//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour // by Ponibius //------------------------------// Freeport Venture: Something Sweet and Sour Epilogue The next day saw this one sitting in one of the rooms of Daily Miracle’s healing house. After the craziness on Sweetash Isle, this one was quite content to read on its nice, comfortable seat-cushion. The room was a simple affair; it was clean, possessed a simple dresser, a nice comfortable bed, a small desk, and some cushions to sit on, befitting a room intended to allow someone to heal quietly. Perhaps not the most stimulating of rooms, but it had a utilitarian purpose to it. Besides, it was not like the Miracle-mare was about to let this one leave just yet anyway—not with the wretched condition it was in when it arrived at her door. This one didn’t quite remember the laundry list of injuries the Old Mind and her drones had inflicted, but the heavy bandages wrapped around this one’s barrel were indication enough of that. The Miracle-mare had also allowed this one to relax in the room where the Shimmer-mare was resting. She hadn't woken up since this one had gotten us off the island, but the Miracle-mare assured me that she would make a full recovery. This one would have felt a lot better if the Shimmer-mare was actually awake and able to talk to this one. Especially once it came to explaining to the EIS about exactly what had happened, and they would want to know how the White Pony’s former student had gotten so badly hurt. Next to her was Kukri, curled up on a cushion and also sound asleep. She had refused to leave the Shimmer-mare’s side once she had found out what had happened, and she had been determined to watch over her mentor. Though in the end, her endurance had not quite been equal to the task of staying up until the Shimmer-mare awoke. The Miracle-mare had also tolerated the squad of Doo Clan bodyguards this one had hired to watch over the pair of us. While this one was reasonably sure we had seen the last of the hive on Sweetash Isle, this one wasn't going to take the chance that the Old Mind was going to take advantage of our weakness to finish us. It hadn't been a particularly pleasant conversation to explain to the Doo Clan what had happened to the bodyguards we had hired, but they understood all too well how risky mercenary work can be—especially in the face of a surprise as unpleasant and dangerous as the Old Mind and her swarms. This one’s ruminations were interrupted when the Shimmer-mare stirred and let out a long yawn.  This one put its book aside. “Hey. You awake there?” The Shimmer-mare groaned as her eyes fluttered open. “I'm too sore to still be asleep.” “That’s not surprising, after what you’ve been through.” Even after being unconscious for a full day, her skin was still pale, and her eyes sunken. “Water?” She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” This one poured her a glass from a pitcher sitting on the desk, and she took it gratefully. It took her a few attempts to drink without coughing, her throat probably being parched, but this one waited patiently until she had finished the glass. “Thanks.” The Shimmer-mare cleared her throat before continuing. After giving herself a minute to regain her balance, she smiled down at Kukri. “She been here for awhile?” “She flew here as soon as she found out what happened and swore she would stay up and take care of you as long as it took.” This one smiled down at the sleeping changeling. “Alas, while the mind was willing, she has but the body of a child.” The Shimmer-mare chuckled. “Let her sleep for now. We can wake her up after we’ve talked about a few things.” She let out a tired groan and rubbed at her face. “So ... kinda fuzzy on how I wound up here.” This one nodded. “You were pretty out of it when this one brought you here. It might take a little bit for any of it to come back to you, if ever.” She grimaced and made a displeased grunt. “I remember something about poison...” “You got a nasty dose of changeling venom,” this one confirmed. “Turns out the Old Mind—Queen Chrysalis was after you and attacked us with her drones. One of them managed to bite you in the initial part of the ambush. You then proceeded to nearly burn half the manor down.” This one grinned easily. “Nearly got this one, too. But you're alright now. You fell unconscious after that, and this one took you and got you off the island to see a proper healer. We gave you some anti-venom, along with some other potions to speed along your recovery. The healer says you'll make a full recovery, and this one trusts her. She’s done exceptional work with this one in the past.” This one paused, then amended, “Or on this one, it supposes.” While this one could have told the Shimmer-mare about its own heroics, it had decided to keep that specific part a secret in the end. This one didn't like to advertise the full extent of its abilities, and there didn't seem to be any good reason to worry her about how close she had come to an unpleasant end. Just the bite and the knowledge that she hadn't pulled herself out of danger should serve as