Tinker, Tailor, Pony, Spy

by Blade Star

Chapter 8

Tempest wasn’t sure what she expected to find when she went back to the scene of the crime. Elusive was a careful stallion, and she doubted that there would be any evidence just lying around for her to find. But there had to be something. While she didn’t know much, from their cryptic conversation, she knew that Elusive definitely was more than just a tailor, at least at some point in his life. Perhaps there was something in his home that would help save him.

Of course, if that was the case, then why had Elusive not said anything. On the other hoof though, the way he’d accepted the news of his terminal prognosis did seem to have an air of resigned acceptance to it. It was almost as if he felt he deserved what had happened to him.

The other lead, of course, were the three griffons. As Tempest had said to Elusive, she’d recognised their fighting style, as it corresponded to the tactics and training of the Griffon Commandos; their elite shock troopers, taught to penetrate enemy lines and wreak havoc by any means available. With the reduction of the Griffon Kingdom’s military though, many had taken up side jobs as mercenaries, working for the highest bidder. A trio of them made for an excellent hit squad. But she’d never heard of them using exotic poisons. In fact, griffons were known for their ability to kill quickly and move on to the next target.

She had no idea what she was looking for, but Tempest hoped that she would be able to find something that would help Elusive.

Heading back to the familiar square, she found the small alleyway to the shop front sealed off with crime scene tape. But as the scene had already been examined by the guards, it was now simply locked, and not guarded. Looking around furtively, Tempest ducked under the tape and made her way into the shop.

It was in the same state she had left it in. Clothing had been ripped and torn from the racks, and scraps of fabric, along with overturned displays, lay all over the place. The glass display cabinet on the counter had been smashed in a couple of places, and the register and whatever else had been on there had been knocked to the floor. Tempest found her eyes come to rest on the bloodstains though. They were darker now that the blood had dried, being more a brownish red than the crimson she half remembered. With his body gone, she could see how much blood Elusive had lost. She found herself wondering why the griffons poisoned him; it was a miracle he survived the blood loss.

There was nothing here though. And if there had been, it was most likely long gone. Perhaps Elusive had been half telling the truth when he said the trio were robbers. Maybe he had something, which they took, and stabbed him when he tried to intervene. Putting that theory to one side for a moment, Tempest went through into the relatively undisturbed work room, and from there, she passed into Elusive’s home.

She hadn’t seen too much of this, apart from the dining room and the kitchen when she had been here last. But she quickly found the stairs that led up to the first floor. Up here, there wasn’t much to speak of, just a bedroom, bathroom, and a store room. Elusive seemed to live pretty simply, with little in the way of personal possessions. Still, she was going to be thorough and quickly set to work.

Tempest began with the obvious hiding places; the attic, high shelves, the tops of cabinets and so on, slowly working her way through the house. She found little though, and so upped the ante, trying to think as Elusive would, putting herself in his shoes and asking herself where she would hide something if she didn’t want it found. Before too long, she was tapping on the walls looking for hollow spaces, pulling up loose floorboards, and even trying to force her way up the chimney.

But despite her thorough search, she found nothing, apart from the odd stray bit or other piece of minutiae you’d expect to find in any house in Equestria. She soon began to feel frustrated. Her friend was dying, he knew and she knew it. But more importantly, he knew more than he was letting on. Tempest could not figure out why. What in Equestria was to be gained from remaining silent now? If she were about to die and she knew who was responsible, she’d see to it that they all went howling into the void with her. Elusive though just seemed...disinterested.

With little else to do, after spending at least half a day searching for apparently non-existent secret documents, hidden caches, or any kind of clue as to why all this happened, Tempest decided to return to the hospital. The doctors said Elusive had only a few days at most. The least she could do was be near him. Who knows, perhaps nearer to the end he might tell her something. There was one thing that she was certain of; those responsible for this were going to pay. She would see to that, no matter what.

---

Returning to the hospital, she was pleased to see that the two guards that had tried to take her on a fishing expedition had gone. Presumably then they’d gotten something out of the one griffon they’d managed to catch. Enough to assure them that Tempest wasn’t involved at any rate. Heading back along the corridor, she soon found herself back at Elusive’s door. She found him tucking into what looked like a gourmet meal, albeit served on hospital plates.

“That looks nice,” she commented. “And here I thought hospital food was meant to be terrible.” Elusive chuckled and smiled at her as she walked in.

“Oh, it is,” he replied. “It isn’t even food as I understand the definition, which is why I always bring my own. One of the nurses lives near my store and was kind enough to fetch something from my fridge in exchange for something for her lunch. It seemed like a good bargain. If I’m going to leave this world, I don’t plan on my last meal being packaged macaroni and cheese.”

