Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sourby PonibiusChaptersChapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet...Chapter 2: ... It usually is.Chapter 3: Sour BusinessEpilogueChapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet...Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet... It's not easy being the premier information broker and problem solver in Freeport. Between needing to continually keep on top of new developments both within Freeport and all around the world, juggling multitudes of different parties that purchase this one's services, and the pool of rivals looking to topple this one's little empire, it has to remain ever vigilant and at the top of its game. One critical mistake may very well start the slide to this one's destruction. That was always what tripped up most of this one's competitors. It was one thing to grow, expand, and become dominant, but it is quite another to hold that ground, whether that ground be actual territory, money, influence, or prestige. That was why this one was busy going over the stack of reports on its large office desk. Even after this one's employees had filtered the torrent of information so that this one only had to read the most important bit, the pile of papers on this one's desk was still considerable. And it all needed to be read through, digested, and then filed away both in this one's mind and the basement archive. While it was true that all information was relevant, the facts of reality often demanded that this one prioritize what it worked on. Knowing someone’s favorite meal was important, but it was a relatively minor note compared to things like who had spoken with whom during a meal and what they had spoken about. This one let out a sigh and put aside the latest report on how relations were standing between the Striker and Doo Clans. There had been a recent incident between the two over the deaths of two Strikers at the hooves of Kunai Doo, but this one's spies within each clan were confident that the whole matter was going to be smoothed over, as was usually the case between the clans. After all, an open war between them would only weaken them in the face of their competitors. Still, this one had to review all the information it had of the incident, both to make sure it didn't make some misstep between the clans and to see where this one could gain an advantage out of this. This one thought about the matter, saw the stack of papers it still had to go through, and then rubbed at the sides of its head. It was getting to the point that this one was wondering if its operation was simply getting too big to control. Between this one's service to the Council, juggling multiple clients, several small businesses this one owned, and few long-term projects, it was feeling badly stretched as of late. Even after hiring a slowly growing pool of employees, contracting, and subcontracting this one used to delegate tasks, the amount of work this one wanted to see done only seemed to grow. This was only frustrated by the sensation that this one was slowly losing its grip on the organization it was building. That was probably inevitable as this one’s influence grew, but it didn't change the fact that cracks were forming in how much attention this one could give to any one thing, and sooner or later that was going to result in unfortunate consequences. This one’s ruminations were interrupted when Merry Penny, an earth pony mare that served as one of this one’s secretaries, knocked at the frame of the door and entered. “Puzzle, Alphonse of the Steel Talons company is here to see you,” she said with a smile. “Shall I show him and his party in?” Keeping my expression neutral, this one nodded. “Go ahead, this one will see them now.” It had been a couple of months since this one had hired the Steel Talons for a job that sent them to the jungles off of the island of Zanzebra. That most likely meant they had succeeded in their task, something that was of great interest to this one. An ancient dragon from the far north by the name of Argentium the Runescaled had sent one of her disciples to Freeport to hire this one to procure a rare artifact called the Crescent Moonstone. While the pay for the job was nothing short of a fortune, it had also involved the task of penetrating the dangerous jungles filled with dangerous wildlife, disease, and hostile natives, finding the Temple of Hidden Moon, and then secure it from the dangerous cult said to preside there. Due to the danger the job entailed, not to mention the travel distances, this one had opted to subcontract and hire someone else to recover the artifact for it. As Merry left, this one transformed into the form it normally used when dealing with the mercenary company: a handsome, strong-jawed zebra with an air of nobility about him. A form that seemed both respectable and one of wealth. This one found it quite useful to take advantage of its changeling heritage in order to take the form that would most comfort whomever it was talking to. Four heavily armored gryphons stepped into this one’s office. Their armor and weapons clanked and clanged as they took heavy steps on this one’s luxurious Zebrican rug. Leading them was Sir Alphonse, a large, thick-chested example of his species as he stood before me. This one smiled pleasantly as they came to a stop before its desk. “This one hopes the Alphonse-gryphon was successful in his venture?” The Alphonse-gryphon unhooked a well-worn bag from his belt and placed it in the table. “We were indeed.” “Good.” I reached for the bag but the Alphonse-gryphon placed a firm talon on the sack before I could examine its contents. His other claw casually rested on the sword at his belt and his talons thrummed the hilt. “Our pay?” he said with a firm look. While neither his tone nor gestures were technically threatening, this one received the message. It seemed that the Alphonse-gryphon wanted to play this sort of game. That wasn't particularly surprising; as the third child of a noble family, the Alphonse-gryphon had few prospects back in his homeland. Thus, he had taken to becoming a mercenary, or an adventurer, depending on who you asked. Either way, he had come to Freeport, but had swiftly gathered a significant debt. While a pity for the gryphon, it had given this one the opportunity to offer a highly lucrative, if extremely dangerous, job that he was desperate enough to take. Freeport loaners were not known to be particularly forgiving. This one’s smile didn’t slip an inch. “This one will have the funds owed to you transferred to your company account today.” The Alphonse-gryphon gripped the bag firmly in his talons. “And as soon as we have confirmed the transfer...” I sighed patiently. “Really now, we do have a contract. There is no reason to be so suspicious.” I grinned. “When has this one ever not paid you for your good work?” He grinned back. “Is there any reason not to be careful?” I shrugged, conceding his point. Especially considering the number of bits I was contracted to pay him. Sadly, there were all too many individuals in Freeport that thought the best path to profit was to cheat every single last person they came across. This one considered such methods to be relatively shortsighted; after all, someone was unlikely to be a return customer if you had cheated them in the past. “Shall this one send someone out to complete the transfer to your account? This one is sure we can get a receipt confirming our transaction. Then you can give this one the Crescent Moonstone.” In truth, that was not this one’s preference for how this deal should go. It would have been better for this one to have the artifact in hoof before there was any exchange of coin, but with the Alphonse-gryphon as jumpy as he was, it seemed best to be a bit flexible. Not to mention that the mercenary adventurer had never struck this one as particularly devious, and it would not have hired someone so inherently untrustworthy for this job. The Alphonse-gryphon considered that idea before nodding. “Works for me.” This one held up a hoof to forestall the conversation. “But first this one wants to see it.” A smile that didn't quite reach this one’s eyes creased its lips. “Just to be sure that you retrieved the right object.” The Alphonse-gryphon’s talons drummed the bag a couple of times. “Fair enough. Though we followed your instructions to the letter getting this blasted thing.” He reached into the bag and withdrew the artifact. The Crescent was egg-shaped and easily fit within the large gryphon’s claw. It was made of silver and had a number of small sapphires embedded into it, and had a dragon outlining a crescent moon engraved into it. The details were quite exquisite, and must have been done by a master crafter. Perhaps more importantly, this one felt a steady thrum of power from the artifact. This one could feel that much through its horn, and it hoped it would get at least a little bit of time to know exactly what this one was dealing with. Argentium’s agent had given frustratingly few details about the artifact itself, merely telling this one where it was and how to obtain it. That, and offering the type of money that told certain semi-reputable problem solvers for hire that they shouldn't probe too deeply into the affairs of ancient and powerful dragons. Still, this one would make sure it wasn't passing along anything too dangerous before making the final sale to Argentium’s agent. This one didn't want to end up in a situation where powerful parties came looking for the one responsible selling a dragon some sort of doomsday weapon. This one took a couple of minutes to confirm that the item was the genuine article. While this one hadn't been given any details as to what the artifact did, it had been told in detail how to recognize it—such as the exact type and size of the gems, the details of the engraving, and odd thrum of magic coming off of it. There were few things more embarrassing in this line of work than finding out you had seized the wrong object during an assignment. First, you went through all the work of trying to get what you were looking for, and second, you looked like an idiot for not getting what you were supposed to. “Very well.” This one motioned for the Alphonse-gryphon to return the artifact back to its bag. “Penny-mare?” this one called out. “Could you come in for a second?” She stepped into the office with one of her typical bubbly smiles. “Yes, what did you need?” “Could the Penny-mare go to the World’s Port Bank and see to it that the Steel Talons receive the payment for their contract?” Considering she helped keep track of the various contracts and deals this one made, she would know what this one was talking about. It always helped to have competent help on staff. The Penny-mare nodded. “Of course, I'll get right on that.” She departed as smoothly as she had arrived. The Alphonse-gryphon waiting until the Penny-mare had closed the door before speaking. “And that's all settled.” He gave this one a grin that showed a bit too much teeth. “Assuming that wasn't some sort of secret code to have us all killed.” This one waved the idea off. “Hardly. You are far too useful. True, this one could have you killed, but then this one would lose a valuable contact, and competent help is so hard to come by—not to mention all the potential complications of trying that.” This one had experienced firsthoof such betrayals in the past. Betrayals that its former employers came to regret in due course. This one had no intentions of reenacting the same mistakes. “Good to hear.” The Alphonse-gryphon’s shoulders slumped. “I'm still a bit jumpy after everything that’s happened. We ... lost Felix.” “This one is sorry to hear that,” this one said in an appropriately somber tone. The Alphonse-gryphon grimaced. “You warned us the mission was high-risk, but...” He sighed as he ran his talons over his beak. “He took a hit to the wing while we were breaking out of that damned temple you sent us to. He insisted on staying behind to buy us time.” He shrugged. “We were in a tight spot.” “Does the Alphonse-gryphon need any assistance with the funeral arrangements?” Offering help when someone had been kicked down was often a good way to further bind someone to you. While this one certainly sympathized with the Alphonse-gryphon, it had hardly known Felix—only having a name and a face to put together. That was slightly irritating to this one. This one liked to be as well informed as it could about everyone it dealt with, but this one had become stretched as its influence had grown. Thus, it had become increasingly necessary to entrust others with less important tasks. That was one of the prices of delegation. The Alphonse-gryphon shook his head. “We'll use his share of the pay for it. The rest goes to his family.” “Perfectly reasonable,” this one said. “This one would suggest taking some time off then. A journey to Zanzebra is never easy. Especially after what all of you must have gone through to get the Crescent Moonstone.” “We're all very tired.” He nodded. “We'll need time to recruit a replacement anyways.” This one rubbed its chin. “This one thinks it might have a few individuals that might interest you, depending on what you are looking for.” This one took pride in being able to spot talented individuals, especially when their talents had not yet been recognized the city at large. Being able to fund the start of several small businesses and place such individuals in charge had done no small favors to this one’s bank accounts. “I'll come by sometime next week, then.” The Alphonse-gryphon let out a long breath. “After the funeral has been taken care of. Priorities.” “Of course.” This one nodded. “This one will have a list ready for you by then.” He nodded. “Thanks. That should work.” This one stood up and walked to a cabinet near the desk and pulled out a few glasses and a bottle of quality rum. “While we wait for Merry Penny to take care of the money arrangements, how about you tell this one of your journey while this one pours all of you a celebratory drink? You certainly look like you have earned it.” It would also be good to learn exactly what sort of expedition this one had funded, and a little show of appreciation on this one’s part certainly wouldn't hurt its standing with the mercenary adventurers. “That sounds ... nice.” A weary smile worked its way onto the Alphonse-gryphon’s beak as this one poured him a cup. “I’m glad we're working with you, Puzzle.” This one returned his smile, and it knew that its hold on the gryphon was quite secure. After this one’s business with the Alphonse-gryphon had been completed, it secreted away the Crescent Moonstone into safe storage. There was the heavy safe imbedded into the wall that was intended to keep safe the more mundane items this one came into possession of: documents, some spare cash in the event this one needed more money than it liked to carry around, and the like. That wasn't the safe this one used, though. Not for something this valuable. No, this one used the safe hidden behind one of the bookshelves and protected by several magical wards to keep any unwelcome hooves out of it. That taken care of, this one returned to the pile of paperwork upon its desk. There were several things that needed to be addressed, and the Alphonse-gryphon had already taken up much of the day. Then there were other relatively mundane tasks this one needed to review. The time had probably long passed where this one should have picked someone else to manage the hoofful of small businesses, restaurants and small shops this one owned. Keeping track of all of them was something that took up too much of this one’s time, after taking account for where this one wanted to place its priorities. After all, they were primarily intended to give this one a steady income while pursuing other, more important projects that might take some time to see come to fruition. This one was finishing comparing the resumes it had before it when it heard a disruption outside of its office door. The sounds of people moving and Merry Penny’s distressed voice reverberated through the door. This one was about to investigate what was going on when the door opened. Sunset Shimmer strode into the room as though she owned the place. In tow was her new apprentice, Kukri Doo, and an obviously distressed Penny-mare. The Penny-mare’s face was flushed with anger as she tried to stare a hole right through the back of the Shimmer-mare’s head. The Penny-mare trotted to get ahead of the Shimmer-mare. “I told you, you can't just come in to see Puzzle Piece without an appointment or me checking with him first.” The Shimmer-mare shot her the type of grin you only saw on someone who was taking particular pleasure in breaking the rules. “Strange, that's exactly what I've just done.” She brushed by the secretary and plopped herself down onto one of the cushions opposite of this one’s desk, giving this one a grin that dared it to protest. “Hey.” “Hello,” this one said, returning a smile that showed none of its annoyance with the sudden interruption. This one hadn’t even had the chance to transform into one of the forms it usually used when dealing with the Shimmer-mare. “Hello again, Puzzle Piece,” said Kukri, attempting to mimic the bold confidence of her master. The effort was ruined somewhat as she gazed about the office with childish curiosity. That wasn't particularly surprising considering the pieces of art, mementos, and other items this one kept around to remind itself of past ventures—the office was intended to project an air of importance to anyone that entered, after all. The expensive rugs, polished wood, and personal items were enough to say that this one was someone worth doing business with, but without threatening this one’s more prestigious and wealthy patrons. And judging based on how Kukri was being drawn in by it all, it was working its magic on the young changeling. For the Penny-mare’s part, she looked like she was about to grab the Shimmer-mare by the scruff of the neck and drag her back out of the office. She never did appreciate it when someone attempted to invade her little empire in the world. To prevent an incident, this one held up a hoof to her. “Penny-mare, could you please make us some tea?” She bit her bottom lip, but she understood the dismissal for what it was. “Of course, Puzzle. I'll be back in a few.” She withdrew and closed the door behind her. This one gave the Shimmer-mare an amused look. “You know, if you had but asked to come in, this one would have promptly seen the Shimmer-mare.” The Shimmer-mare shrugged. “Yeah, but that would have wasted a bunch of time. My way’s a lot better.” “There is a thing called ‘manners,’” this one said. “Surely it must have come up with your parents at some point, or at the very least the White Pony would have covered the topic.” In truth, this one knew very much what this was about, even if the Shimmer-mare might not have been immediately aware of it. She had barged into this one’s office in order to assert her importance and dominance in our relationship. The Shimmer-mare made a derisive snort. “I know all the rules; I just wasn’t bothering to follow them this time. No point in sending you a fancy engraved invitation when I can cut through all the horseapples and get straight to business. ” She had little trouble showing the pride—less generous souls would call it arrogance—typical of ponies from Canterlot. More likely she just didn't like the rules of decorum and manners to apply to her when she found them inconvenient. Well, this one could hardly let that stand over the long term, both because this one didn't want her to think she could walk all over this one, but also because sooner or later she was going offend the wrong individual in Freeport doing this type of thing. The smile on this one’s lips didn't waver as it spoke. “This one doesn't have to see you, you know. There is all sorts of business this one could do instead of meeting ponies who aren’t kind enough to knock.” “Yeah, but you want meet with me,” she said confidently. “All in good time.” This one returned to examining the resumes it had been looking at before it had been interrupted. “First, this one wishes to take care of some other business it had been stopped in the middle of.” The Shimmer-mare narrowed her eyes as this one studied its papers. When it didn't speak for a minute, she spoke up, more than a hint of annoyance in her tone. “You aren't seriously going to ignore me, are you?” This one’s amused smile didn't waver. “Maybe if the Shimmer-mare had made an appointment, then this one could put aside some time for a proper meeting.” Her scowl deepened at that, a piece of her pride now on the line. “I have important business, and you're just wasting time.” “Maybe you are wasting your time, but this one is being perfectly productive at the moment.” This one slowly flipped to another page to emphasize. “If it is so important, then no doubt you can make a proper appointment. That, or you can apologize for barging in. Either way, this one has the time.” The Shimmer-mare’s scowl deepened. For a moment it seemed like she was going to snatch this one’s paperwork from it to seize its attention, but she refrained from being quite that provocative. Instead, seeing that this one was quite content to make her wait, she rushed out a with less maturity than might be expected of a mare her age. “Fine, I’m sorry. I’ll knock next time. Happy?” “Thank you.” Not wanting to belabor the point, this one put down the résumés. “So what brings you to this one's office?” “What, we can't just visit for fun?” the Shimmer-mare asked with a toothy grin. “These are technically this one's business hours,” this one said. “Not that this one would ever complain about having your company, whatever the circumstances.” She was probably trying to turn the tables and make this one impatient with whatever had brought her to it, but one of the most important lessons this one learned as a grub was the value of patience. “Right, right.” The Shimmer-mare waved dismissively. “No fun during working hours. Your boss would disapprove.” Kukri cocked her head to the side, taking a seat next her master. “He has a boss?” This one grinned, showing its fangs. “Only to this one's higher ideals and its nation.” The Shimmer-mare snorted. “Yeah, you're a real idealist.” This one shrugged. “This one finds it more enjoyable than being a cynic. Really, it’s so dull to have to listen to others moping about how much worse the world is becoming, how things used to be better, or how kids don’t respect their elders anymore.” “I guess. Anyway, since it is business hours, let's talk business.” The Shimmer-mare’s patience with dancing around the topic at hoof was at its end. “I got approached about a job and wanted your take on it.” “What is the job?” this one asked. “Still don't have all the details,” she said. “A representative from the Sweetash family said they had a job for me, but that they could only give me the details from their island. Said we could meet with the client at Sweetash Isle tomorrow morning.” A slight frown creased this one’s lips. The Sweetash family owned one of the sugar plantation islands in the Freeport archipelagos. That made them one of the more wealthy and influential groups within Freeport. The backbone to Freeport’s economy was the sugar trade, and thus anyone that owned a percentage of that commodity was someone to take note of. “What other details do you have?” this one asked. “The pay's 250,000 ducats,” she said. “Supposedly, a rival plantation owner is using slave labor. They want me to investigate and find proof they’re breaking the law.” This one stroked its chin as it considered all the facts before it. That was a large number of ducats being offered—a number that made this one suspicious. “This strikes this one as strange.” The Shimmer-mare crossed her forelegs. “What do you mean?” “For one, why hire you when the Sweetash family could have informed the Council of this rival breaking the law? Slavery was one of the first things the Council did away with when it took over Freeport.” The Council did have strong ideological reasons for outlawing slavery, though this one couldn’t tell the Shimmer-mare specifically what those reasons were. “And the Sweetashes are more than influential enough to get the ball rolling for an investigation.” “Little thing called ‘proof,’” she pointed out. “Even in Freeport, you can’t go around accusing people of things without some evidence to back up your claim, and especially when they’re a rival that’s just as wealthy and powerful as you are. In Canterlot, that kind of thing could get you sued for libel, and I expect there are even more options in Freeport.” “Perhaps.” This one leaned back in its chair as it tried to recall everything it could remember about the Sweetash family. Sadly, that was very little. They had never hired this one in the past, and it had never run afoul of them. This one would have to review its records to see if anything relevant came up. “This one can see the potential motivehere. They probably want to eliminate a business rival, and maybe even hope to snatch up their property in the coup. But ... well, hiring you seems a bit overkill for an investigation.” Not to mention that the Shimmer-mare wasn’t exactly a trained investigator. Sure, magic gave her options that the average investigator wouldn’t have, but she lacked many of the fundamental skills. The Shimmer-mare frowned. “When you can afford the best...” This one shook its head. “Just because you can afford the best doesn't mean you pay for it. Especially when you’re trying to maximize the profits from your plantation. By habit, sugar plantation owners tend to be cheap in the help they hire.” There was a reason why they hired their indentured servants from the poor and desperate. Harvesting sugarcane was a labor-intensive process, and one of the methods plantation owners kept production costs low was by creating some of the most wretched working conditions you could find in Freeport. “Probably a grudge thing,” she said with a shrug. This one hummed unhappily. “This one doesn't like jobs where emotions are involved, if that is the case here. They tend to get ugly. In this one’s experience, the last thing you ever want to do is get wrapped up in someone else's revenge quest.” Kukri winced at the mention of revenge but remained silent. The Shimmer-mare sighed as she rolled her eyes. “Look, I didn't get every little detail, which is why I wanted you to come with me to see what’s up. You know more about all the little power groups in Freeport than I do, and I don’t want to get caught up in something I don’t even half understand.” “This one was certainly the right one to come to.” There was also the fact that this one was secretly being paid a considerable sum by the Equestrian Intelligence Service to make sure the Shimmer-mare remained safe, in addition to the money it was receiving to not spy on Equestria on the behalf of others. In truth, this one had its own reasons for making sure the Shimmer-mare remained safe. Having a unicorn of her power and training had been a windfall for this one’s long-term plans, even if in the short term this one had taken some financial losses for the sake of building up a positive relationship with the mare. This one had little interest in money, however, other than how it furthered this one’s plan. And there were indeed some big plans for the future—plans that the Shimmer-mare would be very helpful towards completing. That was one of the reasons why this one had been trying to close out several projects while making others more self-sufficient. Keeping the Shimmer-mare alive and moving in the direction this one desired was going to be a project all in of itself, in no small part due to her nasty habit of making more and more enemies as time passed. This one tapped the top of its desk as it considered what preparations should be made for the meeting with the Sweetash family. “Hm, it would probably be best for us to hire a few mercenaries for the meeting. Just to play it on the safe side.” Something about this job was making this one itch under its carapace. There wasn't anything specific that was making this one wary, but this one had survived as long as it had by listening to its instincts. The Shimmer-mare cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion. “Seriously?” “They certainly couldn't hurt,” this one said. “This one is never particularly wild about the idea of visiting someone else’s center of power alone. Chances are nothing will go wrong, but it’s nice to have the backup in the case the meeting becomes unpleasant.” Experience had long taught this one the benefits of having extra help around when meeting with clients. Truthfully, if this one had been the one contacted by the Sweetash family, it would have worked to have the meeting take place in a neutral location rather than on their island. That would have left more escape routes available, and made it more difficult to attack or otherwise pressure this one. This was another one of the topics this one was going to have to discuss with the Shimmer-mare in the near future when the opportunity presented itself. Kukri’s ears had perked as the topic of mercenaries came up. Not a surprise when her family and clan were so heavily invested in the occupation. “If the Shimmer-mare isn't pressed for time, it could ask Mom and see if there's anypony she knows who could help.” “This one is sure that we could hire somepony at the Doo Compound.” It would also help the Shimmer-mare develop her contacts among the Doo Clan. Being a repeat customer would help raise her esteem among the clan of mercenaries, and improving her reputation among the condottieri was something I wanted her to focus on, considering her past unsavory encounters with the city guard and the Striker Clan. “I dunno,” the Shimmer-mare said. “I don't want it looking like I'm scared.” Kukri gave her a flat look. “Nopony would blame you for being cautious, Shimmer-mare.” The other one, as a child of Freeport and the Doo Clan, of course knew of the value of having additional protection. That and it would probably reflect well on her clan if she helped make the Shimmer-mare a regular customer of theirs. Still, this one could sense the Shimmer-mare’s pride being provoked. Knowing that, this one took a different approach in its argument. “The Shimmer-mare is hardly acting frightened,” this one assured her. “Present it as you being an important mare. Everyone of importance in Freeport has at least some sort of guard or other hanger-ons, especially when attending to business. Really it’s a mark of prestige when you get down to it.” Kukri nodded in agreement. “You have made something of a name for yourself. A small guard contingent is both prestigious and sensible.” “And hiring some Doos would help your standing with them,” this one added. “It wouldn't hurt to improve your reputation among the condottieri and prevent further incidents with them.” This one hadn't been privy to all the details, but it seemed that the Shimmer-mare had made some enemies among the condottieri, which in turn had resulted in a contingent among them turning against her when she had been confronting a dangerous warlock. Since this one was trying to keep the Shimmer-mare alive, that was exactly the type of thing this one didn't want to be happening. The Shimmer-mare sighed and grumbled under her breath. “Yeah, okay. Though I still don't see how anything dangerous enough to beat me is gonna be stopped by a couple guards.” “It never hurts to have more muscle on your side in the event of a fight,” this one pressed. Normally this one would have argued that having guards also gave one additional opportunities to run away from a fight, but that argument wouldn't have sat well with the Shimmer-mare’s pride. “You can even avoid fights when you wish to avoid them.” “Think of it as reaching out, Shimmer-mare.” Kukri smiled up at her master. “You're offering them a compliment by asking for their presence—and Mom says they take their contracts very seriously, if the worst happens.” The Shimmer-mare pursed her lips as she thought over our arguments. “Yeah, can't think of a reason not to do it. Even Celestia has her own guards.” This one smiled, happy that it had won the argument. “Glad we could agree on that. Especially when the Shimmer-mare seems to keep getting into fights.” The Shimmer-mare let out a disgruntled grunt. “I've noticed. You would think ponies would learn to stop picking fights with me.” “This one should perhaps work with you on that.” This one was reasonably certain that the concept of diplomacy was a foreign one to the Shimmer-mare. It wouldn't be a surprise to find out that she had grown used to always getting what she wanted as the White Pony’s student. That would help explain a few things, such as why she ended up in a place like Freeport despite all her prospects back home. Children that grew up always hearing ‘yes’ tended to react poorly once they entered the real world and started hearing ‘no.’ “This one would hate to see you get seriously hurt.” Kukri scooted closer to the Shimmer-mare. “This one, too.” “I'd be pretty upset by it myself.” The Shimmer-mare tried to put humor into the statement, but there was a hint of doubt in her words. Perhaps some of her more challenging encounters had tempered her confidence to some degree. “This one would think so,” this one said with more humor. “It's your life on the line.” Kukri nodded. “And dying would be unhealthy for the Shimmer-mare. Especially if you just got your shots.” That brought a grin to the Shimmer-mare’s face and she rubbed Kukri on the head. “Heh. Yeah. But anyway, back to business.” “So what will you be paying this one for its help?” this one asked. This one did have its professional pride to consider; it didn’t just work for free. The Shimmer-mare rolled her eyes. “It's all about the money with you.” “This one would hardly be a proper mercenary if it weren't paid,” this one said. “If this one weren’t, then people might mistake this one’s services for a charity.” “And that would just be terrible, wouldn’t it?” She let out an exasperated huff. “Your usual rates?” This one nodded. “That would be fine. This one can assist the Shimmer-mare with contracting some mercenaries from the Doo Compound, and then we can go to Sweetash Isle.” Kukri all but catapulted from her seat. “And this one can help! It knows everyone at the Doo Compound and it can guard the Shimmer-mare’s back.” The Shimmer-mare frowned. “I don't want to take her into a potential combat situation. You could get hurt.” Kukri puffed out her chest. “This one knew what it was getting into as your apprentice, Shimmer-mare.” Ah, now there was a snag. The itching under this one’s carapace about this job hadn’t gone away, and it didn’t like the idea of dragging along a child for what might be a dangerous job. Shame Kukri was likely to insist on coming with us, and the Shimmer-mare might fold to her will if the other one begged hard enough. Kukri did have a pretty serious case of hero worship where her master was concerned and would likely do anything she could for her. She had similar feelings towards her older sister Kunai, though this one suspects Kukri might form different opinions about her sister if she knew all that Kunai gotten up to as part of her job. Especially when she worked with Brass Striker’s less-than-reputable mercenary company. But that was something to deal with another day. Right now this one needed to find a reason to keep Kukri off Sweetash Isle, and this one believed it had an idea for how to accomplish that. “Hm, you're willing to do a lot for the Shimmer-mare, aren't you, Kukri?” this one asked, sounding perfectly honest. Kukri eagerly nodded. “It's an apprentice's duty!” “You would be willing to do anything for her?” this one asked, drawing her further into the web. The Shimmer-mare started to grin, no doubt seeing where this one was going. “Just say the word!” Kukri said. “Great!” This one’s smile became almost predatory. “Then you can stay here and assist the Penny-mare tomorrow. You can learn how to do proper secretarial work with her. It would be most useful to the Shimmer-mare. Very important skills for any apprentice.” Kukri’s smile swiftly turned into a slack-jawed look of horror. “B-but, but...” The other one turned to the Shimmer-mare for assistance. The Shimmer-mare covered her mouth to hide a grin. “He's got a point.” The apprentice's ears flattened, and she scowled at the floor. “Yes, Shimmer-mare,” she grumbled. This one walked around its desk to pat Kukri on the back. “You can learn very valuable lifetime skills that will help her immensely: being a magus isn't all about smashing monsters and casting spells.” The Shimmer-mare nodded in agreement. “Paperwork is part of it, too.” “Yes, Shimmer-mare,” the grub grumbled, sounding like she was agreeing to the necessities of having a tooth pulled. “Good. Thanks, Kukri,” the Shimmer-mare said, a hint of relief in the words. “You're a good kid, Kukri.” This one gave her another reassuring pat on the back. Now if only everything else would go as smoothly as making sure Kukri wouldn’t be coming with us... Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable. Chapter 2: ... It usually is.Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 2: ... It usually is. Preparation is essential in this one’s line of work. The preparations one makes when going out on a job is often the difference between success or failure, payday or a lot of wasted time and effort, victory or defeat, life or death. Certainly skill, experience, natural talent, and a bit of luck are factors that determine success, but preparation is something we can control. Especially with a bit of foresight. That was why this one was in its lab the morning after its meeting with the Shimmer-mare. Located on the first floor of this one’s office building, the room was well-stocked with all the supplies one would needed for creating magical and alchemical items. A work table and a cauldron sat in the center of the room, surrounded by shelves fully stocked with magical ingredients and tools necessary for magical crafting. Woefully, all of those very expensive tools and ingredients had been collecting dust for quite some time. This one sighed as it ran a hoof over the work table’s surface, leaving a long line in the dust that had collected. This one wasn't in a habit of letting anyone come into this room, and normally kept the room nicely locked behind its magically reinforced steel door. While this one could have given some its secretaries the keys to the lab, it didn't feel secure allowing anyone into the room considering some of the sensitive things locked within. That of course meant that there was only one person with access to the room and the ability to keep it clean: itself. Shame this one had simply been too busy for such mundane tasks. Basic cleaning hadn't been something this one had bothered with for years now. In addition to just not enjoying the mundane activity, it was usually much more profitable with this one’s time to hire someone else to do the cleaning. Unfortunately, the same was true where making potions was concerned. In this one’s early days, making the right magical potion or item had often made all the difference in this one’s success. But as this one became more and more successful, it had taken to paying other, more skilled hooves to make such things for it. The pity about that was that this one missed making potions. When this one had been a grub, it had enjoyed making potions with its mother. Helping to make magic items its parents used for their investigations were some of its happiest memories. Now though, this one hadn't fired up the cauldron in ... three months now, and only then when a client had sent a messenger telling this one that she was going to be late for a meeting and this one didn't want to idly sit around. Well, whatever this one felt about the past, there was a job to do now. This one’s horn took up a green glow as it picked up its saddlebags with its telekinesis. Thanks to this one’s zony heritage, this one had some magical talent. While this one would never have the abilities of a magus, it could still cast a number of cantrips. This one preferred to keep the full breadth of its abilities a secret when it could. It was so much easier to be underestimated when no one knew exactly what you were capable of. That was one of the issues with the bold methods of an individual like the Shimmer-mare: it was fast becoming common knowledge in Freeport that she was a pyromancer. It was only a matter of time before she started running into enemies that had counters for the spells she favored. That was yet another thing to cover with the Shimmer-mare when there was time, this one supposed. This one opened up a cabinet to reveal shelf after shelf stocked with magical potions. While this one hadn't had the time to make its own potions, this one was able to pay alchemists to brew whatever this one desired. As a result, this one was well stocked for supplies. Considering this one wasn't completely sure what it might have to deal with on Sweetash Isle, it picked out potions that could help with a diverse set of situations. A potion that enhances one’s senses, and a variety of potions that bolstered the drinker’s speed, strength, or the ability to hide. Putting each vial into the padded slots inside of the saddlebags, this one moved to the closet. Inside of the closet sat a variety of equipment that might become useful during the variety of assignments this one might go on. After a moment’s consideration, this one decided to go with a basic loadout. This one selected a first aid kit, a set of lockpicks, some rope, tanglehoof bags, a trio of always explosive fire gems, another set of thunderflash gems, and a pair of smoke potions. That done, this one closed the closet and moved onto the heavy safe that was bolted down to the floor and wall. This one stuck its horn into the hole at the center of the safe, and upon recognizing this one’s magical signature, the safe’s complex locking mechanisms clicked and the door slowly swung open. Inside were some of this one’s most prized possessions. Not necessarily in terms of how much they cost, though several of the items within were quite expensive, but the magical items were some of the most useful things this one owned. The safe was filled with meticulously made amulets, talismans made of a diverse set of materials, gems that thrummed with power, and a host of other objects. This one was already wearing the magical silver chain around its neck. Its primary function was to protect this one’s thoughts from being magically intruded upon. This one had a nasty scare one time when one of its rivals had hired a warlock with little respect for one’s privacy to go prodding around in its head. The mess that had resulted after that incident, and the fact this one had any number of secrets in its head that it wanted to keep secret, had made this one take precautions against that from happening again. The magical necklace wasn’t perfect, of course, but it did give this one a measure of protection. Within the safe itself, the first thing this one selected out was a little talisman made of fishbone and covered in small little runes. This was the latest addition to this one’s collection of magical items, and this one had the Shimmer-mare in mind for when it commissioned its construction. Specifically, it was designed to protect this one from fire. While this one saw it as unlikely that it would come into direct conflict with Freeport’s magus, it also knew of the dangers of pyromancy. It took but a moment’s indiscretion or a misaimed fireball in the middle of battle for this one to find itself rather more on fire than it ever desired. Not to mention that it gave the both of us more tactical flexibility in the middle of a fight. This one didn’t doubt the talisman would be a good investment in the future, even if it wasn’t particularly anxious to see it in use. This one’s silver necklace already had a number of basic protection talismans, and this one added the fire protection talisman to the others. There were other talismans within the safe, but most of them were to help with fairly specific situations, and this one didn’t want to risk letting on exactly how many talismans this one had in its possession unless it had to. This one could always walk around with most of its magical gear—it even had a set of enchanted armor sitting to the side of the room. The problem with doing that was that it tended to make people, especially those with the capability to detect magic, ask why this one was equipped for war. Considering this one was just meeting with a sugar plantation magnate, looking decked out for a full-fledged battle was probably overdoing it. Next, this one pulled out a steel bracer and put it on its right foreleg. The bracer was inlaid with runes made of gold and was one of the more offensive tools this one owned. Fully charged, it could give someone a very nasty electrical shock. It had been a nasty surprise to more than one individual who thought they had gotten the drop on this one. After a moment’s consideration, this one selected out one of its favorite magical objects: a silver bracelet with intricate carved patterns and several small sapphire gems embedded into it, the bracelet could grant its wearer the ability to turn invisible for a period of time every day. Needless to say, that ability was infinitely useful in this one’s line of work, and it had saved this one’s life on more than one occasion. Deciding that this one was done being properly paranoid for the occasion, this one closed the safe and relocked it. The itching under this one’s carapace hadn’t ended, even after looking through its files on the Sweetash family and asking a few of its contacts. The sugar plantation family had the usual range of business rivals and enemies such magnates usually had in Freeport, one or two black sheep, and a plurality of allies and friends. Frustratingly, none of it had stood out as particularly noteworthy. As a habit, this one liked to know what everyone it met wanted, both in the short term and the long term. Once one knew what someone desired, it was so much easier to know what to do when interacting with them and know how to manipulate them. This could be a simple case of one business rival attempting to eliminate another one, but this one had only survived as long as it had by being properly cautious. This one’s preparations as complete as they could be, it left the laboratory to seek out the Shimmer-mare. Some hours later, the Shimmer-mare and I stepped off of our ship and onto the Sweetash Isle docks. For this trip, this one had taken the disguise of a plain-looking pegasus stallion with a dark green coat and a light blue mane. As this one normally does when transformed as a pony, it placed a yellow puzzle piece onto its rear as a cutie mark. Yes, this one knows exactly how clever it is being by doing that, but one must advertise its services. There is also the fact that having a puzzle piece cutie mark makes it possible for others to identify this one in the event they are looking for it. A pair of mercenaries by the names of Stray and Precise Doo stepped off right after us and went about carefully observing the surrounding area, in particular keeping an eye on the dockworkers going about their business. Their green plate-mail clanked as they moved. Hiring a pair of bodyguards from the Doo Compound had been thankfully simple. While the Shimmer-mare had been a bit stubborn about the idea of hiring bodyguards, especially when the cost of the contract had come up, she had swallowed her pride thanks to this one’s help. The Shimmer-mare still wasn't wild about having them along, but from this one’s perspective, the goal was to get her used to the idea of depending of the services of such mercenaries. At least from leg’s length. “Huh.” The Shimmer-mare took a long whiff of the air. “I figured a sugar plantation would smell more like ... sugar.” “Not so much.” This one took a moment to examine the nearby area, it always liked to have a good idea where it could run and hide in the event it was attacked. The merchant ship sitting at the dock and the pair of warehouses a short ways away in particular caught this one’s eyes. “Sugarcane is a long way from processed sugar.” This one pointed towards a building sitting on the horizon. Judging from the trio of chimneys sticking out from its roof, that was probably the island’s sugar refinery. “If you want to smell sugar, you would want to go there.” “I guess so.” She glanced back at the pair of Doo mercs right behind us, a faint frown creasing her lips. “Relax.” This one patted her on the back and encouraged her to move up the dock. “They're just here to watch your back in case something happens. It’s what you’re paying them to do, and you have a contract.” “I know,” the Shimmer-mare said. “Still not used to having them around, though.” Whatever the Doos’ opinions were on the matter, they kept it to themselves in stoic silence. They were probably of the mindset that it was best for bodyguards to stay silent around their employers in public. This one shrugged. “You get used to it with time. This one certainly did.” The Shimmer-mare nodded as we stepped onto the brick road just off the dock. “Yeah, I got used to Celestia's guards always being around. I'll adapt to them too.” “This one is sure that you will.” Looking down the road, this one saw a large stone manor with white painted walls. “So, we’re supposed to head to the manor to meet our contact?” She nodded. “That's the plan, yeah.” “No sense delaying, then.” The two of us started down towards the manor with our bodyguards in tow. On either side of the road were the tall stalks of sugarcane. It covered just about every square acre of the island, and all around us were ponies, zebras, diamond dogs, gryphons, and other species tending the fields. To our left, the indentured workers of the farm were carefully managing a controlled fire intended to clear out the underbrush around the sugarcane, as well as remove any of the poisonous bugs or reptiles that often made their homes within the fields. On the opposite field, more indentured servants were busily trotting about cutting down sugarcane and tossing the stalks onto carts to be taken to the sugar refinery, all while their taskmasters drove them to keep up the pace. Once cut, there was a limited period of time to finish harvesting the stalks as the sugary sap within them slowly dripped out. The process was labor intensive, and the taskmasters were paid to make sure they got every iota of work they could out of their charges. It wasn’t hard to see the beaten down, exhausted look about each of the indentured servants. The Shimmer-mare scowled out at the workers, one of whom had come under the scrutiny of her taskmaster and was being yelled at for some indiscretion. The mare looked on the verge of tears from the outburst. “Problem?” this one asked, having a very good idea of what was on her mind. Indentured servitude, the practice where a person sold themselves into virtual slavery for a period of time, was one of the less savory practices allowed in Freeport. At least, in this one’s opinion. “Yes.” The Shimmer-mare’s scowl deepened when she caught sight of worn down, wooden shacks that served as the homes of the indentured servants. They stood out in stark contrast to the sturdy, proud manor sitting on top of a hill overlooking the sugarcane fields and the housing for the plantation’s workers. The manor even had its own vast flower garden with a marble water fountain sitting in front of it. “They're living in hovels, and...” She turned to speak to an indentured servant pulling a cart filled with sugarcane. “How long is your workday?” “Twelve hours, ma'am,” grumbled the stallion, glancing towards the nearest taskmaster. “Right,” the Shimmer-mare said, sounding decidedly unhappy. “It's about the least pleasant work you can find in Freeport,” this one admitted. “‘You don't want to end up working on a sugar plantation’ is a warning just about every parent says to their children to push them, to apply themselves to their education and learning a craft.” This one’s parents certainly had, and it had no intentions of being reduced to the point of having to be an indentured servant. “The only people that tend to get trapped in it are the poor and desperate. A room over your head and three good meals can sound pretty good to those that don't have it, whatever the working conditions are.” This one could all but hear the Shimmer-mare’s teeth grinding. “I'll have to do something about this.” “And what would that be?” this one asked, keeping its tone carefully neutral. In truth, this one had hoped that the Shimmer-mare would get a nice, long look at how the sugar plantations of Freeport operated. It was part of this one’s overall plans, after all. There was a long moment of silent before the Shimmer-mare ground out a, “I'll figure it out later.” That was one of the Shimmer-mare’s weaknesses: she knew she wanted to do things, but she didn’t know quite how to do them. A pity, but that was something this one intended to help her with. The first step of that plan was to educate her on the nature of Freeport. Something this one was well-versed on. “It used to be even worse in the past, you know,” this one said. “Before the Council came to rule Freeport, slavery was legal here. The local warlords, plantation owners—whatever you wanted to call them—wanted cheap labor to make their sugar plantations cheap to operate. It was one of the main causes for Freeport becoming a pirate haven. Thanks to so many slaves dying from the tropical climate, disease, poor food, and harsh working conditions, Freeport needed a steady import of slaves to keep the plantations running.” “Right, I read about this,” the Shimmer-mare said. “You used to have a bunch of pirate fleets coming out of Freeport, and they would seize and enslave the crew of every ship they could run down. They even started attacking seaside communities to enslave them.” This one nodded. “Of course, the Council made slavery illegal soon after they came to power.” A grin found its way to this one’s face. “That caused the plantation owners, slavers, and pirates to rebel against the Council. The civil war was a near thing for the Council. If not for the alliance between the Council and the Doo and Striker Clans, as well as some aid from Equestria, the Council might have only been yet another group in a long line to rule Freeport over the centuries.” “Equestria has always hated slavery,” the Shimmer-mare mused. “Still, indentured servitude isn’t much better than being a slave.” This one shrugged. “True enough, but at least they aren’t legally owned by someone else anymore, and they aren’t as trapped within the system. Not to mention the Council has given indentured servants some rights, including requiring they be given sufficient food and a daily rum ration, and forbid the plantation owners from changing the terms of the contract at will.” The fact that the indentured servants had waged a short-lived rebellion over their magnates suddenly telling them they had to work additional years beyond what their contract had originally stated had probably played a hoof in that decision. The Shimmer-mare shook her head. “It's still not good enough. Yeah, it’s a little better, but it’s still wrong.” “Of course,” this one agreed as we drew closer to the manor. “The issue is what should be done. Don't forget, the plantation owners will fight for every inch if you try and change anything they don't approve of. They nearly went into open revolt when the Council started enforcing the terms of indenture contracts, and disallowed changes to them without both parties agreeing to them.” The Shimmer-mare sighed and one her ears flicked irritably. “It's always complicated.” “It usually is,” this one said. “That's why it's important to understand a problem before rushing in and trying to solve it.” This one pointed to some servants chopping down sugarcane with their machetes. “There are reasons why nations like Equestria haven't pushed Freeport too hard about changing its practices.” “And not just because cheap labor makes for lower export prices?” The Shimmer-mare gave one of the taskmasters a particularly loathsome glare. This one shook its head. “Not when Freeport supplies about eighty percent of Equestria's sugar. And this one is sure the Shimmer-mare knows how much of a sweet tooth Equestria has.” “Yeah, even Celestia loves her cake,” the Shimmer-mare conceded. “So you can imagine how upset everyone would become if sugar supplies were disrupted,” this one pointed out. “No one likes it when a good they’re used to buying affordably suddenly triples in price, or worse, becomes unavailable entirely.” “Celestia would flip without her cake,” the Shimmer-mare agreed. “And I can't say I’d be happy about it either.” This one couldn't help but grin, despite the seriousness of the lesson this one was giving to the Shimmer-mare. “Which would be most terrible. Best to make sure the being that controls the sun gets her daily offering of cake.” “Exactly, but we have to do something about this,” she insisted. “The trick is to do the right thing,” this one said in a soothing manner. “Action without forethought often results in disaster, and this is too important to get wrong.” The Shimmer-mare made rolled her eyes. “If you start lecturing me about friendship next, I'm outta here.” That statement piqued this one’s interest. “And what is the matter with friendship? This one rather likes it. Friendship helps keep life from becoming too dull.” “Just that Celestia was always talking about it,” the Shimmer-mare grumbled like a child that was being told to eat her vegetables again. “She just kept going on and on about it for some reason.” “Is that so?” This is the first this one had heard of this and it caught this one’s curiosity. At least thus far, she had talked little about the ponies she had known back in Canterlot and Equestria. Not even of family or friends. “Does the Shimmer-mare know why?” “Nope.” She let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “Probably some lesson she was trying to teach me or something.” “This one would think so if she placed such an emphasis on it.” Having friends was preferable to none in this one’s opinion. While some would argue some hogwash about how having friends dragged you down or that they only created vulnerabilities, this one suspected they had never been in a situation where they had been surrounded by enemies, down on their luck, and in desperate need of assistance. “This one will be your friend, Shimmer-mare.” This one gave her a smile. The Shimmer-mare grinned back. “Works for me.” “Great, so now we're friends.” “Yeah. Yay us,” the Shimmer-mare said with sudden listlessness. She got a distant look in her eyes before she shook her head out. “C'mon, let's get on the job.” “Very well, no sense dragging this out.” Deciding not to comment on her reaction to this one offering her its friendship for now, this one followed her up the stairs leading to the manor door. The Shimmer-mare knocked on the door and it wasn’t long before a severe-looking zebra mare wearing a maid’s uniform opened the door. She gave us the type of look she probably reserved for those that walked from door to door trying to sell something. “Hello, can I help you two?” The Shimmer-mare gave the servant her most confident smile. “Yes, I’m here to speak with the Sweetash family regarding the business they contacted me about.” After a long moment of consideration, the servant opened up the door further to let us in. “Come on in and take a seat. I’ll find someone to speak with you.” The Shimmer-mare nodded. “Sounds good to me.” We walked into the manor and took our seats on a pair of cushions sitting in the foyer to wait while our bodyguards took positions on either side of us. The room was about what I expected for the manor of one of the richest families in Freeport: the whole room was decorated with expensive dark wood, marble, and had a considerable collection of paintings, vases, and other artworks to give the place an air of sophistication and importance. Glancing about the room while we waited, the Shimmer-mare frowned. “I see they're living large off the fruits of others’ labor.” This one shrugged. “That is usually how it is when you own a business. The Sweetash family has the capital in the form of the land, and the servants provide the labor. This one takes advantage of similar situations with the employees it hires.” “Yeah, you own a business, but it looked like you actually worked for your money,” the Shimmer-mare countered. “This one has put a great deal of effort into earning its place in the world, yes,” this one allowed. “But this one would hardly consider it a crime to inherit wealth, like the Sweetash family has. If this one had been less lucky, it could have ended up as desperate as the indentured servants outside.” Indeed, this one had been quite lucky to have a mother and father that had seen to its education and raising. While we had been far from wealthy, this one’s parents had managed to carve out a comfortable livelihood. The Shimmer-mare puckered out her bottom lip as she considered that. “It's not luck. You made something of yourself. Hard work and natural talents.” “There is certainly a great deal of truth to that.” This one scratched at the bottom of its chin. “This one didn’t get to where it is by being lazy. Though if this one had been a bit less lucky, it probably would have ended up dead.” “I don't buy it.” She let out a snort. “You're too good to wind up dead.” This one grinned, enjoying the little impromptu debate. “This one has seen smarter, faster, and stronger killed before it.” The Shimmer-mare shook her head. “If they were better, they would've won.” This one decided to see how the Shimmer-mare would react to a small prodding. “What if this one told you that most of the deaths this one is responsible for happened to individuals this one never even met?” In truth, not wanting to get this one’s hooves dirty, this one preferred to act through proxies and hired agents to complete the less savory assignments it came across. Without bragging, this one was quite good at using such methods to eliminate targets, and using others was considerably safer than doing such tasks yourself. The Shimmer-mare quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really?” This one nodded. “This one doesn’t like getting its hooves dirty—at least directly. So this one finds out the best way to get to someone. Everyone has their weaknesses, their blindsides, enemies, addictions, and those around them that they should not trust.” Giving this one a confident smirk, she asked. “Even me?” “When this one says everyone, it means everyone. It's just a matter of identifying those weaknesses and finding a way to exploit them. It's one of the top two things this one endeavors to learn about everyone it knows. Once you know someone’s weaknesses, you can hold power over them.” The Shimmer-mare sat back against the wall as she mulled that over. “Now I'm curious to see what you think mine are.” This one gave her a toothy grin. “Careful, looking into the mirror isn't always flattering.” This one had certainly seen more than one individual react poorly when it had pointed out their flaws, even when it had been for their own good. Especially those that were prideful like the Shimmer-mare. Still, if this one could at least point out a couple of flaws and make her consider them, some good might come out of this conversation. The Shimmer-mare puffed out her chest. “I can handle it.” “If you say so.” This one decided to start with an obvious and simple flaw the Shimmer-mare had. “You have a terrible temper.” The Shimmer-mare narrowed her eyes at this one. “I don't know about terrible, but I guess I do have one.” She had admitted to that readily enough, so this one moved to a dicier subject. “You also don't like facing facts that are unpleasant to you.” The Shimmer-mare gave an unhappy grunt. “What's that supposed to mean?” “Why did the Shimmer-mare come to Freeport?” This one asked. It was often easier to get someone to actually consider something they didn't like to think by framing an issue as a question rather than a blanket accusation. “Most ponies don't exile themselves from their home nation.” “It was where the ship was going,” she said after the briefest moment of hesitation. “Mhm, and why have you stayed in Freeport?” This one pressed. “Well, no reason not to.” The Shimmer-mare didn't look this one in the eyes, and it could hear the lack of complete conviction as she spoke. “You're here, Kukri's here, I have a nice tower and a good job...” “And you couldn't have had most of those things in Canterlot?” this one asked, already knowing the answer. “Or anywhere else in Equestria?” The Shimmer-mare shuffled in her seat. “Celestia could give them to me, yeah.” “Yet here you are.” This one gestured around the foyer in emphasis. “In a highly disreputable city, surrounded by scum and villainy, thinking about taking a job from a family whose employment practices you sorely disagree with.” Her tone took on a defensive note. “The money's good enough to buy an aetheric monitor and a trans-phasic detector, with enough left over to stock up on alchemical reagents.” This one nodded. “No doubt. But this one can't help but notice how the Shimmer-mare has just avoided two significant issues.” “What do you mean?” she asked. This one spoke in a purely analytical tone to prevent its words sounding anything like an accusation. “The first is that you avoided the issue of where all that money you're going to get paid came from. Specifically, whose hard work went into making it. Something you complained about just a few minutes ago.” The Shimmer-mare’s brows furrowed. “And the second?” “Why you left Equestria and refuse to go back,” this one said. “Why would I go back?” The Shimmer-mare crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Celestia can come to me. Plus I'm kinda banished now. Remember how the EIS tried to drag me away in chains?” “And the White Pony would not end your banishment if you asked?” this one countered. “You were her personal student once, and she is a forgiving spirit.” The Shimmer-mare did not answer this one’s question. Instead she looked away from this one and remained silent. While she did not tell this one why she had not returned to Equestria, this one knew the answer: pride. Pride was a dangerous sentiment to hold too closely to one’s heart. Place too much value on it, and it tended to do far more harm than good. One only had to look at the direction the Shimmer-mare’s life had gone to see that much. This one had done some research on the Shimmer-mare after she had come to Freeport and it had learned some valuable information that revealed much about the mare it planned on using in the future. Such as the fact that thanks to her hurt pride and a moment where she had lost control of her temper, she had thrown away so much. Despite the White Pony’s attempts to cover up the incident, the fact that the Shimmer-mare had burned Princess Cadance with her pyromancy and had fled had made the rounds within Canterlot. That had only left the question of why the Shimmer-mare had attacked the Love Pony. After spending some time with her and putting the train of events together, this one believes it had come to the truth of it. The first thing this one always wanted to know about someone was their weaknesses. The second thing is what they desire. Once you knew those two things, it was simply a matter of gaining those things in order to have control over them. And what the Shimmer-mare desired was wings. To become an alicorn and gain all the power, prestige, and position that would come with that. She had grown accustomed to all three of those things as she grew up as the White Pony’s personal student and no doubt expected to gain more as she blossomed into a full-grown mare. And then her pridehad been hurt. The White Pony had found another alicorn, adopted her, and made her a princess. With a stroke she had given somepony else, a complete stranger to the Shimmer-mare, everything she had desired. That led to the train of events that had led her to Freeport, and right into this one’s influence. The fact that the Shimmer-mare refusedto even admit why she hadn’t returned to Equestria only confirmed what this one heavily suspected. Which suited this one just fine. “We all have our weaknesses, Shimmer-mare,” this one said, repeating itself. And our desires. In addition to becoming very good at finding people’s weaknesses and desires, this one had become quite capable of supplying those things when needed. After all, that gave this one power, and this one considered the key to happiness in life was power. The Shimmer-mare made an annoyed grunt and refused to look at this one. “Remember what this one said about looking into the mirror?” this one asked. She waved dismissively. “Yeah, yeah...” Before this one could reconcile with the Shimmer-mare, a different servant approached us. “Magnate Sweet Deal is ready to see you, Magus Sunset Shimmer.” “Alright, great.” The Shimmer-mare stood up. “Take me to her.” The servant bowed her head and led the way upstairs. We were ushered through a pair of double doors into a large office room and the servant closed the doors behind us. As was the case with the rest of the manor, the room had been decorated to impress. Artwork was spaced all about, a white carpet with intricate floral patterns covered the floor, and shelves of expensive woods covered by books and personal effects lined the walls. It was all clearly intended to show the guests they were meeting with an individual of wealth and importance. On the far end of the room, a smiling earth pony of middle years stood by her desk. A white suit covered much of her light orange coat, and her yellow mane was done up in a bonnet. A half dozen servants dressed in maid uniforms or suits stood on each side of the room. Something about them caused the itching under this one’s carapace to redouble, though it could not state exactly why. Maybe it was the fact that there was little point in having so many household servants on staff, especially when we were going to be discussing delicate information. A quick glance back at the Doo bodyguards showed that they were unusually tense, their ears were pricked up and they glanced about at the servants with narrowed eyes. They traded a quick look to each other out of the corner of their eyes that spoke more than mere words and stepped closer to the Shimmer-mare. Now thinking this one might be feeling more than mere paranoia, this one tried to speak a word of caution to the Shimmer-mare. But before this one could do so, she trotted towards the mare who must have been our business contact. “Hey, nice place.” The Shimmer-mare extended a hoof. “Nice to meet you. Name’s Sunset Shimmer.” The mare smiled and took her hoof. “Sweet Deal, and the pleasure is all mine.” Then Sweet Deal’s smile became something unpleasant and she lunged at the Shimmer-mare’s throat with her teeth. “What—?!” The Shimmer-mare took a step away from her attacker and her horn started glowing right as Sweet’s teeth clamped on her throat. The room exploded into motion. As one, the servants around us charged. Protecting his charge, Precise Doo charged and slammed his shoulder into Sweet’s chest and forced her back. To this one’s relief, a sheet of ice covered the Shimmer-mare’s throat—she must have gotten off a spell just in time to protect herself. Driven by instinct and experience, this one moved to stand back to back with the Shimmer-mare, and to this one’s satisfaction, Stray Doo did the same while the Precise-stallion closed the circle. One of the servants threw a punch at its head, but it weaved its head out of the way and in one motion, wrapped a leg up and around his leg to hold it in place and drove its other hoof right into his ribs. The air was blown out of the servant’s lungs, but there was little time to permanently deal with him as the other servants continued their charge. Twisting the leg this one had captured, it flipped the servant and threw him in the way of a pair his fellows. He collided with their legs and they fell into a disorganized heap. The Shimmer-mare’s face contorted into a furious snarl. “Oh you nag!” Her horn glowed brighter and a fireball leapt forth and slammed into the mare that had attacked her. The Sweet-mare flew back from the force of the explosion and was thrown up and over her desk. The Stray-stallion slashed out with one of his wingblades and caught one of the servants across the throat, resulting in the servant falling back as she clutched the ruined remains of her neck. Two more servants attempted to flank the Shimmer-mare, but the Precise-stallion warded them back with some warning blows from his hammerhooves. “Oh, it is on!” the Shimmer-mare bellowed. Several shards of ice formed in front of her and she threw them at the servants menacing her. They each let out inequine screeches as they fell to the floor, pierced by the shards. The Shimmer-mare then hurled another fireball at the servants attempting to recover for another attack against me and the Stray-stallion. The fireball struck and exploded, sending them flying away and making this one instinctively flinch away from the heat. For a moment, the room fell silent except for the pained moans of a pair of the servants. The desk, part of the carpet and one of the bookshelves had caught on fire, but the room was almost eerily quiet. This one looked about to take in the room and see if there were any more threats, though it seemed we had won the sudden and unexpected fight. It was then that this one caught a sight it hadn’t expected: gathering in a pool by one of the servants that had been struck by the ice shards was the blood of the servant. Green blood. Changeling ichor? A quick look confirmed the same green blood on the other servants who had been cut. A growing sense of dread fell over this one as it considered all the possibilities for what that could mean, none of them good. This one snapped its head to the Shimmer-mare. “We need to get out of here!” Upon the declaration, the double doors to the room crashed open and a tide of changelings flooded into the room while screaming a collective “Skree!” “Ya think?!” The Shimmer-mare gathered another fireball and leveled one of the wings of the changeling horde as it tried to circle around us. Changelings were thrown about by the force of the explosion and a hole was opened in the nearby wall, sending shards of burning debris scattering about the room. Perfect. Now in addition to the seemingly dozens of attackers, the room was on fire. And then before this one could even begin to answer all the questions it had for this ambush, the wave was upon us. This one caught the leg of the first changeling that struck out at this one. This one lashed out with its free hoof and stuck the changeling’s knee. The knee broke and this one shoved against it so that it fell against its fellows, doing something to stem the tide for at least a second. Shame all that happened was that our attackers climbed over their fellow changelings to continue their assault, and this one quickly found itself badly pushed. The Precise-stallion was whirling his blades as quickly as he could as one opponent after another pressed against him. He was clearly skilled at his deadly craft, for a third and then fourth changeling fell before him and half a dozen others displayed wounds from what were no doubted enchanted wingblades, considering they were having little trouble at damaging chitin. Then one of the changelings threw itself at the mercenary, intentionally taking a nasty gash to the chest in order to tie up his wing. Before the Precise-stallion could untie himself, three more changelings threw themselves at him in near reckless fashion. To his credit, the bodyguard slashed out with his free wing to remove the head of another changeling and used the changeling grappling with his wing to shield himself against the second. But the third one charged through his guard and clamped its fangs down on his throat. The Precise-stallion let out a startled grunt as the weight of multiple attackers bore him to the ground. A realization caused this one’s stomach to sink. Not only were we badly outnumbered, but the changelings attacking us were doing it with a single-minded ferocity, caring nothing for the casualties they suffered. Free Mind changelings didn't do that. Free Minds had every bit the sense of self-preservation as other sapient beings, and had the sense to use weapons and armor when they could. While Free Minds might not attack in this fashion, this one knew who would. The Old Mind’s drones. “Precise!” screamed the Stray-stallion as his companion fell. He had been busy keeping the changelings off of the Shimmer-mare while she froze a group of the drones’ legs to the ground, but the split-second distraction caused him to miss a drone that had been skittering along the ceiling. It pounced upon him and drove him to the ground. Before any of the rest us could react, more drones converged on the prone mercenary, burying him under a pile of bodies. It was as the Stray-stallion was overwhelmed that the Shimmer-mare did just about the worst thing she could: she froze, staring down at the bodyguard who had been protecting her but a moment before. The Shimmer-mare’s attention had been occupied for all of a second, but that was all another changeling climbing along the ceiling needed. It fell upon her and bit down on the back of her neck. This one was too busy just staying alive, dodging attacks and trying to keep the swarm off of it to do anything to help her. There wasn’t even time to try and pull out any of the objects in its saddlebags that might help. The Shimmer-mare screamed in pain and her horn took on a near blinding radiance. Then everything was on fire. The intensity of the flames was such that they hurt this one’s eyes even through its eyelids. A torrent of fire slammed into this one and the drones surrounding us and we were all thrown away from the Shimmer-mare. This one collided with one of the bookshelves, the impact sending a jolt of pain throughout its entire body. This one’s senses were overwhelmed by the pain of the fire, light, and impact, to the point this one isn’t sure how much time passed. But eventually the heat dissipated and this one was able to slowly open its eyes. Anything flammable was either alight, or soon would be, and likely it wouldn't be long before the whole manor would find itself in the same condition. The ruined wrecks of a couple dozen changelings had been thrown up against the walls of the room. At the center of the display of fiery destruction was the Shimmer-mare panting and standing on shaky legs, whether out of pain or fatigue this one could only guess. If there was anything left of the changeling that had bit her, other than its shadow on the wall, this one didn’t see it. Coughing as this one tried to get some air into its lungs after having the air knocked out of it—not an easy task with smoke starting to fill the room—this one slowly stood up on trembling legs. Every part of this one’s body ached in protest when it did so, and this one was surprised that it was still even alive. This one felt an intense burning on its chest and looked down to see the smoldering remains of the fire resistance talisman hanging on its necklace. It seemed that the talisman had indeed been a very good investment. It was likely the only reason this one was the only other thing left alive in the devastated room. This one stumbled its way to the Shimmer-mare. Working hard to get through the fog in this one’s senses, it tried to take in its surroundings for threats. As this one reached the magus, it noticed movement just outside the doorway. At least four drones were starting to stand in the hallway, removing this one’s hope that the Shimmer-mare had killed all of them outright. “We need to go, now.” The Shimmer-mare blinked her eyes, looking surprised this one had spoken to her. “Yeah, just let me tele ... por...” She staggered, and this one had to catch her from falling over. “Sunset?” This one looked her in the eyes to try and grab her attention, but her eyes failed to focus on anything. This one silently cursed. We didn’t have time for this one to figure out what was wrong with the Shimmer-mare and get her moving. The drones were now glaring balefully at the two of us, and seemed primed to continue their attack at any moment. It struck this one as a very bad idea to continue any kind of fight inside of a burning manor while trying to protect a half-conscious mare. Seeing no other recourse, this one picked the Shimmer-mare up onto its back and activated its invisibility bracelet. The two of us now invisible, this one fled through the hole in the wall the Shimmer-mare had created during the fighting. This one ran as fast as it could to flee the manor, though it knew there was nowhere to run on the island we were now trapped on. Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable. Chapter 3: Sour BusinessFreeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 3: Sour Business This one fled the manor with the wounded Shimmer-mare on its back. Under the cover of invisibility, this one ran past several individuals who were making their way towards the now-burning building. Likely, the taskmasters would soon be gathering the servants into bucket brigades to try and put the fire out, but such details weren’t this one’s concerns at the moment. What was its concern was to find someplace safe to hide, recover, and form a plan. We were, quite frankly, lucky to be alive after being ambushed by the Old Mind’s drones. It seemed highly unlikely that the Doo bodyguards we had hired had survived the attack, but the dead would have to wait for later. This one silently cursed itself for not foreseeing the ambush. How had the Old Mind managed to sneak the better part of a swarm within Freeport’s territories without anyone noticing? True, the Old Mind had her tricks for infiltrating a society without its knowledge, but there were signs for when she had done so. People going missing, prominent individuals acting strangely, and other signs that the Free Minds and our agents knew to watch out for, lest the Old Mind succeed in exterminating us. This one ran for the dock, reminding itself to worry about those particular details later. The small ship we had taken to Sweetash Isle should still be there—we had paid enough for the ship’s small crew to stay put. As the charge for the invisibility bracelet wore off, this one forced itself to slow down and take account of the situation. In all probability, the drones that had ambushed us back in the manor weren’t the only ones on the island. Sneaking along the side of the warehouse near the dock, this one peered around the corner to examine the pier jutting out into the sea. The ship hadn't left. Shame the only part of the ship this one could still see was the mast; the rest was underwater. The Old Mind’s work, no doubt. The three-person crew of the ship was also nowhere to be seen, which didn't bode well. It was possible they were only someplace else, but this one wouldn't have placed any money on that. The merchant ship still sat at the dock, though, and its crew were busy at work. Whatever had happened to the ship we had hired hadn't concerned the merchant crew enough to make them stop. Maybe some changelings had managed to draw the crew of our ship away somehow without letting the merchant ship’s crew know what was happening. Unfortunately, hiring the merchant ship to take us off the island probably wasn't a viable option. A ship wasn't nearly as fast as a flying changeling, and there was probably at least one drone watching the dock for this one to try just that. This one would need to find another way off the island. Before this one could take time to look for any such scout, a sickly groan from the Shimmer-mare drew its attention. Right, first this one needed to check on her condition before it did anything else. Unable to think of any other better alternatives, this one found one of the side doors to the warehouse and snuck inside. Thankfully, the immediate vicinity was empty, though the sound of people working echoed from the far side of the warehouse. Crates and supplies obstructed the lines of sight, and the sunlight coming in through the windows only served to cast their area in a gloom. It was as good a place as any to hide for a bit. This one carefully sat the Shimmer-mare against some bags of sugar and spoke softly. “Shimmer-mare, are you still with this one?” Her eyes flickered open and there was a distant look to them. “It's ... hot.” “Do not worry, this one is here.” This one quickly looked the Shimmer-mare over, and did not like what it saw. Her eyes were sunken, and her breathing came in staggered breaths and she acted listlessly—a vast difference from the vigorous and fiery mare this one was used to dealing with. She was sweating more than what even the hot and humid climate justified. Near as this one could remember, she never sweated, probably as a result of some spell she used to keep herself cool. As if that were not bad enough, the fang marks from the drone that bit her had taken on a sickly green color. The veins around the wound had had turned a similar shade, and seemed to be spreading with each heartbeat. A quick spell confirmed the presence of venom, and a strong one. It was perhaps a small mercy that the Old Mind rarely used poisons that quickly killed her victims; the dead could hardly be fed upon after all. It was a common ability among the Old Mind’s drone, and even this one had been born with a paralytic agent in its venom glands. This one rifled through its saddlebags and pulled out a first aid kit. While this one didn't know much about medicine and healing, it knew enough to at least deal with the basics. Within the first aid kit was a vial with a potion intended to counter poisons. “This is going to sting,” This one warned. The Shimmer-mare did not react, even after it plunged a syringe into her. That lack of a reaction wasn't very encouraging. She had never struck this one to like needles, and her listlessness made this one worry about what damage the venom might have already done. To make matters worse, the poison might even be magic resistant, meaning the potion could be worthless. What the Shimmer-mare really needed was a proper healer. There were some healers back in the city of Freeport that were probably equal to the task; the problem was actually getting her to one when the Old Mind was no doubt hunting us right that moment. Going by ship wasn't likely to work, and flying wasn't much of an option either. Most likely this one would be spotted if it tried to fly away from Sweetash Isle, and there was virtually no chance this one would be able to outfly multiple drones while carrying the Shimmer-mare, especially when the nearest island was many miles away. Even under the best of circumstances, this one didn’t have the endurance for the trip. This one went about sterilizing the bite wound while it considered its predicament. “Are you still with this one?” this one asked again, hoping the potion would begin to counter the venom quickly. “Have'n left yet.” The Shimmer-mare let out a couple nasty, deep-throated coughs. “Can't. Exiled, 'member?” This one gave her a smile that didn't feel nearly as encouraging as this one intended. “Right, of course. How silly of this one.” “Hey, Puzzle?” “Yes?” This one answered as it applied a bandage. The seconds ticked by and this one wondered if the Shimmer-mare had drifted off into some sort of unconsciousness when she spoke next. “Did ... I didn't kill anypony, did I?” There was a small plea in her tone; she hadn't exactly held back for much of the fight. She had probably seen the changelings that had attacked us as monsters, and hadn’t really considered that she might be attacking another sapient being at the time. To be fair, changelings were predatory by nature—Old Mind drone or Free Mind—and her prehistoric instincts had acted accordingly. This one wouldn’t consider it particularly immoral to kill a drone. It might seem cold for one changeling to say about another, but for all intents and purposes, we are a different species. The Old Mind, or Queen Chrysalis as she often liked to call herself to others, was a form of gestalt hive intelligence—simultaneously a member of the swarm, and yet a separate entity altogether. The average drone was little smarter than an animal without the Old Mind to guide them. Losing individual drones was of little more consequence than losing individual body cells to her. So this one didn't concern itself too much about the deaths of drones. Not when the Old Mind was a scourge upon the world that preyed upon the innocent. Still, that left the Shimmer-mare’s question unanswered. This one kept its face and tone very neutral before it answered. “No ponies, no.” Though in truth, this one wasn’t completely certain of even that technical answer. While the Doo mercenaries had been overwhelmed by the swarm, this one couldn't be absolutely sure they had been dead when the Shimmer-mare had set the manor ablaze. If they hadn't been dead before, they certainly were after that. But now wasn't the time to put such a burden upon the Shimmer-mare’s shoulders. It wouldn't help either of us to talk about it, and all of us probably would have been killed or captured if she hadn't ended what she had in any event. Something in her frame relaxed after my assurances. “Good. Mom'd ... be sad ... if I...” Yes, this one could imagine what the Shimmer-mare’s mother, whichever one she was talking about in her haze, would say about such a thing. Near as this one knew, she had never killed anyone before coming to Freeport. Since her arrival, she had done the next best thing when she had left the pirate by the name of Mome as a vegetable, and then went on to kill a warlock that had tried to kill her. Those were the types of things that could weigh on a soul, whatever the justifications one might have for their actions. This one should know, considering how many deaths it was responsible for. Most likely the Shimmer-mare’s biological mother and the White Pony would not approve of what she had done. From what this one had heard, the White Pony always sought to solve problems without violence whenever possible, while the Shimmer-mare was much more ... straightforward in her approach. The Shimmer-mare started fading before this one’s eyes, and it patted her cheek to try and keep her awake. Who knew if she would wake up again if she fell asleep. “Shimmer-mare, stay awake. The White Pony would be very upset with this one if anything were to happen to you, and that wouldn't do.” The EIS might very well pack this one into a crate and ship it to Canterlot to explain itself to the White Pony. This one didn’t particularly like that idea. The Shimmer-mare blinked blearily a few times. “Y'know ... Mom'd like you. Maybe. Dunno.” This one couldn't help but chuckle at that idea. “That so? This one would have a bit of trouble believing that.” This one didn't exactly have the most stalwart reputation, and the EIS probably put this one under the ‘necessary evil’ category. The Shimmer-mare nodded vaguely. “Unless ... d’you trick me into using dark magic? Strum says you did, but she's a nag.” This one sighed as it thought about its role in the affair dealing with the pirate Mome. “Sorry, but you made your own choices. In truth, this one thought you would be content with just blowing Mome's ship up, or at least destroying his mast and rigging to disable his vessel.” This one shrugged. “That struck this one as the simplest way to deal with the problem.” Whether that made this one any better was another question entirely. Considering how flammable a ship was and the lack of means of escape, having one’s ship catching on fire was one of the greatest fears for a sailor, and this one had sent a pyromancer after that group of rebellious pirates. At the time, this one hadn’t known quite how ill-prepared the Shimmer-mare was for the job. She had a lot of the tools for this line of work, but she hadn't been taught to do what was sometimes necessary in an imperfect world. Especially in a rough-and-tumble place like Freeport. “Ha! Knew she was wrong.” The Shimmer-mare’s sudden enthusiasm faded into a deep-throated coughing fit. “Strumming ... nag ... pays well.” Preferring not to comment about the Heartstrings-mare at the moment, this one went about looking for any supplies in the surrounding crates and boxes. Maybe it would find something that could save us, or at the very least make the Shimmer-mare more comfortable. “The Heartstrings-mare was just looking out for your best interests, even if she went about it the wrong way.” This one shrugged. Perhaps the Heartstring-mare’s greatest mistake was not understanding the Shimmer-mare. She had tried to tell the fiery and stubborn young mare what she should do, and that had only made her charge dig in her heels. Meanwhile, this one was able to step right in and tell the Shimmer-mare much of what she wanted to hear while keeping her focused on her goals. “She got into the same trouble a lot of spooks do,” this one continued. “Her thinking ... got a bit twisted. You start doing things like thinking every plan needs at least a dozen steps to it to throw off the enemy, that you need at least three contingency plans, and think about how everyone can be manipulated towards your own ends.” A ghost of a grin came to the Shimmer-mare’s lips. “Sounds like you.” “That is a bit of self commentary, yes,” this one admitted, thinking it best to keep her talking for now. “This one was quite the go-getter when it was younger. Always going about on new and exciting jobs and getting into all sorts of trouble.” “How much younger?” The Shimmer-mare giggled woozily. “Cute little kiddie Puzzle?” This one couldn't help but smile at the image of when it was a child. “Oh yes, this one was quite the adventurous little grub. Always plotting and coming up with its next schemes to make money and gain influence.” “Tell me.” She shivered and wrapped her forelegs around herself. “S'cold, except where it's hot.” “What would you like to know?” this one asked. “This one has been through a bit too much to recount everything in an afternoon.” Eventually, this one managed to find where they kept some of the supplies they must have doled out to the indentured servants on the island. Among them was a rather sorry-looking cotton blanket. Still, it was better than nothing, and this one wrapped it around the Shimmer-mare. “Favorite story?” She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “This one supposes it owes you that much.” Looking around, this one selected a large, nearly empty crate and went about emptying what was left inside of it. After it had done so, it placed some blankets at the bottom. “Though how about we wait until after you’ve gotten some rest?” As much as this one had hoped otherwise, it didn't look like the Shimmer-mare was going to be able to recover on her own. If anything, she was steadily getting worse. That meant this one was going to have to do something sooner rather than later if it was going to help her. Since she wasn’t going to be able to walk, it seemed best to hide her in a crate for the moment. At least this one wouldn't have a big distraction to worry about if it got into another fight, even if the idea of leaving the Shimmer-mare was far from ideal as a plan. A shame then that ‘unideal’ pretty much described the situation we were in. The Shimmer-mare eyes failed to focus on anything as this one placed her inside of the crate. “Strumming said she'd kill you if you ever fed on me.” She let out a pained grunt when she was placed down. “Pillow's too hard,” she complained as she placed her head on a sack of sugar. “Try and put up with it for now,” this one asked. “We’ll get you a better bed here in a bit.” The Shimmer-mare coughed and shifted to find a more comfortable position to sleep. “Can we have cake tomorrow, Mom?” She was obviously delirious if she was thinking of this one as her mother, but there seemed little to be gained of arguing about it. “Sure, we can have cake tomorrow. This one knows a place that makes great cake.” The Shimmer-mare’s lips curved up in a pleased smile. “Then you'll get rid of Cadenza and gimme wings?” The question added further fuel to this one’s theory about what truly bothered the Shimmer-mare. There were very good reasons why this one strove to never let jealousy control its actions. It rarely led to good things. “We can talk about wings when you're better.” Her smile turned into a frown. “'Kay.” She didn't speak anymore after that, and this one checked to make sure she was still breathing. She was, thankfully, though with more difficulty than this one liked. To add to this one’s worries, the veins around the wound had spread to beyond where her bandage covered. Whatever this venom was, it wasn't something this one as familiar with. This one was in a pickle on what to do next. The situation was not a pretty one; the Shimmer-mare had been badly poisoned, and wouldn't be of any use to saving our lives even if she survived the ordeal. We were trapped in the island without any support and hazardous means of escape at best. The Old Mind no doubt had more drones on the island. She had picked the ground for her ambush and wasn’t readily going to let us out of her web. While dying was of course a disturbing thought for this one, the fact that she might capture us had the potential for far greater consequences. With the Shimmer-mare, the Old Mind would have an invaluable key into Equestria. She would have the option of either replacing her, or even trying to bend the Shimmer-mare to her will. This one wasn't sure which would be worse for the Shimmer-mare, but the idea that the Old Mind could get immediate access to the White Pony was a disturbing thought. This one closed its eyes and took a long breath, steadying itself as it weighed its options. Hiding until the next night was one possibility; the problem with that plan was that the Shimmer-mare might not live long enough for us to pull it off, and keeping her from being discovered in her condition was going to be very difficult. There were only so many places to hide on the island, and the Old Mind had probably already scouted out all of its nooks and crannies. This one could probably have pulled it off on its own—it was very good at blending in and hiding from trouble—but this one wasn't alone. This one reconsidered trying the merchant ship. It would have the advantage of getting us off the island and going someplace where the Shimmer-mare could get some help. With some luck, this one might be able to sneak the two of us into the ship and hide in its cargo hold, though that held a considerable risk to discovery, and few captains like stowaways. If this one was the Old Mind, it would also inspect the ship before it departed, or else just destroy it and eliminate the risk altogether. The alternative was for this one to go to the captain of the vessel and explain the situation, with a considerable payment on this one’s part to encourage an immediate departure. The problem there was that the Old Mind would likely attack if it thought we were escaping on that ship, and it seemed improbable a crew of merchantmen would be able to resist a concerted attack by changelings. It was possible they might be a tougher crew than this one had initially given them credit for, but it wasn't something this one particularly wanted to bet its life on. And then there was the fact that the Old Mind might do something clever like go into a bidding war with this one. Overall, going with the merchant ship seemed unlikely to work. Then an extremely unpleasant, if very practical solution, came to this one: the Old Mind’s objectives, whatever they were, revolved around capturing the Shimmer-mare. Rationally speaking, it was only reasonable to deny her of her objective. Considering the Shimmer-mare was in no condition to defend herself and it seemed increasingly unlikely this one would be able to keep her out of the Old Mind’s clutches, there was one way to keep the Shimmer-mare from being captured. This one could kill the Shimmer-mare. It made a lot of sense, and relatively speaking, it was the safest course. If the Shimmer-mare was captured, the best she could hope for would be to have the love sucked out of her until all that was left was a withering husk. From there, it only got worse; the Old Mind could use her magics to bind the Shimmer-mare’s will and turn her into a puppet to no doubt be used against her home country and against the White Pony—the mare she considered to be a mother. The Old Mind had done such things in the past, even taking perverse pleasures in it. It wasn't a fate this one would wish on anyone. It could be argued that killing the Shimmer-mare was even the moral thing, when weighed against letting the Old Mind have her. The Shimmer-mare might even have agreed to the idea, were she conscious and in a state of mind to understand the problem. This one would probably even get to live under this plan. It wouldn’t be that difficult to avoid the Old Mind’s patrols until sunset and escape into the night if this one only had itself to take care of. It offered a much higher chance of at least one of us surviving than attempting some doomed last stand against an overwhelming number of drones. The seconds crawled by as this one wrestled with the idea. It could be done quickly—this one knew how to snap a neck cleanly, or else just add a little more venom to her system and let her drift away in an eternal sleep. This one sighed and shook its head. Maybe this one was getting soft with age, but it just didn’t want to kill the Shimmer-mare in such a cold-blooded manner. Not unless this one absolutely had to. Not to mention there were a few reasons to argue against it. For one, this one doubted the White Pony and EIS would appreciate any excuses should they find out what happened, and they would put their resources to work to find the truth. At the very least, this one could expect to have a hearing with the White Pony over what had transpired—whether it wanted to or not. Then there was the fact that killing the Shimmer-mare would set back a number of this one’s plans. Also, if this one was going to be honest with itself, it liked the Shimmer-mare. Rubbing at its face, this one tried to think of any other options. This one likes to think of itself as clever, but sometimes you get into a situation where all the cleverness in the world won’t get you anywhere. The Old Mind had probably arranged this very situation because it took away all the resources and allies this one would normally be able to call upon. If the both of us were to survive, then this one was going to need to fight and win. Shame this one was outnumbered against a hive mind. Well, this one didn’t call itself the best problem solver in Freeport because it took the easy jobs. This one made the Shimmer-mare as comfortable as possible within the crate, finishing by putting the lid on top and leaving a crack just wide enough to allow air to enter. It was far from an ideal hiding spot for a poisoned pony, but this one’s options were pitifully short. This one vowed to do everything it could to never get into a situation like this again. Maintaining control of the situation was something it prided itself on, and the crisis this one found itself in was anything but under control. Still, we must make what we can of what we have, and this one had done what it could for the Shimmer-mare. Fretting over her like a mother hen wasn't going to save her life. No, what was needed was decisive action. That was why, after a couple of minutes of thinking, this one slunk off into the sugarcane fields, using the crops’ natural concealment while this one made its way towards its objective. There, this one took the form of a plain-faced, unremarkable, beaten-down looking pegasus. Disguise in place, this one made its way towards the island’s sugar refinery. The biggest problem this one was going to have to deal with was the sheer number of changelings that had to be on Sweetashe Isle. At least a half dozen drones had survived the Shimmer-mare’s inferno back in the manor, and this one would bet its fortune on there being more on the island. There was the added complication that those drones were no doubt wearing disguises of their own. It was possible for one changeling to identify one another, especially when actively looking for a disguised changeling, but it did take time and the Old Mind’s drones would be looking for this one, too. Unlike the drones, this one didn't have any cover identities to explain why it was on the island. Considering the Old Mind had taken over the manor, she had probably had the entire island under her hoof. That was usually her way: replace the most powerful and influential persons of an area so that she could act with relative freedom. That meant this one wasn't likely to find any help on the island, in addition to sticking out like a sore hoof. Whatever mercenary guard the Sweetashe family possessed had no doubt already been infiltrated or bought off, or at least this one had to assume so if it was to keep its carapace in one piece. It was unlikely the indentured servants of the island would be of much help either. Your average servant was a beaten-down soul that wasn't going to look for more trouble in their lives and was unlikely to be any good in a fight anyways. So with no help forthcoming on the island, this one was going to have to act alone. Best of all, the drones also had a hive connection to the Old Mind. That meant that any fight with a single drone was very quickly going to become one with many once they knew where this one was. All of this meant that this one needed to pick its battlefield very carefully. One mistake would result in this one’s death. In the end, this one had chosen the island’s sugar refinery. Using the stalks of the sugarcane fields as cover for its movements, this one drew close to the structure. It was a large building made of native tropical woods. Workers were pulling carts filled with recently cut sugarcane to be processed within while others were taking large sacks of sugar out. As was typically the case, the sugar plantation’s owners tried to localize as much of the sugar production in order to maximize their profits. Through the large double doors, this one could see individuals working at some vats. Seeing that there was a pony standing by the door with a notepad to keep track of everyone who entered and left through those doors, this one casually approached the side of the building. Openly sneaking would only have drawn attention, while walking around like you belonged there tended to cause people to believe the same. This one came upon a simple door that led into the refinery. This one confirmed that the door was locked, then after taking a moment to make sure this one wasn't being watched, this one pulled out its lockpicking tools and went to work. It didn't take long before the door opened with an audible click. The lock had been a simple one built into the door, probably intended to keep out the indentured servants rather than a determined burglar. Careful to peek inside before entering, this one found itself in a small office—probably belonging to the refinery’s overseer. Old file cabinets lined the walls while a desk sat in the corner. There were a couple small shaded windows large enough to allow one to look out into the refinery. This one could see workers milling about the vats and working the machinery, taking the milky sap of the sugarcane and transforming it into powdered sugar. Being harvest season, the place was a hustle of activity as the overseers drove the indentured servants to work faster and without error so that the Sweetashe family would see their profits. Carefully timing the movement, this one opened the office door when no one seemed to be paying attention and walked back behind some of the machinery, keeping out of sight beside one of the large vats. Seeing if this one’s plan had any chance of success, this one scuffed its hoof along the floor, leaving a furrow in the white dust along the floor. Raising this one’s hoof to its muzzle, this one took a brief lick. Small surprise, this one recognized the taste of sugar. As so often happened during the rush of the sugarcane harvest season and the drive to improve profits, the people in charge of the refinery had neglected more minor matters like keeping the refinery clean—against the safety laws of the Council, this one couldn't help but note. As a result, a fine coat of sugar dust had come to cover many of the surfaces of the building. Exactly as this one had hoped would be the case. That part of this one’s plan in place, this one peeked around to examine the people working in the refinery and extended its senses. After a few minutes, this one found what it was looking for: a yellow-coated earth pony mare was ordering around the indentured servants. Unlike the other overseers this one could see, she seemed distracted. She continually glanced about the room—not to watch the workers, but the entrance every time someone new came in, or around empty parts of the building. The indentured servants were even working at such a sedate pace as to draw the ire of the other overseer from across the room. Needless to say, this was unusual behavior for a pony that was supposed to be constantly cracking the proverbial whip (literal ones having been made illegal some time ago). Seeing the odd duck in the room, this one focused its full attention on the pony, though it was careful not to be spotted during the brief periods of time when her attention turned towards this one. It didn't take long for this one’s inborn senses to confirm that the pony was in fact a changeling, and by the looks of it, keeping an eye out for this one. That suited this one just fine. After a few more minutes of watching, this one was reasonably confident there weren't any more changelings in the immediate vicinity. It was about as an ideal situation as this one could hope for. A lone changeling drone in exactly the building this one wanted it to be in. It normally would have been completely foolish to have a scout go off alone where it could be ambushed in isolation, but the Old Mind cared little about the health of individual drones. She would probably even consider it a worthwhile cost, for once this one attacked, the Old Mind would know exactly where it was and probably have all of her drones converge on the refinery. This one grinned at that idea. For the clever, there were ways to turn a strength into a weakness. Now the question was how best to proceed with this one’s plan. Opening its saddlebags, this one pulled out its potions intended to enchant its abilities and drank them one after another. This one shivered as it felt a shock run through its system and the potions took effect. The world seemed to slow down by half a beat, as though everyone was moving in a slightly staggered manner. The world became sharper, louder, and the details of everything around this one sought to grab this one’s attention. The light beaming in through the windows stabbed at this one’s eyes, flecks of dust darting around drew its eyes, and the clangs and clatter of the activity of the refinery were a cacophony of booms to this one’s ears. This one was forced to close its eyes and count to ten as it tried to regain control over its senses. It had been some time since this one had used this many potions all at once, and it had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Though this one knew its heart was beating significantly faster than normal, this one heard each slow, rhythmic beat of its heart thanks to the slowed-down sensation of time. This one counted carefully as it worked to regain its balance; it was difficult with this one being out of practice with using so many potions, but it managed. Confident this one was in control of its own body, this one opened its eyes. While the world still moved too slowly, too loudly, and too busily, it had fallen into a place where this one could manage it. That settled, this one returned to its natural form and pulled out a dagger and a bag of tanglehoof. The changeling drone this one had chosen as its target was still warily glancing about the refinery, but hadn't moved far from its original position. This one waited for the drone to turn its back to it before it struck. This one threw the tanglehoof bag at the drone with as much speed as it could manage. Before the drone knew it was under attack, the tanglehoof bag collided with her rear. The bag exploded as its wax-like exterior broke and a gray goop spread over the changeling. The drone blinked in surprise as it looked back at the sticky substance that now held it to the floor. This one didn't hesitate, bolting forward out of the cover that kept it hidden. A few of the indentured servants cried out in surprise as this one darted its way past them, dagger held in its telekinetic grip. The drone’s eyes widened as its doom fell upon it. It tried to move, but it was held fast to the floor. The world moved slowly to this one’s magically enhanced senses, and this one felt like it had plenty of time to aim its blow. This one’s dagger deftly found the gap in the drone’s chitin along its neck and struck up. The enchanted dagger easily slid in and up into the drone’s skull. The drone jerked and went slack as it fell to the floor its disguise falling away in a final burst of green fire. Cries of surprise and horror echoed through the refinery as the workers registered the sudden act of violence in their midsts. Most took cautious steps away from this one while a few others, no doubt deciding that caution was the better part of valor, quickly fled. Now that the drone was dead, every second was precious. It would only be a matter of time until the Old Mind sent others to spring the trap. Through the drone, she would know where this one was. That being the case, this one walked over to the trigger for the building’s fire alarm, something the Council had mandated every sugar refinery should have. This one was unsure about pulling it. Having so many confused people about would have helped this one remain hidden once it had transformed to hide among their numbers once again, but there was the risk they would find some manner to get in this one’s way. Not to mention there would be casualties among their numbers if they were in the refinery when the drones showed themselves. No, it was best to clear everyone out while there was time. Before anyone could overcome their shock, this one set the alarm off. The harsh ring of a bell rang throughout the refinery, jolting many of the stunned onlookers out of the shock of seeing their overseer suddenly killed. They fled towards the exits in a rush that was just short of a panic. This one doubted they ever had fire drills during harvest season, and under normal conditions the fire alarm going off would have meant that there was actually a fire. No one wanted to be in a regular burning building, much less a sugar refinery. That taken care of, this one shapeshifted into one of the zebras it had seen working in the refinery and cantered deeper into the building,where the final stages of the refining process took place. Here sat dormant machinery intended to fill large sacks with powdered sugar. This one needed an appropriate hiding spot where it could watch from without being seen. Thus, this one hopped into a pen where they had stacked the finished sugar and then quickly buried itself in the mounds of white dust. Making sure this one was completely covered, it transformed so that its carapace was a solid white to match the sugar. This one only left its eyes and nose uncovered, as the plan wasn't likely to work if this one couldn't see or breathe. That done, this one waited. It wasn't long after this one had hidden itself when an orange pegasus stallion ran into its vision, whipping his head this way and that as he looked about the refinery. That would be at least one drone, then. Another in the disguise of a female gryphon promptly closed a set of double doors leading outside, chaining them shut with a padlock and standing guard nearby. This one wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if more drones weren't doing the same to the other exits of the refinery. It wouldn’t have benefitted the Old Mind to let this one slip through her hooves, after all. It wasn’t long before more drones in disguise showed themselves. Slowly and methodically, they inspected every nook and cranny of the refinery in their search for this one. Thanks to the gestalt connection of the Old Mind, they didn't even need to say a word to one another as they silently went about their task. This one fought to stay perfectly still as the drones looked for it. It was no easy task as the minutes dragged on, especially with this one still under the effects of its potions, but this one had a great deal of experience at remaining hidden. Revealing itself would ruin this one’s plan and most likely doom both this one and the Shimmer-mare. Thankfully they didn’t find this one—yet, in any event. After this one had let enough time pass, this one considered how best to proceed. There were at least six of the drones where this one could see; one stood by the double doors used to move around cargo and the smaller door intended for more personal use, while another was on one of the sugar distillers, watching the windows and refinery floor. It was clear that attempting to sneak out would not be easy under such circumstances. So came the difficult part of this one’s plan: how to get out of the refinery without being overwhelmed? Staying perfectly still in a concealed hiding spot was one thing; moving where everyone could see you was quite another. To this one’s profound regret, its invisibility bracelet had already been used up for the day. It would have been simple to escape if this one still had access to it, but it didn’t, and there was no point crying over spilt milk. Besides, just because this one didn’t have its first pick of options didn’t mean this one didn’t have backups. This one waited for the drones to look away, then carefully withdrew the three smoke potions from its saddlebags. Aiming to give this one the best coverage, this one tossed the potions. They flew through the air briefly before they crashed on the floor. A gray smoke quickly spread to fill the whole section of the refinery with its obscuring vapor. A snakelike hiss pierced the smoke as the drones were swallowed up by the smoke. This one didn’t miss a beat to pull itself out of the sugar and dart for the doorway, using the mental map it had made. This one drew its dagger as it approached the exit. Even knowing there was a drone guarding the doorway, this one still nearly ran right into it. Though while this one was only startled, the drone was momentarily paralyzed with surprise. This one didn’t waste that invaluable split second of hesitation and jabbed its dagger into the drone’s neck. Not even bothering to retrieve the dagger as the drone fell, this one rammed itself against the door with its full weight and momentum. Thankfully, the door gave way, and this one stumbled outside. This one stopped itself before it could leave the doorway completely and turned back to look back into the smoke-obscured refinery. With no time to waste, this one pulled out a pair of fire gems from its saddlebags and threw them at a high arc into the refinery, making sure the gems would take up the maximum amount of time to hit the ground. After that, this one turned around flew away from the refinery as fast as its wings would carry it. There is something everyone should understand about dust, and it’s a danger that almost everyone on Freeport is very aware of. Specific forms of dust can be very dangerous under the right circumstances; whether it be coal dust, sawdust, grain dust, or sugar dust, if you have a large enough concentration in the air of a confined area, there was a significant danger of an explosion in the event of a fire. All you need for a good fire is oxygen, fuel, and heat. The oxygen and fuel were in ready abundance within the refinery itself. The sugar plantation owners were notorious for failing to meet safety codes for the sake of profit, especially during harvesting season. With the former two ingredients of the fire triangle already in place, this one had just introduced the heat with the very explosive, very heat-inflicting fire gems. The first indicator that this one’s plan had succeeded was when the shockwave hit this one like a sledgehammer. All the world became a confusing jumble of movement, roaring sound, and pain as this one was sent rolling into a sugarcane field. Stalks of sugarcane broke and bent as this one tumbled to a jolting stop. This one rolled to its back as pain overwhelmed its senses. Blinking through the spots that covered its vision, this one saw the looming refinery burning furiously as flame spread to the rest of the building. It seemed highly unlikely anything inside the refinery had survived. Any drone that had survived the initial explosion wasn't going to survive long in that inferno, and knowing the cheapskate nature of the owners of the refinery, they probably hadn't invested much capital in firefighting capabilities. What capabilities weren't being used to put out the manor fire, in any event. Now that this one thought about it, it hoped none of the workers of the refinery had been foolish enough to stay inside after the fire alarm had been pulled, or close enough to get hit by the debris from the explosion. It wasn't hard to imagine that a few incautious souls hadn't taken the alarm too serious and had mistaken it as yet another of the bi-yearly drills that the refinery was mandated to have, and thus had not walked far enough away to be safe. Considering how everything in this one’s body was aching in pain at the moment, this one was probably very lucky to have survived its own haphazard plan to kill the bulk of the remaining drones on the island. This one was far from a saint, but this one never reveled in the idea of killing innocents. This one wasn't a monster. Or so this one told itself as it watched its handywork consume the refinery. But such philosophical musings could wait for more practical concerns. Lying there on the ground, this one carefully moved each of its limbs to make sure nothing was injured. Just about everything was sore, but at least at a quick inspection this one wasn't seriously hurt. With a grunt, this one rose on shaky legs. This one’s vision swam, and it had to take a moment to balance itself against some of the sugarcane. It was as this one was regaining its balance that it heard someone slowly clapping. It snapped its head toward the sound and saw a changeling lowering itself to the ground in front of this one. Stifling a curse this one’s mother would never have approved of hearing, this one kept its face as neutral as it could. It seemed that at least one drone had survived the refinery explosion. That had been one of the core problems with that plan: there was no guarantee the Old Mind would send every drone she had into the refinery. Still, this one was still alive and at least a few more of the drones weren’t, so that was something. The drone finished its sarcastic applause and let out a chittering chuckle. When it spoke, it was not with its own voice, but that of a being this one was all too familiar with. “So, was that the best you could manage?” This one rolled its neck uncaringly. “Decided not to throw all your eggs into one basket then, Old Mind?” This wasn’t the first time this one had seen the Old Mind talk through one of her drones. Thankfully, her actual body wasn’t here, and was hopefully nowhere near the island. Her drones could of course be very