sufficient warning to be more careful in future situations. Besides, the Shimmer-mare might become upset if she found out she wasn't the hero of the story. The Shimmer-mare nodded her head, relief clear in her features. “What about Chrysalis and the other drones?” “This one informed the Council of what had happened as soon as it could,” this one said. “They’re going to do what they always do when they suspect there is a hive in Freeport. They’ll send the condottieri to comb the island and sniff out where their hive is hidden away. From there, it’s just a matter of killing or capturing the drones, freeing whoever they had captured, and in general cleaning up whatever mess the Old Mind has caused.” The condottieri had experience with such operations, and with this one and the Shimmer-mare having already killed most the drones on Sweetash Isle, it seemed unlikely they would face much resistance. Assuming the Old Mind hadn’t withdrawn what might have remained of her drones, in any event. This one just hoped that whatever might remain of the Sweetash family wouldn’t be upset about all the property damage we had caused in the fight. Little surprise, most sugar plantation magnates didn’t like it when you derailed their sugar production. “Makes sense.” The Shimmer-mare let out a long sigh. “Guess it’s good that it’s going to be taken care of, but... Well, none of this is especially pleasant.”  She rubbed the sides of her head. “I remember something about Chrysalis ... and Mom?” This one gave her an easy smile and patted her on the leg. “You might have some fevered dreams mixed in there. Comes with being poisoned.” The Shimmer-mare didn’t look this one in the eyes when she said, “I guess, yeah. At least we got out of it. ” She grimaced. “Even if we didn't get paid.” This one sighed and nodded. This was a part of our conversation that neither of us was going to enjoy, even if it was necessary. “Yeah, a job where you get beat up and not paid isn't great, but they happen every once in awhile. This one has been through this more than once in the past.” She wrapped her forelegs around herself. “Not exactly how I wanted to start the first job I found for myself. And here I thought I had a good gig lined up.” This one waved dismissively. “You had bad luck. It happens to everyone. There were a few warning signs, but this one can help you find your next job and what to watch out for. You'll figure out what you should and shouldn't do soon enough.” That would go a long way, and had the side bonus of more closely tying the Shimmer-mare to this one. This job had only put emphasis on this one to make time to help instruct and teach the Shimmer-mare. The Shimmer-mare sat in her own silence for a few moments, then slowly nodded. “I'll listen.” This one placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “You feeling okay?” She shrugged. “As okay as anypony would in my situation.” “Not fun to face death, is it?” That was of course stating the obvious, but now seemed like a good time to bring the subject out into the open. Facing one’s mortality for the first time, and this one means really facing it, not merely as some vague concept that one only understands as a purely hypothetical inevitability, was something most everyone had to deal with sooner or later. Not that it was a particularly pleasant fact to deal with.  “This one knows all about that, having had more close calls than it likes to think about.” “I didn't care for it, no,” the Shimmer-mare said. This one patted her gently on the shoulder. “Then try and learn from it. We got through it this time, and as long as we’re alive, we can do better in the future.” The Shimmer-mare nodded and this one could see her self-assurance glimmer in her eyes. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” “And there will be other jobs, just you wait.” This one grinned. “It’s only a matter of time until someone will want to hire Freeport's magus again.” A smile returned to the Shimmer-mare’s face. “Point. I've never been short on offers. Not between you, the EIS, and everyone else.” “See? You'll be back on your hooves in no time,” this one assured her. “Just gotta make sure this never happens again.” A savage grin worked its way onto her features. “Also, payback.” Somehow, this one wasn’t surprised that the Shimmer-mare would want to hit back at the Old Mind. She wasn’t the type to easily forgive, if ever. “It's not going to be easy,” this one pointed out. “The Old Mind's a slippery one. Not to mention one of the most powerful beings on the planet, with many centuries of experience that comes with being unkillable.” The Shimmer-mare considered that for a few seconds. “Yeah, but you’re pretty clever and slippery too, and you’ve beaten her in the past, right? This one shrugged. “A few times, yes. This one isn't exactly her favorite changeling the world. Not by a long shot.” This one couldn’t help but grin at some of its previous encounters with the Old Mind. “Especially after what this one did to her at Lubeak.” “Huh,” she said. “You'll have to tell me that story sometime.” “Oh, this one has a few tales to tell...”