Tempest was a little surprised the doctors had let him do that. Hospitals were usually pretty strict about diet for safety reasons. Then again, given Elusive’s situation, it hardly mattered really.

“I assume then that you’ve taken the liberty of rifling through my personal belongings?” Elusive continued, pausing to take a sip of wine out of a hospital issue glass tumbler.

“You can’t blame me for trying,” Tempest countered.

“My dear, if there was something that would lead me to salvation, don’t you think I’d immediately point you in its direction?”

“Not necessarily,” Tempest replied simply. He nodded and smiled at her. “Although I don’t see the harm in asking you the same questions again.”

“Oh I’d hate to sound like a broken record, my dear,” Elusive said.

He was about to go on when he was briefly overcome with a rather violent coughing fit. Tempest got up to help him up, but the stallion waved her away. Tempest sat down, again feeling a little helpless. As he recovered, Elusive looked down at his side for a moment.

“Oh, blast!” he said to himself. “I’ve pulled the bandages loose.”

As a result of the stabbing, Elusive currently had a large amount of gauze around his front ,held in place by a roll of bandages wrapped around his barrel. These had now come loose and the gauze was slipping away from the injury.

“Here, I’ll get it,” Tempest said. Elusive however, again moved away.

“Nonsense, Tempest,” he replied. “There’s no need to trouble yourself so. Just call one of the nurses.” Tempest let out a snort.

“Elusive, if you won’t let me try and save your life, or deal with those who took it, at least let me make you comfortable!” she exclaimed with perhaps more venom than she intended.

For Elusive’s part, he looked torn for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to decide. He frowned, looked to Tempest, before glancing down at his injury. It was a rare sight to see him seem genuinely troubled, even now, despite his situation. Eventually, he seemed to come to a resolution.

“Oh, very well,” he said, with a tone of resignation as he turned onto his side. “Just pull the loop taut and tuck it into itself.”

Tempest did as he’d instructed. While her magic wasn’t perfect, she was taking every opportunity to practice her fine motor control. It would never be the same as a normal unicorn, requiring much more effort to be put into even the most basic telekinetic or levitation spell, but it was better than having to use her hooves for everything.

It was actually a good thing too, as had Tempest used her hooves, she wouldn’t have noticed anything. You see, when magic from two beings meet, there’s something of a disruption as the two fields intermingle, partly disrupting either spell. Think of it like two positively charged magnets meeting; they push each other away. A similar phenomenon happens when magic from two ponies meets. And as Tempest moved the gauze back into place, she encountered such an occurrence.

Her magic fizzled for a moment, but ultimately proved stronger than the magic opposing it. And as she pulled the bandage taut, she got a glimpse of the wound area. Previously, this was a mixture of red blood, with a few patches of his white coat having survived and avoided the spatter. Now though, it was quite different. Both hide and blood were altered. In the place of a white coat, there was now black chitin, and the blood had now changed to a bright green colour, not dissimilar to the goo that had coated the knife he was stabbed with.

Most ponies, on seeing something that so clearly does not belong, pause for a moment, trying to ascertain what they are seeing. Tempest however, had no such pause, and instantly knew what she was looking at. She looked up to Elusive in alarm, and felt his magic take hold of her. She didn’t struggle, she suspected that would be futile anyway. Instead she waited to see what would come next.

“Don’t say anything,” he said, his voice was now calm, with a much more menacing air to it. He paused for a moment, holding her gaze.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he went on. “And before I can release you, I must have your assurance that you will say nothing. Please don’t struggle or cry out. I would hate to have to lose a friend like you.”

Tempest remained frozen where she was. Her mind whirring. A changeling! It all made some degree of sense now. His past, his knowledge of tradecraft, all those psychological tricks of his, to say nothing of his fighting skills. He was no unicorn, but a changeling in disguise. Why though? There had been peace with the changelings for a couple of years now. They no longer needed to steal love to survive. So what was this one doing here? She needed answers. To Tartarus with the consequences.

“Who are you?” she demanded, keeping her voice low.

“I am Elusive,” he replied. “And I assure you, I did not ‘replace’ anypony. Nor am I here in preparation for any attack.”

“Then why are you here?”

Elusive sighed to himself, sounding almost disappointed. Tempest wanted to smile. She had finally boxed him into a corner. There was no way he could lie his way out of this, no way to redirect the conversation or deflect with humour. Even with his magic, there was no way he could stop the mare before she raised some kind of alarm. Even if he survived that, how would he talk his way out of a dead pony in his hospital room? There was only one option left; the truth.