dangerous, but they were relatively manageable under the right circumstances. The Old Mind in person was an entirely different prospect. The Old Mind smile maliciously. “You really think I’m so stupid as to fall into such an obvious trap?” “Didn’t keep you from putting your hoof into said obvious trap with your drones,” this one shot back. She scoffed and flicked her hoof. “A few drones are more than worth the sacrifice to flush vermin like you out into the open.” “You always were quick to sacrifice pawns.” This one tried to think of why the Old Mind was suddenly talking to it. It probably wasn’t for a good reason—it wouldn’t surprise this one if she was just delaying it until remainder of her swarm could arrive. This one’s fight-or-flight instincts were in full swing; unfortunately, it wasn’t in shape to do much of either. “What can I say? If I don’t use them I’ll eventually lose them anyways.” The Old Mind shrugged. “And finally killing a pathetic abomination like you is going to be worth the loss of every drone today.” She stepped closer, prompting this one to drop into a defensive stance. If this one’s readying itself to fight worried the Old Mind, she didn’t show it. “That’s not even getting into the greater prize I’ve won this day.” This one’s eyes narrowed, wary of her tone. “If you have a point to make, go ahead and make it. Maybe you have the time to talk all day, but this one is a very busy changeling. And no offense, but this one can’t help but feel you’re not a particularly trustworthy individual to do business with.” The Old Mind’s smile lost some of its luster. “Don’t get smart with me, you little failure. While you were busy with my pawns, I was busy getting my hooves on the larger prize—your princess.” The maliciousness returned to the grin on her face. “Well, wanna-be princess, in this case.” It was only thanks to years of experience this one had in its line of work that it kept anything from showing on its face when she said that. Had she really managed to find the Shimmer-mare already? Best to probe the Old Mind and be sure. This one couldn't afford to make a single misstep now. “You know the problem with dealing with someone that's as prolific a liar as you?” this one asked. “This one can never really tell when you're telling the truth. For all this one knows, you’re only saying you have the Shimmer-mare to try and get this one to reveal where she is.” “Fair enough,” she said as she stopped right in front of this one. “You left her all by herself in a warehouse, hidden away in a crate. You used a bag of sugar as an impromptu pillow and stole a blanket from the supplies intended for the servants. A touching gesture to make her comfortable, I'm sure.” The mask this one was wearing must finally have broke, for she tilted the drone’s head back and laughed. “Oh the look on your face. I've been waiting so long to see you so ... despondent.” This one’s heart sank as the facts of the rapidly deteriorating situation came together. If the Old Mind had the Shimmer-mare, then this one had been checked-mated. Possibly fatally so. If the Old Mind was smart enough, she would have grabbed the Shimmer-mare, taken over a ship like the merchantman at the dock, and then sailed away to parts unknown. With the big prize at hoof, it would have been a simple matter to clean up any evidence of the fact she had even been on Sweetash Isle. But that wasn't exactly the Old Mind’s style, not when she was taking the time to gloat over this one. This one needed to figure out what she was up to; at the very least keeping her talking might give this one time to come up with some sort of plan. “So, how do you want this to go down?” this one asked, keeping its voice level. “You're talking, and when you're talking instead of taking something, it's because you want something that you can't easily take.” The Old Mind shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “Well, I could just tear out her pretty little throat right here and now, but that seems like such a waste. I have other plans for the likes of you.” Most likely those plans involved a lot of torture to get as much information out of this one as possible. This one knew a great deal about Freeport and beyond, including where a great many of the skeletons were buried. She could cause a great deal of damage from just a tenth of what this one knew. Hence, why this one had zero intentions of ever letting that happen. “Let's make a deal,” she continued, malady lacing her words. “Surrender, and I promise to spare her life. I even have an antidote for the poison that's slowly eating her alive. It would relieve her of all that excruciating pain she’s experiencing right now. I've tested the venom used against her on other subjects, and their deaths were quite unpleasant.” “Please.” This one shot her with a smirk. “You're not going to kill her, whatever this one does.” The briefest flicker of doubt danced over her features. “What makes you think that?” This one kept going, feeling more as this one stepped back onto familiar ground. “As you said, it would be a waste to kill her. Too big of a waste for you. You wouldn't throw away the Magus of Freeport and former student of the White Pony. The Shimmer-mare gives you too much of an in with the two nations you want to infiltrate the most. This one would dare say you would be tempted to let her go before killing her, because you could at least get another shot at her. After all, all of your drones are expendable at the end of the day, while the Shimmer-mare’s one of a kind.” This one grinned and took a step closer to the Old Mind, nearly bringing us muzzle to muzzle. “You're just too greedy, like that.” The Old Mind’s smug smile slowly dissolved into a baleful glare, and this one was reasonably sure it could hear her grinding her teeth. “You really are an annoying little bug.” “Is it because of what happened in Lubeak?” this one asked. “This one is really proud of what it did to you in Lubeak. Or is it just because this one is smarter than you?” This one’s grin widened. “Or is it because this one is prettier than you? It’s alright—this one can understand if you’re jealous.” Taunting the Old Mind probably wasn’t the wisest thing in the world to do, but it would at least throw her off a bit. The Old Mind’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not convincing me to make your death any less unpleasant than it’s already going to be.” She straightened herself to try and reclaim her dignity. “But you're right: I won't kill her.” Her lips peeled back in an unpleasant, toothy grin. “I'll take her back to my hive and break her. Slowly. Which is why you'll come to the meeting. Because you know it will be your only chance to save her.” “You seem awfully confident about that,” this one remarked. This one was starting to wonder if the Old Mind wasn’t as self-assured about taking this one as her triumphant swagger suggested. “The Shimmer-mare is a pony with a strong will, and you know the usual issues with trying to bend such a pony to your will. They tend to break completely, rather than bend, and she wouldn’t be much use to you broken. Other than merely being replaced, that is.” She started circling around this one. “By all means, feel free to abandon her. Much as I would enjoy killing you, Sunset's just too valuable to give up.” The Old Mind was baiting this one, this one was certain of it now. Why else play with this one in this manner? She wanted this one to give up by using the Shimmer-mare as a hostage. Her history was sprinkled with incidents where she had used such tactics against her victims. After all the drones she had lost thus far, she might nearly be out—or at least low enough that she worried about being able to kill this one. If this one escaped and warned the Council that she had a hive on Sweetash Isle, they could cause all sorts of trouble for the Old Mind’s plans. The Council would use whatever forces it had available to utterly crush her within Freeport’s territory, and if the Shimmer-mare were not found, they would probably send a message to the White Pony to tell her what happened to her former student. This one doubted the Old Mind would enjoy having the White Pony breathing down her neck. Shame doing just that was unlikely to result in the Shimmer-mare having a happy ending. No, this one needed to try and find another way. There might just be a way to turn this around. It was risky, but nothing ventured... “In that case, I could hardly turn down a meeting.” This one gestured at the warehouse with a slight bow. “Feel free to lead the way.” “Good to see that you’re finally seeing reason.” The Old Mind smirked, and turned the drone’s back to this one to lead the way. This one sauntered up behind the drone and craned its neck to whisper to the Old Mind. “See you soon, Old Mind.” Before she could reply, this one tackled the drone and drove it to the ground, biting down on the back of its neck in the same motion. “Fool!” The drone struggled to get out of this one’s grasp, but this one’s paralysis venom was already running through its system. Not to mention this one held the leverage in the grapple thanks to the sneak attack. “Do you think killing one more of my pawns will change—” This one didn’t let her finish as it wrenched the drone’s neck with a swift, jerking motion, and the drone’s neck broke cleanly with a wet snap. Spitting the dead drone out of this one’s mouth, this one said, “Of course, it makes for one less drone on this island to deal with.” Killing the drone also gave this one more freedom of movement. It would be much easier to sneak around without one of the Old Mind’s drones to keep a constant eye on this one, and keeping the Old Mind guessing about its next move was one of the few advantages it had. There wasn’t any time to waste. Now that her scouting drone was dead, it was only a matter of time until the Old Mind moved the Shimmer-mare to someplace more secure, assuming she had not done so already. She might even take her off the island completely. She might have a sky carriage somewhere on the island, and it wouldn’t take much time to pack the Shimmer-mare into the carriage and fly away. It would then become extremely difficult to find her again. This one headed towards the warehouse without delay, once again using the tall sugarcane to hide its movements. This one slowed its steps once the warehouse came into view. The Old Mind had to know this one was coming, and would haven taken the necessary precautions. This one stopped in its tracks and lowered itself to the ground when it saw a sentry on top of the warehouse. While there was little time to waste, it wouldn’t help this one or the Shimmer-mare if this one were seen too soon. If this one could sneak inside, then maybe it could disable the drones inside one at a time. There was still one firegem left in this one’s saddlebags, another dagger, a pair of thunderflash stones, and the shock bracer on this one’s leg was still at a full charge. There was also the fact that while the drones could swarm this one, a Free Mind was on average significantly stronger, tougher, and smarter than the drones the Old Mind gave birth to. While Free Minds put a significant amount of love magic into their offspring, the Old Mind tended to favor quantity over quality. The odds were still much longer than this one liked, but the situation wasn’t impossible. If it could keep the fighting between it and one drone at a time, this was winnable. Watching carefully, this one noted that the drone keeping guard on the roof was constantly moving, no doubt trying to minimize its blindspots. Still, it was just one drone with a limited field of view. It was also another sign that the Old Mind must not have many drones left. If she had them in abundance, she probably would have had more than a single sentry in place. If the drone had any inkling that this one was watching it, then it didn't show it as it continued its patrol. Once this one had a reasonable idea of how long each loop took, this one moved towards and then up the side of the warehouse, using its natural ability to stick to surfaces. Reaching the edge of the roof, this one carefully peaked a look to try and spot the drone. As this one had hoped, the drone was still on the same circuit and was turned away as it looked out to the harbor. With all the silence this one could muster, this one climbed onto the roof and crept towards its target. The drone didn't turn around as this one closed the distance, and the only indicator it got that anything was wrong was when this one stabbed its dagger up through the drone’s neck and into its brain. This one caught the drone before it could fall and slowly lowered it to the roof. This one had just set it down when every window in the warehouse shattered. A second later, four changelings came crawling through the roof hatches, and close behind them were more drones flying up through the broken windows. The sentry had been a trap. The Old Mind must have guessed how this one would go about infiltrating the warehouse to save the Shimmer-mare and planned accordingly. Half on instinct, this one whipped out its thunderflash stones and tossed them to the opposite ends of the warehouse. This one only had time to close its eyes and cover its ears and eyes before the piercing light and disorientating boom exploded over the rooftop as the thunderflash stones went off. The drones let out a collective screech of protest as the onslaught overwhelmed their senses. The gambit had bought this one a couple seconds, but only that. This one couldn't hope to fight against ten-to-one odds. With few escape options, this one blinked against the spots in its vision and ran for the skylight where there was cover within. This one dove through the open skylight, but to its horror, there was almost nowhere to hide within the warehouse. Instead of crates and other supplies spaced all about the warehouse, nearly everything had been shoved to the sides of the room. Before this one could re-orientate itself, a drone from within the warehouse struck this one in the side. Flashes of pain temporarily blinded this one as the two of us tangled together. The crash jolted this one painfully and the two of us rolled along the floor before the drone came free and rolled past this one. It used the momentum to roll to its hooves and let out a hiss as it charged this one. Years of experience from having to fight for its life let this one have enough sense to push off the ground and roll out of the way of the attack. The bite from the drone scraped against the chitin on this one’s side. The drone pivoted in place as it halted and readied itself for another charge. Seeing this one’s dagger on the floor, this one scooped it up with its telekinesis and stood in the same motion. With feral savagery, the drone launched itself at this one’s neck, fangs bright even in the darkness of the warehouse. This one deftly stepped to the side and slashed at the back of the drone’s foreleg. The dagger sliced the tendons of the drone and sent it stumbling. This one’s hoof then slammed into the knee of one of the drone’s rear legs. The knee gave out with a crunch and the drone fell to the floor. The drone disabled, this one aimed and then stabbed down, the magically enchanted dagger easily cutting into flesh and severing the drone’s spine. The fight couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but that was the next best thing to an eternity with the rest of the drones closing in. This one wrenched its dagger free and was about to figure out what to do next when a bright beam of green energy struck the dagger. The dagger was blown from this one’s telekineis and sent sailing into the wall. “Now that is quite enough of that,” the Old Mind’s voice chided. This one’s head whipped to see where the magical blast had come from. Standing on the far end of the room was the Old Mind, horn glowing a green aura. More accurately, a drone she had possessed and imbued with a measure of her power. Rather than just using one of her drones as a mouthpiece, the drone had gone through a transformation that made it look like a smaller version of the body the Old Mind normally used. Worse still, she had a leg wrapped around the Shimmer-mare’s neck in a headlock and was holding her listless form above the floor. While the ascended drone was not as strong as the Old Mind’s proper body, it was still an order of magnitude stronger than a typical drone—even if the possession would eventually burn out the drone in about a day’s time. It was far more than this one wanted to face in a direct confrontation, and this one started towards one of the doors of the warehouse. That plan was cut off when all the doorways flashed and became blocked with green fire. “Running away already?” The Old Mind stroked the Shimmer-mare’s cheek with a free hoof, a contemptuous smile creased her lips. “I thought your plan was to save your friend?” Her hoof struck the Shimmer-mare across the cheek. The Shimmer-mare let out a groan of pain, but she didn't stir despite the hit. “Though that plan has something of a snag, hasn't it, Puzzle?” This one grimaced and faced the Old Mind directly. Already the drones were falling into position all around this one, hovering in place as they waited for this one to try and make an escape. This one had been caught, and this one couldn’t see any viable ways to escape. “It seems this one has been becoming a bit too obvious in its competence,” this one admitted. That fact felt like bile in this one’s throat. For the past few moves of this game, this one had been completely outmaneuvered by the Old Mind. This one should have realized the Old Mind would have expected the most likely tactics this one would have used to save the Shimmer-mare, but this one hadn't. Now we were going to pay for that mistake. “Oh yes,” she cooed. “You and the other so-called Free Minds are pathetically predictable. And so stupid half the time too. Look at you. You could've gotten away cleanly and have warned everyone that I was here. But instead you came into an obvious trap. I even told you it was a trap, but you came anyway! Why? Because you care about this pony.” She held up a small vial hanging on a chain around her neck for this one to see. “Did you really hope that you could save her by getting the cure from me? Pathetic. You've become just like our prey.” Despite the grimness of the situation, this one grinned. “This one is sure the nuances of friendship escape the Old Mind.” The Old Mind rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you're at least feeding on her. Or have you completely abandoned what it means to be a changeling?” “This one is a Free Mind,” this one said. “It decides for itself what it means to be a changeling.” She let out an annoyed sigh. “This is the problem with individuality. You are such a small being that thinks in such small terms. I don't know why I thought creating drones capable of thinking for themselves was ever a good idea. It’s caused me nothing but headaches.” “Likely because you were desperate to have someone else stroke your ego for once,” this one commented. The Old Mind scoffed. “Is that the best you can do? How disappointing. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day, so don’t go and make this boring. I hate it when my revenge is boring.” This one was desperately trying to think of a way out of this predicament, but it was drawing a blank. With no other options, it kept talking to buy time. “So, now that you've won, what exactly do you plan on doing with the Shimmer-mare? This one doesn't doubt the Old Mind would love to brag about what you plan on doing with her.” That brought a laugh to the Old Mind. “Oh, I would absolutely love to, but I've learned long ago not to reveal my plans to someone who's going to die anyway. Every once in a while, they're terribly unsporting and decide to live just to spite me. And you’ve been far too annoying already.” She let out a bored yawn. “I suppose it's time to kill you then. Thanks to all the trouble you’ve been causing here, I’m going to have to leave sooner than I would have liked. No sense letting the Council know about me. How would you like to die?” “A very old changeling in a soft bed surrounded by friends and family.” This one rubbed its chin. “Either that, or while putting an end to you once and for all. Both have certain appeals.” “Such a shame, but the correct answer was ‘Horribly dismembered by my drones.’” Her smile became all the more malicious. “Though I would have accepted ‘on my knees begging for mercy’ too. Time to die!” Before this one even had the chance to fight back, nearly a dozen drones piled onto this one. It wasn't long before the drones had a firm hold on each of this one’s legs and were wrenching them painfully. This one was caught, and it couldn’t stop a growing sense of hopelessness. The fact that this one wasn't going to be tortured for information was cold comfort in face of the knowledge of what the Shimmer-mare was going to suffer. This one’s failure burned as the drones slowly increased the pressure on its limbs, the pain building as it felt like something was going to break at any second. This one thought desperately of what it could do as the drones slowly worked to pull this one to pieces. Through the pain, only one idea came to this one, and it wasn't a pleasant one. “I'm curious, which of your legs do you think will come off first?” the Old Mind asked, clearly savoring the show. This one grinned through the pain. “How many drones are you willing to lose to find out?” For lack of any better ideas, this one activated its shock bracer on its leg. This one knew the value of having an offensive trump card, and the shock bracer was the magical tool this one had come to lean on. This one had once flash fried a large shark that had thought to turn this one into its latest meal, so needless to say, the bracer had a charge to it. And considering all of the drones were currently holding this one, everyone got to experience a world of pain as electricity coursed through us. This one convulsed as agony this one had rarely felt struck it. It was a period of time that both seemed to last forever and end yet end abruptly as soon as it started. This one didn't know how long it just lay on the floor, gasping for breath as its body ached with pain. Vaguely this one became aware that it was being crushed under a pile of bodies, followed by the realization this one was still alive. Honestly, this one hadn't expected that to happen. Perhaps it was the enchantments in the bracer intended to protect this one from its own weapon, the talisman around this one’s neck designed to protect against magical attacks, or this one’s superior constitution compared to the drones. Or perhaps a mix of the three. Whatever the case might be, this one was at least breathing, even if the only thing this one wanted to do was build itself a cocoon someplace dark and go to sleep for a month. Shame there was a sudden stab of pain as new light flashed into this one’s eyes, as one of the drones was moved from the pile it found itself in. Blinking through the agony, this one stared up to see the Old Mind, her face contorted with pure hatred as she levitated the dead drone out of the way. “You really are starting to annoy me,” she said as she tossed another dead drone to the side. The Shimmer-mare was lying on the floor behind the Old Mind, having been discarded for the moment. “Perhaps I should have just tried to buy you off instead.” This one coughed painfully before it was able to reply in a hoarse voice. “Sorry, this one isn't in the habit of working with monsters. Those jobs have a way of going very badly.” “So does getting in a monster's way.” The Old Mind gave this one a rough kick to the ribs strong enough to send this one rolling and knock its breath out of it. “Noted,” this one wheezed. Gritting through the pain, this one drew on its magic to recast its telekinesis spell. In a single motion, this one pulled the last firegem in its bag and tossed it at the Old Mind. Rather than strike her as this one had intended, the firegem stopped just short of the Old Mind’s chest as it became enveloped in her own telekinesis. She lifted the gem up to look at it, then scowled down at this one. “Is this the best you can manage?” The Old Mind tossed the firegem out of the window, and the sound of it going off in the sea soon followed. “This is just getting sad now.” Her horn glowed and with a pair of green energy blasts she blew away this one’s saddlebags. “And that’s the end of your nasty little tricks.” The Old Mind swung her leg back and aimed another kick at this one’s side. Knowing it was coming, this one caught her by the pastern and twisted to try and bring her to the ground. If this one could just get her down, it might be able to choke her out. Her knee bent, a moment of surprise flashing over her face, but she stopped her momentum before she could be dragged down. The two of us struggled for a hooffull of seconds that seemed to drag on forever. This one brought as much strength as it could bring to bear, but this one was exhausted and had poor leverage while the Old Mind was fresh and possessed an unnatural strength. Slowly but surely, she straightening her leg. Narrowing her eyes, she once again summoned her magic. “I swear, you’re one of the most persistent little bugs I’ve ever had to crush.” She blasted this one in the side with a green bolt of magical energy and sent this one flying. This one was carried by the power of the attack until it hit one of the crates pushed against the wall. The world became a flash of white pain as this one nearly lost consciousness, but this one fought against the screaming protests of its body to stay awake. This one knew it would not wake up again if it let the darkness take it now. Not that there seemed there was much this one could do anymore; it was unlikely this one could make itself stand up again, much less fight. All of this one’s tools were either exhausted or destroyed. Still, this one opened its eyes to watch the Old Mind’s approach. This one couldn’t help as its eyes fell upon the Shimmer-mare. She was watching the two of us with a distant look in her eyes. The poison running through her blood seeming to have disabled her. At this point due to delirium, she might not even be able to recognize what was even going on. Laying before this one was the broken remains of this one’s protection talisman, finally having been pushed past its limits. To be fair, it had been put under a lot of abuse over the last few hours. If this one somehow survived this, this one would thank the person it had commissioned to make it. The Old Mind chuckled to herself as she stopped to lord over this one. “Any last words?” She pressed down a hoof where her attack had cracked this one’s carapace, and a fresh wave of agony jolted through this one. “You always seemed to have something to say, so I’m sure you have something clever. So come on, let’s hear it. Curse me, show me defiance in the end, plead for mercy. Give me something I can remember.” So, this was it. This one was tapped out. It would only be a few seconds before this one was killed. All this one’s plans for the future would be for naught. Years of effort gone to waste. This one had even failed the Shimmer-mare. All she could do was stare on as this one was slowly killed by the Old Mind. At least this one wasn’t going to live long enough to explain to the Council and the White Pony what had happened. This one blinked and then smiled as a devious thought came to its mind. There was a green flash as this one did about the last thing it could: transform. This one increased its size to as big as it could—though with a decidedly feminine physique, gave itself a lustrous white coat, and a big, flowing, multi-colored mane unlike any other in the world. With the White Pony’s voice, this one reached out and called to the Shimmer-mare. “Sunset, help me!” The Old Mind blinked and took a step back. “What—” She never got to finish what she was saying as the Shimmer-mare’s eyes snapped into focus—a baleful light lit within them as she saw the White Pony—her mother—in danger. A blast of pure light shot from her horn and punched a hole right through the Old Mind’s chest. The Old Mind’s face contorted with confusion as she looked down at the new hole. After finally figuring out what had happen, she returned her hateful glare towards this one. “ I r-really ... hate y—” She fell unceremoniously to the ground, with even the Old Mind’s power being insufficient to keep the drone alive. An unnatural silence fell over the warehouse. For a few seconds, this one could hardly believe it was still alive—that its last ditch plan had actually worked. It had been a long shot ... but sometimes long shots worked, and this one wasn’t about to complain about its good fortune. As they say, love has its own power, and the Shimmer-mare had plenty of that for the White Pony. This one wanted to do nothing more than to let sleep take it. Rather than asking where this one was hurt, it would have been more efficient to ask where it wasn’t hurt. Shame, as was so often the case for this one, this one still had things to do. Gritting through the pain, this one very slowly rose to its hooves. The pain caused a violent flash of nausea that nearly sent it toppling, but this one managed to stay upright—barely. Pressing a hoof to its bleeding side, this one stumbled to the ascended drone’s body. While difficult to concentrate to cast a spell, this one managed to pull off a telekinesis spell and ripped the vial off the drone’s neck. It hadn’t been damaged during the Shimmer-mare’s attack, for which this one was very thankful. With another spell, this one confirmed it wasn’t filled with poison, meaning that it probably was the cure the Old Mind had taunted this one with. She would have kept that close at hoof; no sense accidently killing the Shimmer-mare with her poison. Though this one knew the walk to the Shimmer-mare was a short one, it felt like one of the longest journeys in this one’s life as it slowly hobbled its way to her. This one all but fell next to the Shimmer-mare, its side heaving with effort. Still, this one drew the Shimmer-mare into its legs and gently shook her. “Come on, Shimmer-mare, this one needs you to drink this,” this one said. “This one will be very unhappy if it went through all of this for you to die on it now.” The Shimmer-mare groaned and her eyes flittered open. “M-Mom?” It showed how exhausted this one was that it took a few moments for this one to realize that it was still disguised as the White Pony. This one resisted the urge to slap its forehead. Well, no sense letting a good thing go to waste. This one gave the Shimmer-mare the best maternal smile it could. “Sunset, honey? I need you to take some medicine. It’s good for you.” The Shimmer-mare groaned but complied as this one offered the contents of the vial. After she drank what this one really hoped was the antitoxin to the Old Mind’s venom, she nuzzled this one’s chest and closed her eyes. “M-Mom ... I d-did good, right?” This one’s lips turned up in the most legitimate smile this one had made in quite some time. “Yes. You did very well, Sunset.” Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable. EpilogueFreeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Epilogue The next day saw this one sitting in one of the rooms of Daily Miracle’s healing house. After the craziness on Sweetash Isle, this one was quite content to read on its nice, comfortable seat-cushion. The room was a simple affair; it was clean, possessed a simple dresser, a nice comfortable bed, a small desk, and some cushions to sit on, befitting a room intended to allow someone to heal quietly. Perhaps not the most stimulating of rooms, but it had a utilitarian purpose to it. Besides, it was not like the Miracle-mare was about to let this one leave just yet anyway—not with the wretched condition it was in when it arrived at her door. This one didn’t quite remember the laundry list of injuries the Old Mind and her drones had inflicted, but the heavy bandages wrapped around this one’s barrel were indication enough of that. The Miracle-mare had also allowed this one to relax in the room where the Shimmer-mare was resting. She hadn't woken up since this one had gotten us off the island, but the Miracle-mare assured me that she would make a full recovery. This one would have felt a lot better if the Shimmer-mare was actually awake and able to talk to this one. Especially once it came to explaining to the EIS about exactly what had happened, and they would want to know how the White Pony’s former student had gotten so badly hurt. Next to her was Kukri, curled up on a cushion and also sound asleep. She had refused to leave the Shimmer-mare’s side once she had found out what had happened, and she had been determined to watch over her mentor. Though in the end, her endurance had not quite been equal to the task of staying up until the Shimmer-mare awoke. The Miracle-mare had also tolerated the squad of Doo Clan bodyguards this one had hired to watch over the pair of us. While this one was reasonably sure we had seen the last of the hive on Sweetash Isle, this one wasn't going to take the chance that the Old Mind was going to take advantage of our weakness to finish us. It hadn't been a particularly pleasant conversation to explain to the Doo Clan what had happened to the bodyguards we had hired, but they understood all too well how risky mercenary work can be—especially in the face of a surprise as unpleasant and dangerous as the Old Mind and her swarms. This one’s ruminations were interrupted when the Shimmer-mare stirred and let out a long yawn. This one put its book aside. “Hey. You awake there?” The Shimmer-mare groaned as her eyes fluttered open. “I'm too sore to still be asleep.” “That’s not surprising, after what you’ve been through.” Even after being unconscious for a full day, her skin was still pale, and her eyes sunken. “Water?” She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” This one poured her a glass from a pitcher sitting on the desk, and she took it gratefully. It took her a few attempts to drink without coughing, her throat probably being parched, but this one waited patiently until she had finished the glass. “Thanks.” The Shimmer-mare cleared her throat before continuing. After giving herself a minute to regain her balance, she smiled down at Kukri. “She been here for awhile?” “She flew here as soon as she found out what happened and swore she would stay up and take care of you as long as it took.” This one smiled down at the sleeping changeling. “Alas, while the mind was willing, she has but the body of a child.” The Shimmer-mare chuckled. “Let her sleep for now. We can wake her up after we’ve talked about a few things.” She let out a tired groan and rubbed at her face. “So ... kinda fuzzy on how I wound up here.” This one nodded. “You were pretty out of it when this one brought you here. It might take a little bit for any of it to come back to you, if ever.” She grimaced and made a displeased grunt. “I remember something about poison...” “You got a nasty dose of changeling venom,” this one confirmed. “Turns out the Old Mind—Queen Chrysalis was after you and attacked us with her drones. One of them managed to bite you in the initial part of the ambush. You then proceeded to nearly burn half the manor down.” This one grinned easily. “Nearly got this one, too. But you're alright now. You fell unconscious after that, and this one took you and got you off the island to see a proper healer. We gave you some anti-venom, along with some other potions to speed along your recovery. The healer says you'll make a full recovery, and this one trusts her. She’s done exceptional work with this one in the past.” This one paused, then amended, “Or on this one, it supposes.” While this one could have told the Shimmer-mare about its own heroics, it had decided to keep that specific part a secret in the end. This one didn't like to advertise the full extent of its abilities, and there didn't seem to be any good reason to worry her about how close she had come to an unpleasant end. Just the bite and the knowledge that she hadn't pulled herself out of danger should serve as sufficient warning to be more careful in future situations. Besides, the Shimmer-mare might become upset if she found out she wasn't the hero of the story. The Shimmer-mare nodded her head, relief clear in her features. “What about Chrysalis and the other drones?” “This one informed the Council of what had happened as soon as it could,” this one said. “They’re going to do what they always do when they suspect there is a hive in Freeport. They’ll send the condottieri to comb the island and sniff out where their hive is hidden away. From there, it’s just a matter of killing or capturing the drones, freeing whoever they had captured, and in general cleaning up whatever mess the Old Mind has caused.” The condottieri had experience with such operations, and with this one and the Shimmer-mare having already killed most the drones on Sweetash Isle, it seemed unlikely they would face much resistance. Assuming the Old Mind hadn’t withdrawn what might have remained of her drones, in any event. This one just hoped that whatever might remain of the Sweetash family wouldn’t be upset about all the property damage we had caused in the fight. Little surprise, most sugar plantation magnates didn’t like it when you derailed their sugar production. “Makes sense.” The Shimmer-mare let out a long sigh. “Guess it’s good that it’s going to be taken care of, but... Well, none of this is especially pleasant.” She rubbed the sides of her head. “I remember something about Chrysalis ... and Mom?” This one gave her an easy smile and patted her on the leg. “You might have some fevered dreams mixed in there. Comes with being poisoned.” The Shimmer-mare didn’t look this one in the eyes when she said, “I guess, yeah. At least we got out of it. ” She grimaced. “Even if we didn't get paid.” This one sighed and nodded. This was a part of our conversation that neither of us was going to enjoy, even if it was necessary. “Yeah, a job where you get beat up and not paid isn't great, but they happen every once in awhile. This one has been through this more than once in the past.” She wrapped her forelegs around herself. “Not exactly how I wanted to start the first job I found for myself. And here I thought I had a good gig lined up.” This one waved dismissively. “You had bad luck. It happens to everyone. There were a few warning signs, but this one can help you find your next job and what to watch out for. You'll figure out what you should and shouldn't do soon enough.” That would go a long way, and had the side bonus of more closely tying the Shimmer-mare to this one. This job had only put emphasis on this one to make time to help instruct and teach the Shimmer-mare. The Shimmer-mare sat in her own silence for a few moments, then slowly nodded. “I'll listen.” This one placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You feeling okay?” She shrugged. “As okay as anypony would in my situation.” “Not fun to face death, is it?” That was of course stating the obvious, but now seemed like a good time to bring the subject out into the open. Facing one’s mortality for the first time, and this one means really facing it, not merely as some vague concept that one only understands as a purely hypothetical inevitability, was something most everyone had to deal with sooner or later. Not that it was a particularly pleasant fact to deal with. “This one knows all about that, having had more close calls than it likes to think about.” “I didn't care for it, no,” the Shimmer-mare said. This one patted her gently on the shoulder. “Then try and learn from it. We got through it this time, and as long as we’re alive, we can do better in the future.” The Shimmer-mare nodded and this one could see her self-assurance glimmer in her eyes. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” “And there will be other jobs, just you wait.” This one grinned. “It’s only a matter of time until someone will want to hire Freeport's magus again.” A smile returned to the Shimmer-mare’s face. “Point. I've never been short on offers. Not between you, the EIS, and everyone else.” “See? You'll be back on your hooves in no time,” this one assured her. “Just gotta make sure this never happens again.” A savage grin worked its way onto her features. “Also, payback.” Somehow, this one wasn’t surprised that the Shimmer-mare would want to hit back at the Old Mind. She wasn’t the type to easily forgive, if ever. “It's not going to be easy,” this one pointed out. “The Old Mind's a slippery one. Not to mention one of the most powerful beings on the planet, with many centuries of experience that comes with being unkillable.” The Shimmer-mare considered that for a few seconds. “Yeah, but you’re pretty clever and slippery too, and you’ve beaten her in the past, right? This one shrugged. “A few times, yes. This one isn't exactly her favorite changeling the world. Not by a long shot.” This one couldn’t help but grin at some of its previous encounters with the Old Mind. “Especially after what this one did to her at Lubeak.” “Huh,” she said. “You'll have to tell me that story sometime.” “Oh, this one has a few tales to tell...” Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable.
Chapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet...Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet... It's not easy being the premier information broker and problem solver in Freeport. Between needing to continually keep on top of new developments both within Freeport and all around the world, juggling multitudes of different parties that purchase this one's services, and the pool of rivals looking to topple this one's little empire, it has to remain ever vigilant and at the top of its game. One critical mistake may very well start the slide to this one's destruction. That was always what tripped up most of this one's competitors. It was one thing to grow, expand, and become dominant, but it is quite another to hold that ground, whether that ground be actual territory, money, influence, or prestige. That was why this one was busy going over the stack of reports on its large office desk. Even after this one's employees had filtered the torrent of information so that this one only had to read the most important bit, the pile of papers on this one's desk was still considerable. And it all needed to be read through, digested, and then filed away both in this one's mind and the basement archive. While it was true that all information was relevant, the facts of reality often demanded that this one prioritize what it worked on. Knowing someone’s favorite meal was important, but it was a relatively minor note compared to things like who had spoken with whom during a meal and what they had spoken about. This one let out a sigh and put aside the latest report on how relations were standing between the Striker and Doo Clans. There had been a recent incident between the two over the deaths of two Strikers at the hooves of Kunai Doo, but this one's spies within each clan were confident that the whole matter was going to be smoothed over, as was usually the case between the clans. After all, an open war between them would only weaken them in the face of their competitors. Still, this one had to review all the information it had of the incident, both to make sure it didn't make some misstep between the clans and to see where this one could gain an advantage out of this. This one thought about the matter, saw the stack of papers it still had to go through, and then rubbed at the sides of its head. It was getting to the point that this one was wondering if its operation was simply getting too big to control. Between this one's service to the Council, juggling multiple clients, several small businesses this one owned, and few long-term projects, it was feeling badly stretched as of late. Even after hiring a slowly growing pool of employees, contracting, and subcontracting this one used to delegate tasks, the amount of work this one wanted to see done only seemed to grow. This was only frustrated by the sensation that this one was slowly losing its grip on the organization it was building. That was probably inevitable as this one’s influence grew, but it didn't change the fact that cracks were forming in how much attention this one could give to any one thing, and sooner or later that was going to result in unfortunate consequences. This one’s ruminations were interrupted when Merry Penny, an earth pony mare that served as one of this one’s secretaries, knocked at the frame of the door and entered. “Puzzle, Alphonse of the Steel Talons company is here to see you,” she said with a smile. “Shall I show him and his party in?” Keeping my expression neutral, this one nodded. “Go ahead, this one will see them now.” It had been a couple of months since this one had hired the Steel Talons for a job that sent them to the jungles off of the island of Zanzebra. That most likely meant they had succeeded in their task, something that was of great interest to this one. An ancient dragon from the far north by the name of Argentium the Runescaled had sent one of her disciples to Freeport to hire this one to procure a rare artifact called the Crescent Moonstone. While the pay for the job was nothing short of a fortune, it had also involved the task of penetrating the dangerous jungles filled with dangerous wildlife, disease, and hostile natives, finding the Temple of Hidden Moon, and then secure it from the dangerous cult said to preside there. Due to the danger the job entailed, not to mention the travel distances, this one had opted to subcontract and hire someone else to recover the artifact for it. As Merry left, this one transformed into the form it normally used when dealing with the mercenary company: a handsome, strong-jawed zebra with an air of nobility about him. A form that seemed both respectable and one of wealth. This one found it quite useful to take advantage of its changeling heritage in order to take the form that would most comfort whomever it was talking to. Four heavily armored gryphons stepped into this one’s office. Their armor and weapons clanked and clanged as they took heavy steps on this one’s luxurious Zebrican rug. Leading them was Sir Alphonse, a large, thick-chested example of his species as he stood before me. This one smiled pleasantly as they came to a stop before its desk. “This one hopes the Alphonse-gryphon was successful in his venture?” The Alphonse-gryphon unhooked a well-worn bag from his belt and placed it in the table. “We were indeed.” “Good.” I reached for the bag but the Alphonse-gryphon placed a firm talon on the sack before I could examine its contents. His other claw casually rested on the sword at his belt and his talons thrummed the hilt. “Our pay?” he said with a firm look. While neither his tone nor gestures were technically threatening, this one received the message. It seemed that the Alphonse-gryphon wanted to play this sort of game. That wasn't particularly surprising; as the third child of a noble family, the Alphonse-gryphon had few prospects back in his homeland. Thus, he had taken to becoming a mercenary, or an adventurer, depending on who you asked. Either way, he had come to Freeport, but had swiftly gathered a significant debt. While a pity for the gryphon, it had given this one the opportunity to offer a highly lucrative, if extremely dangerous, job that he was desperate enough to take. Freeport loaners were not known to be particularly forgiving. This one’s smile didn’t slip an inch. “This one will have the funds owed to you transferred to your company account today.” The Alphonse-gryphon gripped the bag firmly in his talons. “And as soon as we have confirmed the transfer...” I sighed patiently. “Really now, we do have a contract. There is no reason to be so suspicious.” I grinned. “When has this one ever not paid you for your good work?” He grinned back. “Is there any reason not to be careful?” I shrugged, conceding his point. Especially considering the number of bits I was contracted to pay him. Sadly, there were all too many individuals in Freeport that thought the best path to profit was to cheat every single last person they came across. This one considered such methods to be relatively shortsighted; after all, someone was unlikely to be a return customer if you had cheated them in the past. “Shall this one send someone out to complete the transfer to your account? This one is sure we can get a receipt confirming our transaction. Then you can give this one the Crescent Moonstone.” In truth, that was not this one’s preference for how this deal should go. It would have been better for this one to have the artifact in hoof before there was any exchange of coin, but with the Alphonse-gryphon as jumpy as he was, it seemed best to be a bit flexible. Not to mention that the mercenary adventurer had never struck this one as particularly devious, and it would not have hired someone so inherently untrustworthy for this job. The Alphonse-gryphon considered that idea before nodding. “Works for me.” This one held up a hoof to forestall the conversation. “But first this one wants to see it.” A smile that didn't quite reach this one’s eyes creased its lips. “Just to be sure that you retrieved the right object.” The Alphonse-gryphon’s talons drummed the bag a couple of times. “Fair enough. Though we followed your instructions to the letter getting this blasted thing.” He reached into the bag and withdrew the artifact. The Crescent was egg-shaped and easily fit within the large gryphon’s claw. It was made of silver and had a number of small sapphires embedded into it, and had a dragon outlining a crescent moon engraved into it. The details were quite exquisite, and must have been done by a master crafter. Perhaps more importantly, this one felt a steady thrum of power from the artifact. This one could feel that much through its horn, and it hoped it would get at least a little bit of time to know exactly what this one was dealing with. Argentium’s agent had given frustratingly few details about the artifact itself, merely telling this one where it was and how to obtain it. That, and offering the type of money that told certain semi-reputable problem solvers for hire that they shouldn't probe too deeply into the affairs of ancient and powerful dragons. Still, this one would make sure it wasn't passing along anything too dangerous before making the final sale to Argentium’s agent. This one didn't want to end up in a situation where powerful parties came looking for the one responsible selling a dragon some sort of doomsday weapon. This one took a couple of minutes to confirm that the item was the genuine article. While this one hadn't been given any details as to what the artifact did, it had been told in detail how to recognize it—such as the exact type and size of the gems, the details of the engraving, and odd thrum of magic coming off of it. There were few things more embarrassing in this line of work than finding out you had seized the wrong object during an assignment. First, you went through all the work of trying to get what you were looking for, and second, you looked like an idiot for not getting what you were supposed to. “Very well.” This one motioned for the Alphonse-gryphon to return the artifact back to its bag. “Penny-mare?” this one called out. “Could you come in for a second?” She stepped into the office with one of her typical bubbly smiles. “Yes, what did you need?” “Could the Penny-mare go to the World’s Port Bank and see to it that the Steel Talons receive the payment for their contract?” Considering she helped keep track of the various contracts and deals this one made, she would know what this one was talking about. It always helped to have competent help on staff. The Penny-mare nodded. “Of course, I'll get right on that.” She departed as smoothly as she had arrived. The Alphonse-gryphon waiting until the Penny-mare had closed the door before speaking. “And that's all settled.” He gave this one a grin that showed a bit too much teeth. “Assuming that wasn't some sort of secret code to have us all killed.” This one waved the idea off. “Hardly. You are far too useful. True, this one could have you killed, but then this one would lose a valuable contact, and competent help is so hard to come by—not to mention all the potential complications of trying that.” This one had experienced firsthoof such betrayals in the past. Betrayals that its former employers came to regret in due course. This one had no intentions of reenacting the same mistakes. “Good to hear.” The Alphonse-gryphon’s shoulders slumped. “I'm still a bit jumpy after everything that’s happened. We ... lost Felix.” “This one is sorry to hear that,” this one said in an appropriately somber tone. The Alphonse-gryphon grimaced. “You warned us the mission was high-risk, but...” He sighed as he ran his talons over his beak. “He took a hit to the wing while we were breaking out of that damned temple you sent us to. He insisted on staying behind to buy us time.” He shrugged. “We were in a tight spot.” “Does the Alphonse-gryphon need any assistance with the funeral arrangements?” Offering help when someone had been kicked down was often a good way to further bind someone to you. While this one certainly sympathized with the Alphonse-gryphon, it had hardly known Felix—only having a name and a face to put together. That was slightly irritating to this one. This one liked to be as well informed as it could about everyone it dealt with, but this one had become stretched as its influence had grown. Thus, it had become increasingly necessary to entrust others with less important tasks. That was one of the prices of delegation. The Alphonse-gryphon shook his head. “We'll use his share of the pay for it. The rest goes to his family.” “Perfectly reasonable,” this one said. “This one would suggest taking some time off then. A journey to Zanzebra is never easy. Especially after what all of you must have gone through to get the Crescent Moonstone.” “We're all very tired.” He nodded. “We'll need time to recruit a replacement anyways.” This one rubbed its chin. “This one thinks it might have a few individuals that might interest you, depending on what you are looking for.” This one took pride in being able to spot talented individuals, especially when their talents had not yet been recognized the city at large. Being able to fund the start of several small businesses and place such individuals in charge had done no small favors to this one’s bank accounts. “I'll come by sometime next week, then.” The Alphonse-gryphon let out a long breath. “After the funeral has been taken care of. Priorities.” “Of course.” This one nodded. “This one will have a list ready for you by then.” He nodded. “Thanks. That should work.” This one stood up and walked to a cabinet near the desk and pulled out a few glasses and a bottle of quality rum. “While we wait for Merry Penny to take care of the money arrangements, how about you tell this one of your journey while this one pours all of you a celebratory drink? You certainly look like you have earned it.” It would also be good to learn exactly what sort of expedition this one had funded, and a little show of appreciation on this one’s part certainly wouldn't hurt its standing with the mercenary adventurers. “That sounds ... nice.” A weary smile worked its way onto the Alphonse-gryphon’s beak as this one poured him a cup. “I’m glad we're working with you, Puzzle.” This one returned his smile, and it knew that its hold on the gryphon was quite secure. After this one’s business with the Alphonse-gryphon had been completed, it secreted away the Crescent Moonstone into safe storage. There was the heavy safe imbedded into the wall that was intended to keep safe the more mundane items this one came into possession of: documents, some spare cash in the event this one needed more money than it liked to carry around, and the like. That wasn't the safe this one used, though. Not for something this valuable. No, this one used the safe hidden behind one of the bookshelves and protected by several magical wards to keep any unwelcome hooves out of it. That taken care of, this one returned to the pile of paperwork upon its desk. There were several things that needed to be addressed, and the Alphonse-gryphon had already taken up much of the day. Then there were other relatively mundane tasks this one needed to review. The time had probably long passed where this one should have picked someone else to manage the hoofful of small businesses, restaurants and small shops this one owned. Keeping track of all of them was something that took up too much of this one’s time, after taking account for where this one wanted to place its priorities. After all, they were primarily intended to give this one a steady income while pursuing other, more important projects that might take some time to see come to fruition. This one was finishing comparing the resumes it had before it when it heard a disruption outside of its office door. The sounds of people moving and Merry Penny’s distressed voice reverberated through the door. This one was about to investigate what was going on when the door opened. Sunset Shimmer strode into the room as though she owned the place. In tow was her new apprentice, Kukri Doo, and an obviously distressed Penny-mare. The Penny-mare’s face was flushed with anger as she tried to stare a hole right through the back of the Shimmer-mare’s head. The Penny-mare trotted to get ahead of the Shimmer-mare. “I told you, you can't just come in to see Puzzle Piece without an appointment or me checking with him first.” The Shimmer-mare shot her the type of grin you only saw on someone who was taking particular pleasure in breaking the rules. “Strange, that's exactly what I've just done.” She brushed by the secretary and plopped herself down onto one of the cushions opposite of this one’s desk, giving this one a grin that dared it to protest. “Hey.” “Hello,” this one said, returning a smile that showed none of its annoyance with the sudden interruption. This one hadn’t even had the chance to transform into one of the forms it usually used when dealing with the Shimmer-mare. “Hello again, Puzzle Piece,” said Kukri, attempting to mimic the bold confidence of her master. The effort was ruined somewhat as she gazed about the office with childish curiosity. That wasn't particularly surprising considering the pieces of art, mementos, and other items this one kept around to remind itself of past ventures—the office was intended to project an air of importance to anyone that entered, after all. The expensive rugs, polished wood, and personal items were enough to say that this one was someone worth doing business with, but without threatening this one’s more prestigious and wealthy patrons. And judging based on how Kukri was being drawn in by it all, it was working its magic on the young changeling. For the Penny-mare’s part, she looked like she was about to grab the Shimmer-mare by the scruff of the neck and drag her back out of the office. She never did appreciate it when someone attempted to invade her little empire in the world. To prevent an incident, this one held up a hoof to her. “Penny-mare, could you please make us some tea?” She bit her bottom lip, but she understood the dismissal for what it was. “Of course, Puzzle. I'll be back in a few.” She withdrew and closed the door behind her. This one gave the Shimmer-mare an amused look. “You know, if you had but asked to come in, this one would have promptly seen the Shimmer-mare.” The Shimmer-mare shrugged. “Yeah, but that would have wasted a bunch of time. My way’s a lot better.” “There is a thing called ‘manners,’” this one said. “Surely it must have come up with your parents at some point, or at the very least the White Pony would have covered the topic.” In truth, this one knew very much what this was about, even if the Shimmer-mare might not have been immediately aware of it. She had barged into this one’s office in order to assert her importance and dominance in our relationship. The Shimmer-mare made a derisive snort. “I know all the rules; I just wasn’t bothering to follow them this time. No point in sending you a fancy engraved invitation when I can cut through all the horseapples and get straight to business. ” She had little trouble showing the pride—less generous souls would call it arrogance—typical of ponies from Canterlot. More likely she just didn't like the rules of decorum and manners to apply to her when she found them inconvenient. Well, this one could hardly let that stand over the long term, both because this one didn't want her to think she could walk all over this one, but also because sooner or later she was going offend the wrong individual in Freeport doing this type of thing. The smile on this one’s lips didn't waver as it spoke. “This one doesn't have to see you, you know. There is all sorts of business this one could do instead of meeting ponies who aren’t kind enough to knock.” “Yeah, but you want meet with me,” she said confidently. “All in good time.” This one returned to examining the resumes it had been looking at before it had been interrupted. “First, this one wishes to take care of some other business it had been stopped in the middle of.” The Shimmer-mare narrowed her eyes as this one studied its papers. When it didn't speak for a minute, she spoke up, more than a hint of annoyance in her tone. “You aren't seriously going to ignore me, are you?” This one’s amused smile didn't waver. “Maybe if the Shimmer-mare had made an appointment, then this one could put aside some time for a proper meeting.” Her scowl deepened at that, a piece of her pride now on the line. “I have important business, and you're just wasting time.” “Maybe you are wasting your time, but this one is being perfectly productive at the moment.” This one slowly flipped to another page to emphasize. “If it is so important, then no doubt you can make a proper appointment. That, or you can apologize for barging in. Either way, this one has the time.” The Shimmer-mare’s scowl deepened. For a moment it seemed like she was going to snatch this one’s paperwork from it to seize its attention, but she refrained from being quite that provocative. Instead, seeing that this one was quite content to make her wait, she rushed out a with less maturity than might be expected of a mare her age. “Fine, I’m sorry. I’ll knock next time. Happy?” “Thank you.” Not wanting to belabor the point, this one put down the résumés. “So what brings you to this one's office?” “What, we can't just visit for fun?” the Shimmer-mare asked with a toothy grin. “These are technically this one's business hours,” this one said. “Not that this one would ever complain about having your company, whatever the circumstances.” She was probably trying to turn the tables and make this one impatient with whatever had brought her to it, but one of the most important lessons this one learned as a grub was the value of patience. “Right, right.” The Shimmer-mare waved dismissively. “No fun during working hours. Your boss would disapprove.” Kukri cocked her head to the side, taking a seat next her master. “He has a boss?” This one grinned, showing its fangs. “Only to this one's higher ideals and its nation.” The Shimmer-mare snorted. “Yeah, you're a real idealist.” This one shrugged. “This one finds it more enjoyable than being a cynic. Really, it’s so dull to have to listen to others moping about how much worse the world is becoming, how things used to be better, or how kids don’t respect their elders anymore.” “I guess. Anyway, since it is business hours, let's talk business.” The Shimmer-mare’s patience with dancing around the topic at hoof was at its end. “I got approached about a job and wanted your take on it.” “What is the job?” this one asked. “Still don't have all the details,” she said. “A representative from the Sweetash family said they had a job for me, but that they could only give me the details from their island. Said we could meet with the client at Sweetash Isle tomorrow morning.” A slight frown creased this one’s lips. The Sweetash family owned one of the sugar plantation islands in the Freeport archipelagos. That made them one of the more wealthy and influential groups within Freeport. The backbone to Freeport’s economy was the sugar trade, and thus anyone that owned a percentage of that commodity was someone to take note of. “What other details do you have?” this one asked. “The pay's 250,000 ducats,” she said. “Supposedly, a rival plantation owner is using slave labor. They want me to investigate and find proof they’re breaking the law.” This one stroked its chin as it considered all the facts before it. That was a large number of ducats being offered—a number that made this one suspicious. “This strikes this one as strange.” The Shimmer-mare crossed her forelegs. “What do you mean?” “For one, why hire you when the Sweetash family could have informed the Council of this rival breaking the law? Slavery was one of the first things the Council did away with when it took over Freeport.” The Council did have strong ideological reasons for outlawing slavery, though this one couldn’t tell the Shimmer-mare specifically what those reasons were. “And the Sweetashes are more than influential enough to get the ball rolling for an investigation.” “Little thing called ‘proof,’” she pointed out. “Even in Freeport, you can’t go around accusing people of things without some evidence to back up your claim, and especially when they’re a rival that’s just as wealthy and powerful as you are. In Canterlot, that kind of thing could get you sued for libel, and I expect there are even more options in Freeport.” “Perhaps.” This one leaned back in its chair as it tried to recall everything it could remember about the Sweetash family. Sadly, that was very little. They had never hired this one in the past, and it had never run afoul of them. This one would have to review its records to see if anything relevant came up. “This one can see the potential motivehere. They probably want to eliminate a business rival, and maybe even hope to snatch up their property in the coup. But ... well, hiring you seems a bit overkill for an investigation.” Not to mention that the Shimmer-mare wasn’t exactly a trained investigator. Sure, magic gave her options that the average investigator wouldn’t have, but she lacked many of the fundamental skills. The Shimmer-mare frowned. “When you can afford the best...” This one shook its head. “Just because you can afford the best doesn't mean you pay for it. Especially when you’re trying to maximize the profits from your plantation. By habit, sugar plantation owners tend to be cheap in the help they hire.” There was a reason why they hired their indentured servants from the poor and desperate. Harvesting sugarcane was a labor-intensive process, and one of the methods plantation owners kept production costs low was by creating some of the most wretched working conditions you could find in Freeport. “Probably a grudge thing,” she said with a shrug. This one hummed unhappily. “This one doesn't like jobs where emotions are involved, if that is the case here. They tend to get ugly. In this one’s experience, the last thing you ever want to do is get wrapped up in someone else's revenge quest.” Kukri winced at the mention of revenge but remained silent. The Shimmer-mare sighed as she rolled her eyes. “Look, I didn't get every little detail, which is why I wanted you to come with me to see what’s up. You know more about all the little power groups in Freeport than I do, and I don’t want to get caught up in something I don’t even half understand.” “This one was certainly the right one to come to.” There was also the fact that this one was secretly being paid a considerable sum by the Equestrian Intelligence Service to make sure the Shimmer-mare remained safe, in addition to the money it was receiving to not spy on Equestria on the behalf of others. In truth, this one had its own reasons for making sure the Shimmer-mare remained safe. Having a unicorn of her power and training had been a windfall for this one’s long-term plans, even if in the short term this one had taken some financial losses for the sake of building up a positive relationship with the mare. This one had little interest in money, however, other than how it furthered this one’s plan. And there were indeed some big plans for the future—plans that the Shimmer-mare would be very helpful towards completing. That was one of the reasons why this one had been trying to close out several projects while making others more self-sufficient. Keeping the Shimmer-mare alive and moving in the direction this one desired was going to be a project all in of itself, in no small part due to her nasty habit of making more and more enemies as time passed. This one tapped the top of its desk as it considered what preparations should be made for the meeting with the Sweetash family. “Hm, it would probably be best for us to hire a few mercenaries for the meeting. Just to play it on the safe side.” Something about this job was making this one itch under its carapace. There wasn't anything specific that was making this one wary, but this one had survived as long as it had by listening to its instincts. The Shimmer-mare cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion. “Seriously?” “They certainly couldn't hurt,” this one said. “This one is never particularly wild about the idea of visiting someone else’s center of power alone. Chances are nothing will go wrong, but it’s nice to have the backup in the case the meeting becomes unpleasant.” Experience had long taught this one the benefits of having extra help around when meeting with clients. Truthfully, if this one had been the one contacted by the Sweetash family, it would have worked to have the meeting take place in a neutral location rather than on their island. That would have left more escape routes available, and made it more difficult to attack or otherwise pressure this one. This was another one of the topics this one was going to have to discuss with the Shimmer-mare in the near future when the opportunity presented itself. Kukri’s ears had perked as the topic of mercenaries came up. Not a surprise when her family and clan were so heavily invested in the occupation. “If the Shimmer-mare isn't pressed for time, it could ask Mom and see if there's anypony she knows who could help.” “This one is sure that we could hire somepony at the Doo Compound.” It would also help the Shimmer-mare develop her contacts among the Doo Clan. Being a repeat customer would help raise her esteem among the clan of mercenaries, and improving her reputation among the condottieri was something I wanted her to focus on, considering her past unsavory encounters with the city guard and the Striker Clan. “I dunno,” the Shimmer-mare said. “I don't want it looking like I'm scared.” Kukri gave her a flat look. “Nopony would blame you for being cautious, Shimmer-mare.” The other one, as a child of Freeport and the Doo Clan, of course knew of the value of having additional protection. That and it would probably reflect well on her clan if she helped make the Shimmer-mare a regular customer of theirs. Still, this one could sense the Shimmer-mare’s pride being provoked. Knowing that, this one took a different approach in its argument. “The Shimmer-mare is hardly acting frightened,” this one assured her. “Present it as you being an important mare. Everyone of importance in Freeport has at least some sort of guard or other hanger-ons, especially when attending to business. Really it’s a mark of prestige when you get down to it.” Kukri nodded in agreement. “You have made something of a name for yourself. A small guard contingent is both prestigious and sensible.” “And hiring some Doos would help your standing with them,” this one added. “It wouldn't hurt to improve your reputation among the condottieri and prevent further incidents with them.” This one hadn't been privy to all the details, but it seemed that the Shimmer-mare had made some enemies among the condottieri, which in turn had resulted in a contingent among them turning against her when she had been confronting a dangerous warlock. Since this one was trying to keep the Shimmer-mare alive, that was exactly the type of thing this one didn't want to be happening. The Shimmer-mare sighed and grumbled under her breath. “Yeah, okay. Though I still don't see how anything dangerous enough to beat me is gonna be stopped by a couple guards.” “It never hurts to have more muscle on your side in the event of a fight,” this one pressed. Normally this one would have argued that having guards also gave one additional opportunities to run away from a fight, but that argument wouldn't have sat well with the Shimmer-mare’s pride. “You can even avoid fights when you wish to avoid them.” “Think of it as reaching out, Shimmer-mare.” Kukri smiled up at her master. “You're offering them a compliment by asking for their presence—and Mom says they take their contracts very seriously, if the worst happens.” The Shimmer-mare pursed her lips as she thought over our arguments. “Yeah, can't think of a reason not to do it. Even Celestia has her own guards.” This one smiled, happy that it had won the argument. “Glad we could agree on that. Especially when the Shimmer-mare seems to keep getting into fights.” The Shimmer-mare let out a disgruntled grunt. “I've noticed. You would think ponies would learn to stop picking fights with me.” “This one should perhaps work with you on that.” This one was reasonably certain that the concept of diplomacy was a foreign one to the Shimmer-mare. It wouldn't be a surprise to find out that she had grown used to always getting what she wanted as the White Pony’s student. That would help explain a few things, such as why she ended up in a place like Freeport despite all her prospects back home. Children that grew up always hearing ‘yes’ tended to react poorly once they entered the real world and started hearing ‘no.’ “This one would hate to see you get seriously hurt.” Kukri scooted closer to the Shimmer-mare. “This one, too.” “I'd be pretty upset by it myself.” The Shimmer-mare tried to put humor into the statement, but there was a hint of doubt in her words. Perhaps some of her more challenging encounters had tempered her confidence to some degree. “This one would think so,” this one said with more humor. “It's your life on the line.” Kukri nodded. “And dying would be unhealthy for the Shimmer-mare. Especially if you just got your shots.” That brought a grin to the Shimmer-mare’s face and she rubbed Kukri on the head. “Heh. Yeah. But anyway, back to business.” “So what will you be paying this one for its help?” this one asked. This one did have its professional pride to consider; it didn’t just work for free. The Shimmer-mare rolled her eyes. “It's all about the money with you.” “This one would hardly be a proper mercenary if it weren't paid,” this one said. “If this one weren’t, then people might mistake this one’s services for a charity.” “And that would just be terrible, wouldn’t it?” She let out an exasperated huff. “Your usual rates?” This one nodded. “That would be fine. This one can assist the Shimmer-mare with contracting some mercenaries from the Doo Compound, and then we can go to Sweetash Isle.” Kukri all but catapulted from her seat. “And this one can help! It knows everyone at the Doo Compound and it can guard the Shimmer-mare’s back.” The Shimmer-mare frowned. “I don't want to take her into a potential combat situation. You could get hurt.” Kukri puffed out her chest. “This one knew what it was getting into as your apprentice, Shimmer-mare.” Ah, now there was a snag. The itching under this one’s carapace about this job hadn’t gone away, and it didn’t like the idea of dragging along a child for what might be a dangerous job. Shame Kukri was likely to insist on coming with us, and the Shimmer-mare might fold to her will if the other one begged hard enough. Kukri did have a pretty serious case of hero worship where her master was concerned and would likely do anything she could for her. She had similar feelings towards her older sister Kunai, though this one suspects Kukri might form different opinions about her sister if she knew all that Kunai gotten up to as part of her job. Especially when she worked with Brass Striker’s less-than-reputable mercenary company. But that was something to deal with another day. Right now this one needed to find a reason to keep Kukri off Sweetash Isle, and this one believed it had an idea for how to accomplish that. “Hm, you're willing to do a lot for the Shimmer-mare, aren't you, Kukri?” this one asked, sounding perfectly honest. Kukri eagerly nodded. “It's an apprentice's duty!” “You would be willing to do anything for her?” this one asked, drawing her further into the web. The Shimmer-mare started to grin, no doubt seeing where this one was going. “Just say the word!” Kukri said. “Great!” This one’s smile became almost predatory. “Then you can stay here and assist the Penny-mare tomorrow. You can learn how to do proper secretarial work with her. It would be most useful to the Shimmer-mare. Very important skills for any apprentice.” Kukri’s smile swiftly turned into a slack-jawed look of horror. “B-but, but...” The other one turned to the Shimmer-mare for assistance. The Shimmer-mare covered her mouth to hide a grin. “He's got a point.” The apprentice's ears flattened, and she scowled at the floor. “Yes, Shimmer-mare,” she grumbled. This one walked around its desk to pat Kukri on the back. “You can learn very valuable lifetime skills that will help her immensely: being a magus isn't all about smashing monsters and casting spells.” The Shimmer-mare nodded in agreement. “Paperwork is part of it, too.” “Yes, Shimmer-mare,” the grub grumbled, sounding like she was agreeing to the necessities of having a tooth pulled. “Good. Thanks, Kukri,” the Shimmer-mare said, a hint of relief in the words. “You're a good kid, Kukri.” This one gave her another reassuring pat on the back. Now if only everything else would go as smoothly as making sure Kukri wouldn’t be coming with us... Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable.
