Hunger is one of the most singularly unpleasant experiences this one has ever gone through. It gnaws at you, ever present, always demanding to be sated. The primal need for food can drive even the most civilized and law-abiding individual to truly desperate actions. Hunger could even drive a whole community into rioting, acts of violence, and even revolution. After all, without sufficient food we ultimately have nothing—not even our lives.

It’s arguably worse for Free Minds. The Old Mind designed even her most independent children to feed on love. Whether that was intentional or a byproduct of her own innate limitations, this one could only guess. Not that the Old Mind was inclined to liberate any of her children from the hunger that drove the daily needs of all changelings. The Old Mind was far too malicious of a monster for that; she enjoyed feeding the children that made up her gestalt intelligence, especially because it hurt others.

But the Old Mind had chosen to be evil. The Free Minds proved that we could live side-by-side with other sapient beings in Freeport. By regulating our feeding habits to something equitable to those around us and limiting the size of our population to what the love of the local community could support, we could live symbiotically with our non-changeling neighbors. Though that was the root of this one’s current problem: there were systems in place in Freeport to make sure a Free Mind wouldn’t go hungry as long as they had enough ducats in their purse, or knew people who were willing to give their love.

But Port Nowhere, or nearly anyplace outside of Freeport’s territories for that matter, didn’t have such arrangements. That was a problem for this one as it examined its last jar of thymoplasm in its hotel room. This one hadn’t been in Port Nowhere long enough to make many arrangements to replenish its stocks, especially when this one was both trying to keep its identity a secret and not encourage the locals to break out the torches and pitchforks to go hunting for the love-sucking bug-monster in their midst.

This one had managed to make some small arrangements to feed itself, however, even if those were contacts this one had been very careful about cultivating. Ladies of the night could be very flexible about their clientele’s requests if the price was right, and a small bite wound and a little fatigue were far from the worst displeasure they could experience over their careers.

“‘Ladies of the night’?” Kukri frowned as she puckered out her lips. “You mean whores?”

I blinked. “Kukri!”

“Whaaat?” Kukri held up her forehooves. “That’s what they are, right? This one heard about them on the Venture. Every port has them.”

I groaned and facehoofed. I had to wonder if Kukri’s time as a cabin filly had completely erased her innocence. “A kid like you shouldn’t be talking about stuff like that.”

“Why?”

Considering this was not a talk I wanted to have with my apprentice, I decided to switch tactics. “Because little fillies who talk about that type of thing get to clean all the stairs in my tower.” My eyes narrowed. “With the small brush.”

Knowing exactly how small the brush was and being all too aware of how many steps there were in my tower, Kukri pouted and turned away. Silence was as good a defense as any in a situation like this.

Puzzle cleared his throat. “Anyways...”

But now this one was going to leave even the meager means this one had come upon to feed itself. The presence of bounty hunters forced this one’s hoof. This one had been carefully rationing ever since leaving Freeport, but that had left this one with an edge of hunger for weeks, and it was wearing on this one. This one could supplement its diet with equine food and it had been doing so, but every Free Mind still needed some love to keep from starving. The voyage across the sea to the subcontinent was likely going to drain much of this one’s remaining thymoplasm unless it got lucky somehow.

Allowing itself to starve obviously wasn’t an option. In addition to the real possibility of death, there was also the nasty byproduct of the Old Mind’s legacy: any Free Mind that wasn’t sufficiently fed would end up going feral and start attacking others to feed itself. A Free Mind wasn’t able to restrain itself in its feeding in such a state, and that could easily result in leaving a victim as a withered husk that might never recover. That would be bad for more than one reason. First was that such predation was likely to get a community up in arms about the predator in their midsts, and second, such feral feedings were bound to leave a trail for the bounty hunters following this one. If anything, communities would be bound to aid such pursuers in the belief that it would help keep them safe from this one.

This one might be forced to take up some of the practices of old to feed itself. If this one wanted to think the glass was half full, the bounty hunters coming after this one might provide it an unwitting food source. At least they would know the risks of trying to chase down a changeling.

Whatever this one’s food issues might be, it would have to figure it out as opportunities presented themselves. It concentrated on what it had available to work with and mentally went through the tools spread out on its hotel bed: lockpicks for doors and other mechanisms, this one’s saddlebags, rope, sleeping roll, basic cooking and eating utensils, water canteen, compass, and a variety of other minor tools. Though these were the more mundane tools of this one’s trade, they were still quite helpful in their own ways.

What might more readily raise eyebrows were this one’s magical tools. This one’s eyes fell over the magically sharpened daggers that were this one’s principle weapons, as well as a pair of magical shock batons it kept to disable its opponents. Then there was the slowly dwindling supply of potions, fire gems, and thunderflash stones.

