//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Freeport Venture: City of Giants // by Ponibius //------------------------------// Puzzle Piece After our battle with the Ephemera-mare and Ahuizotl, we ended up surrendering to the hristak. Our options weren’t great by that point; most of us were injured to to some extent, and our supplies were short. The Ephemera-mare’s remaining and starving minions had devoured the food they’d kept in their packs, so even if we’d decided to run we wouldn’t have been able to move quickly, and we didn’t know the ground nearly as well as the Dromaed. Not to mention we just didn’t have the drive to try and escape. The whole experience had been draining, and what we had found in Zhilius weighed on us. The hristak ended up escorting us back to Szuszushlui. Stass claimed that he needed to report to the greenseers and that they might wish to speak with us about what happened. Thus we returned to the greenseer community, and each of us were questioned by the hristak and greenseers at least once over the next couple of days. This one would have been fine with that if not for the fact that our fates were yet to be determined. Going days without knowing whether we were to be executed was stressful. This one hated unknowns; it could at least plan for bad news if it came to that. Still, even if the Dromaed were planning on executing us, they hadn't treated us poorly. We hadn’t been tied up and thrown in cells, but instead we were given our own rooms within the pyramid at the center of Szuszushlui, even if they were under guard. Their greenseers had even treated our wounds. This one checked on their work in its room as it pulled the bandages from its elbow where that damn kitten had scratched it. The Alya-mare looked it over as well. “Seems like it's knitting up pretty well. Though I'm not exactly used to your ... anatomy.” This one stretched the limb. It felt rubbery more than anything. The trip to Szuszushlui had been pretty unpleasant, even at the relatively slow pace we’d gone, but now everything seemed to be on the mend. “It feels alright. The Greenseer that looked it over seemed to do a good job of it, and whatever he put on it seems to be working. Or at the very least it isn't poisoning this one.” This one shrugged. “Not every medicine that works for equines works for changelings. Probably the same for Dromaed medicines.” “As long as it's healing, it should be fine,” the Alya-mare said. “I’m pretty sure the plants he used are good for healing.” “Right.” This one started putting some fresh bandages on. The wound was probably fine on its own, but this one would prefer not to risk any kind of infection in the jungle climate. “It helps that this one is getting some regular meals again.” The Alya-mare chuckled nervously as her hoof drifted to the fang marks on her neck. “Yeah, guess so.” “You feeling okay from this one's feeding? This one's been careful with how much it’s been taking.” The Alya-mare and this one had come to an arrangement for this one’s feeding, but this one still had to be careful. Considering how badly this one had been starving back in Zhilius, this one had to fight instinct to control how much it took from the Alya-mare. It was like telling someone who’d just survived a trek through the desert that they can only drink a cap’s worth of water at a time instead of the whole canteen. “It's fine.” The Alya-mare rubbed her neck. “Feels kind of weird though, and it probably didn't do much to convince the Dromaed you're not a vampire.” This one sighed. “Probably not. There is a significant chance they'll decide to kill this one just for what it is, never mind the laws this one broke that they tend to kill people over.” The Alya-mare slumped onto a feathered cushion. “Somehow I don't think they'll get that you just filter the energies you need out of the blood.” “They can be ... intentionally ignorant at times,” this one said. “Especially where outsiders are concerned.” “Admittedly, it took me a bit to be okay with it. It takes some adjustment to accept the idea of someone else feeding off of you.” This one shrugged and plopped onto a cushion next to her. “That's true of most people. The Free Minds don't exactly have the kindest origins.” Even in Freeport, revealing one’s nature was often an awkward process. It probably didn’t help that Free Minds were still inclined to hide our nature. Not that there weren't very good reasons for that, but keeping secrets inherently creates suspicion. Considering people were more than capable of coming up with insane rumors on the flimsiest of evidence, it wasn’t hard for those same people to come up with some pretty unpleasant ideas about Free Minds when there really were some unpleasant facts about us. She shrugged. “Right, I'd heard a few things, but...” “The very short story is that the Old Mind wasn't keen on her creations having a will of their own,” this one said. “Especially when they decided not to be slaves anymore. There was a war, and the Free Minds lost—badly. We spent some time trying to stay one step ahead of the Old Mind until we eventually settled in Freeport. Though the Old Mind still takes shots at us now and again, probing Freeport’s defenses, sending in a few drones