//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Tinker, Tailor, Pony, Spy // by Blade Star //------------------------------// Tempest left the hospital and began her journey up toward Canterlot Castle. She considered trying to hail a cab to make the journey faster, but at this time of day, the main streets were clogged with traffic. It was faster to walk, or gallop in her case.  In contrast to her previous visit to the castle, she received a decidedly colder reception from the guards stationed at the main entrance. As she approached, their wings flared out, the blades fixed to the leading edges making an intimidating sound of swords being drawn. Tempest drew up with a start.  “I’m here to see Princess Luna,” she explained. “I need to get to the Changeling Kingdom as soon as possible.” The two guards however, didn’t move an inch. Tempest attempted to push her way past them, but they didn’t budge. “Will you let me through?” she demanded crossly. “I don’t have time for this.” Still, neither one moved. “No entry without authorisation,” one of the guards informed her curtly.  “I was summoned by Princess Luna herself!” Tempest exclaimed.  “Sure you were,” the other guard replied. “And I’m the seventh Element of Harmony.” Tempest bristled. She was just about to try and force her way through, when help arrived. “Sergeant!” a commanding voice roared. Instantly, both guards snapped to attention.  Turning around, Tempest was relieved to see a friendly face come to her aid. It was Captain Night Song; the commander of the Lunar Guard. He didn’t look best pleased, and Tempest was certainly glad that she wasn’t in the firing line.  “Sir!” the sergeant reported, saluting his superior.  “What in the name of Luna’s moon do you think you are doing?!” he demanded.  “This traitor was trying to force her way past the security checkpoint, sir. She claimed she was summoned by Princess Luna or other such nonsense.” Night Song scowled. The younger guard subtly tried to distance himself from the unfortunate NCO. “And you know this to be nonsense how? Have you contacted anypony else? Checked with your immediate superior? Or did you just jump to conclusions?” The sergeant swallowed. Night Song soon ran out of patience. “Sergeant, I asked you a question!” “I didn’t check, sir,” he admitted.  “Well, if you had,” Night Song pointed out. “You would have been informed that I would be calling on you to meet Miss Shadow here and to escort her to the main hanger. By direct command of Princess Luna, she is to be taken with all possible speed to the hive of the changelings, within the Changeling Kingdom. Since you didn’t, you have not only embarrassed yourself, offended a good friend of mine, and possibly your future superior, but also delayed her departure. And my princess will want to know the reason for such a delay.” The once arrogant sergeant now looked deeply frightened. Tempest knew that, while Luna was typically the very picture of calmness and serenity, when her blood was up, she could be quite terrifying.  “Fortunately,” Night Song went on, “I will explain to her that there was a miscommunication on my part, and that no blame should be put on inexperienced sentries like yourself. Who, while perhaps overzealous in the execution of their duties, were certainly not deliberately delaying her, nor were they hurling offensive slurs at her. That’s correct, isn’t it, sergeant?” “Yes, sir!” the sergeant all but shouted. He then stood there, apparently frozen in fear. Night Song just glared at him. “This is the part where you get out of our way,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. ”Report to the barracks. I’ll deal with both of you later.”  Both guards promptly scrambled out of the way, and Tempest found herself being led inside. “Sorry about that,” Night Song said once they were out of hearing range. “As much as some have taken quite a shine to you, Tempest, there are still some who can’t see anything but our past misdeeds.” “I appreciate you coming when you did,” Tempest thanked him. “So how am I going to get to the changelings?” “A Lunar Guard chariot,” he explained. “A couple of my boys are standing by to get you there. It’ll be a long flight in the dark, but they should get you there by morning. If you don’t mind my asking, Tempest, why are you going there? The princess was awfully cagey about the reason.” Tempest considered telling him. After all, like her, he had his suspicions about Elusive. Then again, she couldn’t be sure how he’d react. While there might be peace between Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom, who knew how he might react to the news that an infiltrator had been living in the city, right under his nose, for so long. She ultimately chose to keep quiet. “I need to visit a friend of a friend,” she said cryptically. Night Song chuckled. “And here was me thinking that Elusive was the spy. Has SMILE beaten me to the punch or something?” Tempest smiled and shook her head. “No, Captain,” she reassured. “But this is need-to-know. You understand?” “Only too well,” he replied.  