Getting a convoy of thousands of refugees moving was a lot of work. Back when I’d first heard about it, part of me was worried that Argentium might be delaying their departure to give me time to recover. Now that I’d seen all the chaos involved in trying to organize the evacuation of an entire city with no prep time and most of the infrastructure in ruins, I was amazed she’d managed to get the job done so fast.
Of course, it wasn’t a total evacuation. Blackfyre might have ravaged the city, but thanks in part to my firefighting and distracting him there was still enough of the city standing to hold some of the populace. Argentium wanted to keep the port open for as long as possible, and between that and the various inhabitants who didn’t want to leave their homes or couldn’t risk a long overland journey in winter the city wouldn’t be completely abandoned.
Still, there were a whole lot of ponies and caribou in this convoy. And every last one of them was counting on me to keep them safe. So, you know, no pressure.
I went looking for Puzzle to do some pre-departure coordination. We wouldn’t have much time to plan on the fly if Blightspawn showed up, so the smart thing to do was to hammer out as many of the details as we could ahead of time.
I found Puzzle in the wagon-sled that had been set aside for us and our gear. Our position in the convoy aside, I was pretty sure the main reason we had our own sled was for me. My prosthetic was working fine so far and therapy had gone fairly well, but there was no denying it was a bit of a rush job and nobody was eager to test how it held up after several days of walking through rough terrain.
At the moment Puzzle had taken over most of the wagon’s space with several blankets covered with a collection of weapons and other more esoteric gear. I had to wonder how he planned to carry all of that around, even if he had a dimensional bag like the one Strumming used for her snacks. At least, I sure hoped he was using one of those for his important gear. It was hard not to be impressed by the sheer breadth of his collection. “Wow, I guess you had plenty of things to ask Argentium for.”
Puzzle glanced up at me and shrugged. “As the old saying goes, it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. As it is this one would prefer to have more, but we had to make do with what she had available.”
“Yeah, not like we can wait for things to get shipped over.” I looked over the collection of stilettos with different blade profiles. “Considering what we could be up against, I’m not sure there's any such thing as being too heavily armed.”
“This one most emphatically agrees.” Puzzle picked up several of the knives, testing the balance on each before setting it back down. “Blightspawn are a bit bigger than anything this one is used to fighting, and our options for subterfuge are considerably more limited. This one dislikes being forced to defend a relatively fixed target. By the very nature of our mission we cede the initiative to the enemy and sacrifice any realistic hope of stealth or surprise. The enemy will choose when battle begins, and a threat to the convoy can force us to fight even if it would be unwise.”
He was right, assuming we weren’t willing to be really cold-blooded about sacrificing some of the refugees to save the rest of the convoy. Which ... okay, giving up a hundred to save a thousand was the logical thing to do, but only after exhausting every other alternative I could find. I tried to focus on something a bit more positive than the grim mathematics of death. “We got the one Blightspawn, and that was when we had no idea what we were dealing with. Now we’re in much better shape to take the fight to them.”
Puzzle set aside the weapons, frowning at me. “Are we now?”
“Of course we are.” I did my best to smile confidently. “For starters, we know what we’re up against. You’re the one who always says that knowledge is power. Not to mention that, well...” I waved at his huge collection of gear. “Better equipment. Having the right tools for the job makes a huge difference. Speaking of which.” I rolled my shoulder so Chainbreaker’s hilt showed more prominently. “If this sword could get through Blackfyre’s scales, it’ll probably cut through a Blightspawn’s chitin too.”
“Quite likely,” Puzzle conceded. “However, this one doesn’t know how familiar the Shimmer-mare is with the principles of blade combat, beyond basics like ‘smack them with the sharp part.’ One of the most important parts of any form of melee combat is hoofwork and maneuvering for position.” His eyes pointedly fell to the prosthetic strapped to what was left of my right foreleg. “How quick and maneuverable do you think you’ll be?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’ve always teleported around more than running and jumping in the middle of a fight.”
