Cadance said before gently rubbing Twilight’s back. “All the stresses of being a heroine to the entire kingdom, what happened with the Alicorn Amulet, mistaking shadows for a dead enemy, waking up covered in ladybugs, and becoming the best mare for a royal wedding, it’s no surprise that you’re so stressed and worried about your BBBFF.”
“Yeah… I’m sorry for calling you evil, Cadance. I love you,” Twilight said, unable to look Cadance in the eye. She took a larger sip of her drink, trying to chase away her shame.
“Aww, I know, Twilight,” Cadance said before nuzzle the violet pony. “I can feel how much you do.”
It was then Cadance turned her attention to the onyx unicorn. “And Barrier, I overheard you talking about seeing Grimhilde and that pony you think murdered somepony and stole her skull when you spoke to Twilight earlier. Have you been doing well?”
Taking a sizable gulp of the wine, Barrier set his glass down on the table. “To be honest, despite having some good things going on, there’s a fair amount that has me worried. Nopony has seen this unicorn stallion and apparently nopony has any records of me getting bloodwork done, so I have to wait before more can be done.”
“Well, I’m certain that whatever happens, things will turn out for the better,” Cadance said as she lifted up her glass. “How about the three of us have a toast?”
“To family?” Twilight asked, making the alicorn mare smile.
“To the dawning of a bright new era of happiness and security for our families,” Cadance said as she held out her glass over the center of the table in her aura.
“Hear, hear,” Twilight and Barrier said as they clicked their floating glasses against Cadance’s, creating a beautiful display of magenta, blue and emerald light.
“Twilight, I hope your frightening visions come to an end soon,” Cadance said before clinking her glass against the violet mare’s.
“And Barrier,” Cadance said as she floated her glass towards the dark-coated stallion. “I hope your lemon-marked criminal is brought to justice soon.”
Cadance’s glass nearly touched Barrier’s when he realized something. He pulled his glass back and rose from the table.
“I never mentioned that he had a lemon mark,” Barrier said just before he felt an odd feeling fall over him, as if someone had dumped a ton of mattresses on his back. His muscles felt incredibly heavy and he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Quickly glancing to the side, he saw Twilight was in a similar, if not worse state as she started to lean against the table.
With a tired sigh, Cadance rose from her chair as Barrier struggled to escape. He stumbled to his side as he felt the siren’s call of slumber slowly but surely take him.
“I knew I’d slip up eventually,” Cadance said as her harlequin green magic quietly open the door. Swiftly, the two guards from before entered the room and came up to Barrier and Twilight’s side with stern looks on their muzzles.
“Sorry about this…” Barrier heard Cadance say before his eyes shut and he felt his consciousness slip away. “But tomorrow’s a day I’ve been dreaming of since I was small.”
The sun had set upon Canterlot and the moon was high in the night sky as Shining Armor, Starshine, Spike and the element bearers approached Princess Cadance’s quarters. It had been well over an hour since they had last heard from her, Twilight or Barrier and they were growing concerned.
When the door to her room came into view, they heard the door quietly creak open before the rose colored alicorn stepped into the hallway.
“Cadance, is—” Shining Armor was shushed by the alicorn before she trotted up to him.
“Twilight’s sleeping right now,” Cadance softly said before nuzzling the alabaster stallion. “I’d say she could really use it.”
“Well, that’s good,” Spike chipperly said. “She’s been having trouble sleeping for a while.”
“Were you able to work things out with her?” Shining asked as he quietly moved past Cadance and stuck his head through the threshold to her room, where he saw Twilight gently sleeping on Cadance’s couch. A small bit of drool dripped from her mouth as she squeezed a large pink pillow.
“Yep. We talked for a good while and had some drinks,” Cadance answered with a warm smile as she moved up to Shining Armor’s side. “We talked, she cried a little, but we hugged and then she passed out on the couch. Either the poor dear’s dead tired or she can’t hold her liquor that well.”
“Might I ask as to Captain Barrier’s whereabouts?” Starshine inquired as she moved past the couple, giving the bedroom a quick sweep.
“He said that while the wine was good, it wasn’t strong enough for him,” the pink coated empress said before she put a hoof on Starshine’s shoulder and gently pulled her out of the room. “I forget where he said he’d be going, but I’m sure he’ll be able to handle himself.”
“Very well, Empress,” Starshine said with a semi-growl. “I shall get a status update from the night guard.”
“Hopefully it goes well, Lieutenant.” Cadance nodded her head before turning back to Shining Armor with an amorous smile on her muzzle. “And as for you, my dear captain…”
Cadance pulled Shining Armor into a deep kiss. Spike looked away and gagged, not wishing to see his adoptive brother kissing somepony.
The alicorn mare broke off the kiss with Shining Armor before rubbing her horn against his. “I think you should head to bed so we're all ready for the wedding tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it, Cadance,” Shining beamed before nuzzling her cheek. “Thanks for talking to Twilight, dear.”
“It’s what I do,” Cadance replied before turning her attention to the others in the hall. While most looked happy for her and Shining, she could see Starshine was fighting back the urge to glare daggers at her.
“I suggest the rest of you head to bed as well. Don’t want to be all sleepy for the royal wedding,” Cadance warmly said, receiving a good deal of cheerful replies before Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity trotted away while Rainbow Dash flew off, Pinkie bounced away and Starshine nearly stomped as she left.
“Good night, my handsome prince,” Cadance said before planting one last peck on Shining Armor cheek.
“Good night, my dear princess of love,” Shining said as she headed back into her room.
As she closed the door behind her, she took a deep breath and waited a long moment before breaking the silence.
“You did well, Apicula.” Cadance smirked as the form of Twilight Sparkle rose off her couch.
“It doesn’t take much to fake being passed out drunk, Your Majesty.” The violet unicorn bowed before the rose colored alicorn. “Your performance was far greater.”
“What matters now is how things go tomorrow,” Cadance said before trotting up to a vanity mirror. “Remember your part?”
“Of course,” Twilight said in a much more hoarse sounding voice. “Faking a hangover and sore throat to minimize tipping off her friends.”
“Very good. Now, let us get some rest. Everything rides on tomorrow,” Cadance said before making her way to bed. “Have a pleasant night’s sleep.”
***
Deep in darkness, Barrier felt incredibly sore and heavy, as if his legs were transmuted into lead. His last memories were blurry, but he recalled drinking with Cadance and Twilight before…
His head throbbed as he tried to recall, but nothing was coming to him.
“Hey, it’s about time.” A voice reached Barrier’s ears, forcing his mind to focus. “Get the needles ready.”
With a bit of effort, Barrier managed to force one eye open a sliver, letting him see who was standing in front of him.
It was a trio of unicorn mares adorned in what he could only assume would pass for a bridesmaid gown these days. One was a light blue with a white and dark blue mane while another sported a light green with a greenish white mane, while the last was cream colored with an eye-gougingly pink mane.
Shifting his eye to the side, he saw that beside him was the slumbering form of Twilight Sparkle, with an uneasy look upon her sleeping face.
The minty colored mare’s horn glowed with a golden light as she pulled a pair of syringes from a fold in her dress, both filled with a blue liquid. As she took caps off of their tips, she started to levitate the needles closer to himself and Twilight.
“So, who do you think is the more powerful of the two?” the mint mare asked as the needles drew closer to Barrier and Twilight’s necks. “Twilight Sparkle, or Tick-To—”
Leaping forward with what strength he could muster, Barrier threw himself at the cream colored mare, hitting her in the throat and body-checked her into a rocky wall.
Before her companions could react, his magic flared and overtook the needles. The minty mare’s magic was only able to struggle against his own for a moment before he plunged the needles into the two mares’ chests and pushed down on the plungers.
The injected mares started to wobble, causing more syringes to drop from the green unicorn’s dress. As he slowly started to feel wakefulness return to him, Barrier uncapped a third syringe and injected it into the unconscious cream mare, just in case.
“Y-you… You can’t… do that,” the blue mare sputtered shortly before she and her minty friend both collapsed muzzle-first into the hard floor.
Having a moment to now gather his wits, Barrier started looking around the space he and Twilight were being held in. It appeared to be a large cavern with a substantial number of crystalline protrusions sticking out from the ceiling and floor.
Quickly shaking his head, Barrier recalled what had happened with him and Twilight in Cadance’s chambers. Either she poisoned us with something she was immune to, or she somehow poisoned our glasses without our noticing.
The how doesn’t matter right now. Barrier pulled himself forward, starting to feel as if his forelegs were no longer made of lead. What matters is getting the Tartarus out of here.
The charcoal stallion put a forehoof on Twilight’s shoulder and started to shake her. “Twilight, wake up!” He harshly whispered, worried that someone might come along and raise the alarm.
Groaning, the violet unicorn started to rouse from her uneasy slumber, where the first thing she saw was Barrier’s worried gaze. “Urgh, Barrier? What’s going—”
Twilight paused before her eyes drifted to the fallen forms of the three unicorns. With a yelp, she quickly leapt to her hooves and hurriedly looked around the cavern.
“What’s going on?! Last thing I remember is… Cadance…” Twilight softly growled the last word as if she had a bitter taste in her mouth. “She’s the reason we’re… Where are we?”
“Not a clue. When I woke up, I saw these three were getting ready to inject us with what I can only assume was a sedative, based on the results,” Barrier responded as he looked about the dark cavern before turning to the three fallen mares. “Do you know these mares?”
“Yes, they’re Cadance’s bridesmaids before she had my friends and I replace them.” Twilight swallowed as she looked over the three mares. “Twinkleshine, Lyra and Minuette were friends of mine when I was younger, though I do see Lyra around Ponyville sometimes.”
“Well, hopefully whatever they wanted to drug us with will keep them out long enough for us to figure out where we are,” Barrier said as he looked over the unconscious mares, seeing them slowly breathing. “C’mon. We’ve got to move, now.”
“I’m coming,” Twilight replied as she tiredly followed alongside the charcoal unicorn. “How come you’re not so groggy?”
“I did a lot of work on building up a tolerance to drugs and poisons before I joined the guard, at the behest of my mentor,” Barrier answered as he stuck close to Twilight, his horn shimmering with pale blue light. “Still, it should hopefully wear off not too long from now.”
With a quiet groan, the two unicorns started to wander about the crystal lined cave. After a matter of minutes, Twilight started to pick up steam and was moving at the same pace as Barrier.
“Alright. Time to do the dirty deed.” A nearby voice made the two unicorns’ ears stand at attention. “Sorry about this, Empress, but it’s for the greater good.”
The sounds of muffled screams reached the two before they darted towards the source.
Barrier and Twilight spotted a unicorn mare levitating a cleaver in her sparkling green aura looking down into a hole in front of her. Twilight’s horn ignited as her magic yanked the cleaver away right before Barrier blasted the would-be butcher into a cavern wall.
Twilight quickly rushed up to the hole and gasped at what she was seeing. Barrier soon arrived by her side and saw what was in the hole.
The hole held a small pool of water and a pink seapony mare with several bruises on her rosy body, ropes binding her fins, and a gag tied over her muzzle. Her violet and tear-filled eyes were behind a mane that was a combination of pink, gold and purple.
“Cadance!” Twilight exclaimed before she harshly yanked the gag off the seapony’s muzzle.
“Twilight, Barrier! Thank Faust you found me!” Cadance shouted as Barrier tore the ropes off her. “I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been down here!”
“Cadance, what the Tartarus is going on?!” Twilight yelled in a storm of anger and confusion as she looked over her former foalsitter. “Why are you a seapony?! Why were Barrier and I drugged?! Why… I… just why?!”
“I’m not entirely sure, Twilight,” Cadance said as she used her fins to pull herself closer to the edge of the hole. “I was getting ready to come to Canterlot for the wedding when I started to feel really tired.
“When I awoke, I found myself turned into a seapony, tied-up, gagged, and stuffed into a tiny box.” Cadance then turned her attention to the charcoal stallion. “I heard you talking to somepony that seemed to have my voice and I tried to struggle out of there, but it was useless.
“I heard whoever sounded like me talking about how they planned on serving me as a fish dish to the griffin ambassadors.” Cadance shuddered before looking back to Twilight. “Whatever’s going on, there’s an imposter pretending to be me. They must have drugged me and used poison joke on me.”
“That would make sense,” Barrier said as his horn started to glow. A dome of blue light started to form under Cadance as he scooped up the transformed alicorn as well as a generous measure of water.
“Hold on a second,” Twilight barked as she glared at Cadance. “We were just drugged and tossed down into this cave by somepony already claiming to be Cadance. How do we know you’re not just another imposter trying to trick us?”
“Twilight—” Barrier started, only to be interrupted.
“I understand, Twilight…” Cadance took a deep breath and looked into the violet mare’s eyes. “The first night I met your brother, he had a flugelhorn recital. When I first demonstrated my love magic in front of you, it was to stop a gray earth pony stallion with a black mane and a yellow pegasus with a brown mane from arguing.”
“That… That’s good, but it’s not enough,” Twilight said as she leaned closer to glare Cadance in the eye.
“Oh! You told me that while you loved the Summer Sun Celebration, it was an exhausting week for you since not only did you have to stay up to wait for Princess Celestia to raise the sun, but the day before that was Moon Dancer’s birthday party, making it even more tiring!” Cadance’s words made Twilight gasp and pull back.
“Cadance, I’m so sorry I didn’t believe it was you!” Twilight’s eyes started to water and she pulled Cadance into a tight hug.
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadance softly said as she stroked the back of Twilight’s head with a fin. “Let’s just get out of here and stop whoever’s pretending to be me.”
“I just had a thought,” Barrier stated as the two broke off their hug. “Cadance heard me talking to her imposter at the train station. It stands to reason that we’re either somewhere in or near Canterlot.”
“Then we’re probably in some of the crystal caverns under Canterlot,” Twilight spoke up as her horn started to glow brightly. “We should be able to find our way out and possibly whip up some poison joke cure using the contents of the palace kitchens.”
“Be on your guard, Twilight,” Barrier said as Twilight seemed to use her magic to send out pulses that he could only assume were being used to help her map the tunnels. “We know this imposter has at least five others working for her, so who knows how many she has in the palace. Stealth and a willingness to strike first at anyone who spots us may be a necessity.”
“Hopefully it won’t come down to that,” Twilight replied as she started trotting ahead. “C’mon. I think I found a minecart we can use.”
***
Within the palace’s grand hall, a plethora of ponies were seated as they watched the ceremony unfolding before them as organ music filled the room and adjacent halls.
Princess Celestia was practically beaming with delight as she looked over a rose colored alicorn and Shining Armor. To the alabaster alicorn’s right were the element bearers looking splendid in their bridesmaid dresses, though Twilight looked to be fighting back a nasty headache from behind her dark sunglasses.
To Celestia’s left, the newly promoted Captain Starshine stood tall in her golden and purple armor. She stood proudly, ready to strike down any who would dare interrupt the ceremony to bound the two lovers before her.
“Empress Cadance and Shining Armor,” Celestia warmly spoke as she readied to bring things to a close. “It is my great pleasure to pronounce—”
An explosion blasted the hall doorway to rubble, causing screams to fill the hall as Starshine and most of the element bearers fell into defensive stances while Shining Armor cast a magenta barrier around himself and his bride.
“Stop!” A mare shouted as the smoke and dust started to settle from the entryway. Several ponies gasped at the sight of Twilight Sparkle and Magic Barrier with their horns glowing brightly while a damp and furious looking Princess Cadance stepped forth.
Confused and frightened chatter started to fill the chamber as the trio grew closer to the altar.
“Wait, what’s going on?!” Shining Armor shouted as he dropped the shield, his eyes darting back and forth between the alicorn by his side and the soaked one drawing closer.
“Get away from her, Shining!” Twilight shouted as she ran up to the damp Cadance’s side. “She’s an imposter! She wanted to kill the real Cadance and take her place! She had Barrier and I thrown into the caverns beneath Canterlot!”
“Wait, if yer Twilight, then who’s this?” Applejack exclaimed as she and her friends turned their gaze onto the sunglasses wearing unicorn. “A-Ah don’t understand. How can there be two of ‘em?”
With a deep breath, the Cadance by Shining Armor’s side sighed as she strolled down from the altar.
“I was hoping to avoid violence, that we could win with only one life lost,” the imposter said with a restrained fury as she closed her eyes.
“But you’ve forced my hoof.” Her voice shifted, becoming distorted as she spoke and her eyes shot open, revealing a pair of harlequin green eyes with slitted pupils.
“My changelings!” she roared in fury as emerald green flames formed at the base of her hooves. “Transform and rise up!”
The flames quickly consumed the imposter and swiftly grew larger. From within the flames, the silhouetted form of the imposter started to grow as holes formed in her legs, her wings became translucent and insect-like while the horn atop her head became elongated and crooked.
Within a few seconds, the flames around her dispersed, revealing a figure that rivaled Celestia in size. Her body was very dark and covered by a chitinous outer layer while her long and ragged looking mane and tail were a dark cerulean. Bands on her belly and an elytra on her back was a mixture of dark blues and greens. Atop her head sat what seemed to be a protrusion of chiten with four cerulean pearl-like orbs at the ends, giving her the appearance of a crown.
Shortly after her transformation had finished, many others within the hall were engulfed by the same emerald flames as her, revealing a multitude of dark gray chitinous creatures with sharp fangs, curved horns and sharp, curved fins going down the backs of their heads. The element bearers quickly stepped away from where the strange being that had once appeared to be their friend now stood.
“If this is how it must end, then let the battle begin!” the towering leader of the creatures roared as Barrier and Twilight fell into defensive postures.
“If this is how it must end, then let the battle begin!” the towering leader of the creatures roared as Barrier and Twilight fell into defensive postures.
“No,” a firm voice from behind the creature drew the eye of everyone in the room, letting everyone see Celestia as she flew up towards the ceiling.
“I will not allow anyone to hurt my ponies ever again!” the alicorn princess roared as her horn began to glow with golden light. The chintous beast bared her fangs and gritted her teeth and her crooked horn burned with a brilliant green.
In a sudden flash, Celestia vanished from her spot above the altar and reappeared directly beside the dark creature before blasting her with an intense beam of golden light. The creature roared in agony as she was engulfed by the beam which sent her through one of the windows before skidding into the garden like a rag doll.
“I’m giving you one opportunity,” Celestia commandingly spoke as she stepped up to the window, seeing the creature struggling to stand up with her right foreleg now missing; dark green blood dripping onto the grass as her eyes darted between the imposing alicorn and what was left of her severed leg.
“Grr… Not bad, Celestia, but I won’t let you stop me.” The creature glared and growled as she rose back to her hindlegs. “I am Queen Chrysalis of the changelings. My people feed upon love and Shining Armor has given me a great deal of it. More than enough to do this!”
A gout of emerald flame shot out in a pillar from her wound, making the pony onlookers gasp and scream in fright.
A shape started to form in the flames before they extinguished themselves, revealing her injury had fully healed with a brand new leg taking the place of the severed one. Several of the guests screamed as Chrysalis flexed her new leg.
“Thanks to your guard, I can do this and so much more,” Chrysalis boasted as her insectoid wings quickly fluttered, taking her into the skies as the changelings within the hall did the same. “Speaking of, Shining Armor… Ultimum Scutum!”
The pupils of the alabaster stallion became the size of gnats as the blue of his eyes took on a greenish hue. His horn ignited with power as a shield of magical magenta energy engulfed him in a small dome while a similar shield started to encompass all of Canterlot.
“None of you will be leaving this city! Changelings, attack!” Chrysalis roared before she charged at Celestia.The two started to grapple as their horns furiously glowed.
Icy blue light began to emanate from Barrier’s horn as he took aim at the changeling queen.
“Guards!” Celestia barked as she and Chrysalis seemed to be in a physical stalemate. “Don’t worry about me! Protect the citizens!”
“But Princess!” Starshine shouted as a pair of changelings rushed towards her, only for her to teleport aside and blast them with harlequin green magic.
“That’s an order, Captain! You too, Barrier!” Celestia shot back before Chrysalis slammed a knee into her stomach and headbutted her.
“Aye, your highness,” Barrier responded before channeling his initial spell into a teleport instead. In a flash he appeared where the element bearers and Cadance were looking on as Shining Armor stood as still as a statue from within his bubble. As he touched the ground, Celestia teleported out to the gardens with Chrysalis quickly leaping through the window after her with several changelings following closely behind.
“BBBFF, can you hear me?! Please…” Twilight pleaded with teary eyes as she pushed against the shield with her hooves before trying to blast through it with a beam of magical energy.
The stream of magic crackled and scattered as it impacted the shield, sending out a river of sparks and bolts that damaged the marble of the chamber. Twilight gritted her teeth as she tried to pour more of her energy into her beam, but it soon started to weaken before she ceased it all together.
“It’s no use. It’s really strong and I don’t think I could teleport through it,” Twilight said between breaths.
“Twilight…” Cadance said as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You need to get to the Elements of Harmony. I’ll keep Shining Armor safe.”
“But—” Twilight attempted to protest before Starshine placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“She knows defensive spells and is almost as skilled as Shining Armor with force fields,” Starshine firmly stated. “She can handle protecting him. You and your friends should try to get to the Elements while I try to rally the troops.”
“I’ll try to evacuate civilians from the palace,” Barrier said before Starshine gave him a firm nod and teleported away. “I know you’ll be able to handle this. You’ve dealt with far worse and I’m sure Javelin’s trained you well.”
