Tinker, Tailor, Pony, Spy

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter 1

In every story, there are heroes and villains. And in almost all those stories, the hero triumphs over said villain, saving the day and defeating evil. Most of the time, the villain is killed, or vanquished in some other way that they disappear altogether from the story, be it through exile, banishment, time travel, or whatever else you might think of.

Reality though, is somewhat different. First of all, heroes and villains are both terms that become quite relative in the real world. One pony’s hero is another’s villain. And when the villain is finally defeated, it is a rare thing for them to disappear altogether.

This was the fate of one Tempest Shadow, or Fizzlepop Berrytwist, to use her real name. As the commander of the Storm King’s forces, she was very much a villain to most Equestrians. And like all the villains who’d come before her, she had indeed, along with her master, been vanquished. But unlike most children’s stories, she was still alive and, in a move that had rocked the Canterlot political scene, been pardoned of her crimes against Ponydom by none other than Princess Celestia herself. Such a radical action, while merciful, also raised the rather awkward question of ‘what now?’. What does one do after their invasion fails, their army has surrendered, and they themselves are released from custody. Tempest had no real homeland to return to. She certainly had no desire to return to the homeland of the Storm King. She found herself in something of a paradox.

On the one hoof she was no longer a servant of that insane madman, but at the same time, she was no citizen of Equestria either. She had forsaken this colourful land of sunshine and rainbows long ago. She had burned her bridges on both sides, leaving her stuck, with nowhere to go.

There had been some help, of course. Twilight Sparkle, her former adversary and the pony who helped redeem her, had been kind enough to give her a home for the time being. For the past couple of weeks, she had been resident in this strange, crystalline castle in the small town of Ponyville. The alicorn had told Tempest that she was welcome to stay as long as she needed and that she would do everything she could to help the mare get her life in order.

But it was a far bigger task than anyone had expected it to be. Tempest had left Equestria twenty years ago. She had no education here, no work history. Hay, she barely had anything to her name bar a birth certificate and a death certificate, since her parents believed her gone, given how long she had been missing. Twilight had suggested she go and see them in her old home town. They were both still alive after all. But Tempest couldn’t. She had been away so long, changed so much, she doubted they would even recognise her. How do you build or rebuild a life from nothing?

There had been some promise at first mind. If there was one thing Tempest had in abundance, it was her military experience. She was a gifted and experienced soldier, so naturally, Twilight suggests that she apply for the Royal Guard. The young alicorn even suggested Tempest might make a good instructor or senior commander.

But it was not to be. One of the first things Tempest learned on returning to her homeland was its love of paperwork and tick boxes over actual ability. She had a proven record in her former army as a capable commander. For Celestia’s sake, she had successfully managed to capture Canterlot in an incredible blitz attack that the Royal Guard studied for decades. Despite this, about a week after she made her written application, including several long tedious statements that Twilight had helped her write, which showed her ‘commitment to the values and standards of the Royal Guard’, she received a short, neatly typed out letter that was clearly just a template slightly modified for each recipient. It thanked for her application, but regrettably stated that due to her medical conditions, she was ineligible for military service.

That was the other problem. Tempest was a unicorn in name only. The damage to her horn, which made it all but impossible to use even basic spells, apart from maybe creating some powerful explosions that disoriented her opponents, was not only irreparable, but counted as a disability here in Equestria, and excluded her from a spectacular number of roles. She couldn’t understand it. She had been a successful soldier with one army, which clearly had higher standards than the Royal Guard, and yet a chipped horn, since the letter did specify chipped, not outright broken, meant that, according to them, she could not be.

The setback had left Tempest not exactly in the best of tempers. Twilight even tried to have an exception made for her. But the bureaucracy would not be moved. Even with the support of no less than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, the recruiters would not allow it, pointing out how they could not make an exception for one pony without causing trouble further down the line. And so, Tempest never would become a guard.

Still, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike would not let the mare give up. There were other jobs out there, other places to try. And once Tempest found the right one, she could start to get her own life back on track; getting her own place, saving money, and reintegrating back into society.

That, by far, was the bigger problem. Tempest was far from what most would call a normal pony. Standing well over five feet tall, with a broken horn, scarred eye, and striking mohawk mane, she looked more than a little intimidating, even without the armour. Her voice too, although nowadays it had an undercurrent of friendliness, was still a hard, cold tone that made even grown stallions sit up straight and their knees knock.

When she had first moved into Ponyville, Twilight had taken her for a tour around town. The alicorn couldn’t help but liken the incident to when she first met Zecora several years ago. Everywhere they went, ponies bolted the other way, foals cowered behind their parents, and they all disappeared inside their homes and locked their doors as the intimidating mare came by. And what few introductions were made didn’t exactly help either. Having been away for so long, pony customs were unfamiliar to her, and her intimidating presence and limited body language only broadened the gap. Ponies talked to her once, but that was it. She never meant to do so, but invariably would somehow terrify any prospective friend.

Starlight tried to be encouraging, assuring Tempest that the same thing happened to her when she first arrived in Ponyville. She all but guaranteed Tempest that before long ponies would start to relax around her. But after six weeks, Tempest was beginning to have doubts. Ponyville still turned into a ghost town whenever she went out, with the exception of Twilight and her friends, and even some of them remained distrustful of her.

She began to, slowly but surely, isolate herself as a result. She still spent time with Starlight, Spike, and Twilight, if only to humour them. But she resolved to herself that, while she might have played a part in saving these ponies, they would never truly accept her. That was fine by her. She didn’t need to be accepted, in fact, she took pride in not needing anypony else for companionship. But she did want to live her own life and not languish here being pitied by everypony. So she turned her attention to study, learning all she could about ponies to try and recover some of the knowledge that she had lost during her time away from Equestria. Still, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was treading water, and ultimately going nowhere.

It was now seven weeks since the events in Canterlot. The world had moved on. Twilight was talking about starting some sort of school to teach ponies about friendship and was keen to broach the topic over breakfast. Tempest was at the table with her, along with Starlight and Spike. The mare preferred to take her meals in private these days, but Twilight had, in that way of hers, convinced her to join them, pointing out how unhealthy it was for Tempest to be spending so much time alone. The four of them were gathered around the breakfast table, with something of a mini buffet before them, courtesy of Spike. Tempest helped herself to some scrambled eggs and toast and was about to tuck in when Twilight spoke.

“You know, Tempest,” she said, prompting Tempest to look up from her breakfast. “You could take a job at this new school I’m working on. EEA guidelines say we have to have at least one physical education class. With your experience, I’m sure you’d be able to help.”

Tempest resisted the urge to roll her eyes and bit back a retort that was on the tip of her tongue. She’d been having to do that more and more of late. This lack of direction was getting to her. Twilight was just trying to be kind and helpful, and she did have a point. Okay, it wasn’t what she was used to, but at least it would be something close to what she was familiar with. On the other hoof though, she wondered what might happen with her in such a post. Given how ponies reacted to her, she didn’t want to think about how foals might react when away from their parents. More to the point, if something went wrong, it would cast doubt on this new school as well.

“Thanks, Twilight,” she said non-committally. “I’ve got a few other irons in the fire at the moment, but it sounds interesting.”

“I think you’d be a great teacher, Tempest,” Spike agreed. “With all your physical skills, you’d be great at keeping the students in shape. Hay, you could start with these two. They spend so much time studying magic in the library that they go days without exercising.”

“We do not!” both Starlight and Twilight retorted hotly.

“Spike,” Twilight admonished. “We’re far from unfit. After all, I took third last year in the Running of the Leaves.”

“Yeah,” Starlight agreed. “And physical strength is tied to your magical strength. So I’m in great shape.”

“Not as great as Tempest,” Spike countered.

He was right too. It was perhaps, aside from her horn and scar, the most intimidating thing about her. In addition to being taller than the average mare, never mind stallion, Tempest had quite the physique, and had strength that rivalled even Applejack when it came to raw power. The thing most ponies feared about her was the possibility of her snapping them like a twig at any moment.

“He’s right there, Twilight,” Tempest agreed, taking a sip of her coffee and quietly enjoying watching the mares’ insecurities play out. “But then again, I did spend most of my life training for war. Still, it might benefit you two to get in better shape for when you next encounter an enemy of Equestria.”

“No offence, Tempest,” Starlight said with a slight scoff. “But one pony here saved all Equestria, and she isn’t the pony who’s built like a tank.” Tempest bristled at that, but took the teasing in her stride. You didn’t get to be where she had been without being able to take the odd joke.

“True, Starlight,” she agreed. “But one pony here successfully took over Canterlot in less than an hour, and she isn’t the one with jelly for legs.” Spike burst out laughing as Tempest skewed the unicorn with her infamous piercing gaze. Twilight just rolled her eyes.

“Alright, you two,” she said, trying to play peacemaker. “I think that’s enough...”

“No way!” Starlight said confidently. “You and me, Tempest, hoof wrestling contest. Now!”

“Seriously?”

“What? Afraid I’m gonna beat you?” Tempest had never been known to back away from a challenge.

A moment later, the two mares had a foreleg each on the table. Spike counted them down and the contest began…

…and ended in short order. Tempest pinned Starlight in seconds, sending the unicorn flying out of her seat to the floor, and prompting the watching Spike to burst out laughing again. Tempest, magnanimous in victory, as always, offered the defeated unicorn some advice.

“Next time you challenge somepony to hoof wrestling, don’t pick a mare who could bench you.”

“Really?” Spike asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Okay, that’s enough, you three!” Twilight butted in, sounding more like a scolding mother than a princess. Starlight climbed back into her seat, still looking somewhat dazed.

“So how about it, Tempest?” Twilight reiterated. “I think having you at the school would really help you as well. It would give you a chance to spend time around lots of ponies, and a few other species too, and use some of your existing skill set for a better purpose.”

Twilight did make a strong argument. But Tempest couldn’t help but feel reluctant. When this whole reformation process began, she’d allowed herself to hope for a fresh start and the beginning of a new life. But forming a new life wasn’t the only challenge. In fact, most of her problems stemmed from her old one. Her broken horn, her intimidating presence, the general fear she caused wherever she went. No matter what, she didn’t quite seem to be able to shake them off. Even if she did take this job, she’d still be that scary pony with the broken horn.

She’d been considering it for a while, although she hadn’t brought it up with Twilight yet, the idea of going beyond Equestria. While she had no desire to head to the icy south pole where the Storm King had sprung from, never mind those infernal hippogriffs, there were other places where she might find herself of more use. Foremost in her mind was the Griffon Kingdom. Griffons weren’t like ponies in many respects, most importantly, they still felt the need to maintain a standing army. Tempest hoped that the more rough and tumble outlook of the griffons would be in a stark contrast to ponies and their military bureaucracy. She was confident she could find a role there.

The trouble was explaining that to Twilight. The young alicorn was adamant that Tempest rediscover her equinity. She’d been away from Equestria so long, and now that she had returned, Twilight wanted her to stay. She wanted Tempest to befriend ponies, discover the magic of friendship. In a way, Tempest did too. While in contrast to the life she knew, she did have a degree of fondness for this green and pleasant land, and she did like Ponyville. The problem was that ponies didn’t much seem to like her. And whatever else she might do, Twilight couldn’t force ponies to accept Tempest.

“Maybe,” Tempest said eventually as she finished up her meal. “Let me think about it a little. I think I’ll head out for a walk around town for a bit. When are you planning to open this school anyway?”

“Oh, not for another couple of months yet,” Twilight admitted. “The building is nearly ready, but there’s all the paperwork with the EEA, signing up students, teachers, buying equipment, planning lessons, you know, little things.” The alicorn giggled at that. “In any case, feel free to take all the time you need.”

With breakfast over, Tempest did indeed go out for a walk. It was another one of Twilight’s many helpful little suggestions. After she saw how Tempest was tending to hole herself up in her room all day, she began to insist that the mare go outside at least once a day just to get some fresh air and sunlight. She was like a mother sometimes, very much like her mentor.

Heading out the door, Tempest found herself squinting slightly at the bright morning sun. Ponyville was already starting to get busy. Ponies were buying and selling at the market, foals were going to school, everything was hustle and bustle, at least by the small town’s standards. Tempest swallowed as she walked down the castle’s steps, knowing full well what was about to happen.

Almost as soon as she closed the door behind her, ponies eyes locked onto her. Tempest knew when she was being watched, and could feel dozens of eyes on her. As she made her way down one of the thoroughfares, her sensitive ears picked up the first murmurs and comments from ponies. Had they really not run out of things to whisper behind her back? She did her best to ignore them and tried to recall Starlight’s advice. It did rather put a dent in the whole friendship is magic deal though. Whatever else you might say about Tempest, she had saved Twilight’s life, helped end the threat of the Storm King for good, and freed Canterlot. But all ponies seemed to remember was the fact that she was the one who petrified the princesses, turned the citizens of Canterlot into slaves, and had gone on to ruthlessly pursue Twilight and her friends, ultimately dragging her back to Canterlot so her sick master could steal her magic. She didn’t object to being judged for her crimes, but she wished ponies would at least acknowledge her good deeds too.

As far as she knew, the only ponies who had done that had been the princesses themselves. After all was said and done, Celestia and Luna had come to see Tempest while she was briefly held in the castle dungeons, courtesy of the Royal Guard. They had pardoned her of her crimes and set her at liberty. More than that though, Celestia had thanked her for saving the life of her former student and for helping to defend her realm. She had even told the mare that she was in her debt. For now though, Tempest would have to put up with the stares and whispers.

Gritting her teeth slightly, she wound her way through the increasingly empty streets. By the time she reached the market square, Ponyville had seemingly become a ghost town. Even the tumbleweeds were absent. Tempest snorted in annoyance. It wasn’t as if she was even doing anything. She didn’t glare at ponies, didn’t overtly approach them, she had no weapons, no armour on her; she did nothing threatening apart from exist. You’d have thought that, after nine weeks, ponies would have at least grown accustomed to her. With a snort, she prepared to head another way. She’d found some solace in Sweet Feather Sanctuary, a nature reserve outside of town. And while it’s proprietor was just as fearful of her as anypony else, it gave her somewhere to feel at peace. Plus the various animals didn’t seem to mind her that much.

Just before she turned to go though, she heard a voice call out to her, making her realise that she wasn’t entirely alone out here.

“Do not depart. My shop is still here. Even if every other pony hides in fear. Come, come, take a look around. You may find that what was lost can soon be found.”

Tempest looked across the market square and saw that one stall was indeed still occupied. If she recalled Twilight’s tour correctly, this one belonged to a potion maker, a zebra too, judging by the accent and rhyming. They always were an odd species. Still, having been invited over, she trotted across the empty square to the zebra. Like most ponies, she was noticeably shorter than herself. But where ponies looked up in awe at best, and fear at worst, this zebra seemed more curious than anything else.

“So many ponies there were here before. I can see why you seek to set out for a far off shore,” she continued.

“I feel like I’m going to cause some kind market crash if I stay here much longer,” Tempest said, attempting a joke. “You’d have thought these ponies would have gotten used to me being here by now.” The zebra chuckled.

“I have lived here for much longer than you. But it wasn’t so long ago that ponies hid from me too.”

“You? But why?” Tempest asked. As irrational as their fear was, she could at least understand why ponies were scared of her. But a zebra? They had no magic, weren’t particularly imposing. What was there to be scared of?

“I was different, and I was unknown. For that the princesses, I must be plotting to cast from their throne.”

“So how did you manage to stop ponies running for the hills then?” Zecora smiled as she resumed organising her stock.

“It was not me, but an innocent young foal. It was she who, the ponies’ fears, helped console. Young Apple Bloom was curious and friendly too. Perhaps friendship with her might be of help to you.”

Apple Bloom? That’s...er Applejack’s little sister right. Part of that little crusader gang?”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders; an odd little bunch. But help you they might, on that I have a hunch.”

“Huh,” Tempest mused. “Alright, I guess I’ll try and see her over on that farm they have. Thanks.”

“I am happy to help you in such a familiar plight. Before you go, take this. It will help you sleep more easily at night.”

She passed Tempest a small bottle, containing a light green liquid. It was true, Tempest hadn’t been sleeping brilliantly of late. Well, truth be told, she hadn’t slept well since the business in Canterlot and her brief petrification. But she hadn’t realised that it was so obvious. Thanking Zecora again, she set off through the still empty town for Sweet Apple Acres. She didn’t care to look back, but she could hear quite easily that as soon as she left, ponies started to return back to their market.

“Well, at least there’s one sane pony in this town,” Tempest muttered to herself.

While Tempest was never a pony who minded getting her hooves dirty, she didn’t exactly care for farm life. While the rows of apple trees and white picket fences looked pleasant enough, the stench of manure on the air outweighed it by a wide margin. Evidently this place also hosted cattle or sheep, or maybe pigs. Still, if Apple Bloom and her friends could help her somehow, she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. Although she wasn’t exactly looking forward to meeting her. Given her own curtailed childhood, Tempest wasn’t exactly good with kids. If adults were scared of her, to foals, she must come across like the Pony of Shadows.

Making her way along the track, she figured her best bet was to make for the farmhouse. Applejack, along with the rest of Twilight’s friends had been friendly enough to her, up to a point. She got the feeling that the cowpony and the one with a rainbow mane were the least trustful of her. Before she got to the farmhouse though, she picked up the sounds of children’s voices. Pony ears were sensitive enough, but Tempest’s training gave her even more of an edge.

Following the sounds, she headed off the trail and through the apple orchards until she came across what seemed to be a treehouse, perched in an old apple tree. Whoever built it had obviously put a lot of work into it too. There was even a telescope mounted at the highest point. Deciding that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to just wander in, not that she could easily fit in there, another disadvantage of her above average size, she called up.

“Er, hello?” she called, trying to keep her voice soft and the volume low.

Instantly, the chattering voices from within stopped, and a moment later, three sets of eyes appeared at the very bottom of one of the windows. Tempest wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but she could hear whispers and mutterings from within. The foals sounded like they were arguing. Eventually, one of their number was rather forcibly shoved out the door in a field of light green magic, landing unceremoniously on the steps. Scrambling back to her hooves, her eyes again fixed themselves on Tempest and a nervous smile plastered itself to her lips.

“Can...can I help you, miss?” the filly asked. She sounded a lot like Applejack, so Tempest assumed this was the pony she was looking for.

“I’m looking for Apple Bloom,” Tempest said. “That zebra...er...Zecora, she said you might be able to help me.”

The little filly now gained a more surprised and perplexed expression. Her two compatriots, still observing from behind the cover of the windowsill seemed equally bewildered.

“You’re lookin’ for me?” she asked curiously.

“Zecora said that you helped ponies get used to her and not be afraid of her. I was hoping you might be able to do the same for me,” Tempest explained, still feeling awkward talking to these fillies.

Apple Bloom, now seeming to grow a little bolder, trotted closer to Tempest, her two friends emerging from their cover at the window to join her. They all still seemed a little apprehensive, but they didn’t seem to be afraid of her as other ponies were. The trio circled around her curiously, making Tempest feel just a little uncomfortable. Eventually, Apple Bloom turned to her two friends.

“Any ideas, you two?” she asked them.

“We just need to show ponies that she isn’t scary,” the unicorn filly said simply.

“Yeah, but how?” Apple Bloom asked.

The third filly, an orange pegasus with rather stubby wings, didn’t offer anything into the conversation, instead staring up at Tempest with noticeable awe.

“Cool scar,” she said after a moment, pointing to the scar over Tempest’s right eye. “How did you get it?”

“Fighting an Ursa Minor,” Tempest replied evenly. “It slashed at me with its claws, did this too.” She gestured to her broken horn.

Now normally, at this point, ponies would offer sympathy, or worse pity. Tempest was never exactly proud of her battle scars, but nor was she ashamed of them. All most ponies saw though was a disfiguring injury. Not this pegasus though.

“You fought an Ursa?!” she exclaimed. The question caught the attention of Apple Bloom and her friend, who had both previously been lost in thought.

“Not intentionally,” Tempest explained. “I was just a filly when it happened.” This only fanned the flames.

“You fought an Ursa when you were a filly and lived. And you got a cool scar too?” the pegasus asked excitedly. The other two foals too seemed captivated.

So Tempest told them what had happened to her. True, she didn’t like to dwell on the event. While it had been many years since that terrible day, it still troubled her. After all, she need only look in the mirror or try to cast a simple spell and be reminded of it. But while other ponies were horrified by the story of a young filly taking on such a terrible beast and being so horrifically injured in the process, these fillies looked on it as something incredible.

Things soon picked up from there, Tempest showed off some of her limited magical abilities to the three foals, as well as a few simple combat moves. By the time she was done, the trio had a plan to help her.

“We’ve got to show everypony else that!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Yeah!” the unicorn, who Tempest learned was called Sweetie Belle, agreed. “You’re not scary, Tempest. You’re awesome.” Tempest actually felt herself blush a little at that.

“Come on!” Scootaloo ordered. “The other foals have got to see this.”

And with that, Tempest found herself being dragged back towards Ponyville.

Tempest actually found the company of the Crusaders a little unsettling at first. Having grown accustomed to being alone for so long, walking through town with these three fillies somehow felt off. Not that she could really dwell on that as the three of them continued to pester her as they walked. Their questions came thick and fast, ranging from how she learned to use her fractured horn, to why she was so much taller than most ponies and, of course, what her cutie mark was. Tempest did her best to answer as much as she could, but was already feeling uncomfortable. The ceaseless chattering, along with being pulled in three different directions most of the time was beginning to annoy her. She did her best to keep herself composed, but the sudden overload was really getting to her by the time they reached the school.

Since it was early morning, classes were yet to start, and the playground in front of the modest schoolhouse was currently filled with foals playing, being watched by a plum coloured earth pony mare, who Tempest assumed was their teacher. Her arrival on the scene prompted the usual reaction. The yelling and laughing of the playing foals quickly died down and stopped as they all stared at her and the Crusaders. The teacher, who had previously been standing by the door, only half paying attention to her charges, now trotted out right to the low fence that marked the school yard boundary.

To her credit, she didn’t immediately command Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to get away from Tempest, but she certainly didn’t seem happy at the idea of Tempest being there.

“There you three are,” she greeted the fillies with a smile. “I was wondering where you’d got to.”

She opened the small swing gate for them, evidently trying to put something of a barrier between them and Tempest. The fillies however, didn’t take the hint and continued to bound around their new friend.

“Sorry we’re late, Miss Cheerilee,” Sweetie Belle apologised. “We had a client come to our clubhouse for a consult.”

Tempest had to restrain herself from laughing at that.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom continued. “Tempest here wanted our help settling in to Ponyville.”

“Settling?!” Cheerilee repeated the word, sounding more than a little alarmed at the notion. Tempest was well aware that a good many ponies were hoping she’d leave town before too long.

“A bunch of ponies are still scared of her because of what happened in Canterlot,” Scootaloo went on, ignoring Cheerilee’s alarm, and, as far as Tempest could tell, seemingly not fussed at the mention of a time where she herself was kept prisoner.

It actually surprised Tempest quite a bit that these three fillies had warmed up to her so readily. While it had been quite some time since those events, she would have been more understanding of foals being fearful of her compared to adults, particularly as, unlike most of Ponyville’s residents, they had actually been there. Surely those events would have been more frightening to a foal. But instead, these three children seemed remarkably resilient.

“So we figured the best thing to do is to show ponies that she isn’t scary at all,” Apple Bloom finished.

“Really?” Cheerilee said, still trying to mask her alarm.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said with a nod. “Once you get to know her, Tempest is actually kinda nice, plus she showed us all these really cool fighting moves.”

“I’m not really sure...” Cheerilee began, trying to find a way out of the situation.

However, at the mention of combat skills, a few of the colts that had previously taken refuge behind the jungle gym came out of hiding. The Crusaders convinced Tempest to show off a couple of her spells, on a small scale, of course. This soon drew in more foals, and even Cheerilee seemed impressed with the demonstration. And a few minutes later, the mare who had previously struggled to get anypony to come within a mile of her was surrounded by excited kids watching a fireworks display.

Tempest actually found herself smiling and actually feeling happy for the first time...well, actually, she couldn’t really remember. But her current situation certainly rekindled some foalhood memories of happier times. She made a mental note to thank Zecora as soon as she could. Her advice had been spot on.

Of course, a more cynical part of Tempest’s mind pointed out that all this fun and laughter seemed too good to be true, and it wasn’t too long after that those negative waves hit home. Tempest allowed herself to think that, by befriending these foals and their teacher, she might finally shake off the dark persona ponies had attributed to her. She would be able to integrate into the town, find work, and at long last move on with her new life. This wishful thinking lasted right up until another mare appeared on the scene.

She had just finished her little display and amidst cheering foals was being congratulated by Cheerilee.

“My goodness. That was incredible, Tempest,” the young teacher declared, clapping her front hooves together.

“Can you come and do a display for my party?” Diamond Tiara asked hopefully.

