//------------------------------// // Pieces, Clues, and Threads // Story: Consequences // by shallow15 //------------------------------// Tempest pulled back into the mall parking lot around 6 PM, feeling satisfied with her plans. Canterlot City PD had been extremely helpful and she had information she could work from regarding the missing Firecracker Burst. But that thread was going to have to wait until tomorrow. The STORM agent had other plans for the evening. She parked the car a decent distance from the food court entrance of the mall and waited. If she had time this right, then at any moment... There. Sunset Shimmer came out of the food court entrance, a short black denim jacket with orange chevrons on the sleeves over her uniform. The wooden sandals she had worn in the restaurant had been replaced by a pair of black sneakers. She was glancing down at her phone, then up at the parking lot. Tempest waited patiently. The girl was obviously waiting for a ride. A parent, most likely. Tempest split her time between Sunset and the entrance to the parking lot, looking for a likely ride. To her surprise, a battered pickup truck pulled up to the curb in front of Sunset, who climbed into the cab. Tempest quickly pulled out her phone and activated the camera, zooming in. The driver was a freckled blonde girl in a cowboy hat at the wheel. Tempest tapped the screen, getting a picture of the cowgirl. The two teenagers talked for a minute or two before the cowgirl put the truck into gear and began pulling out of the mall. Tempest followed them into traffic, keeping a decent enough distance that they wouldn't suspect they were being followed. After about ten minutes, they turned into an area made up primarily of shops and older apartment buildings. The truck came to a halt art the curb a few feet from a small, two story, red brick apartment building. Tempest drove past the truck and parked further down before looking at the two girls in the rear view mirrors as they entered the building. She gave them five minutes, then got out of the car and walked back down to the building. She wnet to the front door and entered the building. The door led into a corridor. A mailbox with eight doors was installed in the wall, while a staircase led upward, presumably to the upper apartments. Tempest read the names on the the mailboxes, frowning when she encountered one reading “S. Shimmer.” “'S. Shimmer?' She lives alone? At her age? Tempest made a mental note to look further into Sunset's living arrangements. A minor shouldn't have been able to live alone, much less afford an apartment. Something else for Grubber to look for. “Can I help you?” Tempest turned to see a prim, yellow woman with green hair tied back in a severe bun. She wore half-moon spectacles and a sour expression. “I'm sorry,” Tempest began. “I seem to have gotten lost. I was supposed to visit a friend at her new apartment, but I'm having trouble finding the building. I was just checking to see if this was it.” The woman quirked an eyebrow. “I haven't had any new tenants in months. I own this building.” “Oh, I see. I must have gotten it wrong, then.” “You do know they have this marvelous thing called GPS now?” said the woman. “It tells you exactly how to get where you're going.” “Oh you know Oodle Maps,” Tempest laughed. “Always trying to get you to go down streets that don't exist.” “Hmm. Well, you know this isn't the place you're looking for, and I take the privacy of my tenants very seriously, so if you don't mind, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.” Tempest felt her jaw clench, but she forced herself to relax. “Yes, of course, sorry to trouble you Mrs...?” “Miss. Bookbinder.” “Miss Bookbinder,” Tempest finished. “Thank you for your help.” “Mmm-hmm.” Tempest exited the building, feeling Miss Bookbinder's gaze boring into her. As she made her way back to her car, she pulled out her phone and called Grubber. “Good timing,” he said through what sounded like a mouthful of sponge cake. A repulsive swallowing sound came out of the phone before he spoke again, his voice much clearer. “I got that info on thothe teacherth you wanted.” “One second.” Tempest climbed into her car and connected the phone to the sound system. “Go ahead.” “Well, there'th not much on Thelethtia. Summa Cum Laude from Mareyland State. Educathion major. Been a teacher for almothst twenty yearth, printhipal of Canterlot High for the latht eight. Clean teaching record. Awardth and citationth out the yin yang. Although, she hath butted headth with Prethident Neighthay a couple of timeth.” Tempest leaned forward. “Over what?” “Mothtly budget contherns. Funding, teacher thalarieth. But hereth what'th interethting. You thaid she claimed that there wath a gath leak that cauthed damage to the school entranthe latht year?” “That's what she claimed, anyway.” “Well, it turnth out, Neighthay originally denied the requetht for repair fundth. According to hith initial report, the blueprinths of the school show no gath pipeth anywhere near the school entranthe. I did thome digging into thity recordth and yeah, there'th no way a gath explothion could dethtroy the front of the building, unleth it completely dethtroyed the whole damn plathe.” Tempest felt a grin form on her face. “Gotcha,” she whispered. “But that'th nowhere near ath interething ath her thithter.” Tempest blinked and looked at her phone. “What do you mean?” “She'th got a thealed juvie record. Couldn't get in there without a court order, of courthe, but I found thome memoth and reporth from CCPD that identify her as a perthon of interetht in theveral hacking-related prankths around town about fifteen yearth ago. Here'th what'th really interethting though: apparently the offither investigating the cathe put in hith noteth that he thuthpected Luna may have operated under the online aliath of... dramatic pauthe... NightmareMoon.” Tempest sat up in her seat. “Tell me you have something that can prove this.” “Thorry. Nothing ever proven. But after the ForeverNight viruth hit Manehattan, NightmareMoon vanished off the grid and the pranks in Canterlot Thity stopped outright. No thign of her after that.” “Until a couple of weeks ago, when NightmareMoon shows up in a dark web chatroom inquiring about us.” Tempest pursed her lips in thought. “Can you reach out to the guys who had the plant in the chat room? Get us logs and see who she talked to. If I can get leverage on her, her sister might start playing ball.” “I'm on it. But it'll take time. Tomorrow'th Thunday. They probably only have a thkeleton crew working.” “Fine. Get me whatever you can. I've got plenty of other leads to go on.” “Gotcha. I'll call ath thoon ath I have thomething.” “Oh, one more thing. See what you can find on the owner and tenants of an apartment building here in town.” She rattled off the address. "The owner's name is Bookbinder. We're looking for any sort of documentation concerning a Sunset Shimmer." "Who'th she?" "I'm not sure just yet. But I think she knows something, and she's apparently living on her own, despite being a minor. I want anything you can find on her and the building." "Got it. Call you back when I got thomething." "Thank you, Grubber." Tempest ended the call. She was getting closer. She could feel it. All she needed was one or two more pieces of information and everything would become clear. She glanced in the rear view mirror and noticed the pickup was still parked on the street. Having a friend over, Miss Shimmer? She thought. Maybe more than one? Tempest started the car. If she was going to stake out the apartment building, she was going to need some supplies.