“Right…” Twilight said before giving Cadance and Barrier a tight yet brief hug. Once she broke it off, she turned to the other bearers and Spike. “C’mon. We’ve got this.”
As the seven ran out of the room, Barrier looked over the room, seeing only some frightened wedding guests were left with him, Cadance and Shining Armor. They were all clearly frightened with many shuddering or weeping.
“Everypony, listen up!” Barrier barked in a way that reminded him of his early days training his cadets. The room fell silent as the civilians’ eyes fell on him. “I’m going to get you away from this palace and hopefully somewhere safe. I’ll need you all to follow me out and try to remain calm as I try to fight off these…. changeling things. Understood?”
In response, the charcoal unicorn received a collection of silent, yet frightened nods and he headed for the chamber doors with his horn flared, ready for combat.
“Follow me,” was all he said as he started to march into the halls.
As he led the terrified band through the palace, he witnessed several guards grappling with changelings, several of which charged at him immediately. Before the civilians could let out a single scream, a rain of magical volleys rained from Barrier’s horn.
The charging changelings were knocked away before falling limp like ragdolls, crashing into the floor, into armor displays and even through windows. Barrier turned his focus toward the ones that were still preoccupied with the guards and dispatched them with simple concussive blasts. Within a matter of moments, the hall was cleared.
“Keep moving and stay away from the fallen changelings,” Barrier shouted to the civilians as the guards started to examine their enemies. “I don’t know if I killed them or only knocked them out. Either way, keep your distance.”
Several minutes passed as Barrier slowly made his way through the halls, occasionally having to deal with changelings either charging directly at him or launching an ambush disguised as royal guards. Their fate however was still the same. Barrier was rather thankful that these changelings seemed to be far less skilled warriors than the griffins were in the war. He’d not needed to bring out anything heavy yet.
Eventually, when Barrier reached a set of closed doors, he was greeted with a surprising sight as he started to push them open to see if the coast was clear.
He saw slash marks on a small pile of downed changelings as several more tried to rush towards a unicorn mare with a pair of swords held within her magic. When some tried to bite or strike at her, she nimbly moved away before countering with a strike from her silver blade. When others tried to blast her with emerald fire balls, her black sword slashed through the flames and sliced off their horns before she struck them in the face with her hindlegs, sending them sprawling to the floor. Her movements as she fought them were like a dance as she delivered each blow. She spun about and faced Barrier, blades at the ready.
Swiftsword sternly gazed at Barrier. She was dressed in her caped formalwear from the gala; a deep blue vest that matched her cape with gold trim over a silver-cuffed navy undershirt that matched her leggings and cuffed boots. Her eyes were focused and as sharp as daggers as she pointed her blades at the obsidian stallion.
“Surprised to see you’re feeling better after food poisoning so soon, Swift,” Barrier said as she maintained a defensive posture. He knew it would be foolish to take even a single step forward.
“Thankfully, I was feeling better after a good night’s rest and vomiting that accursed mayonnaise out of my system,” Swift firmly replied as she remained ready to strike at a moment’s notice. “However, I was not expecting to encounter these strange beasts attacking the palace… Beasts that could assume the forms of others.”
“And now you want proof I’m the real Barrier and not one of these changelings. Honestly, I’d like the same from you, given one of these things could have easily stolen Swift’s weapons from her guest room,” Barrier said as he looked into the blue mare’s eyes as she remained as rigid as a statue. “What was Radiant Sparkle’s favorite toy?”
The room was so silent one could hear a pin drop. Swift took a deep breath. “It was a doll of a blue unicorn with a purple mane she called Sparkling Dream… What book did Radiant Spell like to keep next to Legends of the Moochick?”
“Habits of Rabbits, much to my father’s annoyance,” Barrier said with a note of relief as he trotted up to Swift as she lowered her weapons. “Good to have you back, Swift.”
“It’s good to be back, Sir.” She nodded as she looked over the frightened civilians behind her former captain. “May I ask what exactly is going on?”
“These creatures, changelings, attempted to kill and replace Cadance so they could feed on love, from what I can tell,” Barrier said as he moved forward with Swift quickly following alongside him while the civilians followed behind.
“Last I checked, their leader, Queen Chrysalis, is grappling with Celestia while the element bearers are trying to retrieve said elements, Starshine’s trying to rally the troops and Cadance is protecting a hypnotized Shining Armor while trying to get him to drop his shields. Meanwhile I’ve taken up the task of moving the civilians somewhere safe, though at this point I’d settle on defensible.”
“Perhaps my black sword would be able to—”
“MEDIC!” A stallion’s voice screamed from around a nearby corner, making Swift take up a defensive stance as Barrier prepared to charge.
“Guard the civilians,” Barrier stated before he took off like a shot to reach the source of the yell.
As he rounded the corner, he saw that on one side of the room was a gamboge and white coated goateed stallion with a vermillion mane and a dark blue cape with teal trim and stars tending to a heliotrope mare with a mane that was a mixture of purples and aquamarine with a sizeable bleeding gash on her side.
On the other side of the room was a verdant and white earth pony with a brown mane and yellow vest sliding into the legs of several changelings before leaping up and striking them down.
“Verdant?” Barrier was surprised by the emerald stallion’s appearance. “What are you doing here?”
“After we got to Rainbow Falls, we found out that while our hotel rooms were fully paid for, there wasn’t really anything meant for Equestria Games training,” the shamrock stallion replied as he looked over the knocked out changelings and Swiftsword arrived with the civilians. “I realized something was up since for some reason, almost none of us were here for the wedding. There were just too many coincidences, so I headed for Canterlot. Once I got off the train, I saw Queen Chrysalis and Princess Celestia fighting in the sky and rushed over.”
“Where’s your bow, Verdant?” Swift asked with a quirked eyebrow as she slowly raised blades. “I recall you taking it everywhere you go.”
“I ran out of arrows earlier, so I had to use it as a club to fight these changelings off,” Verdant replied as he went over to the injured unicorn and examined her wound. He took the cape off of the goateed stallion and pressed it against the gash.
“However, it ended up breaking after I smacked one in the face and I haven’t had enough time to swing by the armory.” Verdant turned to the goateed unicorn. “Keep putting pressure on this wound. That should stop the bleeding or buy her some time.”
“And what of Erica? Wouldn’t she be in danger?” Swift asked as Verdant and the goateed stallion helped move the mare towards the civilians.
“She’s with Storm Cloud and they’re headed for Vanhoover, so I figure they’re as safe as they can be considering the circumstances,” Verdant replied as he hefted the injured mare onto a civilian's back. “In the meantime, we’ve got to get this mare to Rosedust Memorial since I don’t have any medicinal plants on me.”
“I have an alternative idea,” Swift stated as she placed a hoof on Verdant’s back. “My black sword might be able to puncture the barrier around Canterlot, allowing us to evacuate some of the civilians out of the city.”
“Sounds like a plan, but we should try to find either a doctor or at least some medical supplies before we leave the city,” Barrier said before looking back at the gathered civilians. “Everypony, follow me. We’re moving out!” He authoritatively barked before leading the ponies away.
“You heard him,” the injured mare weakly said as the civilians started to move along. “March, march, march.”
***
Reaching the palace entrance, the trio of soldiers bore witness to the sight of countless changelings swarming over Canterlot. Guards on the ground and in the air fought valiantly against the insectoid attackers, but the suddenness of the attack had caught the guard severely off balance.
“Swift, cover us!” Barrier commanded as he lit his horn and fired off several magical volleys, knocking some changelings away from the struggling guards. “Verdant, you and one of the civilians find a pharmacy and get whatever supplies you need by any means necessary!”
“On it!” Verdant shouted back as he dragged off the vermillion maned unicorn with him. “C’mon, Beardo! You’ve been drafted!”
“My name’s not Beardo, it’s Sun—” The stallion was interrupted by one of Barrier’s blasts knocking away a changeling that was about to charge him.
“Keep moving!” Barrier shouted as he led his charges away. “Any civilians, follow me!”
As Barrier and Swift led the civilians towards the forcefield, they were eventually rejoined by Verdant and the bearded stallion, carrying a pair of stuffed saddlebags.
“We owe the pharmacy owner a hefty bill,” Verdant said as he reached Barrier’s side. “He really wasn’t happy I busted his door down.”
“A door can be easily replaced, a life can’t,” Barrier shot back as saw the force field’s edge coming into view. “Swift, ahead full speed! Do whatever you can!”
“Yes, sir!” Swift replied before running ahead, her blacksword held before her as if she were jousting.
The blade plunged into the shield, piercing it like a hot knife through butter, stopping only when the crossguard touched the edge of the barrier.
Looking beneath the blade, Swift saw that the shield’s energy was halted, as if putting one’s foreleg into a waterfall.
“Perhaps…” Swift thoughtfully said to herself as she pulled the blade back and shifted its angle so the gap beneath the blade was wider, just enough for a pony to slip under it. “I’ve pierced it! Everypony, this way! One at a time!”
As the civilians slowly started to funnel out of the gap Swift had managed to create in the shield, Barrier would blast away what changelings would try to charge the civilians with Verdant or Swift striking down the few that slipped past him. After a few minutes, what appeared to be Spearmint in full armor and Lightning Javelin came into view.
“Quick!” Swift barked as she leveled her ancestral blade at Spearmint. “What was the first movie we saw at your sister’s!”
“It was, uh… Oh, Alpha’s Magical Hearth’s Warming!” Spearmint hurriedly answered, drawing a sigh of relief from Swift. “What did you trick me into thinking?”
“That a unicorn’s horn could impregnate a mare.” Swift’s answer brought a smile to Spearmint’s face as she went up to her girlfriend’s side. “It’s good to have you back, dear.”
“Just wish you didn’t leave me at the hospital,” Spearmint muttered as she fell into a defensive stance.
“Sorry, Minty, but not only was I late for the wedding, you looked like you needed the rest,” Swift replied as she kept her eyes forward. “I’ll make it up to you once things calm down.”
“Barrier,” Lightning Javelin barked as he landed about ten feet away from the charcoal unicorn. “What did Flash talk you into eating after Ransacky gave you a black eye?”
“Hollow Shades phantom peppers and her name was Ran Saki,” Barrier sternly replied. “Who’d Lieutenant Blitzwing cause to faint on our first day as cadets?”
“It was… Crap, I know this one… Was it Fizzle? No, it was Highjump! Highjump!” Javelin bellowed with a hint of desperation. Barrier gave Javelin an affirmative nod, letting him come to his side. “So, shapeshifting bug things?”
“Long story short, these changelings failed to replace Empress Cadance, so now they’re attacking. We’re trying to keep the civilians safe while we evacu—”
A loud bang cut Barrier off, drawing everypony’s eye towards the palace, where one of the towers now had a sizable hole with smoke rising out of it.
Before Barrier could utter even a gasp, a large volley of fiery orange light shot out of the hole and struck another tower, tearing the top off violently.
“What in Faust’s name’s going on?!” One of the civilians screamed at the sight of pieces of tower falling in the distance.
“Everypony, please remain calm and make your way through the gap to safety,” Spearmint spoke calmly and authoritatively before turning towards the obsidian unicorn. “Barrier, I think you should head back to the palace and try to help there.”
“Are you sure you can handle things here without me?” Barrier asked as he saw several changelings swarming towards the smoking towers.
“If these three foals can’t handle it, I could just crack open one of the watermelons in that fruit cart and use it to start blasting these bugs full of lightning,” Javelin boastfully said as he took to the skies. “Now get outta here!”
“Right,” Barrier nodded right before he teleported a fair distance away and transitioned seamlessly into a dead sprint towards the palace, hoping the princess was alright.
As Barrier rushed onto the palace grounds, he could hear more explosions roaring in the distance, coming from the palace towers.
What in Tartarus is going on?! Barrier briefly pondered as he charged into the halls of the palace.
Passing by the windows, he glanced outside to see the occasional volley of fiery magic streaking through the sky, smashing into the palace walls or the grounds below. Determined to find where the princess was and to help anypony he came across, the charcoal stallion found himself pushing his body forward as hard as he could muster.
Despite the battles raging outside, the hallway he rushed through seemed oddly quiet. However, that quiet was quickly broken as he heard a furious yelling coming from around the next corner.
Rounding the bend, Barrier found himself next to a bundle of changelings that Swift had downed earlier, with some lying next to their severed horns. Down the hall, he saw even more fallen changelings and what looked to be Starshine in her guardsmare regalia, attacking another batch of the insectoid creatures with a series of teleportations and point blank magic blasts.
Barrier’s horn glowed as he funneled and focused his magical power into the precipice, preparing a volley of his own but a sudden sharp pain made the unicorn yell and fall onto the palace floor. With gritted teeth, he looked over his shoulder to see a hornless changeling with a venomous gaze which burned into his own, driving its severed horn into Barrier’s right hind leg further, giving it a sharp twist.
Before he could let out another pained yell, a volley of emerald colored magic struck the changeling in the face, sending them skidding at least three pony lengths away.
“On your hooves, Barrier!” The charcoal stallion heard Starshine bark before her hooves came into view and felt himself being pulled back onto his. “I thought you were aiding the civilians.”
“Swift managed to open a hole in the shield,” Barrier winced as he looked down at his injured leg, carefully prying the horn free. “What’s your status here?”
“I’ll let you know once I do,” Starshine replied as she examined Barrier’s bleeding wound. “Hmm… Not much blood flow, but we should get you to an infirmary.”
“Belay that, we need to—”
“I don’t take orders from you, civilian,” Starshine interrupted, then moved to his side and slung one of his forelegs over her shoulder. “Besides, you’re a valuable asset in this fight. I don’t want to lose you to blood loss or infection.”
Barrier tried to move away from the golden coated mare, but felt a great pain in his hindleg when he tried to stand on it. As much as he wished he could continue to fight, he knew he would be little more than a liability.
“Grr… Fine. But once we get my leg patched up, I’ll head up onto the roof and set myself up as artillery,” Barrier said as he and Starshine started to make their ways through the palace halls with a limp.
“Don’t make me force you into a bed, civilian,” Starshine gruffly replied.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a felony, Captain,” Barrier quipped jokingly, trying to take his mind off of his pain and worries for a brief moment. Starshine groaned in annoyance as they continued on.
After several painful and tiring minutes, the two managed to hobble their way into the palace infirmary, where several injured guards were laying in beds as medics rushed from one patient to another.
“Halt!” A gamboge pegasus in guard armor rushed up to Starshine and Barrier, flaring his wings to try to intimidate them. “Identify yourselves.”
“Private, at the most recent javelin toss training session, you managed to hit one target dead in the center while your second shot barely avoided hitting me. I then had you scrub the third floor lavatories with a toothbrush,” Starshine responded as she waved over a medic. “Is that good enough for you?”
“Yes, Captain!” He saluted with a wing as one of the doctors came over to Barrier and examined him.
“I want a status report yesterday. Start talking!” Starshine barked as she slipped Barrier’s foreleg off her shoulder and left him to talk to one of the medics.
“Ma’am, so far it seems we’re giving about as good as we’re getting with no clear victor in sight,” the private quickly answered. “So far, they haven’t tried to attack the infirmary, but we’ve got some unicorns trying to come up with ways to detect them.”
“And what about the explosions from the towers? What is the changeling queen doing?” Starshine asked, watching as the medic rushed off to grab some supplies.
“Ma’am, it’s not the changelings causing those explosions,” the armor stallion looked frightened as he spoke. “It’s the princess!”
Several Minutes Earlier
Comets of green and gold clashed against each other in the Canterlot skies as Celestia and Chrysalis battled one another, volley after volley of golden magic and emerald flames being launched between the two.
The alabaster alicorn beat her wings hard and launched herself at Chrysalis, the changeling queen hissed and braced herself just as Celestia crashed into her. The two tumbled between the towers like two birds of prey locked in combat, losing some altitude as they traded close blows with one another.
Celestia kicked at Chrysalis’ stomach with her hind legs while Chrysalis swung her head hard and struck the princess in the cheek. Wrenching her head back, Chrysalis dove for Celestia’s throat, only to choke as the alabaster alicorn brought her foreleg up to the changeling’s neck. Despite this, Chrysalis’ snapped her teeth at Celestia’s throat with all the intent to tear it out.
The Equestrian princess, through gritted teeth, pushed Chrysalis away with a combination of strength and a wash of golden light.
The changeling queen gazed at Celestia with menace. She let a raspy and angry hiss before using a tower and a bit of magic to catapult herself towards the waiting princess. Alarmed, Celestia tried to strafe out of Chrysalis’ way but the queen was faster, she delivered a sharp knee strike to Celestia’s stomach, forcing the air from her lungs.
Chrysalis grinned widely and followed up with a solid forelimb strike to Celestia’s jaw, she deftly moved around the struggling alicorn and delivered a hind legged kick to her spine which sent Celestia hurtling toward one of the furthest towers.
With Celestia stunned and in free fall, Chrysalis set her horn alight with a green aura and fired a large volley of emerald flame-like magic at point blank into the princess’s chest. The blast sent Celestia crashing through a tower window. As she came through the window, she smashed into something, an obelisk of stone and glass which shattered on impact before landing muzzle first against the floor. Celestia felt incredibly disoriented, groaning as she struggled to roll onto her hooves, glass fragments cutting into her with every movement she made. She had no idea as to where she had crashed, not helped by the dust and debris making her already blurred vision even worse.
As Celestia tried and failed to force herself to stand once more. She heard a crunch from the window as someone gently landed on the fragments of glass, casting a shadow which covered the room.
“I wish this could have gone another way, but your student left me no other options,” Chrysalis said as she looked down at the fallen alicorn. “I’m not sure what I’ll do to cover things up once I’m done, but we will.”
Celestia weakly forced herself to turn to Chrysalis, who stood with poise, back lit by sunlight as the dust settled and her vision returned to her. At the sight before her, the alabaster alicorn let out a horrified gasp.
However, it was not the visage of the towering changeling that shocked her, but what stood at her feet. In a collection of purple fragments in front of the changeling’s hooves was the shattered glass and stone that once formed a large, horseshoe shaped mirror.
“No, no, no, no!” Celestia whispered in horror as she looked over the shattered pieces of the mirror. She futilely tried to put some of the broken pieces together to form something that resembled the old mirror.
“Sunset…” Tears started forming in her eyes as she ignored Chrysalis barking at her. Everything around her seemed to darken as she felt turmoil twisting through her entire body.
Sunset’s lost… Gone forever… You can never see her again. She’s as good as dead to you. You’ll never get to reconcile with her… and it’s all your fault.
It was then Celestia felt as if something snapped inside her. The sadness and turmoil that had started to consume her quickly morphed into something else; rage.
No! It’s HER fault! Celestia felt her blood boiling as she glared up at Queen Chrysalis. She’s nothing but a monster who tried to kill your niece, kill your little ponies, destroy your city, and kill you! And now she’s killed the only way you could ever be with Sunset again! She’s just another monster like Grimhilde and her griffins centuries ago. Her and her forces both threatened your little ponies the same way, so treat them the same way! Burn them all! BURN THEM ALL!
“You…” A growl emanated from the alabaster alicorn as she rose. Chrysalis saw Celestia’s ethereal mane begin to rapidly whip and flicker, changing from the wavy rainbow-like flow into something akin to a roaring flame.
“You!” Celestia roared, making a chill run down Chrysalis’ spine as her normally kind, light magenta gaze warped to a fiery orange with draconic slits for pupils.
“You… You don’t scare me, alicorn!” Chrysalis defiantly roared as Celestia’s horn glowed. The changeling queen fell into a defensive stance, ready to take whatever blow the alicorn would launch at her.
Unaware that Celestia was slowly opening up a drawer behind her.
“I will not be frightened by some color change tricker—” Chrysalis screamed as she felt something extremely sharp plunging into her back. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she spotted the open draw and a dagger sticking into her side.
“Do…Do you think a single dagger's enough t—” The changeling’s attempt to boast was cut off by a feeling of agony spreading from where Celestia had stabbed her. It felt as if the blade set her blood on fire and it was rapidly spreading throughout the rest of her body.
“Oh, what was that, Chrysalis? Celestia said as a cruel smirk crossed her muzzle before twisting the blade and pulling it out. “Do you not like what I’ve done to my special little friend here? I call it Nightmare’s Bane.”
“W-What..! What did… you do..!” Chrysalis barely managed to spit out before she collapsed to the floor, feeling as if her entire body was being set on fire, the pain too much for her to even scream.
“What did I do to you? Oh, nothing much.” A terrifying chuckle came from the alicorn’s throat as she looked down at her fallen foe. “I’ve developed a poison that makes it so that the more magic its victims have in their bodies, the more powerfully agonizing it is.”
“Is that a fact?” Chrysalis said through gritted teeth before forcing herself up and leaping toward the alabaster alicorn. Chrysalis collided with Celestia, dropping her magical grip on the dagger. Pushing through the burning pain in her body, Chrysalis grabbed the dagger with her hoof as it fell before swiping at Celestia, landing a fairly sized gash on the alicorn’s foreleg.
Though she wished to smile at landing an equalizing blow, Chrysalis felt the pain had grown too much for her to do anything beyond standing and breathing. At least she’ll be on an even keel with me… any second now… Why… Why isn’t she crumpled on the floor? Writhing in agony? What… What?!
A dark chuckle filled the room before Celestia erupted into a deep and terrifying cackle.