Tempest was about to reply, when a high pitched scream cut across the air.

“Diamond Tiara! Get away from that monster this instant!” A harsh, piercing voice commanded.

The owner of the voice was a pinkish earth pony, with a purple mane done in a style that vaguely reminded Tempest of Rarity. If Rarity had put no effort in that morning that is. She quickly learned that this was Diamond Tiara’s mother, Spoiled Rich. And she wasn’t exactly a fan of Tempest. Marching over to the ground, she quickly grabbed her child and rounded on Cheerilee.

“What in the name of Celestia are you thinking allowing that horrible creature near my child?!” she demanded. Cheerilee’s ears wilted for a moment and she shot an apologetic look toward Tempest.

“Spoiled,” she said in an imploring tone. “Tempest was only showing the children a few magic tricks under my supervision. I can assure you she’s quite harmless.”

“Nonsense!” Spoiled huffed back haughtily. “That cripple is nothing but a no good turncoat! And I won’t have her around my child!”

Tempest suppressed a snarl at that. While she wouldn’t have minded showing Spoiled just what she was capable of, she figured it probably wasn’t the best idea. Cheerilee however, wasn’t so inclined.

“Spoiled!” she barked in a scolding tone. But the mare was having none of it and, seeing how she was getting a reasoned response from Cheerilee, turned to call out to other ponies who happened to be passing by.

“Look, everypony,” Spoiled called out, pointing accusingly at Tempest. “That horrid unicorn is trying to hurt our foals!”

Gently pushing her way past a couple foals, Tempest had a go at trying to calm the situation down

“Lady, if I wanted to hurt your foals, you wouldn’t have had time to run over here,” she said plainly. “Apple Bloom and her friends asked me to come here to show some of my skills. Anyway, I’m done now, so if you really want me to go, I’ll be on my way.”

No, don’t go, Tempest,” various voices implored.

“Yeah, show us some more of those fighting moves,” others pleaded. This only egged Spoiled on.

“You’ve been teaching our foals how to attack each other?” she demanded, blowing the situation far beyond any sane proportion.

By now, Spoiled’s deranged screeching had attracted quite a crowd of ponies, and Tempest could tell that they weren’t on her side.

“What? No!” Tempest exclaimed, bewildered. But it was too late, amongst the modest crowd were other parents.

“Get her away from my kids!” a voice demanded.

“She’s clearly intimidating Miss Cheerilee,” another declared. And with a certain finally came.

“Get her!”

Now, it was true, had Tempest wanted to, she could have easily dispatched the three middle aged stallions that tried to rush her. But she was well aware that the fallout from all this was going to be bad enough as it was. Plus the foals probably didn’t want to see her beating up their dads. So, deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, Tempest turned tail and promptly legged it.

Tempest had hoped that a simple withdrawal would calm things down, but she instead found herself pursued through the streets. Jumping over obstacles and pushing her way past the odd pony, none of whom cared for the experience, which probably didn’t endear Tempest to them very much, she made her way back towards the comparative safety of the castle.

Rounding the corner, she was relieved to see a confused Twilight Sparkle standing on the steps. Putting on one more burst of speed, she charged up the steps, ran past the alicorn and made it inside. Luckily for her, the pursuing angry mob stopped at the threshold.

A slightly winded Tempest spent the next half an hour sitting in one of the chairs at the map table, furious with herself and feeling deeply embittered towards the world. Starlight brought her a cup of tea and listened to her explanation. The unicorn agreed that Tempest hadn’t done anything wrong, and explained to her how Spoiled Rich had also made life difficult for her at first. Tempest couldn’t understand it; according to Starlight, Spoiled was a pretty disliked figure in Ponyville due to her snobbish personality. So why then had ponies paid her any mind?

Starlight tried to help Tempest, explaining how, in a crisis, ponies can fall into a herd mentality, and not necessarily think straight or act with good reason. Tempest though, was too angry to care. She’d played nice, gone out of her way to make friends here, and try to integrate back into society. And just as she gets a first tenuous grasp, something comes along and put her probably worse off than she was before. To say the experience left her feeling down was an understatement, and her mood didn’t improve when Twilight joined them.

“Alright,” she said, sitting down in her own chair, emblazoned with her cutie mark. “I managed to calm everypony down at last.”

“Let me guess,” Tempest said bitterly. “I’m not allowed near the school again?”

“At the very least,” Twilight replied sadly. “I talked to Cheerilee. She has absolutely no problem with you and thought everything got blown way out of proportion. But Spoiled has got all the parents worried.”

“Yeah, nopony wants to be around the big scary monster pony,” Tempest mused to herself.

“That’s just ponies petty small mindedness talking,” Twilight replied, sounding more than a little cross herself. “Trust me, Tempest, with time things will...”

“Get better, Twilight?” Tempest cut her off. “Come on. I’ve been here for weeks. I’ve tried to integrate, I’ve tried to make friends. It just isn’t happening. And somehow I doubt that after today I have any chance at becoming a teacher at your new school. It’s time we faced facts; I’m just not welcome here.”

“You are, Tempest,” Starlight countered. “It’s like Twilight said though; these things take time.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve wasted enough time,” Tempest replied. “I’m sick of just sitting here spinning my wheels doing nothing and turning Ponyville into a ghost town whenever I go out. I’ve got no job, no prospects, and no future here.”

“Tempest...” Twilight tried, but the larger unicorn had already gotten up from her chair and stormed off, her damaged horn crackling. The alicorn could only look to her student and dragon companion in worry.

Stalking into her room, Tempest slammed the door behind her with an angry snarl. She was sick of it. She was sick of being here, sick of this town, and sick of its damned ponies. She should have left for the Griffon Kingdom as soon as she was released, instead of wasting her time hanging around here. The whole experience just served to remind her of why she left Equestria in the first place. Ostracised for her injury, she had never been accepted, and it seemed that wasn’t likely to change any time soon. Twilight had been kind to her, and she did consider her, Spike and Starlight friends.

But at the same time, she only had those three friends. She had no job, no means of supporting herself and in general felt like her life was going nowhere. Whatever else she might have thought about the Storm King, he gave her a purpose. She had duties, which she performed admirably. She had a purpose, albeit a malign one. And though the cause was wrong, she could still take some measure of pride in her accomplishments. Now, here she was, supposedly saved by the magic of friendship, and it was all just the opposite.

It wasn’t as if she expected forgiveness either. Tempest would have accepted, without complaint, if the princesses chose to execute her for her crimes. It wasn’t the fact that ponies remained distrustful of her that angered her. It was the fact that she was told time and time again that eventually ponies would forgive her. That promise seemed to be as much nonsense as the promise she’d had decades ago when she lost her horn, and her mother assured her ponies wouldn’t treat her any differently.

Perhaps she had been wrong to switch sides as she had. A dark part of her mused that, perhaps she should have let her former master have his way. At least then she would still be a soldier. Might her life not have been better if Twilight hadn’t been as quick on the draw when she found herself petrified. Perhaps things would have worked out better for all concerned if she had joined the Storm King, smashed to pieces of petrified obsidian.

With a snort, Tempest roused herself from such a dark line of thought. Tempest had done many things in her life that she was not proud of. But there was no way she would even consider taking the cowards way out, not when there were still prospects outside Equestria to be had.

Letting out a weary sigh, she allowed herself to flop onto her bed.

‘Equestria was a beautiful place.’ she mused to herself.

And in some other life, she might have been happy here. But not now, not any more. These ponies weren’t her kin any more, and they would never see beyond her chequered past. There was no way to rebuild. Hay, there was nothing to rebuild from. If she really was to restart her life, it would not be here.

Chapter 2

Tempest slept fitfully that night, as she had for many nights before. In all honesty, she couldn’t really recall the last time she had slept peacefully. Life as a soldier had made her used to sleeping when she could, seldom getting eight straight hours. And even when sleep did come, it was seldom peaceful. While she had pretty much forsaken her pony nature, that didn’t stop it from affecting her. The memories of things she had seen, the things she had done, and what had happened to her had taken their toll over the years. She would never admit it to anypony, but Tempest knew that she had a problem. Ponies would call it post traumatic stress disorder. It came and went with time. Some days, she would be fine, raring to go. Others would find her using all her energy just to keep her terror under wraps. It was also the cause of her current woes, as her dreams, more often than not, were formed of disturbing nightmares; flashbacks intermingled with even more unsettling scenarios.

As she tossed and turned in her comfortable bed, Tempest found herself reliving one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. She had just leapt into the air, taking the full impact of an obsidian orb hurled by her former employer after he betrayed her. She saved Twilight and her friends from the fate she was about to endure. She knew what those orbs could do to a creature, and she was acutely aware of the drop far below. But in those few seconds, there had been no other way to save her new friends and try and undo the damage she had already done.

Besides, the Storm King had just told her that there was no way he could repair her horn, even if he had been serious about it. What else did she have to live for? This whole invasion was so she could restore herself and regain full control of her magic. She had cared not a jot for these ponies, or whatever that deranged ape wanted. If that was not possible, then what was the point of going on?

The gas hit her and she instantly felt her muscles tense. The obsidian crystals began to form as she continued to soar through the air. She was dead and she knew it. But so was he, for she saw the same crystals forming on her old master, and she saw the look of anger and fear on his face.

At least she’d take that lying coward with her.

She felt cold as the crystal encased her. Her breath caught in her throat and, despite her best efforts, she began to feel panic. She couldn’t breathe, and in a few moments, she was going to die. She didn’t want to die, but it was too late now. Why had she lunged at him? Why hadn’t she blasted him to knock him backwards? That was a better solution surely? Or maybe she should have pushed Twilight out of the way. At least then she might have a hope of surviving.

But now she didn’t. As she soared through the air, there was nothing she could do. She wanted to scream, but the crystal was already around her mouth, encasing her throat from the inside. Then she felt the pull of gravity. She was falling. She was going to die. Any moment now, she’d fall and be smashed into a million pieces on the hard ground below. All of a sudden, the damage to her horn seemed so trivial, so meaningless. But again, she realised, it was all too late, and now she was going to die.

Or at least she thought that would happen. Becoming lucid for a moment, she remembered how Twilight had saved her, using the staff containing her and her fellow alicorns’ magic to pull her back from the brink. She wasn’t going to die! She was going to live! She waited to feel the pull of the magic checking her fall.

But it never came. She looked through frozen eyes as the Storm King stared back at her. She wished she could turn her head to see what was going on. She was definitely falling now, as was he. The balcony fell away upwards, although in her petrified state, Tempest felt no wind. Again she tried to scream, tried to move, and futilely thrash her legs to try and stop her ever accelerating descent. But it was no use, her limbs, her mouth, even her eyes were frozen in place, staring that fool in the eyes. To her amazement, her fellow statue then spoke.

“Did you really think they’d forgive you?” he asked. “This is what you deserve, Tempest. Accept your fate.”

Her frozen body now began to pivot as air resistance tossed her around, giving her a full view of the ground rushing up to meet her. She wished she could at least shut her eyes. But instead she was forced to watch as it surged up to meet her.

She braced herself for the inevitable impact, vaguely wondering when it would feel like to shatter into a thousand pieces. Would it even kill her? Or would she just be entering a whole new world of suffering that would make her ruined horn seem like a minor injury. A moment before she and the ground met though, she found herself picked up in magic, but not the magic she was expecting.

“I’ve got you!” a reassuring voice called over the wind. Tempest was conscious of a shadow passing above her and a moment later, her descent slowed and stopped, before transitioning into forward flight. A few moments later she was placed on the ground with the utmost care.

Her saviour landed in front of her, giving her a chance to see who it was. She instantly recognised the pony, a dark blue alicorn, with a cutie mark of a crescent moon. It was Princess Luna. The alicorn once again activated her magic and a moment later, Tempest found her ability to breathe, move, and blink restored as the obsidian shattered around her. Looking around in surprise, she felt again a sense of lucidity, recognising that these events, of the past, made no sense.

“What...how...”she muttered, bewildered.

“At your ease, Tempest,” Luna said calmly. “You were having a nightmare. I intervened to dispel it.” Tempest looked at her in surprise.

“A nightmare? You mean, this is all a dream?” Luna nodded.

“It is surely the most logical explanation, is it not?” she said with a smile. “You survived this. You know that our mutual friend, Twilight Sparkle, saved you from such an end.” Tempest now found herself fully lucid.

“But how are you here? And how did you even save me?” Tempest asked curiously.

“It is my duty as Princess of the Night,” Luna explained. “Once the moon is raised, I keep watch over the dreams of ponies, guarding them against nightmares.”

“I’m surprised you helped me though,” Tempest remarked. Now it was Luna’s turn to be confused.

“How so?” she asked.

“I’d have thought after what I put you through, you’d just leave me to it. After all, I’d probably wake up when I hit the ground anyway.”

“You wound me, dear Tempest,” Luna said, a little hurt. “I would never abandon a pony to a nightmare. And, having experienced such a fall as you did now, I can safely say I would not wish the experience on anypony.”

Tempest grimaced as she remembered how she had petrified Luna mid air, nearly killing her when she landed on the marble floor. It was more by luck than judgement that she had survived.

“Besides,” Luna continued, now coming to stand alongside Tempest, with the unicorn being only slightly shorter than her. “I would say that you have punished yourself far more than I or my sister could have. This is your dream after all; a creation of your subconscious mind. You still feel guilty for what happened.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Tempest asked.

“After my return to grace,” Luna said plainly, “I all but tortured myself with a creature called the Tantabus, forcing myself to experience the same nightmare over and over to ensure I would never fall to darkness again.”

The frankness and blunt nature of the admission caught Tempest off guard.

“Do not think that you are the only pony out there with demons, Tempest,” she went on. “It took me a great deal of time to rebuild my life and regain the trust of ponies.”

“You had all the time in the world though,” Tempest countered, walking away to examine the smashed remains of the Storm King. “You had a home, a job waiting for you. And I know for a fact that plenty of ponies were happy to see you as soon as you returned. Look at me; I’ve got no job, no prospects, and every time I try to reach out, ponies just slap me down.”

Luna was silent for a moment, letting Tempest vent. A few moments later, she spoke again.

“While I do not compare my circumstances to yours,” she said carefully. “I cannot help but think we had the same initial problem. Ponies fear that which they do not understand. When I attended Nightmare Night in Ponyville, after a somewhat rocky start, I was able to show ponies that I was not the insane mad mare that sought eternal night time. You must do that same.”

“I already did,” Tempest said, now beginning to grow frustrated again. “I made friends with these three little fillies, their schoolmates, even their teacher. And just as things started to look up for me, this crazy mare made everypony panic and turn on me. I don’t have the advantages of that crown on your head, princess.”

“Then permit me to use it to aid you,” Luna answered jovially, seemingly disregarding the jab. “In a couple weeks time it is my birthday. Dear Sister lays on a lavish celebration for me all night long. Many an influential pony attends. And were you to join them, and make a good impression, I am sure that the dear old Canterlot rumour mill will soon spread the word that you are a good pony, deserving of a second chance.”

Tempest, though recognising the kindness Luna was showing her, couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“Me, at some high class party?” she said. “I’d clear the place out in seconds. If nothing else, I don’t even have anything to wear. Unless you want the pony who turned all your guests into slaves showing up to your party in full armour.” Luna too chuckled at that and smiled.

“Yes, that would be rather awkward,” she agreed. “But I’m sure that, were you to arrive in less threatening attire, you might create quite a stir in the more positive sense. And as ponies say, if one goes down well in Canterlot, they will go down well anywhere. To that end, I can recommend a good tailor here in Canterlot. Seek out old Elusive’s shop in the Old Quarter. I think you and he will get along famously, given how most ponies don’t trust him any more than they trust you.”

“Why is that?” Tempest asked. Luna smiled knowingly.

“Oh, there’s this old nonsense rumour going around that before his current profession, he was some sort of spy,” she said innocently. “Ponies do business with him, but little else. Perhaps you two outcasts can help each other.”

Tempest was about to press Luna on her sudden turn toward the bizarre, when the world around her seemed to shift out of focus.

“Ah, our time grows short,” Luna commented, ruffling her wings for a moment. “Take heed of what I’ve said Tempest. Go see Elusive and attend my little soiree in two weeks time. Leave Equestria if you must, but let friendship try one last time before you do.”

With that, Luna took flight, disappearing into the rapidly expanding void of white that was engulfing the world around Tempest. Canterlot, the Storm King, even the sky above eventually faded out. For a brief moment, Tempest’s world was all a white void. Then everything went black.

Tempest woke up in her own bed with a start. To her surprise, she found herself remembering the dream with near perfect clarity. It had certainly been a strange creation of her dreaming mind. She couldn’t help but find it odd that her mind would choose Princess Luna as a sounding board. It was a mad idea too; Tempest attending a birthday party, and one for a high born member of royalty at that.

Chuckling to herself, she enjoyed those few brief moments after waking, before the realities of the waking world reassert themselves. For a few fleeting moments, she forgot she was without a situation, struggling to make any friends, and considering abandoning her homeland for a second time. Of course, when these memories reappeared, her previous mirth soon faded. Getting out of bed, she saw that the clock had just gone six. Spike would no doubt be downstairs making breakfast .
She admired Spike, she reflected to herself as she trotted down the crystal corridors. A seemingly innocent little child, barely able to produce flame, had cut a swath through her forces when he and his friends returned to liberate Canterlot. Tempest had been careful to counter the effects of magic with the armour issued to her troops, but she had never thought to consider something so simple as fire. He had been extraordinarily brave for such a young hatchling.

Coming to the dining room, she found that Twilight and Starlight weren’t up yet. Spike however, was indeed busy working on breakfast, judging by the smell coming from the nearby kitchen. If she could do nothing else, Tempest mused to herself, she could at least help him out and be of some use. Heading in, she found him perched atop a chair so that he could reach the stove. He was also, rather comically, wearing a light pink apron.

“Morning, Spike,” she called out. The little dragon promptly jumped nearly a foot in the air. Tempest cringed at her ability to inadvertently frighten.

“Oh, hey there, Tempest,” Spike said after recovering himself and turning around.

“Need a hoof with breakfast?” she offered.

“Sure,” Spike replied.

The pair set to work in earnest. If there was one thing Tempest did appreciate in this new life of hers, it was the vastly improved cooking. As they worked, she told Spike about her strange dream.

“I mean, I don’t even know why my mind picked one of the princesses. It’s just so weird how clear everything was.” To her surprise though, Spike didn’t seem as baffled as her.

“That wasn’t a dream, Tempest,” he explained. “Well, I mean it was. But Princess Luna actually does protect ponies’ dreams every night. That really was her. And her birthday really is in two weeks.”

The revelation threw Tempest for a loop. If Luna was serious in her invitation, then she was offering another way of re-establishing herself. More to the point, while Tempest knew the princesses didn’t exercise the same autocratic power as the Storm King, she figured it probably wasn’t a good idea to snub the invitation. She also remembered her suggestion about seeking out this tailor; Elusive. Perhaps he might be able to offer her some guidance.

In any case, it was an avenue worth pursuing. After all, it got her out of the castle and away from Ponyville, which would probably be for the best, at least until the fallout from yesterday’s incident had blown over.

And so, that morning over breakfast, Tempest related to Twilight what had happened. The alicorn was deeply encouraging and in favour of the idea. However, when it came to this Elusive, she was more hesitant.

“I don’t see why you should have to go to see him,” she said, sounding uneasy. “Rarity’s shop is right here in town, and I’m sure she could make you a great dress for Luna’s celebration. Plus the guy always gave me the creeps.”

“You met him?” Tempest asked. Twilight nodded.

“My dad used to go to him to have suits made and maintained,” she explained. “He always seemed nice enough, but something about him always made me feel uneasy. He was one of the few ponies who tried to fight off the changelings during my brother’s wedding. That’s what started the rumours I think. I’m sure they’re just nonsense though. After all, Equestria doesn’t have any spies.”

“Of course not,” Tempest agreed, suppressing a smile.

“Still, I must confess I never really liked him much. To be honest, he sort of reminds me of Discord. On the other hoof though, he does good work, and I suppose that, as the Princess of Friendship, I shouldn’t be encouraging ponies to shun anypony just because they’re a little different.”

Twilight’s description of this pony only piqued Tempest’s interest further. He certainly sounded different to any other pony she’d met. What puzzled her though was Twilight’s vague reasons for disliking him. Further explanation suggested he was a perfectly polite, well mannered stallion, with quite the gift when it came to his profession. And yet at the same time, ponies all over found him ever so slightly unsettling. For Tempest’s part, she could understand why some ponies feared her. Truth be told, there was a small part of her that relished that. But Elusive seemed only to be plagued with unsubstantiated rumours, whose origins nopony was quite sure of. He didn’t seem threatening in the slightest. All in all, she was curious and looking forward to meeting him.

After breakfast, Tempest packed a few things, including a modest stack of bits loaned to her from Twilight, and set out for the train station. She would be in Canterlot for a few days at least. Elusive’s bespoke work took time, particularly as he would also need Tempest’s measurements. Tempest wasn’t too sure about being back in the city again, but Twilight assured her she would do fine, having booked her a place at a modest hotel not too far from Elusive’s store.

Climbing aboard the overly bright and pink, heart covered train, Tempest found herself again feeling many sets of eyes watching her. She reflected that that problem was hardly going to go away as she set off for the city that she had once held captive.

The train journey took around an hour, and it was easily one of the least comfortable moments for Tempest. She was used to the feeling of eyes on her, the whispers and muttered curses, and even the occasional feeling that somepony might be planning to repay her for what she had done. But most of the time, she had the option of walking away, and moving on. Not here though. She was stuck in a tube with perhaps twenty other ponies, many returning to their homes in Canterlot. She could feel the hate in the air.

She did her best to keep her mind busy and tried not to dwell on her fellow passengers. Starlight, who Tempest had confided to once about her occasional nightmares, had taught Tempest a few meditation techniques, and she sought to employ these now. Closing her eyes, she tried to slow her breathing and focus on it above all else. Unfortunately, having only been practising for a few weeks, her focus wasn’t as good as Starlight’s. She’d only counted a few breaths when her sensitive ears picked up the first unkind remark.

“I can’t believe they let her on here.”

“Maybe the princesses have ordered her back.”

“Maybe they’ll finally throw her in jail.”

“Probably the safest place for her.”

“Still, I don’t see why she should be riding up here with everypony else, and without even a guard escort.”

“Would you want to escort that insane savage?”

Tempest closed her eyes again and tried to block out the noise, instead attempting to focus on the more positive aspects of her new life. After all, not everypony treated her with such contempt. While she still felt uneasy about it, there were a few ponies, and one dragon, she considered friends.

“I still don’t understand why Princess Twilight even saved her.” The voices broke through again.

“Yeah, I mean, the way the poor thing’s crippled with that smashed horn...it might have been the kindest thing to do.”

Tempest felt her teeth grinding as she vainly tried to focus

“And that’s forgetting how screwed up her mind must be from living with those beasts all those years. Talk about being raised by wolves.”

Now Tempest felt her jagged horn beginning to spark slightly. While she viewed herself as a disciplined soldier, even a disciplined soldier has their limits, and she was fast reaching hers. Then came the last straw.

“You wonder what her parents must think. I mean, can you imagine going on knowing you raised that?”

Tempest was moments from angrily rounding on the offending party and blasting them to kingdom come, and hang the consequences. Luckily for her, she was brought out of her rage by the feel of the train’s brakes coming on, while the shrill whistle of the engine drowned out any further comments.

“Canterlot Station! All change, please, all change!” cried the conductor as he walked along the aisle.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Tempest hurried out onto the station platform. The station was bustling with ponies and, much to her relief, most were too busy going about their own affairs to pay her any mind. Despite her above average height and intimidating presence, Tempest still felt herself becoming lost in the crowd. It was a massive relief after the stressful journey up here.

Still, she reflected as she walked out of the ticket hall and onto the main thoroughfare, it was strange to be back in this city again. After all, the last time she had visited, it had been as a conqueror. And now, here she was, looking for a tailor. There was a somewhat surreal irony there somewhere.

Tempest chose not to try and hail a cab. The small dog carts that rattled up and down the roads, while no doubt offering a speedy way to her destination, would probably not be too willing to stop for her. She had no desire to stand on the side of the street, trying to hail cabs that, having seen her, would gladly pass by on the other side. Just another little benefit that came with being widely hated.

Fortunately, the Old Quarter wasn’t too far from the station. Canterlot had begun life as a mining settlement, though Tempest had no idea what possessed its unicorn founders to go prospecting on the side of a mountain. Surely it must have cost more to build the precarious settlement than any return from mining the crystals in the large caverns beneath the castle. In any case, the railway station had naturally been one of the first buildings constructed, allowing the ore to be shipped down to the heartlands, and the city had consequently grown up around it. The Old Quarter then, was but a stone’s throw away; a veritable rabbit warren of narrow passages and alleyways in sharp contrast to the broad and open paved streets the city was known for.