“And the Glimmer-mare has a spell that can neutralize that,” Puzzle pointed out. “And considering she almost certainly learned that spell from Blackfyre, this one doubts that you can rely on that for combat maneuverability.”
“Then I’ll come up with something else,” I grunted. “I know the situation isn't great, but we’ll manage. We’ve got to, considering how many people are counting on us.”
Puzzle stared at me for several seconds, then sighed and turned his attention back to the new collection of runestones he’d picked up. “You do remember that you’re injured, right?”
My eyes narrowed, and I pointedly raised my maimed leg. “Trust me, I remember every time I take a step. But it doesn't change anything.”
“Yes it does,” Puzzle countered stubbornly. “You’re getting very dangerously invested in this, and this one is afraid of how it might end.”
I scowled at him and tried to cross my forelegs over my chest, only for the prosthetic to not cooperate. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Puzzle shifted his full attention to me, his face unreadably blank. “You’ve already suffered a brain aneurysm and lost a leg in this war, and it’s only just begun in earnest. How far do you plan to go with this?”
I grimaced. “Yeah, I’ve gotten pretty banged up. I’ve also saved a whole lot of lives.”
“So you have,” Puzzle conceded. “But that’s come at a significant cost. Both to yourself, and to our plans.”
My temper flared and I rounded on him. “So what was I supposed to do? Do you think I should have left everyone in Coldharbor to die because that’s not part of your long-term plan?”
“Sometimes we must look at the big picture,” Puzzle answered calmly. He took a deep breath. “As your friend, I think it best to speak plainly. If you continue on your current course you’re unlikely to survive this conflict. You might not even make it through our current mission. You've already given so much to the people of Northmarch, and this one fears you won’t stop until you have nothing left. Don’t make a martyr of yourself.”
I scoffed. “I’m not planning on dying here.”
“This one doubts you planned on being permanently maimed here either,” Puzzle shot back. “Already this one is having to reconsider how much we can do thanks to your injuries. We can hardly go around plunging ourselves headfirst into mortal peril now that you’re crippled. It is entirely possible that your planned foray into teaching at the White Pony’s school will become a permanent position as a matter of necessity. This one certainly expects that when we meet the White Pony at the border, she will do everything in her power to remove you from the front lines.”
“She probably will,” I agreed. “But she’s never had much luck when it comes to making me do things I don’t want to. So I’m going to escort this refugee convoy to safety, and from there I'll do whatever else I have to.”
“And how long do you plan to do this?” Puzzle demanded. “Until the war is over?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“And if that takes years?” he pressed.
“Then that’s what it takes.” I sighed and took a seat opposite him. “I’m not going to cut and run while everyone here needs help.”
“And what about our plans in Freeport?” Puzzle frowned and shook his head. “Are you willing to throw all of those away? This one certainly can’t abandon everything it spent years building to help you on some doomed crusade to right every single evil you come across. While this one sympathizes with the people of Northmarch and their plight, it still has its own duties and responsibilities and can’t neglect them indefinitely.”
I glowered at him. “Sure, we have plans. Do those plans matter more than all the people here who are going to die if we don’t help?”
“Considering we were planning on reforming an entire nation?” Puzzle frowned down at my prosthetic. “Sunset, this one is more than happy to help Northmarch as much as it reasonably can, but it has a question for you. What helps them more: this one serving as an above average but by no means remarkable convoy guard, or this one using all its power, resources, and vast network of contacts in Freeport to aid them?” He steepled his hooves, keeping his eyes fixed on me. “And perhaps Magus Shimmer of Freeport can help more than Sunset Shimmer, volunteer spellslinger. If Argentium and Blackfyre use their considerable wealth to seek out some Freeport mercenaries to bolster their forces, your influence could be considerable. You could doubtless help when it comes to persuading the Council that Blackfyre would make for a much worse neighbor and trade partner.”
I groaned and tried to run a hoof down my face, but instead I just smacked myself in the snout with my new metal leg. “Okay, fine, so maybe we could do a lot of good just using our influence, but right now on the ground they need fighters.”