“You insignificant little bug. Who do you think I tested this poison on?!” Celestia howled before pulling back her gold-clad hoof and slamming it into Chrysalis’ jaw, shattering the golden shoe and making the changeling queen stumble towards the window’s edge. “I spent decades working on it to protect Equestria from monsters like you! I’m immune to it!”
Chrysalis’ vision started to blur from the pain of both the poison and Celestia’s hoof strike, however one thing she could still make out was the glow of the alicorn’s horn as she charged up a blast. Swallowing and forcing past her pain, Chrysalis tried to focus her magic to form a shield.
Chrysalis’ horn flickered weakly, desperation apparent in the way she growled in concentration. Green glistening blood trickled from her nostrils as her gnarled horn came alight and started to laboriously erect a shield.
“Goodbye, bug! You go squish now!” Celestia roared with dark glee as she fired a large volley of blinding flaming orange light at the changeling queen.
The meager shield Chrysalis managed to form was instantly shattered before the blast slammed into the changeling. The beam sent her spiraling out of the alicorn’s chamber and into a second tower. One of her hindlegs clipped the stone edge of the window's frame, breaking the leg off.
Once she skidded to halt, she saw where her leg once was, now just a stump that bled green. Focusing the love and magic in her body, a gout of fire shot from her wound. Within a matter of moments, the bloody stump had been replaced by a new limb.
Through gritted teeth, the changeling took heavy breaths as she tried to force herself onto her hooves. As her belly touched down on the dusty and damaged floor, she noticed something that caught her off guard. While she still felt as though her blood was on fire, the burning pain seemed to be a notch less powerful.
I used up a good amount of love to heal. Chrysalis thought as she wobbled achingly onto her forelegs.Perhaps I could turn this weakness—
In the instant that she tried to blink, a gold clad forehoof slammed into her snout. Chrysalis felt her teeth shattering and her chitin cracking as shards from the broken horseshoe buried themselves into her face.
The changeling queen reeled back from the punch and slammed into a nearby wall. She coughed and sputtered blood as she feebly tried to shake the shards from her face. Weakly turning an eye to where the punch came from, she saw the burning visage of Celestia looming over her.
“Oh, what’s wrong, Chrysalis?” The alicorn asked mockingly as she stomped closer to the fallen changeling. She could see the changeling seeth as green flames poured from her face as the chitinous cracks sealed, fangs reformed and the metal shards were pushed from her flesh.
“I thought you’d appreciate my last few blows. After all…” Celestia’s horn flared like a lit torch as her magic squeezed the fallen changeling. Chitin all along her body cracked and bled as she was brought up to the alicorn’s face. “Those were only love taps.”
***
“Can’t you wrap those bandages faster?!” Barrier barked as the medic quickly treated the obsidian unicorn’s leg. Despite how authoritative he tried to sound, he knew worry was clear in his voice.
Looking out the window, he could see what looked like a golden fireball streaking across the sky, causing the occasional explosion and slamming a black form he couldn’t clearly make out into towers and roofs.
With a quick tug, Barrier felt the nurse as he finished tying off the bandage around his leg.
“This should hopefully do for now, but it’s deep and needs more thorough treatment. You need to be careful not to put too much pressure on it,” the nurse said as he stepped away from the taller unicorn.
“We’ll worry about that later,” Barrier responded as he tried to pull away. He resisted the urge to wince as he felt he could only hobble with his new limp. “What are we doing now, Captain?”
“I’m going to get myself and an able bodied pony to try to find out what the Tartarus is going on with the princess,” Starshine replied as she looked over whatever forces in the infirmary were in decent enough shape.
“Either way, I’m coming with you,” Barrier responded as he dragged himself over to the golden coated mare.
Starshine gave an exasperated sigh before she faced the charcoal stallion. “Fine. Sentry, by me. Esi, carry Barrier. Treat him like a cannon with a busted wheel.”
Barrier fought back the urge to protest as a cyan bat winged pony came up to his side and put Barrier’s foreleg over his neck.
“Everypony else, the password is Thundering Paradise. If anypony tries to get in without it, blast them!” Starshine commanded before nudging the infirmary door open a crack and quickly sweeping the hall. “We’re clear. Move!”
The quartet of ponies made their way into the hallway. The slower pace that Barrier and his carrier were going allowed him to take in the sight of the cracked walls and shattered stain glass that littered the hallways.
As they moved through the damaged halls, Barrier saw the forms of the element bearers wearing their elements charging through the halls. As they came closer, they skidded to a stop with Twilight at the head.
“Barrier, we… Wait,” Twilight said as her horn glowed with magenta light and glared. “What did I eat at your place that made me sick?”.
“Verdant’s risotto with too much wine,” Barrier answered as the bat pony pulled him along. “What did I do to your couch?”
“You burned it,” Twilight replied as the light from her horn faded and she sighed in relief. “What happened to you?”
“A changeling stabbed me in the leg, but that’s not important right now,” Barrier said as he tried to straighten his posture.
“He’s right. What matters is getting to Prin—” Starshine was drowned out by something slamming into the courtyard outside. The force of the impact shattered the windows and kicked up a cloud of dirt, blocking everypony’s vision.
While the ponies coughed and tried to cover their eyes, a voice cut through the dust and reached Barrier’s ears. “Captain? What’s going on?”
“Verdant? Why aren’t you back with Swift?” Barrier asked with a hint of uncertainty as he saw what vaguely looked like the shape of a pony stumbling through the dust.
“She said I wasn’t much help without a bow and arrow there, so she told me to do what I c—”
“Agh, you stepped on my tail!” Rarity suddenly yelled.
“Priorities, Rarity!” Verdant shouted back as the dust started to settle, allowing a modicum a sight.
“Everypony, to the window!” Twilight commanded before she dashed over to the destroyed window, carefully avoiding stepping on the glass shards.
The gathered group reached the window as the dust and dirt fully cleared, revealing Queen Chrysalis weakly lying on the ground surrounded by what appeared to be fragments of roofing tile as Princess Celestia stood over her. The changeling’s breathing was heavy, cracks and holes covered her chitinous form while emerald green blood slowly oozed from them.
Barrier gasped at the sight of Celestia as she glared down at Chrysalis. Her mane, normally a gentle rainbow wave, was now a raging blaze. Her eyes reminded Barrier of a particularly fearsome dragon that had nearly killed him in his youth, but they were absolutely filled with two things he never thought he’d see in the princess; bloodlust and pure, murderous rage.
With a vicious sneer, Celestia shot her head downwards and bit hard onto Chrysalis’ horn. The changeling let out a throat ripping shriek as Celestia started to pull on the horn in her teeth. Chrysalis’ screams grew louder and more bloodcurdling until finally, the horn had parted from her head, leaving only a jagged stump which oozed plasma. Celestia spat it to the side.
“Oh Faust, oh Faust, I’m gonna be sick!” Barrier heard Verdant mutter as he covered his mouth.
“I… That’s it…” Chrysalis weakly said as tears and blood poured down her face. “I’ve nothing left in me… my magic… my love… it’s all gone… I’ve nothing left. I’ve… We’ve lost… I surrender. Please… I only ask you spare—”
“No.” A sickening chill ran down the spine of not only Chrysalis, but everyone who heard the princess’s cold, whispered response.
“For centuries, I’ve had to put up with monsters who threaten my kingdom, target my loved ones and put my little ponies in danger. It seems I’ve been far too lenient with my enemies,” Celestia quietly said in a tone of pure malice, cutting through the pin-drop silence. Her horn glowed with a fiery aura as she picked up Chrysalis’ severed horn with her magic.
“Clearly an example needs to be made.” Celestia’s voice became a growl as she floated the horn over Chrysalis’ chest, holding it like a dagger.
“From Tartarus’ heart, I stab at thee!” Celestia roared as she plunged the horn downward. Barrier could only watch on in horror as the princess attempted to murder Chrysalis in cold blood, knowing that most he could do was make his horn glimmer by the time the blow landed.
The horn stopped when it hit a sheet of glowing magenta light. Celestia was stunned by something not only stopping her strike, but slowly starting to push the horn back towards her.
“Stop!” Twilight screamed from beside Barrier before leaping through the shattered window.
“Princess, please don’t do this!” Twilight pleaded as she slowly trotted towards the stunned changeling and the shocked alicorn. “She’s lost and she wants to surrender! She’s broken, beaten and bleeding! There’s no reason to kill her!
“Please…” Tears started forming in her violet eyes. “You told me once that you hated the idea of killing in rage, letting your hatred consume you. Do you really want to do this all over again?”
“Twilight, I…” Celestia’s gaze rapidly shifted from her teary-eyed former student, the battered queen, the horn in her magical grasp and the frightened faces of the ponies and changelings watching her, with her fiery form reflected in their eyes.
“I.. You’re right…” the princess somberly said as she released her magic on the horn, letting it harmlessly fall to the ground beside Chrysalis. Tears started to roll down her face as the flame-like flickering of her mane started to slow. “I don’t want any more bloodshed. I just want everyone to be safe and happy.”
“Give…” Chrysalis coughed, spattering some blood onto Twilight’s hoof as she looked to a batch of changelings who were anxiously observing from above. “Give the order… Stand down… We surrender.”
“Captain Dazzle.” Starshine stood at attention as the princess’s mane fell over her eyes as it slowly morphed from flame-like colors back to its rainbow. “Call the medical staff to tend to Queen Chrysalis immediately. We’re going to need a long talk.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Starshine saluted as the magenta shield around the city started to fall away. “Alright, let’s go, everypony! Move it! I want this place secured, ASAP! That means move your flank, civilian!”
Barrier briefly resisted the batpony at his side trying to pull him away as his eyes were firmly locked on to the shaken up princess. He noticed Twilight coming up to her side.
“Captain, C’mon,” Verdant said as he placed a hoof on the charcoal stallion’s shoulder. “We should give this place a wide berth. Our royals have a lot to talk about.”
With a tired sigh, Barrier stopped resisting the batpony’s pull. “You’re right, Verdant. I just get the feeling the princess is going to need a flask way more than I do.”
Night was beginning to take its place in the sky as things settled down in Canterlot.
The changelings had followed Queen Chrysalis’ orders and surrendered. However, even hours after the battle had ended, a tense atmosphere hung over the city. There were still many who doubted the armistice, suspecting friends and family alike.
Looking over the ponies stood within the palace hallway, Barrier could see that nearly everypony was still on edge. However, the two princesses seemed to be the most affected. Cadance stood close to Shining Armor where she looked somewhat jumpy. Meanwhile, Barrier observed that Celestia looked ill over everything that transpired.
“—firmed fatalities, Raven?” Barrier heard Starshine’s voice in the distance as she entered the hallway with a bespectacled white unicorn with a brown mane in a bun.
“So far, we haven’t had any reported deaths in either guard or changeling forces,” the mare said as she looked down at a clipboard. “There was apparently a civilian death, but it seems this pony, a unicorn identified as Miss O. Arcana, was trampled by a stampede of panicked civilians during the attack.”
“Hopefully those numbers don’t shoot up,” Starshine sighed before turning to face Raven once more. “Keep me posted, Raven. I want to be alerted when we have any news.”
With a nod, Raven headed off as the guard captain approached Princess Celestia. “Your highness, the doctors have confirmed Queen Chrysalis is in stable condition and we are free to begin the interrogation.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Celestia quietly said as she looked down at the golden coated mare. “I’d like to speak to her alone.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Princess,” Starshine firmly replied. “It’s my job to ensure your safety and won’t risk anything happening with you being alone with her.”
“I…” Celestia took a deep breath and sighed. “You’re right, Captain.”
“I’m coming with you,” Cadance sternly said as she stepped up to Celestia’s side.
“Cadance…” Shining Armor was cut off as Cadance raised her wing to his mouth.
“Queen Chrysalis attacked me, transformed me with poison joke and planned to kill me. I should be there to get answers out of her.”
Barrier could see a fire in the pink princess’s eyes as she spoke. He’d never seen such anger in the princess of love before.
“I think Barrier and I should be there as well,” Twilight Sparkle added as she came up to Celestia’s side. “It’s clear that we were also targets. We should know why and what she was planning.”
After a moment, Celestia nodded silently and headed down the hallway with Starshine, Cadance, Twilight and Barrier following shortly behind her.
Shortly after, the five ponies arrived outside the private chamber where Chrysalis was being held. Over a dozen guards were standing outside the door, all armed with spears and standing at attention.
“Open the door,” Starshine barked, and the guards moved quickly. Two guards pulled the door open while the rest kept their eyes locked on the entrance with their spears at the ready.
The five stepped inside, seeing four more guards stationed around a bed where Queen Chrysalis laid, covered in many bandages wrapped tightly around her body as another set seemed to be holding her reattached horn in place. A mare in a doctor’s coat quickly gave the princess a nod and moved out of the way.
Looking over to the side, Barrier spotted a large window with another dozen pegasus guards hovering outside.Half were looking out at the night sky while the rest kept their eyes on the chamber.
“Queen Chrysalis…” Princess Celestia started, garnering a sharp look from Barrier. “We have much we need to talk about.”
“Clearly,” Chrysalis weakly said as she watched the five carefully. “I’ve no doubt you all have questions.”
“I’ll start with the most important one,” Cadance nearly growled as she approached the bed. “Why? Why did you do all this? Why’d you attack and impersonate me?”
Queen Chrysalis let out a tired sigh as she looked over to the glaring empress. “My people, the changelings, need love. It’s our food source. We gain far more nourishment from love than we ever could be subsisting on your diet. We were beginning to starve. Over the years, it’s become harder and harder for our infiltrators to gather the love we need for the hives to thrive.
“Then one day, we received word that not only had the Crystal Empire returned, but King Sombra had been slain, the Princess of Love had become the new empress, and she was now engaged to the captain of the guard.
“That was when I had an idea,” Queen Chrysalis said as she closed her eyes. “Cadance was now isolated from Equestria, engaged to marry a high ranking pony whom she loved, and restoring the empire. This made her ideal for replacement. By taking Cadance’s place, we’d be able to gather vast amounts of love to feed upon.”
Barrier saw Cadance tense up, only for Twilight to put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“Once the plan was decided, I made my way to the Crystal Empire where I took the place of a pony killed in Sombra’s attack named Beryl Roll,” Chrysalis continued as she looked Cadance in her glaring eyes. “This allowed me to gain a position as one of the palace staff, granting me the opportunities I needed to watch Cadance and study her mannerisms, and learn her history. All to sell the illusion.
“When the time came, I replaced her escort and infiltrated the train. Her tea was drugged. Once she passed out... You know the rest. After that, it was a simple matter to get Shining Armor alone to place a charm on him, just in case I needed to lock down the city.”
“And then you’d have me killed and served to the griffin guests while running off with him at your side as a perpetual love factory,” Cadance said in the most venomous tone Barrier had ever heard from the pink princess.
“Yes. My intention was to slay one pony and pull the grandest deception ever so that my changelings would have all the food they could ever wish for.” There was a hint of shame in Chrysalis’ eye Barrier spotted as she looked away from Cadance.
“The death of one enemy for a lifetime of sustenance. It seemed like our best chance of survival.”
“Why didn’t you simply ask for help?” Twilight asked as she stepped closer to the changeling’s bed. “I’m sure that the princesses would have gladly helped if you asked them.”
While Celestia nodded, Chrysalis scoffed in response.
“Long ago, before the pony tribes united, my people attempted to reach out to the unicorns. Those changelings were all slain on sight.” Chrysalis slowly turned to glare at the alabaster princess. “From what I’ve seen of ponies, you tend to treat other species poorly compared to your own, and play favorites as well.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, utterly perplexed by the changeling queen’s words.
““What do you mean?”” Chrysalis mocked and rolled her eyes as she looked down at the violet unicorn. “You have a dragon child that you subject to an amount of work that goes far beyond household chores and into what should be paid work tending to the library. Based on what my spies have told me, that should be your job.”
“But Spike is…” The words died in Twilight’s throat as she seemed to become lost in thought, a look of shame spreading across her face.
“Another example comes with how you handle threats to your land,” Chrysalis said as she shifted her gaze towards Celestia. “Nightmare Moon nearly destroyed the world, but she was basically sent to her room and reinstated without so much as a lecture. King Sombra slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands after he was consumed by dark magic, and yet he was granted a quick death to end his pain after the elements cleansed him of his dark magic.. Meanwhile, Discord, while far less directly malicious than either of them, was essentially sentenced to locked in syndrome for eternity.
“That is what petrification is like, isn’t it, Twilight?” Chrysalis asked as her eyes fell upon the unicorn mare once more. “I was informed there was a time a cockatrice turned you stone. Is that true?”
Twilight swallowed as she looked Chrysalis in the eye. “Yes… That did happen to me once and it was really terrifying. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything but stare forward, trapped in my own body.”
“If I could be certain that smashing his statue would have killed Discord instead of freeing him, I would have done so a long time ago… However, that was long ago and now…” Celestia paused. Barrier briefly saw her eyes dart about. “I’m honestly not sure what would be the best course of action with him.
“At any rate, there’s still the issue of you ‘playing favorites’,” Queen Chrysalis said as she weakly gestured her foreleg towards Twilight and Cadance. “Especially with these two.
“Cadance has used her “love magic” to influence the minds of others with no permission whatsoever…” Chrysalis glared at the rosy alicorn, making her take a step back. “While I was in the empire, I only witnessed her do this magic on those who requested it, but this doesn’t change the fact she used her powers to silence the arguing of a couple without any sort of punishment for it.”
“Princess Celestia actually gave me an earful for that later that day,” Cadance interjected. “She taught me how unethical it was and I broke the spell the very next day when I saw them again. Thankfully, it seems even without my magic, the two managed to resolve their problems. Now, I see that as one of my poorest choices and I still regret it. I thought I was helping, but I was actually hurting them.”
“Meanwhile, there’s Twilight Sparkle,” Chrysalis turned to the violet pony. “You mind controlled an entire town for fear of a poor grade and didn’t get so much as a slap on the wrist for it, despite what you did being a major crime. It fell to the townsfolk to voice their disgust over what you’d done.
“And then came your little time loop.” Chrysalis’ words made Barrier’s ears perk up and an eyebrow rise in confusion. “You created a temporal paradox that frightened the entirety of the town thanks to a message from your future self. You broke into a forbidden archive, and created the time loop in a poorly done attempt to tell your past self “not to worry”.”
“Those were both things I deeply regret.” A heavy sense of shame was clear in Twilight’s voice. “The townsfolk would do stuff like egg or TP the the library for weeks after what I’d done and many shops refused my business afterwards. And when it comes to the time loop, I fully admit that in my panic, I ended up making a predestination paradox that caused my worry in the first place.”
“Tell me, did you know that since the assassination of Prince Palladium, firstborn of Queen Platinum, temporal magics of all kinds have been illegal under pain of life without trial or chance of parole?” Chrysalis asked as she looked down at the ashamed unicorn. “Meanwhile, there’s a young mare named Tick-Tock, ten years imprisoned for using time magic to fix her dropped ice cream when she was eight. Her childhood was wasted away in a maximum security prison under constant watch. Now, does that seem fair to you?”
“No… No, it’s not,” Celestia said in sadness and shame. “I had never heard of this mare before, but I will see to it this gets rectified.”
“Back to the matter at hoof,” Barrier said as he limped closer to the injured changeling’s bed. “What you’ve said makes it clear that Princess Cadance wasn’t the only one you were monitoring. You were watching Twilight as well, weren’t you?”
“You are correct,” Chrysalis replied as she looked down on the charcoal stallion. “The Element Bearers were all ponies I had watched, but amongst them, I considered Twilight Sparkle the most dangerous of them all. However, I also believed her to be the least stable, so I decided to have my changelings exploit that. After the incident with that doll she enchanted, some of my spies were able to nudge her in such a way to negatively affect her mental state and sow distrust amongst her and her friends.”
“Does that mean those times I thought I saw Sombra, it was some of your changelings trying to gaslight me?” Twilight glared as she rared up and leaned against the bed’s railing.
“Indeed, though I mostly left those spying on you to their own devices. Some of the few direct orders I gave were to occasionally slip aggression-causing drugs into your food and to dump a large amount of ladybugs into your bedroom,” Chrysalis answered, making the smaller mare’s glare intensify. “It’s amazing what one hears when one has spies listening to your family tell childhood stories.”
Barrier sighed as he put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and gently pulled her way. “Was my household one of your targets as well?”
“Yes. I believed a group of ponies who were trained to function as both guards and assassins would be a threat as well. Especially since it seems some of them kept up with their training.” Barrier felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristling as Chrysalis spoke. “While I knew that there was no way the Element Bearers would miss the royal wedding, I knew I could arrange things to minimize how many of your soldiers would be here for the wedding.”
The obsidian unicorn fought back the urge to gasp as he felt like a dozen pieces to a puzzle had fallen into place. “That’s it… that explains so much.”
“Beg pardon?” Twilight asked as she turned to face him.
“By the time we received the wedding invitations, almost everypony had prior plans,” Barrier stated as he glared at Chrysalis. “Forge and Snow Sweeper just happened to win tickets for hockey playoffs in Baltimare. Gem and Hatty got tickets to a Las Pegasus vacation. Wind Whistler and Fleet had a school trip in Manehattan. Verdant got sudden news about the Equestria Games that would take him to Rainbow Falls, and Daring got a message about the discovery of Dazzleglow’s tomb and the magic coins somewhere in the badlands… And you were behind all of that.”