Of course, this did make finding the store she was looking for more than a little troublesome. Shops here weren’t the sort of places tourists went. They were well kept secrets known to locals able to navigate the maze of alleys. Whereas places like Manehattan were built on a grid, there was no easy way to navigate here, even with maps.

It wasn’t as if Tempest could ask for directions either. Canterlot ponies weren’t known for their hospitality as it was, but none of them were about to help the mare who had invaded their home and kept them as prisoners, or worse. So, with little information to go on, except Luna’s advice that the shop was somewhere in this area, Tempest began to search. And in a couple of hours, she got lucky.

The store wasn’t much to look at, in fact, she almost missed it, her eye having been caught by a small bakery next door. It was off by itself, down a narrow, arched passageway, separated from its neighbours. Sitting at right angles, so the frontage faced into the alley, with nothing opposite it made it even more tricky to spot. The only sign, handing just above the door, was a modest thing too, outclassed by other stores nearby. It was a simple carved wooden sign, painted a deep red with gold, cursive lettering, which read ‘Elusive’s of Canterlot. Est. 957 CR. Fittings and Alterations’. Tempest doubted there was more than one tailor named Elusive in the city. Canterlot was large, to be sure, but not that big, with only a few thousand inhabitants. She was just about to cross the square and head over, when the door opened and somepony stepped out into the street.

He was a unicorn stallion, not quite middle aged, but certainly older than Tempest was. His coat was white and his modestly cut purple mane made Tempest think of Twilight’s friend Rarity. In fact, if you put the two next to each other, you could be forgiven for seeing a familial resemblance, to say nothing of the fact that they shared the same trade. He wore a modest waistcoat with black buttons that was deep red on the front, and black on the back. Both materials looked moderately expensive to Tempest’s untrained eye. She was just contemplating going over to try and introduce herself, when she saw him fish a large brass key out of his pocket and lock the shop door behind him.

Tempest was puzzled at that. It was getting near to lunchtime, sure, but it was a bit early to be closing up just yet. Still, it seemed to be what he was doing as he checked the lock. Tempest, cursing her poor timing, was about to head back the way she had come and go check into the hotel Twilight had graciously set up for her, when she noticed something odd.

Instead of simply heading wherever he was intending to go, this unicorn paused as he came to the end of the small alley in which his shop stood. He took a careful look around. Something in his inspecting gaze made Tempest reflexively retreat back into the shadows. Apparently not spotting her, and satisfied with what he had, the stallion then began to head across the square diagonally to Tempest. He continued to keep his head on a swivel though. Not noticeably mind. To the untrained eye, there was nothing amiss. But Tempest, with her experience, could tell that he was looking for something, or someone, around him, and trying not to be seen doing it. More importantly, as he turned, Tempest clocked a medium sized manilla folder held against the side of his barrel. As he came to the edge of the square, he paused, took another look around and then headed off. Perplexed at this odd behaviour, and having little else to do, Tempest chose to follow.

While Tempest was trained as a soldier, to command her troops in battle on the front lines, that didn’t mean she knew nothing when it came to the more finesse world of stealth. After all, there were plenty of situations where a lone fighter could achieve what an entire battalion of shock troops could not. She was well practised in the art of tailing somepony without being noticed.

Being careful to keep a fair distance behind Elusive, so as not to obviously appear to be following him, but staying close enough to see each turn he made, Tempest followed him through the narrow streets. It had been some time since she’d used these skills, and she had to admit that she was a touch out of practice. Still, she had little trouble following the tailor.

At least at first.

It wasn’t until Tempest realised that they were circling an area of the city that she caught on that something was up. She’d been careful to stay out of Elusive’s sight lines and stay a fair distance behind him. She had to be more careful than most of course, owing to her unusual size and height making her stand out somewhat amongst the crowd. Elusive gave no hint that he was aware of her presence, but they had definitely been to this part of the town before. So, to be safe, she dropped back further. She figured he had most likely just lost his bearings for a moment. After all, he had stopped into various shops along the way as it was.

After giving him a few moments, she picked up the tail again and the pair continued on. They began to emerge onto one of the main thoroughfares. From her knowledge of the city, Tempest knew that they were heading toward the castle, where most of the government offices and foreign embassies were to be found. She wondered what was in the folder he was carrying. If what Luna had said was true, perhaps he was making some sort of drop; walk into one of the embassies and drop off whatever it was he was carrying. Bold to do it in the open, Tempest mused.

It was this musing that proved to be her downfall. She let her mind wander for a moment, taking her focus off of Elusive. Passing by several shops with large display windows, the crowd was reflected in the glass panes. As Elusive passed by them, he glanced over at the reflection. His pace faltered for a moment and he soon pivoted around, staring straight at Tempest. She was only able to avoid being out and out spotted by ducking behind a parked cart. Regardless though, he’d made her, much to Tempest’s consternation.

She waited where she was for a moment, trying to appear to just be idly loitering so as to not draw suspicion. With any luck, Elusive might just think he was seeing things and move on. After all, she’d been quick on her hooves and out of sight before he could turn around and get a good look at her. Carefully peering around the cart, she expected to find him still in the same spot, or making for the street corner.

To her amazement though, when she did take a look, he was nowhere to be found. The crowd in the street bustled along, but there was no white unicorn anywhere. He couldn’t have gotten that far without breaking into a gallop, which would surely have drawn the notice and comments of other ponies. And there was nowhere else he could have gone. The street was just shops on either side. Perplexed, Tempest was just about to try circling the block to try and find him, when she was startled by a voice close at hoof.

“Were you perhaps looking for me, my dear?”

The voice was something of a high falsetto, with a marked Canterlot accent to it. It somehow managed to sound utterly non-threatening, and somehow had a hint of menace to it at the same time. Letting out a startled gasp, Tempest spun around to find none other than Elusive standing directly behind her. The expression on his face, most clearly in his large blue eyes, was one of genuine curiosity, and his tone was far from accusatory. Tempest blinked twice before recovering herself.

“Where the hay did you come from?!” she exclaimed. After all, she could see no way he could have slipped around her. More to the point, what kind of tailor knows how to use counter-surveillance techniques?

Elusive smiled and let out a soft chuckle that made the hairs on the back of Tempest’s neck stand up.

“Oh, when you’ve lived in this city as long as I have, you get to learn all the little shortcuts,” he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. “And since you seemed eager to speak to me, I thought I’d best introduce myself. To that end, I’m Elusive, a Canterlot born unicorn, and tailor by training.” Tempest was about to reply, but Elusive continued.

“And you, I believe, are Tempest Shadow. Or perhaps you prefer Fizzlepop Berrytwist?”

“How do you know that?!” Tempest snapped, bristling. The only pony she’d confided that information to was Twilight after all. Elusive however, just smiled innocently.

“Well you are quite famous around here, my dear,” he answered. “We don’t get many warlords in this part of the world. While I believe you are quite new to Canterlot, I can assure you, you are quite well known here.”

Tempest felt her teeth grinding. Dear Celestia, this pony was irritating. Still, she tried to remain cordial. After all, both Luna and Twilight agreed he was the best tailor in the city, and she would need him in order to have an outfit for Luna’s birthday celebration.

“As are you, Mr. Elusive,” she parried. “You were recommended to me by two of the princesses. I understand you are the best tailor in all of Canterlot.”

“Ah, you know of me then!” Elusive said, beaming.

“They suggested that you might be able to make an outfit for me, suitable to wear to Princess Luna’s birthday celebration.”

“I would be glad to, of course,” Elusive agreed. “I always appreciate new business.”

“I also understand,” Tempest continued, seeking to get the upper hoof in their conversation. “That you’ve had some trouble on that front.”

Now Elusive, expression turned a little sullen and he let out a sigh. Tempest could help but feel as if she was seeing an act. A well practised one, but an act nonetheless.

“Yes, business has been a little slow of late,” he admitted. “Ever since that marvellous Canterlot Boutique opened up, the market has become quite competitive.”

“I heard,” Tempest probed. “That some ponies think you are more than a simple tailor. I understand you put up quite a fight during the first changeling incursion. And your counter surveillance tactics just now are pretty impressive too.” Elusive now looked a little surprised, but still maintained a somewhat playful demeanour.

“Miss Shadow, surely you’re not intimating that I’m some sort of spy, are you?” he asked coyly.

“I’m just making an observation,” Tempest replied, now quite enjoying their parrying exchange.

“Ah, an open mind,” Elusive commended. “The essence of intellect.” He then paused to straighten out his waistcoat.

“Well,” he continued. “Since you evidently require some apparel, perhaps we should adjourn to my shop? And perhaps a little later you might join me for lunch. it’s always nice to have a little friendly conversation.”

“You’re very kind, Mr. Elusive,” Tempest said as the two set off back towards the shop.

“Oh, it’s just Elusive,” he said, looking up at her with a smile. “Just plain, simple, Elusive.”

Tempest didn’t reply, but she couldn’t help but again see that same curious look in his eyes. There was something in there that was decidedly not equine in nature. She’d never been scared of a pony in her life, and while she wasn’t scared of this one, something about him made her want to tread carefully. She likened the sensation to being close to some predator in the forest. Evil knows Evil and all that. The cold glint in his eyes certainly fitted the bill there.

Perhaps there was something to those rumours after all?

Chapter 3

The pair walked back to Elusive’s small shop in a relatively companionable silence. Well, companionable for Elusive at least. Tempest was more pensive due to her many questions about this somewhat peculiar pony. She’d spent the last five minutes trying to work out how he got the drop on her. There was no alleyway he could have popped out of. He would have had to have literally walked around behind her. More to the point, how had he made her? True, anypony might have noticed her had they glanced at the reflection in the shop windows. But what sort of pony would even think to look there? And then, why was he so calm approaching her? After all, he said he knew her. If you discovered a pony who was not so long ago an enemy of the state was following you through town without your knowledge, wouldn’t you either run in fright or look to tear their head off? She just couldn’t get a read on him.

Even now as they walked, Elusive was seemingly smiling to himself, walking alongside the much taller Tempest, and getting plenty of stares from other ponies, as if it was something he did every day. Despite all that though, Tempest could sense something about him, something that made her almost a little fearful of him. She certainly understood why Twilight was so unsettled by him. She felt like she was walking next to a lion the whole way.

Eventually, she could stand the companionable silence no longer.

“How did you see me anyway?” she asked out of the blue, catching Elusive’s attention.

“I beg your pardon?” he said, seeming to rouse himself.

“You saw me following you,” Tempest reiterated. “How?” Elusive smiled again. Tempest had never met a pony whose smile unsettled her so.

“Well, judging from the way you ducked behind the cart, I thought you’d realised that I saw your reflection when we passed by those shop fronts.” Tempest shook her head.

“You knew I was following you before then. Or you suspected, at least. You went in a circle twice before you turned onto that road. Hay, you were looking for tails right as you came out of the shop.”

“Now what in Equestria would make you say that?” he asked teasingly. “It’s true I kept an eye out for pickpockets, but that’s a problem that afflicts many large cities, and I did indeed take a wrong turn down towards Guardsman’s Walk. But I can assure you, I only noticed you when we reached the shops. And then I only realised your interest was in me when you ducked out of sight. Until then I just thought you were going about your own business.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you saw me,” Tempest persisted as they turned onto the next street. “I’ve been a soldier for most of my life. I know how to tail somepony without being spotted.”

“Possibly,” Elusive agreed with a shrug. “But your rather large form does give you something of a handicap in that regard. It’s hard to be stealthy when you stand a head taller than most ponies.”

“How did you even know to look for me though?” Tempest pointed out, a little irritated. “Even if I was easy to spot, most ponies wouldn’t even be looking for a tail.”

“Nor was I, I can assure you,” Elusive replied easily. “Though, on that front, might I ask why you were following me? Most ponies, having seen a pony close their shop, would either come back another time, or come and strike up a conversation.”

The question caught Tempest off guard. Why had she just followed him? Looking back with hindsight, it had been a rather odd thing to do. She decided to try and mimic the cagey responses her new companion was giving her.

“I was curious about you,” she said. “I’ve heard more than a few rumours about you. And when I saw you heading towards the embassy district with that file under your arm...” she trailed off.

Where was it? Elusive had left his store with a manilla folder. She’d followed him the whole time, only now it was gone.

“Hey, where is it anyway?” she blurted out.

“Hmm?” Elusive mused. “Oh, you must mean the estimate I gave to the wife of the Yakyakistan ambassador. I posted it off shortly before we met as it were.”

She hadn’t seen it. How could she not have seen it? Tempest shook her head. Perhaps she really was getting rusty.

“A lovely creature,” Elusive continued. “And certainly one of my most challenging designs. Yak fashion is both complex and incredibly nuanced. Far too many ponies write them off as simple creatures obsessed with smashing things. I hope I shall enjoy a similar challenge in creating something for you, my dear.”

This brought up another question in Tempest’s mind.

“Why are you helping me like this anyway?” she asked. “You said yourself, I pretty much stalked you through the streets. I wouldn’t be too offended if you told me to get lost when I asked for your help.”

“Well, as you yourself pointed out just now,” he replied. “My business could use more clients. And as I said, I am always open to friendly conversation with ponies who have an open mind. Friendship is magic after all, as Princess Twilight would say.”

Tempest found it partly fascinating, partly infuriating the way that Elusive managed to either give her non-answers, what were clearly lies, or simply evade and redirect her questions by raising two more. To say that this pony was sharp would be a gross understatement. Perhaps that was why she felt uneasy around him. Nopony likes to be around someone who is significantly smarter than them. More to the point, Twilight had said she felt the same unease. Did that mean he was smarter than her?

Making one final turn, the pair returned to the small little alley that held Elusive’s humble establishment. Activating his magic, causing his horn to glow a light blue colour, again reminding Tempest of Rarity, he removed a small brass key from the pocket of his waistcoat, unlocked the door and opened it, ushering Tempest inside.

The shops of Canterlot are just as opulent inside as their outward appearance would suggest. Many are large, with plenty of space for stock, with well furnished interiors. As the home of so many of the rich and famous, they must cater to what their clients expect when they step through the door. And first impressions are everything. So Tempest was a little surprised at what she saw as she stepped into Elusive’s establishment.

As the door opened, a small brass bell above let out a soft chime that reminded her almost of her school days. It let out a clang again as the door softly swung shut behind her, the glass in the frame of the wooden door rattling slightly as it did so. The interior she beheld, while by no means tawdry, was far from what she’d seen of other such stores in the city.

It was cosy, to say the least. The shop floor was made up of a single room, with the single display window at the front, which held a couple of mannequins dressed in Elusive’s work, partly blocked by a screen, compelling the use of lanterns that gave off a warm yellowish, orange glow. The wallpaper was a mixture of a deep red, bordering on burgundy, with small gold patterns embossed on it. Mahogany skirting boards, led down to plush, definitely burgundy carpet.

At the far end of the room was a modest counter, part of which held a glass display case, showing off trinkets such as cufflinks, rings, broaches and watches. You could no doubt find better pieces at a professional jewellers, but Elusive obviously believed in having the right accessories. Directly in front of Tempest were several circular clothes racks, holding clothing for both mares and stallions, each with a hoof written price tag fastened to them with string. These were predominantly made of wood, matching the mahogany of the skirting boards. Combined with the glow of the lamps, the dark colours added further warmth to the room.

The space was so limited, that Tempest found herself having to trail behind Elusive as he led her towards the rear of the store. The larger mare had to take care not to inadvertently bump into any of the displays. Lifting up the folding partition and letting himself behind the counter, Elusive turned back to his prospective customer.

“So, welcome to my humble establishment,” he said, beaming. “I hope you’ll forgive the cramped conditions, but I’ve always loved this old place. Plus, with what business I have, I doubt I could afford to move to anywhere larger at the moment.”

He let out a hollow laugh at that.

“I’ve always found that the small, out of the way shop, tends to be the best place to go,” Tempest replied. Elusive smiled again.

“Indeed,” he said. “Ponies, if you ask me, all too often only look at the surface, the outward appearance. Thus they overlook so much. The nuances and subtleties. And as a consequence, they miss out on new opportunities or wrongfully dismiss something before even taking the time to judge it properly.”

“Such as yourself?” Tempest prodded.

“Oh, absolutely,” he agreed. “Take a look around my shop here.” He gestured to the displays with a hoof. “I provide some of the best designs in Canterlot. But ponies see the out of the way building, the simple signage, and assume that I am nothing special.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Tempest said, making Elusive chuckle.

“Quite possibly true,” he agreed, while at the same time, confirming, nor denying anything. He then clapped his two front hooves together.

“But to business, my dear Tempest,” he went on. “You are looking for something to wear to Princess Luna’s little birthday soiree?” Tempest nodded and Elusive let out a low hum in thought.

“It is quite the honour. I must confess I am a touch jealous. While Princess Celestia may throw her Grand Galloping Gala every year, inviting hundreds of ponies, the Princess of the Night prefers a much more select gathering of friends. Oh, of course, it is still quite the occasion, and a far more pleasant one at that. Nonetheless, it’s quite the honour to be invited to such a select gathering. And for such an occasion, you shall be needing quite the garment.”

Elusive now came back around from the counter, he walked carefully around Tempest, seeming to study her. Tempest had to restrain herself from turning around on the spot as he moved behind her. Something inside her still told her it wasn’t a good idea to turn her back on this pony. Still, she managed, and Elusive appeared a moment later in front of her again.

“Well,” he said. “Given your height, I’d suggest a formal gown as a starting point. With the right outfit, you may very well become as elegant as the princess herself.”

Elegant was never a word Tempest had ascribed to herself. Elusive meanwhile, trotted over to a small bookshelf, and fetched out a collection of fabric swatches.

“I think something in sapphire might suit you well,” he suggested as he returned, flicking through the swatches as he did so. “ Or perhaps something like this?”

The material was a colour not all that dissimilar to the colour of Luna’s coat; a dark midnight blue. Tempest took the little cutting of fabric in her hooves. It had a silky feel to it, being very lightweight. Truth be told, she knew next to nothing about fashion. After all, it hadn’t exactly high on her list of priorities. Being seen wasn’t exactly desirable for a soldier. Seeing her at something of a loss, Elusive continued.

“Something like this contrasts quite nicely with your coat and mane,” he explained. “Plus it’s always been thought of as a calming colour, evoking feelings of serenity and peace. And I think it would go beautifully with your teal eyes. More bombastic colours, say something in red or orange would be too brash and clash with your coat.”

Tempest, while agreeing with Elusive on that front, was still unsure. In an effort to help her, Elusive brought him magic into play.

“Why don't I give you an idea of what I was thinking of?” he suggested rhetorically.

Activating his magic, Elusive’s horn began to glow a soft teal colour. And a moment later, so did Tempest.

She started for a moment, unused to and uneasy with somepony else’s magic acting upon her. Then again, she reflected, had Elusive meant her any harm, he would have surely acted before now. Right? Elusive reassured her.

“Relax, my dear Tempest,” he said calmingly. “I assure you, you won’t feel a thing.”

It took Tempest a moment to process how he managed to sound both benign and sinister at once.

In any case, the magic did its work. There was a brief flash of light, and a moment later, Tempest saw the effects in her reflection. She was now clad in a beautiful midnight blue dress, just as Elusive described. The silky material ripped as she moved, examining herself. The dress was reasonably conservative, covering most of her body, leaving only her two front legs and part of her upper chest visible.

“What the..!” she exclaimed.

“A simple illusion spell,” Elusive explained. “It comes in awfully handy in my line of work, allowing a client to see my designs before I even begin to craft them. The spell takes images directly from my mind’s eye, and superimposes them on whoever I chose.”

“Impressive,” Tempest replied, now turning to more properly examine herself.

“Thank you,” said Elusive, bowing slightly. “But tell me, what do you think?”

Tempest paused, looking at her reflection. She looked so out of place in the ornate dress. Her scars and injury, her muscles, they all contrasted the delicate garment that now covered her. She’d never worn a dress in her life. She’d never had reason to. She felt a sense of unreality as she gazed at the pony in the mirror.

But at the same time, she did find some pleasure in the image. Now, true, she’d never really concerned herself with the notion of beauty. It was an unnecessary thing for a soldier. You wanted to look intimidating, respectable, but beauty never entered into it. And yet, as she looked at herself, covered by this illusion, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

“It’s lovely,” she said, genuinely meaning it as she turned back to Elusive. The stallion clapped his hooves together in delight.

“Excellent!” he proclaimed. “In that case, follow me, and we can make a start on taking your measurements.”

Deactivating his magic, the illusion faded away, until Tempest was standing in just her coat once again. He then led her past the counter, and through a small doorway at the back of the shop that was covered by a pair of hinged doors that you’d often find at a saloon on the frontier. Here, the décor changed a little to be a little less ornate. The plush carpet gave way to wooden floorboards and panelled walls. The walls were filled with shelves, all stacked with rolls of materials. There were a couple of tables and sewing machines, as well as clothes hangers, holding Elusive's latest projects. And at the very back of the room, along with a small platform, was a set of dividers, creating an ad hoc dressing room. Elusive directed Tempest to the plinth.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he said, again activating his magic and picking up a tape measure, along with a pen and a well worn notepad. “This may take a little while. Just try to keep as still as possible.”

The measuring tape, floating in Elusive’s aura, now began to curl itself around Tempest, pausing every now and then as Elusive took the measurements, before moving on to elsewhere. He said little apart from the occasional hum as he scribbled away. Tempest for her part felt a little exposed standing on the elevated plinth, while the serpent-like tape wrapped itself and her barrel, her legs, neck, and half a dozen other places.

“You really do have quite the impressive form, Tempest,” Elusive commented as he worked. The remark refocused Tempest’s attention on him.

“Am I supposed to take that as a compliment, or are you trying to flirt with me?” Tempest asked half seriously. Elusive let out that dark chuckle of his again.

“I merely make an observation,” he replied. “I assure you, it’s nothing but professional interest. If nothing else, it makes an excellent design challenge, turning a fierce and powerful soldier, into a refined and graceful mare. Or, I should say, combining the two. I’m sure you noticed how easy to move it was in that little facsimile I created for you.”

Tempest had indeed noticed. She’d expected a formal dress to be restricting and difficult to move in, to say nothing of being delicate. Instead, the brief time she’d spent in the illusion Elusive had created, she’d found her movement unrestricted, and the fabric he’d suggested, while feeling soft and silky, had also felt remarkably durable. She had to concede to Luna. Whatever else she might think about Elusive, he certainly knew what he was doing when it came to his current vocation.

Eventually, Elusive completed his work, the measuring tape floated away, curling itself back into a neat little roll and floating back into a nearby sewing kit. Elusive clicked the pen he’d been jotting with, and closed his little black book, before taking a couple steps back from the plinth.

“Thank you, my dear,” he said cordially. “That should be everything I need to get started. I should have everything ready for you in about a week at most. In plenty of time for the princess’ celebration.”

Tempest stepped down from the plinth. She still towered over Elusive, although at least now he was shoulder high to her. On the plinth, he’d been pretty much level with her barrel.

“Thanks,” Tempest replied with a brief nod. “My friend Twilight booked me into a room at the Mareiott on Crown Street, so you can just send a message there when everything’s ready.”

She prepared to head out the door, But Elusive called after her.

“Now hang on a moment,” he said with a grin. “As I recall, I also offered you lunch as well as a fitting.”

Tempest paused. She’d never said no to a free meal, even if it was with this slightly odd tailor.

“Alright,” she said. “Where do you want to go?”

To her surprise, Elusive gestured to a nearby door that led out of the shop half of the building, and into his residence. More than a few instincts told Tempest that wasn’t a good idea, but she had a clear foot and thirty pounds at least on him, and illusions aside, his magic wasn’t that impressive, so she was confident she could get out if she needed to. But if nothing else, that nagging curiosity remained in her mind. She still wanted to find out more about this pony. And so, she followed.

A short while later, she found herself sitting down at a modest table, sitting opposite an empty seat. Elusive had a modest apartment that took up part of the ground, and all of the first floor of the shop. Like the store, it was beautifully decorated, with cobalt blue wallpaper, which stood in stark contrast to the wooden floorboards. Nearby, a fireplace provided a fair amount of heat, while a small chandelier above the table was the main light source.

Elusive had left her here to attend to lunch. The kitchen, a part of which Tempest could see through the connecting open doorway, was probably the most expensive room in the apartment, being outfitted almost to the degree of a professional chef. Tempest could smell something delicious cooking on the air, and was looking forward to the meal when Elusive returned, carrying two plates in his magic.

“I’m very careful about what I put into my body,” he explained. “And as a result, I end up preparing most meals myself. I’m fortunate enough to have access to a wonderful local market here in Canterlot. An advantage of living in the capital, famed for its restaurants, means I have access to some of the best ingredients.”

Setting down a plate in front of her, Tempest found herself looking at an appetising green salad, with tomatoes, spring onions, and a few other vegetables she couldn’t immediately identify.