“That is so,” Puzzle agreed. “And that is why we are going to help these refugees arrive safely. By the time that is done Argentium will have roused the north, and the White Pony will be well into the process of mobilizing Equestria. There will be far less need need for one wounded magus and two capable but hardly extraordinary fighters.”
I sighed and reluctantly found myself nodding along with him. “It’s ... I don't know. I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear. I don’t want to neglect Freeport, and you’ve got a point about using our influence, but I can’t just walk away when they’re asking me to help.”
“And this one can understand that.” Puzzle reached over and gave my shoulder a quick pat. “But we need to think about the situation objectively. If we continue on our current course and you insist on personally jumping into every single battle, this one can only hope that making a martyr of yourself is a swift path to ascension.”
I clenched my teeth as my temper flared. “You think that's what I’m doing?! That this is all just some effort to make myself an alicorn?!”
Puzzle shook his head. “This one suspects it might be part of why you’re pushing yourself so hard, but it didn’t mean to imply your motives were selfish. This one knows you want to help, and it sympathizes with that. But you are killing yourself here. Every time you have a choice between backing down or ruining yourself to push a little bit harder, you choose the latter. You nearly destroyed your own brain trying to keep up with Starlight, and now you’ve lost a leg rather than back away from Blackfyre. If you keep this up...” He sighed, his gaze dropping down to the bottom of the wagon. “What happens if there are a bunch of Blightspawn, and someone needs to do a valiant rearguard action to buy the refugees time to escape? As noble as that would be, this one doesn’t want to see you go down that path, and right now that’s what you’re setting yourself up for.”
I opened my mouth to refute his argument, but I couldn’t actually come up with anything. Mostly because, while I didn’t want to admit it, he was probably right. If it came down to me dying to save a couple thousand refugees, that sounded like a pretty fair trade. I shrugged helplessly. “I don't know what else to do. They need my help.”
Puzzle didn’t say anything for a long time, looking over his gear in silence. Finally he settled on a silver-edged dagger, holding it in his hooves. “This one supposes it should have realized the truth. We must be who we are, no matter the circumstances. If it persuaded you to walk away from Northmarch you would doubtless be guilt-ridden, and blame yourself for every single casualty for the rest of the war. Still...” He took a deep breath. “Don’t make this one bury you, Shimmer-mare.”
“Not planning on it.” And if things went bad, I doubted Blackfyre would leave a corpse behind. “I’m not trying to get myself killed, but I guess I can’t help ... wanting to help.” I finished lamely.
“Not when that’s who you are,” Puzzle agreed with an almost mournful smile “If you will forgive this one for saying so, you can be extremely stubborn once you set your mind on some noble cause. But then, this one has no one else but itself to blame for helping you get into this.”
I shook my head and gave him a pat with my good leg. “It’s not your fault, Puzzle. These are my choices. I’m not a kid like Kukri, I knew what I was getting into.”
Puzzle grimaced and shook his head, his eyes drifting back down to my leg. “This one would argue that point. None of us knew what we were getting into at the start of this. Even if you are making these decisions, this one is enabling you. And it will certainly be blamed by those seeking a scapegoat for your injuries. At least the ones within Freeport: the Equestrians will likely blame the Heartstrings-mare.” He sighed, then shook his head. “But wallowing in self pity isn't productive. Let’s focus on the immediate problems in front of us and let the future tend to itself. There is little point worrying about long-term damage to our reputations if we end up in a Blightspawn’s stomach before the week is out.”
“Exactly.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Which is why I’m saving the breakdown over my leg until the war is over. Once that’s done, I’ll lock myself in my room and listen to loud music or whatever it is I’m supposed to do.”
Puzzle frowned and cocked his head to the side. “This one is surprised to hear you speak of it all so ... flippantly.”
I shrugged. “It’s ... I dunno. I think I’m still in shock or something. There’s just so much else to worry about right now that there’s not really time to think about this.” I tapped the prosthetic.