Next to all of that was this one’s silver necklace with its multiple talismans. Not as many as there once was, but its magical protections were still potent enough to justify wearing. This one’s most valuable objects were its steel bracer and silver bracelet; the steel bracer was inlaid with gold runes and was enchanted to create a powerful electrical shock—useful for when this one had to take a target down. The silver bracelet was also covered by runes and small sapphire gems embedded in it. It was a particular favorite of this one, since it could grant this one a few minutes of invisibility each day. No small thing when this one needed to escape or get the drop on someone. Overall, this one felt quite well supplied for an adventure.

Except for that one last jar of thymoplasm.

This one sighed and carefully packed up its things. It needed to meet up with the Ephemera-mare at the docks soon, and there wasn’t time to waste.

We were wasting so much time.

I tapped my hoof on the dock as we waited to speak to the captain about bartering passage. The SS Buried Treasure was a large three-masted merchant ship, and its crew was busying itself with the final preparations to get the ship ready to cast off in order to catch the outgoing tide. To my annoyance, we weren’t the only ones trying to get passage onto the ship. A small group of zebras, merchants by the looks of them, were standing ahead of us to talk with the captain.

“Relax, Daring.” Capital flashed me a smile. “No need to worry, we’ll get aboard.”

“Assuming the ship doesn’t fill up before we even talk with the captain,” I grumbled. “We don’t exactly have a small party.”

I glared back at the twenty retainers Capital had brought with him: cooks, hunters, servants, and even a couple of Capital’s college friends, the motley band had swelled the size of our group way beyond what I liked seeing. Really, I would have preferred this to have been an expedition of one. I could move a hay of a lot faster than this gaggle, and it would have caused me a lot fewer headaches. It had taken us two hours to gather everyone together and get all our stuff so that we could get on the Buried Treasure. The only reason we had even gone that fast was because Capital and I had been driving them. If it had just been just me, the ship would probably have already cast off.

Capital waved off my complaint. “I doubt it will be an issue once we explain everything, and even if it is, there is always the next ship heading to the continent.”

I ground my teeth together. “That’ll take too long. Ephemera might try and steal the compass from us if we wait.”

Capital raised his eyebrow. “You think she would assault us in the open like this? My word, I would think the town guard would do something about that type of tomfoolery.”

“I wouldn’t place much stock in the guards here.” My gaze fell on a squad of said guards not too far away. They were a rough-looking lot that didn’t look all that different from the gangsters we’d had a run in with earlier, the only difference being the spears they carried and the badges they wore. “Taking one look at these guys, I’d say they’d be more than happy to look the other way for a bribe.”

Capital sighed and shook his head. “What a sad world we live in that such behavior is tolerated. If this were Canterlot, I’d report such uncouth behavior and they would be lucky to merely get fired for misconduct.”

“Yeah, well this isn’t Canterlot, and Ephemera’s playing for keeps.” The small legion of minions she had thrown at me over the years definitely didn’t give me any confidence in her common decency, and that's not even getting into the rest of our past history. Ephemera was bad news, and the more distance I put between the two of us, the better. It was only a matter of time until more of her goons showed up to cause me trouble, and the novelty of dealing with dumb muscle had long worn off.

Capital scratched behind his ear. “Perhaps you’re right about that.” He puckered his lips together and nodded. “If that’s the case, we simply cannot be denied passage here.”

“Easier said than done,” I grumbled. I’d traveled enough to know that trying to tell a captain how to run their ship usually went. Considering the usual maxim went that the captain is the master of the ship next after the gods, your average captain didn’t take backtalk from anyone.

The line moved and soon Capital and I finally found ourselves before the captain. The master of the Buried Treasure looked like he had seen better days: one of the zebra stallion’s forelegs ended in a pegleg, he had an eyepatch over one eye, several faded scars crossed his body, and his coat had a worn and weathered look from so many days spent under the hot sun. I wondered from the damage if the guy had been a pirate once, or if he’d just been that unlucky over the years. It was hard to say when a merchant was just a couple of illicit goods from becoming a smuggler.

The captain grunted at the sight of us. “Name’s Captain Hazim. You looking for passage?”

Capital smiled as he puffed out his chest. “So we are, my good captain. My name is Lord Capital Idea, and I’m looking for a ship to take me and my companions to the coast.”

Captain Hazim grunted again. “I’m not anyone’s ‘good captain’.” He didn’t even look at us as he pulled out a clipboard. “How many of ya are there, and how much luggage?”

If the captain’s corrosive personality bothered Capital, he didn’t show it as he continued talking in his jovial tone. “Twenty-one, and we’ve got six crates’ worth of luggage with us.”

“Mmm.” Hazim tapped his clipboard before scribbling something down. “That should be fine, long as you’ve got the cash for all of that. That’ll be three thousand bits for each passenger. That’s sixty-six thousand in total. You can cover that, right?”

“Of course, of course!” Capital reached for his saddlebags, but I quickly stopped him with a hoof.