“So you’re a gourmet chef as well as an expert tailor?” she asked. Elusive smiled as he sat down opposite her.

“I see myself as more of a gifted amateur when it comes to cooking,” he answered. “Although I appreciate your compliment on my tailoring.”

“Still, you’re quite the renaissance pony, Elusive,” Tempest persisted. “A skilled tailor, a gifted cook, and apparently well versed in tradecraft, to say nothing about what I’ve heard on your fighting prowess.”

“Ah, again you try to insinuate, my dear Tempest,” Elusive said, with only half serious annoyance. “Have I not explained away all your concerns?”

“I’m just making an observation,” Tempest replied. “From what I heard you put up quite a fight each time this city’s been attacked. Most ponies don’t stand and fight, never mind going on the offensive.” Elusive now set down his utensils, letting his magic rest for a moment and formed his two front hooves into a steeple in front of him.

“Well, I always did put stock in what the writer Haylein said on the subject; ‘A stallion should be able to change a foal’s diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a problem, pitch manure, cast a spell...’” He now gestured to the lunch before them. “’Cook a delicious meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly’. Specialisation, my dear Tempest, is for insects.”

“You can do all that?” she asked, genuinely curious. Elusive smiled.

“Well, more or less. I’ve never had children, so I cannot attest to changing a foal’s diaper, nor can I say I’ve ever butchered a hog. But beyond that, I have at least a broad understanding of each of those subjects.” Taking another mouthful of salad, he then turned the question around.

“And how about you, Tempest? Where do you score on that list? You have certainly planned invasions and conned vessels, taken and given orders, and quite often acted alone and fought quite efficiently. And considering how close you came to meeting your maker, one might even say you died rather gallantly.”

“Casting a spell will always be out of reach though,” she noted dourly, before adding, with a chuckle. “And I don’t think I could ever write a sonnet.”

“Well, with my help,” Elusive offered. “Dressed in a marvellous gown, you shall have the entire nobility of Canterlot spellbound come Luna’s birthday bash.”

After that, the conversation came to a natural pause as the pair finished their meals.

“I appreciate you agreeing to make me something on such short notice, Elusive,” Tempest said after setting her cutlery on the plate. “I know it is somewhat short notice.”

“Oh, it is no trouble at all, I assure you, Miss Shadow,” Tempest replied, waving away her thanks with a hoof. “As I said, the challenge of designing something for a pony such as yourself, is reward enough. Particularly as our mutual friend, the princess, agreed to cover your expenses.”

“Princess Luna did?” Tempest asked. Elusive gave a short nod.

“Indeed she did. Without putting an exact figure on it, she gave me an effective carte blanche when it came to designing something for you.”

So, Luna had not only sent her to this strange stallion, but even paid for her gown. It was true, Tempest didn’t exactly have much in the way of funds at the present, but she was hardly destitute. In a way, she was somewhat irritated by the revelation. After all, the one thing is this world she could not abide, was pity. But on the other hoof, they said one should never look a gift horse in the mouth. So she resolved to view it as Luna offering a helping hoof, a gift as it were.

With lunch over, Tempest prepared to take her leave. Truth be told, between the early morning journey, and the day’s strange events, to say nothing of the mental effort required to verbally spar with Elusive, she was quite tired and would welcome catching forty winks on a hotel bed. Elusive, ever the gentlecolt it seemed, walked her to the door.

“Thank you again for lunch, Elusive,” she said, doing her best to force a smile.

“You are most welcome, my dear Tempest,” the tailor replied, offering a slight bow. “I hope you will join me again in the future.” Tempest wasn’t too sure on that just yet. There was still so much about Elusive she couldn’t get a bead on.

“Perhaps,” she offered non-committally. Elusive smiled up at her, holding eye contact for a moment. Tempest felt something; that same sense of fear she’d gotten from him before. There was something in those sparkling blue eyes that was terribly frightening, even to a seasoned soldier such as herself.

“I certainly hope so,” he said in a soft, cordial voice. “After all, you know what they say; it’s always nice to have an old friend for dinner.”

He held her gaze a moment longer after he said that. Tempest found herself struggling to look away from the friendly smile and kindly eyes, and desperately wanted to scream. A few seconds later though the moment passed, and she found herself able to move her legs again.

She didn’t run, but she had never walked quite so fast in her life. Nor did she look back until she was well around the corner from the shop.

Leaving Elusive’s shop, but with questions still circling in her mind, Tempest attempted to take a mental tally of what she had learned about her mysterious new...friend? Was that the right word? Elusive certainly seemed friendly enough, at least on the surface, but for the life of her, Tempest just could not figure him out. Regardless of the smokescreen he’d thrown up when questioned on the subject, he clearly knew what he was doing when it came to counter-surveillance. But who had he been looking for when he’d stepped out of the shop? True, he had made Tempest in the street, but he couldn’t have been looking for her. After all, he couldn’t have known about her coming to his store. Unless of course, Luna had told him, but Tempest saw no reason to suspect that.

Then there was the question of what was in that folder he’d had on him and where it had gone. Diplomatic relations between Equestria and Yakyakistan were excellent, so it seemed unlikely that Elusive was engaging in any dodgy dealings with them. Could it really have just been a simple estimate for a customer? If that was the case, why was he so cagey about it, and why did he go to such trouble to drop it off without Tempest seeing?

And of course, there was his supposed skill in combat. Tempest had not seen this directly, but Elusive hadn’t denied it. She’d seen a few subtle hints to suggest that he knew how to handle himself. The way he stood for instance, was a well practised ready stance, the sort of thing a pony might use when they didn’t want to appear to be a threat. And when he’d been taking her measurements, he’d been careful to stay close to her blind spots the entire time. But were either of those really indicators of something, or just Tempest’s imagination?

Finally, there was the most intangible observation of Elusive’s personality. Tempest had met plenty of unsettling characters before. Indeed, her last employer had been a verifiable psychopath. But she’d known that. Anypony who spent ten seconds with the Storm King knew he wasn’t right in the head. Elusive meanwhile, was charming, cordial, and friendly, and yet at the same time unsettled Tempest more than the Storm King ever did. She couldn’t pin down exactly what it was there was just...something about him that didn’t sit right; a gut feeling that he was dangerous somehow, far more than she was.

Of course, these were all interesting observations, and Tempest could come up with any number of possible explanations, but she couldn’t uncover anything concrete. For one thing, she wondered what her reaction would have been if neither Luna nor Twilight had coloured her perception by telling her about him. If Elusive was introduced to her as just another tailor, would she have just disregarded him as odd? Was she seeing things that weren’t really there when it came to him? If only she could get a straight answer out of him.

As she came to the hotel where she would be staying until the party, she resolved to try and put the matter to one side. It was clear that Elusive, to some degree, enjoyed the strange reputation he’d acquired, and seemed to take pleasure in getting curious ponies to chase their tails. So she would simply not play his game. If he had something to hide, he was clearly not a danger, given how long he’d lived in Canterlot for. If those horseapple rumours were true, and he was some sort of spy, he was most likely working for the Equestrian government. Hell, even if he was, he was probably just a file clerk.

With that, Tempest tried to put Elusive out of her mind. It had been a long day between the travelling, tailing, strange introductions, and dress fittings. Rounding the corner, she found herself in front of the hotel. Heading inside, and after an awkward check in process, where the poor mare behind the desk looked about ready to faint from fright, Elusive headed up to her room. Twilight had been more than generous to her in this regard, booking her a decent sized room for her to stay in. The amenities were fairly basic by Canterlot standards, but Tempest hardly craved luxury.

She’d brought a book with her to keep herself occupied. While her friend had encouraged her to try and get out in the city as much as she could, Tempest, given her experience in Ponyville, and the fact that, not so long ago, she’d turned this city into little more than a prison camp, was not so keen on the idea. Besides, she’d made one ‘friend’ today, right? That was the closest description she could come up with. Elusive wasn’t her enemy, nor was he simply ambivalent towards her, so, by pure logic, that made him a friend. A very strange and at times unnerving one, true, but a friend nonetheless.

That evening, after a modest meal in the hotel’s attached restaurant, Tempest tried to get some sleep. But her mind continued to whir away. The mystery of Elusive continued to play on her mind. And despite her decision that she would not allow him to play mind games with her, she still found herself seeking answers. After fruitlessly tossing and turning for the better part of two hours, Tempest threw off the covers and headed downstairs. With any luck, a night time walk around the city would tire her out.

Chapter 4

Heading downstairs in the elevator, Tempest found that, despite the late hour, the revolving door at the entrance to the hotel was still unlocked. It surprised her a little. In Ponyville, the notion of ponies not locking their doors was understandable; everypony knew everypony, and criminal activity within the town was so minimal that it lacked an organised police of its own, instead relying on the Royal Guard to come down from Canterlot when help was needed. A cost effective measure, Tempest mused, although she’d told Twilight a hundred times to lock the castle up at night, advice Twilight had pretty much ignored. Still, it surprised her that it was the case here in the capital. Spotting a pony on the front desk, Tempest trotted over. Unlike the poor receptionist who’d cowered when she’d checked her in, this stallion hardly looked up from the paper he was reading as Tempest approached.

“Excuse me,” Tempest said, promoting his eyes to briefly dart up from the newsprint. “How long before you lock the front doors for the night?” The stallion ruffled his paper.

“Normally I’d have done it an hour ago,” he replied. “But there’s a convention in town this weekend. A lot of the attendees are out into the small hours. It’s not worth the trouble of having them bang on the doors when they get in late.”

Tempest found herself smiling to herself at the mental image of utterly soused ponies vainly trying to get back inside, and the unfortunate night manager here having to leave his comfortable perch to let them in.

“Thanks,” she said with a slight nod. The stallion didn’t reply, instead wordlessly returning to his paper.

Tempest headed out into the cool night air. A light breeze was blowing, but not enough to make her feel the cold. It amazed her how balmy the nights were here in Canterlot. True it was the middle of summer, but the city was several thousand feet up a mountain. She expected nights here to be like those in the Frozen North, or in the Storm King’s own frozen homeland. Instead, she could have been in Ponyville, where ponies slept with their doors and windows propped open on balmy nights like tonight.

Looking up, she saw the night sky was much clearer this high up. In spite of the light pollution generated by the city, stars glittered clearly, like millions of tiny diamonds scattered against an indigo sky. Only on one side of the sky were the stars drowned out by the light of the rising moon, which presently hung large in the sky, silhouetting the castle. Squinting, Tempest could have sworn she could make out a figure on one of the tower balconies. Could that be Luna perhaps, guiding the moon while she watched the dreams of the sleeping city?

Tempest spent a little while just looking up at the stars, lost in thoughts that didn’t concern Elusive. Her mind kept turning to that most fearful concept; the future. This jaunt up to Canterlot was providing a welcome diversion, but all her problems would still be waiting for her when she got back to Ponyville.

She pushed that thought back into the recesses of her mind. That way lay madness, or at least, an unwelcome spiralling pattern of thought that led to one very dark possible solution. Returning her eyes to the ground ahead, Tempest set off along the road. She knew pretty much where she was going, and sticking to the main thoroughfares would prevent her from getting too lost. She just needed to tire herself out, and sleep would come. She set herself a steady pace, wandering through the empty streets. Canterlot looked very different by moonlight. Everything was bathed in that soft white glow, while lunar shadows cast every which way. It was night, but not dark. In fact, Tempest reasoned that the street lights were probably not needed tonight, given how much light the moon was giving. She could see just as clearly as she could on a bright and clear day. The only real difference was the sound, or rather, the lack of it. The silence was beautiful in its own way. Even on a quiet day, the noise of a city was still deafening compared to this. With the sun down, and only a light breeze, the only sound Tempest could hear, aside from the wind, was the sound of water splashing in a nearby fountain. She’d felt the same way one night in Ponyville, when her sensitive ears had picked up a strange tearing, rending sound. It wasn’t until she went out to investigate that she realised the sound was grass tearing as cattle grazed on a nearby pasture.

The only other sounds to be heard were produced by Tempest herself. Her horseshoes were almost deafening as they clanked against the cobblestones of the street. She was surprised that she saw no one else on her travels. In a city with such a population, she figured that, apart from the princess, there must be a few night owls like herself abroad now. But apart from the odd thestral or unicorn of the Royal Guard standing at a sentry post on a street corner, Tempest saw nopony. She wound her way through the streets, from her hotel, past a couple of museums, the entrance to the castle, the Royal Guard academy, up along the so-called Restaurant Row and eventually found herself in the same part of the Old Quarter that she knew Elusive’s shop, and home, to be in.

Having had several hours to dwell on the matter, Elusive more puzzled than alarmed her. There just seemed to be no way to figure him out. That was what riled Tempest the most; not knowing what he was thinking or feeling. She’d experienced a similar experience when she’d met with Celestia after the surrender. But the princess had had a millennia to practice and develop an impassive mask. Elusive wasn’t just impassive, he seemed to be able to deliberately throw off any attempt to read him. And asking him a straight question just got you bizarre or illogical answers.

It was as she was dwelling on this, and thus not concentrating on where she was going, that Tempest found herself in the same square she had stood in not a few hours ago, in front of Elusive’s shop. It looked very different at night. Even with all the moonlight, the unicorn’s establishment was still hidden in shadow. Tempest was just about to turn around and head back to her hotel, despite still feeling wide awake, when her ears picked out the unmistakable sound of a lock tumbler turning and a door opening. On a silent night like tonight, they might as well have been the reports of a cannon.

Out of habit, and the notion that it would probably be quite strange for both her and Elusive to run into one another at three in the morning, Tempest retreated back into the shadows. A moment later, Elusive emerged. Even though the alleyway was equally dark, his white coat stood out in the dim light. He was just as Tempest remembered him, still wearing that deep red waistcoat. The only difference was his expression. Gone was the jovial and congenial smile. Now his face was impassive, with a slight frown as keen eyes swept the square around him.

All at once, Tempest’s questions about Elusive came flooding back. What kind of tailor goes out at this hour? Could this be why Luna sent her to him in the first place? According to Twilight, Princess Celestia was somewhat known for long cons and setting ponies on a particular path to serve her own ends. Was Luna doing the same? Did she suspect that there was more to Elusive than just rumours and hearsay? But why send Tempest? Or was this perhaps all part of some greater plot to somehow help her? She shook her head, trying to get her racing mind in order. Whatever Elusive was doing, it warranted further investigation. There was no point looking for any guards. Her own reputation aside, she doubted they do much with the tawdry pile of evidence she had. Evidence of...something. She wasn’t even sure if anything untoward was happening here. So, instead she followed him, although she wasn’t about to be caught napping twice.

With the city sleeping, it would be almost impossible to tail him through the streets. There were no crowds to disappear into and the silence would give away any tail. If it was a darker night, she could probably do it, but that would create its own problems. So instead, she took advantage of the many buildings in the bustling metropolis. Finding a ladder resting against a modest book store, Tempest carefully hauled herself up onto the roof. Many buildings here had three stories, making it almost impossible for her to be seen, even out of the corner of the eye. But at the same time, it gave her a pegasus’ eye view of every route open to Elusive.

And so she followed him. It felt good to practice old habits again. True, stealth had not exactly been at the forefront of many of her battle plans, but she herself, as an accomplished soldier, knew the value of such things. There were times to confront your enemy, and times to wait, watch, and see what he does next. Stepping lightly so as to not make too much noise on the slate roofs, and keeping low to avoid being spotted by the occasional low flying patrol, Tempest leapt from rooftop to rooftop, keeping tabs all the way on her quarry. His route again seemed to be taking them towards the government district, but Tempest couldn’t be sure. Elusive was again being careful, looping back on himself, changing direction at odd moments, and generally doing all he could to throw a tail. Either that, or he genuinely had gotten a tad lost in the dark night. Still, he showed no sign of acknowledging his pursuer. He never glanced around and certainly never looked up. Tempest found herself smiling. This time she’d get to the bottom of this. He didn’t need to tell her anything.

This line of thought lasted right up until they entered another square, in the centre of which was a large fountain. Here, Elusive paused, flicking a bit into the water. Then, without warning, he turned, and looked up, straight at Tempest, again catching her like deer in a train’s headlamp. This time, there was no convenient cover to dive behind.

“Good evening, Tempest,” he called up to her with a wave, his voice echoing off the buildings. “Out for a stroll I take it?”

Tempest found herself feeling grateful for the reasonably dark colour of her coat. It helped hide the beet red blush that was covering pretty much all of her face at this point. Tempest was perfectly familiar with the bitter shame of defeat and the ignominy of capture, but this was so much worse. She found herself contemplating simply letting go of the ladder she was climbing down and letting herself fall a couple stories just to avoid the embarrassment she was currently feeling. He hadn’t even started. He’d just looked up and spotted her. Somehow, he’d known she was following him. What worried her more now though, embarrassment aside, were the potential consequences. Elusive could probably make a good case for harassment at the very least. The last time he’d caught her had been bad, but he’d been willing to overlook it. This time, she’d be lucky if he didn’t bring the Guard round her ears.

She felt like a scolded filly as her hooves touched the ground and she walked over to Elusive, struggling to meet his gaze. To her surprise though, his expression wasn’t one of anger or disgust, but of mild amusement.

“We really must stop meeting like this, my dear,” he said with a smile. “Ponies will start to talk before too long.”

Ironically, it was this friendly reception that threw Tempest the most. She hardly knew what to say back.

“I must confess though, that the fault is mine somewhat this time. I couldn’t help but notice you when I stepped out of my establishment and fancied having a little fun at your expense, although I was surprised to see you take to the rooftops. Most impressive.” Tempest finally found her voice.

“So...you’re not going to call the Guard?” she asked hesitantly. Elusive let out that soft, dark chuckle of his.

“Now why in the wide, wide Realm of Equestria would I do that to a good customer like you? That would hardly be good for business, now would it? Now, come along, I suggest we adjourn back to your hotel. It is a rather chilly night tonight.”

And so, Tempest again found herself walking with Elusive, having been caught tailing him. Tempest renewed her resolution to drop her investigation. Finding out this tailor’s secrets wasn’t worth the embarrassment.

Tempest wasn’t quite sure which was the most embarrassing moment of her life; the moment when she came face to face with the princesses after Canterlot was freed, or now. Both occasions had been awkward encounters. She’d been out of her depth, unsure of how to proceed. In the case of the princesses though, she’d been more ashamed than embarrassed. Still, walking with Elusive through the thankfully empty streets was far from a pleasant experience.

Elusive, for his part, seemed not at all affected. He wasn’t angry, resentful, disgusted or disquieted at the odd circumstances in which he’d met Tempest. In fact, he seemed rather jovial about their paths crossing again. After a few minutes, with Tempest taking great pains not to meet his gaze, he broke the silence.

“Don’t beat yourself up about this, Tempest,” he said reassuringly. “We’ve all done things we regret in the wee hours.” Tempest let out a sigh through her nose.

“How did you spot me this time?” she asked listlessly. Elusive smiled.

“Just because my coat stands out in the dark, doesn’t mean yours is invisible,” he replied. “I saw you when I stepped out of the store. I had to admit I was a little curious, and when you retreated into the shadows, I decided to have a little game at your expense. Credit where credit is due though, I was impressed how a pony of your stature could move so gracefully, and so quietly, along the rooftops.”

The obvious question, and the dozen or so that followed it, were on the tip of Tempest’s tongue. She wanted to ask him so much, but knew, even from their short time together, how little that would achieve. So she decided to ask something that might just get a straight answer.

“So how come you aren’t furious, bringing the guards around my ears, or telling me to take my bits and disappear?” Elusive shrugged.

“What would that accomplish?” he asked back. “I’m well aware of your reasons for doing so, and to react in such a hostile way would, in all likelihood, simply further stoke things in your inquisitive mind. Although I do rather hope you shan’t be doing it again.”

Tempest grimaced at that, another flash of embarrassment hitting her.

“Besides,” Elusive went on. “I admire a pony with an enquiring mind. So many ponies these days don’t seem to question anything. They accept the world as it’s presented to them. They don’t wonder, never mind investigate. Why, I recall not so long ago how some ponies noticed the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was acting strangely; being unusually distant, cold, and rather rude to boot. Nopony thought to ask why, or why the Royal Guard’s deployments were constantly being rearranged, or why she and her husband suddenly chose to sequester themselves twenty three hours a day. If Princess Twilight hadn’t come along and exposed that charlatan, who knows what might have happened. Questions, my dear Tempest, are the beginning of wisdom, and the mark of a good soldier.”

This last point brightened Tempest up a little. While her disgrace had been obvious and seemingly constantly reminded to her, her accomplishments as a soldier were difficult to dwell on. She had fought for the wrong side, that was perfectly obvious, but you could not deny her accomplishments. She remained the only one, out of the many who had tried, to successfully attack, capture, and hold Equestria’s capital for an extended time. The changelings had tried twice, come close and been beaten off. Others had attacked it and then moved on to other targets. She was the only one who successfully led a conventional invasion. And though she didn’t know it, it would be studied for decades afterwards. In any case, it was nice to hear the praise from Elusive.

“Well, I appreciate your understanding then,” Tempest said, brightening up.

“You’ve been away from Equestria for a long time, Tempest. Pony society is an almost alien thing to you. It’s only natural that some missteps occur. To that end, might I offer a suggestion?”

“Sure,” Tempest replied with a nod.

“In my line of work, you often rub shoulders with the nobility, high society, and even royalty on occasion. I’m more than familiar with the unspoken and unwritten rules of social niceties. And since I have some time between my other orders, perhaps I could...”

“I may not know much about Equestria, Elusive,” Tempest cut in. “But I’ve read ‘My Fair Filly’.”

“Ah, you read my mind!” Elusive beamed, clapping his front hooves together. “In that case then, I shall call upon you after breakfast tomorrow, and we can go over some of the broad strokes. With social graces, a beautiful gown, and that sharp mind of yours, you’ll have your fellow party-goers thinking that Tempest Shadow was the best thing to happen to Equestria since the Elements were rediscovered.” Tempest, for the first time that night, chuckled.

“I’ll be happy if they stop calling me a traitor.”

Elusive’s face then fell for a moment. The jovial smile briefly faltered, and the gleam in his eye turned dull. He seemed to be looking through Tempest. For one brief second, the mask slipped. Tempest didn’t say anything, and a moment later, Elusive was back again. But as she returned to her hotel and finally settled down into sleep, that moment kept replaying in her mind.

Tempest was in the hotel’s restaurant the next morning, taking advantage of the included breakfast on her reservation. It actually served as quite a pleasant experience. While she did get the odd stare from the occasional pony, for the most part, her fellow diners took no notice of her, being too absorbed in their own meals, conversations, and daily newspapers. Tempest couldn’t help but reflect how strange it was. Ponyville, a town to which she had done no direct transgression, seemed committed to despising her. And yet here in Canterlot, a city she had helped brutally subjugate, hardly anypony batted an eye.

Taking her breakfast alone, she divided her time between reading today’s edition of the Equestria Daily, and indulging in a spot of pony watching. Tempest was no stranger to basic social graces by any stretch of the imagination. Having left Equestria before she was ten had deprived her of some of the finer points, but she was far from socially ignorant. She didn’t lack social skills per se, it was more a case that she had had little reason to exercise them until quite recently, and like any unused muscle, they had atrophied. While she could be pleasant enough, deepening friendships, to say nothing of the social graces that were the lingua franca of Canterlot, were beyond her. The other issue, she knew, was controlling her temper at times. And Celestia knew that at times the ponies of Canterlot could try even her patience.

Leaning back in her seat, she cast her gaze around the room. She couldn’t help but note that she was the only pony sitting alone. Every other table had at least a couple chattering away over breakfast. They were all smiling, laughing, one couple were even lovingly nuzzling each others’ noses in what Tempest considered a revoltingly unnecessary display of affection. While she had no objection to the idea of friendship, her inner strength lay in her self-reliance; the fact that she didn’t need anypony else. She took pride in the fact. It wasn’t until Twilight had reached out to her that she began to realise what she had been missing. Her friendships now might have been few, but they were fulfilling. Looking on, she could help but wish she was part of one of the groups around her.

She was startled from her melancholy line of thought a moment later, as Elusive appeared. She’d been so absorbed with pony watching that she hadn’t noticed him come in. He stood next to the chair opposite hers, smiling down at her.

“May I join you?” he asked politely. Tempest gestured to the available seat.

“Help yourself,” she replied.

As Elusive sat down, a waitress trotted over. She was a pretty young thing. The tailor flashed her a winning smile.

“Good morning, sir. Can I get you anything?” she asked, with a smile as she activated her magic and flipped to a new page of her notepad.

“Just some coffee, thank you, my dear,” Elusive replied kindly. The mare bustled off to the kitchens. He then returned his attention to Tempest.

“So, how have you been, Tempest?” he asked, clasping his front hooves together on the table. Tempest shrugged.

