//------------------------------// // Succession and Legacies // Story: Freeport Venture: Tears in the Rain // by Ponibius //------------------------------// This one had just been through one of the worst days of its life. Considering the sheer number of bad days this one had gone through, including the one where this one had been exiled to an island so irrelevant it was literally called Port Nowhere, that was saying something. Any day where you were attacked and nearly killed multiple times had a way of making such an impression. Still, this one hadn’t come as far as it had by giving up when things got tough, so this one took stock of our situation as we limped into the Alya-mare’s safehouse. The safehouse was a repurposed warehouse this one’s organization used as a front for a shipping company, and hid several smuggling holes under its floorboards. The crates that normally dominated the interior had been shoved to the side or stacked up outside. Given that several of them were now filled with garbage, they must have once been filled with supplies, and that they were now largely empty was worrying. The Alya-mare hadn’t been lying about being cut off from her funds if her central base was in such a desolate state. Several simple mattresses had been set up in one of the corners, and a couple of guards were sleeping there even now. Not that the guards standing watch looked particularly alert or even ready to react to a sudden threat; most of them had a haggard, despondent look to them. Their shoulders sagged, they didn’t look at one another or anyone else, and there were bags under their eyes. A couple of them also had wounds wrapped in bandages, and what’s more, they hadn’t reacted to their employers being attacked despite us being within sight. Add that to the fact that the Alya-mare’s bodyguards had bolted the moment Blackwing had shown himself and a picture formed: their morale was breaking. Yet another worry added on to the quickly growing pile. As for the Alya-mare herself, she was being treated for her injuries. None of them were particularly serious in the grand scheme of things, especially considering she’d just been blown up, but they were still worth getting patched up. That gave this one a few minutes to look around the safehouse and to speak with the Arrow-stallion. The sergeant leaned in to whisper to this one as he carefully eyed the guards around us. “How worried should we be about being in the belly of the beast, sir?” It struck this one as best to be honest with him. As a sergeant he was no doubt used to the fact that horseapples rolled downhill. “We'll find out soon enough, but so far Alya's been on our side.” He grunted and frowned. “‘So far.’” This one nodded slightly. The Alya-mare had claimed to be loyal to this one up until now, but that could very well be a ploy. It could very well be she had planned on drawing this one into an ambush rather than trying something at a neutral meeting location. Perhaps she was even planning on this one eliminating her rivals before disposing of this one. Until this one had more facts to work off of, it was going to continue to be suspicious. “I’m thinking to bring more Companions here,” this one told the sergeant. “Both to secure this place and to keep an eye on everyone here.” The Arrow-stallion looked over the interior of the warehouse with a tactical eye. “Sounds like a good idea to me, sir. I can send a message to General Platinum if you like and get that ball rolling. I think I have a pretty good idea how many people we’ll need to secure this place.” This one rubbed its chin, thinking the problem over. “Do that if you can. Tell her the situation and what we’re dealing with, and how many additional guards we’ll need, but don’t have her send the guards yet. Have them ready, but don’t move until I give a confirmation. I want to talk with the Alya-mare first.” “If you’re sure.” The sergeant made it clear he’d rather have the additional guards come immediately, but this one had its reasons for doing the things it was. “Shall I go ahead and do that? I’d like to find out what happened to Basher, too. We kinda left her flapping in the wind outside. She had an invisibility potion to help her out of a mess like that for a reason, but I’d like to make sure she’s okay.” This one nodded. “Go ahead. Hopefully she got out of that fight without getting hurt. Keep me updated on any reports Platinum sends back.” This one didn't honestly expect him to tell this one everything his commander would, but that was okay as long this one wasn’t being kept out of the loop entirely. “Yes sir.” The Arrow-stallion told his fellow Companions to keep an eye on this one while he took care of that and then departed. The Alya-mare had finished getting patched up by that point, so this one went to speak with her. “How are you holding up?” The Alya-mare raised an arm and stretched, wincing. “Could be better, but I could be a lot worse.” “That was quite the scare we had out there.” This one placed a privacy spell runic stone down on a crate and activated its magic. “This one is sorry to say that your safehouse is suffering from a profound lack of safety. Blackwing attacked us right outside, so even assuming he didn’t trail us here, he must have seen your guards run in. Though this one thinks it's far more likely he was lying in wait for us to show up.” “Which means he already knew about my safehouse.” The Alya-mare grimaced and her gaze swept over her gathered employees. “Which also means I probably have a spy telling him everything I’m doing. If that’s the case, we can’t even move to another safehouse. There’s no point if a spy is just going to rat out where our next hiding hole is.” “Those were this one’s thoughts exactly.” This one leaned against a stack of crates. It had been a long day, and this one’s body was feeling it. “Have you been checking for infiltrators?” The Alya-mare’s eyes narrowed with incredulity. “Of course I have. You taught me what to look for, and it’s not like I’ve been letting my guard down with Gustav and Blackwing breathing down my neck. I’ve caught a couple of their agents, but that was months ago and I’ve been careful about who I’ve brought here since.” She frowned. “Still, it seems I’ve missed at least one.” This one rubbed its chin. “We might be dealing with a sleeper agent. It’s simple enough to instruct a spy to keep their head down until something really juicy comes along, such as the fact that this one returned and contacted you. From there it, wouldn’t be hard to guess that this one would eventually come back with you to your safehouse to plan and gather resources to deal with him and Gustav.” “Sounds right.” The Alya-mare sighed and sat back against a crate. “Lucky us. Sleeper agents can be really hard to catch while they’re not being active.” “That's why they're so useful,” this one said. “And why this one wants you to make it a priority to find out who this spy is. You know your people, so it’d be best if you lead the charge on this for now.” She nodded. “Makes sense. Though what’s the plan for taking back control of the organization? Things are getting ugly out there, in case you didn’t notice when we got ambushed twice in less than an hour.” “Oh, this one definitely noticed. Blackwing's clearly out for blood. He even had magical items specifically tailored to fight this one.” This one crossed its arms over its chest as it thought over the implications of that. He must have been intending on betraying this one for some time if he’d come that prepared to fight it. Though this one had to wonder how that could have affected the conflict within the organization. “He’s probably hoping to kill this one, since that would give him a