“That’s way too much for a short little trip, Captain,” I said, scowling. “Especially when this doesn’t look like any kind of luxury cruise.”

Captain Hazim glared back at me with his one eye. “That’s for food, lodgings, storage space, and no questions asked.” He sniffed hauntily. “I can smell trouble about you.”

“We’re not looking for trouble,” I answered evenly. “We just want a ship to the coast.”

“That don’t mean trouble isn’t following you, which I’m sure it is. I’ve seen enough trouble to know it when I see it, and you’re it.” Hazim drew himself up to his full height so he could scowl down at us. “Not that I particularly care what your trouble is. I’ve seen it all: exiles, criminals trying to avoid prison, people running from debt, con men—none of it makes a lick of difference to me as long as they pay up for the voyage and behave themselves while they’re on my ship. Anything else isn’t my problem, and the less I know the less anyone asking pointed questions can ask me.”

Capital frowned. “Well, aren’t you a cheery fellow?”

“This is a merchant ship, not some trust-fund brat’s yacht,” Captain Hazim stated. “I take passengers who’re going the same way I am to help pad out my profits. I’ll take you where you’re going for the right price, and keep you as safe as I can. If that isn’t good enough for you then move on and try and get on someone else’s ship. Once again, the cost is three thousand bits.”

Puzzle smirked at Daring. “Pity you didn’t disguise yourself as someone a bit more respectable looking.”

Daring rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t work so well when you’ve got a whole retinue following you around like Capital did. Too many ponies to slip up and give us away, which could be disastrous. If it was just me I totally would have gotten onto the Buried Treasure with a disguise, and from there it would have been a cinch to keep it up for the whole trip.”

Kukri beamed. “Because the Do-mare is the best at disguises!”

“Hay yeah I am!” Daring rubbed Kurki’s headcrest. “Now everypony in Captial’s retinue trying to pull that off? No way, not a chance. We’d have been caught in no time.”

Capital looked to me with an upraised eyebrow. “Daring?”

I grit my teeth, not seeing a way out of this. The next ship heading out of port was making repairs after getting beaten up by a storm and wasn’t going to leave for another few days. If we wanted to go now, then this was our only option. “...Pay him.”

“You accept bank notes?” Capital asked as he rummaged through his bags.

Captain Hazim nodded. “Long as they’re legit.”

Once our fare was paid, we all boarded the Buried Treasure and waited for our luggage to be loaded. All I could hope for was that we wouldn’t face any more trouble until we got to the Dromaed coast.

I was disappointed very quickly.

This one made its way to the docks to reach its pre-arranged meeting point with the Ephemera-mare. It wasn’t hard to find her waiting outside a dockside cafe, not with her alchemically-enhanced zebra guards flanking her. Their intimidating presence created a bubble around their charge that no one seemed in a hurry to penetrate.

This one smiled as it approached the Ephemera-mare. “Ready to go?”

The Ephemera-mare glared at this one as she put down her cup of tea. “Yes, and I’m not accustomed to waiting for anyone else. You better be worth what I’m paying you, Puzzle, or I’m going to be very displeased.”

This one held up a hoof to pacify her. “Please, at least give me the opportunity to prove myself. We haven’t even gotten started yet.” In truth, I wasn’t particularly pleased with the Ephemera-mare’s perpetually caustic attitude, but at the end of the day this one didn’t have to like her to work with her. This one had dealt with plenty of unpleasant individuals back in Freeport, and it needed her to get off the island. Not to mention this one could use the bits it was going to get for this job. Once everything was done, this one could do as it liked.

The Ephemera-mare haughtily raised her chin. “Come on, then. Enough time has been wasted as is.”

She shot off some tightly worded commands to some servants who were carrying her bags, and then we were off to the docks. We were approaching a large full-rigged ship when the Ephemera-mare suddenly hissed and darted into a nearby alley, her guards swiftly flowing to either side of her. She peered around the corner towards the ship, her teeth bared.

Wanting to appear more casual, this one stepped to the corner adjacent to the Ephemera-mare and leaned against it as though taking a moment to rest. “There a problem?”

“Of course there is,” she hissed. “Daring is on the damned ship we were going to take to the coast!”

Curious, this one examined the deck of the Buried Treasure. This one wondered if this meant events would become tricky right off the bat. Stranger things had happened before, after all. “Which one is she?”

“The one with the grayscale mane and pith hat.” The Ephemera-mare all but spat out the words. “That’s her. Just my luck that she would turn up here of all places, she always has a way of showing up at the most inconvenient times.”

This one rubbed its chin as it considered the problem. It wasn’t hard to see the Do-mare on the deck. She was watching some crates being loaded into the ship and was tapping her hoof impatiently. After the way the Ephemera-mare’s hired muscle had attacked her, she was probably as eager to get out of Port Nowhere as this one.