“Well,” he began, releasing his hold on Tempest. “As you might have guessed by now. I am, or rather was, an infiltrator. I was sent here long before the wedding to scout the city and begin preparations for an attack.”

He paused, seeming to consider his next word carefully. He had little choice to tell the truth, but Tempest couldn’t know if he was telling the whole truth. With a small smile, he turned back to Tempest as he lay back in his bed.

“I suppose I owe you the whole story at least,” he said, closing his eyes as he cast his mind back. “There were two of us; myself, and another infiltrator named Nirx. We were the best at what we did. Even Queen Chrysalis herself admired us for our skills. The two of us took up residence here in Canterlot; I in the city, and Nirx within the castle. We laid low for months, helped plan the operation to abduct the real Mi Amore Cadenza and the eventual attack on the city. It was all going so well, with barely a week to go, when things began to unravel.

“I made a mistake. I switched disguises from time to time to avoid suspicion. But a foal saw me. He told his mother. I captured them both before they could sound an alarm; sealed them in a cocoon until there was nothing left of them.

“Unfortunately, the mare was the wife of a respected officer in the Royal Guard, and so the investigation was much more thorough than I could deal with. I tried to slip away, but I was caught before I had any time to react. They discovered what I was and with a little encouragement, found out why I was here. You have to understand, Tempest, I was put through a lot those next few days. And I would have given anything for it to be over.

“They say that torture, I’m sorry ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, has never been a reliable means of extracting information. But that isn’t necessarily the case. Eventually, yes, a captive will say anything. But for a short while, they will tell you everything you want to know. And that is what happened to me. To save myself, I gave up Nirx. I told them where he was, his disguises, and the escape plans we’d discussed if the walls started to close in. The Royal Guard was too heavy handed though. Nirx died attempting to escape an ambush. It was all hushed up, of course. I doubt anypony knows what happened that day.

“He was my best friend, Tempest. We’d known each other nearly twenty years and I gave him up in less than three days.” Elusive seemed to come close to losing his composure at the memory, and took a moment to collect himself. “I was held until after the attack was over. The Equestrians figured their new enemy was beaten off for good. They had no further use for me, but the princesses stepped in to spare me. They allowed me to leave, on the condition that I never leave this city. Even with the peace between Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom, there was no way I could return. After the failed invasion, Chrysalis condemned me as a traitor, and what kind of changeling today would want to let an old infiltrator back? Thus I became what you see now. My cover identity became my only identity. And I’ve lived like that ever since. ”

Tempest listened in stunned silence. She’d expected something, but this...this was incredible. A changeling, unreformed, hiding in Canterlot, by the grace of the princesses. That meant they knew. So why had they not done something? Did Twilight know about this? Did Shining Armor? To think she’d wondered what secrets the jocular tailor had been hiding, and all along, he’d been living a lie, caught between two fires. Still, she had some questions of her own.

“So, why the griffon hit squad?” she asked, finding her voice after a few moments.

“Assuming they were griffons,” Elusive pointed out. “If you want an ex-spy done away with, you don’t typically show up in your own colours. They could have been disguised changelings. Maybe Thorax wanted the last awkward reminder of their past wiped away. Or, if they were griffons, they could be mercenaries. Perhaps someone in the old homestead finally tracked me down. Nirx left behind a family, you know. I have no doubt they’d like me dead. Their little parting gift certainly fits.”

“The poison you mean?” Tempest prompted. Elusive nodded.

“It’s a venom, only certain changelings produce it. Most of us have the capacity to incapacitate our prey, but there are a few who have a genetic quirk, where the venom is fatal. Were I a pony, I’d be dead in a day. As it is, my own physiology can stand up to it for a little longer. Strange to use something as personal as a knife, and yet as impersonal as poisoning. Why not just stab me, or poison me? Why do both? It’s not only inefficient, but any investigator worth their salt will figure out what it is before too long. That will bring up a lot of awkward questions.”

Tempest mused that they might get away on that front. The guards involved, at least the ones she’d met, didn’t seem like the sharpest tools in the shed.

“Still, I suppose it’s fitting,” Elusive said mirthlessly. “I’m a traitor. I betrayed my people and my closest friend. I don’t deserve a quick death. And dying at the hooves of my own kin seems, fitting, does it not?”

Tempest couldn’t bring herself to reply.