pretty good claim for taking over the organization. It would certainly leave an impression.” The Alya-mare looked at this one intently as her calculating mind went to work. “Makes sense. He's—try not to take this the wrong way, but he's you in many ways. He’s got a lot of your skills and he’s been putting them to work. It’s been like boxing with a shadow with him: he’s always picking away at my people and resources, but I can never touch him.” Though the Alya-mare did a good job of hiding it, this one heard the fear in her voice. It was behind her intelligent eyes, slowly eating away her will to fight. It wasn’t terribly surprising to discover that she was shaken; she had been on the defensive for months now, with dwindling resources, and, by the looks of it, no winning moves until this one returned to Freeport. Best to shore up her morale now and confirm that things were well in hoof, even if that wasn’t entirely true just yet. One of the last things this one needed right then was for her to fall apart. “He might be this one’s equal as a fighter, but he was always a bit too blunt and direct,” this one told her. “This one’s taught him every trick he knows and this one knows how he thinks, not to mention he isn’t a good team player. We can use that against him.” The Alya-mare took a deep breath. “That might be true, but we’re still going to have to find him if we’re going to pin him down. That’s not going to be easy when he’s a changeling who knows how to stay hidden.” “That’s a fair concern,” this one admitted, “But this one knows plenty of tricks for finding changelings. This one didn’t get to become Freeport’s best information broker without being able to find people. Some of whom really didn’t want to be found.” The Alya-mare frowned as she studied this one. “So what're you going to do?” “A trap would be best,” this one said. “Make him come to us. We want to take the initiative. If we let him decide the pace of the battle then we’re going to pay for it. Always make your opponent dance to your tune whenever possible, control the momentum, and make him move the way you want him to move.” “So we need bait.” She pointed at this one. “Though the only bait I know he wants is you.” She had a point. Thus far the only thing this one knew Blackwing cared about was trying to kill this one and, assumedly, take over the organization. That would be something to pursue. Blackwing was probably after the Alya-mare as well, though he hadn’t pursued her nearly as vigorously as he had this one. Likely he’d known about this safehouse for as long as the Alya-mare’s been here and could have struck at her at any time. But Blackwing had been focused on this one since the day it had returned to Freeport. That was telling, even if this one wasn’t quite sure how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together quite yet. Though this one couldn’t help but note that the Alya-mare was a bit quick to suggest this one should use itself as bait against Blackwing. Perhaps this one was just being paranoid, but... This one shrugged. “If that's what it comes to then this one will deal with it. Of course, the problem is that he'd have to suspect we’re setting a trap for him. He was always this one's blunt object, but he's still no fool.” This one waved the issue off. “This one will deal with that itself. It has some ideas to pursue, even if they’re going to take some time to set up.” “Just don’t take forever,” the Alya-mare warned. “I doubt Blackwing is going to wait around. We have to assume that he’ll try again.” “On that we both agree.” As of that moment, this one considered Blackwing to be the greatest threat: he had the skills to make life difficult and the potential to strike at any time or place. This one liked to control the board, and Blackwing was an unpredictable player. If this one was going to regain control of the situation, Blackwing had to be dealt with. It was doable, but not easy. With the topic of Blackwing covered for the moment, the Alya-mare changed the subject. “And what about Gustav? He’s still rebelling against you too.” “He hasn't tried to kill me yet, at least,” this one pointed out. The Alya-mare’s eyes darkened, and she started speaking with a bitter edge. “His goons just tried to kill you at the restaurant.” This one raised an eyebrow. “Really? This one didn’t recognize any of the mercs that attacked us at the restaurant.” The Alya-mare rubbed the back of her neck as she rolled her head. “I interrogated them in the carriage before Blackwing attacked. They belong—belonged to a small merc company, and they were hired by Gustav to ambush our meeting. Gustav was hoping to kill or capture the both of us in one fell swoop.” This one kept a very careful neutral mask on as it listened to the Alya-mare. Was she telling the truth? The circumstances were suspicious when the Alya-mare was the only one who’d had the opportunity to speak with the mercs, and had done so while alone. It was certainly possible that the Gustav-gryph had hired the mercs who attacked us, but there were a few potential issues with that suggestion. For one, it wasn’t really his style; the Gustav-gryph liked to get into the action himself, especially when it was something critical like beheading an opposing faction. Hiring some mercs to do the job for him, without even his supervision, wasn’t like him. Perhaps his faction had been whittled down to the point he wasn’t confident about being able to do the job himself, but that struck this one as unlikely. There was also the issue of how exactly the Gustav-gryph had learned about our meeting. Was yet another spy lurking in the Alya-mare’s faction, or was there another explanation for how those mercs had arrived at the right time and place to attack us? There were so many potential explanations for the events that transpired, but discovering the truth was going to be tricky. It would have been much easier to confirm the facts if this one could have interrogated the mercs itself, but thanks to Blackwing they were dead. Had that been done intentionally by Blackwing to keep them from talking, or had they merely been collateral damage for our battle? It was possible that the mercs had been hired by Blackwing to flush this one out and force this one to run for the Alya-mare’s safehouse after meeting with her, bringing this one right into Blackwing’s waiting arms. This one inclined its head, not arguing the point. This one didn’t want the Alya-mare to think it was suspicious of her. If she was telling the truth, being outwardly suspicious of her would alienate her—and if she was lying, it would tip her off. “All the more reason for this one to have words with him.” The Alya-mare’s eyes narrowed. “Words or 'words'?” Considering the circumstances, this one wanted to see if the Gustav-gryph was receptive to talking. Until this one spoke with him personally or least one of his agents, this one wouldn’t be sure where his mind really was. Maybe he was as determined to fight this one as Blackwing, or perhaps he could be receptive to peaceably being brought back under this one’s command. Whatever the case, this one was going to find out. “We'll see.” This one pushed off of the crate to properly stand. “This one would rather not burn down any more of its organization than it have to, but...” The Alya-mare grunted through her pain and discomfort in order to stand as well. “So what’s our next move? You said you’ve got plans, so what are we going to do?” This one pulled out its checkbook and started writing. “This one wants you to work on stabilizing your part of the organization. First, root out the spy or spies. Second, buy some fresh food and supplies. Get whatever you need with the money this