Still, this one’s plans were in danger of being derailed by this development. It seemed that the Ephemera-mare’s past history with the Do-mare made her reluctant to approach the ship. A moment of timidity on her part now could cost this one dearly if more bounty hunters caught up with it due to a delay. No, that wouldn’t do. This one needed to get itself onto that ship and out of port. This one could probably have purchased itself passage on the ship with the money the Ephemera-mare had given it, but that might not leave it with much cash left over once it got to the coast. Not to mention the Ephemera-mare would likely object to this one taking her money without having actually achieved what it had been hired to do.

This one came up with a quick plan to get itself onto that ship, preferably in the best condition possible. First, this one needed to gather some information from the Ephemera-mare. “Is she likely to attack you if she sees you?”

The Ephemera-mare frowned. “Maybe. She’s a hot-head, and she definitely doesn’t like me.”

Daring crossed her legs over her chest. “Admittedly, punching her in the face would have felt really good at the time. I always hate it when some cowardly creep hides behind all their minions instead of facing you themself.”

This one flashed her a smile as it peered around the corner. “Then the problem might very well fix itself.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple,” this one assured her. “We go ahead and try to book passage on that ship, and if she attacks you—“

The Ephemera-mare interrupted this one with a sneer. “That is a terrible plan. I am not some pawn who exposes herself to get beaten up by some thug like Daring Do.”

As this one had worried, the Ephemera-mare was the type who much preferred to risk the safety of others rather than expose herself. A weakness on her part—a leader who wasn’t willing to brave the same dangers as her followers couldn’t really demand the same of them. It only served to undercut one’s authority. In any event, this meant that this one had to convince the Ephemera-mare that there was minimal risk to her, and much to be gained if she was willing to do what this one wanted.

This one raised a hoof to try and calm her for a moment. “Hear me out: if she does try and attack you when all you’ve done is try and get passage, then the captain is bound to toss her off his ship as a troublemaker. No captain wants someone on their ship who’s only going to start fights. Not when being packed in the tight quarters for days on end is going to cause tempers to flair.”

“So what, you say I let her punch me?” She tossed her mane. “What if she seriously hurts me? I could end up stuck in a hospital for days.”

“That’s why you have the bodyguards, right?” This one flashed a smile to the guards flanking the Ephemera-mare. “Think you can handle Daring?”

One of them opened his mouth to answer, but the Ephemera-mare cut him off with a slash of her hoof. “You are not here to talk!” The guard clamped his mouth shut tightly while under the menacing glare of his employer.

This one made a mental note of that little exchange. It was starting to notice that its latest employer didn’t exactly have good relations with her employees. That knowledge could be useful later on, even if it was just creating difficulties at the moment. The Ephemera-mare didn’t seem to like to get her hooves dirty, which meant she was dependant on the very help she had such poor relations with. This one planned to see if it could get the Ephemera-mare’s guards to like it. In the event of a falling-out between this one and the Ephemera-mare, it would be to this one’s advantage if her guards felt even a little conflicted about hurting this one. Perhaps they could even be turned against their master with the right circumstances.

I snorted. “And you wonder why people don’t trust you.”

Puzzle let out a long-suffering sigh. “And when this one works so hard to make people like it...”

This one frowned. “So are they here to protect you against Daring Do or not?”

“They are, but...” The Ephemera-mare scowled, and this one could sense the cogs turning in her head. “They’re a last resort.”

This one scoffed and shook its head. “From what I’ve seen, those two should be a match for some two-bit archeologist. If they’re not a counter to your nemesis, why are you paying them?” This one was curious what would happen when it poked at her pride and stroked the egos of the guards.

The Ephemera-mare stiffened. “I don’t like this plan.”

This one shrugged. “If you’ve got a better one, I’m willing to hear it.” This one walked into the alleyway and leaned against the wall opposite of the Ephemera-mare as it addressed her. “Here’s what we can do to minimize the risks: give me the money I need to get a ticket onto that ship. Daring won’t realize that we’re related and will probably mostly ignore me. With me in place, you approach the ship. When you do, Daring should immediately attack you when you try and gain passage. If that happens, the captain will toss her off the ship as a troublemaker and you pay your way onto the ship.”

The Ephemera-mare grit her teeth. “He’s just as likely to tell me that I can’t get onto the ship either.”

This one flashed her a smile. “Come now, I’m sure a intelligent, resourceful, and affluent mare such as yourself will manage.”

“Maybe.” The Ephemera-mare crossed her legs over her chest. “There is still the matter of Daring getting the opportunity to attack me.”

“If I’m to position myself on the ship,” this one explained. “I can get into position to flank her and disable her if she tries anything. She won’t be suspicious of me, and she’ll all but forget about me anyway once she sees you. That will be a valuable oversight on her part we can take advantage of.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Or you’re just looking for a way to get onto that ship on my ducat. You could leave me out to dry if Daring pulls something, and then sail off with all the bits I’ve already given you.”

