This story is a sequel to Northern Venture
Kukri Doo has a lot to think about after her trip to Northmarch. What was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime field trip with Sunset Shimmer turned into a horrifying struggle for survival—one that left hundreds dead and a city razed to the ground. It's a lot for anyone to deal with, let alone a changeling who's not even thirteen years old.
Kukri's come home to Freeport. If only it was that easy to leave all the memories of Northmarch behind.
Chapters (3)
interesting i was wondering what was going on with kukri i like that instead of it being a side plot she gets her own story to deal with her problems
They knew Kukri needed help when she started playing Nickelback songs on loop.
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don't knock it till ya try it
A new Freeport Story! Finally! Also, is that Twilight in the cover?
Yeah, I kinda figured poor little Kukri was going to have a little PTSD. At least she has her sister, who understands and can be a big help. Well, before certain events in another story occur....
Ok, so Kukri needs, like, all of the hugs and probably more than a few rounds of intensive therapy. Also noticed the Crystal Prep ponies in the cover so that’s going to be interesting. Interesting to see Kunai again, and acting more “human” no less. Last time we saw more of the assassin than we did the sister, so this was kinda nice, even if her advice was less than helpful to someone in Kukri’s position. Interested to see how this goes, and (hopefully) how Kukri works through this.
Who did the cover art? I love it.
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Not Twilight... wrong color eyes. Probably Kunai.
Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare in Freeport... wonder where that is going...?
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Hmm? Where do you see Twilight?
This is....yikes. Kukri is clearly traumatized by everything that happened in Northmarch, but uh....don't know who can really get her to open up. This seems to be taking place concurrently with "Tears in the Rain" so Puzzle is...occupied, to say the least, and Sunset won't be back for several months.
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The pinkish mare on the left? That would probably be Kukri's mother. Kunai is a Free Mind. Take another look at the family's speech patterns.
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InusHoshi, the regular artist for the Winningverse.
Oh, poor Kukri is clearly clinically depressed, I guess we get to see the level of mental health care in Freeport. We know that the Equestrian military has therapists but I'd expect the mercenary groups to be somewhat less well equipped for the situation although it's probably something they have to deal with frequently, hopefully the local cure isn't just to drink yourself into oblivion.
Boy, that was depressing. It was well written of course but still really sad to see just how traumatized Kukri was by Northern Venture (understandably so). Not just all the close brushes with death but the... survivor guilt as well (is that the right term?).
I'm not even sure how they would handle this in her family. Probably won't be as simple as trying to find a psychiatrist in Freeport. Her parents were affected too (and I expect we'll see more of how their view of Sunset will change after this as well). I hope Kukri can recover though she probably won't be as innocent again but then that's part of growing up too.
Another Kukri story? I wasn't expecting this, but I'm liking the tone it's set with this first chapter. I love this kind of heavy character drama.
Mom..even as a sailor she can run into this crap..Don't blame Sunset
Gotta separate these paragraphs.
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thanks for catching that. Must have been a weird Google Docs transfer error.
That is some a very dramatic rain sitting on the cover art, Kukri.
Lol, no. Not unless changelings have a dramatically different maturation rate compared to Equestrian ponies.
Yeah, that's a very convincing description of someone that is fine.
I bet the clan is absolutely ecstatic about it. It's a strong connection to someone who is pretty significant in Freeport politics and is on the trajectory of becoming even more significant.
Oops. Good thing it was Kunai and not a normal sibling.
Maybe even permanently considering that this might be set before she goes after Blackwing.
Indigo's a fan of Hogfather, is she?
Awww.,.
That was a long way to go for a "My past is not today" reference, but if you're going to be that heartrendingly adorable about it, fiiiiiiiiine.
Okay, good to see Kukri get those much needed hugs I mentioned earlier. Now she just needs the intensive therapy and, hopefully, to talk to her family about her experiences. That would probably go a long way to helping her work through her trauma (probably, I’m not a psychiatrist). Plus, it might make her mom more favorably inclined towards Sunset to know just how far she went to protect Kukri and everyone else.
Damn. Kukri's really not having a good time of it.
...yikes. Not surprising, but still sad to see what's just the first of Kukri's trauma.