“About the same as when I saw you last night,” she replied. Her own dose of caffeine hadn’t yet kicked in. Elusive let out a low hum.

“I see I have some work to do,” he said with a sly smile.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tempest shot back, a little crankily.

“It means,” Elusive replied. “That you need to brush up on your social graces before you attend dear Luna’s celebration.” Tempest resisted the urge to snarl something unkind back at him.

“Alright,” she managed. “Like what?” Elusive chuckled.

“Well, apparently the fine art of conversation,” he answered. “Reciprocation, banter and teasing, and certainly controlling one’s temper.” Tempest didn’t reply and just settled for narrowing her eyes at him.

“You hardly seem like a social butterfly yourself, Elusive,” she said after a moment. Elusive smiled, though this time it lacked a sense of friendliness.

“True, I’m not,” he admitted. “I have few friends, just as few clients, live alone, and tend to isolate myself from the world when working. But if you ask that waitress, I’m sure she’ll describe me as friendly, charming, maybe even a little bit more. Tell me, Tempest, have you ever heard of the concept of masking?” Tempest shook her head.

“Well, most social niceties consist of essentially play acting. Most of what ponies say to each other on a daily basis is a white lie at best, and an outright falsehood at worst. If we all said what we thought, friendship would be quite the difficult experience. So we compromise. We tell clients that that dress doesn’t make her look like a fat sow, and that that garish tie contrasts wonderfully with his eyes. But beyond that, we put on an act when we go out amongst other ponies. We hide little flaws and foibles in our personality so as to better fit in and avoid social upset. This is a skill I’ve mastered over many years, and which you will need.”

“So friendship for you is just based on lying to ponies and faking a different personality?” Tempest asked with some surprise. This was rather in contrast to what Twilight had shown her.

“Oh, it is by no means the basis for all friendships,” Elusive agreed with a shake of his head. “And certainly not close or intimate relations. But in the world of business, high society, and so forth, that is indeed it.”

“So I just fake it?” Tempest asked.

“There’s a little more to it than that,” Elusive countered. “Think of it more like you’re the leading mare in a stage play. You play a part. With time, effort, and a great deal of practice, it becomes second nature. You don’t have to remember your lines as it were, you just know them.”

“Does that mean your ‘acting’ now?” Tempest asked curiously. Elusive nodded.

“To a degree,” he assented. “Our masks change to suit individuals and situations. But only when we are alone do we take them off. I doubt I would be half as popular as I am now if I did, and you know how much I am admired by the ponies of Canterlot. With you, I don’t have to put much effort in, it’s quite relaxing actually. But enough about little old me. Let us turn our attention to you.”

And so Elusive’s instruction began. He spent the rest of breakfast walking Tempest through some of the more crucial social rules that she would be required to follow and taught her a few useful psychological tricks. He pointed out ponies around them and used them as examples. It was little things really, eye contact, a smile that used certain muscles, and any other number of minutiae that would allow a powerfully built intimidating former soldier to come across as non-threatening and friendly.

The next couple of days were then spent building on these basic lessons. Elusive taught Tempest the rules of court etiquette, the lingua franca of high society, and gave her a crash course in verbal sparring. By the time he was done, while Tempest was by no means a new mare, she had forged what could be described as her own mask, which she could put on and take off with ease.

All that remained was to put what she had learned into practice.

Chapter 5

The next few days saw Elusive walking Tempest through some of the more crucial social rules that she would be required to follow come the ball. Every morning, the pair would meet up for lunch at the same restaurant in the hotel. The lessons consisted partly of Elusive giving Tempest useful advice, and partly Tempest trying to find out something more about Elusive, only for him to, as ever, give difficult to interpret non-answers. They began to form an odd sort of friendship. Tempest certainly didn’t feel quite so uneasy about her own curiosity and questions. It seemed to have developed into a little game between the two of them, and Elusive always seemed to win in the end.

The tailor also taught Tempest a few useful psychological tricks. He would point out ponies around them and use them as examples. It was little things really; eye contact, a smile that used certain muscles, and any other number of minutiae that would allow a powerfully built intimidating former soldier to come across as non-threatening and friendly. That, after all, was Tempest’s end goal. Whatever Luna’s motivations for inviting her, she did rather hope that leaving a good impression would go a long way to building a more positive reputation for herself. With that, doors that were previously shut might open up to her, and then she could begin to get on with her life.

Elusive still puzzled her, of course. Above all else, she couldn’t really understand why he was helping her as he was. He had nothing to gain from it, and being seen with someone like her would surely do little to improve his already chequered reputation. And while Twilight Sparkle might make the case for him being kind and performing a selfless act, Tempest didn’t buy that for a second. Elusive, secretive as he was, still revealed a portion of his personality to Tempest, and altruistic was not a word she’d use to describe him. She’d seen it from the moment they met. There was something about him that made her uneasy, like a cat toying with its prey before pouncing. Still, he had done nothing to alarm her and gave no hint of untoward intentions, so their friendship, built on a foundation of seemingly mutual suspicion, continued.

It was a few days later, after having made great strides in small talk, which, as far as Tempest could make out, was the skill of talking without saying anything of substance, Elusive brought up another topic for their lessons in Canterlot high society.

“You should know, my dear, Tempest,” he said, as he tucked into his sponge cake and coffee. “That smiling and being personable aren’t the only skills you’ll need for the princess’ little do. Tell me, how are your dancing skills?” Tempest looked up from her own food with some surprise.

“I don’t dance,” she replied in a deadpan tone. Elusive smiled in that coy way of his.

“Do not?” Elusive teased, leaning forward and resting his chin on his two front hooves. “Or cannot?”

“Will not!” Tempest answered with a growl. While she at times found him quite charming, when he found a possible weakness, Elusive could be damn annoying, shamelessly poking until he got a result.

Elusive, as he always did when he got a rise out of Tempest, merely chuckled.

“Well I’m afraid that’s going to have to change,” Elusive replied. “This is a formal event you’re going to. And it would be a shame for me to go to all the trouble of designing that dress for you that gives such an ease of movement, only for you to stand like a statue all evening.” Tempest narrowed her eyes at him at that little jab.

“Oh come now, what’s wrong with dancing, my dear?” he asked, now genuinely curious. “Surely you don’t believe that it’s stupid or some such nonsense. You certainly never struck as that kind of mare.”

“I don’t think that it’s stupid,” Tempest replied. “I just don’t think I’d be much good at it.”

Elusive let her remark hang in the air for a few moments. He had his poker face on. If he was surprised, saddened, curious, or even pitying, he didn’t show it.

“A curious position,” Elusive said eventually. “Considering you are already well practised in the same skill set.”

Now it was Tempest’s turn to look surprised. Elusive explained.

“You are an accomplished soldier, Tempest,” he said. “With remarkable skills when it comes to hoof to hoof combat. I have no doubt that you’d be able to wipe the floor with me.” Tempest wasn’t quite so sure on that front.

“But you’d be surprised,” he went on. “Just how much various martial arts and dancing have in common. Control of movement for instance. A fighter must always position themselves to protect themselves and attempt to attack their opponent, using their and their partners movements. A dancing couple uses each other’s motions and controls it, just as various martial arts do an incoming attack. Both mediums require good strength, balance, and posture. Even the footwork has some similarities to the way a fighter changes their stances. In my experience, ponies trained to defend themselves have something of an advantage when it comes to learning to dance.”

The notion had never occurred to Tempest. But reflecting on it, she could see merit in what Elusive said. What she knew of dancing did have some similarities. Of course, dancing was a cooperative effort, not combative, but he was right in that there were parallels.

“I take it from that look on your face that you’d be willing to try a lesson or two then?” Elusive asked, breaking in on her thoughts.

“Alright,” Tempest agreed with a nod. “Do you know any good instructors?”

“Well, there’s always little old me,” Elusive said, gesturing to himself.

“I thought you might say that,” Tempest said. For once, she actually managed to make Elusive look surprised. “You know your way in the world of high society, Elusive. Frankly, I’d be surprised if you didn’t know how to dance. I presume it helped you with your own fighting skills.”

Elusive didn’t smile as such, but he seemed rather pleased at the way Tempest had, if only for a moment, uncovered something about him he hadn’t intended to show.

“My dear Tempest,” he said approvingly. “There may be hope for you yet.”

Once upon a time, the ponies of Equestria may have shunned the night, choosing only to sleep when the sun slipped below the horizon and the moon rose into the sky to take its place. But in the modern world, Luna’s night was anything but neglected. Cities all across Equestria had a vibrant nightlife; clubs, bars, discotheques, and any number of other establishments had ponies out enjoying the night for all it was worth. And while Canterlot might be a little more restrained than say Manehattan or Las Pegasus, it too boasted quite the nightlife of its own. Among the offerings were several dance halls in the city, and it was to one of these that Elusive took Tempest after the pair had finished their breakfast. It was a fairly large affair; a former cinema that had been overtaken by the large multiplex a short distance away. Stripped of its seating, the three former screens made for decent, albeit modest dance halls. The old fashioned signage above the large multiple double doors advertised the various themed events and lessons on offer. At the moment though, it was closed. After all, it was still pretty early, even for the dance lessons that took place later on in the day.

“Here we are,” Elusive declared as they walked up to the building. “It may not be the grand ballroom of Canterlot Castle, but it should certainly be sufficient for our needs.”

“The place looks closed to me,” Tempest replied as she joined him. Elusive nodded.

“Indeed it is,” he agreed. “However, the proprietor has been a good customer of mine for a few years. I’m sure he won’t mind if we let ourselves in.”

Activating his magic, he lifted up a small, somewhat out of place stone that rested against the one doorway, in the corner. Turning it over revealed it to hold a small brass key, which Elusive plucked out and inserted into the lock.

“Er, is this legal?” Tempest asked, feeling a little uneasy as she kept a lookout for potential witnesses.

“As far as anypony knows, Tempest,” Elusive said, not turning around. ”We are just two lawful ponies going about their business. It only looks illegal if you stand there on watch. Act like you belong, and you’d be amazed what you can get away with.”

With that, he unlocked the door and ushered her inside. Again, Tempest wondered if she ought to not just take a walk and leave Elusive. Then again, the worst she could be charged with was civil trespass at this point.

Heading inside, Elusive followed before again taking point and leading her to one of the dance halls. Pushing open a pair of large wooden double doors that swing back several times after they passed through, the two of them found themselves in the large hall. The place could probably hold fifty to seventy ponies at a rough guess. On one side of the room, there was a bar, currently closed up, with a shutter pulled down along the bar itself. At the top end of the room was space for the band. Canterlot, being the capital, was hardly the place to settle for a phonograph and some speakers, now was it? Although, Tempest noted, there was one sitting on a desk, presumably for the dance class scheduled for later today. Up above on the ceiling were several large spotlights.

As the pair walked across the wooden tiled floor, the horseshoes echoed somewhat, emphasising the size of the room. Reaching the centre, Elusive spun around to face Tempest.

“Now, my dear,” he began. “I take it from our conversation that you are more or less a newcomer to dancing, are you not?” Tempest nodded.

“I didn’t even dance as a filly,” she replied.

“Well,” Elusive went on, clapping his front hooves together. “You’ll be glad to know that a simple waltz only asks you to remember six movements, and they all take place in a very small space. I’ll teach you both how to lead and follow. Given your stature, you may well find yourself leading a few young bucks come the soiree.”

He now stepped back a little to demonstrate.

“Alright, so to lead, you start like so. Then step forward with your left leg. Now bring your right forward to be parallel. Next, move your right legs so that your hooves touch. Then step back with your right, bring the left with it, and then bring your right leg to meet the left. Repeat ad nauseam, or at least until the music ends. Care to try?”

And so, Tempest started her lessons in dance. Elusive had been somewhat right in what he’d said. Contrary to her expectations, the movements didn’t feel as alien as she’d expected. It took a short while, but before too long, she’d gotten the hang of it, enough for Elusive to add himself to the equation.

“May I cut in?” he asked with a grin. “Here, take my right hoof in your left, and place your right hoof on my shoulder, just here.”

With a combination of hooves and magic, he guided Tempest into place.

“There, now you can lead the two of us. I’ll step to mimic your movements. Just step as before and guide me as you go.”

The pair began to silently dance for a few moments, with Tempest getting used to having a partner. Again, she saw some similarities as Elusive had suggested. The way she guided him as they moved was quite similar to how she would try to control an opponent in a fight, more so when it came to changing direction and moving in a circle together, and performing an underarm turn.

With the basics mastered, Elusive activated his magic and turned on the phonograph player that was sitting on the table. It began to play a classical piece, suitable for a waltz. With that, the pair began again, with Tempest still leading. She mused that she probably wasn’t performing a typical dance. After all, usually, it would be the stallion who would lead. But being a good head taller than Elusive even without her mohawk mane, it would look a little strange for him to lead, and possibly be a little difficult.

Still, she found it pleasant enough. She found herself wondering why she’d been so reticent about trying it earlier. While she was not yet smooth by any means, she wasn’t stepping on Elusive’s hooves either as they moved around the hall. She’d just had this impression of dancing requiring so much skill and memory, requiring far more time than she had to master. But after only a short while, she was able to talk with Elusive as they danced.

“You’re a quick study,” Elusive noted. “I’ve seen ponies take weeks to master even the most simple waltz.”

“Well you did say I had a head start,” Tempest replied.

“Nonetheless, it’s very surprising. How are you feeling about the upcoming soiree anyway?”

The pair continued to dance around the room, Tempest leading the smaller stallion, neither breaking eye contact.

“Prepared,” Tempest replied. “Honestly, that was what was freaking me out so much before. I never like to go into things blind. You’ve been a big help.”

“Oh I merely polished the coal into a diamond,” Elusive replied. “The gem itself was always there. It just needed to be brought out. I certainly didn’t need to teach you that wonderfully dry wit. You use humour as a shield most easily.”

“I figured it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to blast the first guy who looked at me funny into a wall. That might cause Luna’s birthday party to end a little early.”

Elusive chuckled at that and the pair continued in silence for a while. Tempest herself, though she was well practised in the art of not showing her true feelings (something that had stood her in good stead), actually had something on her mind. The invitation she had received to the ball, while addressed to her, did give her the option to bring a guest along. While it was far from essential, she couldn’t help but think that bringing along a date would help her seem a little bit more equine than the solitary figure many ponies were familiar with. And while she had no romantic intentions with Elusive, she couldn’t help but think that it might be a good thing to have him join her.

“You know, Elusive...” Tempest began, trying to carefully broach the subject.

“Hmm?” Elusive responded, his ears perking slightly.

“Speaking of the party, I was wondering...well, the ticket gives me the chance to bring somepony along with me and I was thinking that...”

“That it might be beneficial if I were to join you?” Elusive finished for her, grinning. “My dear Tempest, you can do a lot better than little old me. After all, as skilled a tailor as I am, I’m also rather persona non grata in many circles. And I would hate for some of the misinterpretations of my character to have an impact on you.”

“But you’ve been such a help to me,” Tempest replied. “Besides, Luna clearly likes you. She recommended you to me after all. And, truth be told, I’d be glad for your company. Even with all your help, it’s still going to feel a little strange at that party.”

Elusive, in response, did something Tempest was not expecting. Taking the lead from her, he spun her around, before pulling her close and , with no small amount of effort, dipped the larger mare, holding her as the song ended.

“Tempest,” he said sincerely. “You have nothing to worry about on that front. Armed with your new skills, you should be the belle of the ball. Having an ageing tailor, distrusted by everypony will only jeopardise your chances of success. And that is something I will not allow to befall one of my friends.”

This sudden revelation of what seemed to be Elusive’s innermost thoughts thoroughly caught Tempest off guard, particularly as she was still partly suspended in his grip. For only the second time since they’d first met, Tempest saw Elusive’s mask drop. He wasn’t toying with her, or playfully teasing. He meant every word of what he said.

“Besides,” he added, his tone now turning coy again. “I’ve never needed an invitation to get into Canterlot Castle.”

With that, he pulled Tempest back to her hooves and released her. Once again, he’d managed, with little effort, to set her mind whirring.

A couple of days later, and it was the eve of Princess Luna’s birthday celebration. Canterlot Castle was buzzing with activity. While the affair was indeed a far cry from the likes of the Grand Galloping Gala, or even Princess Celestia’s own birthday celebration, it still made for quite the show. The castle was lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree and all along the main thoroughfare, ponies queued up to enter the castle and what was regarded as one of the more exclusive parties in Canterlot.

Whereas the elder alicorn’s celebration, like so many official functions, was more a political meetup than anything else, given her comparatively recent return from exile, and her well known intolerance for ponies that sought to curry favour with her for their own benefit, Luna’s birthday party was a more genuine affair. Ponies who the princess genuinely respected or admired were invited, not just the well to do. Indeed, the first year following her return had caused quite a stir, when the guest list for her first official function omitted a good many of the supposed movers and shakers within Equestria’s first city. In this regard, Tempest felt a little more at ease compared to if the invitation had come from Celestia. While the snow white alicorn had been just as forgiving as her younger sister, Luna’s own chequered past made her somewhat more relatable, in contrast to the seemingly perfect Celestia.

Still, Tempest was far from being at ease. In fact, the last time she recalled being this nervous was when she found herself facing judgement before the princesses. While execution was not on the cards tonight, all sorts of unpleasant thoughts ran through her mind. What if the guards would not permit her entry? What if ponies made a scene when she arrived? What if she said the wrong thing to the wrong pony or, Celestia forbid, offended Luna herself? These thoughts swirled around her mind as she stood in Elusive’s shop, while the tailor himself put the last finishing touches to her dress.

“There we go, my dear,” he said, stepping back slightly to admire his work. “I do believe I’ve outdone myself.”

Looking in the mirror, Tempest was inclined to agree with him. She’d been impressed enough when Elusive had given her a rough idea of what the finished dress would look like. But now that she was standing here, it really was something else.

As Elusive had envisioned, it was a long flowing thing, made of fine, light, silky material, deep blue in colour, not too dissimilar from Luna’s own coat. While the dress covered most of her body, her exposed forelegs and chest left on display by the plunging v-neck at the front highlighted the nice contrast between the dress itself and her coat. Meanwhile, on her hooves were a set of modest horseshoes of the same colour. Tempest hardly needed to wear heels after all.

Her mane too had been styled, courtesy of a friend of Elusive’s who ran a modest mane styling shop. Elusive had admitted that, while her mohawk did suit her quite well, something a little less brash was required. Her mane was now worn down, making her seem just a little shorter, and hung loose around her shoulders. That change alone made her less recognisable as the villainous Tempest Shadow.

Finally, to complete the ensemble, Elusive had kindly loaned her a necklace, supposedly a gift from a customer at one time or another. A silver chain, at the end of which hung a modestly sized sapphire. According to Elusive, this went quite well with her eyes.

Tempest found herself staring at her reflection in the three mirrors set up in Elusive’s dressing room, showing her from the front and slightly to each side. She turned around a couple of times, examining herself from every angle. She still found it hard to believe the mare in the mirror was actually her.

“Are you alright, Tempest?” Elusive asking, sounding slightly concerned. Tempest snapped out of her reverie.

“Oh, yes, fine,” she replied. “Sorry. I guess I’m just not used to seeing myself like this. It feels a bit strange.”

“You look positively radiant, my dear,” Elusive assured her. “And I know that you will have a wonderful evening. Just relax, and enjoy it. The butterflies you’re feeling will be gone before you know it.”

Tempest couldn’t help but laugh at that. She’d been in dozens of battles the past few years, and lived through many frightening experiences. And yet it was now, going to some frou-frou ball that her knees were knocking and her heart was going a mile a minute. Turning around, she faced Elusive.

“I really appreciate you doing all of this for me, Elusive,” she said kindly. “Hard to believe that a week ago we didn’t even know each other.”

It was true. Over the past week, Tempest had spent much of her time with the strange unicorn tailor, possibly more than she had even with Twilight. The odd friendship that had formed as a result had been something of a bright spot for Tempest in her otherwise dim prospects.

“The pleasure, my dear Tempest, is mine,” Elusive answered, offering a slight bow. “Now, while I may not be your date for the evening, permit me to be a gentlecolt for a moment, and escort you to your carriage.”

Elusive was as good as his word and led Tempest out to the square in front of his shop. The district was reasonably quiet at this point in the evening, with most shops closed for the night. This made it a little easier for the modest dog cart Tempest had engaged to make its way through the narrower streets. It was no great stagecoach, nor was it a chariot pulled by the elite Royal Guard, but it suited Tempest well enough. The small, partly open cart had a canvas roof to keep most of the weather out and the two large wheels gave a comfortable enough ride, even on the cobbled side streets.

Like so much of her evening, part of this had been provided by Elusive. He was apparently on good terms with the cabbie who was pulling the dog cart and, in spite of Tempest’s insistence, had pitched in with the fare. While she would hardly be arriving in the grandest of style, she was hardly pitching up on the simplest of transports. Taking her hoof, Elusive helped Tempest aboard and saw her settled into her seat for the short journey.

“Good luck now, Tempest,” he said kindly. “And do give my regards to our mutual friend.”

With that, Tempest set off for Canterlot Castle. It was a short drive, but long enough for the butterflies in her stomach to make a brief return. She did her best to relax herself, recalling Elusive’s counsel to try and enjoy herself. The old tailor had taught her well in their comparatively brief time together, and as she wound her way up the hill, she found herself putting on her own mask for the evening. It wasn’t really that dissimilar to her real personality. But with Elusive’s help, she had improved her conversational skills, was up on all the current local gossip within the nobility, and improved her self-confidence no end. All in all, she was set to make quite the impression.

As the dog cart climbed the last hill, the glittering spires of Canterlot Castle came into view, silhouetted by the full moon that hung fairly low and large in the sky. She soon found herself in a convoy of other carriages of all shapes and sizes, queueing up to the entrance to offload their passengers. Looking ahead, Tempest spotted a few influential ponies she recognised. Chief among these was Fancy Pants, one of the more respected and well liked nobles in the city. He stood in sharp contrast to Prince Blueblood in the carriage behind. While he was by no means the worst Canterlot high society had to offer (that honour, according to Elusive, went to Jet Set and Upper Crust), he was well known as one of several key detractors when it came to Tempest’s somewhat controversial pardon.

Tempest had little time to reflect on these two very different ponies however, as soon it was her turn. There was a brief moment of surprise as the two guards helping guests down from their vehicles recognised her. But, to their credit, after confirming that she was indeed on the guest list, they helped her down as they had any other pony. Tempest hoped that this would be an indicator of things to come, as she made her way inside the castle, following the procession of other ponies to a large ballroom that was to host the celebrations.

Chapter 6

Tempest hadn’t been sure of what to expect when it came to what Luna’s birthday celebration would look like. Given her position, and the venue, she expected something grand. She expected dozens of guests, if not hundreds all congregating in some grand ballroom, with three horseshoe cuisine and a mini orchestra providing music. Instead, when she arrived at the large double doors, and was let in by the two thestrals standing guard there, she found a much more restrained, yet relaxed affair.

The party was indeed being held in one of the ballrooms of the castle, one of the main halls that had hosted the Grand Galloping Gala earlier in the year. But apart from that, her expectations were greatly subverted. While it was true that guests were still arriving, the party was clearly in full swing, and yet there had to be less than a hundred ponies here, maybe even less than fifty. The cuisine on offer, while no doubt expensive, was a rather enticing looking buffet, with attendant tables for guests, as opposed to mere morsels being carried around by wait staff. And the music, while still a live band, was a small jazz quartet, playing swing music. One of them, a grey earth pony on the cello, had even propped open her case to allow guests to throw in the odd tip. The whole affair felt so much more relaxed than Tempest expected. Ponies were chatting, not networking. Even Luna herself wasn’t exempt from this. At the Grand Galloping Gala for instance, a pony was lucky to get ten seconds with Princess Celestia, and that was after careful vetting by the guards. Here though, Luna was standing with a few other ponies, chatting with them like an old friend. Despite the crown and regalia, it made her seem more like a normal pony than just a princess.

Tempest stood on the threshold for several moments, taking everything in As she did so, one of the waiters, who was making the rounds around the room, walked over to her with a tray of drinks.

“Would you care for a glass, miss?” he asked with a marked Canterlot accent that sounded just a little forced. Tempest reasoned he probably wasn’t a native.

“Thank you, no,” Tempest replied.

A glass of something presented two problems for Tempest. Firstly, while it might have come as a surprise to some, she was a teetotaller. Having spent most of her life soldiering, she had cared little for the negative effects of alcohol. It dulled the senses, slowed reflexes, and made a pony far more likely to make mistakes. Plus there was a more practical reason. With the damage to her horn, her fine motor skills were sorely impaired. And while she was working to improve this with the help of Twilight, she wasn’t yet confident in her abilities. The awkwardness of dropping a glass onto the floor was something she could do without tonight.