Chapter 2: ... It usually is.Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 2: ... It usually is. Preparation is essential in this one’s line of work. The preparations one makes when going out on a job is often the difference between success or failure, payday or a lot of wasted time and effort, victory or defeat, life or death. Certainly skill, experience, natural talent, and a bit of luck are factors that determine success, but preparation is something we can control. Especially with a bit of foresight. That was why this one was in its lab the morning after its meeting with the Shimmer-mare. Located on the first floor of this one’s office building, the room was well-stocked with all the supplies one would needed for creating magical and alchemical items. A work table and a cauldron sat in the center of the room, surrounded by shelves fully stocked with magical ingredients and tools necessary for magical crafting. Woefully, all of those very expensive tools and ingredients had been collecting dust for quite some time. This one sighed as it ran a hoof over the work table’s surface, leaving a long line in the dust that had collected. This one wasn't in a habit of letting anyone come into this room, and normally kept the room nicely locked behind its magically reinforced steel door. While this one could have given some its secretaries the keys to the lab, it didn't feel secure allowing anyone into the room considering some of the sensitive things locked within. That of course meant that there was only one person with access to the room and the ability to keep it clean: itself. Shame this one had simply been too busy for such mundane tasks. Basic cleaning hadn't been something this one had bothered with for years now. In addition to just not enjoying the mundane activity, it was usually much more profitable with this one’s time to hire someone else to do the cleaning. Unfortunately, the same was true where making potions was concerned. In this one’s early days, making the right magical potion or item had often made all the difference in this one’s success. But as this one became more and more successful, it had taken to paying other, more skilled hooves to make such things for it. The pity about that was that this one missed making potions. When this one had been a grub, it had enjoyed making potions with its mother. Helping to make magic items its parents used for their investigations were some of its happiest memories. Now though, this one hadn't fired up the cauldron in ... three months now, and only then when a client had sent a messenger telling this one that she was going to be late for a meeting and this one didn't want to idly sit around. Well, whatever this one felt about the past, there was a job to do now. This one’s horn took up a green glow as it picked up its saddlebags with its telekinesis. Thanks to this one’s zony heritage, this one had some magical talent. While this one would never have the abilities of a magus, it could still cast a number of cantrips. This one preferred to keep the full breadth of its abilities a secret when it could. It was so much easier to be underestimated when no one knew exactly what you were capable of. That was one of the issues with the bold methods of an individual like the Shimmer-mare: it was fast becoming common knowledge in Freeport that she was a pyromancer. It was only a matter of time before she started running into enemies that had counters for the spells she favored. That was yet another thing to cover with the Shimmer-mare when there was time, this one supposed. This one opened up a cabinet to reveal shelf after shelf stocked with magical potions. While this one hadn't had the time to make its own potions, this one was able to pay alchemists to brew whatever this one desired. As a result, this one was well stocked for supplies. Considering this one wasn't completely sure what it might have to deal with on Sweetash Isle, it picked out potions that could help with a diverse set of situations. A potion that enhances one’s senses, and a variety of potions that bolstered the drinker’s speed, strength, or the ability to hide. Putting each vial into the padded slots inside of the saddlebags, this one moved to the closet. Inside of the closet sat a variety of equipment that might become useful during the variety of assignments this one might go on. After a moment’s consideration, this one decided to go with a basic loadout. This one selected a first aid kit, a set of lockpicks, some rope, tanglehoof bags, a trio of always explosive fire gems, another set of thunderflash gems, and a pair of smoke potions. That done, this one closed the closet and moved onto the heavy safe that was bolted down to the floor and wall. This one stuck its horn into the hole at the center of the safe, and upon recognizing this one’s magical signature, the safe’s complex locking mechanisms clicked and the door slowly swung open. Inside were some of this one’s most prized possessions. Not necessarily in terms of how much they cost, though several of the items within were quite expensive, but the magical items were some of the most useful things this one owned. The safe was filled with meticulously made amulets, talismans made of a diverse set of materials, gems that thrummed with power, and a host of other objects. This one was already wearing the magical silver chain around its neck. Its primary function was to protect this one’s thoughts from being magically intruded upon. This one had a nasty scare one time when one of its rivals had hired a warlock with little respect for one’s privacy to go prodding around in its head. The mess that had resulted after that incident, and the fact this one had any number of secrets in its head that it wanted to keep secret, had made this one take precautions against that from happening again. The magical necklace wasn’t perfect, of course, but it did give this one a measure of protection. Within the safe itself, the first thing this one selected out was a little talisman made of fishbone and covered in small little runes. This was the latest addition to this one’s collection of magical items, and this one had the Shimmer-mare in mind for when it commissioned its construction. Specifically, it was designed to protect this one from fire. While this one saw it as unlikely that it would come into direct conflict with Freeport’s magus, it also knew of the dangers of pyromancy. It took but a moment’s indiscretion or a misaimed fireball in the middle of battle for this one to find itself rather more on fire than it ever desired. Not to mention that it gave the both of us more tactical flexibility in the middle of a fight. This one didn’t doubt the talisman would be a good investment in the future, even if it wasn’t particularly anxious to see it in use. This one’s silver necklace already had a number of basic protection talismans, and this one added the fire protection talisman to the others. There were other talismans within the safe, but most of them were to help with fairly specific situations, and this one didn’t want to risk letting on exactly how many talismans this one had in its possession unless it had to. This one could always walk around with most of its magical gear—it even had a set of enchanted armor sitting to the side of the room. The problem with doing that was that it tended to make people, especially those with the capability to detect magic, ask why this one was equipped for war. Considering this one was just meeting with a sugar plantation magnate, looking decked out for a full-fledged battle was probably overdoing it. Next, this one pulled out a steel bracer and put it on its right foreleg. The bracer was inlaid with runes made of gold and was one of the more offensive tools this one owned. Fully charged, it could give someone a very nasty electrical shock. It had been a nasty surprise to more than one individual who thought they had gotten the drop on this one. After a moment’s consideration, this one selected out one of its favorite magical objects: a silver bracelet with intricate carved patterns and several small sapphire gems embedded into it, the bracelet could grant its wearer the ability to turn invisible for a period of time every day. Needless to say, that ability was infinitely useful in this one’s line of work, and it had saved this one’s life on more than one occasion. Deciding that this one was done being properly paranoid for the occasion, this one closed the safe and relocked it. The itching under this one’s carapace hadn’t ended, even after looking through its files on the Sweetash family and asking a few of its contacts. The sugar plantation family had the usual range of business rivals and enemies such magnates usually had in Freeport, one or two black sheep, and a plurality of allies and friends. Frustratingly, none of it had stood out as particularly noteworthy. As a habit, this one liked to know what everyone it met wanted, both in the short term and the long term. Once one knew what someone desired, it was so much easier to know what to do when interacting with them and know how to manipulate them. This could be a simple case of one business rival attempting to eliminate another one, but this one had only survived as long as it had by being properly cautious. This one’s preparations as complete as they could be, it left the laboratory to seek out the Shimmer-mare. Some hours later, the Shimmer-mare and I stepped off of our ship and onto the Sweetash Isle docks. For this trip, this one had taken the disguise of a plain-looking pegasus stallion with a dark green coat and a light blue mane. As this one normally does when transformed as a pony, it placed a yellow puzzle piece onto its rear as a cutie mark. Yes, this one knows exactly how clever it is being by doing that, but one must advertise its services. There is also the fact that having a puzzle piece cutie mark makes it possible for others to identify this one in the event they are looking for it. A pair of mercenaries by the names of Stray and Precise Doo stepped off right after us and went about carefully observing the surrounding area, in particular keeping an eye on the dockworkers going about their business. Their green plate-mail clanked as they moved. Hiring a pair of bodyguards from the Doo Compound had been thankfully simple. While the Shimmer-mare had been a bit stubborn about the idea of hiring bodyguards, especially when the cost of the contract had come up, she had swallowed her pride thanks to this one’s help. The Shimmer-mare still wasn't wild about having them along, but from this one’s perspective, the goal was to get her used to the idea of depending of the services of such mercenaries. At least from leg’s length. “Huh.” The Shimmer-mare took a long whiff of the air. “I figured a sugar plantation would smell more like ... sugar.” “Not so much.” This one took a moment to examine the nearby area, it always liked to have a good idea where it could run and hide in the event it was attacked. The merchant ship sitting at the dock and the pair of warehouses a short ways away in particular caught this one’s eyes. “Sugarcane is a long way from processed sugar.” This one pointed towards a building sitting on the horizon. Judging from the trio of chimneys sticking out from its roof, that was probably the island’s sugar refinery. “If you want to smell sugar, you would want to go there.” “I guess so.” She glanced back at the pair of Doo mercs right behind us, a faint frown creasing her lips. “Relax.” This one patted her on the back and encouraged her to move up the dock. “They're just here to watch your back in case something happens. It’s what you’re paying them to do, and you have a contract.” “I know,” the Shimmer-mare said. “Still not used to having them around, though.” Whatever the Doos’ opinions were on the matter, they kept it to themselves in stoic silence. They were probably of the mindset that it was best for bodyguards to stay silent around their employers in public. This one shrugged. “You get used to it with time. This one certainly did.” The Shimmer-mare nodded as we stepped onto the brick road just off the dock. “Yeah, I got used to Celestia's guards always being around. I'll adapt to them too.” “This one is sure that you will.” Looking down the road, this one saw a large stone manor with white painted walls. “So, we’re supposed to head to the manor to meet our contact?” She nodded. “That's the plan, yeah.” “No sense delaying, then.” The two of us started down towards the manor with our bodyguards in tow. On either side of the road were the tall stalks of sugarcane. It covered just about every square acre of the island, and all around us were ponies, zebras, diamond dogs, gryphons, and other species tending the fields. To our left, the indentured workers of the farm were carefully managing a controlled fire intended to clear out the underbrush around the sugarcane, as well as remove any of the poisonous bugs or reptiles that often made their homes within the fields. On the opposite field, more indentured servants were busily trotting about cutting down sugarcane and tossing the stalks onto carts to be taken to the sugar refinery, all while their taskmasters drove them to keep up the pace. Once cut, there was a limited period of time to finish harvesting the stalks as the sugary sap within them slowly dripped out. The process was labor intensive, and the taskmasters were paid to make sure they got every iota of work they could out of their charges. It wasn’t hard to see the beaten down, exhausted look about each of the indentured servants. The Shimmer-mare scowled out at the workers, one of whom had come under the scrutiny of her taskmaster and was being yelled at for some indiscretion. The mare looked on the verge of tears from the outburst. “Problem?” this one asked, having a very good idea of what was on her mind. Indentured servitude, the practice where a person sold themselves into virtual slavery for a period of time, was one of the less savory practices allowed in Freeport. At least, in this one’s opinion. “Yes.” The Shimmer-mare’s scowl deepened when she caught sight of worn down, wooden shacks that served as the homes of the indentured servants. They stood out in stark contrast to the sturdy, proud manor sitting on top of a hill overlooking the sugarcane fields and the housing for the plantation’s workers. The manor even had its own vast flower garden with a marble water fountain sitting in front of it. “They're living in hovels, and...” She turned to speak to an indentured servant pulling a cart filled with sugarcane. “How long is your workday?” “Twelve hours, ma'am,” grumbled the stallion, glancing towards the nearest taskmaster. “Right,” the Shimmer-mare said, sounding decidedly unhappy. “It's about the least pleasant work you can find in Freeport,” this one admitted. “‘You don't want to end up working on a sugar plantation’ is a warning just about every parent says to their children to push them, to apply themselves to their education and learning a craft.” This one’s parents certainly had, and it had no intentions of being reduced to the point of having to be an indentured servant. “The only people that tend to get trapped in it are the poor and desperate. A room over your head and three good meals can sound pretty good to those that don't have it, whatever the working conditions are.” This one could all but hear the Shimmer-mare’s teeth grinding. “I'll have to do something about this.” “And what would that be?” this one asked, keeping its tone carefully neutral. In truth, this one had hoped that the Shimmer-mare would get a nice, long look at how the sugar plantations of Freeport operated. It was part of this one’s overall plans, after all. There was a long moment of silent before the Shimmer-mare ground out a, “I'll figure it out later.” That was one of the Shimmer-mare’s weaknesses: she knew she wanted to do things, but she didn’t know quite how to do them. A pity, but that was something this one intended to help her with. The first step of that plan was to educate her on the nature of Freeport. Something this one was well-versed on. “It used to be even worse in the past, you know,” this one said. “Before the Council came to rule Freeport, slavery was legal here. The local warlords, plantation owners—whatever you wanted to call them—wanted cheap labor to make their sugar plantations cheap to operate. It was one of the main causes for Freeport becoming a pirate haven. Thanks to so many slaves dying from the tropical climate, disease, poor food, and harsh working conditions, Freeport needed a steady import of slaves to keep the plantations running.” “Right, I read about this,” the Shimmer-mare said. “You used to have a bunch of pirate fleets coming out of Freeport, and they would seize and enslave the crew of every ship they could run down. They even started attacking seaside communities to enslave them.” This one nodded. “Of course, the Council made slavery illegal soon after they came to power.” A grin found its way to this one’s face. “That caused the plantation owners, slavers, and pirates to rebel against the Council. The civil war was a near thing for the Council. If not for the alliance between the Council and the Doo and Striker Clans, as well as some aid from Equestria, the Council might have only been yet another group in a long line to rule Freeport over the centuries.” “Equestria has always hated slavery,” the Shimmer-mare mused. “Still, indentured servitude isn’t much better than being a slave.” This one shrugged. “True enough, but at least they aren’t legally owned by someone else anymore, and they aren’t as trapped within the system. Not to mention the Council has given indentured servants some rights, including requiring they be given sufficient food and a daily rum ration, and forbid the plantation owners from changing the terms of the contract at will.” The fact that the indentured servants had waged a short-lived rebellion over their magnates suddenly telling them they had to work additional years beyond what their contract had originally stated had probably played a hoof in that decision. The Shimmer-mare shook her head. “It's still not good enough. Yeah, it’s a little better, but it’s still wrong.” “Of course,” this one agreed as we drew closer to the manor. “The issue is what should be done. Don't forget, the plantation owners will fight for every inch if you try and change anything they don't approve of. They nearly went into open revolt when the Council started enforcing the terms of indenture contracts, and disallowed changes to them without both parties agreeing to them.” The Shimmer-mare sighed and one her ears flicked irritably. “It's always complicated.” “It usually is,” this one said. “That's why it's important to understand a problem before rushing in and trying to solve it.” This one pointed to some servants chopping down sugarcane with their machetes. “There are reasons why nations like Equestria haven't pushed Freeport too hard about changing its practices.” “And not just because cheap labor makes for lower export prices?” The Shimmer-mare gave one of the taskmasters a particularly loathsome glare. This one shook its head. “Not when Freeport supplies about eighty percent of Equestria's sugar. And this one is sure the Shimmer-mare knows how much of a sweet tooth Equestria has.” “Yeah, even Celestia loves her cake,” the Shimmer-mare conceded. “So you can imagine how upset everyone would become if sugar supplies were disrupted,” this one pointed out. “No one likes it when a good they’re used to buying affordably suddenly triples in price, or worse, becomes unavailable entirely.” “Celestia would flip without her cake,” the Shimmer-mare agreed. “And I can't say I’d be happy about it either.” This one couldn't help but grin, despite the seriousness of the lesson this one was giving to the Shimmer-mare. “Which would be most terrible. Best to make sure the being that controls the sun gets her daily offering of cake.” “Exactly, but we have to do something about this,” she insisted. “The trick is to do the right thing,” this one said in a soothing manner. “Action without forethought often results in disaster, and this is too important to get wrong.” The Shimmer-mare made rolled her eyes. “If you start lecturing me about friendship next, I'm outta here.” That statement piqued this one’s interest. “And what is the matter with friendship? This one rather likes it. Friendship helps keep life from becoming too dull.” “Just that Celestia was always talking about it,” the Shimmer-mare grumbled like a child that was being told to eat her vegetables again. “She just kept going on and on about it for some reason.” “Is that so?” This is the first this one had heard of this and it caught this one’s curiosity. At least thus far, she had talked little about the ponies she had known back in Canterlot and Equestria. Not even of family or friends. “Does the Shimmer-mare know why?” “Nope.” She let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “Probably some lesson she was trying to teach me or something.” “This one would think so if she placed such an emphasis on it.” Having friends was preferable to none in this one’s opinion. While some would argue some hogwash about how having friends dragged you down or that they only created vulnerabilities, this one suspected they had never been in a situation where they had been surrounded by enemies, down on their luck, and in desperate need of assistance. “This one will be your friend, Shimmer-mare.” This one gave her a smile. The Shimmer-mare grinned back. “Works for me.” “Great, so now we're friends.” “Yeah. Yay us,” the Shimmer-mare said with sudden listlessness. She got a distant look in her eyes before she shook her head out. “C'mon, let's get on the job.” “Very well, no sense dragging this out.” Deciding not to comment on her reaction to this one offering her its friendship for now, this one followed her up the stairs leading to the manor door. The Shimmer-mare knocked on the door and it wasn’t long before a severe-looking zebra mare wearing a maid’s uniform opened the door. She gave us the type of look she probably reserved for those that walked from door to door trying to sell something. “Hello, can I help you two?” The Shimmer-mare gave the servant her most confident smile. “Yes, I’m here to speak with the Sweetash family regarding the business they contacted me about.” After a long moment of consideration, the servant opened up the door further to let us in. “Come on in and take a seat. I’ll find someone to speak with you.” The Shimmer-mare nodded. “Sounds good to me.” We walked into the manor and took our seats on a pair of cushions sitting in the foyer to wait while our bodyguards took positions on either side of us. The room was about what I expected for the manor of one of the richest families in Freeport: the whole room was decorated with expensive dark wood, marble, and had a considerable collection of paintings, vases, and other artworks to give the place an air of sophistication and importance. Glancing about the room while we waited, the Shimmer-mare frowned. “I see they're living large off the fruits of others’ labor.” This one shrugged. “That is usually how it is when you own a business. The Sweetash family has the capital in the form of the land, and the servants provide the labor. This one takes advantage of similar situations with the employees it hires.” “Yeah, you own a business, but it looked like you actually worked for your money,” the Shimmer-mare countered. “This one has put a great deal of effort into earning its place in the world, yes,” this one allowed. “But this one would hardly consider it a crime to inherit wealth, like the Sweetash family has. If this one had been less lucky, it could have ended up as desperate as the indentured servants outside.” Indeed, this one had been quite lucky to have a mother and father that had seen to its education and raising. While we had been far from wealthy, this one’s parents had managed to carve out a comfortable livelihood. The Shimmer-mare puckered out her bottom lip as she considered that. “It's not luck. You made something of yourself. Hard work and natural talents.” “There is certainly a great deal of truth to that.” This one scratched at the bottom of its chin. “This one didn’t get to where it is by being lazy. Though if this one had been a bit less lucky, it probably would have ended up dead.” “I don't buy it.” She let out a snort. “You're too good to wind up dead.” This one grinned, enjoying the little impromptu debate. “This one has seen smarter, faster, and stronger killed before it.” The Shimmer-mare shook her head. “If they were better, they would've won.” This one decided to see how the Shimmer-mare would react to a small prodding. “What if this one told you that most of the deaths this one is responsible for happened to individuals this one never even met?” In truth, not wanting to get this one’s hooves dirty, this one preferred to act through proxies and hired agents to complete the less savory assignments it came across. Without bragging, this one was quite good at using such methods to eliminate targets, and using others was considerably safer than doing such tasks yourself. The Shimmer-mare quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really?” This one nodded. “This one doesn’t like getting its hooves dirty—at least directly. So this one finds out the best way to get to someone. Everyone has their weaknesses, their blindsides, enemies, addictions, and those around them that they should not trust.” Giving this one a confident smirk, she asked. “Even me?” “When this one says everyone, it means everyone. It's just a matter of identifying those weaknesses and finding a way to exploit them. It's one of the top two things this one endeavors to learn about everyone it knows. Once you know someone’s weaknesses, you can hold power over them.” The Shimmer-mare sat back against the wall as she mulled that over. “Now I'm curious to see what you think mine are.” This one gave her a toothy grin. “Careful, looking into the mirror isn't always flattering.” This one had certainly seen more than one individual react poorly when it had pointed out their flaws, even when it had been for their own good. Especially those that were prideful like the Shimmer-mare. Still, if this one could at least point out a couple of flaws and make her consider them, some good might come out of this conversation. The Shimmer-mare puffed out her chest. “I can handle it.” “If you say so.” This one decided to start with an obvious and simple flaw the Shimmer-mare had. “You have a terrible temper.” The Shimmer-mare narrowed her eyes at this one. “I don't know about terrible, but I guess I do have one.” She had admitted to that readily enough, so this one moved to a dicier subject. “You also don't like facing facts that are unpleasant to you.” The Shimmer-mare gave an unhappy grunt. “What's that supposed to mean?” “Why did the Shimmer-mare come to Freeport?” This one asked. It was often easier to get someone to actually consider something they didn't like to think by framing an issue as a question rather than a blanket accusation. “Most ponies don't exile themselves from their home nation.” “It was where the ship was going,” she said after the briefest moment of hesitation. “Mhm, and why have you stayed in Freeport?” This one pressed. “Well, no reason not to.” The Shimmer-mare didn't look this one in the eyes, and it could hear the lack of complete conviction as she spoke. “You're here, Kukri's here, I have a nice tower and a good job...” “And you couldn't have had most of those things in Canterlot?” this one asked, already knowing the answer. “Or anywhere else in Equestria?” The Shimmer-mare shuffled in her seat. “Celestia could give them to me, yeah.” “Yet here you are.” This one gestured around the foyer in emphasis. “In a highly disreputable city, surrounded by scum and villainy, thinking about taking a job from a family whose employment practices you sorely disagree with.” Her tone took on a defensive note. “The money's good enough to buy an aetheric monitor and a trans-phasic detector, with enough left over to stock up on alchemical reagents.” This one nodded. “No doubt. But this one can't help but notice how the Shimmer-mare has just avoided two significant issues.” “What do you mean?” she asked. This one spoke in a purely analytical tone to prevent its words sounding anything like an accusation. “The first is that you avoided the issue of where all that money you're going to get paid came from. Specifically, whose hard work went into making it. Something you complained about just a few minutes ago.” The Shimmer-mare’s brows furrowed. “And the second?” “Why you left Equestria and refuse to go back,” this one said. “Why would I go back?” The Shimmer-mare crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Celestia can come to me. Plus I'm kinda banished now. Remember how the EIS tried to drag me away in chains?” “And the White Pony would not end your banishment if you asked?” this one countered. “You were her personal student once, and she is a forgiving spirit.” The Shimmer-mare did not answer this one’s question. Instead she looked away from this one and remained silent. While she did not tell this one why she had not returned to Equestria, this one knew the answer: pride. Pride was a dangerous sentiment to hold too closely to one’s heart. Place too much value on it, and it tended to do far more harm than good. One only had to look at the direction the Shimmer-mare’s life had gone to see that much. This one had done some research on the Shimmer-mare after she had come to Freeport and it had learned some valuable information that revealed much about the mare it planned on using in the future. Such as the fact that thanks to her hurt pride and a moment where she had lost control of her temper, she had thrown away so much. Despite the White Pony’s attempts to cover up the incident, the fact that the Shimmer-mare had burned Princess Cadance with her pyromancy and had fled had made the rounds within Canterlot. That had only left the question of why the Shimmer-mare had attacked the Love Pony. After spending some time with her and putting the train of events together, this one believes it had come to the truth of it. The first thing this one always wanted to know about someone was their weaknesses. The second thing is what they desire. Once you knew those two things, it was simply a matter of gaining those things in order to have control over them. And what the Shimmer-mare desired was wings. To become an alicorn and gain all the power, prestige, and position that would come with that. She had grown accustomed to all three of those things as she grew up as the White Pony’s personal student and no doubt expected to gain more as she blossomed into a full-grown mare. And then her pridehad been hurt. The White Pony had found another alicorn, adopted her, and made her a princess. With a stroke she had given somepony else, a complete stranger to the Shimmer-mare, everything she had desired. That led to the train of events that had led her to Freeport, and right into this one’s influence. The fact that the Shimmer-mare refusedto even admit why she hadn’t returned to Equestria only confirmed what this one heavily suspected. Which suited this one just fine. “We all have our weaknesses, Shimmer-mare,” this one said, repeating itself. And our desires. In addition to becoming very good at finding people’s weaknesses and desires, this one had become quite capable of supplying those things when needed. After all, that gave this one power, and this one considered the key to happiness in life was power. The Shimmer-mare made an annoyed grunt and refused to look at this one. “Remember what this one said about looking into the mirror?” this one asked. She waved dismissively. “Yeah, yeah...” Before this one could reconcile with the Shimmer-mare, a different servant approached us. “Magnate Sweet Deal is ready to see you, Magus Sunset Shimmer.” “Alright, great.” The Shimmer-mare stood up. “Take me to her.” The servant bowed her head and led the way upstairs. We were ushered through a pair of double doors into a large office room and the servant closed the doors behind us. As was the case with the rest of the manor, the room had been decorated to impress. Artwork was spaced all about, a white carpet with intricate floral patterns covered the floor, and shelves of expensive woods covered by books and personal effects lined the walls. It was all clearly intended to show the guests they were meeting with an individual of wealth and importance. On the far end of the room, a smiling earth pony of middle years stood by her desk. A white suit covered much of her light orange coat, and her yellow mane was done up in a bonnet. A half dozen servants dressed in maid uniforms or suits stood on each side of the room. Something about them caused the itching under this one’s carapace to redouble, though it could not state exactly why. Maybe it was the fact that there was little point in having so many household servants on staff, especially when we were going to be discussing delicate information. A quick glance back at the Doo bodyguards showed that they were unusually tense, their ears were pricked up and they glanced about at the servants with narrowed eyes. They traded a quick look to each other out of the corner of their eyes that spoke more than mere words and stepped closer to the Shimmer-mare. Now thinking this one might be feeling more than mere paranoia, this one tried to speak a word of caution to the Shimmer-mare. But before this one could do so, she trotted towards the mare who must have been our business contact. “Hey, nice place.” The Shimmer-mare extended a hoof. “Nice to meet you. Name’s Sunset Shimmer.” The mare smiled and took her hoof. “Sweet Deal, and the pleasure is all mine.” Then Sweet Deal’s smile became something unpleasant and she lunged at the Shimmer-mare’s throat with her teeth. “What—?!” The Shimmer-mare took a step away from her attacker and her horn started glowing right as Sweet’s teeth clamped on her throat. The room exploded into motion. As one, the servants around us charged. Protecting his charge, Precise Doo charged and slammed his shoulder into Sweet’s chest and forced her back. To this one’s relief, a sheet of ice covered the Shimmer-mare’s throat—she must have gotten off a spell just in time to protect herself. Driven by instinct and experience, this one moved to stand back to back with the Shimmer-mare, and to this one’s satisfaction, Stray Doo did the same while the Precise-stallion closed the circle. One of the servants threw a punch at its head, but it weaved its head out of the way and in one motion, wrapped a leg up and around his leg to hold it in place and drove its other hoof right into his ribs. The air was blown out of the servant’s lungs, but there was little time to permanently deal with him as the other servants continued their charge. Twisting the leg this one had captured, it flipped the servant and threw him in the way of a pair his fellows. He collided with their legs and they fell into a disorganized heap. The Shimmer-mare’s face contorted into a furious snarl. “Oh you nag!” Her horn glowed brighter and a fireball leapt forth and slammed into the mare that had attacked her. The Sweet-mare flew back from the force of the explosion and was thrown up and over her desk. The Stray-stallion slashed out with one of his wingblades and caught one of the servants across the throat, resulting in the servant falling back as she clutched the ruined remains of her neck. Two more servants attempted to flank the Shimmer-mare, but the Precise-stallion warded them back with some warning blows from his hammerhooves. “Oh, it is on!” the Shimmer-mare bellowed. Several shards of ice formed in front of her and she threw them at the servants menacing her. They each let out inequine screeches as they fell to the floor, pierced by the shards. The Shimmer-mare then hurled another fireball at the servants attempting to recover for another attack against me and the Stray-stallion. The fireball struck and exploded, sending them flying away and making this one instinctively flinch away from the heat. For a moment, the room fell silent except for the pained moans of a pair of the servants. The desk, part of the carpet and one of the bookshelves had caught on fire, but the room was almost eerily quiet. This one looked about to take in the room and see if there were any more threats, though it seemed we had won the sudden and unexpected fight. It was then that this one caught a sight it hadn’t expected: gathering in a pool by one of the servants that had been struck by the ice shards was the blood of the servant. Green blood. Changeling ichor? A quick look confirmed the same green blood on the other servants who had been cut. A growing sense of dread fell over this one as it considered all the possibilities for what that could mean, none of them good. This one snapped its head to the Shimmer-mare. “We need to get out of here!” Upon the declaration, the double doors to the room crashed open and a tide of changelings flooded into the room while screaming a collective “Skree!” “Ya think?!” The Shimmer-mare gathered another fireball and leveled one of the wings of the changeling horde as it tried to circle around us. Changelings were thrown about by the force of the explosion and a hole was opened in the nearby wall, sending shards of burning debris scattering about the room. Perfect. Now in addition to the seemingly dozens of attackers, the room was on fire. And then before this one could even begin to answer all the questions it had for this ambush, the wave was upon us. This one caught the leg of the first changeling that struck out at this one. This one lashed out with its free hoof and stuck the changeling’s knee. The knee broke and this one shoved against it so that it fell against its fellows, doing something to stem the tide for at least a second. Shame all that happened was that our attackers climbed over their fellow changelings to continue their assault, and this one quickly found itself badly pushed. The Precise-stallion was whirling his blades as quickly as he could as one opponent after another pressed against him. He was clearly skilled at his deadly craft, for a third and then fourth changeling fell before him and half a dozen others displayed wounds from what were no doubted enchanted wingblades, considering they were having little trouble at damaging chitin. Then one of the changelings threw itself at the mercenary, intentionally taking a nasty gash to the chest in order to tie up his wing. Before the Precise-stallion could untie himself, three more changelings threw themselves at him in near reckless fashion. To his credit, the bodyguard slashed out with his free wing to remove the head of another changeling and used the changeling grappling with his wing to shield himself against the second. But the third one charged through his guard and clamped its fangs down on his throat. The Precise-stallion let out a startled grunt as the weight of multiple attackers bore him to the ground. A realization caused this one’s stomach to sink. Not only were we badly outnumbered, but the changelings attacking us were doing it with a single-minded ferocity, caring nothing for the casualties they suffered. Free Mind changelings didn't do that. Free Minds had every bit the sense of self-preservation as other sapient beings, and had the sense to use weapons and armor when they could. While Free Minds might not attack in this fashion, this one knew who would. The Old Mind’s drones. “Precise!” screamed the Stray-stallion as his companion fell. He had been busy keeping the changelings off of the Shimmer-mare while she froze a group of the drones’ legs to the ground, but the split-second distraction caused him to miss a drone that had been skittering along the ceiling. It pounced upon him and drove him to the ground. Before any of the rest us could react, more drones converged on the prone mercenary, burying him under a pile of bodies. It was as the Stray-stallion was overwhelmed that the Shimmer-mare did just about the worst thing she could: she froze, staring down at the bodyguard who had been protecting her but a moment before. The Shimmer-mare’s attention had been occupied for all of a second, but that was all another changeling climbing along the ceiling needed. It fell upon her and bit down on the back of her neck. This one was too busy just staying alive, dodging attacks and trying to keep the swarm off of it to do anything to help her. There wasn’t even time to try and pull out any of the objects in its saddlebags that might help. The Shimmer-mare screamed in pain and her horn took on a near blinding radiance. Then everything was on fire. The intensity of the flames was such that they hurt this one’s eyes even through its eyelids. A torrent of fire slammed into this one and the drones surrounding us and we were all thrown away from the Shimmer-mare. This one collided with one of the bookshelves, the impact sending a jolt of pain throughout its entire body. This one’s senses were overwhelmed by the pain of the fire, light, and impact, to the point this one isn’t sure how much time passed. But eventually the heat dissipated and this one was able to slowly open its eyes. Anything flammable was either alight, or soon would be, and likely it wouldn't be long before the whole manor would find itself in the same condition. The ruined wrecks of a couple dozen changelings had been thrown up against the walls of the room. At the center of the display of fiery destruction was the Shimmer-mare panting and standing on shaky legs, whether out of pain or fatigue this one could only guess. If there was anything left of the changeling that had bit her, other than its shadow on the wall, this one didn’t see it. Coughing as this one tried to get some air into its lungs after having the air knocked out of it—not an easy task with smoke starting to fill the room—this one slowly stood up on trembling legs. Every part of this one’s body ached in protest when it did so, and this one was surprised that it was still even alive. This one felt an intense burning on its chest and looked down to see the smoldering remains of the fire resistance talisman hanging on its necklace. It seemed that the talisman had indeed been a very good investment. It was likely the only reason this one was the only other thing left alive in the devastated room. This one stumbled its way to the Shimmer-mare. Working hard to get through the fog in this one’s senses, it tried to take in its surroundings for threats. As this one reached the magus, it noticed movement just outside the doorway. At least four drones were starting to stand in the hallway, removing this one’s hope that the Shimmer-mare had killed all of them outright. “We need to go, now.” The Shimmer-mare blinked her eyes, looking surprised this one had spoken to her. “Yeah, just let me tele ... por...” She staggered, and this one had to catch her from falling over. “Sunset?” This one looked her in the eyes to try and grab her attention, but her eyes failed to focus on anything. This one silently cursed. We didn’t have time for this one to figure out what was wrong with the Shimmer-mare and get her moving. The drones were now glaring balefully at the two of us, and seemed primed to continue their attack at any moment. It struck this one as a very bad idea to continue any kind of fight inside of a burning manor while trying to protect a half-conscious mare. Seeing no other recourse, this one picked the Shimmer-mare up onto its back and activated its invisibility bracelet. The two of us now invisible, this one fled through the hole in the wall the Shimmer-mare had created during the fighting. This one ran as fast as it could to flee the manor, though it knew there was nowhere to run on the island we were now trapped on. Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable.