one is giving you. This one is sure you know what you need best. Though do try and make a point of giving everyone a nice meal tomorrow, something to lift morale. Make sure to tell everyone that everything is going to be okay now that this one is back.” The Alya-mare nodded. “I can do that. What else?” “Are you going to be able to cash a check?” This one finished writing and tore out the check. “You said that all your bank accounts had been locked down earlier.” “I have a dummy account I can still use. I’ll manage.” The Alya-mare took the check and frowned deeply as she examined its amount. “I could use more than this, Puzzle. I’ve been starved of funds for months now.” Indeed, the amount this one wrote was only intended to cover some immediate expenses, not give the Alya-mare the financial freedom to go off and do whatever she wanted. Given the delicate nature of the situation, this one wanted the Alya-mare dependant on it. Thankfully this one had a ready explanation for the amount on the check. “That’s just to stop the bleeding,” this one explained. “Get things stabilized first and then come up with a list of everything you need money for. We can cover what you need financially after we’ve taken care of the things that need to be taken care of immediately. For instance, the security over this safehouse.” The Alya-mare pressed her lips together, and this one could sense she wanted to argue. “What did you have in mind?” “We need more reliable guards. These ones aren’t up to snuff for the type of threats we’re dealing with. Your bodyguards were out of their depth earlier, and they ran for it when Blackwing showed up.” The Alya-mare sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. “They’re trained to watch over cargo and warehouses, not fight a street war. But they’re all I have.” She fixed this one with an annoyed glower and her tone dripped with bitterness. “You gave Gustav most of the muscle in the organization, after all.” This one let her displeasure flow off of it without comment. She arguably had some good reasons to be mad. This one had allowed her some merchant guards to keep our goods and property safe, but like the Alya-mare had said, they simply didn’t have the training or weapons for a war. Getting rough was supposed to be the Gustav-gryph’s purview, and now that organizational decision was going to cause us all sorts of trouble. But the organizational framework of this one’s organization would have to wait to be addressed later. “So what we need is muscle that can counter both the Gustav-gryph and Blackwing. Thankfully, this one has a contract with the Free Companions, and our contract has several contingencies within it. What this one wants you to do is go to the Companions HQ and tell them that this one wants guards placed here, and near any other assets you have that need protecting.” The Alya-mare’s eyes briefly widened before her brow furrowed. It was several moments before she responded. “Is that wise? You’re suggesting we put all our eggs into one basket by taking on the services of only a single mercenary company for protection. I’m sure you can imagine the number of ways that could go wrong, especially if they’re not trustworthy. You’re going to give them a pretty good look into our operation if you do this.” “This one is aware of the risks, but considering the circumstances they’re acceptable. Besides, the Companions are good for their word once the ink is dry. Not to mention this one is offering them good coin for doing the job right.” In truth, this one trusted the Companions more than it did its own lieutenants at the moment. This one knew Platinum and had a good relationship with her. What’s more, the Companions didn’t have a horse in this race other than earning their pay. For those reasons, this one was confident they were a known element and something this one could control. But there was another reason why this one was making the Alya-mare go to the Companions instead of taking care of this matter itself. It would be telling if the Alya-mare gave this one pushback over this plan, outright defied this one, or creatively interpreted this one’s instructions. Effectively, the Alya-mare had two choices: do as this one said and make it easier for this one to exert control over her faction within the organization, or defy this one and expose the fact that she wasn’t going to easily return to following this one’s orders. Something Double Dilemma taught this one when it still worked for the Masks: don't give opponents options, give them dilemmas. The Alya-mare watched this one’s bodyguards out of the corner of her eye. “I’m not sure about this. I mean, the Companion’s services don’t come cheap, and they’re going to get expensive fast doing basic guard duty.” She frowned at this one. “And you don’t tend to do a good job of negotiating prices. You’re too generous with your coin. You spend a lot more money than you have to for stuff like this.” That was a common complaint the Alya-mare gave this one, but this was about more than ducats and the size of our bank accounts. “And the reason this one is generous with its ducats is to buy influence with people. Yes, maybe it’s not the most economical use of this one’s coin, but people like this one because they benefit from their relationships with it. And you don’t get people to like you by arguing over every single last ducat like a coin-pinching merchant. This one’s generosity with the Shimmer-mare when she first came to Freeport has paid off in big ways.” “And where is she now when we could use her help?” The Alya-mare spread her arms to show that the Shimmer-mare was nowhere to be seen. “I don’t see her here to help us, despite you pouring all that time and energy into her. You even went all the way to Northmarch for her, but when we need her the most, she’s nowhere to be seen.” It was far more complicated than that, not that this one could go into every detail about the situation with the Shimmer-mare. From everything this one saw, the Shimmer-mare needed time to recover from her experiences in Northmarch, both physically and psychologically. She needed space to come to terms with the loss of her leg and the metaphysical damage she’d done to herself to get the power boost to beat Blackfyre. There was also the fact that the White Pony would probably be best suited to make sure the Shimmer-mare got back into a good place in her life. As much as this one wanted the Shimmer-mare’s help, now probably wasn’t the time to get it. Pity saying ‘I’m sorry, but my friend needs time to recover from being maimed by a dragon’ wasn't going to be a winning argument. This one kept its irritation out of its voice as it came up with an alternative argument. “Sometimes an investment takes time to properly mature. The Shimmer-mare is one such a long-term investment. One that will pay dividends when the time comes.” The corner of the Alya-mare’s mouth twitched. “From where I’m standing, she’s an expensive investment that isn’t paying back what’s being put into her. It’s because of her that you left Freeport for so long in the first place, and then everything went to Tartarus.” To this one’s irritation, she had a point. She might be wrong about the Shimmer-mare being a bad investment, but she was right about how much supporting the Shimmer-mare was costing this one right then. That was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly in the face of what the trip to Northmarch itself had cost us. “If the Shimmer-mare knew what this one was dealing with, she probably would have come to help this one in Freeport,” this one said. “As is, this one didn’t know what it would be facing when it returned today. Everything was going fine for