Yep...there it is. At least she's admitted she's not fine. That's the first step. Seems Indigo and Sunny might be better for Kukri than she initially thought.
spaceballs reference
Why does that name sound familiar?
Ah, the Shadowbolts. Interesting choice.
Eh, they're still kids. Hopefully they'll grow out of that foolishness before they become adults and other people starting having to pay for their naivety.
I do like that you are addressing the fallout and aftermath. PTSD is very real and hard to deal with if you've ever experienced it or helped others.
Yeah, no kidding.
This plan probably would have stood a better chance with a non-stinky Kukri.
Not to mention what happened with Chainbreaker.
The fire and ice spell was a good start at impressing these two new acquaintances.
Uh oh.
Oops.
Uh oh, again.
Don't say it, Kukri.
And of course she did.
Feels like this is a about to take a bad turn, though maybe these girls will see the stress and pull back a bit.
Apparently not. Maybe after the outburst, then.
There we go.
Hey, and there's the breakthrough Kukri really kind of needed.
Nice. I love the call out to My Past Is Not Today.
Midnight Sparkle would be proud
To quote a certain anthropomorphic personification
Ah, that was good.
damn this story was a lot shorter than i though it would be
Oh. That was easy. A quick 2 month jump to a better mental state. A nice place to end on, in any case.
Sit on a towel and put it in the wash after, young fool.
It was nice to get a peek at what she was going threw while Puzzle and Sunset were busy.
This was a lot shorter than I expected, but I suppose this was just about Kukri getting closure, and she couldn't do that with Sunset still in Canterlot. Still, short and sweet. Glad Kukri has some new friends.
Aaaaaand there’s the intensive therapy and proper discussion. Glad to see Facon dealing with everything in a healthy way (seriously people, therapy, it’s there for a reason). Also interesting to see Kukri may have started to form her own little adventuring party. Hope we see more them, they’re neat. This story was shorter than I expected, but it’s about as long as it needs to be, I suppose. Overall, I enjoyed this, can’t wait to see what’s next in this corner of the ‘verse.
Kukri has her shipping goggles on
It did seem a bit of a sudden fix, but it is nice to see she is getting the help she needed and that things still aren't entirely right for either Kukri or Sunset.
Next problem to deal with Kukri discovered boys, or girls or both boys and girls.
Well, this one flew under my radar. Still a great read, capturing both the trauma and the start of Kukri's recovery in devastating detail. Plus, I always like seeing Shadowbolts, and I almost never see speculation on what their equine counterparts are like. I was not anticipating a well-read Indigo Zap in anything.
And Sunset realizing she's echoing Celestia's friendship lessons is amazing.
Brilliant work all around. Thank you for it.
Huh... well that ended abruptly.
Wow I thought this was going to be at least a few chapters longer. I felt like it was just picking up steam and then it's "Epilogue. Sunset came back and we talked."
It's over already? Huh.
Well, I enjoyed what we got, for what it's worth.
Always good to have an 'oh God, I sound like mom' moment.
Friends and therapy, both good developments.
I look forward to seeing how that plays out in The Last Charger.
Mutual support between the "It's fine" crew.
Sure, but it'll probably be more entertaining in triplicate.
Hahahahaha! It's a natural state that comes with getting old.
A very honest look at trauma and dealing with it. I must echo the sentiment that it feels like this ended too quickly. I was very much looking forward to seeing that first talk Kukri had with her family after coming to terms with the fact that she’s not okay. In truth I’m kind of disappointed we only got that as a footnote in the epilogue. Still though, it was a nice piece and was cool to see Kooks make new friends (new cute nickname included)
This was so well done! I 'm glad that we got to see how Kurki deals with the aftermath of Northmarch. This struck just that right balance of sensitivity to the subject without either romanticizing depression and trauma, nor dismissing it. I'm happy that she's on her way to being better, we love a changeling that knows the importance of self care!
Thank you for writing such a nice story. Always appreciate them!
That ending. Feels in abundance. I love it. Good ponies those two.
You mean like you did?
Ah, there it is.
Glad this ended happily. The three young friends gave me serious CMC vibes too. I'm eagerly awaiting to see what they get up to in the future.