“Displacement.” Puzzle nodded sagely. “Under the circumstances, this one can’t fault you for putting off dealing with it to focus on our immediate survival. Very well then, this one shall follow your example and not concern itself with the broader issues until after we’ve seen our charges to safety.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Though do not think this will be the last you hear of its opinion on what our current course of action should be.”
“I know.” I took a seat next to him. “We’ll talk about what to do after the convoy once we’ve got them taken care of. Who knows where the war will be by that point?”
Puzzle nodded sharply. “Very well then. For now, this one thinks we should make plans for what to do when we’re attacked by Blightspawn. There will doubtless be a great deal of panic and chaos, and coordinating our response on the fly will be difficult. Far easier if everyone has some idea of what to do ahead of time.”
I grimaced. “Yeah. So, here’s what I was thinking...”
We managed to get the convoy up and moving more-or-less on time. How we managed that, I’ll never know. I think a lot of it was just that all the refugees understood exactly how important it was to get out of the ruined city and into safety.
It didn’t take long for the first obvious problem to crop up: this far north in the middle of winter, daylight didn’t last very long. Keeping things moving after the sun went down wasn’t an option. The cold and rough terrain were more than enough to make that a bad idea, and once you added in the risk of a Blightspawn attack it got twenty times worse. Fortunately, between the refugees and the militia we had enough skilled outdoorsmen to get a decent perimeter set up around camp before full night fell.
The militia put the leftover daylight to good use, running through a bunch of basic weapon drills. It seemed like a good idea to observe all that and see how good they looked. After all, the plan I’d hammered out with Puzzle depended on them being able to pull their weight. Not that we were expecting a bunch of dyed-in-the-wool monster slayers, but it would make our job a lot easier if they could hold the spawn off with their spears and wear them down with arrow fire. Hard to pull off the classic hammer and anvil tactics we’d worked out if the militia couldn’t hold the line and soften them up enough for us to finish them off.
They looked good as far as I could tell. The spearmen were producing a passable wall of sharp pointy sticks, and the archers were hitting their targets more often than not. However, there was a big difference between doing well at drills and handling the real thing. Blightspawn were fast, big, and a lot scarier than the snow mounds they were practicing on. Everything I’d read and heard said that the big issue with militia was how well they’d hold ranks in a real fight. If half the spearmen panicked and ran for the hills at the first sign of blightspawn, our spear wall wouldn’t even slow them down.
Unfortunately, there was no way to train them for real battle. After all, the whole point of training was that it wasn’t the real thing. All I could do was hope they would pass their trial by fire. The fact that they were fighting for their families back in the main body of the refugee column should keep them motivated, but fear was never rational.
The crinkle of a chip bag announced Strumming’s arrival before she spoke up. “So what’re you looking at? ‘Cause I don’t think you’re just using this as an excuse to stare at all the cute militia guys get all sweaty. Or the gals.” She took a seat next to me. “Actually, come to think of it I don’t think I’ve seen you ever really getting into anyone, male or female. And considering you’re on the tail end of those teenage hormones and your biological clock firing up, that’s a bit unusual.”
“I’ve got more important things to worry about,” I answered with a dismissive hoofwave. “Right now, it’s checking out how the militia looks.”
“Yeah, fair enough.” Strumming’s eyes flicked over to a group of kids watching the militia workout, and she opened up her snack bag to toss some of her chips their way. “So are you actually worried about how well these farmers can hold a spear, or are you looking for reasons to not think about the things that are really bothering you?”
I shrugged. “Little bit of both. I’ve only got a million things to worry about.”
“No kidding.” Strumming shook her head. “At this rate you’re gonna get a bunch of premature wrinkles and grey hairs before you’re thirty.”
“At the moment, I’ll be happy just to make it to thirty.” I grimaced and shook my head. “Last thing I need right now is more stress.”
“You need a hobby,” Strumming announced.
Typical Strumming, randomly changing the subject with no warning. “Now’s hardly the time to pick up one of those.”
“Sure it is!” She finished off her own bag of chips, then tossed a couple more to the kids. “To toss out a crazy idea, how about we work on learning how to use that priceless relic you’re carrying around on your back?”
That caught me flat-hooved. “Uh, what?”