A moment later, having turned through several corridors, the pair came out into the hanger bay. It was built into the side of the castle, consisting of a large warehouse-like room, with the far wall open to allow chariots and other traffic free access. Just beyond, Tempest could see the mooring points for the various airships that made journeys to and from Canterlot. But what caught her attention was the chariot she was to be riding in.  She’d seen the chariots pulled by the Royal Guard, used for transporting important ponies about. They were two wheeled white and gold affairs; gaudy and far from aerodynamic. Even Princess Celestia’s personal transport was simply an ornate throne with wheels and spars attached. The equipment of the Lunar Guard, however, was a very different affair. It was a low, sleek looking craft that somewhat reminded her of her own skiff in her last employment. It was pulled by two thestrals, their gold eyes glinting in the reduced light of the enclosed hanger.  Night Song quickly helped her aboard and Tempest settled herself in. It would be a fairly long trip through the Badlands to the territory of the Changeling Kingdom. She just hoped that this thing was as fast as it looked.  “My boys will get you pretty close to the hive,” Night Song explained. “But you’ll have to go on foot the last stretch. Those bugs hang around in the air, and it’s too risky to fly so close with something like this. When you get there, you should be able to find Thorax, he’s the head honcho since Chrysalis was deposed. Whatever it is you’re doing up there, he should be able to help you out. When you’re done, just hop back aboard, and these two will get you back here as fast as equinely possible.” “Thanks, Night Song,” Tempest said as she took her seat. The two thestrals unfurled their bat-like wings and began their take off. Before Tempest knew it, she had left the castle far behind and was heading south. She wasn’t sure what she’d find at her destination. She just hoped that it wasn’t all for nothing. Tempest had never been to the Changeling Kingdom. She’d had reconnaissance of the region, but given the vast magical power the race possessed, particularly the unusual throne of the queen, which seemed to have a nullifying effect on magic of all kinds, to say nothing of the species ability to masquerade as anything, it was decided that they would not make a move against them until Equestria was under control. They’d actually been quite a concern during the attack on Canterlot, since they had become allies to the ponies, there was concern they may take part in a counter-offensive. As it was though, the once mighty kingdom had drawn in its horns over the past several months. Following the overthrow of Chrysalis, the new leader, Thorax, had been busy rebuilding the small state and ensuring its people adapted to their new way of living.  It was strange. The last time Tempest had seen this place, it was a barren, lifeless desert; a consequence of the dark magic and the constant feeding of the changelings. Love had been completely drained from the surrounding environment and dark magic had further polluted it, leaving nothing but an empty shell around the hive.  Now though, it was the complete opposite; everything was bright, colourful, and alive. Beautiful meadows, regrowing forests, and strange, bizarre plants were now everywhere. The once menacing hive was now far less ominous, with its upper structure removed, it too was now teeming with life. Even the sky, once an acrid grey, was now blue and clear as the sun shone down. Even the changelings themselves were not exempt. Having found a way to share their love freely, they no longer bore the scars of their past. The holes in their limbs had filled in, the once black chitin was now multicoloured, and their disposition seemed much more like ponies, with a few exceptions, than the fearsome, mindless predators Tempest had known.  It was hard to believe that these were the same creatures who, just a few years ago, had attacked Canterlot, seeking to steal the love of ponies for themselves. Never mind that some of them specialised in infiltrating, replacing captured ponies and striking from the shadows. And while most had indeed changed, Tempest knew that not all accepted the revised status quo.  There were two bugs she was looking for, Thorax himself, and his brother, Pharynx. The latter would probably be more helpful, given his role as head of their military forces. She hoped he would be willing, never mind able, to help her. Given what Elusive had told her, she expected that he might not be too willing.  The thestrals had set down in a small clearing, leaving Tempest to walk across the grasslands to the hive. Thanking the two guards for their help, Tempest set off. She didn’t get too far before her senses told her she wasn’t alone. There weren’t just bugs in these jungles, plenty of other creatures called this place home; some even preyed on changelings. Tempest initially didn’t react. Whatever it was, for the moment, it was simply curious about her, she’d wait and see if it tried anything before reacting.  Before too long, she emerged from the trees onto the open ground. There was no cover for whatever was stalking her to use. She paused and turned back to look at the treeline. She couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes for just a moment.  