“A few false notifications by a changeling here, a few bits there, and you can pull all sorts of strings,” Chrysalis answered, clearly fighting off the urge to smirk.
“And when that didn’t stop Swiftsword from coming along, you had her and many others poisoned in an attempt to keep her away!” Barrier barked as he pointed an accusatory hoof at her.
“...Actually, it was just good fortune on my end that she got food poisoning from that restaurant.” Chrysalis replied. “Not enough to keep them away from the wedding entirely, but it did help further destabilize your mind.”
Chrysalis’ words gave Barrier pause. After briefly considering what she said, he reared up and leaned on her bed. “Were you the one who caused me to see Grimhilde these past few months?”
“I ordered it, but I was only in Vanhoover once, and never in the Grimhilde disguise.” Chrysalis said as Barrier stared into her harlequin eyes. “The spies I assigned discovered your fear of that dead hen and used that to their advantage. I believe one of them used the chaos caused by Discord’s escape to steal her skull from a museum and make you believe she was somehow resurrected.”
“Tell me…” A growl emanated from Barrier’s throat as glared at the changeling queen. “Did you order them to kill Spectral Image?”
“Spectral Image?” Chrysalis tilted her head in confusion. “Spectral Image… Spectral... Image... Ah, now I remember her.”
Chrysalis leaned closer to the charcoal stallion. “I and my changelings had nothing to do with that mare’s death.”
“...What?” A quietly stunned Barrier said as he nearly stumbled back away from her bed.
“While my changelings did discover she was getting dangerously close to discovering us, they informed me they were working on a plan to nonlethally eliminate her as a threat. However, they were never able to implement those plans because she slipped on some stairs and died.”
“...Are… Are you serious?” Barrier was in utter disbelief by what Chrysalis had just said. “All this time, I’ve been hunting down the stallion with the lemon mark, thinking he was a murderer… but Spectral’s death was truly an accident?”
“Though one that benefitted us greatly,” Chrysalis replied before she leaned back into the bed and sighed. “Had everything gone to plan, you and Twilight would have been drugged through the entire wedding with your lack of memories blamed on being heavily hung-over. Twilight would’ve woken up in her bed chamber while you would have woken up in an alleyway.”
“And I would have been killed.” Cadance glared daggers at Chrysalis, who merely sighed.
“If your options were, ‘let your children starve to death’ or ‘kill a single creature you consider an enemy in exchange for years worth of food’, you’d understand what my choices were,” Chrysalis weakly replied. A shocked look quickly washed over the pink pony’s face.
“Your… Your children?” Cadance’s quiet voice managed to echo in the spacious chamber.
“Every single changeling that you’ve seen or interacted with are my own children,” Chrysalis said as she tried to force herself up in the bed. “I couldn’t find any better options to feed them without losing our greatest weapon, our secrecy. Being hidden has kept our race safe for millennia. It was our most precious treasure.
“When Twilight exposed me earlier, it was my worst nightmare. I panicked, believing it to be the absolute worst case scenario and that the only option was to eliminate all witnesses before the knowledge could spread.” Chrysalis sighed as her gaze weakly turned to her cracked and bandaged forelegs. “Of course, now that I’ve had time to think, that likely wouldn’t have worked out. Far too many variables to keep Luna and the rest of Equestria from discovering what had happened.”
“So, what now?” Twilight asked as she looked up to her former mentor.
“That is for you to decide,” Chrysalis said as she lowered her tired and beaten form in her bed.
Cadance stepped up to the changeling’s bed. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she gently placed a hoof on Chrysalis’ foreleg. “Make no mistake, I am furious at what you’ve done… but I understand your motivations. I can’t condone your actions, but I understand why you’d do this for your people… your children.”
Chrysalis gave a sigh of what sounded like relief as a small amount of cracks on her face caught aflame before they sealed shut.
“Thank you,” Chrysalis said with a tiny more energy than she did before.
“In the meantime,” Celestia said as she stepped up to Chrysalis’ bed. “We have much to discuss about the future of our peoples. Barrier, Twilight, could you please step outside? Cadance, my captain and I have much to discuss with the queen.”
“Of course, your highness,” Barrier said before he turned about and hobbled towards the door.
“Is your leg okay?” Twilight asked as she used her magic to push the doors open.
Sighing, Barrier turned to the violet unicorn. “I had one of the doctors look at it and they said it looks like the changeling’s horn caused some nerve damage. I’ll probably have a limp for the rest of my life.”
“Oh, Barrier, I’m so sorry,” Twilight responded as she gave him a quick hug.
“It’s okay, kiddo,” Barrier replied as he gave Twilight a quick nuzzle. “I figure it’s not to be a big deal since I don’t picture myself going into battle again. I’m getting on in years.”
“You’re not even forty,” Twilight shot back.
“And in my day, that was considered a retirement age for a guard, if you even lived that long.” Barrier sighed as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags. “Right now, I’m just tired and want to get home to see Fleet and—”
“Barrier!” A mare’s voice shouted from a nearby hallway before a gold and gray blur rushed up to him and swept him into a bone crushing embrace. When the grip that threatened to crush his lungs finally loosened, he found himself staring into a pair of tired and worried magenta eyes.
“Speak of the Daring Do,” Barrier said before he returned the pegasus’ embrace as a pair of guards rushed up to where the three ponies were.
“Sir, stand back from her! We haven’t been able to confirm if she’s a changeling or not!” One of the guards barked.
“A whatling?” Daring asked as she broke away from Barrier and looked at the winded looking guards.
“We had to deal with a race of shapeshifters earlier. They’ve been behind a lot of the things going on with the house recently,” Barrier answered as he looked over the golden coated mare, seeing that her clothes were rather dirty and she looked very tired.
“Ah, so they were the ones behind the fake tomb,” Daring said as she rubbed her chin before looking at the glaring guards. “And now you need to prove I’m not one of them.”
“That’s right!” One of the guards said before taking a cautious step closer. “Now, give us some proof of who you are!”
“Alright,” Daring said before moving up to Barrier’s ear and whispering. “When we first met, it was in the Palace of Two Sisters, I called you Captain Super Soaker after our first time and I stunned you once by quickly spelling the alphabet backwards.”
“She’s her.” A small smile graced Barrier’s features before he gave her a nuzzle. “She told me some things only she would know.”
“...Very well, sir,” The guards slowly fell out of their aggressive stance and departed, likely to return to their stations.
“So, what happened to you, Daring? You said something about a fake tomb,” Barrier asked as he trotted closer to Daring’s side.
“Yeah. It was a pretty bad fake tomb,” Daring said as she stretched a wing out and put it over Barrier’s back. “Sure, it looked authentic, but I noticed some imperfections that set off some alarm bells in my mind. The biggest giveaway was the scent of tea coming off some scrolls. I know some ponies use that on paper and other stuff to give it a more aged appearance. When I tried to leave, some goons tried to stop me, but I was able to out maneuver them.”
The three rounded a corner, where they spotted the element bearers, Verdant and Swift at the end of the hall.
“I realized that someone had access to the letters that could be sent to me by magic, so those were compromised. When I spotted some of those goons at the train station, I had to walk all the way from the badlands to Canterlot, hoping no one spotted me. I hadn’t had to be that sneaky in forever.” Daring’s eyes drifted down to the bandage on Barrier’s leg. “Faust, are you okay?”
“Other than limping, tired and sore, I’m fine.” Barrier offered her a reassuring smile. “We’re all pretty tired after everything that happened. Princess Celestia and Empress Cadance are speaking with the changeling queen now to figure out where we’re going to go from here.”
“Well, at least we’re all in one piece,” Daring said as she and Barrier arrived at the windowsill where two of her housemates were gazing out at the stars. “I’m surprised to see you here, Verdant. Weren’t you supposed to be in Rainbow Falls?”
“When we got there, there wasn’t anyone from the Equestria Games there at all. Just a prepaid hotel stay,” Verdant said as he looked over his shoulder. “That, along with so many of us being away from the wedding made me worried, so I hightailed it over here.”
“Still, after a long and hard battle, we are now able to rest and enjoy this brief moment of peace,” Swiftsword said before letting out a sigh of relief. “Aren’t the stars beautiful tonight, Verdant? They look just like the stars we saw the day Sombra fell.”
“They sure are,” Verdant replied with a soft smile. “That was quite the intense night too.”
Without any warning, Verdant was blasted away from the window by a sudden volley from Swift’s horn, knocking him to the floor. Before anyone could let out a startled shout at Swift’s actions, she had drawn her swords and was holding both of them over the fallen stallion’s throat.
“Swiftsword!” Barrier roared as his and Twilight’s horns ignited while several guards rushed to the scene. “What the Tartarus are you doing?!”
“He’s not Verdant!” Swift exclaimed as she stared down at the vest wearing stallion. “He’s a changeling imposter!”
“That’s… that’s ridiculous!” Verdant responded as his eyes darted around the room. “I helped you fight off the changelings and I… I…” The shamrock stallion sighed before giving Swift a defeated half-lidded look. “So, what gave me away?”
“I’ve been suspicious of you since I encountered you in the hallway,” Swiftsword said as she glared down at the imposter. “You said you saw Queen Chrysalis battling Celestia, calling her by name, something I learned only seconds before thanks to Barrier. There’s no way the real Verdant would have known it.
“However, what truly confirmed my suspicions was my agreeing that we watched stars in the Crystal Empire the night Sombra was slain.” Swift leaned closer as she spoke with gritted teeth. “The real Verdant was with me when I fell asleep that day, long before the stars came out.
“Now, answer my question, changeling! Where is the real Verdant Range?!” Swift nearly roared in the disguised changeling’s face.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” the changeling replied. “I figure he’s either in Rainbow Falls, unaware something’s wrong, in Vanhoover after figuring out something is wrong, or on the way here.”
“Tell us…” Barrier sternly said as he made his way over to the changeling’s side. “Why did you do this? You disguised yourself as our friend and instead of using this to attack us, you aided us in fighting off your brethren and helping ponies get out of the city.”
“Well… it’s because I didn’t agree with my queen’s plan,” he said as he looked upon the element bearers as they drew closer to him. “I just couldn’t stomach what was going to happen, so I tried to think of something I could do.
“Barrier…” the changeling said as he turned his head from his spot on the floor. “Remember that message you saw on the mirror in your room? The one that read, ‘The stars are silent, the vulture is headless’? That was me! I wrote that to tell you those visions you had of Grimhilde and Starscream were all fake, that they were really dead!”
“Visions?” Swift’s eyebrow quirked before glancing at Barrier for an instant.
“If you’re the one that wrote the message, why’d it disappear by the time I got back to my room with the princesses?” Barrier asked, taking a step closer to the changeling.
“I didn’t think you’d rush out and raise an alarm like you did,” the changeling replied as a wave of green flames suddenly washed over them, replacing the visage of Verdant with that of the blue coated pegasus Barrier had seen outside his door. “I thought you would keep it under wraps or maybe rush to Swift’s room. When I saw you didn’t, I was worried this would reach Queen Chrysalis, so I quickly wiped the mirror clean in a panic. There’s probably a reason I was assigned to espionage and not tactics.”
“What’s going on here?” Starshine’s voice barked from the far end of the hallway before she appeared beside Barrier in an emerald flash and saw one of her guards pinned under Swiftsword.
“Not much. Just that I blew my cover, revealing that I’m a changeling and now Swift’s got her swords at my throat,” the imposter said as they rolled their eyes and looked at the now stunned captain. “How’s your day going?”
“What… I just…” Starshine stood gobsmacked at what the pinned changeling had said.
“You said you helped us fight off your kind because you didn’t agree with what your queen was planning,” Barrier said as he glared down at the changeling. “I want you to elaborate.”
“And I will…” The false guard said before swallowing nervously. “If you let me go.”
“What?!” Starshine barked as her horn was alight with burning green energy. “You infiltrated my guards, doing Faust knows what to Aqua Shine to replace her, and now you want us to just let you go?!”
“One: My kind infiltrated your guards a long time ago.Two: Aqua Shine, never really existed. She was an identity shared among…” The imposter paused to click their tongue. “I think four changelings, but I can’t swear by that. And lastly, I helped you fight off my siblings, some of them were permanently maimed while I helped your kind evacuate. Not to mention I tried to help Barrier even before the attacks actually happened. Please…I’m on your side.”
Starshine growled as she stomped close to the changeling just as Princess Celestia and Empress Cadance approached.
“If you let me go, I’ll tell Barrier and his housemates everything after he returns to Vanhoover. After that, I’ll submit to whatever justice you see fit. I just need time to get my affairs in order to fix what I’ve done” the changeling said as she looked up into the captain’s glaring eyes.
“Captain…” Princess Celestia spoke, drawing Starshine’s attention away from the prisoner. “I am willing to extend the olive branch… I know how hard it can be to bring harm to one’s siblings… Let them go.”
“...Against my better judgment, I will follow my orders,” Starshine spoke sternly through gritted teeth before slowly turning her attention to Swiftsword. “Let them go, Swiftsword.”
“...As you wish, Captain,” Swiftsword said as she stepped off the changeling and sheathed her swords.
“Thanks for the trust, your highness,” the changeling said as they rose up and sat on the edge of a window sill and turned their attention to Barrier. “Once you’re back home, I’ll tell you everything we’ve done to you once I take care of everything.”
“I’d better stop seeing that damned hen,” Barrier said as kept his eyes firmly on the changeling.
“I swear, you’ll never be haunted by me as Grimhilde again,” the changeling replied before turning to look at the small collection of glaring guards. “C’mon, Sis. Let’s go home.”
The guards gasped as an ivory coated unicorn in their ranks moved to the changeling’s side and was engulfed in emerald flames, revealing their black chitinous true form as they stood on the window sill.
“See you all later,” the disguised changeling said before letting herself fall back and disappear from sight. An instant later, a changeling was seen taking off into the night sky, followed shortly by their ‘sister’.
“Well, this day just keeps getting better,” Starshine said before rubbing her tired eyes and turning to face the alabaster alicorn behind her. “Princess—”
“Forgive me, but I currently don’t wish to discuss this further, Captain Dazzle,” Celestia interjected. “I believe that we’re all extremely tired from everything that’s transpired today. I suggest we all retire for the night.”
“Very well, your highness,” Starshine bowed to the alicorn before abruptly turning to her guards. “Alright, night shift. Return to your patrols. I want a report every hour, nothing in or out. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” the guards barked before they and Princess Celestia departed down the halls.
“Shining,” Cadance softly said as she marched up to the alabaster stallion and placed a wing on his back. “Let’s get some sleep. We both need it.”
“Agreed,” Shining replied before placing a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, everypony.”
“The cappin’s got the right idea,” Applejack said before she yawned so loudly, it could be mistaken for a lion’s roar.
The royal couple departed. The element bearers, Spike and Swiftsword started to pull away, Applejack saw Twilight staring out the window as she rested forelegs on the sill. “Y’coming, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“Not quite yet,” the violet unicorn replied as her friends looked at her with some concern. “Getting drugged earlier and being out for so long has got me wide awake. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Alright, but don’t wear yourself out, dearie,” Rarity said, turning back down the hallway. “We all need our beauty sleep.”
“Some more than others,” Dash playfully snarked as flew above her friends.
“Says the pony that spends most of the day napping on clouds or in trees.” Spike’s reply drew a light chorus of chuckles as they fell out of earshot.
“Well, back to the salt mines,” Starshine said as she began to pull away, only to feel a foreleg on her shoulder. Looking back, she was surprised to see it was Barrier holding her back. “Is something amiss, Barrier?”
“There’s just a few questions I wanted to ask,” the obsidian unicorn said as Starshine turned around. “First off, is there a reason Princess Celestia called you Captain Dazzle and not Captain Starshine?”
With a sigh, Starshine looked past Barrier and straight at Daring Do. “Around when I was going to enroll in the guard, I had a cousin who was going on some rather important assignments for the princess. She planned to start a book series based on her escapades, and so long as she didn’t break her contract to reveal anything classified, she was free to do so.
“However, I didn’t want said book series to possibly put our family members at risk or cause accusations of nepotism with my career, so I politely asked her to refrain from using her full name in her books while I asked I mostly be referred to by my given name.”
“I’d say the deal worked out pretty well for us, Cuz,” Daring said before she came up to Starshine with a small smile. “And look where we are now. Captain of the Equestrian guard and a well known author. I’d say we did pretty good.”
“Truly. My first day as captain, the kingdom gets invaded by shapeshifters,” Starshine sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes before she took on a more playful tone. “Meanwhile, I finally get to see my cousin for the first time in years, only to find out my cousin's got terrible taste in stallions.”
Barrier remained silent as he could see from her tone and the look on her face that she was merely joking.
“Hey, Barrier’s a great boyfriend,” Daring shot back more seriously than Starshine.
“Your letters described him as, ‘tall, dark and handsome’. He’s clearly only two out of three,” Starshine said before childishly sticking out her tongue at Daring, making the pegasus’ face scrunch up.
“As entertaining it is as watching you two bicker, I have a more serious question,” Barrier said as he stood between the two mares. “Earlier, way before we found out she was Chrysalis, you seemed to really dislike Empress Cadance. Might I ask what that’s all about?”
The charcoal stallion’s question drew Twilight’s attention, letting her see a stunned look and blush upon Starshine’s face. “You saw that?” She hoarsely croaked out.
“It was somewhat hard not for me to notice. You were practically glaring daggers at her,” Barrier responded. “Might I ask why?”
Starshine let out an embarrassed groan as she leaned up against the windowsill, trying not to let the others see her face. “There is a reason… but it’s really stupid.”
“I’ve had to deal with cadets that set a fountain on fire, tried to use a brick as a pillow, been swallowed whole and tried to fornicate in the princess’s personal bathroom,” Barrier said as he pulled out his flask. “I doubt your reason could top that kind of stupid crap.”
“Alright,” Starshine said before swallowing. Her blush grew harder as she hefted herself up on the windowsill to lean against it. “Back when I was in high school, I had a crush on this one stallion. He was a bit on the nerdy side, but there were so many great things about him. He was brave, he was caring, he was dedicated, he’d do anything for those he cared about. I wanted to ask him out so many times, but I had butterflies in my stomach and I was worried that I’d be shot down, no matter how much my friends said that was unlikely.
“So eventually, I finally worked up the courage to ask him out… but I was too late.” Starshine sighed as she stared out to the inky black void of the night sky. “Another girl had asked him out, and there was no way a mere cheerleader could compete with a princess.”
“Wait, you had a crush on my brother?” Twilight’s stunned remark made Starshine look away from her, though Barrier could see the blush on her face grew even deeper.
“Yes,” Starshine said with what Twilight presumed was shame and sadness in her voice. “Even after all these years, trying to find somepony else, I still have feelings for him. Hearing that he and Empress Cadance were engaged was one of the saddest days of my life. The whole reason I couldn’t stomach spending a single second with Empress Cadance was the fact I was petty and jealous.”
“Well, you weren’t jealous, you were envious,” Twilight interjected. “Envy is wanting what somepony else has while jealousy is worrying somepony will take what you have, and that would imply he was ever… yours… to… begin… with…” The violet mare trailed off as she saw Starshine turning her neck towards her with a half-lidded glare. She could practically hear her neck turning like a rusty torture device as her eyes clearly tried to burn through her skull. “...Sorry.”
With a deep sigh, Starshine slumped down and rested her chin on the windowsill. “It’s okay. I know I’m the one being stupid here, nursing some schoolgirl crush. Still, I do wish him all the happiness in the world.”
“If it makes you feel better, that’s not even in the top ten stupidest things I’ve seen from my time in the guard,” Barrier said, trying to be comforting to the golden coated unicorn. “Or after, for that matter.”
“Well, thanks.” Starshine still sounded glum as she lifted herself off the windowsill to face Barrier. “Do you have any other questions? ‘Cause if not, I’ve likely got a mountain of paperwork to deal with.”
“Well, there was one other thing that I am somewhat curious about,” Barrier said as he stroked his chin. “When I was recruiting ponies for the journey to the Crystal Empire, where were you?”
“Oh, that…” A soft chuckle came from Starshine. “Well, the reason why was because my sister had an accident and some broken bones. I used up a bunch of personal days to help her when she was recovering, staying at her place in Baltimare.”
“Wait, Molly got hurt?” Daring asked in surprise, to which Starshine affirmatively nodded. “Crap. I should write you more often,” she said with a wince.
“Is that it?” Barrier asked as he tilted his head. “I don’t see how your sister’s accident could be so bad.”
“Believe me, it’s a lot more complicated than that,” Starshine replied with a sigh. “Y’see, Molly Cule, my twin, has a medical condition that causes rather fragile bones. I forget the name of it, but it’s often called GPS for short. It’s a problem that seems to run in parts of my family. While Daring and I managed to dodge that bolt, Molly’s got it, so she’s been really fragile all her life… and I was scared that if somepony found out my twin sister had this condition, then my own health would be called into question, with ponies thinking I’d be a liability to the guard.”
“Now, that explains a few things,” Barrier said with a nod. “Y’know, with the way you acted when I first asked you this, along with seeming to only run into Grimhilde in places where you were, a small part of me thought it was you taking on her appearance.”
“Well, at least the truth is aired out and we can get some peace of mind,” Starshine said as she hopped away from the windowsill. “I really should get back to work. Barrier, Twilight, I hope you have a good night’s rest. And Daring,” Starshine said as she gave the pegasus a smirk. “Try not to be a stranger. Maybe pay me a visit sometime. I finally managed to master Dad’s potato salad recipe.”