to cause trouble and attack Free Minds at least in part to remind us she’s still out there, and most Free Minds keep disguises up for that reason.” “Right.” The Alya-mare glanced out the window to where Dromaed were tending to the small fields of crops. “Well, hopefully they’ll go easy on us. They'd have to be pretty ungrateful not to, all things considered.” “It's easy to be ungrateful after the goods have been delivered,” this one pointed out. “This one can easily give a dozen examples where someone became significantly less friendly to this one after they got what they wanted out of this one.” “Point. Never count on gratitude after the fact.” This one stretched some of its muscles to keep its injuries from becoming too stiff and sore. “It’s one of the reasons why this one wasn't keen on continuing to work for the Ephemera-mare. You know, in addition to all of the evil. She’s the type to dispose of anyone who isn’t immediately useful to her.” “Considering how she treated all her subordinates, that was a good call,” the Alya-mare concurred. “I know I don’t miss being in her company.” This one grinned as it tried to lighten the mood. “And if we do get out of this and back to proper civilization, we’ll be getting a tidy little profit out of all of this.” The Alya-mare patted her satchel where she’d stored all her seeds. “I got what I need, assuming I can keep it all. The Dromaed might not want anything from the jungle to leave it..” “They haven’t seized it all yet, so that’s a good sign. Though this one thinks its gotten its hooves on something even more valuable if used right.” This one pulled out some identification papers and other documents that used to belong to the Ephemera-mare. The Alya-mare raised an eyebrow. “Well hello hello, what have we here?” This one grinned. “The keys to Ephemera's fortune. This one has a hunch that she had a few illicit bank accounts with the type of banks that don't ask a lot of questions about where the money came from and where it goes.” This one transformed into the Ephemera-mare and took on her haughty demeanor as it spoke with her voice. “And if I look like Ephemera and have her identification papers...” “Clever.” The Alya-mare rubbed her chin. “Not like there's going to be a death certificate or other paperwork when she died out in the middle of the jungle hundreds of miles away from civilization.” Those were this one’s thoughts exactly. Even if there was a slight issue. “No, though the Do-mare and the Idea-stallion will probably report her death. But that will take time to sort out, and this wouldn't be the first time some do-gooders falsely reported some villain dead when they really weren't. It'll probably take a bit of time for this one to withdraw all of her money and sell off her assets without drawing suspicion, but it should still result in a nice little profit. Enough to pay off all your family's debts in thanks for feeding this one. So this one isn’t too worried about getting what it wants as long as it doesn't dally.” The Alya-mare smiled. “Thanks, Puzzle. And you can always cut the others in on the action if need be.” This one frowned as it put the papers away. “This one doubts our other companions will be quite as interested in these types of profits. There’s blood on the Ephemera-mare’s money, likely literally, and at least a significant proportion of it was gotten from selling historical artifacts on the black market.” The Alya-mare crossed her arms over her chest as she thought. “You never know. I’m sure there's a museum or something you could donate to if we need Daring to go along with it.” This one sensed what was really bothering the Alya-mare was this one leaving the others out of the profits after all we’d gone through together. The issue was their morals getting in the way of their self-interest. This one had a good feeling the Ephemera-mare left no one to inherit her wealth, and it seemed a shame for all of her money to end up seized by some government when it could do us so much good. But there were ways to deal with this so everyone could be happy. “Oh, this one can certainly make a donation to something the Do-mare cares about. Same with the Idea-stallion—this one will talk to them subtly to discover what charities they care about. They don’t necessarily need to know where the money came from to profit from it. Certainly the Do-mare deserves something nice for everything the Ephemera-mare put her through.” “No kidding.” She grimaced. “Seemed like she had some kind of crazy obsession with Daring.” This one suddenly felt very uncomfortable wearing the Ephemera-mare’s skin and went back to natural form. “That was this one's takeaway. She seemed to think she had something with the Do-mare despite her wanting nothing to do with her. But then, the Ephemera-mare was not healthy in the head, this one’s certain of that.” “Understatement of the century, she made my skin crawl. And all the people she killed...” The Alya-mare shivered. “I just hope the Dromaed take into account that we helped take her down, considering how much we're counting on getting credit for helping stop her.” “Considering this sounds like the closest Ahuizotl or anyone else has gotten to nearly stealing Zhilius' treasures, our help