Chapter 3: Sour BusinessFreeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Chapter 3: Sour Business This one fled the manor with the wounded Shimmer-mare on its back. Under the cover of invisibility, this one ran past several individuals who were making their way towards the now-burning building. Likely, the taskmasters would soon be gathering the servants into bucket brigades to try and put the fire out, but such details weren’t this one’s concerns at the moment. What was its concern was to find someplace safe to hide, recover, and form a plan. We were, quite frankly, lucky to be alive after being ambushed by the Old Mind’s drones. It seemed highly unlikely that the Doo bodyguards we had hired had survived the attack, but the dead would have to wait for later. This one silently cursed itself for not foreseeing the ambush. How had the Old Mind managed to sneak the better part of a swarm within Freeport’s territories without anyone noticing? True, the Old Mind had her tricks for infiltrating a society without its knowledge, but there were signs for when she had done so. People going missing, prominent individuals acting strangely, and other signs that the Free Minds and our agents knew to watch out for, lest the Old Mind succeed in exterminating us. This one ran for the dock, reminding itself to worry about those particular details later. The small ship we had taken to Sweetash Isle should still be there—we had paid enough for the ship’s small crew to stay put. As the charge for the invisibility bracelet wore off, this one forced itself to slow down and take account of the situation. In all probability, the drones that had ambushed us back in the manor weren’t the only ones on the island. Sneaking along the side of the warehouse near the dock, this one peered around the corner to examine the pier jutting out into the sea. The ship hadn't left. Shame the only part of the ship this one could still see was the mast; the rest was underwater. The Old Mind’s work, no doubt. The three-person crew of the ship was also nowhere to be seen, which didn't bode well. It was possible they were only someplace else, but this one wouldn't have placed any money on that. The merchant ship still sat at the dock, though, and its crew were busy at work. Whatever had happened to the ship we had hired hadn't concerned the merchant crew enough to make them stop. Maybe some changelings had managed to draw the crew of our ship away somehow without letting the merchant ship’s crew know what was happening. Unfortunately, hiring the merchant ship to take us off the island probably wasn't a viable option. A ship wasn't nearly as fast as a flying changeling, and there was probably at least one drone watching the dock for this one to try just that. This one would need to find another way off the island. Before this one could take time to look for any such scout, a sickly groan from the Shimmer-mare drew its attention. Right, first this one needed to check on her condition before it did anything else. Unable to think of any other better alternatives, this one found one of the side doors to the warehouse and snuck inside. Thankfully, the immediate vicinity was empty, though the sound of people working echoed from the far side of the warehouse. Crates and supplies obstructed the lines of sight, and the sunlight coming in through the windows only served to cast their area in a gloom. It was as good a place as any to hide for a bit. This one carefully sat the Shimmer-mare against some bags of sugar and spoke softly. “Shimmer-mare, are you still with this one?” Her eyes flickered open and there was a distant look to them. “It's ... hot.” “Do not worry, this one is here.” This one quickly looked the Shimmer-mare over, and did not like what it saw. Her eyes were sunken, and her breathing came in staggered breaths and she acted listlessly—a vast difference from the vigorous and fiery mare this one was used to dealing with. She was sweating more than what even the hot and humid climate justified. Near as this one could remember, she never sweated, probably as a result of some spell she used to keep herself cool. As if that were not bad enough, the fang marks from the drone that bit her had taken on a sickly green color. The veins around the wound had had turned a similar shade, and seemed to be spreading with each heartbeat. A quick spell confirmed the presence of venom, and a strong one. It was perhaps a small mercy that the Old Mind rarely used poisons that quickly killed her victims; the dead could hardly be fed upon after all. It was a common ability among the Old Mind’s drone, and even this one had been born with a paralytic agent in its venom glands. This one rifled through its saddlebags and pulled out a first aid kit. While this one didn't know much about medicine and healing, it knew enough to at least deal with the basics. Within the first aid kit was a vial with a potion intended to counter poisons. “This is going to sting,” This one warned. The Shimmer-mare did not react, even after it plunged a syringe into her. That lack of a reaction wasn't very encouraging. She had never struck this one to like needles, and her listlessness made this one worry about what damage the venom might have already done. To make matters worse, the poison might even be magic resistant, meaning the potion could be worthless. What the Shimmer-mare really needed was a proper healer. There were some healers back in the city of Freeport that were probably equal to the task; the problem was actually getting her to one when the Old Mind was no doubt hunting us right that moment. Going by ship wasn't likely to work, and flying wasn't much of an option either. Most likely this one would be spotted if it tried to fly away from Sweetash Isle, and there was virtually no chance this one would be able to outfly multiple drones while carrying the Shimmer-mare, especially when the nearest island was many miles away. Even under the best of circumstances, this one didn’t have the endurance for the trip. This one went about sterilizing the bite wound while it considered its predicament. “Are you still with this one?” this one asked again, hoping the potion would begin to counter the venom quickly. “Have'n left yet.” The Shimmer-mare let out a couple nasty, deep-throated coughs. “Can't. Exiled, 'member?” This one gave her a smile that didn't feel nearly as encouraging as this one intended. “Right, of course. How silly of this one.” “Hey, Puzzle?” “Yes?” This one answered as it applied a bandage. The seconds ticked by and this one wondered if the Shimmer-mare had drifted off into some sort of unconsciousness when she spoke next. “Did ... I didn't kill anypony, did I?” There was a small plea in her tone; she hadn't exactly held back for much of the fight. She had probably seen the changelings that had attacked us as monsters, and hadn’t really considered that she might be attacking another sapient being at the time. To be fair, changelings were predatory by nature—Old Mind drone or Free Mind—and her prehistoric instincts had acted accordingly. This one wouldn’t consider it particularly immoral to kill a drone. It might seem cold for one changeling to say about another, but for all intents and purposes, we are a different species. The Old Mind, or Queen Chrysalis as she often liked to call herself to others, was a form of gestalt hive intelligence—simultaneously a member of the swarm, and yet a separate entity altogether. The average drone was little smarter than an animal without the Old Mind to guide them. Losing individual drones was of little more consequence than losing individual body cells to her. So this one didn't concern itself too much about the deaths of drones. Not when the Old Mind was a scourge upon the world that preyed upon the innocent. Still, that left the Shimmer-mare’s question unanswered. This one kept its face and tone very neutral before it answered. “No ponies, no.” Though in truth, this one wasn’t completely certain of even that technical answer. While the Doo mercenaries had been overwhelmed by the swarm, this one couldn't be absolutely sure they had been dead when the Shimmer-mare had set the manor ablaze. If they hadn't been dead before, they certainly were after that. But now wasn't the time to put such a burden upon the Shimmer-mare’s shoulders. It wouldn't help either of us to talk about it, and all of us probably would have been killed or captured if she hadn't ended what she had in any event. Something in her frame relaxed after my assurances. “Good. Mom'd ... be sad ... if I...” Yes, this one could imagine what the Shimmer-mare’s mother, whichever one she was talking about in her haze, would say about such a thing. Near as this one knew, she had never killed anyone before coming to Freeport. Since her arrival, she had done the next best thing when she had left the pirate by the name of Mome as a vegetable, and then went on to kill a warlock that had tried to kill her. Those were the types of things that could weigh on a soul, whatever the justifications one might have for their actions. This one should know, considering how many deaths it was responsible for. Most likely the Shimmer-mare’s biological mother and the White Pony would not approve of what she had done. From what this one had heard, the White Pony always sought to solve problems without violence whenever possible, while the Shimmer-mare was much more ... straightforward in her approach. The Shimmer-mare started fading before this one’s eyes, and it patted her cheek to try and keep her awake. Who knew if she would wake up again if she fell asleep. “Shimmer-mare, stay awake. The White Pony would be very upset with this one if anything were to happen to you, and that wouldn't do.” The EIS might very well pack this one into a crate and ship it to Canterlot to explain itself to the White Pony. This one didn’t particularly like that idea. The Shimmer-mare blinked blearily a few times. “Y'know ... Mom'd like you. Maybe. Dunno.” This one couldn't help but chuckle at that idea. “That so? This one would have a bit of trouble believing that.” This one didn't exactly have the most stalwart reputation, and the EIS probably put this one under the ‘necessary evil’ category. The Shimmer-mare nodded vaguely. “Unless ... d’you trick me into using dark magic? Strum says you did, but she's a nag.” This one sighed as it thought about its role in the affair dealing with the pirate Mome. “Sorry, but you made your own choices. In truth, this one thought you would be content with just blowing Mome's ship up, or at least destroying his mast and rigging to disable his vessel.” This one shrugged. “That struck this one as the simplest way to deal with the problem.” Whether that made this one any better was another question entirely. Considering how flammable a ship was and the lack of means of escape, having one’s ship catching on fire was one of the greatest fears for a sailor, and this one had sent a pyromancer after that group of rebellious pirates. At the time, this one hadn’t known quite how ill-prepared the Shimmer-mare was for the job. She had a lot of the tools for this line of work, but she hadn't been taught to do what was sometimes necessary in an imperfect world. Especially in a rough-and-tumble place like Freeport. “Ha! Knew she was wrong.” The Shimmer-mare’s sudden enthusiasm faded into a deep-throated coughing fit. “Strumming ... nag ... pays well.” Preferring not to comment about the Heartstrings-mare at the moment, this one went about looking for any supplies in the surrounding crates and boxes. Maybe it would find something that could save us, or at the very least make the Shimmer-mare more comfortable. “The Heartstrings-mare was just looking out for your best interests, even if she went about it the wrong way.” This one shrugged. Perhaps the Heartstring-mare’s greatest mistake was not understanding the Shimmer-mare. She had tried to tell the fiery and stubborn young mare what she should do, and that had only made her charge dig in her heels. Meanwhile, this one was able to step right in and tell the Shimmer-mare much of what she wanted to hear while keeping her focused on her goals. “She got into the same trouble a lot of spooks do,” this one continued. “Her thinking ... got a bit twisted. You start doing things like thinking every plan needs at least a dozen steps to it to throw off the enemy, that you need at least three contingency plans, and think about how everyone can be manipulated towards your own ends.” A ghost of a grin came to the Shimmer-mare’s lips. “Sounds like you.” “That is a bit of self commentary, yes,” this one admitted, thinking it best to keep her talking for now. “This one was quite the go-getter when it was younger. Always going about on new and exciting jobs and getting into all sorts of trouble.” “How much younger?” The Shimmer-mare giggled woozily. “Cute little kiddie Puzzle?” This one couldn't help but smile at the image of when it was a child. “Oh yes, this one was quite the adventurous little grub. Always plotting and coming up with its next schemes to make money and gain influence.” “Tell me.” She shivered and wrapped her forelegs around herself. “S'cold, except where it's hot.” “What would you like to know?” this one asked. “This one has been through a bit too much to recount everything in an afternoon.” Eventually, this one managed to find where they kept some of the supplies they must have doled out to the indentured servants on the island. Among them was a rather sorry-looking cotton blanket. Still, it was better than nothing, and this one wrapped it around the Shimmer-mare. “Favorite story?” She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “This one supposes it owes you that much.” Looking around, this one selected a large, nearly empty crate and went about emptying what was left inside of it. After it had done so, it placed some blankets at the bottom. “Though how about we wait until after you’ve gotten some rest?” As much as this one had hoped otherwise, it didn't look like the Shimmer-mare was going to be able to recover on her own. If anything, she was steadily getting worse. That meant this one was going to have to do something sooner rather than later if it was going to help her. Since she wasn’t going to be able to walk, it seemed best to hide her in a crate for the moment. At least this one wouldn't have a big distraction to worry about if it got into another fight, even if the idea of leaving the Shimmer-mare was far from ideal as a plan. A shame then that ‘unideal’ pretty much described the situation we were in. The Shimmer-mare eyes failed to focus on anything as this one placed her inside of the crate. “Strumming said she'd kill you if you ever fed on me.” She let out a pained grunt when she was placed down. “Pillow's too hard,” she complained as she placed her head on a sack of sugar. “Try and put up with it for now,” this one asked. “We’ll get you a better bed here in a bit.” The Shimmer-mare coughed and shifted to find a more comfortable position to sleep. “Can we have cake tomorrow, Mom?” She was obviously delirious if she was thinking of this one as her mother, but there seemed little to be gained of arguing about it. “Sure, we can have cake tomorrow. This one knows a place that makes great cake.” The Shimmer-mare’s lips curved up in a pleased smile. “Then you'll get rid of Cadenza and gimme wings?” The question added further fuel to this one’s theory about what truly bothered the Shimmer-mare. There were very good reasons why this one strove to never let jealousy control its actions. It rarely led to good things. “We can talk about wings when you're better.” Her smile turned into a frown. “'Kay.” She didn't speak anymore after that, and this one checked to make sure she was still breathing. She was, thankfully, though with more difficulty than this one liked. To add to this one’s worries, the veins around the wound had spread to beyond where her bandage covered. Whatever this venom was, it wasn't something this one as familiar with. This one was in a pickle on what to do next. The situation was not a pretty one; the Shimmer-mare had been badly poisoned, and wouldn't be of any use to saving our lives even if she survived the ordeal. We were trapped in the island without any support and hazardous means of escape at best. The Old Mind no doubt had more drones on the island. She had picked the ground for her ambush and wasn’t readily going to let us out of her web. While dying was of course a disturbing thought for this one, the fact that she might capture us had the potential for far greater consequences. With the Shimmer-mare, the Old Mind would have an invaluable key into Equestria. She would have the option of either replacing her, or even trying to bend the Shimmer-mare to her will. This one wasn't sure which would be worse for the Shimmer-mare, but the idea that the Old Mind could get immediate access to the White Pony was a disturbing thought. This one closed its eyes and took a long breath, steadying itself as it weighed its options. Hiding until the next night was one possibility; the problem with that plan was that the Shimmer-mare might not live long enough for us to pull it off, and keeping her from being discovered in her condition was going to be very difficult. There were only so many places to hide on the island, and the Old Mind had probably already scouted out all of its nooks and crannies. This one could probably have pulled it off on its own—it was very good at blending in and hiding from trouble—but this one wasn't alone. This one reconsidered trying the merchant ship. It would have the advantage of getting us off the island and going someplace where the Shimmer-mare could get some help. With some luck, this one might be able to sneak the two of us into the ship and hide in its cargo hold, though that held a considerable risk to discovery, and few captains like stowaways. If this one was the Old Mind, it would also inspect the ship before it departed, or else just destroy it and eliminate the risk altogether. The alternative was for this one to go to the captain of the vessel and explain the situation, with a considerable payment on this one’s part to encourage an immediate departure. The problem there was that the Old Mind would likely attack if it thought we were escaping on that ship, and it seemed improbable a crew of merchantmen would be able to resist a concerted attack by changelings. It was possible they might be a tougher crew than this one had initially given them credit for, but it wasn't something this one particularly wanted to bet its life on. And then there was the fact that the Old Mind might do something clever like go into a bidding war with this one. Overall, going with the merchant ship seemed unlikely to work. Then an extremely unpleasant, if very practical solution, came to this one: the Old Mind’s objectives, whatever they were, revolved around capturing the Shimmer-mare. Rationally speaking, it was only reasonable to deny her of her objective. Considering the Shimmer-mare was in no condition to defend herself and it seemed increasingly unlikely this one would be able to keep her out of the Old Mind’s clutches, there was one way to keep the Shimmer-mare from being captured. This one could kill the Shimmer-mare. It made a lot of sense, and relatively speaking, it was the safest course. If the Shimmer-mare was captured, the best she could hope for would be to have the love sucked out of her until all that was left was a withering husk. From there, it only got worse; the Old Mind could use her magics to bind the Shimmer-mare’s will and turn her into a puppet to no doubt be used against her home country and against the White Pony—the mare she considered to be a mother. The Old Mind had done such things in the past, even taking perverse pleasures in it. It wasn't a fate this one would wish on anyone. It could be argued that killing the Shimmer-mare was even the moral thing, when weighed against letting the Old Mind have her. The Shimmer-mare might even have agreed to the idea, were she conscious and in a state of mind to understand the problem. This one would probably even get to live under this plan. It wouldn’t be that difficult to avoid the Old Mind’s patrols until sunset and escape into the night if this one only had itself to take care of. It offered a much higher chance of at least one of us surviving than attempting some doomed last stand against an overwhelming number of drones. The seconds crawled by as this one wrestled with the idea. It could be done quickly—this one knew how to snap a neck cleanly, or else just add a little more venom to her system and let her drift away in an eternal sleep. This one sighed and shook its head. Maybe this one was getting soft with age, but it just didn’t want to kill the Shimmer-mare in such a cold-blooded manner. Not unless this one absolutely had to. Not to mention there were a few reasons to argue against it. For one, this one doubted the White Pony and EIS would appreciate any excuses should they find out what happened, and they would put their resources to work to find the truth. At the very least, this one could expect to have a hearing with the White Pony over what had transpired—whether it wanted to or not. Then there was the fact that killing the Shimmer-mare would set back a number of this one’s plans. Also, if this one was going to be honest with itself, it liked the Shimmer-mare. Rubbing at its face, this one tried to think of any other options. This one likes to think of itself as clever, but sometimes you get into a situation where all the cleverness in the world won’t get you anywhere. The Old Mind had probably arranged this very situation because it took away all the resources and allies this one would normally be able to call upon. If the both of us were to survive, then this one was going to need to fight and win. Shame this one was outnumbered against a hive mind. Well, this one didn’t call itself the best problem solver in Freeport because it took the easy jobs. This one made the Shimmer-mare as comfortable as possible within the crate, finishing by putting the lid on top and leaving a crack just wide enough to allow air to enter. It was far from an ideal hiding spot for a poisoned pony, but this one’s options were pitifully short. This one vowed to do everything it could to never get into a situation like this again. Maintaining control of the situation was something it prided itself on, and the crisis this one found itself in was anything but under control. Still, we must make what we can of what we have, and this one had done what it could for the Shimmer-mare. Fretting over her like a mother hen wasn't going to save her life. No, what was needed was decisive action. That was why, after a couple of minutes of thinking, this one slunk off into the sugarcane fields, using the crops’ natural concealment while this one made its way towards its objective. There, this one took the form of a plain-faced, unremarkable, beaten-down looking pegasus. Disguise in place, this one made its way towards the island’s sugar refinery. The biggest problem this one was going to have to deal with was the sheer number of changelings that had to be on Sweetashe Isle. At least a half dozen drones had survived the Shimmer-mare’s inferno back in the manor, and this one would bet its fortune on there being more on the island. There was the added complication that those drones were no doubt wearing disguises of their own. It was possible for one changeling to identify one another, especially when actively looking for a disguised changeling, but it did take time and the Old Mind’s drones would be looking for this one, too. Unlike the drones, this one didn't have any cover identities to explain why it was on the island. Considering the Old Mind had taken over the manor, she had probably had the entire island under her hoof. That was usually her way: replace the most powerful and influential persons of an area so that she could act with relative freedom. That meant this one wasn't likely to find any help on the island, in addition to sticking out like a sore hoof. Whatever mercenary guard the Sweetashe family possessed had no doubt already been infiltrated or bought off, or at least this one had to assume so if it was to keep its carapace in one piece. It was unlikely the indentured servants of the island would be of much help either. Your average servant was a beaten-down soul that wasn't going to look for more trouble in their lives and was unlikely to be any good in a fight anyways. So with no help forthcoming on the island, this one was going to have to act alone. Best of all, the drones also had a hive connection to the Old Mind. That meant that any fight with a single drone was very quickly going to become one with many once they knew where this one was. All of this meant that this one needed to pick its battlefield very carefully. One mistake would result in this one’s death. In the end, this one had chosen the island’s sugar refinery. Using the stalks of the sugarcane fields as cover for its movements, this one drew close to the structure. It was a large building made of native tropical woods. Workers were pulling carts filled with recently cut sugarcane to be processed within while others were taking large sacks of sugar out. As was typically the case, the sugar plantation’s owners tried to localize as much of the sugar production in order to maximize their profits. Through the large double doors, this one could see individuals working at some vats. Seeing that there was a pony standing by the door with a notepad to keep track of everyone who entered and left through those doors, this one casually approached the side of the building. Openly sneaking would only have drawn attention, while walking around like you belonged there tended to cause people to believe the same. This one came upon a simple door that led into the refinery. This one confirmed that the door was locked, then after taking a moment to make sure this one wasn't being watched, this one pulled out its lockpicking tools and went to work. It didn't take long before the door opened with an audible click. The lock had been a simple one built into the door, probably intended to keep out the indentured servants rather than a determined burglar. Careful to peek inside before entering, this one found itself in a small office—probably belonging to the refinery’s overseer. Old file cabinets lined the walls while a desk sat in the corner. There were a couple small shaded windows large enough to allow one to look out into the refinery. This one could see workers milling about the vats and working the machinery, taking the milky sap of the sugarcane and transforming it into powdered sugar. Being harvest season, the place was a hustle of activity as the overseers drove the indentured servants to work faster and without error so that the Sweetashe family would see their profits. Carefully timing the movement, this one opened the office door when no one seemed to be paying attention and walked back behind some of the machinery, keeping out of sight beside one of the large vats. Seeing if this one’s plan had any chance of success, this one scuffed its hoof along the floor, leaving a furrow in the white dust along the floor. Raising this one’s hoof to its muzzle, this one took a brief lick. Small surprise, this one recognized the taste of sugar. As so often happened during the rush of the sugarcane harvest season and the drive to improve profits, the people in charge of the refinery had neglected more minor matters like keeping the refinery clean—against the safety laws of the Council, this one couldn't help but note. As a result, a fine coat of sugar dust had come to cover many of the surfaces of the building. Exactly as this one had hoped would be the case. That part of this one’s plan in place, this one peeked around to examine the people working in the refinery and extended its senses. After a few minutes, this one found what it was looking for: a yellow-coated earth pony mare was ordering around the indentured servants. Unlike the other overseers this one could see, she seemed distracted. She continually glanced about the room—not to watch the workers, but the entrance every time someone new came in, or around empty parts of the building. The indentured servants were even working at such a sedate pace as to draw the ire of the other overseer from across the room. Needless to say, this was unusual behavior for a pony that was supposed to be constantly cracking the proverbial whip (literal ones having been made illegal some time ago). Seeing the odd duck in the room, this one focused its full attention on the pony, though it was careful not to be spotted during the brief periods of time when her attention turned towards this one. It didn't take long for this one’s inborn senses to confirm that the pony was in fact a changeling, and by the looks of it, keeping an eye out for this one. That suited this one just fine. After a few more minutes of watching, this one was reasonably confident there weren't any more changelings in the immediate vicinity. It was about as an ideal situation as this one could hope for. A lone changeling drone in exactly the building this one wanted it to be in. It normally would have been completely foolish to have a scout go off alone where it could be ambushed in isolation, but the Old Mind cared little about the health of individual drones. She would probably even consider it a worthwhile cost, for once this one attacked, the Old Mind would know exactly where it was and probably have all of her drones converge on the refinery. This one grinned at that idea. For the clever, there were ways to turn a strength into a weakness. Now the question was how best to proceed with this one’s plan. Opening its saddlebags, this one pulled out its potions intended to enchant its abilities and drank them one after another. This one shivered as it felt a shock run through its system and the potions took effect. The world seemed to slow down by half a beat, as though everyone was moving in a slightly staggered manner. The world became sharper, louder, and the details of everything around this one sought to grab this one’s attention. The light beaming in through the windows stabbed at this one’s eyes, flecks of dust darting around drew its eyes, and the clangs and clatter of the activity of the refinery were a cacophony of booms to this one’s ears. This one was forced to close its eyes and count to ten as it tried to regain control over its senses. It had been some time since this one had used this many potions all at once, and it had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Though this one knew its heart was beating significantly faster than normal, this one heard each slow, rhythmic beat of its heart thanks to the slowed-down sensation of time. This one counted carefully as it worked to regain its balance; it was difficult with this one being out of practice with using so many potions, but it managed. Confident this one was in control of its own body, this one opened its eyes. While the world still moved too slowly, too loudly, and too busily, it had fallen into a place where this one could manage it. That settled, this one returned to its natural form and pulled out a dagger and a bag of tanglehoof. The changeling drone this one had chosen as its target was still warily glancing about the refinery, but hadn't moved far from its original position. This one waited for the drone to turn its back to it before it struck. This one threw the tanglehoof bag at the drone with as much speed as it could manage. Before the drone knew it was under attack, the tanglehoof bag collided with her rear. The bag exploded as its wax-like exterior broke and a gray goop spread over the changeling. The drone blinked in surprise as it looked back at the sticky substance that now held it to the floor. This one didn't hesitate, bolting forward out of the cover that kept it hidden. A few of the indentured servants cried out in surprise as this one darted its way past them, dagger held in its telekinetic grip. The drone’s eyes widened as its doom fell upon it. It tried to move, but it was held fast to the floor. The world moved slowly to this one’s magically enhanced senses, and this one felt like it had plenty of time to aim its blow. This one’s dagger deftly found the gap in the drone’s chitin along its neck and struck up. The enchanted dagger easily slid in and up into the drone’s skull. The drone jerked and went slack as it fell to the floor its disguise falling away in a final burst of green fire. Cries of surprise and horror echoed through the refinery as the workers registered the sudden act of violence in their midsts. Most took cautious steps away from this one while a few others, no doubt deciding that caution was the better part of valor, quickly fled. Now that the drone was dead, every second was precious. It would only be a matter of time until the Old Mind sent others to spring the trap. Through the drone, she would know where this one was. That being the case, this one walked over to the trigger for the building’s fire alarm, something the Council had mandated every sugar refinery should have. This one was unsure about pulling it. Having so many confused people about would have helped this one remain hidden once it had transformed to hide among their numbers once again, but there was the risk they would find some manner to get in this one’s way. Not to mention there would be casualties among their numbers if they were in the refinery when the drones showed themselves. No, it was best to clear everyone out while there was time. Before anyone could overcome their shock, this one set the alarm off. The harsh ring of a bell rang throughout the refinery, jolting many of the stunned onlookers out of the shock of seeing their overseer suddenly killed. They fled towards the exits in a rush that was just short of a panic. This one doubted they ever had fire drills during harvest season, and under normal conditions the fire alarm going off would have meant that there was actually a fire. No one wanted to be in a regular burning building, much less a sugar refinery. That taken care of, this one shapeshifted into one of the zebras it had seen working in the refinery and cantered deeper into the building,where the final stages of the refining process took place. Here sat dormant machinery intended to fill large sacks with powdered sugar. This one needed an appropriate hiding spot where it could watch from without being seen. Thus, this one hopped into a pen where they had stacked the finished sugar and then quickly buried itself in the mounds of white dust. Making sure this one was completely covered, it transformed so that its carapace was a solid white to match the sugar. This one only left its eyes and nose uncovered, as the plan wasn't likely to work if this one couldn't see or breathe. That done, this one waited. It wasn't long after this one had hidden itself when an orange pegasus stallion ran into its vision, whipping his head this way and that as he looked about the refinery. That would be at least one drone, then. Another in the disguise of a female gryphon promptly closed a set of double doors leading outside, chaining them shut with a padlock and standing guard nearby. This one wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if more drones weren't doing the same to the other exits of the refinery. It wouldn’t have benefitted the Old Mind to let this one slip through her hooves, after all. It wasn’t long before more drones in disguise showed themselves. Slowly and methodically, they inspected every nook and cranny of the refinery in their search for this one. Thanks to the gestalt connection of the Old Mind, they didn't even need to say a word to one another as they silently went about their task. This one fought to stay perfectly still as the drones looked for it. It was no easy task as the minutes dragged on, especially with this one still under the effects of its potions, but this one had a great deal of experience at remaining hidden. Revealing itself would ruin this one’s plan and most likely doom both this one and the Shimmer-mare. Thankfully they didn’t find this one—yet, in any event. After this one had let enough time pass, this one considered how best to proceed. There were at least six of the drones where this one could see; one stood by the double doors used to move around cargo and the smaller door intended for more personal use, while another was on one of the sugar distillers, watching the windows and refinery floor. It was clear that attempting to sneak out would not be easy under such circumstances. So came the difficult part of this one’s plan: how to get out of the refinery without being overwhelmed? Staying perfectly still in a concealed hiding spot was one thing; moving where everyone could see you was quite another. To this one’s profound regret, its invisibility bracelet had already been used up for the day. It would have been simple to escape if this one still had access to it, but it didn’t, and there was no point crying over spilt milk. Besides, just because this one didn’t have its first pick of options didn’t mean this one didn’t have backups. This one waited for the drones to look away, then carefully withdrew the three smoke potions from its saddlebags. Aiming to give this one the best coverage, this one tossed the potions. They flew through the air briefly before they crashed on the floor. A gray smoke quickly spread to fill the whole section of the refinery with its obscuring vapor. A snakelike hiss pierced the smoke as the drones were swallowed up by the smoke. This one didn’t miss a beat to pull itself out of the sugar and dart for the doorway, using the mental map it had made. This one drew its dagger as it approached the exit. Even knowing there was a drone guarding the doorway, this one still nearly ran right into it. Though while this one was only startled, the drone was momentarily paralyzed with surprise. This one didn’t waste that invaluable split second of hesitation and jabbed its dagger into the drone’s neck. Not even bothering to retrieve the dagger as the drone fell, this one rammed itself against the door with its full weight and momentum. Thankfully, the door gave way, and this one stumbled outside. This one stopped itself before it could leave the doorway completely and turned back to look back into the smoke-obscured refinery. With no time to waste, this one pulled out a pair of fire gems from its saddlebags and threw them at a high arc into the refinery, making sure the gems would take up the maximum amount of time to hit the ground. After that, this one turned around flew away from the refinery as fast as its wings would carry it. There is something everyone should understand about dust, and it’s a danger that almost everyone on Freeport is very aware of. Specific forms of dust can be very dangerous under the right circumstances; whether it be coal dust, sawdust, grain dust, or sugar dust, if you have a large enough concentration in the air of a confined area, there was a significant danger of an explosion in the event of a fire. All you need for a good fire is oxygen, fuel, and heat. The oxygen and fuel were in ready abundance within the refinery itself. The sugar plantation owners were notorious for failing to meet safety codes for the sake of profit, especially during harvesting season. With the former two ingredients of the fire triangle already in place, this one had just introduced the heat with the very explosive, very heat-inflicting fire gems. The first indicator that this one’s plan had succeeded was when the shockwave hit this one like a sledgehammer. All the world became a confusing jumble of movement, roaring sound, and pain as this one was sent rolling into a sugarcane field. Stalks of sugarcane broke and bent as this one tumbled to a jolting stop. This one rolled to its back as pain overwhelmed its senses. Blinking through the spots that covered its vision, this one saw the looming refinery burning furiously as flame spread to the rest of the building. It seemed highly unlikely anything inside the refinery had survived. Any drone that had survived the initial explosion wasn't going to survive long in that inferno, and knowing the cheapskate nature of the owners of the refinery, they probably hadn't invested much capital in firefighting capabilities. What capabilities weren't being used to put out the manor fire, in any event. Now that this one thought about it, it hoped none of the workers of the refinery had been foolish enough to stay inside after the fire alarm had been pulled, or close enough to get hit by the debris from the explosion. It wasn't hard to imagine that a few incautious souls hadn't taken the alarm too serious and had mistaken it as yet another of the bi-yearly drills that the refinery was mandated to have, and thus had not walked far enough away to be safe. Considering how everything in this one’s body was aching in pain at the moment, this one was probably very lucky to have survived its own haphazard plan to kill the bulk of the remaining drones on the island. This one was far from a saint, but this one never reveled in the idea of killing innocents. This one wasn't a monster. Or so this one told itself as it watched its handywork consume the refinery. But such philosophical musings could wait for more practical concerns. Lying there on the ground, this one carefully moved each of its limbs to make sure nothing was injured. Just about everything was sore, but at least at a quick inspection this one wasn't seriously hurt. With a grunt, this one rose on shaky legs. This one’s vision swam, and it had to take a moment to balance itself against some of the sugarcane. It was as this one was regaining its balance that it heard someone slowly clapping. It snapped its head toward the sound and saw a changeling lowering itself to the ground in front of this one. Stifling a curse this one’s mother would never have approved of hearing, this one kept its face as neutral as it could. It seemed that at least one drone had survived the refinery explosion. That had been one of the core problems with that plan: there was no guarantee the Old Mind would send every drone she had into the refinery. Still, this one was still alive and at least a few more of the drones weren’t, so that was something. The drone finished its sarcastic applause and let out a chittering chuckle. When it spoke, it was not with its own voice, but that of a being this one was all too familiar with. “So, was that the best you could manage?” This one rolled its neck uncaringly. “Decided not to throw all your eggs into one basket then, Old Mind?” This wasn’t the first time this one had seen the Old Mind talk through one of her drones. Thankfully, her actual body wasn’t here, and was hopefully nowhere near the island. Her drones could of course be very dangerous, but they were relatively manageable under the right circumstances. The Old Mind in person was an entirely different prospect. The Old Mind smile maliciously. “You really think I’m so stupid