all it knew, and the Shimmer-mare has things she wanted to do in Canterlot.” “Well we do need her here, and she isn’t anywhere to be seen.” The Alya-mare let out a huff. “So instead this one hired the Companions to help us,” this one stated, bringing the conversation back around. “And right now this one doesn’t want the Companions to abandon us because they feel this one is being stingy over their fees. Not that this one rolled over for the Platinum-gryph in any event. This one gave as good as it got over the contract negotiations.” “If you say so.” The Alya-mare’s sides heaved with a great sigh. “How about I go to one or more of the other mercenary companies and negotiate with them? I can get us some good contracts, especially considering how close you are to the Clans, and we won’t have to depend on just one mercenary company for protection. All without having to spend ourselves dry doing it, too. Money is going to be tight as is with repairing the organization from this big mess, and I’d rather not waste more money than we have to put everything back together.” A curious suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea on the surface, but suspicious as well given the circumstances. She might merely be suggesting a reasonable proposal to save us some money, and diversify who we’re getting help from. But if she had an ulterior motive... This one shook its head. “No, this one isn’t sure who can be trusted at the moment. There’s a bigger game being played here, and introducing more mercenary companies into the equation creates more opportunities for more leaks. We already have a spy problem.” “A bigger game?” She stepped closer to this one as her interest was piqued. “What are you talking about?” This one turned its head away from her as it carefully examined those gathered within the warehouse. “This one can’t confirm anything yet, but there’s a good chance someone is pulling the strings behind this street war. At the very least, they’re exacerbating the problem, if not behind everything. This one can’t go into more at the moment, not until it has more proof.” The Alya-mare crossed her arms over her chest. “Puzzle, this isn’t the time to keep secrets from me. We need to trust one another if we’re going to get a grip on this. You’re talking about some really scary stuff here.” This one shook its head. “No, not yet. This one needs to keep things need-to-know for the moment. Take care of everything this one laid out for you and we’ll touch base later once this one finds out more. If you can stabilize your faction within the organization, that will go a long way towards helping.” And best to minimize the Alya-mare’s role in things for the moment, at least until this one was sure she could be fully trusted. Not to mention this one also wanted to protect her. She was this one’s friend, or at least this one was dearly hoping so after all we had been through. This one certainly trusted the Companions a whole lot more to protect the Alya-mare than the skittish and downtrodden merchant guards she’d been forced to fall back on due to the crisis. With any luck, she would see the wisdom in this one’s decisions in time. The Alya-mare rubbed her brow. This one could see in her tired eyes that she was dangerously close to a burnout. “Puzzle, you can’t just leave me hanging like this. What would I do if something happened to you?” This one’s ear flicked. “Probably make do with what you have. If things get too hot, you can always return to the Zebrican Empire. You’ve got investments over there as well as family. You would be able to land on your hooves at the end of the day.” The crack from the Alya-mare’s hoof hitting the ground was loud enough to make this one flinch. “That's not a solution! That’s asking me to give up everything we’ve built here in Freeport. Years of my life just thrown away with nothing to show for it. Is that the best you can come up with if something were to happen to you?!” This one glowered. “And what exactly should this one do to make preparations for the event of its death? This one had quite a bit set in stone for when this one isn’t around, but that was before its organization tore itself to pieces. Now this one’s going to have to reorganize everything after this mess is sorted out. Long term plans are going to have to wait until we’ve dealt with the short term problems currently trying their best to kill us.” “No, I think now is a good time to start talking about the future.” The Alya-mare stepped up so that our muzzles were nearly touching. “In light of everything that’s happened, I think it's about time you made me your partner in the organization. Not just another one of your lieutenants, but a full, equal partner.” Despite itself, this one barked out a harsh laugh. “You want to make that kind of proposal now of all times? How much of an organization do I have that's outside of your control? How much of that is even left now?” The Alya-mare scowled. “All the more reason why I should be your partner. I’ve been with you all these years. Have been since we were adventuring with Daring. I'm the one that's been loyal to you, not the others. You can't rebuild anything based on traitors.” This one shook its head ruefully. “That's true. Once this is all settled, this one will be doing some major reorganization. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re fighting for our lives here. When your house is on fire, your priority isn’t to sit down and plan out a new bathroom expansion—it’s to put the fire out before you lose everything. Once we’re back on top of things we can revisit this.” The Alya-mare moved to stand beside this one and placed a hoof on its shoulder. “With me standing at your side?” “Yes.” This one turned its head to look her right in the eyes. “So long as this all isn't some elaborate setup to kill this one off.” The Alya-mare blinked as though slapped. “Puzzle! How can you think that about me?!” “This one doesn’t,” this one said with perfect neutrality. “But this one didn't see Blackwing or Gustav betraying it either, and yet here we are.” In truth, this one had made the provocative statement to see exactly how she reacted. A precisely timed aggressive question could tell you a lot if you did it right, and knew what to look for. The Alya-mare had seemed legitimately shocked, and this one had quite a bit of experience reading her. On the other hoof, she’d also gotten good at lying when necessary. Wheeling and dealing with the other merchants in Freeport required you to have at least a passable poker face, and hers was pretty good. Not to mention she would have had time to practice her reaction for if and when this one asked a question like that. The Alya-mare scowled as she met this one’s gaze head-on. “We might not have gotten into this mess if you had had a proper successor. As is, just you going away for a few months caused everything to fall apart. If you die we’re all screwed.” This one rubbed its eyes as the exhaustion from a long day and night took their toll. “So this one is aware, but addressing that is going to have to wait until later.” The Alya-mare opened her mouth to protest, but this one spoke over her. “Later. That’s the end of the conversation. In the meantime, you’re to get some sleep, and then once you’re well rested you’ll take care of the things we discussed.” The Alya-mare glared at this one for several seconds before replying. “I’m not sure I like the idea of sleeping here when I know there’s a spy under my roof.” This one shrugged. “Sleep wherever you have to. Sneak out someplace for a few hours and get some shuteye. You’re exhausted, and if this one had to guess you’ve been using potions to keep yourself awake. But potions