How annoying. This one had been thinking of doing just that if events made that preferable, but it seemed the Ephemera-mare was far too suspicious. A pity, but this one could adapt without losing too much face.

This one shrugged and tried to look indifferent. “If you really want me by your side then I can be by your side. Granted, that does come with a risk.”

The Ephemera-mare quirked an eyebrow. “What sort of risk?”

“It’s entirely possible Daring will keep her cool and let you onto the ship,” this one pointed out. “In which case having an agent unknown to Daring could be very useful to you. It gives you a trump card that she won’t know about.”

The Ephemera-mare bared her teeth once more as she scowled at this one. “Are you honestly suggesting that I travel on the same ship as that mare?”

Ah, so this would be the greatest mental hurdle to get the Ephemera-mare over. Her hatred of the Do-mare was going to make it difficult to convince her to do what this one wanted. Really, these two were being far too violent when it came to collecting some old objects.

“Hey, she started it!” Daring stomped a hoof on the deck. “Ephemera’s the one trying to sell priceless artifacts just so that she can get rich and powerful. All I want to do is collect them for museums.”

Puzzle grinned. “This one is curious how many artifacts you’ve ‘liberated’ over the years to give to museums.”

Daring puckered out her lips in a glower. “No comment.”

This one switched tactics and aimed for the one thing this one was sure the Ephemera-mare wouldn’t tolerate being harmed: her ego. “So you want to give up then?” This one frowned and sniffed derisively. “Well, I have to say, I’m disappointed.”

This one could hear the faint cracking as the Ephemera-mare ground her teeth together. “I’m not giving up. Not now, not in a hundred years.”

“Then what’s your plan?” This one pushed off the wall as it addressed her. “What’s your alternative to my idea?”

The Ephemera-mare bit her lip. “I ... I’m thinking.”

“You’re wasting my time is what you’re doing.” This one knew it was pushing it, so it headed to the mouth of the alley. Space to move would be key in the event that this one needed to run. “Let me be frank with you: that’s the only ship heading out of port for the next few days. If we’re not on it, and Daring is, we’re going to fall behind her. Critically so. It might be days, perhaps even weeks, before we get to the coast. Given that she always seems to beat you, you might as well throw in the towel if you’re not willing to take some risks.”

The Ephemera-mare shot this one a baleful glare. “I’m not going to lose to her again. And you better watch your mouth.”

This one stretched out its wings, ready to fly at a second’s notice. “Then we better get on that ship. If not, we might as well part ways right now. There’s no sense burdening myself with a failed expedition.” Whatever ended up happening, this one was getting on that ship. It would figure things out from there one way or another, with or without the Ephemera-mare. Perhaps this one could even form an agreement with this Do-mare.

The Ephemera-mare bared her teeth. “Fine. But I don’t like it.” She stomped her way past me, but she stopped short to glare at this one even more intensely. “But you’re getting on the ship after me. You can support me from down on the dock just fine.”

This one shrugged, knowing it wouldn’t be able to press the point. “If that’s what you really want, though in that case I’m going to have to hang back a bit. It’s still a good idea if Daring doesn’t know that I’m working for you.”

“Just make sure to stop Daring if she does attack me.” A particularly nasty-looking smile grew on the Ephemera-mare’s features. “In any event, I think there might be a few ways I can turn this to my advantage.”

Her smile made this one wonder exactly what it might be getting into. Looking for a little adventure seemed to be getting this one into a lot of trouble.

I tapped my hoof on the Buried Treasure’s deck as I waited very patiently for the crew to finish loading everything onto the ship. I didn’t like waiting; I’d much rather be acting than standing around. At least then I felt like I was in control, that I was being productive. Sure, it’d be a bunch of waiting once we set sail until we got to the Dromaed coast, but at least then we’d still be making progress.

It wasn’t like there was any more research to keep me busy. I’d already thoroughly gone over the scant materials available on the Quinametzin Empire. About the only thing I could do was review the maps and make sure I knew the lay of the land. Maybe on my fifth readthrough of the only half-decent book I’d found I would come across some obscure fact that would make the difference between success and failure. You’d be surprised how important those little things can be in crazy situations. Like the one time when knowing the five alchemical properties of cockatrice blood saved me from...

“Relax, Daring,” Capital said from over my shoulder. “Standing there brooding over the sailors won’t make them work any faster.”

My wings twitched. “Not much else I can do until we get going.”

“You could join me for a spot of tea.” Capital levitated a cup over to me. “It’s quite relaxing. Perhaps we could even play a bit of chess.”

Proper Penny nodded. “I am sure I could procure a board if that is your desire.”

I accepted the teacup and took a sip. “Maybe once we’ve set sail. I’m not feeling up to it right now.” It was all I could do to keep myself from trying to wrangle all the crates into the ship’s hold myself, even if I knew that would probably just slow things down. I’d picked up a thing or two about how a ship was ran from my travels, but there was a difference between knowing a trick or two of the trade and actually being a sailor.

