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Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour

by Ponibius

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: When a deal sounds too sweet...

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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 motive here. 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 Notes:

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.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: ... It usually is. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes
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