//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Unwanted Attention // Story: Repercussions // by shallow15 //------------------------------// It was a few days later when Gardenia met Sunset and her friends in a subdivision a few miles from Canterlot High. The girls had taken two cars. Pinkie, Sunset, and Twilight had come in Maud's car, while Fluttershy had managed to borrow her family's minivan to bring herself, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and most importantly, Rarity's wheelchair. They parked next to the curb a few houses down from Firecracker Burst's house. The girls piled out. Fluttershy opened the side door of the van. Rainbow and Twilight got the wheelchair out of the back and set it up. Rarity unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed each leg and moved them so she could maneuver out of the van. “Thank you so much, darlings.” “Uh... are you sure you don't want any help, Rarity?” Rainbow asked. “Thank you, darling, but no. I need to be able to do these things for myself.” Rarity pushed off with her arms and slid to the floor of the van, then transferred into the chair. She got her legs situated and wheeled her way around the van to the curb. She studied the curb and considered. “I can help you with that, Rares,” said Rainbow. Rarity looked back at her and gave her a grin. She grabbed the wheels of the chair and shifted her weight back, raising the smaller front wheels up onto the curb. She frowned and rolled the back wheels forward. When they hit the curb, she changed her grip on the wheels and pushed forward, her biceps bulging. The wheels shifted up onto the curb and she pivoted the chair in a tight semicircle, the front wheels in the air, before bringing them back down to face her friends. “Thank you, but I've got this, Rainbow,” she said, with a defiant grin. The rest of the girls grouped on the sidewalk. Rainbow leaned over to Applejack. “Is it me, or is she trying too hard?” Applejack shrugged. “That gal's determined. Ain't nothing wrong with that.” “Yeah, but, she's acting like this is all no big deal.” “Is it?” Applejack folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “No! I mean... kinda? I dunno. It's just – “ “You're concerned that Rarity seems to be taking this way too well for being paralyzed, and she may be masking her true feelings about everything that's happened to her through bravado, and taking her physical therapy super serious and putting on an air of supreme confidence in order to disarm everyone and distract them from how she really feels?” Applejack and Rainbow let out yelps of surprise as Pinkie popped up between them. Rarity looked over her shoulder. “Is something wrong?” “Oh, Rainbow's concerned that your attitude is an elaborate fron—mmmph!” “Nothing!” Rainbow said, as Applejack clapped a hand over Pinkie's mouth and dragged her off. “Just Pinkie being Pinkie!” Rarity giggled and joined the rest of the girls as they headed down the sidewalk. Rainbow sighed and followed after them. As they got closer to the house, Twilight put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. “Hey, you okay?” Sunset shrugged. “I dunno. I know this isn't going to be good. There's no way it can be.” “I know, but we're here for you, Sunset. All of us.” “She's right,” said Fluttershy from Sunset's other side. “Whatever happens, we'll face it together.” Sunset smiled, took each of her friends hands and squeezed. “Thanks girls.” “There's Gardenia.” Fluttershy said, pointing. Sunset looked up to see the dark green girl walking toward them from the other direction. The two groups met in front of a well kept two story house. Sunset took a step forward. “Hi, Gardenia.” “Sunset,” Gardenia said. Sunset gestured to Twilight. “You remember Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight smiled and held out a hand. “It's nice to see you again. I wish it could be under different circumstances.” Gardenia took her hand and shook it. “Likewise.” Gardenia sighed and looked at the house, then back to the girls. “They're expecting us. You ready for this?” Sunset grabbed her arm. “Not really. Are you sure they'll go for it?” “Reporting Firecracker as a runaway is the easiest way to deal with the cops and anyone else who may start asking questions you don't want to answer,” Gardenia answered. “Yeah, but if they don't agree to support that story after we tell them what actually happened, what then?” Gardenia sighed again. “I don't know. You might have to go public.” “Great.” Sunset looked at the ground. She took a deep breath and looked up. “All right, girls, let's do this.” The group walked up to the front door. Rarity generated a crystal under her chair and levitated it off the ground. She looked at the group. “Well, if we're going to tell them about the magic, we might as well make a good impression.” Sunset gave her friend a small grin. She looked over at Gardenia. “Let's do this.” Gardenia nodded, and rang the doorbell. Sunset looked behind her at her friends. All of them gave her encouraging smiles. Sunset nodded. It would be hard. It would be ugly, and there was no guarantee Firecracker's parents wouldn't throw them out the second they told them what happened. But, if nothing else, they would have the truth about their daughter's disappearance. And that was the real point of this visit. Sunset felt the love from her friends and used it to steel herself. The door opened. She walked through the halls of the office, her slim black suit looking elegant with every stride. As she passed the desks, conversations stopped. Interns got out of her way as she walked through the cube farm. Bright red hair bounced over one eye as she made her way to the Director's office. Those who knew her reputation began whispering as she passed. She was the most infamous field agent current working for the Specialized Taskforce Overseeing Remarkable Matters. Her closure rate was twice as high as any other field agent in the organization. Who knew how many unnatural disasters had been averted thanks to her timely intervention. Admittedly, the organization also had to file three times the amount of damage reports, expense claims, and official explanations to Congress since she had first been deployed in the field. But she got results, and that was what the Director cared about. Hence, the meeting. She knocked on the Director's door and stepped inside. The Director, a middle aged man with an impressive beard, looked up from his computer. “Good, you're here,” He snapped, skipping the pleasantries. “Got something going on in Canterlot City." "Yes, sir?" “Well, there's been a whole crapton of weird happening out there of late. Used to be the usual, lights in the sky, mass hallucinations of flying sea monsters, crazy plant monsters. Y'know, standard Class Two bullshit.” The Director tossed a file on top of the desk. She picked it up and began paging through the contents. “What's changed, sir?” “Two mall rampages in the last three months. Really tall women doing really weird crap with lasers and wrecking stuff. But that's not all. Guess what all this has in common?” She looked up at the Director briefly, then thumbed back through the various reports, news articles, and photos. She spotted the connection almost immediately. “Girls with horse ears and wings.” “Exactly.” The Director leaned back in his chair and grinned. “Just the kind of Class Five stuff you're good at dealing with. I dunno what's going on out there, but we're gonna contain this nonsense right now. Get out to Canterlot City, find out who these girls are, and neutralize them.” “They look like kids, sir. Teenagers.” The Director leaned forward and gave his top agent a sinister grin. “That's why I called you in. Make this go away. Fast." She tried to keep her brow from furrowing. "Sir, with all due respect, with minors involved, this could be a serious problem if things go public." "And I want to know exactly what we're dealing with out there. I don't care how gunshy you are after that mess in Las Pegasus. I want this done." The Director leaned back in his seat and smiled expansively. "And maybe, if you clear this up fast enough, I'll be able to give you what you've been asking for after all this time. Do I make myself clear, Agent?” Senior STORM Field Agent Tempest Shadow closed the file, tucked it under her arm and saluted. “Crystal clear, Director Stormking.”