“Heh, I’ll believe it when I taste it, Goldielocks,” Daring said as she held a hoof out to the unicorn, who smiled before bumping it back.
As Starshine trotted down the hall, eventually disappearing from view, Daring trotted up to Barrier’s side and placed a wing on his back. “Come on, Big Guy. my hooves are killing me and all of us could use some rest.”
“You’re right,” Barrier replied before nuzzling her. “Come on, Twilight. Let’s get some sleep.”
***
In the darkness of the ruins of her royal bedchambers, Princess Celestia looked down at some of the many glass shards that were scattered about the floor. Her horn glowed with golden light, cutting through the darkness as she picked up one of the larger shards, holding it so that only her eyes were visible in her reflection.
“Sunset…” The princess hoarsely said as a single tear rolled down her face.
Thunder crackled violently as a downpour drenched the city below. While most people were in their homes to wait out the storm, there was one girl who stood out in the rain without an umbrella, futilely smacking her fists against the base of a statue.
No, NO, NO! the girl with scarlet and golden hair thought as her rage overrode the pain in her hands. You can’t do this to me, Celestia!
She had planned to briefly slip back to Equestria so she could see what had happened and possibly find something to become the princess she deserved to be, but despite it being the right day for her to go through the portal back to her home world, she’d found that the statue was inert as it usually was.
Is this some sort of punishment, you ancient hag?! She fumed as she kept punching. What I deserve is the take your place and… and…
The girl slumped against the statue. Her fury and sadness started to overwhelm her as she felt warm streaks sliding down her face to join the rain that fell upon her.
“Sunset?” A boy’s voice made the emotionally exhausted girl look to her left where she saw a familiar face.
It was a pale green teen with freckles and brown hair under a black umbrella. He wore a bright yellow vest on top of a forest green jacket and a white t-shirt. His pants were dark green while his shoes were bright white and he carried a blue thermal bag under his right arm.
She recognized the boy from around the school. He was one of the few teens who was staying with the history teacher with a limp after some sort of incident occurred in Vanhoover. However, Sunset remembered him as the idiot that got his book stuck in his locker and then - when he finally managed to get it out - lost his grip and sent it flying directly into her face. Were it not for how drained she was feeling, she would have plotted to get even with him.
“Oh, hello, Verdant,” Sunset weakly said as she turned to look at him. “What are you doing out here?”
“Well, I was just on the way back to Mr. Barrier’s place after getting dinner and holy crap, your hands are bleeding!” Verdant stumbled back as his eyes fell on her hands.
Looking down, Sunset indeed saw her hands were covered with bloody cuts, courtesy of the unyielding stone. Briefly turning to glance at the statue, she saw her blood on it from where her fists had smacked against it. It was only then she started to feel the dull aching pain.
“Oh, I was just upset over some… old issues,” Sunset said as Verdant cautiously drew closer.
“Must be pretty bad to make you try punching the statue and… Were you crying?” Verdant asked as his eyes moved from her hands to her face, where he spotted some redness in her eyes.
“Dammit,” Sunset weakly muttered, hoping he hadn’t seen that. She did have a reputation to uphold, after all. “Look… I’m fine, I can handle this.”
“Sunset, you’re soaked to the bone and bleeding. Can I please do something to help?” Verdant asked as he picked up one of Sunset’s hands to get a better look at her injuries.
“Relax, Verdant. I’m fine,” she said as she jerked her hand away. “I’ll see you on Monday, alright?”
“Uh, last time I heard someone say that, it was Snapshot Flash, and she’s still missing,” Verdant said with a worried tone. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
Sighing, Sunset looked up towards the darkened sky that had been briefly illuminated by a bolt of lightning. She had intended to only be in the rain briefly before stepping through the portal. But with that plan dashed, she would have to deal with the long hike back to her place.
Your place is a good deal away and you’re drenched while Barrier’s place is only two blocks away. Make the smart choice.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset let out a defeated sigh as she walked over to Verdant, who made plenty of room for her under the umbrella.
“Well, I don't want to get sick,” she said as she and Verdant began to walk away from the statue.
“Good call. I know Mr. Barrier has a bunch of bandages and a spare bathrobe you could use while you dry off,” Verdant said as he tried to sound cheerful. “Oh, and uh, try to avoid Swiftsword. She thinks you’re the one that leaked that her parents are cousins and I think she wants to kill you.”
“Wonderful,” Sunset said as she rolled her eyes.
To think, I was once the top student of a princess. A wielder of amazing magical powers, and now… here I am. Trapped in another world with none of my kind, forced to rely on those who I once saw below me for help. she thought as she looked down at her bleeding hands, recalling when they used to be hooves.
I’m not the powerful pony I once was. I’m now just a pony displaced.
One week had passed since the attempted invasion of Canterlot. Repairs to the damaged city were underway and everyone was on edge. At this time, the princesses were being very tight-lipped about what would be done about the changelings.
Due to all the stress everypony was dealing with, it had been announced that the royal wedding would be pushed back another three months.
Barrier had stayed with Daring and Swift in Canterlot to give his leg more time to heal, allowing the two to get more acquainted with Twilight Velvet and Night Light before they finally headed home.
On the train ride, Barrier spent a long time pacing through the halls, looking at his limping leg in frustration.
“Guess this is my lot in life now,” he muttered to himself as Daring stuck her head out of the cabin.
“Well, it could be a lot worse, dear,” Daring comfortingly said as she drew near and put a wing on his back. “A limp is pretty mild compared to the injuries ponies used to get in war.”
“She’s right, you know,” Swift said as the pair made their way back towards the cabin. “My family had many a unicorn who lost limbs, eyes or horns in battle against the griffins. And those were the ones who didn’t come back on their shields.”
“I know, but it’s still something that’ll take time to get used to,” Barrier sighed as he and Daring took seats across from Swift. “Any word from the manor?”
“I sent a letter with one of my ribbons to explain what happened and when we’ll arrive at the train station,” Daring said as she placed a hoof on Barrier’s shoulder. “Still, we haven’t got any word back yet.”
“We can only hope our housemates haven’t succumbed to paranoia.” Barrier’s horn shimmered with azure light as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags.
“Tis not paranoia when there really is someone out to get you,” Swift said as she clutched her swords in her grip. “While Queen Chrysalis has been taken down, who knows if there’s still changelings watching us. Not to mention the two that we released.”
With a tired sigh, Barrier replied with a “Fair point,” before taking a swig from his ever-present flask. “Still, hopefully they don’t go too far.”
***
It was early in the afternoon when the train finally arrived at the Vanhoover station. While Barrier wished to rush off the screaming metal death trap as soon as possible, he was reminded that his leg simply didn’t move like before. Still, he was comforted by the fact that Swift and Daring were sticking closely beside him as they disembarked.
Not far from the platform, they spotted Iron Forge standing by a bench. When he spotted the trio, he approached the three with a cautious look on his face.
“It’s good to see you again, Forge,” Barrier said as the cobalt unicorn came to a halt in front of them. While he looked fine to the average onlooker, Barrier could tell he was ready to strike if need be.
“Wish I could say for sure if you’re who you appear to be,” Forge said as he looked over the trio carefully. “Swift, has your snout always been that shape?”
“Yes, Forge. It has, just as Verdant’s forelegs have always been white,” Swift replied with a roll of her eyes. “However, I understand your distrust since we had to deal with an imposter Verdant in Canterlot.”
“Then I’m sure you won’t mind a game of twenty questions,” Forge said as he rubbed a hoof against his chin. “Barrier, when we were on Butterfly Island, what did Swift’s horn hit that fell on Verdant?”
“It was... a banana,” Barrier said before clicking his tongue. “What part of Hatty did you accidentally stab with your horn?”
“Trick question. It was Winter Gem, and it was her left hindleg, right next to her cutie mark,” Forge replied, getting a nod from Barrier. “Swift, what did you help me pull from my fur on the island?”
“It was a small hedgehog,” Swift answered as she looked over her cobalt companion. “What do I have hidden in my bedroom closest?”
“At least five boxes of your favorite cereal, Pumpkin Pete’s Marshmallow Flakes,” Forge answered before turning his attention to the golden coated pegasus. “What historical event did Wind Whistler say she wanted to learn about?”
“Oh, it was the ice cream wars!” Daring enthusiastically said, making Forge nod and sigh in relief.
“Sorry for being suspicious, everypony,” Forge said as he and the trio started their way homeward. “When we got back, we started thinking how odd it was that just about none of us were able to attend the royal wedding and it got attacked. We were all very suspicious about everyone once we got the news about the changelings and this led to some… altercations, but we got things settled.”
“It’s surprising that you chose to meet us alone,” Barrier stated as the four of them stepped off the platform.
“Oh, I didn’t,” Forge replied before he hopped onto his hindlegs, waved his left foreleg and put his right hoof on his snout.
From up on a high cloud, Barrier saw a blue form leap down and fly towards them. As it drew closer, he saw it was Storm Cloud, who hovered above the returning trio.
“Good call, though I don’t appreciate that you chose a sniper to do it,” Barrier said as Forge led the way home.
“I thought is was the best option and Verdant’s making lunch, so I didn’t have too many options for ponies at the house who could take out a target from long range if need be, so…” Forge said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry if we’re a little paranoid.”
Barrier could only sigh before taking another swig of his flask. “No, I understand. Especially since according to one of the changelings, they were watching us.”
“Holy shit,” Storm whispered as she flew closely above the charcoal unicorn. “Say, did you hurt your leg or something?”
“I’ll explain after we get to the house. I don’t want to explain it multiple times,” Barrier replied before he turned his attention back to Forge. “How’s everyone else holding up?”
“Well, we’ve only been leaving the house in pairs since we got back,” Forge answered as he looked over his shoulder. “Fleet’s been keeping Wind Whistler home from school and she’s literally been worried sick, the poor mare. Erica’s staying with her parents while Toil’s staying in the guest room.”
“And what of you, Storm?” Swift asked just before her horn tapped against the pegasus’ metallic leg.
“Well, I’ve been staying in Verd’s room since him, Erica and I are…” The flying mare coughed into her hoof. “Well, we’re together now.”
“Ah, so the stallion slayer’s fallen in love.” A slight smirk graced Swift’s muzzle as she spoke. “Does that make your tally a baker’s dozen?”
“No!” Storm angrily barked as a crimson tinge appeared on her face. “I’m not that easy.”
Swift held her tongue until the five ponies finally reached the manor’s gate. As Barrier pushed the gate open, the bathroom window opened up as an arrow shot out, impaling the ground in front of them.
“Halt!” Verdant commanded as he popped his head out the window with his bow drawn. “You need to identify yourselves if you want to get in! What’s the password, Forge?”
“It’s…” Forge paused as his pupils dilated. “Crap, I forgot!” His words drew a groan of annoyance from the assembled ponies.
“Are you shitting me?” Storm Cloud glared at the silver maned stallion. “You swore you’d remember it!”
“Gimme a sec,” Forge said as he tapped a hoof against his forehead. “I know it begins with a P.”
Barrier sighed, bringing a hoof to his face as he drew closer to the house. “Verdant, I’m really not in the mood for another round of twenty questions. Forge can easily verify that we’re the real deal.” The cobalt unicorn nodded at Barrier’s words.
“Yeah, and I’m Princess Katrina of the royal St. Paws family!” Verdant replied as he looked down at the five. “What’s to say all five of you weren’t replaced by changelings?”
“Oh, for the love of…” Barrier grumbled his horn radiated with azure light before he vanished and reappeared before Verdant, startling him and making him tumble from his spot on the toilet to the floor below. With a quick flare of his horn, Barrier picked the shamrock stallion up and put him back on his hooves. “I’m not dealing with this stuff right now, especially with what happened in Canterlot. Now come on, I want a family meeting.”
“Uh…” Verdant stood stock still as he clutched his bow tightly.
“Son of a…” Barrier rolled his eyes. “You told me your kill count is either zero, or a hundred and three if you count undead. Happy?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Verdant said as Barrier started to limp out of the bathroom. Before the emerald earth pony could follow after him, he heard the sound of wingbeats coming from behind him.
Quickly spinning about and drawing an arrow, he saw Storm Cloud hovering outside the window before climbing inside.
“C’mon, Number Nine,” Storm said before she gently landed in front of him. “We’re all who we say we are and we could all use some lunch.”
Sighing, Verdant collapsed his bow before stowing it and his arrow away. “You’re right. Sorry, dear.”
“It’s cool,” she said before giving him a quick nuzzle. “Now, let’s head down.”
As the two left the bathroom, Barrier had reached the bottom of the stairs and unlocked the front door with a quick flash of magic. Soon, he and the rest arrived in the living room where Hatty, Gem, Toil, Fleet, Windy and Snow Sweeper were sitting. The former soldiers and the foal leapt to attention when they saw the approaching ponies.
“It’s fine, everypony,” Verdant tiredly said as he and Storm Cloud trailed behind. “Turns out that Forge couldn’t remember the phrase, peach ketchup! C’mon, you told me a dozen times you memorized it!”
“At any rate, we’re back,” Barrier said as he limped towards Fleetfeather and gave her a nuzzle. It was then he looked over to Wind Whistler, who stuck close to one of the chairs. “Don’t feel like trying to leap at my face today, kiddo?”
“N-no,” Windy said as she moved to be partly hidden by the chair’s leg. “I just want to be sure you’re the real deal is all.”
“Barrier, what in Faust’s name happened?” Fleet asked before she spotted the bandage on his hindleg.
“I suggest you sit down, everypony,” Barrier said before he hovelled over to the couch. “It’s gonna be a bit of a story.”
***
“— and they said they would meet us after we got back.” Barrier sighed as he wrapped up his tale. The ponies who weren’t in Canterlot stared in shock at what Barrier told them. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”
Before anypony could utter a response, a knocking came from the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Barrier said as he lit his horn. “My legs are starting to fall asleep anyway.”
The charcoal unicorn teleported to the entryway, where he could hear a familiar voice on the other side of the door singing.
“Come at me, and you’ll see…”
Pulling the door open, Barrier saw a tired looking Sweet Honey while Fruity Punch was singing.
“I’m more than meets the eye!” Punch finished singing when she spotted Barrier from the corner of her eye. “Oh, hey, Barrier. Can we come in? We need to talk.”
“I’m certain we do,” Barrier replied as he allowed the two inside. “Everypony, we have guests.”
When the three arrived in the living room, Barrier saw nearly everypony was in a defensive stance while Snow Sweeper was standing behind Forge.
“Barrier, did you bother checking to see if these two are the real Punch and Honey?!” Gem asked as she looked ready to pounce on the two visitors. “They could be changelings for all we know!”
“Oh, they are,” Barrier firmly stated as he faced the pair of sisters. “And I assume you’re here to provide the answers you promised.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Sweet Honey said before sighing. In an instant, the two were engulfed in emerald colored flames which dissipated to reveal their dark chitinous forms. Nearly everypony leapt back at the sight while Wind Whistler yelped and ran under the lounge chair.
“Answer me, changelings!” Swiftsword barked as she drew her blades. “Where are the real Fruity Punch and Sweet Honey?”
“You’re looking at them,” one of the changelings said with Punch’s voice. “Those two were identities we crafted for our missions. May we have a seat? This’ll take a while to explain.”
“You may,” Barrier answered as he nodded towards the couch. “I assume some proper introductions from you two are in order.”
“Right,” the one with Honey’s voice said as she flopped down on the couch while Punch took her seat more delicately. “To start off, my real name is Apicula. Sweet Honey was an identity I crafted long before I was assigned to watch this household of yours.”
“And what would be your name?” Swift asked as she glared at the other changeling. “I know Punch certainly isn’t your real name.”
“Actually, Punch is my real name,” the second changeling said with a hint of embarrassment. “Well, kinda. It’s not Fruity Punch though, it’s Punch Buggy.”
“Punch… Buggy,” Hatty said incredulously. “How did you get a name like that?”
***
In a dark, damp cavern some time ago, Queen Chrysalis was examining the many newborn changeling grubs around her as she laid down.
“Hmm…” Chrysalis held a grub in her harlequin colored magic as she carefully examined her. “I believe I’ll call you… Apicula.”
Just as she set the grub down, she felt something quickly crawling up her neck and perching itself on top of her head. With a brief glow, she picked the grub off her head and hovered her close to her face.
“Why, hello there, my dear. Now what will your name be?” Chrysalis gave a warm smile to the grub until it shot one of her tiny limbs out, jabbing her mother right in the eye.
“Ah, son of a…” Chrysalis grumbled while the grub heartily laughed at her reaction. “I know the perfect name for you.”
***
“Not a clue,” Punch said with a shrug. “At any rate, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Say, could you do me a small favor?” Snow Sweeper piped up from behind Forge. Could one of you change your colors for me? It’s just I’m not great at telling voices apart and well…”
“Lemme guess, we look a lot alike to you?” Apicula said with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s cool, I’ll do it,” Punch said. In a flash of green flames, Punch’s torso turned from black to a bright yellow, the elytra became purple while her turquoise eyes turned a vibrant red. “Does this work?”
“Yes, thank you,” Snow replied before Barrier cleared his throat.
“Now, I believe the two of you have a lot to explain about what’s going on,” Barrier said before he teleported over to the lounge chair.
“Right,” Apicula took a deep breath before speaking again. “We were assigned to watch this household since the queen believed your group, pony soldiers with a dangerous set of skills and a familiar connection to Empress Cadance and her fiance, were a major threat. While nowhere near as much as the Element Bearers, still a threat.
“After we picked our disguises, we broke into the old murder house to use its attic as a base of operations until arrangements could be made to get us an apartment. I got a job as a postmare to be able to learn the lay of the city and stake out the manor’s exterior while Punch would join the cooking classes Verdant took and got a job at the Four D’s so she could form a connection with Swiftsword.”
“And you did this while using an alias that included part of your real name?” Verdant questioned as he kept his bow clutched in his left foreleg.
“Not gonna lie, when I was introducing myself to you, I had a total brain fart and forgot I was supposed to use the name Bundle O’Fruits and blurted out the first part of my name, so I just had to wing it from there,” Punch said as she rubbed the back of her head and a green tinge appeared on her cheeks.
“So, your friendship with us was all a lie?” Swift asked with a mixture of anger and sadness.
“Well, it’s complicated,” Punch replied before groaning. “Sure, you were just meant to be targets for us to study for weaknesses, but… Well…”
“But my sister broke rule number one for infiltration; never grow attached to your targets,” Apicula huffed as she looked down to the floor. “...Though I admit, I grew attached to you guys as well.”
“At any rate, our assignment was to find ways to either make it that you were unable to attend the wedding, or try to destabilize you in such a way as to make others distrustful of you,” Punch sighed as she ran a hoof over the fin on the back of her head. “It was on the way to the Four D’s where I heard Barrier talking to Wind Whistler, talking about how Grimhilde gave him nightmares. After I left my job application, I looked up what Grimhilde looked like in the history books and started to exploit that.”
In another flash of emerald fire, Punch’s scrawny form was replaced with the large, muscular form of the dark coated griffin that caused everypony in the room, even Barrier, to tense at the sight.
“After that, as I waited in hiding in the backyard, I spotted Barrier was all on his lonesome as he came downstairs. It was then I donned this disguise and a flash of lightning caused him to spot me.” Punch casually continued her explanation to the gathered group. It was rather unnerving for Barrier to hear Punch’s voice coming out of the goliath of a griffin. “Before he got outside, I turned back and dived into some bushes right before Fleetfeather arrived.”
“And so, we began working on getting closer to you,” Apicula said as Punch returned to her previous appearance. “Slowly but surely, we got closer to you all and started to formulate ways to keep you away from Canterlot, once the wedding date was planned. Because Queen Chrysalis and I believed that keeping Barrier away from the wedding was unlikely, I decided that gaslighting would be the best way to try and minimize his threat.”
“So, all those times I thought I saw Grimhilde, it was one of you two.” Barrier’s statement got a nod from the changelings as he glared at them. “Things like Nightmare Night, the night of Discord’s attack, the museum, in the alleyway, outside the detective’s office, even right outside this house.”
“Yep, it was us,” Punch said as she held her forelegs close to her. “Nightmare Night had us take on the forms of Starscream and Grimhilde and quickly change into ponies in costumes.”
In a green flash, the two had taken on the forms of the costumed ponies from that night. Apicula was a white coated pegasus with a green mane with shoddy looking feathers and a paper beak. Punch took the form of a red maned pegasus stallion in what appeared to be a poorly painted cardboard robot costume.
“Really wish I didn’t get blasted in the chest there,” Punch’s voice came from the stallion’s form before she reverted to her painted changeling form. “It hurt like Tartarus and I had to make an excuse for the bruising it caused after we got back from Ponyville.”
“That explains how you were able to escape then, but what about the Canterlot museum or when I chased Grimhilde into an alley?” Barrier enquired as he limped closer to the couch.
“Turning into stuff like a drunk or a pony statue did the trick,” Punch answered. “The latter was a real nightmare since I had to make sure not to move an inch. Not helped by the fact I needed to pee.”
“So, you followed me to find good opportunities to try to make me doubt my perceptions?” Barrier’s question was met with an affirmative nod. “Alright, but what about the night I saw Sweet Honey in Canterlot after Discord’s attack?”