“Chainbreaker,” she explained. “The sword. That you’re carrying. Right now. Remember the part where you beat up Starlight and stole it from her? I know you got brain damage right after that, but I was pretty sure you still remembered everything.”
I glowered at her over the tone, though at least now I knew what she was talking about. “Right, that’s...” I took a deep breath and clamped down on my temper. “That’s ... actually not a bad idea.” Back when I’d been planning things out with Puzzle I had brought up that Chainbreaker would be useful for cutting through the thick hides of Blightspawn, after all. Much as I didn’t love the idea of swinging an artifact around, I might need it.
Strumming nodded and grinned. “Yeah, long as you’re hauling it around it’s probably a good idea to train with a bit before something big and ugly tries to eat you.”
“Something that’s entirely too likely to happen in the foreseeable future,” I agreed, slowly drawing out the blade. “And, well, I’m not completely clueless, but when it comes to swords I haven’t really trained with them.” The couple lessons in melee combat I’d had with Knives had stuck to staves and polearms since those were usually the preferred weapons for a magus: a longer weapon to keep the enemy at bay while I did the real damage with my spells. “When it comes to swords, I don’t know much beyond ‘stick them with the pointy end.’”
Strumming shook her head. “Actually, not even that applies here. Pull it out.” I drew the blade for her. “See how it’s got a single edge, and there’s a little bit of a curve to the blade? Means this weapon’s optimized for slashing and cutting, not making with the stabby-stabby. Sure, it’s got a pointy end, but the curve will diminish your thrusting force a bit and makes it a little harder to put the point exactly where you want it. Not to mention single-edged swords just don’t penetrate as deep as double-edgers.” She shrugged. “I mean, the magic on it will probably make up a lot of the difference when it comes to penetration, and there’s a big difference between ‘not optimized for stabbing’ and ‘can’t stab,’ but it’s still gonna make a difference. Can’t count on magic to make up for it, since odds are you’ll run into someone with enchanted armor or super-tough scales to counterbalance what’s in the sword.”
“So more ‘slice them with the sharp edge,’” I concluded. I was a bit surprised she knew so much about swords, though maybe I should’ve anticipated that. She’d obviously had weapon training, after all. “I suppose this is the part where you offer to train me?”
“You do pick up on things pretty quick.” Strumming reached into her bag and pulled out a long, thin blade. “Now if you want a ‘stick them with the pointy end’ sword, go with something like an estoc.” She smirked and flourished the blade.
That was unexpected. “Where did you get that from?!” Though in hindsight I probably should’ve guessed her magic bag had more in it that just a seemingly endless supply of junk food.
Strumming chuckled. “I got it from the Coldharbor armory, Argentium, the EIS, a blacksmith, or a soldier napping. Take your pick.”
Typical Strumming answer. “I suppose we could try a spar, then. I know a spell to make our blades safe.”
“Sounds good to me.” She gave that answer just enough time to sink before continuing. “If you want to skip the part where I teach you how to actually hold the blade, how to strike, footing, and the hundred other basics of swordsmareship. Not to mention that considering how magically potent that sword of yours is, I’d rather do some extra safety testing before we play around with it like that. I’m sure your safety spells are good and all, but I’d rather not find out the hard way that it’s sharp enough that your spell just makes it go from lopping my head clean off to merely slicing my throat open.”
I sighed and nodded along. “Right. Guess we’ll start from the foundation and work our way up.”
“That is the smart way to build things.” She grinned, looking just a touch too eager. “So let’s get started. First, we need a good stance to minimize how much of you they can hit while maxing out your own striking options. I mean, it’s a bit different when you’re using magic instead of holding it in your hooves, but things like covering yourself defensively still apply.” She walked up to me and started correcting my stance, doing her best to nudge my hooves into place. “And this goes here, and this here, and this here...”
I grimaced when she got to my prosthetic. It was difficult to get it lined up exactly how she wanted it, and once she finally had it in position I stumbled as one of the straps holding it to what was left of my leg came a little loose.