---

The next several hours passed slowly for both Tempest and Elusive. For Tempest, she could hardly stand sitting there, doing what she could to comfort her friend. She was a soldier, and in times of trouble, she much preferred doing something to just sitting around. It was hard to just sit by and watch as Elusive’s condition worsened. The poison in his veins soon began to display its inevitable effects. It worked by blocking neurochemical receptors in the brain, first impairing motor function, followed by a steadily advancing paralysis. Ultimately, it would stop his heart, along with every other muscle in his body. Apart from giving him oxygen as his breathing grew more and more difficult, there was little even the doctors could do to make him comfortable.

Despite the grim fate awaiting him though, Elusive didn’t seem to show any of the usual reactions. He didn’t deny what was happening, he didn’t get angry, he didn’t try to bargain his way out somehow, he didn’t even seem that put out by it. He just seemed to have accepted the situation, with an air of quiet dignity. And that puzzled Tempest more than anything else. She wanted him mad, she wanted him as angry as she felt right now. She finally makes herself a friend of her own, and was just beginning to sort her life out. This was meant to be a great time in her life as she rebuilt herself. But yet again, it seemed like life had slapped her down. She tried to put aside those thoughts, and tried to focus on her friend.

They’d sat together in a companionable silence for a few hours now, punctuated only by the visits of nurses and doctors, and Elusive occasionally breaking into a coughing fit. Eventually, Tempest found herself almost compelled to say something. She’d never been the best at expressing her feelings, but she felt that, before he left, Elusive ought to know just how much he meant to her.

“Elusive,” she said quietly, prompting him to open his eyes again and pull down the oxygen mask.

“I just wanted to say...thank you,” she continued, a little shyly. “For everything. When I first came up here, I figured it was a waste of time, that I’d be just as reviled as I was in Ponyville. I thought there was no way ponies would ever accept me again. But then I met you. You helped me so much, though I never really understood why. Without you, I wouldn’t be looking at starting a new life soon. I just wanted you to know that, whatever happens, I’ll always be grateful for your help...and your friendship. You made me feel like less of an outsider.”

She knew of course, that her statement didn’t really provide too much comfort. Perhaps he could teach her that too? That little line he’d rattled off over their first lunch together; all those skills a stallion should have, one of them had been to comfort the dying. His remark about specialisation being for insects suddenly seemed much more ironic.

To her surprise though, Elusive didn’t find much comfort in her words. Quite the opposite in fact. The doctors had warned them both that, as the poison worked its way through his system, it would also affect his mental state, causing mood swings and irrational behaviour. And it seemed he was in for a bout of this now. At least, Tempest hoped it was that.

Elusive let out a hollow laugh. It wasn’t his usual chuckle at her expense. There was a strong undercurrent of contempt in it.

“My dear Tempest,” he said, venom in his voice as he turned to her. “Get out of my sight.” Tempest started, but didn’t budge.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The doctor said somepony needs to keep an eye on you. And were our roles reversed, I’d much rather it be a friend.” She leaned forward to try and place a comforting hoof on his shoulder, but Elusive slapped it away.

“Don’t touch me!” he snarled at her. Tempest retreated.

“Alright,” she said. “Take it easy.” Elusive scowled at her as he sat up.

“No. I don’t want to ‘take it easy’. I’ve been doing that for too long,” he said bitterly. “Look at me. Look at what I’ve been reduced to. It’s pathetic!”

With little else to vent his anger on, he turned his attention towards a tray of food from the earlier lunch and sent it scattering all over the floor. Tempest was now out of her seat.

“Elusive. This is the venom talking, not you. It’s affecting your mind.” Elusive laughed.

“Nonsense!” he countered. “I’ve never felt so clear headed in the last few years. What a waste they have been!”

Throwing off the covers, he hauled himself out of bed, knocking over the table the tray of food had been on as he went. Tempest backed off a little to give him room.

“You know, Tempest,” he said, pacing around the room, glaring angrily at her the whole time. “There was a time when I was somepony. I was the best infiltrator in the entire changeling army. The right hoof to Queen Chrysalis herself! Not even Pharynx, the head of the army dared challenge me. I had but to ask for something and I was given it. I never had to go hungry like so many of the drones. My future was limitless! And then I went and threw it all away.” Now his tone turned melancholy as he paused to look out of the window at the city.

“When you drew the attention of the Royal Guard,” Tempest prodded. “After you sealed that mare and her foal in cocoons.” Elusive now smiled and shook his head.

“I only wish that I had tried to stop them,” he said, not turning to face her.

“You didn’t?” Tempest asked curiously.

“No, Tempest,” he replied, shaking his head. “My sin is far greater than that, unimaginably so.”