“Well, that was something where things didn’t quite go to plan, so I had to improvise,” Apicula stated as she hopped off the couch and stretched her legs. “I had followed you onto the train, hearing how you planned on getting to Canterlot. However, I only realized you didn’t disembark when I spotted you on the train as it pulled away.
“Stuck in Canterlot while you were headed to parts unknown, I tried to survey what I could during the chaos, and that’s when I spotted this.” Apicula reached into her saddlebags and pulled out something that made everypony gasp at the sight.
What she held in her forehoof was a griffin’s skull. Grimhilde’s skull.
“Took a few days to get this back from the hive,” Apicula stated as she gently placed the skull upon the coffee table and sat back on the couch. “I figured if the skull went missing, then you might believe that Discord raised her from the dead or something. Thanks to all the chaos he was causing, when I broke the glass around the skull with my hoof, the glass exploded outward. I then quickly snatched up the skull and stowed it into my bags, making a clean getaway.”
“So when I met you in the train cabin after spotting Grimhilde, that was you with her skull in your bags,” Barrier said as he struggled to keep his eyes from drifting down to his former enemy’s skull.
“Right on the money,” Apicula replied, drawing his attention. “Honestly, Discord’s attack was one of the better things to happen to us, save for us losing control of our shapeshifting.”
“Urgh, don’t remind me.” Punch shuddered as she recalled that day. “I had to go through a bunch of really painful transformations that I couldn’t do a damned thing about.
“And when the rainbow wave hit us, turning everything back to normal, it ended up turning me back into my true form!” Punch stated as she held herself in her forelegs. “Fortunately, everyone wasn’t looking in my direction and the light had blinded them long enough for me to duck into an alleyway and change back into Fruity Punch while the pain faded away.”
“Hey, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask,” Gem interjected, making everypony’s eyes fall on her. “What was with that Lemon Stallion thing? That’s something I couldn’t figure out.”
The changeling pair sighed. While Apicula’s sigh was in frustration, Punch’s was one of sadness.
“Everything that happened with the Lemon Stallion was just one case of disaster dominoes for us,” Apicula said as she rubbed the sides of her head.
“It all started on the day when I tried to work on a new disguise for myself. I was up in the attic in front of a mirror, trying out what would be a good look,” Punch glumly said as she rubbed her forehooves together. “I figured it’d be good to have some extra disguises, just in case. So I decided to make this pony I called Lemon Lime Twist.”
“Unfortunately, that was when we got a terrible case of timing,” Apicula interjected as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “While I was at the Midnight Mall, I caught the tail end of Barrier talking to Spectral Image. After he wandered off, I chatted with her for a bit before I spotted the photos she’d taken on the table. I instantly recognized the attic and the mirror, so I knew Barrier was getting dangerously close to finding us.
“When I got home, I quickly contacted the hive about Punch’s friend and they told us to solve this as quickly as possible. It’s then I concocted a scheme that probably wouldn’t have worked in the end.” Taking a breath, Apicula leaned back on the couch. “While Spectral Image was out, I would drug her food and make it so that once she was knocked out, I’d cut off her horn. After that, I’d repeat the process on a couple other random unicorns to make it look like some nut was going around.”
“But then shit hit the fan,” Punch said as she squeezed her eyes shut, causing a streak of tears to fall down her chitinous face. “Before we could even scout out her apartment, Specky slipped on some ice and broke her neck. One of the ponies I’d grown the closest to was gone in an instant!”
As Punch started to sniffle, Apicula gently rubbed her sister’s back. “While I did plan on hurting Spectral Image and ruining her career, I didn’t want to kill her or anyone. However, out of this terrible set of events, I tried to make lemonade.”
“And so I began chasing after the Lemon Stallion, thinking he’d murdered Spectral Image,” Barrier stated, fighting back the urge to glare at the changelings.
“And it worked like a charm,” Apicula said. “Her sudden death so soon after her consultation with you worked out for our attempts to destabilize you, or at least make you look unstable. I saw that you were unwilling to listen to the detective saying it was an accident, showing you were playing right into our hooves.”
“But this led to something we didn’t count on, and that was how both of us had grown attached to so many of those in this city,” Punch said before giving one last sniffle. “Api was going to try to cut off Specky’s horn because there was no way I could bring myself to harm her, and my stomach started to churn as I saw how our ruse was affecting Barrier.”
“Still, we proceeded because we believed it was for the good of the hive,” Apicula said as she took charge of the conversation once more. “Once Queen Chrysalis found what the wedding date was going to be, we started to set things in motion to keep as many of you out of Canterlot as possible.
“Thankfully, with the help of siblings in the right places, we were able to pull what strings we needed for this,” Apicula said as her eyes swept over the former privates, Fleet and Daring. “A rigged raffle, claims of a contest win, a false announcement of the Equestria games, an overnight school trip, and a fake letter about a tomb, we managed to whittle eight potential threats down to two.
“All while keeping things up so Barrier would look more and more crazy.” Apicula’s words made the obsidian unicorn’s eye twitch. “So we did a few more Grimhilde appearances and had set it up so Barrier would see the Lemon Stallion during your little trip to Trottingham.”
“It was one of the riskier things we’d done,” Punch said as she shifted into the form of the lime green unicorn stallion with the lemon shaped cutie mark. “However, Barrier spotted me while no one else did.”
“And when I went to confront you, you used a can of soda to briefly blind me and ran off,” Barrier interjected as he drew closer to the disguised Punch.
“And just as I was out of sight…” In another flash of green flames, Punch had changed from the form of Lemon Lime Twist into an exact duplicate of Verdant. “I was able to mislead you into thinking the lemon stallion had slipped through your grasp and that one of your cadets was helping you.”
“Wait, is that what I really look like?” The real Verdant asked with great unease. “Oh, Faust, I’m hideous!” As he brought ashamed hooves to his face, Storm Cloud put a comforting wing on his back.
“Eh, four outta ten.” Apicula’s remark earned her a glare from Storm Cloud and an elbow jab in the ribs from Punch.
“Back to the matter at hoof,” Barrier interjected, drawing everypony’s attention back to him.
“After that vacation, some of the other times I saw Grimhilde were after I left the detective’s office and… and when I saw her outside of the manor, where Punch tackled me to the ground,” the dark coated unicorn said as something dawned on him. “That was all a set up. You set it up so I saw Grimhilde and Punch tackling me gave Apicula a chance to change back out of sight.”
“Right on the money,” Apicula said as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “That took a lot of careful planning and making sure that nopony saw me at a bad time.”
“I have a question, though,” Barrier said as he took a step closer to the couch. “Were you the reason why I haven’t gotten any news about my bloodwork?”
“Of course,” Apicula answered as she shifted into the form of an older pale colored unicorn mare with a flowing two-toned pink mane. “I distracted Dr. Lovely Brew long enough for me to take her form and draw your blood. Then, once you were out of sight, I was able to toss your sample away and make a clean getaway.”
“And I played a part later on,” Punch said as she shifted from Verdant’s form to the bespectacled form of Dr. Sound Mind. “I met up with you outside her office to further mess with you, telling you we couldn’t get another blood sample taken so soon.”
“Now there’s a big thing I’d like to know about,” Swift said from her position, looking ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. “What happened when the royal wedding came about?”
Apicula groaned as she and Punch returned to their insectoid forms. “Well, after it was assumed we wouldn’t need to do any more in Vanhoover, we headed to Canterlot. While we were down in the caverns, that’s when we both saw Princess Cadance after she’d been turned into a seapony.
“She was just so… helpless and scared. I mean, we both feared her back at the Hearth’s Warming party since she was an alicorn… but here she was… just terrified and helpless. She knew the plan was to kill her and then turn her corpse into snacks for the visiting griffins to dispose of the body…” Apicula said before swallowing.
“While my sister being attached to you was worrisome, I thought I could handle whatever could be thrown at me… but seeing her, scared, crying, knowing she was going to die… It was just stomach churning…
“I still did my duty, pretending to be Twilight Sparkle up until we were caught… but when everything went to pot… I just hid. I couldn’t bring myself to join my siblings in battle nor could I raise a hoof against them. I’m such a coward…”
“As for me, I just felt like I couldn’t go through with it,” Punch said as she gave her sister a gentle hug. “I didn’t feel what we were doing was something I could stand, no matter how much it’d hurt us… I tried to hint at what was going on to Barrier, I took Verdant’s form and fought against my brothers and sisters.”
“And now, here we are,” Apicula glumly said as she leaned back on the couch. “We’ve told you just about everything we’ve done and now, as far as I can tell, discussions are being held in the hive on who our new ruler’s gonna be since the queen’s choosing imprisonment. If I were a betting bug, I'd guess it’ll be either Pharynx or Switcheroo… or that weirdo, Kevin.”
“Faust, could you imagine if someone like Thorax ended up being our new ruler?” Punch said before chuckling. “So, do you have any other questions?”
Several ponies raised their hooves in response, leading to Punch pointing at Forge.
“You called the other changelings your siblings. Do you mean that in a sort of ‘brothers and sisters in arms’ sort of thing or in a literal sense?” Forge asked as he lowered his hoof.
“Literal,” Apicula firmly stated. “We’re all the spawn of Queen Chrysalis’ loins. She is our mother.”
Wind Whistler gasped as she quickly fluttered up to the top of Barrier’s head. “If your mom’s a queen, does that make you princesses?!”
“No, changeling royalty doesn’t quite work that way,” Apicula replied, making the small filly frown. “It’s a lot more complicated than how you ponies do it, with selecting a successor and feeding on royal jelly to cause a metamorphosis.”
“Say, I just had a thought,” Winter Gem said as she drew closer to the pair. “When we met your mother at that karaoke night, was that really—”
“Indeed, that was Queen Chrysalis,” Apicula replied as she slid off the couch and started to stretch her legs. “She knew from our updates how distressed Punch was over Spectral Image’s death. Despite how numerous we are and how vital her plans are, she does care about us and wanted to provide her with some comfort in her time of need.”
As Apicula spoke, Fleetfeather glanced over to Wind Whistler before turning her gaze back to the changelings.
“However, this also allowed her to get some intel on you, letting her study you first hoof,” Punch added before taking a breath. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”
“I’ve got a question,” Hatty spoke up. “Did you two need a stool softener to take that massive exposition dump?”
The ponies all groaned in frustration and disgust at Hatty’s comment, with Storm Cloud muttering about zapping him.
“What?! My butt’s fallen asleep listening to all this,” Hatty grumbled as Swiftsword stepped forward.
“I believe there is a much more important question that should be asked.” Swift looked as if she was ready to strike the changelings down at a single false twitch. “What is it you plan to do now?”
“To be honest… I have no idea what I’m going to do,” Apicula said in response. “I mean, being a postmare was mainly just something I did for gathering intel, but now that everything’s gone sideways…”
“Well, I know what I plan to do,” Punch said as she stood up and swallowed. “I’m no longer going to be Fruity Punch. No more deception, I’m just going to be me.”
“Are you insane?!” Apicula angrily barked at her sister. “That’s suicidal! Keeping our secrecy—”
“Is completely pointless now, Sis!” Punch shot back. “If the whole world doesn’t know we exist yet, they will soon! The cat’s out of the bag and there’s no putting it back in!”
Apicula fell silent, unable to look Punch in the eye as she spoke.
“I want to talk to all those I deceived… and hope they will accept me and let me make amends,” Punch said before she sniffled. “I don’t want to lie anymore. I want my bonds with everyone to be real. And… and if someone won’t accept the real me after what we’ve done… So be it…”
A tense silence fell over the room as the ponies looked at one another uncertainly. Soon, the silence was broken when Swift stepped up to Punch.
“Tell me, Punch, what was true?” Swiftsword softly spoke as the changeling sniffled.
“All the good times we had together at the restaurant, like chuckling when Julian got covered in the flour meant for the gravy the one time,” Punch said as she rubbed her one watery eye. “How much fun I said I had with Verdant and the others in cooking class. Saying I was interested in you when I asked if you were single… The sadness I felt when I heard Specky was gone. Saying how much I cared about you all and so much more.
“I know that I've lied to you and this gives you very little reason to trust me, but I want to make it up to not just you, but everyone I interacted with.” Barrier spotted a slight tremble in Punch’s chitinous legs as she spoke. “Will… Will you at least give me a chance?”
Silence reigned once more over the room as Punch was left with baited breath. After a ponderous moment, Swiftsword slowly pulled Punch into a soft hug.
“I forgive you,” Swift gently said as she stroked Punch’s back. “I know you had a great pressure on your shoulders and torn loyalties. I want to get to know the real Punch.”
Punch’s lip trembled before she returned Swift’s embrace and Verdant stepped forward, joining the hug.
After another moment, Forge stepped forward and joined the hug.
As a smile formed on Punch’s face and tears freely flowed, Winter Gem, Hat Trick and Toil approached Apicula.
“I figure if we tried to join that group hug, we’d probably crush her. Do you want some of this?” Gem asked the surprised changeling.
“Uh, sure? I mean, I’m not sure what to say,” Apicula replied before Gem and Hatty hugged her as well.
“Snow, do you want to join us?” Forge asked from his spot at Punch’s side.
“I… I’m not sure, Forge,” Snow replied as he looked away and rubbed his foreleg. “I mean, this whole thing has just been crazy. I… I need time to think about… all of this.”
“Yeah, I mean… I’m also not sure either,” Storm Cloud said as she hung back. “I mean, maybe it’s because of everything that’s happened to me, I’m not sure if I can… not yet, at least.”
“It’s okay, I fully understand,” Punch said before turning her focus to Barrier, Fleet and Daring. “How about you three?”
With a sigh, Barrier limped over to Punch’s side. Once he reached her, he held out a foreleg to her. “I know that war is a nightmare, even when it’s just the lead into it, so I’m willing to be there for you. I also know for sure you’re not a monster, but someone who was stuck in a horrible situation. I know it’s an unenviable position and I have done far worse during my time, ending many lives. I will stand by your side while you try to extend the olive branch.”
“I… Thank you… all of you,” Punch said as she grasped Barrier’s foreleg and shook it as tears started to form in her scarlet eyes. “This means a lot.”
“At any rate, I think we should head home, Sis,” Apicula said as she re-donned her Sweet Honey form. “If you’re gonna go on a confession and apology tour, we should get a good night’s sleep first.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Punch sniffled before turning back to the form of a pink unicorn. “Plus, we should return Grimhilde’s skull.”
“Wait, can I spit on it first?” Wind Whistler asked from her mother’s side. “Want to pay her back for almost eating my uncle.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but she’s long dead and I know that archaeologists will be mad if you do that.” Barrier’s comment got a furious nod from Daring as Apicula put the skull away. “Honestly, I’m just glad that Grimhilde’s really most sincerely dead.”
“Well, goodbye, everypony.” Punch said as she and her sister made their way to the front door. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Once the door closed behind the pair, the former cadets and Fleet all sighed in relief.
“Well, glad this means we don’t have to sweat things anymore,” Gem said as she started to stretch. “C’mon, Hatty. Let’s hit up Blockbuster’s and get a movie.”
“Sounds great,” Hatty replied as he followed after her. “I’ve been wanting to check out Star Trot: The Motion Picture.”
“I think I’ll go get dinner,” Verdant said as he followed after Gem and Hatty with Storm Cloud and Toil trailing closely behind him. “After we swing by Erica’s, of course.”
“Oh, let’s get Burrito Burro! I want to try the Ruby Reaper Mexicolt Pizza!” Storm said as her voice faded away.
“Say, Forge, think we should go check on Snowy? She’d probably enjoy some company after all that’s happened,” Snow Sweeper said as he leaned against Forge’s side.
“Agreed,” Forge responded as he nuzzled the grey pegasus.
“Just remember, the password is peach ketchup.” Snow’s comment made Forge roll his eyes and smile as the two trotted away.
“Well, after the long trip, I think I’ll take a brief nap before dinner,” Swift said as she made her way towards the stairs.
“Hey, Swift, can I borrow your Game Filly for a bit? I wanna play some Super Marinara Land,” Wind Whistler asked with puppy dog eyes as she fluttered over to the noblemare.
“Go nuts, Wind Whistler. Just be sure to use the AC adapter and use file two,” Swift said before she covered her mouth and quietly yawned. “They’re all in my saddlebags.”
As Swift reached the stairs, Windy rushed over to the entrance where Swift’s bags were. In a matter of seconds, she ran back into the living room, where she plugged the game device into the wall and plopped herself down on the couch.
As Barrier smiled at the happy look on the little filly’s face, Fleetfeather cleared her throat.
“Barrier, Daring, now that we’ve got a relatively calm moment, may I talk to you two… in private?” The two ponies could easily hear the unease in Fleet’s voice while Windy was distracted by her game.
A moment later, the trio arrived in Barrier’s bedroom, where Fleet let out an agitated sigh.
“Fleet, what’s wrong? You know you can tell us anything.” Barrier tried to sound as comforting as he could for the one-eyed mare.
“Well, I haven’t been feeling well for the last little bit, to the point where I threw up while in Manehattan. I was getting concerned about what was wrong with me, so I visited a doctor… and then the changeling invasion happened… I haven’t told anyone else this, so you might want to brace yourselves.”
Despite Fleet’s forewarning, with only two words, the sky blue pegasus made Barrier feel like he’d been crushed and buried under a ton of bricks.
Within an opulent and crowded hall, while most everypony was focused on the alabaster mare at the head of the hall speaking, Magic Barrier was ready to strike at an instant’s notice.
Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, he spotted Swiftsword in her formal attire with her blades resting at her sides, looking just as alert as he was. On the other side of the hall, he saw the back of the heads of Iron Forge and Winter Gem ahead of him. By the alabaster mare’s side was Captain Starshine, decked out in her purple and golden armor. She kept up a stoic appearance as she too swept the hall with her harlequin eyes.
Glancing up toward the ceiling, he saw a hint of two ponies dressed in full white body suits that camouflaged them against the pillars they clung to by the alabaster mare’s side. Verdant Range and Hat Trick were ready to bring death should the need arise.
On Barrier’s right were Fleetfeather with Wind Whistler by her side. The cycloptic pegasus didn’t look ready to strike as she fidgeted. Her right foreleg rubbed against the golden band on her left foreleg as Barrier’s eye drifted to the slight bulge in her belly.
To his left was Daring Do, dressed in her trademarked A.K. Yearling disguise with the recent addition of a golden band on her left foreleg. Despite how her disguise made her look somewhat like an old mare according to Wind Whistler, Barrier could tell that she was ready to fight should the need arise.
With one last sweep, he spotted several more former guards in the crowd. Lightning Javelin’s wings looked tense while Toil ‘N Trouble and Prismatic Radiance appeared to look calm, though Barrier wished he could make out the rest of their squads through the crowd.
He felt a tension in the air as everypony held onto the alabaster mare’s words. It was then that the crowd heard the set of words that many had waited months to hear.
“I now pronounce you mare and colt.” A proud smile was on Princess Celestia’s face as she stood in front of Shining Armor and Empress Cadance.
The crowd erupted into cheers before the newlywed couple leaned in close and shared a tender kiss shortly before a certain rainbow maned pegasus flew off into the air. In an instant, the speeding pegasus whizzed by, creating an explosive shockwave of color that swept over Canterlot and would be seen for miles away.
“Best! Wedding! Ever!” Barrier faintly heard Rainbow shouting over the ringing in his ears from the Sonic Rainboom as Twilight pulled Cadance and her brother into a tight hug.
“That went a great deal smoother than I expected,” Fleet muttered as she watched the royal couple leaving the wedding chamber with the Element Bearers, Spike and Twilight’s parents following close behind.
“I know, it was so boring!” Wind Whistler complained as she kicked the marble floor in annoyance. “I was hoping that we’d have something cool like ninjas attacking or a giant dragon showing up to eat Verdant or something.”
“Honestly, after all the crap that we had to deal with last time, I’m rather thankful for this peaceful ending,” Barrier replied as he used his magic to pick up the pegasus filly and set her on his back. “Besides, I’m sure that you’ll have more fun at the after party with the three flower fillies.”
“Only if you make sure Princess Celestia doesn’t eat the whole cake. After how dull today’s been, I deserve a piece!” Windy grumbled as she rested her chin on top of Barrier’s head.
“Even if she does, I’ll get you some cake from a local bakery.” Barrier promised as ponies started to file their way out, suppressing a chuckle at seeing some ponies being startled by Verdant and Hatty coming down from the ceiling in their white ninja garb. “How are you holding up, Fleet?”
“Alright. Thankfully the baby’s not making my stomach act up right now, so that’s a nice change of pace,” Fleet said as she placed a hoof on her belly.
“Good to hear, my dear,” Barrier replied before he and Daring gave their wife a tender nuzzle. “How are your hooves doing?”
“Not sore, so I think I’ll be up for some light dancing later tonight,” Fleet answered as their housemates closed in on them.
“Glad to hear,” Barrier said as he looked back at his former cadets. “Now, hopefully you will be on better behavior than at the gala.”
“Relax, Barrier. I promise that Gem and I won’t try to do anything in the princess’s bathroom,” Hatty replied as he and Verdant took off their face concealing masks.
“I don’t,” Gem cheekily said as she lightly nudged Hat Trick in the side, making Swift, Forge and Verdant all groan as Barrier and company headed for the doors.
“Perverts,” Swift scoffed as she followed after Barrier.