Strumming quickly caught me before I landed face-first in the dirt, re-tightening the strap. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then nodded to herself. “We’ll get back to your hoofwork and stance later. For now, let’s focus on holding your sword right. Now there’s a lot of different schools of thought, but for now let’s stick to the basics. Hold it like so.” She brought her own estoc up in a classic ready stance.
I did my best to imitate her, and she carefully nudged the hilt and flat of my blade a few times to get it right. “Don’t worry, takes a bit to get the hang of it. Besides, I figure you’ll probably end up wanting a different stance anyway. The classic holding it in front of you at a forty-five degree angle is more of a longsword thing, and your magic changes a lot of rules. So, how about I show you the rest of the stances and then we do some experimenting from there?”
“Sounds good.” I ran through a couple more positions, letting her guide me through each one. “So which is the best?”
Strumming shrugged. “If there was one that was universally agreed to be the best, I’d just teach you that one and not bother with any others. Considering the circumstances, the best one is the one you feel good about using. Not like I have time to train you in any methods that don’t come pretty quickly. Breaking outta your comfort zone to master a new style takes a whole lot of practice, and right now we don’t have years for you to practice until you’re sick of it. For the moment I’ll settle for establishing baseline competence, and maybe if we’re lucky I’ll get you up to mediocre or even average.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Wow, way to inspire confidence in the student.”
Strumming shrugged. “Just setting some realistic goals for you, Bacon-Mane. Unless you're some kind of one in a million genius at swinging sharp pieces of metal, you’re gonna have to train your way through it the long, ugly, and slow way. I guess it’s possible you’ll be really good with a sword, but considering you’re already as super-genius when it comes to throwing magic around I wouldn’t bet on it. Wouldn’t be fair if you turned out to be a natural expert at everything.”
“Life isn’t always fair.” My eyes flicked down to my missing leg. “And I think I’m due for a bit of a lucky break.”
“Good luck never comes to the people who deserve it,” Strumming answered.
“Yeah, sounds about right.” I sighed and tried out a high side stance. “I guess I just have to hope that the basics will be enough when I’m up against a Blightspawn.”
Strumming grimaced and shook her head. “I wouldn’t use the sword unless you’re running low on options. Magic’s still gonna be your weapon of choice, especially now that close-in nimble dodging’s gonna be a lot harder for you. And really, swords aren’t a good choice for taking on a big nasty monster. If Ushabti was thinking ahead, he would’ve made himself a big nasty enchanted halberd instead. Really, why is it always swords? I’d say it’s a compensating thing for the stallions, but that wouldn’t explain why there isn’t a single enchanted six meter long pike. Now that’s how you compensate.”
“Yeah, but pikes are more of a mass combat weapon.” I tried out a side stance with the blade held behind my head. “Having one super-enchanted pike in the middle of a huge wall of pikes wouldn’t make a huge difference. All the magic tends to go into weapons meant for one-on-one combat. Ergo, swords.”
Strumming thought it over, then slowly nodded along. “Makes sense. You liking that back stance? Leaves you a bit more open, but it does give you a lotta options to hit hard. And while it is a bit more vulnerable than having the sword front and center, it’s not near as open as most folks think it is.”
“Yeah, what I’m noticing.” I took it through a few more practice swings. “Thanks, by the way.”
Strumming shrugged. “Hey, it’s my job.”
I frowned and sheathed Chainbreaker. “That’s not the only reason you’re helping me.”
She pulled out another bag of chips. “Nah, I like you well enough. It’s why I keep hanging around instead of asking for a new job.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “Strumming, I’ve been beaten up, traumatized, and permanently maimed. Could you be a little honest with me just this once? If you were only hanging around with me because it was your job, you wouldn’t be mouthing off to Scarlett and burning your orders from the EIS.”