should count for something.” This one shrugged, not wanting to stress too much over something currently out of our hooves. “This one plans on making an argument for it if we get the chance. This one doesn’t want to die if it can help it.” “At least we should have Stass on our side,” the Alya-mare said. As if summoned by her words, there was a knock on the door. This one opened it to see Stass on the other side, and he didn’t bother with any greetings upon seeing this one. “The Greenseers wish to see you.” His eyes flicked to the Alya-mare. “Both of you.” “Nothing for it.” This one nodded to the Alya-mare and she got up to follow. It seemed that the Dromaed had gotten around to deciding our fates. Daring Do We were all escorted outside of the pyramid to meet with Greenseer Sapiearl. I’d hated waiting to see what was going to happen, but the Dromaed didn’t seem to be in any hurry to judge us. Or maybe they were just taking their time deliberating. We’d certainly had quite the tale to tell, and with any luck the Dromaed would take into account how we’d helped them, and then given ourselves up after defeating Ephemera and Ahuizotl. As for the old Greenseer himself, he was sitting on a stone chair overseeing a lillypad and muck-covered pond. Below the surface were fish seeking to nab any unwary bugs that came to the surface. He tossed some fish food into the pond before turning to us with a paternal smile. “So, we meet again,” he said. “Curious how things have come in a circle.” “We may be in the same place now, but sometimes it's more about the journey than the destination,” I pointed out. “A lot has happened since we left here.” “You have certainly been on a journey,” the old Greenseer agreed. “That much is without question. I have met with the other greenseers and listened to what you have to say, as well as taken Stass’ account. Is there anything you would like to say for yourselves before judgement is declared?” I nodded. “If we hadn't busted out, Ephemera and Ahuizotl would've gotten away with all the dirty secrets of your people. We put our lives on the line to stop them when we could have just run, or even stolen some of the secrets of the Quinametzin while you were all busy. Instead we helped, and then we surrendered to face judgement. Does that sound like the actions of someone evil?” “That much is true.” The corner of Sapiearl’s mouth quirked into a grin. “But then, there were good reasons why we let you escape into the jungle and head to Zhilius.” Puzzle raised an eyebrow. “Excuse this one? You let us escape? Why would you ever take such a risk when it's the hristaks’ mission to stop anyone from getting to Zhilius?” “Because it was clear your fates were tied to Ahuizotl and Ephemera.” He pointed to me. “Especially you. You have danced with them before, and I suspect it will not be your last encounter with Ahuizotl. It is the nature of opposite forces to clash, and the currents of the universe will conspire to make them meet so that they can eternally play out their dance. At the very least, we knew you would lead the hristak to Ahuizotl.” “So what, you're saying me stopping Ahuizotl was all part of your master plan?” I couldn’t help but feel a bit incredulous at the idea. Sure, I’d been told before that Ahuizotl and I were tied up by destiny in some way, but my actions were still my own. I’d come this far because I’d wanted to, not because some nebulous force told me to. “More like we let the plans of something greater than any of us proceed as they would,” Sapiearl said. Puzzle frowned. “That sounds risky, to say the least. Things could have gone very terribly if those two had their way, and they very nearly did.” “The currents of destiny flow as they will, and to swim against them is to invite disaster,” the Greenseer countered. “And we did send the hristak in your wake to ensure events followed the path we preferred. There is a difference between fighting against the currents of fate and using them to navigate. And things have turned out for the best, as we suspected they would.” “So what of us?” Puzzle demanded. “This one hopes that we haven't gone on this grand adventure of fate only to meet an unfortunate end. It would seem like a poor end to the story.” Stass stepped up to address the Greenseer. “They fought bravely and righteously, Greenseer.” I nodded. “You're damn right we did.” “Indeed.” Sapiearl scratched his cheek as he considered us. “So let me be sure that I understand everything correctly: they have braved the dangers of the jungle, found a compass to pierce the veil surrounding Zhilius, bypassed the many dangers of the city itself, learned the truth of the Quinametzin, resisted the temptations of that dark place, and defended it against those who would steal its evil treasures. Is this correct?” “It is,” Stass confirmed. Saprieal grinned. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are these not most of the tests demanded of any acolyte of the hristak who would join your ranks?” Stass grinned back, and I got the sense that all of this was rehearsed. “That is also true. And I would stand for them, if need be.” “Ah, well if that is the case, then I see no reason why we can't declare them hristak, no? Honorary hristak, in any event.” “I rather doubt they would undertake the duties of that post,” Stass pointed out. “Making them honorary seems better to me.” Puzzle let out a relieved breath. “As long as it keeps us from being executed.” Saprieal clapped his claws together. “Excellent, I think this the most satisfactory way to deal with this problem. You did break many of our laws, but I do not believe you had nefarious intentions and your actions speak for themselves. Besides, I would not wish to stand in the way of fate and what it has planned for all of you.” “Great.” I felt a whole lot of relief at being let off the hook, but I still felt a bit irked by one issue. “So ... what's my destiny supposed to be anyway?” Saprieal shot me a knowing grin. “To be exactly who you are.” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Wow. Has anyone ever told you your prophecies are really vague?” The Greenseer chuckled. “More than one youngling has told me much the same over the years. Is that not true, Stass?” “I recall saying something similar myself,” Stass said with perfect stoicism. “In any event, I doubt you would do anything different merely because destiny said it was not to be,” Saprieal said. “You have a little bit of a stubborn streak in you.” I snorted. “Well, you're not wrong.” Determination and stubbornness were two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways, and it had gotten me pretty far in life. “The Do-mare doesn’t tend to give up easily.” Puzzle nudged me with an elbow. “An admirable trait under the right circumstances, if sometimes exasperating to deal with.” “You’re not exactly a towering example of virtue either.” I nudged him back. “You caused me a whole lot of trouble this journey, you know that?” Puzzle shrugged. “In truth, if this one had known all the trouble it was going to get up to it would have done things very differently. But there’s little sense in lamenting the past too much when everything turned out alright.” “And thankfully, Zhilius' secrets are safe.” Saprieal leaned forward on his chair. “And as thanks, you will all be escorted safely back to your own homelands. While we thank you for your help, we Dromaed prefer to keep to ourselves.” While the Greenseer was trying to dismiss us, there was a point I didn’t want to give up on quite yet. “What about the history?” Sapiearl raised an eyebrow. “History?” I waved at the pyramid that loomed over us. “I wanted to preserve the history of this place, of your land, your people. I mean, I know we don't want stuff like bloodsteel and that horrifying soul magic getting out into the world, but...” Sapiearl frowned and the paternal warmth in his tone disappeared. “There are reasons why we have kept the secrets of the Quinametzin just that. You have seen the grave temptations Zhilius has for dark souls.” “But there has to be some way to preserve history without letting all that stuff get out.” I stepped closer to him as I pressed my point. “We can leave all the dangerous stuff right where it is, I’m only interested in preserving the stuff that can help people learn. Pottery, tools, whatever written works remain—stuff like that.” I slapped the center of my chest. “I care about saving history. It’s important to me, and I want everyone to learn what happened to your people and why they changed.” Sapiearl growled deep in his throat. “There are reasons why we have kept those details secret.” “I know, but secrets aren't always good,” I stated. “Sometimes facing the truth is better. You can’t tell me your people are better off not knowing their past, having a bunch of lies fed to them. All that does is increase the chance they’ll make the same mistakes in the future. We learn the most from our mistakes, and studying them is the only way to make sure we don’t repeat them. That counts for you as much as us. It’s important that the weapons and evil knowledge in Zhilius stay exactly where they are, but there’s nothing preventing everyone else from rediscovering what the Quinametzin did. I can cite several examples where different civilizations invented similar inventions entirely independently of one another. The same could happen with bloodsteel, and the world needs to know to not repeat the same mistakes as the Quinametzin. Don’t you think?” Saprieal sat back in his chair and considered my argument. Eventually he looked to Stass. “What do you think?” Stass carefully weighed his words before speaking. “The hristak grow stronger by facing the secrets of our past. Perhaps all the Dromaed should be strong.” Sapiearl tapped the arm of his chair with a single talon. “Admittedly, as you have said, little good comes from secrets.” He let out a long sigh. “Long have I wondered if our ancestors did not seek to protect their descendants from the past so much as hide their own shame. No pride can come from the downfall of the Quinametzin, other than that a great evil was stopped. I cannot help but think we do ourselves a disservice by hiding the sins of the past, however unpleasant they might be. Perhaps it is time for things to change.” Stass nodded. “And so we shall move forward.” “I think that's the right call,” I said. “You can’t do anything about the past, but the future is yours if you’re willing to seize it.” “There is