//------------------------------// // Lies, Lies, and More Lies // Story: Consequences // by shallow15 //------------------------------// “And here we are again,” said Adagio as Tempest slid into the seat opposite her. The former siren smirked at the agent’s annoyed expression. “Oh my. Someone had bad day.” “Talk,” Tempest snarled. Adagio’s face fell. “That’s hardly polite.” “I’m done being polite. Start talking or I call for backup right now.” “You don’t want to do that.” Tempest’s lip curled up in a sneer and she reached for her phone. “Don’t test me.” “And what, exactly, do you plan on telling them?” Adagio asked, putting her hands on the table and interlocking her fingers. “That you found the three POIs you lost in Whinnyapolis? The ones with the strange mind control powers? The ones you couldn’t give a clear description of in your reports?” Tempest’s frown deepened. “My reports are classified.” “Yes, they are,” Adagio replied. “But we’ve been around long enough to know how to protect ourselves when leverage is needed. We have ways of getting what we want, even without our song. And that’s our ace in the hole. Our song is gone. We can’t charm anyone anymore. Which means that if you were to call in your goon squad, they’d find that once again, Agent Shadow has unlawfully detained ordinary civilians with no unusual powers or abilities that fall under STORM’s mandate.” Adagio leaned back and gave Tempest her crooked grin. “Just like that time in Las Pegasus.” Tempest bolted forward and reached across the table, grasping for Adagio’s blouse. Adagio’s hand shot out, grasping Tempest’s wrist. When she spoke again, her voice was low and deadly. “You lay one finger on me and I scream loud enough that the cops will be called and we’re right where I said we’d be.” Tempest snorted and sat back in her seat. Adagio straightened her clothes and gave her a cool look. “I don’t plan on leaving you empty handed. I just wanted you to know exactly what will happen if you’re planning on double crossing me.” “Either give me something I can use,” Tempest growled. “Or I’ll find SOMETHING I can arrest you and your sisters for.” “We’re not sisters,” Adagio replied. “As for something you can use, fine. I can tell you that what you’re suspecting is correct. This town has become a nexus for the strange and unusual. Even before we came here.” “What’s causing it?” Adagio shrugged. “Not sure. We were drawn to it because it felt similar to our own power.” “What about this Battle of the Bands I’ve heard about?” Tempest asked, her expression once again impassive. “That sounded like something you three would be involved in.” “It was. We traced the power to Canterlot High School, decided to do our thing in an attempt to flush it out, and when we did, kaboom!” “’Kaboom?’” “We woke up a day later and our amulets were shattered. We couldn’t manipulate anyone anymore. We didn’t really have anywhere else to go, so we stuck around here.” Adagio leaned forward again. “But you can be sure that whatever the hell is going on in this town, that school is at the center of it. There’s a power there. I don’t know what exactly it is or how it works, but that’s where you should be focusing your time.” Adagio leaned back and gave Tempest an expectant look. Tempest took a sip from her water glass and slowly put it down. “That’s it?” “That’s a lot,” Adagio snapped. “Don’t pretend you aren’t impressed.” “I already figured the school was involved, although, yes, it’s nice to have confirmation. But it’s still useless to me.” “You asked what happened to our amulets. I told you. Now hold up your end of the deal.” Now it was Tempest’s turn to smirk and Adagio’s to frown. “I don’t fully trust you.” “Because you’re not an idiot,” Adagio snapped. “But that’s what happened. Sorry it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.” Tempest grinned again, feeling herself sliding back into the position of power. “Assuming I believe this, it’s not enough to call the Director about.” “Why am I not surprised? Guess I’ll just make my own call then.” Adagio produced her phone and unlocked it. “Wait. I didn’t say I wouldn’t.” Tempest began drumming her fingers on the tabletop. “I’ll take what you’ve told me into consideration. If it’s the truth, I’ll call off the dogs when I’m ready to leave town.” “And what guarantee do I have that you’ll do it?” “You don’t have one. And you don’t have a choice. We’re just going to have to trust each other.” Tempest leaned forward, her expression dark. “And if you are lying to me, Adagio, life is going to get very, very hard for you and your little backup band.” “Don’t make promises you don’t know you can keep,” Adagio snarled back. “You lay one finger on any of us again, and STORM will never find you. And unlike you, I cankeep that promise.” Adagio got up out of the booth and tossed some bills on the table. “The snack’s on me. And don’t even think about following me.” “Don’t need to. I know where you live.” Adagio ignored the threat and stalked haughtily out of the coffeehouse. Tempest chuckled and pulled out her phone. It was nice to know that there was somebody in this town she could rattle. She reached into her inner jacket pocket and pulled out the missing person flyer she had gotten from Beachberry. Maybe it’s time I make friends with local law enforcement.