That got Tempest concerned. What could be worse than imprisoning a mother and her foal, and draining the love from them to such a degree that they died, and their bodies were reduced to nothing but sickly green gunk?

“What did you do?” Tempest asked, her voice barely a whisper. Elusive paused, almost forcing himself to say it.

“I let them go,” he said, his shoulders relaxing.

“It was about a week before the wedding,” he explained, now turning to face Tempest again, and struggling to stay on his hooves. “Nirx and I were completing the final preparations. Everything was in place, and nothing could stop our plan. I made one last switch of identities before the curtain rose for the show. I’d been in Canterlot for months, having to feed only enough to ensure my survival to avoid suspicion, all the while playing out a dozen pointless lives. I was sick of it, so I didn’t bother looking for somewhere private, I just went up a quiet alley to transform.

“I heard the little foal scream as my magic washed over me. I knew I should capture them, but then it dawned on me. What was the point? Who was going to believe the eyewitness testimony of a child. Most ponies didn’t even know what a changeling was. There was so little risk to me. I was starving from the repeated transformations and maintaining the illusions for so long. I just wanted to return home and be done with all this. For Celestia’s sake it was a harmless little foal!

“So I let them go. The mare bundled up her little colt and ran. I didn’t follow. I figured I could just lose any response in the alleyways. When I met up with Nirx that evening, he couldn’t believe it. He looked at me as if I had gone mad.”

“You took pity on them,” Tempest said, walking closer to him. “There’s nothing wrong with that. They weren’t the enemy, just some civilians who turned down the wrong street at the wrong time.”

“No!” Elusive roared. “I was a fool! I should have captured them to protect myself, and then liquidated them to ensure the success of the mission! But because I was tired and complacent, I took pity on food, and failed in my duties! And because of that, the invasion failed, my oldest friend was murdered by you insufferable ponies, and I destroyed everything I’d ever worked for!”

“And so you were exiled,” Tempest said. Elusive stalked over to her.

“Correct!” he shouted, furious beyond belief. “They left me here, to live out my days, with nothing to look forward to but having lunch with a socially stunted cripple like you.”

Were it any other pony, Tempest would have beaten them within an inch of their lives. She was sorely tempted to do it anyway. But she kept telling herself, this wasn’t Elusive, and that he was in the throes of a chemical imbalance in his brain brought on by the poison. She tried a trick he’d used in the past to de-escalate conflict. Instead of rising to the bait, she kept her voice low and even.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Elusive,” she said, sounding only slightly hurt. “I always thought you enjoyed our lunches together.” Elusive was now right up in her face.

“Oh I did!” he admitted. “And that’s the worst part of it. I can’t believe that I’ve fallen so far, that I actually enjoyed eating pony food and staring at that mangled horn of yours. I hate this city. And I hate you!”

“Have a care, Elusive,” Tempest said, her horn now sparking with magic. “Now I think you ought to get back in bed.”

With that, Elusive seemingly ran out of whatever sanity he had left. With an angry cry, he all but launched himself at Tempest, slamming into her and knocking her over, with him landing on top of her. Activating his magic, he tried to pin her front hooves down, while his own wrapped around her neck. He genuinely was trying to kill her. Tempest could see it in his eyes.

Of course, he was going to have a hard time with that. Tempest was almost twice his size and far stronger physically than he could ever hope of being. Even with his magic at play, she managed to get her hooves free and turn the tables. Soon, she was the one trying to keep him pinned down. She figured that he would tire quickly and then she could either talk, or just throw him back in bed, for his own good.

Despite his condition though, Elusive still had plenty of fight left in him, and while he was nowhere near as strong as Tempest, he was very skilled. Kicking out at her hind leg knocked her off balance and let him reverse their positions again. He again briefly managed to get a good grip on her throat. Before he could do anything else though, circumstances turned against him.

Tempest felt his grip weakening as the two struggled on the floor. She got his hooves away, but didn’t push him off. She could hear his breathing. It had already been laboured, but now it sounded much worse; like somepony was choking him. All of a sudden, he rolled off of her and collapsed. It was enough for Tempest to push him away and run for the door to call the doctors.

Luckily, they weren’t half as suspicious as the guards had been. Tempest quickly explained that the poison was affecting him mentally as they’d expected, while two nurses got Elusive onto a trolley. The doctor didn’t have time to explain everything, but did manage to tell Tempest that something was seriously wrong, as Elusive was bustled out of the room and rushed down to theatre.

Comments

[harts fire]

crap things are not looking good right now.
i am thinking a call to Thorax is needed.