The young waiter of course, knew nothing of this, and merely retreated with a slight bow. Tempest knew it would make her seem to some like a bit of a stick in the mud, but the benefits outweighed the costs as far as she was concerned.

Stepping into the party proper, she looked for somewhere to start. While it was true that she was there mainly to have a good time, Luna had clearly invited her here to help improve her standing, and she could hardly do that standing by herself. She was just about to try and join a small group conversing with Fancy Pants, when she heard somepony call her name.

“Tempest!” Tempest instantly recognised the voice as Luna’s, and turning around, found herself face to face with the night princess.

“Princess Luna!” she exclaimed in slight surprise, before remembering to bow. Luna however, waved off the formality.

“Please, Tempest,” she said reassuringly. “This is a party, not a formal reception. I always make a point to drop titles at these little gatherings. I’m certainly glad you were able to make it, in any case. And I see that you paid a call on old Elusive. A beautiful gown, I must say.”

“Thank you, your...I mean, Luna,” Tempest replied, catching herself. Her nerves had come back for a spell. The last time she’d met Luna like this, it had been for her pardon. And the time before that she tried not to dwell on.

“Please come and join me,” Luna went on. “I was just chatting with an old friend I think you ought to meet.”

Tempest followed Luna over to a small group of ponies near where the band was set up. She recognised a couple of them at a glance. Frankly she was a little surprised that Twilight and her friends weren’t here, although given their track record for attending high society parties in Canterlot, she could sort of understand. There were a couple thestrals, guards in their dress uniforms, Raven Inkwell, and one stallion that she wasn’t familiar with.

He was small, so small in fact that at first she thought he was a colt. His coat, which was mostly hidden under what could almost be a foal’s waistcoat and jacket, was an ashen grey, while his mane and tail were a sort of two tone seaweed blue green. His mane reminded him a little of Twilight, with bangs coming over his forehead and down towards his eyes. He was a unicorn, like herself, and like everything else about him, his horn was fairly short too. All in all, he wasn’t particularly impressive to look at. The group however, seemed quite taken with him. He was currently in the middle of what seemed to be a very animated discussion with one of the thestrals. This conversation stopped as Luna returned and all eyes fell on Tempest. Once again, she found herself feeling more than a little self conscious.

“Excuse the interruption,” Luna said to the young stallion. “But I wanted you all to meet somepony. This is Tempest Shadow, a friend of both Princess Twilight Sparkle, as well as myself.”

The introduction surprised Tempest. She knew Luna was friendly enough towards her, but she never thought the alicorn considered her a friend. For one thing, Luna was known to be very selective about such things. She was friendly with virtually everypony, but few she called true friends.

There was a moment’s pause as the group all recognised her and for a moment, Tempest felt a twinge of fear that all might not go smoothly. To her surprise though, the little stallion then came to her aid.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Shadow,” he said, offering his hoof. “Luna was just telling us how you helped defeat the Storm King.”

“Permit me to introduce Stygian,” Luna said, gesturing toward the stallion. “A member of the Pillars of Old Equestria. He saw off threats to the realm when I was but a filly. He and his friends were recently released from their inadvertent confinement in Limbo and helped defeat the Pony of Shadows. He’s now quite the successful author.”

“It’s helped me a great deal,” Stygian explained. “Writing about my experiences; inadvertently creating the Pony of Shadows and falling to darkness.” He chuckled for a moment. “It seems we’re all ex-villains here tonight. Myself, Nightmare Moon, a couple of former thestral rebels, and you Tempest. It certainly makes things a little less awkward all around.”

Tempest couldn’t help but agree with that. It certainly helped lay a few concerns to rest. She knew of Luna’s past, of course, but she knew nothing of this Stygian. Though from what she knew of the Pony of Shadows, he’d arguably done more damage than she ever did. If Equestria was willing to take him back, then she ought to have a shot as well.

“Yes, I suppose it does,” she agreed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stygian.”

“That’s quite the outfit you have there, Miss Shadow,” one of the thestrals commented. “Where in Equestria did you manage to find such a prize. I’m sure my wife would love to know.”

“Oh, this? It’s one of Elusive’s designs. He has a modest shop in the Old Quarter.” The thestrals eyebrows went up in surprise at that.

“Indeed,” he replied, turning to Luna. “I’m surprised you didn’t invite him along to this soiree, Luna. A former supposed spy would make for the perfect finishing touch on your collection of ex-rogues.” Luna let out a laugh.

“Oh come now, Captain Night Song. Don’t tell me you ascribe to those baseless rumours.” The thestral now chuckled.

“A rumour is one or two ponies throwing around gossip,” he replied. “And a tailor sneaking his way into the castle using classified security codes, and then claiming that he overheard them while hemming somepony’s pants after he gets caught, is far from baseless. Whoever he was and whoever he worked for, I can guarantee they weren’t in the fashion industry.”

“Still, Captain, you have to admit, he does good work,” Stygian pointed out. “Shady past or no.”

“Very shady,” Night Song insisted. “That’s what put ponies off. He might not necessarily be a bad guy, but I wouldn’t wager any bits that he’s on the side of harmony either.”

“A lot of ponies would say the same about me, captain,” Tempest pointed out. Luna smiled at that.

“The lady makes a good point, captain,” Stygian pointed out. “I could even say the same thing about you. Celestia knows that your loyalty to your princess supersedes all other obligations.”

“Now, now, gentlecolts,” Luna chided. “Let’s not start accusing one another of trying to undermine the realm. Stygian, would you care to join me on the dance floor?” Stygian looked up at Luna and offered a slight bow.

“It would be my pleasure, majesty,” he answered and took the lunar diarch’s foreleg in his. Night Song meanwhile turned to Tempest.

“How about you, Miss Shadow? Might I have this dance?”

“Of course, Captain,” Tempest replied.

With that, the thestral led her out to join Luna, Stygian and several other couples as the band prepared. Tempest had to admit, she was enjoying herself, but Night Song’s knowledge of Elusive had piqued her interest, and she was not about to pass up an opportunity to learn more about her mysterious friend.

Taking their places, Night Song moved to take the lead, so Tempest decided to have a bit of fun. Mirroring his movements, the two bumped each other slightly. Night Song blushed slightly and chuckled to shake off the embarrassment.

“Forgive me, Miss Tempest, but I fear you’ve been away from your homeland too long. Typically it’s the stallion who leads.” Tempest smiled back, and down at the slightly shorter thestral.

“True, Captain,” she admitted. “But typically, the stallion is the larger partner, and by my reckoning, I have three inches and a good twenty pounds on you. I think you’ll find it quite a challenge to lead me anywhere. So, if you don’t mind…”

With that, she took position as the leading partner.

“Oh, very well,” he replied with some chagrin. “I suppose if young Stygian is happy to be led about by the princess, I can try the same.”

Stygian had indeed taken the following role in his dance with Luna. The pair looked almost comical together. Stygian wasn’t much larger than Spike, while Luna was ever so slightly taller than Tempest. And yet despite that, Tempest saw something between the two. You didn’t need to be Princess Cadence to see that something was going on between them. Tempest’s attention was soon brought back to her own partner though, as the band struck up a waltz and the pair began to dance.

“Impressive,” Night Song commended. “You have a natural rhythm; unusual for a mare such as yourself.”

“I had a good teacher,” Tempest replied. “And you’d be surprised how much overlap there is between dance and combat.”

“And you are quite skilled in both,” Night Song complemented. Tempest smiled.

“Flirting with a mare who once held you captive and turned your princess to stone? You are awfully forgiving, Captain.”

“Well, you made a good argument on that front,” he replied. “And it’s hard to see that same cold soldier in that magnificent dress.”

“Yet you still don’t trust it’s maker,” she countered as they began to spin.

“I’ve never trusted spies,” he replied. “No matter what side they’re on.”

“You certainly seem to know a lot about him.”

“Well, it’s not every day you see a tailor go toe to toe with a bunch of bugs and come out the other side,” he replied.

“During the invasion?” Night Song nodded.

“Pretty much everypony except the few guards that managed to hold out against the initial assault was running for their lives. After the captain’s shield collapsed, anypony could tell you we were in trouble. Ponies just started panicking, and their sheer numbers let them just overwhelm most guard positions. We’re a guard after all, not a standing army.

“But that Elusive character, he was different. He ran at first, sure, but it wasn’t from panic. He holed himself up in a dead end alley, dug his hooves in and started blasting anything that moved. A solid stun spell too. Your average unicorn might know the odd thing or two, but I’ve only met a few ponies who can keep up stun spells for more than a minute or two. It takes a lot of energy, as I’m sure you know. He held his ground the entire time. And when they sent more bugs to pull him down, he fought his way out hoof to hoof. I never knew much about tailoring, but I know for a fact they don’t teach those kinds of combat skills.

“After the dust settled, I had him pulled in for an interview. In all honesty, I thought about offering him a job. But when I asked him where he picked up those skills, he threw out this nonsense about how he’d never been trained or anything. So I got suspicious, ran a make on him. The guy’s a ghost until about five or six years ago. Moved here from nowhere, both parents dead, no siblings or family of any kind, everything in cash.”

“I can see why you figured him for a spy,” Tempest agreed. “But who could he be working for?” At this, Night Song chuckled as Tempest spun him.

“Truth be told, Miss Shadow,” he answered. “For the longest time I figured he was one of your boys, sent to scout the city. But when he didn’t come out of the shadows and collaborate with your troops, and given how he just went back to his job afterwards, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“That’s one thing at least I can be certain of, captain. He’s not a soldier of the Storm King’s army. But if you know he’s a spy for some foreign power, why not just have him arrested?”

“An unfortunate thing called civil rights I’m afraid,” Night Song joked in a rueful tone. “I might have my suspicions about him, but no proof that he’s a foreign agent, or that he’s involved in any form of espionage. Besides, rule eight of the Moscrow Rules; don’t harass the opposition. Whoever he’s working for isn’t openly hostile. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was GSB.”

“The Griffons? But I thought they were allies,” Tempest said in surprise, recognising the name of the Griffon Security Bureau; the kingdom's infamous secret police.

“Just because we’re allies doesn’t mean we don’t keep an eye on each other,” Night Song said, before changing the subject. “But enough about that strange fellow. Tell me, how in the wide wide realm of Equestria did Tempest Shadow get invited to Princess Luna’s birthday celebration?”

“Like most ponies, captain, I received an invitation,” Tempest answered coyly.

Tempest explained, leaving out the more personal aspects, how she’d crossed paths with Luna in her dreams, and how the night princess had invited her to attend in the hopes of distancing herself from her nefarious past.

“You know, I’ve always been a believer in that old phrase ‘if you can’t beat them, hire them’. I’m surprised you weren’t approached by the guard for a position. You certainly have the skills to make a fine officer.”

“Not according to the recruitment office,” Tempest growled. “Apparently I’m utterly inadmissible, despite the fact I led an attack that successfully overwhelmed the entire city’s defences and can clearly still fight. Bureaucracy, right?”

“Who in Luna’s name told you that?!” Night song exclaimed, with perhaps more volume than he intended, as his outburst drew the gaze of a few dancing couples.

“I got a letter back about two weeks after I sent an application off. Princess Twilight herself tried to have an exception made, but they wouldn’t budge.”

Now, Night song’s expression turned to be more understanding.

“Ah, then you applied to join the Royal Guard. I thought I hadn’t seen your application cross my desk.” Tempest was confused.

“But you are Royal Guard, aren’t you?” Night Song shook his head.

“The Lunar Guard broke away from the Royal Guard at the outbreak of the War of Solar Aggression. There are plans to reintegrate the two forces, but at the moment, we are two different organisations. And I can assure you that the Lunar Guard would never turn away such a promising candidate. If you’re still interested, that is.”

The song ended and Tempest and Night Song briefly parted and bowed as per custom. Tempest however, wanted to jump in the air and scream for joy like a filly on Hearth’s Warming. She could see light at the end of the tunnel. Was this why Luna had invited her perhaps? So that she could meet the right ponies and get her life going again? She knew that Celestia seemed fond of such subtle machinations as a way of helping ponies without directly interfering and playing favourites. Naturally, she accepted Night Song’s offer, the thestral stallion assured her that he would start drawing up the preliminary application for her next week, and was quick to assure her that it would be all but a formality.

The two parted happily, marking the high point of Tempest’s evening. She had arrived in this city more than a little despised by some ponies, and distrusted by most. And yet now, here she stood, barely recognisable compared to the pony who once marched into these halls with an army at her back. It was as if a great fog had finally lifted, and she could see the way ahead at last.

After the dance, Tempest stepped off the floor, along with Luna and Stygian, when the princess asked her to join the two of them for the provided dinner. The available buffet made for quite the lavish spread, and Tempest soon found herself sitting down at one of the several round tables, with Stygian on one side and Luna on the other. The night princess was quick to engage her again in conversation.

“So, I take it, from what I overheard, that you may be joining the ranks of my guard before too long,” she said, trying to sound innocent. Tempest smiled.

“You know, princess,” she replied. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the whole reason you invited me here was so that that conversation could happen.” Luna chuckled.

“To quote a mutual friend of ours; ‘my dear Tempest, there may be hope for you yet’.” That got Tempest to laugh as well. “Although I must admit another ulterior motive in referring you to Elusive.”

Tempest had been curious about that. There were many good tailors in Canterlot, so why send him to the one most ponies chose not to associate with.

“While he may be a pariah to some, he has been most useful to me on any number of occasions. Though, while I hope your outfit on display helps improve his standing there, I sent you to him more for his incredible skills when it comes to social skills. I see you picked up a few things since we last spoke. Although I’m sure he’d say he merely polished the diamond.”

“I actually asked him to come along tonight,” Tempest said. “But he insisted I come on my own.”

“Ah yes,” Luna mused. “When I first met him, I almost tried to replicate my sister’s success with Twilight Sparkle, hoping to ease him out of his shell. But he, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, possesses a remarkable talent for misdirection. And short of forcing him to a function such as this, I could not see a way to help. Then again, he seems more content on his own, with the few clients he has tiding him over. On the other hoof, he clearly seems to embrace friendship, though like myself, on a much more personal level.”

Tempest had to agree with that. He was an unusual friend, but Elusive definitely was one of her friends in this new life. And sometimes, she mused to herself, being a good friend meant stepping back. Elusive preferred to keep his secrets, or at least enjoying spinning his many half truths. So Tempest would not press it. He was a good friend to her. Was that not all that mattered?

Tempest spent the rest of the evening enjoying herself and mingling with the guests. She spent a little more time chatting with Luna. The alicorn was eager to hear what was going on in Ponyville. Like Celestia, she seldom had time to get away from the castle to visit, except on official functions, or at times of near world ending catastrophe. Only in dreams could she talk with the common pony face to face, and even then, the interaction was often fairly brief. So it was nice for her to, even vicariously, catch up on the lives of ponies she was, in her own words, eternally grateful to.

She also managed to get a bit more time talking with Stygian. The young stallion might have looked like just a colt, but he was wise beyond his years. Tempest was fascinated by his stories of his time with the Pillars. And of course, his own experiences coping with the effects of past misdeeds was also of great help to her, and they had a long conversation together, talking about their respective pasts. Their time together also confirmed her earlier suspicions. Stygian was indeed quite smitten with the lunar diarch. Now true, so was around half the adult population of Equestria, but that was more for her title or just a physical attraction. For Stygian, it was something much deeper. Luna was one of only a few ponies who he could talk with about the old days, in the time of Old Equestria, when the nation was little more than a collection of farms. She was also perhaps the only pony who could truly relate to what had happened to him, and he to her. Their inadvertent transformations to Nightmare Moon and the Pony of Shadows made them almost like kindred spirits. Both had lost themselves to jealousy, and paid most dearly for it. Tempest never claimed to be an expert on love, never mind friendship, but she figured those two would do well together. Considering all that they’d been through, they deserved some happiness.

Such things weren’t in the cards for Tempest though. One day perhaps, but she was only just beginning to rebuild basic friendships with ponies. It would be quite a while before she would consider something like that for herself. A part of her felt she was so set in her ways as to make it not even worthwhile. But that was for the future. Right now, she could just enjoy herself and see what came next.

Eventually, the party began to wind down, though it was well into the wee hours before the gathering began to break up. Tempest had greatly enjoyed herself, and while she was most grateful to Luna for inviting her, she couldn’t help but feel that the lion’s share of praise ought to go to Elusive. Were it not for him, she would not only have nothing to wear, but she would have been completely out of her depth chit-chatting with all these ponies. So as she departed, after wishing Luna one last happy birthday before she went, she decided to make a point of calling on Elusive. He’d said that he would be up most of the night working on something. She could stop by his store and, if he was still up, she could take five minutes to thank him before doing so properly tomorrow. So, engaging another dog cart, she retraced her journey down the steep hill that led up to the castle, and returned to the rabbit’s warren that was the Old Quarter.

As she left the castle, she soon found herself rattling through quiet, empty streets. Ponies may no longer shun Luna’s night, but they had to get sleep sometime. All was quiet, calm, and peaceful. The same however, could not be said for Elusive’s situation, and before too long, her night would go from one of the happiest in recent memory, to one that she would never forget for all the wrong reasons. It would reopen the many questions she had about Elusive, and would finally force the truth about her curious benefactor to the surface.

Chapter 7

The trip down to Elusive’s store and home were fairly uneventful. Tempest still couldn’t help but feel a little giddy about how well things had gone; a feeling she wasn’t particularly used to. Things were looking up for her at last, and she couldn’t bring herself to head back to the hotel without at least stopping by to see if her friend was still up and about.

Heading down the hill, away from the castle, the little dog cart soon left the wide open boulevards and began to turn onto narrower side streets. Tempest was grateful that Elusive’s store, while being pretty tucked away, still let out onto a modest sized square that made it easy for carriages and the like to get to.

She saw nopony else on her journey down, apart from the odd sentry standing on a street corner or walking his beat. Most of these were from the Royal Guard. The Lunar Guard, Tempest’s prospective new employer, confined itself to the protection of the castle and Princess Luna herself, being a much smaller unit, and so it was rare to catch sight of one out in the city. Beyond them, the only evidence of life at this late hour, was the odd light in a window in some house or building she passed by. Other than that, the only other light source, apart from the full moon that still hung high in the sky, casting beautiful lunar shadows all around, were the street lamps, that projected circles of yellow light at regular intervals. Tempest could hardly see a need for them on a night like this though. It was almost bright enough to pass for early dawn, which was still several hours off.

The dog cart soon began to make its way into the Old Quarter. The wide, orderly streets of the more modern sections of the city gave way to the rabbit warren that was the old castle town. She was certainly grateful for the cabbie pulling the cart. While she had a working knowledge of the city’s streets, it would have taken her twice as long to navigate tonight. Even with the moonlight illuminating everything, it all looked so different at night.

Eventually though, she began to recognise the more familiar streets. Places where Elusive had taken her, such as the dance hall they’d both sneaked into. And before too long, they were pulling into the square that held Elusive’s shop. The cart came to a stop. The cabbie had slowed down considerably on account of the cobblestones. They weren’t impassable, but driving over them at any kind of speed would at best test the cart’s suspension, and at worst throw unfortunate passengers out. Still, it didn’t take too long for him to pull up to the right place.

Carefully taking hold of her dress, Tempest stepped down from the dog cart. Her horseshoes echoed on the cobbles. The quietness of the square was unusual, even for a city. Such places are never truly quiet, and yet here, all that could be heard was the slight breeze. Tempest turned back to the cabbie.

“Thanks,” she said kindly. “Do you mind waiting here for a couple minutes? I just want to drop in on a friend.”

“Sure,” the cabbie answered. “Just don’t forget the meter’s runnin’, miss.”

Walking away from the cart, she headed down the small little alleyway that set Elusive’s store apart from its neighbours in the square. While the alley itself wasn’t particularly well lit, she could see that the lights were on in the store, so she hoped that Elusive was still up and about.

As she came closer though, she began to notice a couple of things that were out of place. Elusive was a very careful, exacting pony. He certainly didn’t do things like leave the front door to his shop ajar. While it wasn’t particularly cold tonight, it was a little chilly; too cold for a pony to leave their front doors open, even in a place like Ponyville.

That was enough to pique Tempest’s curiosity, and she quickened her pace to a trot at the sight of it. This brought on a much more blatant sign of trouble; a sound. Elusive’s store was typically fairly quiet, with perhaps a phonograph playing some parlour music at times. But she didn’t hear that now. At first, she heard what sounded like voices, Elusive’s, and somepony she didn’t recognise. And as she got closer, she heard the sound of clothes racks getting knocked over, amongst other things. That was enough to get her to break into a gallop.

She quickly covered the short distance to the shop’s door, but stopped short of bursting straight through as instinct demanded. If Elusive was in trouble, and she was going to help, she needed to know what she was up against. Charging in blindly was a fine way to get yourself killed before you even knew what was happening. This close, she could definitely hear a fight going on. The sounds of the scuffle had been enough to mask her approach. Leaning forward carefully, she put her good eye to the open door.

The shop looked a mess, with everything strewn about. That didn’t really concern Tempest though. What concerned her was the ponies inside. Well, not ponies actually. There were three large griffons, along with Elusive. They seemed to be the cause of the disturbance. Elusive was still up and about, but it was clearly not a fair fight. The three griffons were constantly lunging and trying to grab at him, while Elusive for his part deftly dodged and used a combination of his magic and his hooves. Tempest had to admit, it was pretty impressive. But that didn’t matter now. She needed to help him.

The best way to fight an enemy, particularly when they outnumber you, is to use surprise to your advantage. They didn’t know Tempest was here; it was time to change that. Powering up her horn sent a sharp pain through her skull. She’d not needed this spell for some time now, but it would stand her in good stead at the moment. Channelling all her magic into her horn, she let fly with an impressive blast that no doubt caught the attention of the Guard. The blast blew the door back on its hinges and set several objects flying. The shock stunned all parties inside, and Tempest used this to her advantage.

Firing off another blast, she aimed for the trio of griffons and sent them scattering. They didn’t scare so easily though, and far from fleeing, tried to surround Tempest, leaving Elusive alone for a moment. She didn’t know his condition, but she had to consider him out of the fight. That made it three on one. She smiled; a fair fight. The two on the sides were going to try and outflank her; attacking her from both sides to pull her down. So instead of waiting for that, Tempest charged forward at the third griffon. He instantly went on the defensive. He lunged at Tempest, and revealed his ace; he was armed with a knife. That complicated things. Pivoting to the side, Tempest forced the griffon to overextend himself as he stabbed, before grabbing his outstretched foreleg and yanking it hard. At the same time, she braced herself with one of her hind legs, giving her enough leverage to produce a satisfying crack, followed by a howl of pain from the griffon as she dislocated his shoulder. Before he could react to that, she followed up with a hard strike to the head as she turned to kick with her other hind leg. That sent him careering into one of his compatriots, knocking him off balance as he fell to the floor. He wasn’t dead, possibly not even out cold, but he was definitely out of the fight. Now it was two on one.

She didn’t have much time to celebrate though as the third griffon tried to get the drop on her while his partner got up. He tried to attack from behind, using Tempest’s size against her in the small shop. She reared and then bucked hard, throwing him over her head, causing him to land on her back, knocking the wind out of him.

By now though, the other griffon was up and about. She turned to focus on him, but this time he was quicker. Using his talons of one claw, he swiped at Tempest, catching her on her already scarred eye. Tempest cried out in pain. Her old injury had always been tender and her main weakness in a fight. Activating her horn again, she hit him with a blast, knocking him back and giving her some breathing room. That gave her enough time to grab a weapon. The first griffon might have known how to use a knife, but she definitely did. Grabbing the blade, she looked to slash back at her opponent. Before she could though, the situation changed.

Outside, in the night air, Tempest’s ears picked up the sound of whistles, a shrill high pitched, sour note only used by the sentries to call for aid. The Royal Guard was bound to show at any moment. It certainly seemed enough to convince the two griffons. The one attacking her had managed to manoeuvre himself to be in line with the door, and at the sound of the whistles, turned tail and ran. The other, only winded from his fall, soon got up, shoving his way past Tempest before she could react. She considered giving chase, but there was little point. That was the Guard’s job. She meanwhile, after ensuring the third griffon was still out of it, turned her attention to Elusive.

Despite his efforts, the three griffons had clearly gotten the upper hand, most likely by virtue of surprise. He’d been pretty badly beaten, even after he’d gone down, but that wasn’t what worried Tempest. He was sitting on his rump, in a daze, barely conscious, and as she bent down to check him over, it became clear why. It seemed that the knife wielding griffon had gotten a chance to use his weapon at some point. Elusive had been stabbed in the stomach, just below the ribcage, and crimson blood was now staining his otherwise pristine white coat, as well as his waistcoat. They’d evidently knocked him down into this position and then stabbed him. Robbers wouldn’t do that; there was no point. And while the place was ransacked, the cash register, while knocked off the counter top, was unopened.