aren’t as good as a real night’s sleep. The banks aren’t going to be opening until morning anyways, so you might as well take advantage of the downtime.” Rather than confirm she was going to do as this one said, the Alya-mare asked, “And what will you be doing in the meantime?” This one grinned. “What this one does best.” What this one actually did was follow its own advice and get some sleep. This one’s most potent weapon was its mind, and sleep was essential in keeping it sharp. While this one could stay awake for a long time if need be, especially if this one had the right potions, this one had made mistakes in the past due to being sleep-deprived. This one could ill afford those types of errors during a time like this, so this one and its guards took some invisibility potions it was carrying and we snuck our way back to the Companion’s HQ. It seemed the safest place to stay for the night given the circumstances, even if the paranoid part of this one’s mind worried that it might be becoming overly dependant on the Companions. This one’s ever growing paranoia aside, this one got a bed and got the sleep it desperately needed while a squad of Companions watched over it. This one felt a bit guilty over lying about what it was doing, but this one needed to raise her confidence by giving her the impression that it was making progress, not literally sleeping on the job. Perceptions are everything, and the more everyone saw this one as a relentless information broker determined to win this street war the better. Drooling on a pillow during a catnap would have damaged the mystique this one had built up around itself. Thankfully this one got a good night’s sleep. It was always a pain whenever the gears in this one’s head kept endlessly turning, keeping this one awake when it desperately wanted to get some sleep. But it seemed the long day had successfully worn this one out enough to let it slumber. If anything, this one’s body wanted more rest, but there was work to be done. This one sent a couple of messages off to the Gustav-gryph and Blackwing through the same bronze dragonflies it had used to contact the Alya-mare. This one doubted they would both want to meet with this one, but this one had to get the ball rolling. It was as this one was eating breakfast that it received a message back from the Gustav-gryph. To this one’s mild surprise, the Gustav-gryph had indeed agreed to a meeting. That was … good, assuming this wasn’t an ambush. The Alya-mare had claimed that the mercs who had attacked the previous night had been hired by the Gustav-gryph, but this one wasn’t entirely confident she was telling the truth. This one was just going to have to ask the Gustav-gryph in person if at all possible, though first this one needed to set the stage to make sure such a meeting would be a success. Thus, this one sought out Platinum for a meeting. This one was directed to the training yard at the heart of the Companions’ HQ. It was a simple enough affair, with a sand-covered space in the middle for weapons practice and exercises, several practice dummies to the side, and a range of weapon stands loaded with practice weapons. Platinum was there, as well as two young hippogryphs and a unicorn in her early teens. This one knew that the two hippogryphs were Platinum’s children, and the two of them were facing off against one another, each with a padded practice sword in talon. “I, Torch Charger, am here to overthrow you vile Necrocrats! Stand aside or be defeated!” cried out one, leveling his weapon on his opponent. “Not a chance,” the other one said. “I am Ushabti, and I have been brought back to life with my own magics! I’m taking back command of the Necrocrats, so stand aside or face my wrath.” “Death to the Necrocrats!” the sibling cried and charged, diplomacy thrown aside. This one watched the siblings play for a time, enjoying the sight of them attempting to wallop each other with the passion of youth before making its way to Platinum and the teenager she was speaking with. This one didn’t recognize the teenager. She had a cyan coat and her short mane was mulberry with light turquoise stripes in it. She had a regal bearing about her, if with atouch of perpetual disdain in how she carried herself. “So your father says you've been training with the smallsword lately?” Platinum pointed to the weapon strapped to the unicorn’s side. She nodded. “I've been liking it better than the longsword.” Platinum gave the unicorn a knowing smile. “It is a very elegant and precise weapon.” The unicorn teenager pulled out the weapon and presented it to the Companions’ general. As its name suggested, the blade was shorter than many of its kin, if much lighter and easier to wield. “I like that part of it. It feels right. Not to mention it fits a lot better on a weapon belt.” She nodded to the scabbard at her waist. “That’s always been my favorite thing about the smallsword. The rapier and other dueling swords are better for actually going into a fight, but for something to wear comfortably all day long they’re hard to beat. Of course, these days I have to keep up appearances.” Platinum grinned and rested a talon on her own blade: Dawnfire. The basket-hilted sword had been gifted to the Free Companions by the White Pony herself back when they had joined Torch’s Rebellion. Since then, it had been passed down from one generation of Companions to the next. This one decided to emerge from people watching and stepped up to engage in the conversation. There was value in watching others converse, but this one had business it needed done. “It can be quite effective if you can use it right. Though it's a weapon you really need to master if you want to use it in a proper fight. Otherwise a less skilled opponent might have you beat with a simpler weapon.” Platinum grinned as this one approached. “True. The longsword, axe, and spear might not be elegant and sophisticated, but it's hard not to hurt someone when you smack them with that much sharp metal. Smallswords require skill to be of any real use.” “I know that,” the teenager grumbled as she resheathed her blade. “You have to really hit an opponent's weak points with a slim blade like this. Especially if they’re wearing armor.” “And against some monsters,” this one added. “Not to mention you’d have to worry about an opponent potentially having superior reach.” “Exactly.” Platinum turned to face this one. “But I'm sure you didn't come here to give the daughter of my favorite contract negotiator a lesson in swordsmareship, Puzzle.” This one shook its head. “Unfortunately no, this one is here on business.” “So let's get to it.” Platinum looked to the teenager. “If you don't mind, Sunny?” Sunny frowned, not happy with having her time with the general cut short. As was the case with many youngsters, they valued the time and attention they got from adults. “No, of course not. I'll just continue practicing.” “Thank you.” Platinum watched Sunny walk off towards one of the practice dummies before turning to give this one her full attention. “This one presumes she's to take up the family business?” this one asked, making a bit of small talk before getting right to business. “Naturally,” she confirmed. “We're not as extreme about it as the clans, but most of our children do end up following in our steps.” “It does help when you learn how to hold a weapon almost as soon as you learn how to walk,” this one confirmed. “Becoming a true master with the blade usually takes a lifetime of work. What’s her name, by the way?” “Sunny Flare. She’s Regal Flare’s daughter.” “Ah, gotcha.” As Platinum had mentioned earlier, she was the daughter of the Companions’ chief contract negotiator. This one had briefly