“Oh, right, that.” She tossed another bag of chips to me, then cleared off a patch of snow before taking a seat. “I wasn’t wrong when I said the whole thing smelled fishy, and I was making what seemed like the right call. She was trying to beat you up to drag you back home. That's a liiiitle bit too kidnappy for my liking, and I didn't think The Boss would like it either if I let it happen. But, since you asked for me to be all honest and stuff—which is really hard for me to do by the way—then ... there might’ve been a bit more to it than that. Like ... well back when I started this job I wouldn’t have hesitated to take you down if you went bad, or bug boy if I thought he was being a bad influence. Now ... well I did burn my orders when they said to go against you. Unique context and all, but it does raise the question of what context it would take for me to go along with orders like that. Kinda suspect that unless you went around eating babies or something, it’d play out the same way.”
“Oh.” That was a bit of a surprise. “So it wasn’t just because of the situation or what your boss would want, but because we’re ... I don’t know if I'd call us friends, but we’re a team.”
“Yeah, that.” She let out a breath in a soft huff. “I mean, you went all vengeful to take down that one guy who shot me, even though you had no reason to even like me. That counts for a lot. It’d be pretty cool if we managed to actually become friends somehow. I know I can be ... difficult at times, but ... yeah.”
I took a deep breath to organize my thoughts. “It’s ... you’ve been working hard to earn it lately. I mean, I’ve still got some of your blood from that transfusion and you’ve been trying to get along better with Kukri. Don’t think I haven't noticed or don’t appreciate the effort. You still annoy the hay outta me sometimes, but it feels like you’re at least trying not to.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, and unlike most of her grins this smaller one looked genuine. “Been a pretty crazy trip. Scared me half to death when I saw how banged up you were.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” My eyes flicked back down to my missing leg. “Puzzle was scared too. He didn’t admit it out loud, but you could tell from how he started talking about plans and stuff.” I winced and shook my head. “And Kukri ... I probably gave her some new nightmares.”
Strumming grimaced and nodded. “Yeah, she’s pretty broken up. It was all we could do to settle her down after Scarlett and Argentium hauled you off for treatment, and once you came back from that minus a leg...” She sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. “She’s a tough kid, but that’s a hay of a lot to put on someone her age.”
No kidding. I hadn’t had a perfect childhood by any means, but I’d been incredibly sheltered compared to Kukri. “I better talk to her.”
“She needs someone to give her a hug and tell her everything’s gonna be okay, and it’s not really something Puzzle and I can do.” Her eyes flicked over to the militia doing their workout. “Even if it’s a bit of a polite lie, the kid needs it.”
“Yeah.” With any luck, it would wind up being one of those lies I could make come true. “I'll get it done as soon as we’re done here.” I pulled Chainbreaker back out. “So, I think I remember reading something about how important edge alignment is.”
Strumming grinned. “It’s only the most important part of cutting and slicing. If the edge isn’t lined up right you’ll just slice off skin instead of carving into them. So let’s do a little practice...”
By the time I was done training with Chainbreaker I was feeling a bit more confident about my ability to swing it and way sorer for my trouble. Most of it was just the usual twinging from a long workout, but the really unfair part of it all was how my leg was hurting more than anything else. The leg that wasn’t even there any more. “Stupid phantom pains.”
I got to our wagon-sled to find Kukri inside, her bags upended and her possessions scattered over half the floor. Between Puzzle doing that earlier and now her, I was starting to wonder if this was just a habit of changelings. Though where Puzzle’s stuff had all been weapons, Kukri’s collection of gear included half a dozen scarves, her cloak, gambeson, and charm necklace, a couple bags of chips she must’ve ‘borrowed’ from Strumming, a first aid kit, and a large flask of thymoplasm.
I started to climb up into the wagon, but by instinct I tried to lead with my right foreleg. The one that wasn’t there anymore. The prosthetic seemed to be good enough for basic mobility, but climbing up into a wagon was asking a bit too much of. I grimaced and shifted over to my remaining leg. “Hey, Kukri. Everything going good?”
Kukri’s ears perked up. “Yeah, yeah, this one’s just ... packing.” She scampered over to help me up, but didn’t really do much good. Probably because she avoided my injured side like it had the plague, and I didn’t need any help on the side with two working legs.
