Tempest Shadow was doing something pretty rare for her: she was taking the day off.
Not necessarily by choice, mind you. But since she was reasonably certain Sunset Shimmer and her friends were at the center of everything going on in this burg, it did limit her investigative avenues while they were all in school. She had staked herself out near Canterlot High and watched the comings and goings until she had seen all seven of them meet up at the plinth outside the main entrance, then drove off, confident they'd all be there until that afternoon.
In the meantime, she took care of a few things that years of field work had taught her. Laundry, for example, was key. She spent about 200 days out in the field a year, which meant that a lot of everyday things had to be taken care of whenever possible. So, it was off to the laundromat this morning. She wore a pair of old black jeans, running shoes, and a tank top she had gotten at a concert a few years earlier.
While she waited for her clothes, she went back over her notes for the investigation. She still didn't completely understand what was going on, but she didn't really need to. Once she had enough evidence to convince the Director, she could detain the girls, and answers would be forthcoming.
As she went through her notes, her eyes caught one in particular and she sat up a little straighter in her chair. Gardenia Glow. I never talked to her.
The girlfriend of the missing Firecracker Burst. Tempest had been given Ms. Glow's number by Firecracker's parents. With everything that had happened over the last few days, talking to the girlfriend had fallen through the cracks. Tempest stepped outside and dialed the number.
As expected, she got voice mail. She left a message, explaining who she was and what she wanted, then went back in to move her clothes to the dryer. As she was idly perusing her email, she got a text.
Agent Shadow,
I'm free for lunch. Would you be able to meet me at the mall at 12:30?
Gardenia Glow
Tempest glanced at the timer on the dryer. That would be just enough time to finish up here, get back to the hotel and change before heading to the mall. She sent back a reply accepting the invitation and smiled to herself.
Things were finally going her way.
“What can I do for you, Agent Shadow?”
Gardenia Glow was an attractive dark green girl in her late teens or very early 20s. She had long pink hair that had been tied up into a ponytail and wore a smart blouse and jeans combination with a denim jacket. Tempest herself had changed back into her preferred black suit and turtleneck.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Ms. Glow,” Tempest said, as they sat at a table in the food court. “I'm investigating some strange events that happened here at the mall, and elsewhere around town. Your name came up in connection with one of them. The disappearance of Firecracker Burst.”
Gardenia's expression fell. “She didn't disappear. She ran away.”
“Why do you think she did that?” Tempest kept her voice even.
“We had a fight,” Gardenia sighed. “She was becoming obsessed with someone who hurt me in the past. I told her to let it go, but she refused to. I said some things I shouldn't have. I told her I didn't want to be with someone who was going to be more obsessed with my past, rather than trying to built a future with me. She stormed out of my apartment and that was the last time I saw her.”
“Did this event in the past happen while you were a student at Canterlot High?”
“Yes,” Gardenia said frowning. “Although I don't see what it has to do with--”
Tempest cut her off. “The person who hurt you wouldn't happen to be Sunset Shimmer, would it? From what I understand, she used to be quite the terror of that school.”
The frown deepened. “Yes, she was. But I forgave her for it a long time ago once I saw how she was trying to be better.”
“Really? Seems to me your girlfriend might have had the right idea about her.”
“Holding a grudge does more harm than good in the long run,” Gardenia replied evenly. “We're not friends, if that's what you're wondering.”
“I see,” said Tempest. She leaned forward in her chair. “What can you tell me about her?”
“Sunset Shimmer?” Surprise was evident in Gardenia's voice. She frowned again. “She was a bully and terror when she first came to Canterlot High, then something happened to her which I guess made her decide to change. I don't know the details. I had graduated by then.”
“Yes, her change of heart,” Tempest tried to keep the contempt out of her voice. “How did you find out about that?”
“I came home from college for Thanksgiving. I overheard a couple of kids from school talking about her and decided to see for myself.”
“You spied on her.”