Capital shrugged. “Suit yourself, the offer’s open. Also, if you like, you can join me for dinner with the Captain later.” He gave me a smile. “I know you can tell a captivating story when you’re in the mood, and I wouldn’t mind hearing a yarn about one of your adventures again.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want to sit down and eat with Captain Suspicious over there? He seems like the type to pat you down after dinner to make sure you’re not stealing any of the silverware.”

Capital waved me off. “Oh hardly so, he’s just a merchant like that. Always being a bit suspicious that someone’s trying to cheat him. You know how bargaining and business are—you have to keep your wits about you when working in those type of circles. I’m sure he’s a charming fellow once he’s let his hair down a bit.”

I leaned against the ship’s railing with a huff. “You’re such an optimist.”

“Come now, you could be a bit more trusting,” Capital retorted in that unceasingly jovial tone of his. “You act like the whole world has it in for you.”

“Probably because it does, half the time.” I turned the cup in my hooves before taking a sip. I stared down into the brown depths of the steaming drink and felt a sting of pain as old history bubbled to the surface. There were reasons why I preferred to work alone.

Capital frowned slightly. “It can’t be quite that bad. Sure, we’ve had a few bumps along the road, but it’s not like—”

My hoof snapped up to shut him up when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. “Oh you have got to be kidding me!”

Capital blinked a few times. “No, I assure you, I am being quite honest. I think—”

“Not that!” I snapped, jabbing a hoof down the dock. “Look! That’s Ephemera!”

Capital stepped up to the railing to see Ephemera walking towards the ship. “My word, that is her! And it looks like she has some friends.”

Ephemera was flanked by a couple of mean-looking zebra guards in full plate armor, though I didn’t recognize them. I’d come to know more than a few of her flunkies over the years, but these two weren’t familiar. “Looks like she’s gotten some new muscle, but I’ve never seen her hire real mercs before.” Ephemera had usually seemed to prefer quantity over quality where her help was concerned. She always tended to see everyone around her as expendable. I should know.

“They look like they know what they’re doing,” Capital said, glancing back at me. “Think she’s looking for a fight?”

“She picked a bad place for it if she did.” Though whether it was bad for us or for her, I wasn’t sure. It looked like my hopes of getting out of port before Ephemera reappeared were dashed. The sight of her made my wings twitch, and I was tempted to fly down to the dock and introduce her face to my hoof.

But before I could launch myself over the railing I felt Capital’s hoof on my shoulder. “Now now, let’s not do something we’ll all regret.”

I ground my teeth together. “You do remember how she sent a bunch of her goons after me just a little bit ago, right? She can’t be up to any good.”

“Yes, but now probably isn’t the time to get into it with her,” he reminded me. “You don’t want to get kicked off the ship.”

“I’m not the one that started all of this,” I shot back.

“All I’m suggesting is that you look before you leap.” Capital squeezed my shoulder. “She might want you to come down there. She certainly looks ready for it with those mercenaries of hers.”

I seethed, but he had enough of a point for me to step down from the railing and merely watch Ephemera and her entourage approach the ship. I scanned the crowd to see if there were any more of her goons, but I didn’t see anyone else that looked like dumb muscle.

“Good thing this one isn’t dumb muscle, then,” Puzzle said with a grin. “Otherwise you might have spotted it.”

“Sorry if I didn’t expect Ephemera to suddenly change tactics,” Daring groused.

“You’re asking for trouble if you don’t expect your opponents to adapt,” Puzzle countered. “Even if the Ephemera-mare was a bit more set in her ways than this one would have liked.”

“You mean she's an evil nag?” Daring countered.

“You said it, not this one.”

Ephemera approached the Captain and gave him a slimy smile. “I would like to purchase passage for myself and my guards.”

Oh hay no! She was not riding on the same ship as us! Capital shouted something after me as I launched myself from the deck, but I wasn’t paying attention. Ephemera blinked as I landed next to Captain Hazim and stumbled back behind her guards, who immediately placed themselves between us.

“Don’t let her onto this ship!” I snapped. “She’s nothing but trouble!”

Captain Hazim narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t remember asking you.”

I stomped a hoof. “But I’m telling you she’s going to cause trouble! You can’t trust her. She’s evil!”

Ephemera huffed and ran her hoof through her mane. “Now that’s slander if I’ve ever heard it. I didn’t realize you were allowing ruffians onto your ship, Captain.”

Captain Hazim scowled at Ephemera. “Don’t care who comes onto my ship as long as they pay and don’t cause trouble.” His scowl turned my way. “Something you seem to have forgotten, miss. Get back onto the ship and shut your yap, or we’re leaving you on the dock.”