Motive didn’t matter now though. This much bleeding was serious, serious enough to be fatal. Tempest grabbed part of her dress. Sadly, while it had given her excellent manoeuvrability in the fight, it hadn’t stood up to combat too well. Tearing a few strips of fabric, she did her best to fashion makeshift bandages to try and stem the bleeding.

“Elusive!” she called out, tapping him lightly on the cheek. “Elusive! Can you hear me?!” He didn’t respond, so she redoubled her efforts to stop the blood pouring out of his open wound.

Curiously though, it didn’t seem to be just blood. There was a strange, greenish substance all around the wound itself. It was a light green, and sticky to the touch. Tempest didn’t know what it was, but a quick glance at the knife she’d confiscated provided an answer. It too was coated from base to tip in the same goo, along with Elusive’s blood. It certainly explained why the griffon had reacted with such alarm when Tempest tried to slash him with it. As Tempest kept applying pressure to the wound, Elusive finally managed to speak, though his eyes were still closed, he managed to mumble something.

“Elusive?!” Tempest called out, perking up as he regained consciousness. “Elusive, what is it?” She leaned closer to hear what he was trying to say.

“I was...I was winning,” he managed to get out. Even now, the idiot made jokes.

“It doesn’t look that way to me,” Tempest replied worriedly. “You’ve got a serious stab wound, facial lacerations, and Celestia knows what internal injuries.” Now Elusive seemed to recover his voice a little.

“But before they knocked me down, I got off several cutting remarks, which no doubt did serious damage to their egos,” he said with a smile.

“This is no time to be making jokes, Elusive,” Tempest said as she heard the guards come cantering up the alley.

“Oh I’m perfectly serious, my dear Tempest. Thanks to you, I’m sure I’ll be on my feet again in no time, but the damage I did to them will last a lifetime.” He let out a soft chuckle before breaking into a coughing fit.

A few moments later, the guards burst in, and after some initial misunderstandings, Tempest managed to explain herself by way of the badly injured griffon and avoided being taken into custody. The guards quickly summoned a pair of their own medics and ten minutes later, an unconscious Elusive was rushed to Canterlot’s hospital.

Tempest, of course, followed. While there was no room for her to ride in the back of the large wagon that served as an ambulance, she was able to more or less keep pace with it as it wound its way through the still quiet city streets, it’s one flashing blue, plant pot light lighting up the buildings as it passed, and it’s shrill bell shattering the calm of the night. Arriving at the hospital, the medics unloaded him, and he was promptly turned over to the doctors, who wheeled him on the stretcher through into theatre, where Tempest was not permitted.

She was left with little to do, apart from do what every other pony did at such a time; sit down in the lobby and wait for news. Although on that front, she wasn’t waiting long. The guards were involved in this too now, and two of them soon approached Tempest to take her statement.

“Tempest Shadow?” one of them said questioningly. Tempest felt the urge to laugh. Was she really that unrecognisable?

“Yes,” she said, swallowing. “Is there any news yet?” The guard shook his head.

“I just spoke with the doc. He’s still in theatre.” He let that statement hang for a moment. “Right now we're trying to find out what happened and why. If you’re feeling up to it, my partner and I would like to take your statement.” Tempest looked up, incredulous.

“Don’t you already have a suspect in custody, if not three of them?” she demanded.

“The one griffon we found at the scene was in pretty bad shape. Pretty severe head trauma, so he isn’t likely to tell us anything any time soon. The other two made tracks as soon as the first officers arrived on scene.”

“Well they can’t have gone far,” Tempest insisted. “I assume you’re conducting a search.”

“We are,” the guard said with a nod.

“Well, there’s no sense me sitting around here doing nothing,” Tempest said, getting to her hooves. “I’m probably a better tracker than any of your ponies.”

“Whoa, not so fast,” the other guard said, blocking her way with a hoof. “There’s a few questions we need to ask you first. Like what you were doing there at such a late hour.”

Tempest wanted to scream. They had a suspect, they’d chased and somehow managed to lose two more, and yet they were still looking at her?! She repressed a growl and sat back down, knowing that trying to force anything would only complicate matters.

“Fine,” she snarled. “I was there to visit Elusive.”

“The victim?” the guard prodded. Again, Tempest found herself burying a very quiet rage.

“Yes,” she said, through gritted teeth. “He designed this dress for me so that I could attend Princess Luna’s birthday celebration. I’d left the party and stopped by his shop to thank him. I found the lights on and the door open. I went inside, came across those three griffons. They turned on me, I defended myself; knocked one down and would’ve taken out the other when you idiots burst in.”

It hadn’t dawned on Tempest until now that she was still wearing that same dress. It was all but ruined now of course. Somehow, that made the night’s events all the more worse.

“You went to visit your friend at one o’clock in the morning?” the guard asked.

“I knew he sometimes worked late,” Tempest explained. “So I stopped by on the off chance he was still up.” The guard jotted all this down on a notepad, the quill hovering in his magic.

“Do you have any idea who might want to hurt the victim at all?” he asked.

“No,” Tempest replied. “And I’d never seen those griffons before either.” The guard now took a seat next to Tempest.

“Now, Miss Shadow, I’m sure you’re aware that Elusive had something of a reputation, as do you. So you can understand why I’m going to say I don’t believe you.”

“Of course you don’t,” Tempest said with a snort.

“Look, why don’t we continue all this back at the guard post?” he suggested. Tempest was about to reply when the doctor joined them. The guard stood up and walked over to him.

“How is he, doc?”

The doctor, a bay earth pony clad in a light blue surgical gown, pulled his face mask and cap off to speak.

“We’ve managed to stop the bleeding and get him more or less stabilised,” he explained. “But this was no ordinary stab wound. The whole area around where the knife cut into him is coated with some kind of green oil like substance. I’ve never seen anything like it, nor has anypony down in our labs. All I can tell you is that it’s causing the surrounding flesh to necrotise. The stabbing acted like an injection, so whatever it is, is in the bloodstream. Best guess is he has about three days before his organs start to fail. We’ll make him as comfortable as we can, but you boys have a homicide on your hooves.”

Tempest, having heard all this, stood up and pushed her way past the two guards.

“Has he regained consciousness?” she asked. The doctor nodded.

“Yes, and he’s asking for you. There’s no danger to anypony else now that the wound’s dressed, but I would still advise caution.” Tempest nodded and was about to follow the doctor when the guards stopped her again.

“Now just hold on a minute…” he began, trying to block the way with his body..

Tempest stopped and briefly smiled down at him. She had a good few inches on the both of them. She considered grabbing his foreleg, yanking him down into an armbar and threatening to twist his foreleg off at the shoulder. But given that was trying to avoid arrest, she restrained herself.

“My friend is badly injured,” she said firmly. “I’m going to go and see him. I suggest you don’t get in my way.”

The guard held her gaze for a moment, but it was clear who was going to win out. Anypony could tell that Tempest could wipe the floor with him if she needed to. So after a few tense moments, he stepped aside, still glaring at her.

Tempest ignored him, and instead followed the now somewhat unnerved doctor to Elusive’s room.

Heading down the hallway, Tempest soon found herself outside Elusive’s room. A nurse was just stepping out and handed the doctor his chart, which he examined for a few moments before turning to Tempest.

“I’ve already explained the situation to him,” he told her. “He’s awake, but he’s lost a lot of blood, and quite weak as a result. Just keep that in mind.” Tempest nodded and pushed the door open.

The hospital room that Elusive was in was just as cold and austere as the rest of the building, the walls were a mucus green, with greenish grey linoleum underhoof. The bed, which was partly folded upwards to let Elusive sit up, was covered with green and white sheets. Even Elusive himself, having had his waistcoat cut off of him, was now wearing a green and white chequered hospital gown. Tempest’s nose wrinkled at the stench of antiseptic, and the incessant beeping of the EKG machine irritated her.

Considering that he’d not two hours ago been stabbed and brutally beaten, Elusive wasn’t looking too bad. He had a couple bruises on him here and there, and of course, the lower half of his body was covered by the bedsheets. But Tempest, had the doctor not told her, would never have guessed her friend was dying.

“You look like Tartarus,” she commented. Elusive smiled.

“Yes, this gown is rather vulgar isn’t it,” he agreed. Tempest closed the door behind her and walked over to his bedside.

“The doctor explained what’s happened. I’m sorry,” she said, a little quietly. Elusive however, despite his weakness, seemed unperturbed by his impending death.

“Well, it isn’t an entirely unexpected way for a shopkeeper like myself to meet their end. Even in Canterlot, you’d be surprised how many robberies gone wrong end up like this.” Tempest snorted.

“You don’t seriously expect me to believe that, do you?” she said, getting closer to him. “The register was untouched. There’s no way anypony can convince me this was some bungled robbery. Three griffons just turn up in Canterlot, go to a tiny, out of the way tailor, stab the owner and beat him half to death before fleeing without a single bit in their claws. Come off it, Elusive!”

“I can thank you actually for protecting my investment,” he countered. “Your timely arrival turned their attention away from such things.”

“Who were they? Robbers don’t tend to use exotic poison, or know the fighting style of Griffon Commandos. And why did they try to kill you?” she asked again.

“How could I possibly know?” he answered, a small smile on his face. The idiot was enjoying toying with her.

At any other time, Tempest would be willing to entertain Elusive’s half-truths, misdirections and bare faced lies, but not now. He was dying, he didn’t seem to care, and if she was going to lose one of her friends, she wanted to know why.

“Dammit, Elusive!” she all but shouted. “This isn’t one of your little mind games and the two of us aren’t sparring over lunch. Now I know you know who those griffons were and why they came after you. So tell me!”

If Elusive was surprised by her outburst, he didn’t show it. He took a moment before he answered.

“I suppose they may have some dislike for some of my designs,” he suggested. Tempest groaned and turned away in exasperation.

“I’m quite serious,” Elusive went on. “You’d be surprised just how detrimental a poor taste in fashion can be.”

Tempest put a hoof to the bridge of her nose. She couldn’t force information out of Elusive. So she’d just have to play his game.

“You’re a gifted tailor,” she replied. “I’d expect you to have an excellent taste.” Elusive smiled at her, almost proudly.

“Oh I do,” he assured her. “But fashion is a fickle thing, and everypony has their own opinions. Take your lovely dress for instance. Some people find it, and many of my other designs, too conservative, trapped in the past as it were.”

“Everypony has different tastes,” Tempest answered with a shrug.

“True,” Elusive replied, nodding. “But not everypony is so accommodating as you are, Tempest. And fashion is an ever changing beast. Take your lovely dress for instance. I personally adore it, and I know it caught the eye of many ponies tonight. But in time it can become tiresome. Some ponies may come to see my designs as being in poor taste, an affront to the eye. Some ponies might even find them objectionable. And then…” He gestured to Tempest’s damaged gown. “Naught but rags.”

“I see,” Tempest said, beginning to vaguely understand.

“Tempest. Let me give you some advice,” Elusive went on. “I’ve been in this business for a long time, and as you can see, there’s nothing worse in this world than following the wrong trend. You are a wonderful mare, with a style all your own. And I would hate to see you fall victim to fashion.”

“What do you mean?” Tempest asked, a note of worry in her voice.

“While I appreciate your style and you adore my designs, there are some ponies who have a most severe dislike for it. Perhaps you ought to consider following a new trend, something a little less radical. I would hate for you to be in the way, when my work goes out of fashion.”

Tempest had not been fully able to read between the lines here, but that last part was abundantly clear. And despite his best efforts, Tempest could see the concern on Elusive’s face. His mask had slipped ever so slightly. Whatever all this was about, it was enough to worry him, something Tempest had never seen before.

It was clear though that that was all he was going to give her, and trying to pry anything else from him would just be futile. But if he thought he could convince her to abandon him with that little spiel, he was dead wrong.

Before, Tempest’s curiosity about Elusive had been just that. She’d stopped digging because it just wasn’t worth the hassle. Now though, she needed to find out the truth about Elusive if she was going to have any hope of saving his life.

Heading out the door, she pushed her way past the two guards that were standing in the hall and set out once again for Elusive’s shop.

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.

Chapter 9

Tempest found herself walking out of Elusive’s room in a daze. Everything seemed to have slowed down for a moment. Time was creeping by at a snail’s pace. And somehow, everything seemed out of focus, as if she was looking at the world through opaque glass. Stumbling out into the corridor, she did her best to appraise the current situation.

After Elusive had attacked her, something which had genuinely surprised her, he had suffered some kind of fit. He’d had a good hold on her at one point, despite her apparent advantages in size and strength. She was actually considering using her magic to force him off when his grip began to falter.

She remembered looking into his eyes. In any fight, she seldom broke eye contact with her opponent. Partly, it served as a way to intimidate, going against the basic nature of the pony species, but it also gave her a great deal of information. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and Tempest, in her many encounters involving hoof to hoof combat, had always learned far more from her opponents eyes, than from watching their movements. It was as if she could almost see what they were thinking, their emotions, their plans and strategies. It was a tool that had served her well over the years, and she’d done just the same with Elusive.

He though, had always been difficult to read. While every now and then, Tempest had seen Elusive’s mask drop for a fleeting moment, it was a rare thing, and she had never truly been able to read him through the mask he presented to the world. After all, she hadn’t even managed to spot the real mask he had been wearing all this time, never mind see beneath the psychological one.

But during their fight, he had changed. He had set aside his mask; the act that he had portrayed for so long. It was as if she were meeting the real Elusive for the first time. And he had been terrifying. Tempest could count on her hooves the number of times she’d been truly frightened, and that had been one of them. There had been no mercy in his eyes, no hint of compassion; nothing of the pony she knew. There had just been this...thing, that was determined seemingly to kill her. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, he genuinely meant to kill her in a rage. That alone was enough to deeply unsettle Tempest. She’d known Elusive for a while now, and felt like they had been good friends, and yet he had tried to kill her without a second thought.

Fortunately, she hadn’t had to stare at that monster for long. As the poison began to have a more severe effect on his body, to say nothing of his mind, those same killer eyes had dulled, his grip had relaxed, and she had been able to force him away as a violent fit gripped him. After that, she’d managed to call the nurses and doctors, despite the pain in her throat. Despite everything, she had still tried to help her friend, now that he was writhing on the floor. Of course, the doctors had hastily pushed her out of the way as they loaded him onto a stretcher and rushed him out of the room.

The last Tempest had seen of him, he had an oxygen mask over his face, and was being wheeled in the direction of the operating theatre. The doctors and nurses had spouted off some medical babble that she had little hope of deciphering as they pushed him through the swinging double doors.

After that, she’d been left alone. The hospital room was a complete mess. The attendant table had been turned over, the bedsheets scattered everywhere, and in the melee, a tray of instruments had been sent flying all over the room. Tempest staggered out into the corridor and slumped down in one of the chairs lining it.

The scene kept replaying over and over in her head. Elusive had been so...well, Elusive at first; his normal self. That cagey, evasive, yet somehow still friendly and charming stallion that had fitted her for a dress and taught her how to waltz. It was only now she realised that it was all a mask. It was a deception, an illusion, used to make her and other ponies feel comfortable around him. The real Elusive was nothing like that it seemed. He was a defeated, broken stallion, haunted by the ghosts of his past. He wasn’t her friend, she wasn’t anything to him; just something he’d done to keep himself close to sane. And all the while, he’d been silently hating it. To say that Tempest felt betrayed didn’t even come close to what she was feeling, even heartbreak didn’t seem to fit. All this time, she thought, amid all the ponies who distrusted and despised her, there was this one strange pony that she could get along with. He had no reason to be kind to her, it wasn’t like with Twilight, Spike, or Starlight. Tempest knew that, whatever else they might think about her, they all pitied her to some degree. Elusive hadn’t done that. He’d treated her as any other pony, and helped her on the path to becoming one again.

But it wasn’t true. None of it was. Every smile, every witty remark, every helpful insight, even that reassuring hoof on her shoulder. It had all been a sham. And all the while, he’d hated her. Just like everypony else.

Tempest wanted to cry, but she didn’t. She hadn’t cried since she was a filly. Instead, she lay down across two of the seats and laid her head on her hooves, utterly miserable. She knew what was coming; those same thoughts that had haunted her since her ‘new’ life had begun. The realisation that nopony would ever accept her, she would never be like other ponies, she would never have her horn back whole again, and that maybe she was just better off being done with all this.

No! She quashed those thoughts with a violent start. That way lay madness, and it was a load of horseapples anyway. Elusive was ill. The doctors had told both of them that an effect of the poison working its way through his system, was that it could affect brain chemistry, causing mood swings, irrational behaviour, and dissociative episodes. It was that which had been talking, not Elusive. She was seeing someone not fully in control of their faculties. He was frustrated with himself, and facing a grim death in the not too distant future. It was natural that he would lash out. Whatever he might have said in there, Tempest knew that he was still her friend.

At least, that was what she tried to tell herself. She would come close to convincing herself that it was true, only for nagging doubt to rear up in her mind. She couldn’t be sure if they were reasonable possibilities, or her own problems using Elusive against her. The only upside she could see was that she didn’t know for sure that it had all been a lie. That had to count for something.

She found herself waiting, watching the clock slowly tick by. First ten minutes went by, then twenty, then an hour, and still there was no word. She’d been on her hooves for the better part of twenty four hours. Add in a near fight to the death, and Tempest was completely exhausted. Eventually, even a trained soldier like her could sustain herself any longer, and she slowly allowed her eyes to close, as she fell into a deep sleep.

Tempest opened her eyes, expecting to find herself back in the hospital. She hadn’t really slept, more like napping, not reaching the deep state of unconsciousness necessary for REM sleep, and consequently dreaming to take place. But she found herself no longer in the hospital. She didn’t find herself anywhere in fact. For a few brief moments, all around her was a black void. It was only as she seemingly awoke from her sleep that the world around her began to shift into focus.

First, the sky reappeared. A beautiful night sky slowly formed before her eyes, as one by one, thousands of stars, glittering like diamonds appeared, winking into existence. Their light illuminated the world around her. It was as if she was floating in the night sky. There was no ground to speak of, though she was definitely standing on something. It was difficult to perceive. None of the most basic laws of physics seemed to apply here. There was no ground, yet she felt something underhoof. There was no gravity, yet she wasn’t falling, and had a distinct sense of balance, knowing up from down. And despite it being utterly impossible, she could hear the stars twinkling in the night. The world continued to create itself around her. Nebulae began to swirl around, giving form to the formless ground on which she stood. It seemed to stretch off into infinity, winding its way through the heavens.

Tentatively, Tempest took a few careful steps forward, testing the ground ahead. She slowly walked along the glittering path, almost mesmerised by the stars that seemed to dance all around her.

“I have a feeling I’m not in Equestria any more,” she said to herself as she tried to ascertain some idea of where she was, if such a concept could be applied here.

“Actually, you haven’t moved an inch,” an echoing voice informed her. Tempest started for a moment.

A nearby group of stars began to gather together, forming a new constellation that resembled a pony. A moment later, it was joined by a nebula that surrounded the outline the stars created, giving the voice a form, and a moment later, with a brief flash of magic, Tempest watched Princess Luna float down to join her on the star covered path.

“Princess Luna?” Tempest said in surprise. “Am I dreaming, or is this real?”

Tempest remembered Spike’s explanation of Luna’s dream walking ability; how she could enter the dreams of another and affect it, guarding them against nightmares. Luna herself looked a little nonplussed at the unicorn’s question.

“Technically, both,” she replied after a moment’s thought. “You are dreaming, but this is nonetheless quite real. I saw you drift off into slumber, and thought it best that we talk. I’m sure our mutual friend would approve of such absolute privacy. Nopony can bother us here. And we have much to discuss.” Tempest’s face fell.

“You know what’s happened to Elusive then?” Luna nodded.

“I always try to keep an ear to the ground, particularly in my own city,” she explained. “And were it not such a delicate matter, I would have come in person as soon as I heard what had befallen dear Elusive.” Tempest bit her lip for a moment.

“Luna. There’s something you should know about Elusive. I found out when I was helping to change his dressings. He’s…”

“A changeling. Yes, I’m well aware,” Luna said, politely cutting Tempest off. Tempest meanwhile let out a started snort.

“You knew?!” Luna nodded.

“He bears no ill will toward anypony. He has no loyalty to Chrysalis. And he has never expressed a desire to change his current circumstances. Thus I, and my sister, saw no point in taking any action. And to inform ponies would only put his safety at risk.”

“So you’re telling me you have no problem with a former infiltrator living right under your nose?” Luna chuckled.

“Considering that one of Equestria’s rulers not so long ago attempted to usurp the throne and plunge the world into eternal night. I think the phrase ‘kettle and pot’ might be appropriate. He is no more a threat to anypony than I am.” A fair point.

“So you know what’s happened to him?” Tempest asked, sitting down, with the alicorn coming to join her a moment later.

“I do,” she replied simply with a nod.

“He’s dying,” Tempest went on. “He’s dying and there’s no way for me to help him.” Luna now rested a comforting wing across Tempest’s shoulders.

“I don’t know why I’m so sad though,” she went on bitterly. “It turns out our whole friendship was nothing but a lie. It was just another little act he played. He smiled, befriended me, helped me more than anypony, and all the while ,he was quietly hating me, his life, everypony.”

“And what makes you so sure of all that?” Luna asked. Tempest let out a hollow laugh.

“He told me,” she explained. “Right before he tried to kill me in a fit of rage. He said he couldn’t stand being exiled from his homeland like this. And even more he hated that he’d started to get used to it, even like it. He told me how he ended up here. I can understand how he feels.”

“How so?” Luna prompted.

“I guess we’re a lot alike. We’re both soldiers who fought on the wrong side. We both made mistakes. And now we’re both stuck in this limbo. We no longer serve the enemy, but we’re never truly embraced as friends.”

“I think that may be partly by choice on Elusive’s part,” Luna countered. “As for you, you seemed to do quite well for yourself at my party. Stygian was most taken with you, as was my captain. You have been offered a position in my guard. Surely that shows you that not all ponies still see you as Tempest Shadow the traitor. Some see Tempest the reformed, Tempest the ally, even Tempest the friend. One or two even still see Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”

Tempest now rounded on Luna, as the pieces in her mind slid into place.

“Is that why you invited me?!” she demanded. “As part of some manipulative plan to ‘help’ me? Was that why you sent me to Elusive too; to ‘help’ him?”

Despite her anger, to the point where her horn was sparking, Luna hardly reacted to the display.

“I would be lying if I said the answer was no,” she admitted. “But nor was it the whole reason.”

Tempest snorted and tossed her head in agitation, storming away from Luna.

“I never pitied you, Tempest,” Luna called out, stopping her. “It’s one thing I can never tolerate from anypony. When I returned from my exile, while many were glad to see me, plenty vilified me as Nightmare Moon. Some still do to this day. There are ponies out there who will never accept me. So don’t think for one instant that you’re the only one going through what you’re going through. Me, Elusive, Stygian, Discord, Starlight, even Twilight Sparkle’s old rival Trixie. All of us made a mistake, and are never entirely trusted again. So I’m sorry if I tried to help you on that front.”

The venom in Luna’s voice at that last part actually caught Tempest off guard. Turning around, she looked back at the alicorn, who now seemed so sullen.

“I believe in redemption, Tempest,” she told her. “I believe ponies can change. But there are plenty of ponies who do not, and judge me, and others like me, for their past mistakes. And those same ponies judge you and Elusive harshly as well. In his case, it’s all rumours anyway. I believe it, and if other ponies don’t want to, then that’s their business. Do you know what the difference is between you and Elusive, Tempest?” Tempest didn’t answer.

“Elusive doesn’t care what others say or think about him. You’ve spent these past weeks in Ponyville and Canterlot, worrying what other ponies think. You worry about them not liking you, or thinking you are still loyal to the Storm King. Does any of it matter? Look at your life now. You have friends, you have a job. You have a new life that is just beginning. Do you realise how precious that is? If ponies want to whisper nonsense behind your back, that’s their bad lookout. They do it to me, and I don’t care! Neither should you.”

Luna paused, letting her wings drop to her sides. It was strange to see her caught up in such passion. On their previous meetings, she had always been so calm and serene, more so here in the dreaming realm where the very fabric of reality was at her beck and call. It certainly struck a chord with Tempest. She had been focussing, too much as it turned out, on what others thought of her. Like Luna said, she had friends, a new job, and a new life. That though, raised another question.

“But what about Elusive?” she asked. “If he’s so above it all, why is he just letting all this happen?” Luna smiled sadly.

“While he may not have said it in the kindest of terms,” she replied. “I can understand his feeling; to be far from one’s home, never to return. Then again, as I understand it, the poison that is killing him is known to affect the mind, as well as the body. Could it not be that what he said was just him lashing out, not truly meaning it? Elusive has many skills, and he definitely knows how to hurt somepony without inflicting any physical harm when he wants to.”