truth in that,” the Greenseer said. “I will speak with the other greenseers about this, for this is a decision too big for one old Dromaed to make alone. But if we are as wise as we claim, then we will make the best decision for our people. In the meantime, you can coordinate with Stass for everything else.” “It will be done,” Stass agreed. Sapiearl shook his head to himself before his smile returned. “But let us put such weighty considerations to the side for the moment. There is always time for councils later. Right now I believe we need to have a victory celebration, barring any objections.” I grinned. “A celebration sounds great.” And celebrate we did. After the Dromaed had mourned their losses from the battle, they seemed as eager to relax and enjoy themselves. Plenty of food and drink had been brought outside, and for all their differences with equine society, the Dromaed definitely had the essentials of partying down. It was as I was in the middle of watching a trio of Dromaed doing a celebratory dance that Capital came up to give me a friendly slap to the back. “Daring! How are you?” I took a sip of my drink before replying. It was a marvelous mix of exotic fruits, and definitely hit the spot. “Haven't felt this good in a long time. I got to do a lot of exploring in a city that's practically unknown to Equestrian scholars, I made friends with the Dromaed and got them to open up to their secrets and respect their history a bit more, Ahuizotl won't be bothering me again for a long time, and Ephemera's gone for good.” I paused and frowned down at my drink as I swirled it. “Sounds a bit wrong to say I'm glad she's dead, but ... well, I'm glad she won't bother me or hurt anyone else ever again.” Capital grimaced and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I admit, she was quite the fiend. I would have preferred if she had faced proper justice, but there doesn't seem to be anything for it. It’s likely she would have kept right on hurting people if she hadn’t been stopped.” “I'm just glad she's not a problem anymore.” I snorted and shook my head. “Bah, that’s enough moping. This is a party, we should be happy!” “Indeed, we're all alive and should celebrate a successful expedition.” He tapped his drink against mine and smiled. “Even if things got hairier than we expected.” “They always do.” I grinned a wry, humorless grin. “You wanted to go on a Daring Do expedition, right? Well, things getting far more dangerous than you expect is just part of the experience.” “I’ll say.” Capital scooped up some fruits from a nearby bowl. “I'll have some good stories to tell my chaps back home, let me tell you. Even if I suspect they'll just say I'm telling tall tales given everything that happened.” “Well, at least you'll have Yearling's next book to back you up, once she gets around to writing it,” I told him. “I’m still going over things with the Dromaed to decide exactly how much will get put into the book. Obviously we don't want to put enough info out there to inspire anyone else to try what Ahuizotl and Ephemera did. Might have to take a few creative liberties, like say the entire city collapsed and sank into the ground or something. Yearling'll probably want to tone down Ephemera too. I mean, kids read those books.” Capital shivered. “I would certainly think so. Ephemera was a monster that beats several actual monsters I've heard about. So yes, it might be best if ponies didn't know every detail. If some less than savory individuals knew about the Blood Forge...” He shook his head. “The Dromaed are pretty clear about not wanting anyone else to try that stuff ever again,” I said. “And I don’t blame them in the least for it.” Capital nodded in agreement and sat on a nearby bench. “I'm all for revealing the truth of the Dromaed's past, but as they say: do no evil. History is supposed to help people, not hurt them.” I sat on the bench next to him and started enjoying some of the jungle fruit gathered there. “Yeah, we’re all on the same page for that now.” Capital smiled as he nudged my side. “Haven't I told you communication is important? Most everything can be smoothed over if we just listen to one another and be honest.” I sniffed and tossed my mane. “Well I was always talking to them and being honest.” Though the Dromaed seemed to have taken the threat facing them more seriously than I originally expected and used us for their own goals. I really needed to get better at reading people. Capital cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I'm certainly not arguing with your ability to state your case.” “Thanks.” I finished up my drink before asking a question that had been on my mind. “So ... what's your plan now?” My traveling buddy took a deep breath. “Admittedly, I do miss home. And my parents are probably worried sick by this point. I've had my adventure, and I feel pretty satisfied with the idea of entering Her Highness' service in one of her agencies now.” “Oh yeah? Which one?” “Oh, it depends on who will have me.” He grinned. “Perhaps after this adventure Equestrian Intelligence might be interested in me. That certainly sounds more exciting than the Ministry of Agriculture.” I snorted. “If you want exciting, that'll definitely do it.” Part