I took a step back. “But, but—”

Capital was suddenly by my side, having rushed down the gangway plank to grab me by the shoulders and turn me around despite my protests. “Don’t mind my companion! She’s just anxious to get going is all.”

I dug in my hooves futilely as Capital pushed me along. “Hey, I’m not done yet! If she gets onto the shi—”

Capital pressed a hoof to my muzzle and kept me moving back up the gangway. “I’m sure the Captain knows what he is doing. See you at dinner, my good sir!”

“What’re you doing?!” I demanded, half-muffled as he pushed me back up the ship. “You have any idea what Ephemera’s gonna pull if she gets on this ship?”

Capital grunted as he finished pushing me fully onto the deck. “Quite, but I’m still not about to let you get kicked off this ship.”

I stomped a hoof. “You think I want to be on a ship with her?”

“I severely doubt it,” he said as he met my glare with a level tone. “But it’s not going to help our cause very much if you get us kicked off this ship. Do you want Ephemera to get ahead of us?”

“Of course I don’t, but I’m not letting a snake like her onto this ship.” I looked back down the gangplank, but Capital moved between me and Ephemera. Augh, why couldn’t he let me beat Ephemera up once and for all? Maybe then she would stop sending her goons after me.

Sure, trying to knock sense into her hadn’t worked in the past, but it made me feel better. That was something at least.

“I’m afraid we haven’t much choice.” Capital placed a hoof on my shoulder. “We’re just going to have to abide this.”

“Is there a problem?” Captain Hazim called up to us, his eyes narrowed. “You can have a refund if you’re going to have an issue with my other passengers. I don’t want you on my ship if you can’t control yourselves.”

“No problem at all!” Capital gave the Captain a friendly smile that would have fooled me if I hadn’t spent so much time with him lately. “We were just surprised to see an old acquaintance.”

Hazim’s eyes narrowed yet further as he looked my way. “And you, ma’am?”

I ground my teeth together. Capital had a point, even if I hated to admit it. We’d fall way behind if Ephemera was on this ship and we weren’t. It could be that she only showed up here to steal our compass during the voyage, though personally risking herself wasn’t really her style—not unless she was really desperate. Could it be she’d found her own compass? Maybe. It was highly unlikely, but as I’d discovered over my adventures, ‘unlikely’ was a long way from ‘impossible’.

Then an idea struck me: if she did have a compass, I could swipe it from her during the voyage. Managing that was going to be tricky, especially with how suspicious the Captain was thanks to—well, myself—but I’d pulled off crazier schemes. Ephemera would probably try the same thing, but I’d be ready for her. Besides, there were some questions I wanted to ask her, and the two of us being stuck on a ship with one another would give me the opportunity to do just that.

“No problem at all.” I had to force the words out of my mouth. Whether Ephemera wanted to be tricky or play hardball, I’d beat her.

Hazim grunted neutrally and turned back to Ephemera. “It’ll be a five thousands bits apiece for the lot of you.”

Ephemera’s eyes widened. “That’s outrageous! You can’t be serious.”

“I’m quite serious.” Hazim tilted his hat back to scratch his scalp. “Way I see it, you’re desperate to get on this ship, and you’ve got the smell of trouble about you, so you’re gonna need to make it worth my time to put up with you. Call it an insurance markup if you like.”

“That is one severe markup.” Ephemera sniffed haughtily and ran a hoof through her mane. “I’ll pay five hundred bits and no more.”

“Then you can stay right there.” Hazim turned and started walking up to the ship.

He got halfway up the gangway before Ephemera called out. “Wait!” The Captain stopped and looked back over his shoulder to the glowering Ephemera. “Fine then, I'll pay.”

Shoot, I was hoping the Captain would price Ephemera right out of bothering us. That would have been convenient. Too convenient for me, it seemed. But now the two of them were working out the payment, and soon we’d be co-passengers. I really wish I knew where she got all that money. Did she really sell what artifacts she stole for that much? I had to get a pretty rich patron to get this far.

However she was getting the cash for her trip, it looked like I was going to be spending the voyage sleeping with one eye open. I wasn’t sure what Ephemera was up to yet. Maybe she was just desperate to not fall behind, or maybe she was planning something nasty. I was going to get plenty of time to find out either way, since it was going to take at least a few days with a favorable wind to reach the shore.

I shot Ephemera a glare as she walked up the gangway, and she returned with her own ugly sneer. “Hope you’re not looking for a luxury cruise. It looks like we’re gonna get cozy on this ship.”

Ephemera tossed her mane, and her guards wasted no time getting between us. “I will somehow manage. Just stay out of my way.”

“Pretty sure it’s you getting in my way, Ephy,” I shot back. “What with how you stole my research to get this far.”

Ephemera bared her teeth. “Don’t call me ‘Ephy’, you know I hate that name.”

I snorted. “Yeah, because it’s a friendly nickname that would suggest you actually have friends—which we both know you don’t have.”