“I got it, but thanks.” I found a reasonably open bit of floor space and made myself comfortable. “So you’re packing?”
“Yes.” Her shoulders slumped. “This one is getting ready to ... to go home.” Her eyes flicked to my missing leg. “This one can’t...” She swallowed and averted her gaze. “This one got your bags first, though. It figured it could do that at least while it’s still here.”
“Thanks, Kukri.” I shifted over to take a seat next to her. “You know why I have to send you home, right?”
“Yeah,” she answered, the word coming out so listlessly it sounded like a balloon deflating. “It's too dangerous for a kid, even a magus’ apprentice.” A tremble shot down her spine, and a faint whimper escaped between her lips. “S-since it’s too dangerous for the magus, t-too.”
“Yeah, that.” I gently rubbed her back with my good hoof. “If anything happened to you it’d kill me.” I tried to grin and go for a wry tone. “Or your parents would kill me.”
Kukri did her best to match me, but the smile didn’t reach her end and her chuckle sounded more like a choked-off sob.
I upgraded the backrub to a full-on hug. “Hey, it’s okay Kukri. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. Like I promised your parents, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
Kukri hugged me back, only to flinch away after one of her hooves brushed against my wounded leg. “This one isn’t worried about itself, Shimmer-mare. Y-you’re—you got...” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, this one knows it can’t do more than spit goo and cheer you on, but it’s still your apprentice. It’s place is at your side. Especially now that you’re—since you’re going to need—um, that is to say that...” She trailed off uncertainly.
“That I’m missing a leg now,” I finished for her. It might’ve been a bit blunt, but the sooner she got used to it, the faster she’d bounce back.
“Yes. That.” Her eyes slowly settled on my amputated leg, and after an almost painful silence she burst out. “This one can help you get around! It could pack and unpack your things for you, help you with carrying, and ... and um ... oil your joint?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Kukri, I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t think all of that is worth the risk of keeping you in a warzone.”
Her shoulders slumped. “This one knows, it’s just trying to find an excuse to stay.” She bit her lip. “Are you oka—feeling better, at least?”
“I’m managing,” I answered carefully. “Less than a week ago I was stuck in traction, and now I’m up and walking around.” No need to mention all the less pleasant aspects of it, or the fact that I was still in shock and denial about the whole thing. Maybe if I tried hard enough to pretend that I was okay, I could fake it ‘til I made it.
Kukri grunted skeptically. I must be in really bad shape if I couldn’t even fool her. “Not like normal, though. You’re hurt and ... and this one feels like it should be there to help. It knows why it has to go, but it still wants to be here.”
I leaned down and gave her a quick nuzzle. “Thanks, Kukri. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course, Shimmer-mare.” She gave me one last squeeze, then let go and turned her attention back to her things. “Anything this one can do while it's still here?”
It took a bit for me to come up a good errand to throw her way. “I’ve had nothing but hospital food for three days, and then all the convoy prep meant I was eating on the run.”
Kukri grinned and started nodding so hard I feared she’d hurt her neck. “Of course! This one’s on it! Give it twenty minutes and it’ll get a bowl of stew ready for you!”
She rushed out, and returned well before her self-imposed deadline. “Here you go!” She started to pass it over, then quickly pulled it back. “Wait! It’s probably cold!” She did a quick taste test. “Yeah, way too cold. But this one’ll fix it!”
Her horn lit up, and soon the stew was steaming. She tried it again, and her eyes bugged out. “Haaaaaaahahaaat, haaaht, hooot...” She started fanning her mouth. “Uh ... well this one got it hot enough.”
Typical overachieving desperate-to-please apprentice. “Thanks, Kukri.” I gave her a quick pat on the back. “Anything you need from me?”
She was already halfway out the wagon before she stopped to think about that. “Um, there is one thing. This one left most of its things back at the inn when Blackfyre attacked, and...” She trailed off, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Um, this one’s teachers probably won’t believe it when it says a dragon burned its homework.”
I chuckled and pulled her in for another hug. It wasn’t really that funny, but even something a little funny felt like a gift from Celestia herself after the last few days.