of me was sad to be parting ways. I’d come to enjoy Captial’s company, even if he was still a tad too idealistic. But deep down I’d always known this was going to happen. He had a whole life spread out before him, and that road wasn’t the same one I was going down. “I'll have the entire trip back to Equestria to think about what to do with myself, at least,” he said. “Plenty of time to reflect on everything, and after everything that's happened, I could probably use a couple of months of relaxing sailing.” I couldn’t help but grin. “I bet halfway back you get bored and decide you want to get into a boxing match with a bunyip or a kraken or something.” “Two months can be a very long trip.” Capital nudged me with an elbow. “Besides, you need to keep things fresh somehow.” Capital’s neck craned as he looked at something. “Speaking of, Puzzle is coming this way.” “Goodie.” I waved to Puzzle as he approached. The two of us hadn’t spoken much since leaving Zhilius. Part of that was just because Puzzle had been in rough shape between his hunger and injuries, but a lot of it was because the two of us needed a bit of a break from one another to digest everything. A lot had happened between us over the past couple of weeks, not all of it pleasant. Capital stood up and gave me a pat on the shoulder. He’d probably known this talk was coming and didn’t want to interrupt it. “I'll let you two be. That chap over there is telling quite the tale, and I want to see where it is going.” He headed off, as Puzzle arrived. Puzzle had somehow gotten a ring of flowers wrapped around his neck and was carrying his own drink. “Do-mare, this one trusts you're doing alright?” “I am.” I waved for him to sit on the bench. “Though still not used to you talking like that.” Puzzle transformed into a pegasus that looked similar to his zony disguise. “Well I can talk like everyone else if you find it disconcerting.” I shrugged. “It's not a huge issue, just a bit weird. I don't get why you Free Minds talk that way.” Puzzle sat down and swirled his drink as he gathered his thoughts. “It's more cultural than anything else, near as this one can tell. Knowledge about our early history is pretty badly fragmented. Our early ancestors weren’t particularly preoccupied with writing anything down, and most everything that had been written has been destroyed by the Old Mind or the ravages of time. So this one can't say exactly why we use 'this one' and the 'Idea-stallion'.” “Fair enough,” I said. “Not the weirdest cultural quirk I ever came across. Sometime on the way back, ask me about the village where they juggle geese.” Puzzle chuckled. “This one would say that you're joking, but it's seen plenty of strange things as well.” “We'll have to swap stories.” Puzzle smiled and nodded. “That does sound fun. There are certainly worse ways to pass the time.” His smile disappeared as his tone took on a more serious edge. “Of course, that does beg the question of where things stand between the two of us.” I had a pretty good idea of how to define our relationship. “I'd say battle buddies works.” “That works.” Puzzle fiddled with his drink. “No hard feelings about pretending to betray you, then?” I shrugged. “Since you were pretending, I can give you a pass on it.” Considering all the real betrayals I’d gone through, I could forgive someone merely pretending to do the same. He has been trying to save my life, after all, and he’d actually come through in the end. That was a whole lot better compared to what Ephemera pulled. “Good.” Puzzle smiled with obvious relief and he took on a teasing tone. “And this one can forgive you slugging it during all the ... confusion.” I grinned back at him. “I didn't ask you to forgive me for that. Far as I’m concerned, you deserved it for fooling me.” Puzzle snickered. “Well if you want this one to hold a grudge...” “'Course not. Just saying, at the time with all the information I had to go off of, my actions were totally rational.” “This one perhaps did too good of a job with its deception.” He shrugged. “The hazards of being a spy. Ex-spy, this one supposes.” “But yeah, sorry anyway.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Even if it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, it wasn't.” “It's alright,” he assured me. “This one is just happy we made it out alive. Well, and stopped Ephemera and Ahuizotl as well. This one doubted it could have slept comfortably if those two had gotten away with what they wanted.” I glowered at all the damage Ephemera had caused just with her brief exposure to bloodsteel. “Nobody would be sleeping well with Ephemera having that weapon she was after.” “No.” Puzzle took a deep draft of his drink. “She was far from the smartest mare this one ever met, but she was still very dangerous. And even if she didn't manage to use bloodsteel to its full potential, it would only have been a matter of time until it fell into the hooves of someone who could.” “Yeah, good point. She was just a crazy psycho. Imagine that stuff in the hands of someone like the Warpsmith Foundries...” Puzzle scowled at the thought. “That is a collaboration effort the world doesn't need to see.” I shivered. I’d run into some nasty sorts in the world, but I had considered