“At least have the decency of doing that in your guest rooms,” Forge said as he rolled his eyes. “You should have some decorum in the palace.”
“Says the guy that set the fountain on fire… twice.” Verdant gave Forge a half-lidded look.
“There’s no evidence I did it the second time!” Forge barked, making Verdant chuckle.
“C’mon, Dad, let’s go!” Windy grumbled from her spot on Barrier’s back. “I wanna get outside and stretch my legs!”
Barrier nearly stumbled back as the pink devil suddenly appeared in front of him in an explosion of confetti. “C’mon, everypony! It’s party time!”
***
The stars were sparkling in the night sky as fireworks cut through the darkness. In the royal courtyard, festivities were in full swing with many ponies dancing alongside the newlywed couple as festive music filled the air, drowning out the explosions above.
Off to the side, Barrier sat at a table as he, Fleet and Daring enjoyed a high class dinner, their legs somewhat tired from dancing while Wind Whistler was practically inhaling the piece of wedding cake she got.
A contented and relaxed sigh came from Barrier as he watched his former privates enjoy dances with their partners. Erica dipped Verdant so low that his mane nearly touched the grass. Forge and Snow Sweeper held each other close with the former carefully trying not to step on the latter’s hooves. Gem and Hatty both danced dangerously close to one another while Swift partook in a classical waltz with Spearmint.
“I’m just saying, dear, you can do so much better than him and her.” Barrier turned toward the table on his right, where he saw Lightning Javelin speaking with his annoyed looking daughter. “It’s just that he’s a gardener, not a real military stallion and she’s a griffin. I just want you to have better first mates, dear.”
Smacking a hoof onto the table, Storm Cloud glared at her father. “First of all, Verdant’s a damn good sniper who’s been helping me get fighting fit again. Second of all, Erica’s a lovely hen who’s a blast to spend time with. Third, I care about both of them deeply. And fourth, they’re sure as Tartarus aren’t my firsts. Verdant’s my ninth and Erica’s my eighth.”
The gobsmacked look on Lightning Javelin’s face made Barrier force down a chuckle as the older pegasus could only stare at his daughter in shock.
“I… but you… What?” The older pegasus barely managed to sputter out.
“Hey, back during the war, I was considered the hottest thing on four legs,” Storm bluntly said as she leaned back in her chair, placing her forelegs behind her head. “What makes you think I wasn’t getting tail and getting it often?”
Javelin groaned before he planted his face against the table. “Urgh… my baby girl…”
“Hey there, Barrier!” The charcoal unicorn quickly shifted his attention to Shining Armor and Empress Cadance as the couple approached. “How are you doing?”
“Very well, Shining,” Barrier replied as he raised a glass up to the pair. “Glad things have gone so well with your wedding this time. It’s been quite the spectacle.”
“I’ll say,” Cadance said as she took a seat at the table alongside Shining. “Though I still remember the look on your face when my family and I showed up for yours.”
“Well, I had hoped it would’ve been just a calm little civil ceremony… but then Hatty sent your aunt an invitation as a joke.” Barrier chuckled as he thought back to that eventful day. “Still, at least I didn’t have to worry about leftover cake.”
“Zhe’s nuh geddin’ mine!” Wind Whistler said through a mouthful of cake, making the rest of the table heartily laugh at her remark.
“Still, thanks for coming,” Cadance said before giving Shining Armor a nuzzle. “It feels good to have as much of the family as possible here for the wedding.”
“It’s been a pleasure, Empress,” Barrier said before taking a sip of his drink. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
“Well, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask,” Shining Armor said with a grin on his face. Leaning to the side, Barrier could see his tail excitedly wag.
“And what would that be?” Barrier asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Would you and your cadets be willing to have a dance off against me and some of my old guards? I thought it’d be fun to see how well old school guards do against new school in that department.” The grin Shining wore threatened to split his face apart as Cadance suppressed a giggle.
“While I’m sure the privates would be more than willing to face off against your guards, I’m going to have to pass,” Barrier said as he gently set down his glass. “I was never much of a dancer and even then, my leg wound limits what I can really do. Besides, I already spent over an hour dancing with the two loveliest ladies in Equestria. Hope you don’t mind this old stallion saying he’s just tuckered out.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” Shining replied before he faced Cadance. “May I?”
“Knock ‘em dead, Shining,” Cadance said before the two shared a quick kiss.
“I’ll do my very best,” Shining said before he teleported away.
Barrier saw him talking to Spearmint, Cobalt and Moonstone, then to the privates before he went up to the DJ.
“Things turned out a lot more pleasantly than I thought,” Cadance said as new music began to play, speaking of ‘vocal percussion on a whole ‘nother level’ as Shining Armor and his trio of guards began to contort themselves into what Barrier assumed modern ponies called a dance.
“It’s certainly much smoother than before,” Barrier replied as he set his drink aside. “No shapeshifters trying to mess with our minds or replace us. No elaborate schemes to overthrow the kingdom.”
“Speaking of, how’s things going with the changelings on your end?” Daring asked before she took a bite of her salad.
“Very well, all things considered,” Cadance replied with a warm smile. “Their new king’s been very pleasant and while there’s the occasional hiccup, we’ve managed to work out a good deal of problems. Though we’re still working on having our people learn to trust one another.”
“It’ll be a long journey, but I’m sure it’ll work out in the end,” Barrier said as he looked past Cadance’s shoulder, where he spotted Punch Buggy in her Fruity Punch guise giving out snacks. He recalled how the changeling was rather insistent in helping out the wedding, even if it were in some minor way.
“I think Barrier’s right. Things are kinda looking like a fairytale right now,” Daring said before taking a sip from her wine glass. “The land is at peace and the beautiful princess is now married to her handsome prince, breaking the hearts of millions of bachelors and bachelorettes.”
The princess chuckled at Daring’s remark. “This certainly has been quite the exciting year for all of us, hasn’t it?”
“I’ll say,” Barrier said as he nodded. “A pitched battle with a mad alicorn, reuniting with loved ones while freeing a lost empire, being targeted by shapeshifters, forming a herd and getting married…”
“Learning that antibiotics make birth control fail, not learning to use condoms or pull out,” Wind Whistler’s remark made Barrier bring a hoof to his forehead, Fleetfeather’s face to turn scarlet, and Cadance to cover her snout to keep from laughing.
“By the way, do you think you’re ready to handle parenthood, Barrier?” Cadance asked after tossing a quick glance at Fleet’s baby bump.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it, no matter what they may throw at us,” Barrier confidently replied. “I’m sure I can think of a few things that the cadets have done in the past that were more difficult to handle than a baby.”
Fleet scoffed as she rolled her eye. “Says someone that’s never had to squeeze one out of them or raise a child.”
“Touché,” Barrier replied before placing a hoof on hers. “Still, I’m not alone. I’ve got the greatest mother in Equestria by my side.”
“Urgh, are you trying to make me throw up my cake with how sappy you’re being?” Windy angrily muttered before returning to her snacking.
“At any rate, how about a toast?” Daring said as she held up her glass once more. “To many wild adventures in the past and a future full of happiness?”
“Hear hear,” Cadance said as she and Barrier raised their wine glasses and Fleet lifted her glass of carrot juice, clinking their glasses together.
It was then the gathered ponies heard the crowd of wedding guests cheering at the dance Shining Armor and his team completed as the music died down.
“Well, I think I’ll go check on Twilight and her friends,” Cadance said as she rose up from her seat. “Do you think your cadets will stand a chance?”
A smirk crossed Barrier’s muzzle as he watched Swiftsword walk up to the DJ booth and grab a microphone. “I should hope so. They practiced for three weeks for this sort of thing.”
The charcoal unicorn leaned back in his chair as he watched his four former soldiers move in near flawless synchronization as Swift sang.
“Baby, it’s time to make up your mind! I think… tonight is when the stars align!”
With a contented sigh, Barrier leaned closer to Daring and nuzzled her.
After all this war, violence and conspiracy, it’ll be nice to finally get a good night’s rest.
Engulfed in darkness, Barrier felt his joints aching as his chest was repeatedly slammed. He struggled against the force holding him down and compelled his eyes open to gaze upon his assailant.
“Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup!” An excited charcoal coated unicorn filly squealed as she bounced up and down on Barrier’s chest.
“Gimme a sec, Arcane,” Barrier groaned as the violet eyed filly hopped off him and onto his nearest mate. “Dad needs to get his coffee.”
“Hurry up, Dad! We’ll miss the reunion!” The filly with the two-toned blue mane said before a chitinous green foreleg grabbed onto Arcane’s back and moved her to face its owner.
“Arcane, sweetie, it’s…” Punch squinted her scarlet eyes as she looked across the dark room to see the wall mounted clock. “Five-fifteen. It’s really, really early in the morning.”
“Besides, they’re coming here.” A gold coated pegasus yawned as she slowly rose up from Barrier’s side. “There’s no way we’ll miss a reunion happening at our house.”
“Oh… Sorry, Mom. I thought it was gonna be done at Uncle Verdant’s again,” the little unicorn said as Daring ran a hoof through her messy gray mane.
“Not this time, dear,” a blue pegasus said as she slid out of the bed. Her mane was a pale pink with a gray streak in the back. She let out a yawn as she headed towards the bathroom. “Since you’re up, I suggest you get some breakfast, brush your teeth and take a shower so you’ll be ready for this afternoon.”
“You got it, Aunt Fleet!” Arcane replied just before Punch set her down on the floor and took off like a shot for the kitchen.
“And some ponies wonder why I don’t have kids,” Punch muttered before she slumped over on top of Barrier. “Hugs?”
“You know these don’t feed you anymore, right?” Barrier asked before giving her an embrace and a kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t care. I like ‘em,” she weakly muttered in response.
“As much as I’d like to stay like this, I’d better put on the coffee,” Barrier said before vanishing from the bed in a flash and reappearing by the door. Briefly stretching his legs, he started to drag his tired form towards the kitchen.
The charcoal stallion made his way into the kitchen as the first rays of sunshine began to peek through the windows. This allowed his bleary eyes to see there were only two ponies in the kitchen. One was Arcane Shield as she tried to hop up to the cupboard that held her precious breakfast cereal while at the table sat a young teen pegasus with a light blue coat and a dark blue mane. She looked on the verge of nodding off, holding her head up with her forelegs as she munched on the strawberry toaster pastry held with her right wing.
“Whirlwind, why aren’t you helping your little sister?” Barrier asked as his horn glowed, opening up the cupboard that held the cereal, as well as his coffee mug.
“She insisted on getting it on her own,” Whirlwind answered before letting out a loud, unladylike belch that made Barrier worry she woke up the neighbors.
Sighing, Barrier levitated a box of Cinnamon ‘Splosion cereal, a bowl and a coffee mug with ‘#1 Mom’ written on it onto the table before putting the coffee pot into the sink and filling it with water.
“Say, Dad,” Arcane started as she darted over to the fridge and tossed it open to grab a carton of milk. “Why does your mug say, ‘#1 Mom’?”
“Because Uncle Hatty and Aunt Winter Gem have a terrible sense of humor,” Barrier answered as he turned off the water and filled the coffee maker with it and fresh grounds.
“Oh, I forgot to get the princess!” Arcane said as she placed the milk carton on the table. “Be right back!”
The energetic filly darted towards the stairs. When Arcane was out of sight, Whirlwind gave Barrier a wicked smirk.
“So, when do you plan on telling her about ‘the year from Tartarus’?” She asked before darkly chuckling and taking another bite of her pastry.
“When she’s old enough to know about why I burn poison joke whenever I see it,” Barrier replied as he heard the pot percolating.
“And yet I had to deal with that whole chestnut on my own, including when your water broke,” Whirlwind said with a smirk before sticking her tongue out at Barrier, making him sigh.
“You used to be cute,” Barrier tiredly muttered, making Whirlwind chuckle.
“Bitch, I’m adorable,” she said before putting her hooves together like a beckoning cat and giving him wide, puppy dog eyes.
“I’m back with the princess!” Arcane said, her voice muffled as she carried a plush doll of Princess Celestia with a t-shirt that read, ‘best princess’ in her mouth before taking a seat at the table.
“You’re really looking forward to today, Arcane?” Barrier asked as she dumped a large amount of cereal into her bowl, followed by a small portion of milk.
“Yeah-huh! It’s gonna be great seeing everypony again!” Arcane quickly replied before practically shoving her head into the cereal pile and starting to scarf it down.
“Well, be sure to save some energy for when they get here. And be sure to clean yourself up after breakfast. That goes for you too, Whirlwind.”
“You’ve got it, Pops,” Whirlwind dismissively said before taking another bite of her pastry.
“Oh, by the way, you left a magazine sticking out under your door, Sis,” Arcane said before swallowing her mouthful of food. “Dad, what’s ‘Tush & Glutes’ magazine about?”
Arcane’s words caused her big sister to start choking on her pastry and turn a bright crimson while Barrier brought a hoof to his forehead.
***
It was a little before noon and everypony in the manor was waiting in the living room. Arcane was practically bouncing from her spot on the couch while Whirlwind was more focused on her Game Filly Advance. Daring, Fleet and Punch chatted about who they thought would get to the manor first while Barrier was casually flipping through a magazine about upcoming movie news.
The doorbell rang. Arcane leapt from her spot on the couch while Barrier lightly set his magazine aside before teleporting over to the door. As he reached for the handle, Arcane skidded across the floor and lightly bumped into his hindleg.
Opening the door, Barrier found himself face to face with a unicorn mare with a light blue coat and a darker blue mane that elegantly flowed down to her shoulders. Beside her was a minty green earth pony who looked nearly identical to how she did when he first met her, save for a few wrinkles here and there.
“Hello, Barrier. It’s great to see you again,” Swiftsword stated before she and Barrier exchanged a quick hug.
“Great to see you too, Swift. You too, Minty,” Barrier said with a warm nod.
“Yes! You both owe me a sandwich!” Punch’s shout echoed out from the living room.
At Swift’s sides there stood a pair of unicorns. On Swift’s right was a purple coated filly with a two-toned blue mane while on Swift’s left was a colt who greatly resembled his mother.
“Hello, Father!” The two foals said before they drew closer, letting Barrier pull them both into a hug.
“It’s especially great to see you two. How are your blade skills coming along, Radiant Sword?” Barrier asked of the little filly.
“Pretty well, Father,” the violet filly said with a prideful smile on her face. “Mother says I’m nearly as good as she was at my age.”
“Meanwhile, I get better grades,” the colt boastfully said, making Radiant Sword glare at him.
“Watch it, Mars!” Radiant barked.The pair glared and growled at each other.
“Behave, both of you,” Spearmint said, making the two straighten out and mutter weak apologies.
Barrier lightly chuckled as he led the group deeper into the manor. “Well, make yourselves comfortable. You’re the first ones here.”
“Naturally,” Swift said with a smirk on her face. “Falchions are always on time.”
“But Mom, weren’t you late for a dentist appointment last week?” Mars asked, nearly making the sky blue mare stumble.
“She’s got a point, Swift. Not a great example for the captain of the guard to set for her children,” Spearmint said as a grin threatened to split her face.
“Well, yes, um… There are exceptions to every rule.” Swift’s face started to turn red as Spearmint covered her muzzle to keep from chuckling at her wife.
“C’mon, guys! I’ve got Marinara Party 8 all ready to go!” Arcane said as she charged forward, making Mars and Radiant race after their half-sister.
Barrier, Swift and Spearmint just barely made it to the living room when they heard the doorbell once more.
“I’ve got it,” Whirlwind said as she flew off of the couch and over Barrier’s head as he turned about. Once he reached the hall, he saw Whirlwind opening the door.
“Hey there Mr. Sorae, Mrs. Sorae, Mrs. Cloud and Mrs. Sweet,” Whirlwind cheerfully said to the four adults in front of her, along with three children. “Nice to see you and the kids again.”
“Nice to see you too, Whirlwind,” a shamrock green stallion with a white muzzle and forelegs said as he stepped forward.
Wrapped around his chest was a somewhat faded yellow vest that sharply contrasted against his coat and brown mane. Peppering his form were tiny faded scars made from an assortment of little nicks. Save for this and some slight wrinkles, Verdant looked nearly identical to how he did years ago.
“We brought all sorts of treats for the reunion,” a scarlet coated griffin said as she held a large covered bowl in her left talons. “We’ve got my specialty barbecued boneless chicken bites.”
“Sorry, Erica, but that’s not goin’ to top my mah apple pie,” a pale yellow earth pony said as Barrier stepped closer. Her freckled face beamed with pride as she balanced a large pie atop her two-toned pink mane. Her emerald green eyes nearly twinkled as she shot the griffin a smirk.
“Urgh, Erica, Bailey, please don’t start,” a sky blue pegasus tiredly pleaded as she brought a hoof to her forehead before running it through her long grey mane. “Not everything needs to be a competition.”
The two quickly muttered apologies as Barrier finally made his way over to them.
“Verdant, Erica, Bailey Sweet, Storm Cloud, great to see you again,” Barrier said, giving his step brother a hug that he returned. “How’s business been with you four recently?”
“Well, things were insanely hectic for the Summer Sun Celebration sales. We nearly ran out of azaleas. I swear, the customers looked like they wanted to hang us when they found out we were running low. Still, I won’t be caught off guard next year,” Verdant replied as he broke off from the hug.
“And things have been going good at Gold Medal Grocery,” Erica added with a hint of pride. “Dad’s been really happy with how it’s been going in my talons.”
“Well, being owned by a gold medal swimmer is sure to draw some attention,” Barrier said as he thought about the store once known as Einar’s. “How about you, Storm Cloud?”
The pegasus sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her snout. “Well, the weather works has a bunch of new recruits that need training. I swear, pegasi these days just can’t shoot a lightning bolt like they used to.”
“Tah be fair, darlin’, not many are tryin’ to use lightnin’ to snipe a target,” the toned earth pony said as she patted Storm Cloud’s back. “Then again, all Ah know about weather works is how much rain the trees need.”
“Speaking of, how’s farm life doing?” Barrier asked as he looked past the four, spotting three hidden forms behind them.
“Well, it’s a bit of a balancin’ act, Barrier,” Bailey Sweet replied as she leaned against the doorframe. “Parentin’, takin’ care of North Grove, tryin’ to help rest of the family there, haulin’ apples to the shop can be pretty tuckerin’. Still, wouldn’t trade it fer the world.”
“And how are the kids doing?” Barrier asked as the four stepped aside, revealing a trio of children.
“Hiya, Uncle Barrier!” the middle one of the three, a sky blue pegasus colt with white forelegs hopped forward before excitedly waving at him, making his grey mane jostle.
“Hello, Nimbus Cloud,” Barrier said to the energetic colt. “Do you plan on racing the other kids?”
“Yeppers!” Nimbus answered as he hopped in place. “No one stands a chance against me!”
“Well, just don’t make a mess out of the backyard,” Barrier said before patting his head and turning his focus on the red coated hippogriff by his side. “And how’s my favorite niece, Killee?”
“It’s Kelly, Uncle Barrier,” the eldest of the three chuckled. “I keep telling you that.”
Barrier always remembered Kelly not only for being one of the few non-ponies the cadets had brought into the world, but for all the times she bit him when she was a baby while proclaiming, “Killee!” The charcoal unicorn believed the little hippogriff wanted to kill and eat him, while Verdant tried to dismiss it as children liking to bite things and her trying to say her name. His argument would have been convincing… were it not for the fact that immediately after saying that, the little cub shouted, “Kelly killee!”.
“Am Ah your second favorite, Uncle?” A squeaky voice drew Barrier’s attention to the smallest of the three. She was a yellow coated unicorn filly with a mane like her mother and the white muzzle and forelegs of her father. Barrier had to resist the urge to “D’aww” at her near puppy-like expression.
“Of course, Candy Crisp, though it’s a very close race,” Barrier said before leading the herd family towards the living room. “Say, where’s Toil and Bubbling Brew?”
“She called me earlier and said they’ll be late since they need to be there for the cable pony,” Verdant replied as Candy hopped onto his back and leaned against his head. “Brew’s really looking forward to getting TV in her room.”
“Hey Verdant,” Daring called out from her spot beside Fleetfeather. “When was the last time you had one of your misadventures?” A sinister smirk crossed her muzzle while Verdant groaned.
“About eight months, so I know I’m about due,” the shamrock stallion remarked before bringing a hoof to his forehead. “Remind me, how did you talk me into that book deal?”
“I’m one smooth talker,” Daring boasted as she rubbed a hoof against her chest. “Besides, you get decent royalties from them.”
“At any rate, it’s good to see you again, my brother-in-arms,” Swift said as she gracefully made her way over to Verdant, giving him a warm, welcoming hug that he quickly returned.
“Good to see you too, Swift. How’s the captain’s life treating you?” Verdant asked as the foals quickly split off from their parents and headed outside.
“Tiring, but well worth it,” Swift replied as she kept her eyes focused on her foals as they froliced about. “In all honesty, things have been a bit dull as of late, but I’d say boredom is well worth the price of peace.”
“Great to hear. How about you, Barrier?” Verdant asked as the older stallion took a seat on the couch. “Things going well at the community center?”
“Save for some prankster putting gelatin powder into the pool, I’d say things have been pretty calm,” Barrier replied as he tried to rotate his stiff shoulder. “Though, what could have ever topped that cake monster incident?”
“Hey, Crème Noire’s not a monster. She’s an adorable pet,” Verdant replied defensively. “She’s the cutest little cream puff and she gets along great with Pizza.”