as to fall into such an obvious trap?” “Didn’t keep you from putting your hoof into said obvious trap with your drones,” this one shot back. She scoffed and flicked her hoof. “A few drones are more than worth the sacrifice to flush vermin like you out into the open.” “You always were quick to sacrifice pawns.” This one tried to think of why the Old Mind was suddenly talking to it. It probably wasn’t for a good reason—it wouldn’t surprise this one if she was just delaying it until remainder of her swarm could arrive. This one’s fight-or-flight instincts were in full swing; unfortunately, it wasn’t in shape to do much of either. “What can I say? If I don’t use them I’ll eventually lose them anyways.” The Old Mind shrugged. “And finally killing a pathetic abomination like you is going to be worth the loss of every drone today.” She stepped closer, prompting this one to drop into a defensive stance. If this one’s readying itself to fight worried the Old Mind, she didn’t show it. “That’s not even getting into the greater prize I’ve won this day.” This one’s eyes narrowed, wary of her tone. “If you have a point to make, go ahead and make it. Maybe you have the time to talk all day, but this one is a very busy changeling. And no offense, but this one can’t help but feel you’re not a particularly trustworthy individual to do business with.” The Old Mind’s smile lost some of its luster. “Don’t get smart with me, you little failure. While you were busy with my pawns, I was busy getting my hooves on the larger prize—your princess.” The maliciousness returned to the grin on her face. “Well, wanna-be princess, in this case.” It was only thanks to years of experience this one had in its line of work that it kept anything from showing on its face when she said that. Had she really managed to find the Shimmer-mare already? Best to probe the Old Mind and be sure. This one couldn't afford to make a single misstep now. “You know the problem with dealing with someone that's as prolific a liar as you?” this one asked. “This one can never really tell when you're telling the truth. For all this one knows, you’re only saying you have the Shimmer-mare to try and get this one to reveal where she is.” “Fair enough,” she said as she stopped right in front of this one. “You left her all by herself in a warehouse, hidden away in a crate. You used a bag of sugar as an impromptu pillow and stole a blanket from the supplies intended for the servants. A touching gesture to make her comfortable, I'm sure.” The mask this one was wearing must finally have broke, for she tilted the drone’s head back and laughed. “Oh the look on your face. I've been waiting so long to see you so ... despondent.” This one’s heart sank as the facts of the rapidly deteriorating situation came together. If the Old Mind had the Shimmer-mare, then this one had been checked-mated. Possibly fatally so. If the Old Mind was smart enough, she would have grabbed the Shimmer-mare, taken over a ship like the merchantman at the dock, and then sailed away to parts unknown. With the big prize at hoof, it would have been a simple matter to clean up any evidence of the fact she had even been on Sweetash Isle. But that wasn't exactly the Old Mind’s style, not when she was taking the time to gloat over this one. This one needed to figure out what she was up to; at the very least keeping her talking might give this one time to come up with some sort of plan. “So, how do you want this to go down?” this one asked, keeping its voice level. “You're talking, and when you're talking instead of taking something, it's because you want something that you can't easily take.” The Old Mind shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “Well, I could just tear out her pretty little throat right here and now, but that seems like such a waste. I have other plans for the likes of you.” Most likely those plans involved a lot of torture to get as much information out of this one as possible. This one knew a great deal about Freeport and beyond, including where a great many of the skeletons were buried. She could cause a great deal of damage from just a tenth of what this one knew. Hence, why this one had zero intentions of ever letting that happen. “Let's make a deal,” she continued, malady lacing her words. “Surrender, and I promise to spare her life. I even have an antidote for the poison that's slowly eating her alive. It would relieve her of all that excruciating pain she’s experiencing right now. I've tested the venom used against her on other subjects, and their deaths were quite unpleasant.” “Please.” This one shot her with a smirk. “You're not going to kill her, whatever this one does.” The briefest flicker of doubt danced over her features. “What makes you think that?” This one kept going, feeling more as this one stepped back onto familiar ground. “As you said, it would be a waste to kill her. Too big of a waste for you. You wouldn't throw away the Magus of Freeport and former student of the White Pony. The Shimmer-mare gives you too much of an in with the two nations you want to infiltrate the most. This one would dare say you would be tempted to let her go before killing her, because you could at least get another shot at her. After all, all of your drones are expendable at the end of the day, while the Shimmer-mare’s one of a kind.” This one grinned and took a step closer to the Old Mind, nearly bringing us muzzle to muzzle. “You're just too greedy, like that.” The Old Mind’s smug smile slowly dissolved into a baleful glare, and this one was reasonably sure it could hear her grinding her teeth. “You really are an annoying little bug.” “Is it because of what happened in Lubeak?” this one asked. “This one is really proud of what it did to you in Lubeak. Or is it just because this one is smarter than you?” This one’s grin widened. “Or is it because this one is prettier than you? It’s alright—this one can understand if you’re jealous.” Taunting the Old Mind probably wasn’t the wisest thing in the world to do, but it would at least throw her off a bit. The Old Mind’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not convincing me to make your death any less unpleasant than it’s already going to be.” She straightened herself to try and reclaim her dignity. “But you're right: I won't kill her.” Her lips peeled back in an unpleasant, toothy grin. “I'll take her back to my hive and break her. Slowly. Which is why you'll come to the meeting. Because you know it will be your only chance to save her.” “You seem awfully confident about that,” this one remarked. This one was starting to wonder if the Old Mind wasn’t as self-assured about taking this one as her triumphant swagger suggested. “The Shimmer-mare is a pony with a strong will, and you know the usual issues with trying to bend such a pony to your will. They tend to break completely, rather than bend, and she wouldn’t be much use to you broken. Other than merely being replaced, that is.” She started circling around this one. “By all means, feel free to abandon her. Much as I would enjoy killing you, Sunset's just too valuable to give up.” The Old Mind was baiting this one, this one was certain of it now. Why else play with this one in this manner? She wanted this one to give up by using the Shimmer-mare as a hostage. Her history was sprinkled with incidents where she had used such tactics against her victims. After all the drones she had lost thus far, she might nearly be out—or at least low enough that she worried about being able to kill this one. If this one escaped and warned the Council that she had a hive on Sweetash Isle, they could cause all sorts of trouble for the Old Mind’s plans. The Council would use whatever forces it had available to utterly crush her within Freeport’s territory, and if the Shimmer-mare were not found, they would probably send a message to the White Pony to tell her what happened to her former student. This one doubted the Old Mind would enjoy having the White Pony breathing down her neck. Shame doing just that was unlikely to result in the Shimmer-mare having a happy ending. No, this one needed to try and find another way. There might just be a way to turn this around. It was risky, but nothing ventured... “In that case, I could hardly turn down a meeting.” This one gestured at the warehouse with a slight bow. “Feel free to lead the way.” “Good to see that you’re finally seeing reason.” The Old Mind smirked, and turned the drone’s back to this one to lead the way. This one sauntered up behind the drone and craned its neck to whisper to the Old Mind. “See you soon, Old Mind.” Before she could reply, this one tackled the drone and drove it to the ground, biting down on the back of its neck in the same motion. “Fool!” The drone struggled to get out of this one’s grasp, but this one’s paralysis venom was already running through its system. Not to mention this one held the leverage in the grapple thanks to the sneak attack. “Do you think killing one more of my pawns will change—” This one didn’t let her finish as it wrenched the drone’s neck with a swift, jerking motion, and the drone’s neck broke cleanly with a wet snap. Spitting the dead drone out of this one’s mouth, this one said, “Of course, it makes for one less drone on this island to deal with.” Killing the drone also gave this one more freedom of movement. It would be much easier to sneak around without one of the Old Mind’s drones to keep a constant eye on this one, and keeping the Old Mind guessing about its next move was one of the few advantages it had. There wasn’t any time to waste. Now that her scouting drone was dead, it was only a matter of time until the Old Mind moved the Shimmer-mare to someplace more secure, assuming she had not done so already. She might even take her off the island completely. She might have a sky carriage somewhere on the island, and it wouldn’t take much time to pack the Shimmer-mare into the carriage and fly away. It would then become extremely difficult to find her again. This one headed towards the warehouse without delay, once again using the tall sugarcane to hide its movements. This one slowed its steps once the warehouse came into view. The Old Mind had to know this one was coming, and would haven taken the necessary precautions. This one stopped in its tracks and lowered itself to the ground when it saw a sentry on top of the warehouse. While there was little time to waste, it wouldn’t help this one or the Shimmer-mare if this one were seen too soon. If this one could sneak inside, then maybe it could disable the drones inside one at a time. There was still one firegem left in this one’s saddlebags, another dagger, a pair of thunderflash stones, and the shock bracer on this one’s leg was still at a full charge. There was also the fact that while the drones could swarm this one, a Free Mind was on average significantly stronger, tougher, and smarter than the drones the Old Mind gave birth to. While Free Minds put a significant amount of love magic into their offspring, the Old Mind tended to favor quantity over quality. The odds were still much longer than this one liked, but the situation wasn’t impossible. If it could keep the fighting between it and one drone at a time, this was winnable. Watching carefully, this one noted that the drone keeping guard on the roof was constantly moving, no doubt trying to minimize its blindspots. Still, it was just one drone with a limited field of view. It was also another sign that the Old Mind must not have many drones left. If she had them in abundance, she probably would have had more than a single sentry in place. If the drone had any inkling that this one was watching it, then it didn't show it as it continued its patrol. Once this one had a reasonable idea of how long each loop took, this one moved towards and then up the side of the warehouse, using its natural ability to stick to surfaces. Reaching the edge of the roof, this one carefully peaked a look to try and spot the drone. As this one had hoped, the drone was still on the same circuit and was turned away as it looked out to the harbor. With all the silence this one could muster, this one climbed onto the roof and crept towards its target. The drone didn't turn around as this one closed the distance, and the only indicator it got that anything was wrong was when this one stabbed its dagger up through the drone’s neck and into its brain. This one caught the drone before it could fall and slowly lowered it to the roof. This one had just set it down when every window in the warehouse shattered. A second later, four changelings came crawling through the roof hatches, and close behind them were more drones flying up through the broken windows. The sentry had been a trap. The Old Mind must have guessed how this one would go about infiltrating the warehouse to save the Shimmer-mare and planned accordingly. Half on instinct, this one whipped out its thunderflash stones and tossed them to the opposite ends of the warehouse. This one only had time to close its eyes and cover its ears and eyes before the piercing light and disorientating boom exploded over the rooftop as the thunderflash stones went off. The drones let out a collective screech of protest as the onslaught overwhelmed their senses. The gambit had bought this one a couple seconds, but only that. This one couldn't hope to fight against ten-to-one odds. With few escape options, this one blinked against the spots in its vision and ran for the skylight where there was cover within. This one dove through the open skylight, but to its horror, there was almost nowhere to hide within the warehouse. Instead of crates and other supplies spaced all about the warehouse, nearly everything had been shoved to the sides of the room. Before this one could re-orientate itself, a drone from within the warehouse struck this one in the side. Flashes of pain temporarily blinded this one as the two of us tangled together. The crash jolted this one painfully and the two of us rolled along the floor before the drone came free and rolled past this one. It used the momentum to roll to its hooves and let out a hiss as it charged this one. Years of experience from having to fight for its life let this one have enough sense to push off the ground and roll out of the way of the attack. The bite from the drone scraped against the chitin on this one’s side. The drone pivoted in place as it halted and readied itself for another charge. Seeing this one’s dagger on the floor, this one scooped it up with its telekinesis and stood in the same motion. With feral savagery, the drone launched itself at this one’s neck, fangs bright even in the darkness of the warehouse. This one deftly stepped to the side and slashed at the back of the drone’s foreleg. The dagger sliced the tendons of the drone and sent it stumbling. This one’s hoof then slammed into the knee of one of the drone’s rear legs. The knee gave out with a crunch and the drone fell to the floor. The drone disabled, this one aimed and then stabbed down, the magically enchanted dagger easily cutting into flesh and severing the drone’s spine. The fight couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but that was the next best thing to an eternity with the rest of the drones closing in. This one wrenched its dagger free and was about to figure out what to do next when a bright beam of green energy struck the dagger. The dagger was blown from this one’s telekineis and sent sailing into the wall. “Now that is quite enough of that,” the Old Mind’s voice chided. This one’s head whipped to see where the magical blast had come from. Standing on the far end of the room was the Old Mind, horn glowing a green aura. More accurately, a drone she had possessed and imbued with a measure of her power. Rather than just using one of her drones as a mouthpiece, the drone had gone through a transformation that made it look like a smaller version of the body the Old Mind normally used. Worse still, she had a leg wrapped around the Shimmer-mare’s neck in a headlock and was holding her listless form above the floor. While the ascended drone was not as strong as the Old Mind’s proper body, it was still an order of magnitude stronger than a typical drone—even if the possession would eventually burn out the drone in about a day’s time. It was far more than this one wanted to face in a direct confrontation, and this one started towards one of the doors of the warehouse. That plan was cut off when all the doorways flashed and became blocked with green fire. “Running away already?” The Old Mind stroked the Shimmer-mare’s cheek with a free hoof, a contemptuous smile creased her lips. “I thought your plan was to save your friend?” Her hoof struck the Shimmer-mare across the cheek. The Shimmer-mare let out a groan of pain, but she didn't stir despite the hit. “Though that plan has something of a snag, hasn't it, Puzzle?” This one grimaced and faced the Old Mind directly. Already the drones were falling into position all around this one, hovering in place as they waited for this one to try and make an escape. This one had been caught, and this one couldn’t see any viable ways to escape. “It seems this one has been becoming a bit too obvious in its competence,” this one admitted. That fact felt like bile in this one’s throat. For the past few moves of this game, this one had been completely outmaneuvered by the Old Mind. This one should have realized the Old Mind would have expected the most likely tactics this one would have used to save the Shimmer-mare, but this one hadn't. Now we were going to pay for that mistake. “Oh yes,” she cooed. “You and the other so-called Free Minds are pathetically predictable. And so stupid half the time too. Look at you. You could've gotten away cleanly and have warned everyone that I was here. But instead you came into an obvious trap. I even told you it was a trap, but you came anyway! Why? Because you care about this pony.” She held up a small vial hanging on a chain around her neck for this one to see. “Did you really hope that you could save her by getting the cure from me? Pathetic. You've become just like our prey.” Despite the grimness of the situation, this one grinned. “This one is sure the nuances of friendship escape the Old Mind.” The Old Mind rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you're at least feeding on her. Or have you completely abandoned what it means to be a changeling?” “This one is a Free Mind,” this one said. “It decides for itself what it means to be a changeling.” She let out an annoyed sigh. “This is the problem with individuality. You are such a small being that thinks in such small terms. I don't know why I thought creating drones capable of thinking for themselves was ever a good idea. It’s caused me nothing but headaches.” “Likely because you were desperate to have someone else stroke your ego for once,” this one commented. The Old Mind scoffed. “Is that the best you can do? How disappointing. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day, so don’t go and make this boring. I hate it when my revenge is boring.” This one was desperately trying to think of a way out of this predicament, but it was drawing a blank. With no other options, it kept talking to buy time. “So, now that you've won, what exactly do you plan on doing with the Shimmer-mare? This one doesn't doubt the Old Mind would love to brag about what you plan on doing with her.” That brought a laugh to the Old Mind. “Oh, I would absolutely love to, but I've learned long ago not to reveal my plans to someone who's going to die anyway. Every once in a while, they're terribly unsporting and decide to live just to spite me. And you’ve been far too annoying already.” She let out a bored yawn. “I suppose it's time to kill you then. Thanks to all the trouble you’ve been causing here, I’m going to have to leave sooner than I would have liked. No sense letting the Council know about me. How would you like to die?” “A very old changeling in a soft bed surrounded by friends and family.” This one rubbed its chin. “Either that, or while putting an end to you once and for all. Both have certain appeals.” “Such a shame, but the correct answer was ‘Horribly dismembered by my drones.’” Her smile became all the more malicious. “Though I would have accepted ‘on my knees begging for mercy’ too. Time to die!” Before this one even had the chance to fight back, nearly a dozen drones piled onto this one. It wasn't long before the drones had a firm hold on each of this one’s legs and were wrenching them painfully. This one was caught, and it couldn’t stop a growing sense of hopelessness. The fact that this one wasn't going to be tortured for information was cold comfort in face of the knowledge of what the Shimmer-mare was going to suffer. This one’s failure burned as the drones slowly increased the pressure on its limbs, the pain building as it felt like something was going to break at any second. This one thought desperately of what it could do as the drones slowly worked to pull this one to pieces. Through the pain, only one idea came to this one, and it wasn't a pleasant one. “I'm curious, which of your legs do you think will come off first?” the Old Mind asked, clearly savoring the show. This one grinned through the pain. “How many drones are you willing to lose to find out?” For lack of any better ideas, this one activated its shock bracer on its leg. This one knew the value of having an offensive trump card, and the shock bracer was the magical tool this one had come to lean on. This one had once flash fried a large shark that had thought to turn this one into its latest meal, so needless to say, the bracer had a charge to it. And considering all of the drones were currently holding this one, everyone got to experience a world of pain as electricity coursed through us. This one convulsed as agony this one had rarely felt struck it. It was a period of time that both seemed to last forever and end yet end abruptly as soon as it started. This one didn't know how long it just lay on the floor, gasping for breath as its body ached with pain. Vaguely this one became aware that it was being crushed under a pile of bodies, followed by the realization this one was still alive. Honestly, this one hadn't expected that to happen. Perhaps it was the enchantments in the bracer intended to protect this one from its own weapon, the talisman around this one’s neck designed to protect against magical attacks, or this one’s superior constitution compared to the drones. Or perhaps a mix of the three. Whatever the case might be, this one was at least breathing, even if the only thing this one wanted to do was build itself a cocoon someplace dark and go to sleep for a month. Shame there was a sudden stab of pain as new light flashed into this one’s eyes, as one of the drones was moved from the pile it found itself in. Blinking through the agony, this one stared up to see the Old Mind, her face contorted with pure hatred as she levitated the dead drone out of the way. “You really are starting to annoy me,” she said as she tossed another dead drone to the side. The Shimmer-mare was lying on the floor behind the Old Mind, having been discarded for the moment. “Perhaps I should have just tried to buy you off instead.” This one coughed painfully before it was able to reply in a hoarse voice. “Sorry, this one isn't in the habit of working with monsters. Those jobs have a way of going very badly.” “So does getting in a monster's way.” The Old Mind gave this one a rough kick to the ribs strong enough to send this one rolling and knock its breath out of it. “Noted,” this one wheezed. Gritting through the pain, this one drew on its magic to recast its telekinesis spell. In a single motion, this one pulled the last firegem in its bag and tossed it at the Old Mind. Rather than strike her as this one had intended, the firegem stopped just short of the Old Mind’s chest as it became enveloped in her own telekinesis. She lifted the gem up to look at it, then scowled down at this one. “Is this the best you can manage?” The Old Mind tossed the firegem out of the window, and the sound of it going off in the sea soon followed. “This is just getting sad now.” Her horn glowed and with a pair of green energy blasts she blew away this one’s saddlebags. “And that’s the end of your nasty little tricks.” The Old Mind swung her leg back and aimed another kick at this one’s side. Knowing it was coming, this one caught her by the pastern and twisted to try and bring her to the ground. If this one could just get her down, it might be able to choke her out. Her knee bent, a moment of surprise flashing over her face, but she stopped her momentum before she could be dragged down. The two of us struggled for a hooffull of seconds that seemed to drag on forever. This one brought as much strength as it could bring to bear, but this one was exhausted and had poor leverage while the Old Mind was fresh and possessed an unnatural strength. Slowly but surely, she straightening her leg. Narrowing her eyes, she once again summoned her magic. “I swear, you’re one of the most persistent little bugs I’ve ever had to crush.” She blasted this one in the side with a green bolt of magical energy and sent this one flying. This one was carried by the power of the attack until it hit one of the crates pushed against the wall. The world became a flash of white pain as this one nearly lost consciousness, but this one fought against the screaming protests of its body to stay awake. This one knew it would not wake up again if it let the darkness take it now. Not that there seemed there was much this one could do anymore; it was unlikely this one could make itself stand up again, much less fight. All of this one’s tools were either exhausted or destroyed. Still, this one opened its eyes to watch the Old Mind’s approach. This one couldn’t help as its eyes fell upon the Shimmer-mare. She was watching the two of us with a distant look in her eyes. The poison running through her blood seeming to have disabled her. At this point due to delirium, she might not even be able to recognize what was even going on. Laying before this one was the broken remains of this one’s protection talisman, finally having been pushed past its limits. To be fair, it had been put under a lot of abuse over the last few hours. If this one somehow survived this, this one would thank the person it had commissioned to make it. The Old Mind chuckled to herself as she stopped to lord over this one. “Any last words?” She pressed down a hoof where her attack had cracked this one’s carapace, and a fresh wave of agony jolted through this one. “You always seemed to have something to say, so I’m sure you have something clever. So come on, let’s hear it. Curse me, show me defiance in the end, plead for mercy. Give me something I can remember.” So, this was it. This one was tapped out. It would only be a few seconds before this one was killed. All this one’s plans for the future would be for naught. Years of effort gone to waste. This one had even failed the Shimmer-mare. All she could do was stare on as this one was slowly killed by the Old Mind. At least this one wasn’t going to live long enough to explain to the Council and the White Pony what had happened. This one blinked and then smiled as a devious thought came to its mind. There was a green flash as this one did about the last thing it could: transform. This one increased its size to as big as it could—though with a decidedly feminine physique, gave itself a lustrous white coat, and a big, flowing, multi-colored mane unlike any other in the world. With the White Pony’s voice, this one reached out and called to the Shimmer-mare. “Sunset, help me!” The Old Mind blinked and took a step back. “What—” She never got to finish what she was saying as the Shimmer-mare’s eyes snapped into focus—a baleful light lit within them as she saw the White Pony—her mother—in danger. A blast of pure light shot from her horn and punched a hole right through the Old Mind’s chest. The Old Mind’s face contorted with confusion as she looked down at the new hole. After finally figuring out what had happen, she returned her hateful glare towards this one. “ I r-really ... hate y—” She fell unceremoniously to the ground, with even the Old Mind’s power being insufficient to keep the drone alive. An unnatural silence fell over the warehouse. For a few seconds, this one could hardly believe it was still alive—that its last ditch plan had actually worked. It had been a long shot ... but sometimes long shots worked, and this one wasn’t about to complain about its good fortune. As they say, love has its own power, and the Shimmer-mare had plenty of that for the White Pony. This one wanted to do nothing more than to let sleep take it. Rather than asking where this one was hurt, it would have been more efficient to ask where it wasn’t hurt. Shame, as was so often the case for this one, this one still had things to do. Gritting through the pain, this one very slowly rose to its hooves. The pain caused a violent flash of nausea that nearly sent it toppling, but this one managed to stay upright—barely. Pressing a hoof to its bleeding side, this one stumbled to the ascended drone’s body. While difficult to concentrate to cast a spell, this one managed to pull off a telekinesis spell and ripped the vial off the drone’s neck. It hadn’t been damaged during the Shimmer-mare’s attack, for which this one was very thankful. With another spell, this one confirmed it wasn’t filled with poison, meaning that it probably was the cure the Old Mind had taunted this one with. She would have kept that close at hoof; no sense accidently killing the Shimmer-mare with her poison. Though this one knew the walk to the Shimmer-mare was a short one, it felt like one of the longest journeys in this one’s life as it slowly hobbled its way to her. This one all but fell next to the Shimmer-mare, its side heaving with effort. Still, this one drew the Shimmer-mare into its legs and gently shook her. “Come on, Shimmer-mare, this one needs you to drink this,” this one said. “This one will be very unhappy if it went through all of this for you to die on it now.” The Shimmer-mare groaned and her eyes flittered open. “M-Mom?” It showed how exhausted this one was that it took a few moments for this one to realize that it was still disguised as the White Pony. This one resisted the urge to slap its forehead. Well, no sense letting a good thing go to waste. This one gave the Shimmer-mare the best maternal smile it could. “Sunset, honey? I need you to take some medicine. It’s good for you.” The Shimmer-mare groaned but complied as this one offered the contents of the vial. After she drank what this one really hoped was the antitoxin to the Old Mind’s venom, she nuzzled this one’s chest and closed her eyes. “M-Mom ... I d-did good, right?” This one’s lips turned up in the most legitimate smile this one had made in quite some time. “Yes. You did very well, Sunset.” Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable.
EpilogueFreeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Epilogue The next day saw this one sitting in one of the rooms of Daily Miracle’s healing house. After the craziness on Sweetash Isle, this one was quite content to read on its nice, comfortable seat-cushion. The room was a simple affair; it was clean, possessed a simple dresser, a nice comfortable bed, a small desk, and some cushions to sit on, befitting a room intended to allow someone to heal quietly. Perhaps not the most stimulating of rooms, but it had a utilitarian purpose to it. Besides, it was not like the Miracle-mare was about to let this one leave just yet anyway—not with the wretched condition it was in when it arrived at her door. This one didn’t quite remember the laundry list of injuries the Old Mind and her drones had inflicted, but the heavy bandages wrapped around this one’s barrel were indication enough of that. The Miracle-mare had also allowed this one to relax in the room where the Shimmer-mare was resting. She hadn't woken up since this one had gotten us off the island, but the Miracle-mare assured me that she would make a full recovery. This one would have felt a lot better if the Shimmer-mare was actually awake and able to talk to this one. Especially once it came to explaining to the EIS about exactly what had happened, and they would want to know how the White Pony’s former student had gotten so badly hurt. Next to her was Kukri, curled up on a cushion and also sound asleep. She had refused to leave the Shimmer-mare’s side once she had found out what had happened, and she had been determined to watch over her mentor. Though in the end, her endurance had not quite been equal to the task of staying up until the Shimmer-mare awoke. The Miracle-mare had also tolerated the squad of Doo Clan bodyguards this one had hired to watch over the pair of us. While this one was reasonably sure we had seen the last of the hive on Sweetash Isle, this one wasn't going to take the chance that the Old Mind was going to take advantage of our weakness to finish us. It hadn't been a particularly pleasant conversation to explain to the Doo Clan what had happened to the bodyguards we had hired, but they understood all too well how risky mercenary work can be—especially in the face of a surprise as unpleasant and dangerous as the Old Mind and her swarms. This one’s ruminations were interrupted when the Shimmer-mare stirred and let out a long yawn. This one put its book aside. “Hey. You awake there?” The Shimmer-mare groaned as her eyes fluttered open. “I'm too sore to still be asleep.” “That’s not surprising, after what you’ve been through.” Even after being unconscious for a full day, her skin was still pale, and her eyes sunken. “Water?” She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” This one poured her a glass from a pitcher sitting on the desk, and she took it gratefully. It took her a few attempts to drink without coughing, her throat probably being parched, but this one waited patiently until she had finished the glass. “Thanks.” The Shimmer-mare cleared her throat before continuing. After giving herself a minute to regain her balance, she smiled down at Kukri. “She been here for awhile?” “She flew here as soon as she found out what happened and swore she would stay up and take care of you as long as it took.” This one smiled down at the sleeping changeling. “Alas, while the mind was willing, she has but the body of a child.” The Shimmer-mare chuckled. “Let her sleep for now. We can wake her up after we’ve talked about a few things.” She let out a tired groan and rubbed at her face. “So ... kinda fuzzy on how I wound up here.” This one nodded. “You were pretty out of it when this one brought you here. It might take a little bit for any of it to come back to you, if ever.” She grimaced and made a displeased grunt. “I remember something about poison...” “You got a nasty dose of changeling venom,” this one confirmed. “Turns out the Old Mind—Queen Chrysalis was after you and attacked us with her drones. One of them managed to bite you in the initial part of the ambush. You then proceeded to nearly burn half the manor down.” This one grinned easily. “Nearly got this one, too. But you're alright now. You fell unconscious after that, and this one took you and got you off the island to see a proper healer. We gave you some anti-venom, along with some other potions to speed along your recovery. The healer says you'll make a full recovery, and this one trusts her. She’s done exceptional work with this one in the past.” This one paused, then amended, “Or on this one, it supposes.” While this one could have told the Shimmer-mare about its own heroics, it had decided to keep that specific part a secret in the end. This one didn't like to advertise the full extent of its abilities, and there didn't seem to be any good reason to worry her about how close she had come to an unpleasant end. Just the bite and the knowledge that she hadn't pulled herself out of danger should serve as sufficient warning to be more careful in future situations. Besides, the Shimmer-mare might become upset if she found out she wasn't the hero of the story. The Shimmer-mare nodded her head, relief clear in her features. “What about Chrysalis and the other drones?” “This one informed the Council of what had happened as soon as it could,” this one said. “They’re going to do what they always do when they suspect there is a hive in Freeport. They’ll send the condottieri to comb the island and sniff out where their hive is hidden away. From there, it’s just a matter of killing or capturing the drones, freeing whoever they had captured, and in general cleaning up whatever mess the Old Mind has caused.” The condottieri had experience with such operations, and with this one and the Shimmer-mare having already killed most the drones on Sweetash Isle, it seemed unlikely they would face much resistance. Assuming the Old Mind hadn’t withdrawn what might have remained of her drones, in any event. This one just hoped that whatever might remain of the Sweetash family wouldn’t be upset about all the property damage we had caused in the fight. Little surprise, most sugar plantation magnates didn’t like it when you derailed their sugar production. “Makes sense.” The Shimmer-mare let out a long sigh. “Guess it’s good that it’s going to be taken care of, but... Well, none of this is especially pleasant.” She rubbed the sides of her head. “I remember something about Chrysalis ... and Mom?” This one gave her an easy smile and patted her on the leg. “You might have some fevered dreams mixed in there. Comes with being poisoned.” The Shimmer-mare didn’t look this one in the eyes when she said, “I guess, yeah. At least we got out of it. ” She grimaced. “Even if we didn't get paid.” This one sighed and nodded. This was a part of our conversation that neither of us was going to enjoy, even if it was necessary. “Yeah, a job where you get beat up and not paid isn't great, but they happen every once in awhile. This one has been through this more than once in the past.” She wrapped her forelegs around herself. “Not exactly how I wanted to start the first job I found for myself. And here I thought I had a good gig lined up.” This one waved dismissively. “You had bad luck. It happens to everyone. There were a few warning signs, but this one can help you find your next job and what to watch out for. You'll figure out what you should and shouldn't do soon enough.” That would go a long way, and had the side bonus of more closely tying the Shimmer-mare to this one. This job had only put emphasis on this one to make time to help instruct and teach the Shimmer-mare. The Shimmer-mare sat in her own silence for a few moments, then slowly nodded. “I'll listen.” This one placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You feeling okay?” She shrugged. “As okay as anypony would in my situation.” “Not fun to face death, is it?” That was of course stating the obvious, but now seemed like a good time to bring the subject out into the open. Facing one’s mortality for the first time, and this one means really facing it, not merely as some vague concept that one only understands as a purely hypothetical inevitability, was something most everyone had to deal with sooner or later. Not that it was a particularly pleasant fact to deal with. “This one knows all about that, having had more close calls than it likes to think about.” “I didn't care for it, no,” the Shimmer-mare said. This one patted her gently on the shoulder. “Then try and learn from it. We got through it this time, and as long as we’re alive, we can do better in the future.” The Shimmer-mare nodded and this one could see her self-assurance glimmer in her eyes. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” “And there will be other jobs, just you wait.” This one grinned. “It’s only a matter of time until someone will want to hire Freeport's magus again.” A smile returned to the Shimmer-mare’s face. “Point. I've never been short on offers. Not between you, the EIS, and everyone else.” “See? You'll be back on your hooves in no time,” this one assured her. “Just gotta make sure this never happens again.” A savage grin worked its way onto her features. “Also, payback.” Somehow, this one wasn’t surprised that the Shimmer-mare would want to hit back at the Old Mind. She wasn’t the type to easily forgive, if ever. “It's not going to be easy,” this one pointed out. “The Old Mind's a slippery one. Not to mention one of the most powerful beings on the planet, with many centuries of experience that comes with being unkillable.” The Shimmer-mare considered that for a few seconds. “Yeah, but you’re pretty clever and slippery too, and you’ve beaten her in the past, right? This one shrugged. “A few times, yes. This one isn't exactly her favorite changeling the world. Not by a long shot.” This one couldn’t help but grin at some of its previous encounters with the Old Mind. “Especially after what this one did to her at Lubeak.” “Huh,” she said. “You'll have to tell me that story sometime.” “Oh, this one has a few tales to tell...” Author's Note I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JaketheGinger for their help making this story. I would also like to thank my prereaders Swiftest, 621Chopsuey, Web of Hope, Trinary, and Infinion with all their help making this story readable.