met him on several occasions, namely social events among the elite of society. Due to this one personally knowing Platinum and the money this one was offering for its contract, this one had skipped working with him on this occasion, but this one had dealt with him a couple of times in the past. “And this one sees your own kids are here too.” This one grinned. “Looks like they take after their mom. They definitely have your enthusiasm.” Platinum glanced in her kids’ direction as they continued playing. The one playing Torch, the larger and older of the two, was gaining an advantage over their younger sibling, landing more blows than their opponent. Not that the younger one was letting their older sibling have an easy time of it. “They are my pride and joy. With any luck, who I’ll pass everything onto someday.” Once again she placed a talon on her blade and smiled with a mother’s love. This one watched as they played, and something stirred within this one, even if it wasn’t quite sure what. “Must be nice to be a parent.” “It’s brought me far more joy than I'd ever expected.” She chuckled to herself. “They can give me the runaround, but it’s worth it at the end of the day. I couldn't imagine life without them anymore.” “That seems to be the consensus of most parents.” This one found a smile creeping onto its face, even if this one didn’t quite feel it. “This one has to admit, it's a bit jealous.” Platinum raised her eyebrows. “You've never thought of starting a family?” This one frowned as it considered its words carefully. “This one has thought about it. More than once, honestly. It just seemed ... unwise.” This one sighed and shook its head. “This one's been single for most of its life, and this one doubts it has to tell you how much of a hooffull kids can be even when you’ve got two parents around. Being a single parent is ... doable, though that's asking a lot of any kid to bring them into that kind of situation.” Platinum faced this one and spoke with a serious tone. “What about your current companion? The Equestrian spy?” “That's ... complicated,” this one admitted. “Honestly, this one isn't sure if she'd be interested in marriage, much less kids. This one suspects she's happy with what we've got right at the moment. She enjoys going out on dates and having fun, but a more serious relationship? This one’s not sure.” This one could see several potential reasons why the Heartstrings-mare wouldn’t be interested in kids. Sure, her time in the EIS was coming to an end, being the biggest barrier to any kind of relationship between us, but the Heartstrings-mare still might not want a serious relationship. That didn’t even get into the kids question. Her own unhappy history with her parents would have to prey on her mind. Having both of your parents become unable to raise you would affect anyone. “Still, I'd imagine by now your parents are asking about grandchicks. Grandfoals? Grandgrubs?” Platinum shrugged. “Whatever the right term is.” This one eyes fell to the ground as it thought. “They've been doing that for a while now, yeah. But surprise, they want this one to give them some grandkids while they’re still young enough to enjoy them. And this one dating the Heartstrings-mare only causes that type of talk to come up more often. Especially when the Heartstrings-mare is the first person this one has dated since the Do-mare. They're worried about this one growing old and alone—the normal stuff when parents don’t see their kid finding a serious relationship before a certain point in their lives.” “I can imagine. And it doesn’t sound like you have too many barriers in your life to having a kid if you really want one,” Platinum pointed out. “Money shouldn’t be a problem for you, and that’s no small thing. I love my kids to bits, but they put a dent in my bank account. You’re also responsible, with a good head on your shoulders. You should talk with your partner about it, at least.” “Probably.” This one couldn’t find a good reason not to talk with the Heartstrings-mare when it got an opportunity. “But this one’s still worried about the type of life it would be bringing a kid into.” Platinum placed a talon on this one’s shoulder. “You think you'd be a bad father?” This one ran a hoof along its headcrest as it worked its way through uncomfortable thoughts. “No, it’s not that. Well, this one worries it might do a bad job due to always being busy.” Recent experiences with Scarlett had shown just how poisonous neglecting one’s child for the sake of one’s job could be, and that wasn’t a mistake this one wanted to repeat. Learning from your own mistakes was all well and good, but this one preferred to learn from the mistakes of others when at all possible. “You wouldn’t be the only parent to worry about that type of thing.” She patted this one’s shoulder. “I know I’ve worried at times if I’ve been spending too much time at work than with the kids. It’s something we all have to learn how to balance. You have to work at it to make sure you give your kids the time they need, but it’s doable. If you want some advice on that, I’m sure I could give you a few words.” “If this one does decide to jump into this, it will take you up on that. Though what has this one even more worried about...” This one’s ears wilted. “What sort of life would this one bring a grub into? This one has enemies that might target its kids to get at it.” A flash of emotions flashed over Platinum’s face, and she squeezed this one’s shoulder. “That can be a worry, but it’s something that can be managed. You’ll just have to do what everyone else rich and powerful does to protect their kids in Freeport. Bodyguards can do a lot to put one’s mind at ease.” Despite the severity of the talk, this one couldn’t help but smile. “Says the hippogryph who offers bodyguard services.” “Call it professional insider knowledge.” Platinum poked this one’s side. “And in addition to bodyguards, I’m sure you know how to put word out on the street not to mess with your kids as well as the extraordinarily terrible consequences to anyone that tries. There are advantages to having a reputation.” “That much is true.” This one frowned as it watched Platinum’s kids play. Apparently they had decided to join forces against one of the practice dummies, and judging from their gusto the dummy must have done something particularly nefarious. “Though this one also worries that it won’t be there to see its kids grow up. Let’s be honest, this one doesn’t have the safest lifestyle. This one could have been killed at least four times yesterday, and that was just one day.” This one didn’t like going around talking about it, but for the longest time this one was pretty much convinced it would never live to old age. This one just had too many enemies, and put itself into too much danger on a regular basis. All it would take was one mistake, one bad fight, a little bit of bad luck, and then this one would be dead. Honestly, this one had thought it only had about a fifty percent chance of coming as far as it had, much less the chances of it ever actually living long enough to see its plans all the way through to the end. Which in some ways only further emphasized the need to have someone to pass everything onto someday. As time passed, way too much was coming to depend on this one’s heartbeat. This one found it didn’t like the idea of so many of its secrets dying with it, and having this one’s estate seized and carved up by the government. “I know all about that worry. Being a merc isn’t the safest occupation either.” Platinum got a distant look in her eyes as she watched her kids swing away at the dummy. “That just makes it even more important to have a reliable partner if you can