myself lucky that the Warpsmiths weren’t one of them. “Nooo kidding.” Puzzle tried some of the fruit before continuing with the conversation. “So is it normal for you to dig up things that were best left undiscovered? Because if you do this one might need to rethink that proposal you gave it earlier.” “Yeah, it's pretty much what I do,” I admitted. “Even if I’m not looking for something like that to start with, that’s usually what ends up happening. Especially when Ahuizotl shows up.” “Yes, this one gathered that you do this in no small part for the adventure.” I couldn’t help but grin. “Adventure and discovery is pretty much what it's all about, yeah.” Puzzle scratched his cheek. “Still interested in having this one along? This one is ... well, there's a world of possibilities out there for it now is probably the best way to put it. Even if this one doesn't exactly have a plan at the moment.” “You seem to know what you’re doing,” I pointed out. “You can come with me for a while, if nothing else.” Puzzle frowned as he thought that over. “So this one can. Though this one should warn you there's a risk its past might catch up with it someday. This one can make a new identity and get new papers, but there are people who really don't like this one and want to make their displeasure known. This one can hide its face, but there's only so much this one can hide of itself without outright giving up who it is. So unless this one wants to do something like quietly retire to a farm off in the middle of nowhere, there’s a good chance this one’s pursuers will catch up with it eventually, even if we don’t make it easy for them.” “I’m not intimidated,” I told him. “You've seen who I have to deal with. Having enemies isn’t anything new to me.” Puzzle leaned back in his seat. “You do seem to be dealing with bigger game on average than this one is used to. Evil spirits, major crime bosses, criminal masterminds, and the criminally insane, among others.” “Yeah, keeps life interesting,” I said. “And I wouldn't say no to getting some backup.” “It does have an appeal.” Puzzle stroked his cheek. “And this one is its own changeling now. Out in the big wide world by itself.” “Not by yourself.” I offered him a hoof. “No, not by itself.” He took my hoof and we shook. “Awesome. Been a while since I had a good long-term partner in this.” It felt good to know I was going to have someone watching my back that I could depend on again. Spending time with Capital had reminded me how nice it could be to enjoy your adventures with someone. Too many times getting double-crossed and backstabbed, in addition to getting others hurt who hadn’t deserved it, had soured me on the idea of working with anyone else. But with Puzzle I was pretty sure I could really make it work, and I was actually looking forward to it. “This one will try not to disappoint.” Puzzle waved to a Dromaed refilling drinks. “At least this one has advantages over several of your previous partners.” I snorted. “You're not a crazy obsessive psycho?” Puzzle grinned at me as his cup was filled. “If this one is crazy, it's doing a marvelous job of hiding it.” “Yup. So then ... any idea where our next adventure should take us?” Puzzle took his time drinking to think. “This one’s always wanted to visit a few places in Equestria, Westmarch, and the Zebrican Empire, even if it worries you might get bored with the normal tourist destinations. But this one hasn't had the opportunity to really see the world and it would like to correct that.” “We can always see about stopping at places like those along the way.” I rubbed my chin as I considered our options. “As for more exciting destinations, I've got a few interesting leads...” Puzzle leaned in closer. “Well then, please do tell.” “Well, I've heard of this Zebrican Sultan who insisted on being buried with all of his treasures...” Sunset Shimmer “And that's the end of the story!” Daring looked out at the horizon where the sun had already set. “And just in time, too.” Kurki had the biggest smile on her face as she looked up to Daring. “That was amazing! And at the end of it ... did this one hear that you two went on more adventures together?!” “Sure did!” Daring said. “Plenty of them, in fact. It got pretty crazy at times. But that’s the story of my life.” Puzzle chuckled. “We did have quite the time together.” “Can you tell this one those stories too?” Kukri gave Daring her puppy dog eyes look that she’d perfected on her parents. “Pleeease?” I snorted and moved in to give Daring the save. “I’m pretty sure they have more to do than just be your personal storytellers.” Both of them had already been pretty generous with their time to tell Kukri a story, and I didn’t want her feeling like she could take advantage of the adult’s time. Besides, I didn’t want to be here until sunrise. “Sorry kid.” Daring patted her back. “I'm pretty busy, and this has already taken up more time than I planned for. But hey, you’ll get to read about those stories later once Yearling gets around to writing them.” “You always did like spinning a yarn when given the opportunity.” Puzzle grinned. “Sometimes this one can’t help but wonder if Yearling only exists to enable that part of you.” After hearing Puzzle say that