//------------------------------// // Conclusions, Advice, and Resolve // Story: Consequences // by shallow15 //------------------------------// “And you never saw her again?” Rarity asked, after Adagio had finished her story. “We tried to find her,” said Sonata. “But by the time we got back to Whinnyapolis, it was like she never existed.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “Exactly that. Try to keep up,” snapped Aria. “Her apartment was rented out to someone else, the hospital had no record of her ever being employed there. No bank accounts, no social media, no DMV registration, nothing. Even people who we were sure had to know her pretended they didn't.” “This is what you're up against,” said Adagio, looking at Sunset. “A quasi-fascist government task force who are so committed to keeping things like us a secret that even the people who know us aren't safe.” “And Tempest?” Sunset asked. “She's STORM's attack dog. They point her in a direction and let her off the chain. That partner of hers usually kept her restrained, but something must have happened to her, because when she visited us --” “She did this,” Aria interrupted, pointing at the bruises on her neck. “The other times we met her, she only got this rough when we did something to her first.” “We don't know what happened to her partner,” Adagio continued. “But it must have been bad. Just mentioning her set Tempest off.” “Wait a sec,” Rainbow piped up. “I'm not understanding something. If Tempest has been after you for the last few years, why didn't she just arrest you at your place?” “Because we pointed her in your direction,” Adagio said simply. Sunset reacted immediately, blocking Rainbow from the Dazzlings, and Rarity grabbed Applejack's wrist as she stormed across the room. “You two-faced, lying sack of –!” Rainbow started. “Dash! Stop!” Sunset snapped. “It won't help.” “Maybe,” said Applejack, “But I know I'll feel a hell of a lot better after givin' them a good thumpin'.” “Not now,” Sunset replied. She looked back at Adagio. “Because if they had sold us out, we wouldn't be talking right now. Would we?” Adagio's crooked smile returned. “You are the smart one.” “Spill,” Sunset said, her voice hard “Or I let Dash and Applejack loose.” Adagio blinked. “You and Tempest should get along fabulously.” Sunset's frown deepened. “I am three seconds from kicking all three of you out of my house.” Adagio sighed. “You really need to relax. You'll live longer. All I did was confirm some of her suspicions. She knows something is up at that school of yours. I just told her that she was right. I didn't mention your names, or confirm anything she asked about the Canterlot Bowl.” “Why?” Sunset asked. “Beg pardon?” “Why would you not take the opportunity to get revenge? You could have told her everything, then sat back and laughed while she hauled all of us off. And we wouldn't have ever known you were involved. Why didn't you sell us out?” Adagio looked at Sunset for a long time, gradually looking over at the other girls then back to Sunset. “Because STORM scares the shit out of me. Out of all of us.” Sunset's frown vanished, replaced by astonishment as Adagio continued to speak. “They already have too much power as it is. What happened to Cantata drove that home for us. Can you imagine what they'll do if they actually get a hold of Equestrian magic? You know it'll end up being used for the military or worse. In a stupidly ironic way, you shattering our amulets actually did us a favor. With them gone, we had a way to convince Tempest we weren't of any interest to STORM anymore. But we had to give her something, and the only thing we had was you.” Sonata looked pleadingly at Sunset. “We just wanted to be free of her.” “By putting us in her crosshairs,” Applejack snorted. “You were already there,” Aria retorted. “She has a point,” Rarity said to Sunset. “Given our encounters with her earlier today, all Adagio did was cut short her investigation by a day or so. If she's that determined, she would have reached this point eventually.” “If we believe her,” said Rainbow, folding her arms. She glared at the siren leader. “Personally, I think you're up to something. Magic or no magic, you three know how to get people to do what you want. For all we know, you've got some kind of plan cooked up with Tempest to lull us into a false sense of security, then bam! SWAT teams breaking down our doors.” Adagio stood up and pushed past Sunset, facing off with Rainbow. “I don't care if you believe me or not. We came here to tell you what you're really up against. It's not just one agent. It's an entire damn secret army that can do whatever they like if they take an interest in you. They might play by the rules for a while, but eventually, they'll stop caring about the legalities and when that happens, you need to be ready.” “Yeah, right,” Rainbow snorted. “Dash,” Sunset warned. She stepped back into Adagio's field of vision. “What do you suggest we do then?” “Get the hell out of town,” Adagio said simply. “As soon as we're done here, the three of us are gone. Don't ask where, because we won't tell you.” “We can't just up and leave our families!” Fluttershy protested. “And we don't run away from a fight!” said Rainbow. “And it's bullshit bravado like that which is going to get all of you locked up in some lab somewhere,” Aria groaned. She got up from the couch with Sonata following. She looked around at the other girls. “If you care about your safety or the safety of the people you give a damn about, you'll do the smart thing and leave.” “She's right,” said Sonata. “It sucks, but the only way to keep ahead of STORM is to go on the run. It's the only way to be safe.” Adagio looked at Sunset again. “If you have a way back to Equestria, I suggest you take it and close it behind you. We may have caused our fair share of misery over there, but I don't even want to think about what STORM would do to it.” Sunset sighed. “It's a moot point right now. I'm stuck here just as much as you are.” “Then get on a bus, or pile into a car, or something, because sooner or later, Tempest is just going to start taking what she wants and it will not be pretty. People you care about are going to be hurt, and you seven might just wind up worse.” “We can't just leave!” Twilight protested. “There's still the thing in the woods! We can't let it run rampant!” “'The thing in the woods?'” Adagio quirked an eyebrow at Sunset. “Rogue magic. It's been cropping up lately. We think something in the woods came in contact with it and now it's rampaging all over town.” Adagio let out a rueful laugh. “Which, of course, is just going to draw her attention even more once she gets wind of it.” Her smile disappeared. “Leave town. Now. It's the only way.” Sunset looked at each of her friends then back at the Dazzlings. “Maybe, but we have a responsibility to deal with the thing in the woods first.” “I take it back. You're just as much of an idiot as your friends.” Adagio nodded to the other Dazzlings and the trio began walking to the door. “Hope that misplaced morality of yours keeps you warm when you're lying on a vivisection table.” “We can take care of ourselves,” said Sunset. Adagio paused and looked back at Sunset. “That was almost convincing.” She opened the apartment door and the three sirens disappeared through it. Sonata paused and looked back at the group. “Be safe. Please,” she said, then left and closed the door behind her. “What...” Fluttershy began. She swallowed and tried again. “What do we do now?” There was an uncomfortable silence. Sunset stood motionless in the center of the group, lost in thought. “Sunset?” Twilight asked. Sunset blinked and looked at her friends' anxious faces. “We do the best we can.”