get one. That, and having at least one damn good godparent helps.” “You make a good argument.” Once again this one felt a stirring of something it couldn’t quite put a hoof on. “Would it sound silly if this one said that it feels like it's entering a different part of its life?” Platinum shook her head. “Not at all. We all do that. It’s just a part of growing older.” Deep down, this one knew things were in fact changing. This one had been wanting to move onto the next stage with its plans even before leaving for Northmarch. The organization turning on itself created a highly compelling reason to change how everything was organized. Even this one’s relationships were changing; since returning to Freeport, this one had decided to abandon the idea of friendship, deeming them too dangerous to have for multiple reasons. It was much easier to keep a secret if you were the only one who knew it, not to mention other people knowing a secret made them a target. So this one had scorned the idea of friendship. Sure, this one had acquaintances and friends, but no one this one really felt like it could confide its deepest secrets to. Things were friendly enough with the Alya-mare, or had been, but that had increasingly become an employer and employee relationship due to necessity, or so this one told itself. Now though? If this one was honest, this one’s self-imposed isolation had been a lonely existence—sometimes crushingly so. This one had told itself that keeping everyone at legs’ length seemed the safest option for all involved, both for this one and the people it knew, and that its goals would make this one’s sacrifices worth it. But with time even that ironclad logic began to feel increasingly hollow. Or maybe it was this one that was hollow? Perhaps it was a sentiment born out of weakness, but over time this one had come to value its companionship with the Shimmer-mare and the Heartstrings-mare. Was it necessary for this one to bear its burdens alone, or could it think one risk sharing? Both sides of the argument had risks and rewards. As was so often the case in life, the answers for this question were not easily found. “You’ve given this one some things to think about, at the very least.” This one’s face wrinkled as it contemplated a variety of possibilities. “Such as the possibility of this one ending up carrying a grub.” Platinum raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” This one felt just a bit queasy thinking about this. “If the Heaststrings-mare isn't interested in going through pregnancy or if we end up having more than one kid, she might want this one carry some of the burden, as it were. Biologically speaking, this one is a hermaphrodite, so this one’s can’t exactly shy away from the idea of becoming pregnant entirely if it really wants its own kids badly enough. Not like how a stallion could, in any event.” “That's true, I suppose.” She poked the side of this one’s belly. “Still, it’s hard to imagine you pregnant. You’re just so, well...” “Masculine? That’s generally how this one thinks of itself too.” It was pretty hard for this one to imagine too. Sure, every changeling was technically considered a hermaphrodite due to our shapeshifting nature, but the idea of bearing a grub was still weird in this one’s head. It was one of those things this one theoretically knew it could do, but conceptually was a bit out there. But then again, just the idea of becoming a parent was enough to give this one a measure of anxiety, even if this one knew that was a perfectly normal thing to worry about. This one shrugged. “Though it’s not like this one hasn't used female disguises in the past. And this one is sure you’ve done things you otherwise wouldn’t have for the sake of your kids.” “Being a parent does mean making sacrifices.” Platinum rubbed her chin. “But I suppose changelings can be flexible on this type of thing.” “You could call that an advantage. In any event, that depends on what the Heartstrings-mare wants,” this one said. “And before this one can do that, it needs to get its organization back under control.” “Yeah, point.” Platinum waved for this one to follow her. “Back to business, then. What did you have for me?” We arrived back in Platinum’s office. She should have already heard everything that happened the previous day from the Arrow-stallion, so this one jumped into what was to be done next. “This one has some good news. The Gustav-gryph wants to meet with this one at the Goldtalon-gryph’s club later tonight.” The Goldtalon-gryph, in addition to owning the premier auction house in Freeport, also owned a prominent music and dining club. It was where he usually spent his time when he didn’t have an auction to organize or run. Thankfully, he had agreed to let this one use his club as a neutral meeting ground. “Let me guess, you need some guards?” This one nodded. “Yes. Even if this one can only bring so many guards into the club—overtly, anyway.” Platinum rubbed her chin. “Big surprise, Goldtalon doesn’t like it when people bring a small army into his respectful club. No proper businessgryphon wants their customers to suddenly turn their establishment into a warzone.” “Still, this one will be able to bring some guards, and this one wants the option to bring in reinforcements. There is the chance the Gustav-gryph might break the truce and attack this one, and it wants to be ready just in case.” This one grimaced. “There’s also the possibility that someone else might decide to crash the party. This one would prefer to play it safe either way.” Platinum drummed her talons on her desk. “It’d be a bold move to start a fight at that club, or else an incredibly stupid one depending on how you want to look at it. Anyone who starts something is going to have to deal with the guards he’s got in place there. They’re a solid lot from what I’ve seen. Goldtalon pays for quality, and keeps his guards well equipped. That’s not even getting into the fact that Goldtalon’s got a lot of friends in high places. Anyone that starts a fight in one of his establishments is going to have to worry about the condottieri coming down on their heads.” “Those are among the reasons why this one chose his club as a meeting place,” this one said. “But just because doing something is stupid doesn’t preclude the possibility that someone might do it anyways.” Platinum snorted. “Isn’t that the truth? The problem with having your backup outside is that it’s going to take time to get inside, especially if Goldtalon’s guards take umbrage with the idea of us coming in.” Her beak spread with a wry grin. “Good news is that I have an obvious solution to that. Goldtalon's going to want extra security given the circumstances. Even if he thinks you’re going to be good, he’s going to worry Gustav or someone else might try something just because you’re there.” This one grinned back. “And naturally, you can offer your services to bolster his guard for the night.” Platinum poked this one in the chest. “Just make sure you don't start anything, or those extra guards might jump you.” This one scoffed in good humor. “Now, since when does this one start trouble?” “All the time from what I hear,” Platinum countered. “You just tend to be more circumspect about it than most.” This one shrugged, she wasn’t wrong. “Tonight this one doesn’t plan on starting a fight. With any luck, Gustav doesn’t either.” This one certainly did its best to abide by truces, particularly when it was meeting on someone else’s turf. Truce breaking was a bad habit to get into; it made the trucebreaker seem particularly untrustworthy, and added a significant barrier to any future meetings one might want. After all, who wanted to negotiate with someone prone