I went back to reexamined the signatures Yearling and Daring had written in my copy of City of Giants, and I couldn’t help but draw some conclusions after doing so. “I blame you for taking up so much of my time, Puzzle.” Daring poked his shoulder. “You trapped me with this cute little grub here.” “Yes, this one’s trap was terribly fiendish and had only malevolent intentions,” Puzzle said with exaggerated sarcasm. “It’s an evil mastermind like that.” Kukri sighed. “This one’s going to have to wait until forever to find out what’s next!” Kukri groaned loudly and looked at her copy of City of Giants. “It already had to wait forever for this book!” “Well, why don't you find something nice to do with her then while you have the chance?” I suggested. “This one did have some fireworks ready in case things ran long.” Puzzle motioned at a box sitting on the deck. “You can set them off if you like.” “Fireworks?” Kukri scampered over to the fireworks with all the glee one would expect of a child told she can play with exploding flashy colorful things. “Always thinking ahead, that one.” Daring grinned at me. “He started doing that creepy thing where he knows you'll want something before you actually want it to you yet?” I smiled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “Yup. You get used to it.” “Yeah, just means he cares.” Daring chuckled and trotted over to where Kukri was already opening up the box and looking at the goodies inside. “Wait up, let's see what we've got here...” Once we were relatively alone, Puzzle sighed. “So, this one hopes you had some of your questions answered.” “Yeah, a lot of them actually.” I reflected on everything I had learned over the course of the story. “Including a couple I didn't even know I had.” Puzzle leaned against the ship railing. “Right. Some of that ... wasn't exactly easy for this one to talk about.” His ears wilted. “Specifically the part with Cold and this one being exiled. Failure is difficult to deal with. Especially one that profound.” I could empathize. I’d spent a lot of time regretting how a single failure had changed the course of my entire life. “Yeah, but you just picked yourself back up and got back into the fight twice as hard.” “So this one did.” Puzzle didn’t sound quite as convinced about as I would have liked. “Really, at the end of the day, what this one’s more concerned about is...” He took a moment to search for the right words. “There are reasons why this one keeps so much secret about itself. Part of that is because this one wants to keep everyone guessing. This one believes you remember what it thinks the most important thing to know about someone is?” “Knowing what they want.” Specific facts clicked together. “Something you've been very careful to keep hidden even from me.” Puzzle smiled with a touch of sadness. “Noticed, have you? Keep your goals hidden, and it becomes very difficult for potential enemies to stop you.” It wasn’t hard to understand that. Though if Puzzle was trying to open up a bit just now... “So does that mean I'm not a potential enemy for you anymore?” “This one hopes not.” Puzzle stared out at the dark waters as Kukri and Daring set up some fireworks. “Otherwise this one is making itself much more vulnerable than it likes thinking about.” I snorted and nudged him. “Come on, you know I'm not gonna turn on you like some random psycho.” Puzzle shook his head. “No no, this one doesn't think that. It's just not easy for this one to trust, is all. This one has had bad experiences in the past, and very good reasons to keep some of its secrets.” “Oh. Right.” I paused to think about that. It was no secret that Puzzle was a pretty secretive guy, which was a big part of why I’d confronted him about the latest Daring Do book when I saw him mentioned in it. Puzzle wasn’t dumb—he must have known he was likely to be in that novel way before it was actually released to the public and that I was going to find out its contents sooner or later. He had to know that I had questions, and he could have chosen to keep his mouth shut about the topic or lied. But he hadn’t. What’s more, he even told me more than I had asked for. That was a pretty big measure of trust for a guy who placed a whole lot of weight on the truth and secrets. I placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Thanks for trusting me.” Puzzle smiled and this time the gesture was warm. “Nothing you haven't earned.” “But still appreciated,” I said. “You wouldn’t be telling me any of this if you didn’t trust me. I know that’s a big deal for you.” Puzzle watched as fireworks started going off. “Maybe ... it's about time this one started thinking about revealing some of its other secrets.” “Oh yeah? Well I'm here if you want to.” That piqued my curiosity. There were plenty of things I could pretty confidently say Puzzle wasn’t interested in, but I couldn’t say what he really wanted. Sure, I sensed he liked an adventure now and again, but I didn’t think that was at the core of what motivated him. Whatever he really wanted had to be significant, that I was sure about. Puzzle nodded. “We can talk about it later. For now, how about we just enjoy the show?” “I'd like that.” We watched as the blooms of fireworks burst in the sky.