It didn’t take long after that for her to reach the hive. A couple of changelings soon buzzed over to meet her near one of the entrances. Tempest felt a twinge of fear at the buzzing of their wings and their somewhat unsettling eyes that lacked a pupil, stopping dead in her tracks. They seemed anything but hostile though. And as with ponies, Tempest had a good few inches on them. In contrast, they seemed anything but intimidated.  “Hello, pony friend,” one of them, apparently a male, said warmly, with a smile on his face. “What brings you to our home?” the other, a female, asked. These certainly were a far cry from the terrifying creatures they had once been. No longer starving, they were as friendly as ponies. And given that Tempest was pretty much unknown here, her reputation hadn’t preceded her. “I’m looking for somepony,” Tempest explained. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell these two. After all, Elusive wasn’t well liked by his countrymen. “A friend of mine is very sick, and the doctors say that changeling medicine might help him. I was told to come here to see Pharynx.” “Ooh, I’m not sure that would be a good idea, pony,” the one changeling said in concern, shaking their head.  “Why is that?” Tempest asked.  “He used to be the head of Patrol,” the other explained. “He used to lead our army. After Thorax taught us how to share love, he didn’t transform like the rest of us. He thought it was wrong to become like ponies. It wasn’t until recently that he finally agreed to change. I still don’t think he really likes it either. Besides, he's a soldier. What would he know about medicine?” “Very true, Arista,” another voice said suddenly, prompting everypony present to turn to face them. “Perhaps I could be of assistance?” Tempest beheld a male changeling, who was slightly shorter than his cohorts. His ‘mane’ if you could call it that, was noticeably shorter than others, and his chitin, a mixture of greens, yellows, and oranges, seemed somewhat more muted. The only brightness about him were his light blue eyes, that sparkled with intelligence. He was clearly an older changeling, judging by the wrinkles in his chitin, particularly around the eyes, and seemed to be a little slighter than the others. Despite this though, Arista and her friend both started with some alarm at his arrival. A strange reaction to a creature that reminded Tempest more of her long departed grandfather than anything else. “Oh...erm...hello, Mandible,” Arista said nervously, looking around and utterly unable to meet his kindly smile. “Yes...perhaps you could….erm….me and Cornicle will leave you to it then.” The pair then abruptly hurried away, looking all about them as they went. They looked deeply frightened for some reason, seemingly due to this old stallion. Tempest stayed silent for a moment, sizing her new friend up.  “Oh dear,” Mandible said, watching the retreating pair with some interest. “I really wish they wouldn’t do that. There really is no reason for them to fear me after all.” “And who are you?” Tempest asked curiously. The old changeling smiled and extended a hoof. “My name is Mandible, Miss Shadow. And I believe you were looking for me.” Tempest didn’t let her surprise show.  “What makes you say that?” she asked carefully. He smiled again, but it wasn’t a nice smile. It didn’t reach his eyes; a false thing.  “Information is my business,” he replied, letting his hoof drop to the floor, unshaken. “A good infiltrator always has accurate intelligence. As the once head of infiltration, I try to have the best.” Okay, this definitely was somepony Tempest wanted to talk to. But why was he being so open with her? And why were changelings still so frightened of him? One of the first things Thorax had done upon taking over had been to get rid of much of the machinery of Chrysalis’ regime. After all, with no need to hunt for love, there was no need for infiltrators. Tempest probed carefully. “You’re very candid for a spy,” she observed.  “Well, there’s hardly any sense in hiding it, now is there?” he replied. “After all, you came here to see me. It seems foolish for me to conceal myself. You’re here about Elusive are you not?” “You do know a lot about me and my affairs, don’t you?” Tempest said, giving him a sidelong look. “So I assume that it was some of your people who were following me when I landed instead of a maulwurf. Tell me, do you have all visitors to your home followed?” She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like a solid guess. Given the cards Mandible had already shown her, it made sense. Evidently the infiltrators hadn’t all retired and embraced the magic of love and friendship. Turning around, Tempest looked to two other changelings that were standing a little ways off. They were feigning conversation with one another, but it was clear that they were watching Tempest and Mandible. They weren’t really trying to hide themselves. Mandible was flexing a little. He let out a soft chuckle.  “Of course I was having you followed, Tempest,” he said simply, seemingly failing to see the impoliteness of such an action. “There are infiltrators following them.” He then turned and pointed towards two more changelings standing near one of the hive entrances. “And do you see those two there?” He now leaned closer and whispered. “They follow me. Infiltrators monitor everything that may be a threat to the kingdom, both within and without. Just because we no longer need to steal love, doesn’t mean we should abandon all the old ways. Pharynx showed us that not so long ago with our last pony visitor.” “So I assume you know about Elusive then?” Tempest asked. Mandible nodded and began to walk motioning for Tempest to follow him. “How sick is he?” he asked her, sounding genuinely concerned as they walked over the peaceful meadow. Suddenly, the once busy hive had gone quiet, and apart from the two infiltrators following them, there seemed to be no one else around.   “He’s dying,” Tempest answered bluntly. “He has about another day or so before the poison that was coating the knife he was stabbed with kills him. I assume this was your doing? In any case, I thought I might find some sort of antidote here.” Mandible’s tone now turned a little darker. “I didn’t order that,” he said quietly, actually sounding hurt. “I would never do that to an old friend like him. But I can assure you that those who did have been dealt with. I may not like him, but I’m nowhere near the top of the list when it comes to creatures wanting him dead. I’m surprised that you came all this way to save his life in any case. I thought you were his friend.” “I am,” Tempest retorted, bristling.  “So why don’t you let him die? You know how he feels about his life in exile. It’s no life at all.” Tempest bit back an angry retort and tried to control herself. For his part, Mandible remained impassive. There was no anger in his voice, he was being honest with her. Still, he was leading the conversation. To get what she wanted, Tempest needed to take the reins. “Say what you will,” she said as impassively as she could manage. “I told him I would try to find a way to save him, and so that’s what I’m here to do. And I need your help.” “How can I possibly help?” Mandible asked incredulously.  “Elusive told me the poison which is killing him is a venom produced by some changelings, as part of a sort of genetic quirk. I need the antidote. Pony doctors don’t know much about changeling poisons. They don’t know he’s a changeling after all. I need either the antidote, or information on the venom itself so that the doctors can synthesise one.”  “And you think I have access to that kind of information.” Tempest leapt at the opening. “You said it yourself,” she countered, feeling a little pleased with herself. “Information is your business.” Mandible seemed mildly impressed at that.  He paused to think for a moment, stopping in his tracks before walking a few paces away from Tempest, and then turning around and coming back. Just as with Elusive, Tempest couldn’t read him. His mask was even more impassive than Elusive’s. From what she’d gleaned, Mandible had to have known all that had happened. After all, he’d been expecting her. She wondered who it was that had followed her, and for how long. Had he been keeping tabs on Elusive the whole time? Had he been doing the same to her? She had to admit, defeated or not, the changeling intelligence network was impressive.  Eventually, Mandible met her gaze again.  “So, you’re saying if I don’t get you this information, Elusive dies?” Mandible asked. Tempest nodded.  “Yes,” she replied. Mandible seemed now to come to a decision. The smile from before had faded.  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” he said. “I’ll see to it that my government sends all the necessary information in a timely manner.” Tempest resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief.  “Thank you,” she said simply. Now the false smile came back. “Oh, don’t thank me, Tempest. I’m not doing Elusive any favours. After what he did, he doesn’t deserve a quick death. Well, relatively quick at any rate. I want him to live a long, miserable life in exile, stuck in a city, surrounded by ponies who will never trust, or even like him. I want him to grow old, knowing he will never be able to return to his home, and that his name, if it's ever even spoken, will only ever be associated with his treachery. And that one day, he will be completely forgotten, unwept, unhonoured, and unmourned.” “What a lovely sentiment,” Tempest said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. As dangerous as the ground she stood on was, she hated the way Mandible spoke about her friend. If he cared what she thought though, he didn’t show it.  “And it’s from the heart, I assure you,” he told her. Then he gestured to the treeline, where the two thestrals and her way home were waiting.  “Now, Miss Shadow. I really think you should leave.” Tempest nodded and had half turned to go, when she stopped. Mandible was probably the one who knew Elusive best, well, apart from Nirx. She had so many questions about him that he could possibly answer. But above them all, there was one she wanted to know the answer to. “One more thing, Mandible.” The changeling stopped. “Elusive mentioned a friend of his, another infiltrator he worked with, back in Canterlot. I was wondering what happened to him.” Mandible had also turned to go. His back was now to Tempest, making him even more unreadable. But if Tempest were to venture a guess, he was curious.   “Did he give you the name of his friend?” Mandible asked. Tempest could hear that he was no longer smiling.  “Nirx.”  To Tempest’s surprise, Mandible let out a soft laugh, hollow, but for once, sincere. He turned around and for the first time, Tempest saw that he was genuinely smiling.  “Nirx?” he asked with a chuckle.  “Mind letting me in on the joke?” Tempest prodded.  “Oh, Elusive. He hasn’t changed a bit,” Mandible said nostalgically. “Why tell the truth when a lie will do?” He then looked tempest in the eye. “Tempest, Nirx is Elusive’s real name, before he took on his cover identity.” Leaving Tempest with that bombshell, the strange, somewhat frightening old stallion, who could have, most likely still could, have Tempest done away with at any moment, walked away, leaving her to stand on the open field. She found herself feeling stupid for not realising it herself. ‘Elusive’ wasn’t a changeling name, fitting for him as it might be. It also dawned on her that each supposed truth he’d told her had been a lie. At least, partially. There was enough consistency to make Tempest suspect that there was at least a grain of truth in there somewhere.  She didn’t feel hurt by the revelation though. Most ponies, on uncovering such a deception by their friend would be outraged. But at this point, for Tempest and Elusive, it was par for the course. It was all part of the strange game that had been the foundation of their equally strange friendship. She actually found it a little reassuring. She was getting worried that Elusive was actually beginning to trust her.  In any case, she had gotten what she had come here for, and she had no desire to indulge Mandible’s hospitality any longer than she had to. Tempest only knew a little about Mandible, but in their short interaction, she knew he was somepony to be feared, and given a wide berth.  Returning back the way she had come, and finding herself unashamedly followed by two changelings, she passed back into the treeline and found the two thestrals and her chariot. Explaining to them that her mission was done, she climbed back aboard and told them to get her back to Canterlot.  A part of her was suspicious that Mandible wouldn’t hold up his end. Then again though, what did he have to lose? Elusive’s death didn’t serve his interests. So Tempest found herself again trusting someone that every instinct told her not to.  She just hoped she was right, and that it wasn’t too late.  The flight back to Equestria was a little shorter than the journey out, thanks to a tailwind. Tempest did her best to get some sleep too. Over the past few days, she hadn’t been getting nearly enough. Despite the sound of rushing air and the instability of her bed, Tempest did eventually manage to slip off into sleep.  She once again found herself standing in the star field of the dreaming realm, the moon hanging low in the endless sky. This time, she didn’t experience the same disorientation as she had in the past. Then again, this was the third time she’d found herself here. It didn’t take long for Luna to appear.  “Hello again, Tempest,” she said with a smile.  “Hi Luna. I was just catching up on my sleep. We’re on our way back now.” “Did things go well?” Luna asked anxiously. Tempest nodded. “I think so. I met this changeling called Mandible, or he met me. You might be interested to know that the infiltrators aren’t a thing of the past. From what I got out of him, they may have been keeping tabs on Elusive in Canterlot, and me too. I figured that after Chrysalis was forced into exile they’d change too.” “My sister and I suspected as much,” Luna said gravely. “Thorax is a much better leader than his predecessor, but the Changeling Kingdom was a dictatorship, with the military at its head. With Chrysalis gone, it makes sense that such groups would try to fill the power vacuum her departure created. So were they responsible for the attack on Elusive?” “Not according to Mandible,” Tempest said, shaking her head. “I didn’t find out who did that, but he told me those responsible had been ‘dealt’ with, by infiltrators.” Luna frowned. “In that case, I doubt we’ll ever know who it was that was behind it,” she said, with an air of finality. “But what about a cure for this poison?” “Mandible said he’d have somepony bring the information over as soon as possible.” “Do you believe him?” “I do,” Tempest said with a nod. “He really has it in for Elusive. Apparently he wants him to live a long life in exile, and not die a quick death. I still have no idea what he did though.” Luna let that last remark hang for a moment.  “Well, I hope you are right, Tempest,” she said. “I had one of my guards visit the hospital a short time ago. Elusive doesn’t have much time left, so I hope this information comes promptly. In any case, there is little else to do until you return, so I shall give you back your dream. I’ll meet you when you return to the castle.” And with that, Luna took off into the night sky, vanishing a short while later. She was quickly followed by the world around her, and before too long, Tempest had drifted into a deep slumber.