Tempest remembered his cavalier remark about how he had forever scarred the three griffons that had attacked him. And it had always been in her thoughts from the moment she’d staggered out into the hospital hallway. While her mind was whirring away, telling her that everypony hated her, including Elusive, there was a smaller part that resisted it. A part that Luna was now bolstering.

“There’s still nothing I can do though,” she said sadly. “The poison is some kind of changeling venom. There’s no antidote for it. The doctors can’t even do much about the pain.”

“Pony doctors,” Luna pointed out. “And pony medicine. While our medical serves are often excellent, they are not without their flaws. Cutie Pox for instance was declared by pony medical science to be completely incurable. Yet a zebra shaman can brew up a potion from a single flower that will almost instantly reverse the effects.” Tempest perked up at this.

“You think that the changelings might have some kind of treatment for it?” she asked. Luna nodded.

“There is no harm in asking them,” Luna said. Tempest paused.

“But Elusive’s too sick now to travel that far.” Luna chuckled.

“Tempest, there is an old saying in Saddle Arabia. ‘If Marehammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must go to Marehammed’. Come up to the castle when you awake. I shall have one of my chariots waiting for you. A pair of thestrals should take less than half a day to reach the Changeling Kingdom. Seek out an audience with Thorax. Since the overthrow of Chrysalis, he has taken up leadership of the hive, though he is no king. His brother Pharynx might also be of help. He was, and remains, the head of their military forces. With luck, one of them will be able to help, or at least direct you to those who can.”

With that, Luna activated her magic. A bright white light emanated from her horn., shining like a sun amidst the night sky. The light soon began to engulf everything including Tempest. Within moments, she had lost sight of Luna, and not long after that, her whole world turned white.

“Miss Shadow? Miss Shadow, wake up.”

Tempest awoke from her slumber with a start, somepony was gently prodding at her. Blinking as she quickly came to, she found herself still lying down across two chairs in the hospital hallway. The doctor was standing over her, gently trying to wake her. She shook her head in an effort to clear the cobwebs.

“Sorry, I dozed off,” she said as she got to her hooves.” The doctor smiled.

“I thought you’d want to know that Elusive is awake again,” he explained. Tempest’s ears perked up at the news.

“How is he? What happened?” she asked quickly.

“It looks like a combination of the poison and stress,” he explained. “We’re not a hundred percent sure, but he underwent some kind of seizure. It lasted about four minutes in total. We put him on oxygen. I hate to say it, but this is just the start of it. As the poison does its work he’ll begin to lose more of his faculties.” Tempest’s ears wilted at that.

“How long does he have?” she asked.

“About a day. Maybe a day and a half. We’re doing all we can to make him comfortable. Most likely we’ll induce a medical coma towards the end; less painful that way.” He paused for a moment. “He’s asking for you, if you want to go in and see him.”

That surprised Tempest. Not so long ago, Elusive had been genuinely trying to kill her. He’d told her precisely what he thought of her and none of it was flattering. Why in Equestria would he want to see her? From her conversation with Luna, she was planning to head straight to the castle, but if Elusive wanted to see her…

If she was too late, the least she could do was say goodbye.

Elusive had been moved back into his room, which was now tidied up and showed no evidence of their earlier scuffle. He was back in bed, and at this point there was no question of him getting out of it. He was very weak, looking paler and more frail. Tempest stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Elusive looked at her for a moment. Despite everything, there was that same glint in his eyes.

“You look like Tartarus, my dear,” he said, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

“I could say the same for you,” Tempest fired back.

Elusive gestured towards the nearby chair, prompting Tempest to sit down.

“I wanted to apologise,” Elusive said as Tempest sat down. “For both what I said and did to you.”

“You were angry,” Tempest replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Still, that’s no excuse to lash out at a friend and a good customer,” he replied, finding it apparently hard to meet her gaze.

“Under the circumstances, it’s understandable,” Tempest assured him.

She paused for a moment. She wanted to tell him what her plan was, and that there was a possibility of saving his life. But what if she failed? What if there was no antidote to this poison? She didn’t want to give Elusive false hope. That would just be setting him up for another fall in the short time he had left. On the other hoof, what was better; resignation, or a glimmer of hope? She decided on the latter.

“I’m going to the Changeling Kingdom,” she announced. Elusive looked at her in surprise. “Your people might have some way of saving you. I’m not going to sit here and watch you die if there’s even a slight chance that I can save you.”

“All good things, my dear Tempest,” Elusive said with a sigh. “I’ve had a good run, and lived a modest life. Now though, it’s time to let go.” Tempest felt tears trying to well up in her eyes.

“No it isn’t!” she told him. “You’re not resigned to your fate. Of all the things you said to me before, one thing rang true. You don’t like yourself. You regret what happened with Nirx. I get that. But giving up on yourself isn’t going to bring him back, atone for your misdeeds, or whatever else you want to do. I regret what I did, what I did for the Storm King, and all the ponies I hurt in the process just to try and get my horn back. Giving up on myself won’t undo any of that though. You showed me that I could move past my mistakes, build a new life. That’s how you atone, Elusive; through life.”

Her impassioned speech certainly seemed to have an effect on the changeling. He smiled at her. It was a small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

“You are a fine speaker, my dear,” he said kindly. “And I can see our friendship has greatly helped you. Possibly far more than it has helped me. So, before you go off to try and save my skin, permit me to tell you something I’ve never told anypony. I said before that I was the one who exposed Nirx and I, that it was my mistake that got him killed. Well, that isn’t quite true.” He paused and sighed for a moment before continuing.

“It’s time I told you the truth,” he said. Tempest smiled.

“Oh I think I’ve just about given up on finding out that,” she said playfully.

“Now, now, patience has its rewards,” Elusive replied as he began his tale.

“It’s true, I made a mistake. I let a mare and her foal escape. I was captured by the Royal Guard, and I panicked. I tried to play a little double cross. I offered to give up Nirx and help them, planning to use the confusion to escape. But I wasn’t quick enough. Nirx knew that I was compromised, and that it would only be a matter of time before he was found out too.

“If you recall, Tempest, even before the attempted invasion, the city was put on high alert due to intelligence on a possible threat. Now where do you suppose that came from? The mare hadn’t told the guards anything. After I told Nirx what I’d done, he blew the whistle on me, started a massive search of the city. While I was being hunted down, he used the confusion to escape. He destroyed me.”

“He beat you to the punch?” Tempest said with some surprise.

“I never saw it coming,” Elusive said with a smile. “We’d been friends for so long that I never even considered the possibility of him betraying me.”

“And that’s why Chrysalis exiled you?” Elusive nodded.

“For getting captured, and taking pity on that mare and her foal,” Elusive clarified. “At least, officially. When Thorax overthrew her, I made overtures to return. But infiltrators were never exactly the most popular changelings in the hive. We didn’t just infiltrate other creatures; we kept an eye out for dissent; the invisible eyes and ears of Queen Chrysalis. I could name any number of my countrymen who might have sent those griffons after me. That’s why I deserve my fate, Tempest. I betrayed my friend.”

Tempest was again rendered briefly speechless by all this, but eventually found her words.

“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked. After all, he’d spun a couple stories so far that turned out to be only partly true at best. Elusive looked into her eyes sadly.

“So you can forgive me,” he said, desperately. “I need to know that somepony forgives me.”

He held out his hoof, just managing to take Tempest’s in his. His once firm grip was now weak as a foal’s. The two of them held their gaze for a few moments before Tempest finally spoke.

“I forgive you,” Tempest said softly. “For whatever it is you did.” Elusive smiled at that.

“Thank you, Tempest,” he said weakly. “For everything. Our friendship, however brief it might be, has been most satisfying. And you know what, there’s one positive thing I can say about this life I had to take on. I was a very good tailor.”

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, exhausted by the effort now required just to speak. Tempest smiled back, hoping that this would not be the last time she saw him. Heading out into the hallway, she left the hospital, and hurried up the hill towards the castle.

Chapter 10

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.

Chapter 11

With forty winks under her belt, the flight back to Canterlot went a great faster for Tempest than the outward bound journey had. She awoke shortly before they began their descent into the city. It was early evening now and the city was bathed in the golden glow of the sunset. The spires of the castle glistened in the fading light and the whole city seemed to sparkle with magic.

Dropping down, the thestrals were soon on approach to the landing platform that jutted out from the side of the castle. Weaving their way between a passenger airship and a military vessel that was currently being brought out of mothballs (a consequence of the attack on the city), they set down on the platform, where Luna was waiting for them.

Tempest couldn’t help but muse how strange her budding friendship with Luna was. They’d only met a total of four times in person, but thanks to her dream walking, she felt like someone Tempest had known for much longer. She reflected that the same could be said for Elusive. After all, despite only knowing him for a couple of weeks, Tempest had just returned from flying halfway across Equestria to try and save him. Jumping out of the chariot, she reported herself.

“I see my guards do not disappoint when it comes to speed,” Luna applauded the two thestrals. “But I fear, Tempest, that someone was faster still. I had a rather curious visitor following our conversation.”

“Oh, who?” Tempest asked curiously.

“A physician out of Saddle Arabia,” Luna explained, her tone turning playful and slightly sarcastic. “It was the most curious thing. The stallion just happened to be a budding expert when it comes to poisons and toxins, and he has recently been writing a thesis on changeling physiology. He had heard of our little problem and was quick to offer his assistance. Imagine my surprise when he provided the doctors at the hospital with the formula for an antivenom that should allow our mutual friend to make a full recovery. Isn’t it strange the ponies you happen to meet?” Tempest chuckled at that.

“And let me guess, he decided not to stick around afterwards, and when you had your guards look him up, you couldn’t find a single record on him.” Now Luna laughed.

“Just so, Tempest, my friend, just so.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad that Mandible held up his end of things, although I can’t say I approve of his reasons. I suppose I’d better get down to the hospital.”

She was about to go, when Luna stopped her.

“Tempest, there’s one more thing I’d like to talk with you about before you go.” Tempest paused in her departure.

“I hear from my gallant Captain Night Song that you have accepted a position within my guard. And while I am sure that you will take to soldiering like a pegasus to a cloud, I have a suggestion that I would beg you to consider before making your final decision.”

“I’m listening,” Tempest said, now giving Luna her full attention.

“The Royal Guard, and my own Lunar Guard, are not just about soldiers standing around on sentry duty and guarding my sister and I. They are Equestria’s protectors, and admittedly, of late, some have greatly come up short in the performance of their duties.”

That was definitely true. While several incidents could be attributed to the overwhelming force of an enemy, such as the guard’s failure to stop the likes of Discord, Tirek, or Nightmare Moon, others should have fallen within their remit, such as the attacks by the changelings, as well as Tempest’s own strike on the city. Poor leadership, lax attitudes, and a lack of experience meant that the guard did not do its job. Tempest’s attack had gone far better than she had ever expected for instance. As a result, public confidence in the institution was low. Luna continued.

“The Royal Guard is not up to dealing with threats that, all too often, require the aid of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. I am looking to change that. Whilst the Lunar Guard has been instrumental in retraining the existing guard and rebuilding them to a fighting force, I cannot help but feel that we need something else, beyond just soldiers. Ponies who can identify and intercept threats before they come knocking on our door.”

“So what, you want to form some kind of special forces?” Tempest asked. Luna considered that.

“In a way,” she agreed. “A mixture of such things, combined with intelligence gathering. They would go all over, and possibly even beyond Equestria if need be, to identify, monitor, and if necessary, deal with potential threats to the realm. With your experience, I cannot help but think you would make an ideal first candidate.”

“I’m honoured, Princess,” Tempest said with a slight bow.

“Well,” Luna explained. “I thought it might provide the best of both worlds for you. You would gain the career and life of soldiering you are so suited to, and would be serving Equestria, helping to restore your reputation here. Yet at the same time, you may spend a great deal of time beyond our borders, helping to stamp out the last remnants of the Storm King and spreading word of his defeat. I would not ask for your answer now, but I can’t help but see it as perfect for you. In any case, there will be time to talk of such things later. Right now, I believe you have a friend to call upon.”

With that, Tempest hurried out of the castle, and was soon on her way back to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital’s reception, Tempest was soon approached by one of the doctors that was treating Elusive. Not so long ago, he’d told her they were planning to induce a medical coma so that Elusive wouldn’t be in too much pain. Now though, his prognosis was much more optimistic.

“Ah, Miss Shadow,” he greeted. “Princess Luna said you would be visiting. I assume you’ve heard the good news?” Tempest nodded.

“Is the medicine working?” she asked.

“Indeed it is,” he said with no small amount of admiration. “In all my years of medicine, I’ve never seen anything like it. It not only neutralised the toxin, breaking it down into harmless by-products that the liver can easily filter out, but it even helped reverse some of the necrosis around the wound area. It will still be some time before he can be discharged of course; the poison really did a number on him. I’d say another twelve hours and even this stuff wouldn’t have been able to save him. Still, I’m optimistic about him making a complete recovery.”

“That’s great news,” Tempest said. “Can I visit him?”

“Of course,” the doctor said with a smile. “He’s out of intensive care now. Head down that hallway and you’ll find him in room 224.”

Tempest followed the directions and soon found her way to Elusive’s new room. It was more like a hotel room than a hospital one. Everything was just a little less antiseptic and clinical. Walking inside, she found Elusive sitting up in his bed reading the paper. The sound of the door opening had prompted him to look over it at Tempest.

He certainly looked better. There was more colour to him now, and only one IV running into his foreleg that Tempest assumed was this antidote Mandible had provided. He still had a bandage running around the middle of his barrel, but he no longer looked like he was at death’s door. His eyes too seemed to have their gleam back. All in all, he looked like the Elusive she knew.

“You look like Tartarus,” she said. It had become something of a routine greeting between them of late.

“I could say the same for you, Tempest,” Elusive replied with a smile. “A long flight I take it?”

“There and back,” Tempest replied. “Still, I see it was worth it.”

“Yes,” Elusive said, sounding curious. “Tell me, my dear, how in the wide, wide realm of Equestria did you manage to get your hooves on antivenom like that?”

Tempest was curious to see how Elusive would react to this. There had been a vague undercurrent of truth to everything he’d told her thus far. Perhaps this would be enough to rattle him.

“A changeling called Mandible. I gather he used to be your old boss.” Elusive chuckled.

“Ah that sly old fox,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head. “He was like a father to me. How has he been anyway?”

“Retired supposedly,” Tempest explained. “Although infiltration seems to be going on as it always did, and other changelings are pretty scared of him. I thought you said you couldn’t return because of how infiltrators were regarded in the new order.”

“I said I wasn’t welcome back,” Elusive countered. “Does Mandible look as if he’s welcome there? They’re too fearful of what he represents to try anything. I figure why not stay somewhere where I’m at least tolerated, instead of moving home where I might be killed at any moment.”

“Given that we’re in a hospital, I can see a slight flaw in that argument,” Tempest joked.

“Touché, my dear.”

“Mandible certainly has it in for you though,” Tempest went on. “He apparently considers this help as just further punishment.” Elusive chuckled.

“Ah yes, to be forever cut off from home and hearth,” Elusive said wistfully. “I can imagine worse fates.”

“If I didn’t know better though,” Tempest said. “I could almost swear that he misses you, just as much as he hates you.”

“We always did have a complicated relationship, even when we were amicable.”

The conversation then petered out somewhat. The two of them were both dancing around the elephant in the room, neither wanting to discuss the still recent unpleasantness. Eventually though, Elusive summoned up his courage.

“Tempest,” he said, his tone now far less jocular than before. “I...I want to apologise for what I said to you.”

“You weren’t yourself, Elusive,” she reassured him. “You were angry, dying, far from home, and I was an easy target.”

“That’s no excuse,” Elusive countered, shaking his head. “You didn’t deserve a word of it. I have greatly enjoyed your company and your friendship these past two weeks. As pleasant as a solitary life is, it is nice to have somepony to talk to from time to time. Although I hear you may be leaving us soon.”

“You don’t miss a trick, do you, Elusive?” Tempest said with a smile. “I’m certainly tempted by it. And honestly, I think it would be best for everypony. I get to spend some time outside Equestria, doing something good for a change.”

“I must admit, I’m a tad jealous of such an opportunity,” Elusive said. “I’d certainly encourage you to take it. The two of us can always keep in touch as friends do.” Tempest smiled.

“That can all wait, Elusive,” Tempest said gently. “I’m just glad you’re going to be okay.”

Elusive spent the next week in the hospital, recovering from his injuries and allowing the doctors to monitor the steady progress the antidote made in undoing the damage caused by the stabbing. He didn’t take to the confinement particularly well. If nothing else, he had a business to run. In part, thanks to Tempest’s display of his work at Luna’s birthday celebration, and partly out of sympathy for his situation, Elusive had seen quite the increase in his client base. It was still modest, of course, but he now had far more steady work. Certainly enough to keep him comfortable for a long time. Of course, that meant, while he was laid up in hospital, these orders and commissions were piling up, and he was anxious to make a start.

Tempest meanwhile, opted to extend her stay in Canterlot. She contacted Twilight through Spike, explaining to her the odd series of events that had led her here. The long and short of it was though, that she had managed to find gainful employment, and that she would, temporarily she assured Twilight, be leaving Equestria to help spread word of the Storm King’s fall. She would undergo a short training session in Canterlot prior to her departure. She also explained, leaving out a few important details, how Elusive had been injured. In an effort to repay the stallion back for his help, and in light of the build-up of work at his shop, she volunteered herself to help out with a few of the more simple jobs. It kept Elusive happy, gave her something to do while her paperwork was processed, and also served as a rather useful way of improving her fine motor control when it came to her magic.

That week saw her following a fairly steady and relaxed routine. She extended her stay in the hotel via the first of an annual stipend she received from Luna. Once beyond Equestria, it would help cover any expenses she might incur. She spent most of her morning in the store, taking orders from prospective customers, working on the simple repair jobs (on that front, she was grateful to Elusive for teaching her the basics), and generally keeping the store ticking over.

Then, after doing a half day in the store, she would head down the same restaurant she and Elusive had frequented that first week together. She enjoyed the food, but it was always lacking without Elusive’s company. He still had another week left before the hospital would release him. As Tempest tucked into her salad though, she was startled as a shadow briefly passed by her table and stopped. Looking up, she was surprised to find herself looking at none other than Elusive himself. He looked more or less the same as he was before the incident that had nearly cost him his life. He was once again wearing his crimson waistcoat, although this time it was teamed with a pair of saddlebags

“May I join you?” he asked.

“Elusive!” Tempest said in surprise. What was he doing here?

Elusive paid no mind to the shocked expression on Tempest’s face and, with his usual smile, took the seat opposite her, setting his bags down on the floor next to him.

“Thank you,” he said, blatantly ignoring her lack of response.

Tempest stared at him in bewilderment for a moment. The doctors said he needed at least another week of bed rest to allow the injuries to properly heal. While the poison that had nearly killed him was gone, there was still the small matter of the seven inch blade that had been driven into his gut, as evidenced by the now smaller, but nonetheless noticeable dressing on his stomach. As he’d sat down, he let out a slight hiss as he felt some pain from bending the still healing area.

“What are you doing here?!” Tempest exclaimed in a worried tone. “You’re supposed to still be laid up and getting better.” Elusive barked a short laugh and waved Tempest’s concerns away.

“Absolutely out of the question,” he said emphatically. “I don’t think I could stand being cooped up in the infernal hospital for even a single minute longer. Besides, I feel perfectly fine.”

Tempest considered telling him to go back to the hospital, and even considered dragging him there herself. But if she knew one thing about Elusive, it was that he could be stubborn when he wanted to be. If he tore the stitches, that was another matter though. Seeing the concern on her face, Elusive opted for a safer topic of discussion.

“So, tell me,” he said in a more upbeat tone. “Are they still serving that wonderful treacle sponge? I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee in an age, and it always goes so well.”

“Are they still…” Tempest repeated, unable to finish the question. “Is that all you have to say for yourself? How in the name of Celestia can you just sit there, grinning, and pretending that the last week didn’t happen?!”

“Personally, my dear Tempest,” Elusive said, in a more patient tone. “I am quite satisfied with the way things turned out. I am alive and well, as are you, and more to boot. And I see no purpose in continuing to dwell on what was a deeply difficult and traumatic time for the both of us.”

There was some logic to his logic there, Tempest reasoned. It had been a very trying time for her. More so for Elusive, in light of the whole issue of possibly casting off his mortal coil, but nonetheless tough for her too. She’d not gotten nearly enough sleep, been almost constantly worried, and she wagered, possibly put her life at far greater risk than she had initially believed when she went to the Changeling Kingdom. That little point still remained up in the air. She wagered that she would have to watch her back in the future.

Still, that aside, the crisis had passed. Elusive was alive and well, as was she. Their friendship had been greatly tested, but had survived and possibly been further strengthened by it all. And really, what was there to be achieved by fixating on it? Elusive, again, tried to steer the conversation in the direction of safer topics.

“By the way,” he went on. “I must tell you that I had a most interesting meeting at the shop today.”

Sweet Celestia, he’d been at the shop too?

“Oh, who?” Tempest asked.

“None other than the former captain of the Royal Guard, and now Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor.”

Twilight’s brother? While he was no longer in the Royal Guard per se, and certainly no longer their captain, as he was now the commanding officer of the re-established Imperial Crystal Guard, he did keep his ear to the ground when it came to the outfits affairs, and if Tempest recalled, still gave guest lectures at the academy. He was also quite notable for his stance on changelings. While not opposed to the peace, he had been far more guarded and cautious than most, something Tempest respected.

She always reflected that it was a pity that the two had never crossed paths with each other. His record was impressive, and she wagered, had he been in charge of the city’s defences, he would have put up much more of a fight and tested Tempest far more than the attack actually had. And while he would no doubt be among her own detractors, she still respected him for it, as a fellow soldier, if nothing else. Perhaps they would meet in the near future, given her new position?

“And what did he want with you?” Tempest asked. “Alterations to his dress uniform?” Elusive chuckled at Tempest’s jab.

“Oh, while it was a business call, it sadly wasn’t that kind of business,” Elusive said with a chuckle. “No, he came in his official capacity. It seems that he is under the impression that I was a changeling, and an infiltrator at that. He even wanted me to undergo tests to prove it.”

“And how did you respond to that?” she asked, sipping her own coffee.

“Well, that he was mistaken, naturally,” Elusive answered. “And that he had no legal grounds to compel me to undertake such a test.”

“The latter I can believe,” Tempest said. “But I doubt he believed your denial about the former.”

“He said something about ‘keeping a closer eye on me’ in the future. I told him he was quite welcome to do so. I have nothing to hide and I’ve always been happy to cooperate with the esteemed Royal Guard.” Elusive didn’t sound worried by any of it.

The stallion then leaned down and briefly rummaged around in his saddlebags before popping up again, a small box, wrapped in light green wrapping paper. He set the item on the table and gently pushed it across to Tempest.

“Here,” he said kindly, sounding genuinely sincere for a change. “I’ve brought you something. Consider it a thank you gift for looking after my shop while I was under the weather.”

Tempest smiled at that. Activating her magic, she carefully unwrapped her gift. Her motor control really had come a long way. It would never be perfect, but it was better than it had been. Being a unicorn unable to cast basic levitation was no fun at all.

It was a book, and a reasonably well made one at that. A light brown hardback cover, with gold lettering and motifs on it. The title read ‘A Rediscovery of Friendship’ by Obsidia. Tempest had never heard of it, and given that she’d spent the past few weeks living in one of the most extensive libraries in Equestria, that was saying something. Despite that though, she’d never really been one for pony fiction. The stories always seemed to have a guaranteed happy ending. There were never any nuances, no shades of grey that existed in real life. Elusive seemed to read this on her face.

“I think you’ll like this,” Elusive explained, reassuring her a little. “It takes place in the future, in a time where the magic of friendship, and even magic in general, has been lost, and ponies must work together to rediscover it.”

“And do they?” Tempest asked, before thinking better of it. “Actually, never mind, I don’t want to spoil the ending.”

Setting the book to one side, Tempest found herself pensive once more. Looking back, her trip to Canterlot had been a great success. She now had work, a direction in her life. She’d even found someone she could truly call a friend, and had quite the adventure in the process. But when it came to Elusive, there was still so much she didn’t know about him. And with her new position, it was likely she wouldn’t get to ask them any time soon. In all likelihood, this would be their last meeting for some time. She looked Elusive in the eye, trying to read her obfuscating friend.

“You know,” she said, leaning forward. “I still have a lot of questions to ask you about your past.” Elusive smiled a small smile.

“I’ve given you all the answers I’m capable of,” he replied in a relaxed tone.

“You’ve given me answers alright,” Tempest agreed. “But they were all different. What I want to know is, out of all the stories you’ve told me, which ones were true?” Now Elusive leaned forward a little, still smiling.

“My dear Tempest,” he said kindly. “They’re all true.” Tempest smiled back.

“Even the lies?”

“Especially the lies.”