“Y’know, even after all these years, I still can’t figure out why you’d want a chicken as a pet, let alone naming it Pizza,” Punch said as she hopped off the couch and started to head for the kitchen.
“Because pizza’s one of the greatest things in the world, so why wouldn’t you want to name a pet after it?” a voice asked from the front entrance. “Hope you don’t mind, but we let ourselves in.”
“Not at all, Forge. Come on in,” Barrier called out as Forge approached the living room with his family.
Forge’s mane was slightly messy, but far less so than when he’d first arrived in Vanhoover years ago. It was like he tried to comb out bedhead, but stopped trying about three quarters of the way through.
Snow Sweeper was at Forge’s side, looking strained as he tried to balance two pegasus foals that were hanging off his spread wings. “Okay, kids. Could you please let go? Dad’s wings are starting to get pretty sore.”
“‘Kay, Dad!” the two foals replied before they let go and darted into the living room. One was a cobalt coated colt while the other was an alabaster coated filly. Both of them sported manes and tails that matched Forge.
“Hiya, everyone!” The pair shouted excitedly.
“Hey there, Air Razor. Sky Hammer,” Verdant said as he leaned down to speak to the two. “How’s things been?”
“Awesome, Uncle Verdant!” the filly, Air Razor said as she practically bounced about. “I won a paintball tournament, Hammer got a huge stuffed bear at the fair’s high striker, and we start first grade not too long from now!”
“Wish Aunt Snowy Skies were here,” Sky Hammer glumly said before his sister hopped over and patted him on the back. “She said she’s too sick to come here.”
The adults in the room cast a glance at Forge and Snow Sweeper, seeing Snow mimic the motions of someone having a heavy drink.
“Well, I’m sure she’ll feel better later and be able to come around,” Forge said reassuringly to the little foals. “Now, I see your friends are out in the back. I’m sure you’d rather play with them than hear some grown-ups shoot the breeze.”
“He’s right! C’mon, Hammer! I’ve got to kick Nimbus’s butt in a race!” the energetic filly exclaimed before charging for the backyard door with her brother following closely behind.
Staring out the window, Forge let out a contented sigh as he watched his foals join in on the games the other youngsters played. A smile crept across his face as he watched his children’s joy and felt his husband’s wing on his back.
“I must say, Forge, I am rather glad you decided not to keep the beard,” Swift said as she drew closer to the cobalt stallion. “It looked rather—”
“Scruffy? Silly? Bad?” Forge asked as he sat down and opened his forelegs for Swift.
“I was going to say, ‘ill-suited’,” Swift replied before pulling Forge into a hug.
“You’re not the only one,” Snow chipped in as the two broke off their embrace. “Honestly, a beard never looked good on him.”
“For me, it wasn’t so much the look that bothered me as much as the itching,” Forge said as he rubbed a hoof against his muzzle. “I swear, it got so bad sometimes, I lost sleep.”
“At any rate, it’s good to see you all again,” Swift said as trotted over to Spearmint. “Honestly, while I love Canterlot and my life there, I do miss the salty Vanhoover air and spending time with all of you.”
“The feeling’s mutual, Swift,” Erica said as she leaned against Verdant to cast an eye to the kids. “Say are your kids… Y’know?”
“No, they’re not armed dear,” Swift replied as she turned and headed for the couch. “My family motto may have been ‘A Falchion goes nowhere unarmed’, but that’s a relic from wartime that doesn’t belong in modern times. I’m not going to let my eight-year old children wander around with hidden daggers on them.”
“But you’re fine with them having weapons training at their age?” Snow Sweeper inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, of course. There are some old traditions I do retain, but they only handle training weapons in our training hall or in the community center’s gymnasium,” Swift replied. “I mean, you taught Kelly a bit about archery, didn’t you, Verdant?”
“Only because she pleaded with me and she likes to go hunting with her grandmother and uncle,” the shamrock stallion replied.
“I still don’t get why those three like rabbits so much,” Erica said as she looked out the window, where she spotted Kelly and Sky Hammer were now playing a game of tug-o-war with one of Bailey’s spare bandanas. “Mom, Everett and Kelly can’t get enough of them, but just… No. I can’t see them as anything but pets.”
“Have them in a stew with the right seasonings and you’ll love them too.” Swift’s response made Spearmint look at her with a raised brow. “They’re delicious darling and I suggest you try it at least once.”
“Pass! Hard pass!” Spearmint replied as she rapidly shook her head in disgust just as the doorbell rang once more.
Without speaking a word, Barrier teleported to the front door and pulled it open. On the other side was a sky blue pegasus mare with ruby red eyes. Her short mane was a pale pink with a purple hairband atop it. Her flowing and curled tail had a large white bow at its base.
The pegasus mare gave a warm smile as she held out her forelegs. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, Wind Whistler.” A grin that threatened to split Barrier’s face appeared before he and Wind Whistler pulled each other into a tender hug. “I’m surprised to see you here solo.”
“Crispy Wings had to deal with an emergency at The Four D’s, Melony’s working on a big dessert for this, and High Stakes got called in to oversee the installation of some new games at the casino. Still, I figure they’ll be here in an hour or two, tops.”
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know you’re not the last to arrive,” Barrier said as he led Windy towards the living room. “Verdant, Swift, Forge and their families are here.”
“Five bits says Toil ‘N Trouble gets here before Gem and Hatty,” Windy said with a confident smile on her muzzle.
“That’s a sucker’s bet, Windy,” Barrier replied as he and Windy arrived at the living room entrance.
“Wind Whistler!” Fleetfeather excitedly said as she pushed herself off the couch and galloped over to her.
“Hey, Sis!” Whirlwind said as she paused her game and rushed over, where the three pegasi shared a deep hug.
“Hey, Mom, Whirly. It’s great to see you again.” Wind Whistler squeezed the two one last time before breaking the hug. “How’s your summer been, Sis?”
“Well, it’s been pretty fun. Video games, baseball, going to the beach,” Whirlwind replied.
A devious smirk crossed Wind Whistler’s muzzle. “Watching the water glisten as it cascades over Everett’s body?”
“Oh Faust, shut up!” Whirlwind gave her elder sister a light shove as her face turned crimson.
Wind Whistler had a chuckle before she ruffled Whirlwind’s mane, making the teen filly scrunch up her face.
“Hey, Mom,” Arcane called out as she cracked open the door to the back yard. “Can we have some of the puddings we— Windy!” she suddenly exclaimed as she spotted her eldest sister and launched herself at her, landing on Wind Whistler’s face.
“Whuz Ah uhhweys luk dith, Duhd?” a muffled Wind Whistler asked as she tried to pry the little unicorn from her face.
“Turnabout is fair play, dear,” Barrier chortled as Windy set Arcane down on the floor, where she quickly gave her sister a hug.
“Great to see you again, Windy,” Arcane sweetly said as she nuzzled her foreleg. “Say, think this year, you could go easy on m—”
“No, I’m not giving you an easy pass in gym class, Arcy,” Wind Whistler replied, making the little filly angrily pout. “Nepotism isn’t going to help you. I treat all my students fairly.”
“Aww, can’t I at least sit out dodge—”
“No,” Windy firmly said, cutting off the young filly. “Besides, dodge ball’s really fun.”
“Says Coach ‘their defenses are broken, let the slaughter begin’,” Arcane muttered before Daring patted her on the back. “I swear, you’re worse than Mrs. Radiance.”
“Don’t worry about that right now, dear,” Daring tenderly said. “Go play with your friends. I’ll bring out the puddings shortly.”
“Yay!” The charcoal coated filly instantly cheered up before darting back out the door. “Hey everyone, my mom’s gonna bring us some pudding!”
As Daring chuckled at the sounds of the children’s cheers, Wind Whistler gave her a hug that she quickly fell into.
“So, how’s your back been treating you lately?” Windy asked the graying mare as the two started to head towards the kitchen.
“It’s only achy when it rains,” Daring said as she strolled along. “Who’d have thought my greatest enemy wouldn’t be Ahuizotl or Caballeron, but Arthur Itis?”
The pun made Wind Whistler roll her eyes.
“Well, Swift did take care of the latter pretty well,” Windy chuckled as she recalled the time the villainous stallion came to the manor. “Shouldn’t have tried to take her sword.”
“You seem awfully cheerful when talking about somepony that nearly got decapitated,” Daring remarked as she opened up a kitchen cabinet and pulled out a large tray.
“Hey, she didn’t decapitate him, she only threatened to do so,” Windy replied as Daring opened a second cabinet, revealing a large stash of pudding cups. “Along with others threatening to shoot, burn, smash and slash him. I swear, it looked like he was gonna shit himself.”
“Yeah, he did.” Daring softly chuckled as she and the young mare started to pile the puddings onto the tray. “Looking forward to school starting up?”
“You know it,” Windy answered as she pulled open a nearby drawer and pulled out a collection of spoons. “I’m hoping we can get the baseball team to regionals this year.”
“If anypony can do that, it’s you, Coach,” Barrier said as he entered the kitchen. “You want a hoof with that?”
“Nah, I got this,” Daring answered as she took the spoons from Windy. The instant she set them down on the tray, the doorbell rang once more.
“While I’ve got this,” Barrier responded before teleporting over to the front door once again.
Pulling open the front door, he spotted a lime coated unicorn mare with a two tone purple mane and vivid amber eyes. Beside her was an earth pony filly with a matching coat with white forelegs and a muzzle. Her amber eyes were nearly glittering as her tail excitedly wagged.
“Hi, Uncle Barrier!” she excitedly said before latching onto one of his forelegs in a nearly bone breaking hug
“Good to see you, Bubbling Brew,” Barrier winced as he patted the little filly’s back. How is it that earth ponies are this insanely strong at such a young age?!
“Hey there, Barrier,” Toil ‘N Trouble said as her dark aura grabbed the little filly and plopped her onto her back. “Hopefully we’re not too late. The cable pony took for-friggin’-ever to set things up.”
“You’ve actually made it in good time,” Barrier replied as he shook his foreleg to get some feeling back into it. “We’re still waiting on-”
“COME ON, YOU SLOWPOKES!!!” Barrier heard a young mare bellow before he saw a white and gold blur rush past the front gate before coming to a screeching halt in front of the front door as well as kicking up a large amount of dust.
When the dust began settling, Barrier saw the blur was a young unicorn with a long, golden mane that flowed past her shoulders and down to the side of her barrel.
“Good afternoon, Darcy,” Barrier said as the athletic unicorn tried to brush some of the dust and dirt from her coat.
“Hiya, Uncle Barrier. Aunt Toil,” the alabaster mare replied as she rubbed some of the dust from her pale blue eyes. “I would have been here sooner, but—”
“Darcy Spice, you’re in so much trouble!” a mare shouted from beyond the gate. Looking over her shoulder, Darcy spotted the winded forms of her parents, with a unicorn filly on the pegasus back with a matching violet mane.
Despite how cross the pair looked, Barrier was happy to see the approaching pair. “Looks like some ponies haven’t been keeping up with their training.”
“Or know the meaning of the word ‘quick’ in ‘quickee’,” Darcy muttered, making Toil choke back a laugh and Brew to look at the older girl in confusion.
“Oh, come on! We haven’t done any guard work in over a decade,” Hat Trick said as the tiny alabaster unicorn on his back started to playfully swat at the frilled ends of his short mane.
“Darcy, I told you to wait up.” Winter Gem huffed as she made her way to the front step. Despite Barrier’s crack, he could tell the weight Gem had gained over the years was pure muscle. “We were supposed to walk here all together.”
“Well, I didn’t want us to be the last ones here due to you two needing to wash up because of your ‘love wrestling’,” Darcy pouted grumpily.
“Wouldn’t have helped. You’re the last ones here again,” Barrier replied as he turned to lead the guests into the manor.
“Oh, consarnit!” Gem angrily spat as the last of the guests made their way inside.
“Well, if you want, I could sell you some stamina brews later. I’ll even give you the family discount,” Toil said with a smirk on her muzzle. “Looks like you could really use it.”
As Winter Gem shot Toil a glare, the filly on Hatty’s back hopped onto his head to look at the green and white filly. “Hey Brew, think we’ll be in the same class when we start school?”
“I’m sure we will, Wild Card!” Brew said, her eyes practically lighting up. “I hope we’ll be able to do lots of hoofpainting in kindergarten!”
“Just remember not to eat any paint or glue, kids,” Gem said before gently biting down on the scruff of Wild Card’s neck and setting her down on the floor just as the rest of the guests came into view. “Now, how about you kids play out in the back? Us grown-ups will be there shortly.”
“‘Kay, Mom!” Wild Card shouted as she dashed towards the backyard with Brew following shortly behind.
“Hi, Everypony. See you in a bit,” Darcy said before she headed outside as well. “Yo, Whirly! Wanna play some Marinara Cart: Super Circuit?” she asked as she reached into her saddlebags.
As he gently closed the back door, a contented sigh escaped Barrier’s lips. “I’m glad to see you all here again.”
“We wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Hatty said before giving Barrier a light pat on the back.
“Says the pony that got here dead last,” Forge said with a chuckle. “Seriously, how is it that Swiftsword got here before you, and her family are the only ones that don’t live here!”
“To be fair, Forge, she got here before any of us,” Verdant replied.
“At any rate, we’re ready to fully begin,” Barrier stated, taking up a commanding authority he hadn’t needed in years. “Everypony, I want you to grab some of the food from the fridge to take to the picnic tables.”
“On it,” Swift replied as her magic cast the fridge open, displaying a wide variety of food and drinks within. In a blur of different colored hooves, the foods were quickly snatched up. By the time they started to head for the back door, there was only one covered container left in the fridge.
“Want me to get this, Barrier?” Daring asked as she, Fleet and Punch drew closer.
“Nah. You go have fun with the youngsters. I’ll handle the potato salad after I take care of one last thing,” Barrier answered nonchalantly as his magic pulled the bowl from the fridge.
“Alright, but try to be quick,” Punch said as she and the rest turned around. “First come, first served on the chicken bites.”
Gently closing the fridge, Barrier took the potato salad back with him to the master bedroom he shared. Carefully placing the bowl on a nightstand, Barrier made his way over to a wardrobe. Taking a breath, Barrier placed his hooves on the wardrobe’s handles. He slowly pulled it open.
Within the wardrobe was a pair of black picture frames that held intricate paintings of two beings. One was a cream colored pegasus stallion with a fiery orange mane and deep blue eyes. The other was a dark colored griffin hen with white head feathers and a tail tip that was two different shades of blue. Atop the frames was a small amount of black bunting.
“Hello, Varia. Fireball,” Barrier sighed, starting to feel a bit of mistiness in his eyes as he looked upon the paintings. “Everypony’s here for the big reunion and I… I really wish you two were here. Tartarus, I wish I even got a chance to meet you two.”
“Fireball,” Barrier said as he focused his eyes on the pegasus stallion’s image. “While I don’t approve of what you did with the princess, I know you were overall a good stallion. You protected Equestria with everything you had. I’m proud of you and I’m sure Ember’s proud of you too.”
With a deep breath to steel himself, he turned his attention to the griffin’s portrait.
“Varia… I’m not going to sugarcoat things. Your mother was one of the most evil monsters I’ve ever known, let alone in Equestria’s long history. A devourer of foals and a beast that committed atrocious acts against many ponies, myself included. However, even with all the bad things she did, there was one thing that I’d say was good… and that was bringing you into the world.
“Despite everything that happened with the war you were born into, you fought hard for peace between the ponies and the griffins. A peace that has lasted since then. You did something that I thought would have been impossible in my times… In all honesty, I couldn’t be prouder to call myself your father.”
Taking a step back, Barrier looked back and forth between the two photos. “I’m sure your siblings and the party guests are getting hungry for the potato salad, so I’m going to have to wrap up our visit today, kids. I’ll be sure to check on you on your birthdays.
“Bye, kids.” Barrier paused his talking to wipe a single tear from his eyes. “I love you.”
Softly closing the wardrobe, Barrier pulled a quick about face. Picking up the potato salad, he took one last calming breath before trotting off towards the manor’s back door.
Nosing the door open, he saw the assembled guests were happily chatting at three picnic tables that were placed next to each other with a wide spread of food and drinks covering them. With a small chuckle and a smile, Barrier placed the potato salad on the table and took a seat on the far end of the tables with Daring at his side.
“Attention, everyone!” Barrier’s words made the gathered assembly grow quiet. Clearing his throat, he began to speak once more. It was a speech he’d been planning for quite some time.
“First off, I’d like to thank you all for coming here on this momentous day. Fifteen years ago today, I first moved into this house with eight ponies I am proud to call my family. We’d just been through the battle that liberated the beautiful land known as the Crystal Empire and started a journey to find what would be a home for us. While we no longer all live under the same roof, I’d say our journeys have led us each to places we’d happily call our homes.
“Over the years since I first appeared in modern Equestria, we’ve seen many things happen that I never would have expected to see. A topsy-turvy world conjured by a mad draconequus, an army of shapeshifters attempting to conquer Canterlot, evil alicorns, mad scientists, strange alternate worlds, new alicorns, a change of ruler and so, so much more. Still, despite all of this, it’s been well worth it to have you all by my side.
“A millenia ago, we were all displaced from our homes and time. With a terrifying battle behind us, we all began a new journey, now to find a new place to call home.” Barrier took a deep breath as he looked over the wide collection of his former cadets. Once youthful soldiers were now turned into seasoned adults. Even little Wind Whistler had grown into a fine example of a mare.
“Now, I’d say that the homeward journey has ended happily for all of us. We have all started families of our own and found prosperous careers,” Barrier said as his eyes swept over the guests once more. “Be it athletics teachers, captain of the guard, flower shop owners, smithy managers, stage performers, farmers, potion brewers, authors, maitre d’s or have just retired.
“I wouldn’t trade my time with you all for anything in the world and I’d like to propose a toast,” Barrier said as he picked up a glass of punch with his hoof. “To friends, family, home, and many more prosperous years to come.”
“Hear, hear!” The assembled guests said as they also clinked their glasses together before a joyous cheer erupted from them.
After the toast, the party went on for hours, long into the night before the guests all started to make their way home. Swiftsword was the first to leave so she and her family could catch the train to Canterlot, followed eventually by the rest.
With a yawn, Barrier trotted up the manor’s stairs. At the top of steps, he saw Whirlwind yawn as she exited the bathroom with a zombie-like trot. “Goodnight, Whirlwind. I love you.”
“G’night, Dad. Love you too,” she sleepily said as she made her way into her bedroom. Only a few seconds later, Barrier heard the soft thud of her hitting her mattress, followed by a loud snoring.
Stepping further down the hall, Barrier came to a halt outside Arcane’s bedroom door.
“Hey Dad, could you tuck me in, please?” The little filly’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Of course, dear,” Barrier answered as he gently nosed the door open. Stepping inside, he saw that Arcane was snuggly in her bed as she held onto six alicorn plushies.
“Say Dad, do you think Empress Cadance will ever let Uncle Hatty and Aunt Gem back into the empire?” Arcane asked as Barrier’s horn glowed a dim blue as he adjusted her blanket and started tucking her in.
“Considering the reason why they’re banned, I kinda doubt it,” Barrier replied before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Can’t say I blame her. It’s their fault Princess Flurry’s first word was the F-Bomb.
“Oh well,” Arcane said as she squeezed the plushies a little closer and yawned. “Think we could get them a souvenir from the empire the next time we have a trip there?”
“Sure thing, Honey. I’ll get—”
“Not ruby reaper stuff, Dad. A nice souvenir.” Arcane’s remark made Barrier give a childish pout that made her giggle. Barrier quickly joined in on the giggles before lightly ruffling her mane.
“Goodnight, Arcane. I love you,” Barrier whispered before he pulled away and headed for the door.
“Love you too, Dad. G’night.” He heard her mutter before he gently closed the door behind him.
With a contented sigh, Barrier made his way downstairs. When he reached the bottom, he could see Punch having a glass of water while Daring and Fleet headed into the bedroom.
“I’d say the party went great today, Barrier,” Punch said to the approaching stallion as she set her glass down in the sink. “I could literally feel the happiness and love coming off of everyone there.”
“That’s good to know, Barrier said before he made his way into the kitchen, where the two shared a warm nuzzle and a quick kiss.
“Say, feeling up for a little more fun tonight?” Punch asked with a sultry smirk on her muzzle.
“Not really, sadly,” Barrier said as he brushed her cheek with a gentle hoof caress. “As much as I’d love to make your night glorious, having to deal with everything this week has been really exhausting.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” Punch replied as she and Barrier started to make their way towards the bedroom. “How many bat ponies were here on Friday?”
“Forty eight…” Barrier groaned as they reached the door, recalling the team glomp they all struck him with at once. “I never would’ve thought so many ponies would use my donations. I’ve practically sired enough foals to start an army.”
“Me either, honestly,” Punch whispered as she pushed open the bedroom door, where she could see Daring and Fleet were already asleep in each other’s forelegs.
“I may not feel up for sex, but would my favorite cuddle bug like to have some tender cuddles?” Barrier asked as he carefully made his way into the bed.
“I’m always up for cuddles,” the changeling replied as she slipped into the bed beside Barrier. The two were soon holding each other closely with their forelegs entangled before they gave one another quick pecks on the lips.
And so, after a long and tiring time, the old soldier enjoyed a good, long, well deserved rest.