“You’re one to talk.” She lifted her chin to look down at me. “This would be much easier if you got off this ship and took the next ship to Equestria.”

I shot her a grin. “Since when did I ever take the easy path? Save your threats—your goons don’t scare me, and we both know you’re all bark and no bite.”

Ephemera’s nostrils flared. “I don’t need to listen to this.” She stomped her way past me and down into the depths of the ship, leaving me alone with Capital.

“Such an unpleasant mare.” Capital tsked and shook his head.

I growled under my breath. “You can say that again. I don’t like this at all.”

“Can’t say I’m wild about it either.” He ran a hoof through his mane. “Oh well, we will do what we must. If you don't mind, I’m going to warn the chaps to keep an eye out for trouble.”

I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, better do that.” I wasn’t exactly wild about Capital’s big retinue, especially how much they were slowing us down, but I didn’t want to see them hurt either. Ephemera was a wimp, but her newest bodyguards looked like they knew what they were doing. I wouldn’t put it past their employer to arrange for an accident or two for some of Capital’s retinue during the trip. Best to make sure they knew what to watch out for sooner rather than later.

I sighed again and leaned on the railing. This really wasn’t fair; all I wanted to do was go to the City of Giants, make some big discoveries, and bring what I learned back to Equestria. That’s all I wanted to do for any of my expeditions. But when there was always someone like Ephemera or Ahuizotl interfering, or Equestrian Intelligence asking me for a favor, or some ancient evil crawls its way out of some gods-forsaken ruin, it was never simple. I wondered if I could even handle normal. It’d probably bore me to death if nothing went wrong on one of my expeditions. Still, it was frustrating to have to deal with a jerk like Ephemera. Traps and monsters were simple to deal with; ponies were something else entirely.

While I was in the middle of my ruminations, something caught my eye. Someone else was trying to get passage onto the ship.

“That’ll be ten thousand bits for you,” the Captain told the latest newcomer.

The stranger raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a lot for a short voyage.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like the look of you.” Hazim spat into the sea. “People that look like trouble pay extra.”

I didn’t know what the Captain was talking about. The guy trying to get passage was quite possibly the most boring guy I’d ever seen. The fact he was a zony was about the most interesting thing about him. Favoring the zebra part of his ancestry with his body covered by black and white zebra stripes, he had a pair of pegasi wings and wore a decent amount of mismatching jewelry, but beyond that there wasn’t really anything distinct about him. Average unremarkable face, average build, average height, average looks—nothing really lept out about the guy. It was like nature took all the average variables you could get into an individual and made a person out of them. Something about the guy was just so uninteresting. He was like the furniture of people in that he just naturally faded into the background.

“Thank you,” Puzzle said with a little smug grin. “This one does try.”

Daring poked his shoulder. “And it’s thanks to you that I’ll never trust anyone boring-looking ever again.”

Puzzle shrugged. “This one has been told it has that effect on people.”

“You kinda do,” I agreed, rubbing the back of my neck. Puzzle had a way of putting on utterly uninteresting disguises when he didn’t want to put on a more roguish face on for meeting with people he knew, or when he was in his natural form.

“I’m not asking for a luxury cruise here,” Mr. Boring said. “A thousand bits sounds reasonable for that.”

The Captain snorted. “Reasonable sounds like you staying in port while my ship’s sailing away. Ten thousand or nothing. Save your peddling for the Freeport market.”

He frowned at Hazim for a long moment before sighing and pulling out his bit purse. “Fine, though you aren’t going to win many repeat customers this way.”

“Don’t get many of those anyways,” the Captain shot back. “Most people leaving Port Nowhere aren’t looking to come back. I wouldn’t, if it wasn’t part of my circuit.”

Mr. Boring looked back at the worn-out dock and its seedy residences. “Can’t imagine why.” He paid the Captain and made his way up the gangway.

I slipped alongside the stranger as he boarded the ship and murmured to him. “I’m starting to think that Captain’s cheating the lot of us. He’s given that line about you being trouble to everyone that’s asked to get on his ship.”

The stranger grinned at me. “Either that or everyone leaving Port Nowhere really is trouble, and he knows what he’s talking about.”

I grinned back. “You saying you’re trouble?”

He scratched the tip of his chin. “My parents often accused me of being trouble. Of course, they might be a bit biased.”

I snorted and extended a hoof to the stranger. “Name’s Daring Do. Looks like we’re stuck together for the next couple of days.”

He took my hoof and smiled—nothing special, but it was still a smile. It was a lot more than I’d gotten from most of the people in Port Nowhere. “Puzzle Piece, and I could think of worse things that could happen.”

Author's Notes:

Thanks to my editors Chengar Qordath and Comma-Kazie for all their help, and to my pre-readers Brony Writer, wolfstorm56, Trinary, 621Chopsuey, Rodinga, PoisonClaw, and Swiftest for their hard work editing.