to stabbing those they meet under the table? Reputations are everything, and this one had been very careful in cultivating its image. While this one was often perceived as prone to skullduggery, it had also been careful to keep its word, honor contracts, and not attack people on neutral ground. There was a fine line between being seen as dangerous and shady, and being outright disreputable and impossible to safely deal with. “Let's hope.” Platinum leaned against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. “Though from what I’ve been told, Gustav isn’t your only problem. From the sounds of things, Blackwing took a shot at you last night.” This one let out an annoyed huff. “Blackwing is proving to be the real problem child out of this one’s lieutenants. This one is pretty sure he’s targeting this one specifically—he was waiting for this one last night and was equipped to fight it.” “Sounds like it from what I’ve heard. Do you have a plan for taking him down?” This one nodded. “This one has a couple. This one sent him a message the same time it sent one to the Gustav-gryph, though he hasn’t replied yet. But in all honesty, there was only a forty percent chance he would even respond to the message, much less agree to a meeting.” Platinum’s tailed flicked back and forth. “Considering he just tried to kill you, I'd put it lower.” “He's pretty confident in himself,” this one pointed out. “He might think he can pin this one down someplace to kill it during an ambush.” Platinum scowled. “It’s why I wouldn’t recommend meeting him to start with. I wouldn’t trust him when he’s already taken a shot at you.” This one shrugged. This one knew the idea of meeting with Blackwing was imperfect, but perfect plans didn’t exist. “This one considered it worth a shot. At the very least, it could give this one an idea of what Blackwing is thinking. Knowing what he’s after, besides killing this one anyways, would go a ways to countering him.” Platinum shook her head. “As the general of the mercenary company you’ve just hired to keep you safe, I highly recommend against trying to meet Blackwing. You always struck me as the type who’d be willing to sacrifice a pawn to win, but you don’t win at chess by exposing your king. What else do you got?” This one didn’t particularly like being told what to do, or near enough to being told what it could do, but this one didn’t press the point at that moment. “Assuming Blackwing isn’t willing to step back in line, we’re going to need to hunt him down and capture or kill him. This one has contacts and people it can hire to help with that. Between all the private eyes, mercenaries, and other spies for hire, this one knows we should be able to find wherever he’s hiding. It might take some time, but he can’t be active and keep himself hidden forever.” Platinum stroked her cheek as she thought the proposal over. “Sounds reasonable. He can’t just hide in a safehouse if he wants to beat you. Generally speaking, you don’t win a war by always playing defensive and ceding the initiative. And to win this and take over your organization, he has to take you out.” “Right.” This one walked to a window to look down at the rain-slicked streets below. “The Alya-mare seems to be loyal to this one, and if this one can talk the Gustav-gryph into getting back in line as well then that will leave Blackwing isolated. If that happens then this one can bring its full resources down on his head.” “Getting Alya and Gustav back under your command would give you more breathing room with the Council as well,” Platinum pointed out. “You’ll be able to make the case you’re making progress. Not to mention they shouldn’t cause anymore trouble on the street if you’ve brought them to heel.” “Good point.” This one rubbed its chin as several pieces of the puzzle started coming together. “This one would like to have a platoon of Companions ready to bring down the hammer if the opportunity presents itself. Though if Blackwing is standing alone, then this one could make the case that Blackwing is a rogue agent and a malcontent. Assuming this one plays its cards right, this one might even be able to get the condottieri to help with hunting him down. We can tell the public at large that we worked on a cooperative venture to bring the chaos on the streets to an end, letting the condottieri save face and this one free of Blackwing.” “That might work,” Platinum said, sounding slightly doubtful. “Though that would only work if your other lieutenants do step back in line. Otherwise you’re going to look weak and incapable of controlling your own organization if you go begging to the condottieri to pull your plot out of the fire. It’s one thing if you say it’s okay for the condottieri to deal with a single rogue agent, but quite another to ask them to put down an entire street war. Particularly when the Council has told them to butt out of it.” “So this one is more than aware.” This one turned from the window. “Hence why this one’s first priority is locking down the Alya-mare and the Gustav-gryph. Speaking of, has the Alya-mare shown up yet to request guards for her bases?” Platinum shook her head. “No, not yet. That a problem?” This one looked at the clock. It was still pretty early. The Alya-mare could have ended up sleeping in due to her obvious exhaustion. It would also take time to deposit the check this one had given her, and there were several worthwhile things she could spend that money on. That didn’t even get into her needing to take care of basic needs like food and a good hot bath. All of that would eat up time. So this one didn’t need to worry too much. Yet. “No, this one doesn’t think so,” this one told her. “Though if she doesn’t show by, say, seven in the evening, go ahead and send what guards you need to secure the Alya-mare’s safehouse. Also, once your guards are in place, have them talk up the Alya-mare’s people. Get to know them, learn what they’re thinking, and be on top of whatever the Alya-mare is planning, and pass on what you learn to this one.” This one wanted to be as sure as it could be that the Alya-mare was, and would continue to be, loyal to this one. Knowing what she was up to would help with that. Strategically placing Companions would go a long way towards making sure she wouldn’t get up to trouble, in addition to protecting her and her assets. Platinum grinned. “You talk like we wouldn’t be doing that anyways.” “This one just likes to cover its bases,” this one assured her. “But we still have the morning and early afternoon to work with before this one’s meeting with the Gustav-gryph. This one was thinking to get a start on contracting people to hunt down Blackwing. Getting that ball rolling strikes this one as a good idea.” “Agreed.” Platinum walked up to a map of Freeport. “So who all did you want to talk to? If at all possible, I’d prefer it if you stayed here where we can best—“ She was cut off when one of this one’s bronze dragonflies flew into the office. This one caught it, and then opened the scroll. This one scowled as it read the scroll’s contents, feeling nasty anger and fear bubble up inside of its chest. Platinum moved to the one’s side. “What is it? Either Blackwing gave you one nasty burn with that letter or you’ve got bad news.” “It’s the latter,” this one declared as it crumbled up the scroll. “It’s Blackwing, and he’s at Double Dilemma’s house. He says he wants to meet.” A whirl of emotions ran through this one. Double had been this one’s mentor back when it had still worked for the Masks and he had been the head of the organization. If Blackwing had hurt Double as part of some sick game to get at this one, then he was going to find out he had made a terrible mistake.