“Yes,” Gardenia said. There was a note of irritation in her voice. “I followed her, saw her interacting with her friends and other students and saw she was trying to be better. I decided I was tired of being angry at her, especially since that anger was seeping into all of my other relationships. So I forgave her and got on with my life.”
“And your girlfriend didn't,” said Tempest.
Gardenia's eyes flashed. “What exactly do you want from me, Agent Shadow? Some kind of emotional rant that will convince you that Sunset Shimmer's dangerous and you should arrest her? She was a shitty person back then, yes, but nothing she did was illegal. She's turned herself around and seems to be trying to be a better person. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but I don't have any rope you can hang her with.”
Gardenia got up to leave. Tempest looked up at her. “Not even if she had something to do with your girlfriend's disappearance? Firecracker Burst's father seemed to think something was going on there.”
“His daughter ran away with no explanation,” Gardenia replied. “I imagine he's looking for someone, anyone, to blame for that. And now, if you'll excuse me, Agent Shadow, my lunch break is over and I need to get back to work.”
Tempest stood up and extended a hand. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Glow.”
Gardenia looked down at the proffered hand, ignored it, and walked away.
It didn't take much to put together what had happened to her tires when she had staked out Sunset Shimmer's apartment building. The tires had been slashed by a small knife, which Tempest was certain she knew quite well. She hadn't seen Adagio and her cronies, but it was highly plausible they had done it to distract her.
Which meant Sunset Shimmer knew that Tempest knew where she lived. No matter. The STORM agent had other means to figure out what those girls were up to. Just before school had let out for the day, Tempest returned to the neighborhood Rarity lived in and parked a few houses down. She had traded out her issued vehicle for a rental car to ensure she wasn't recognized.
After about half an hour, a small smart car driven by Fluttershy appeared and parked in the driveway of the house. Tempest watched as the pink haired girl set up Rarity's wheelchair, helped her into it, and pushed her into the garage after Rarity had entered the code to open the door.
Tempest looked at her watch. I'll give them twenty minutes, then move on.
She was surprised when both girls came about out less than five minutes later. They went through the same steps they had before, only in reverse and the car backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. Tempest put the car in gear and followed them at a discreet distance.
It wasn't long before she realized where they were going. Back to Sunset Shimmer's apartment. Pulling up to the curb, Tempest saw Fluttershy park behind an old farm truck, which in turn was parked behind a blue sedan. Tzempest watched as Fluttershy and Rartity got out again and entered the building.
Another meeting? Tempest thought. Did my questions yesterday spook you just a little, girls?
She allowed herself a satisfied grin. It was good to know they were rattled. It meant they were definitely hiding something.
As Tempest watched the front of the building, her phone rang and she answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“Agent Shadow.”
“Less than a day left, Agent,” came the Director's voice. “Do you have something for me or not?”
“Almost, sir,” Tempest replied. “I know who the girls with the wings and horse ears are. But they're tricky and it looks like they've been ready for something like this. I'm trying to get actual evidence before I make a move.”
There was silence on the end of the line, then: “Are you sure you can get it?”
“I'm staking them out right now. If they do anything, I'll know about it.”
“You better. If I don't hear from you by 9 AM tomorrow, I'm taking over. Do I make myself clear, Tempest?”
Tempest felt a harsh retort coming to her lips but managed to hold it in. “Understood, sir.”
“Good. Call as soon as you have something, I don't care how late it is.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended without the Director saying goodbye. Tempest tossed her phone on the passenger seat of the car with a snort. Jumped up tinpot dictator.
She turned her attention back to the front of the building and leaned forward when she saw all seven of them come out of the entrance. Sunset Shimmer climbed into the old farm truck with Applejack and Rainbow Dash, while Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, rarity and Fluttershy got into the sedan, after putting Rarity's wheelchair in the trunk. The two vehicles started up and drove off.
Tempest started her own car and began to follow them. They headed east out to the far end of the suburbs until they reached a small apple farm at the end of a newly developed subdivision. Tempest drove past the driveway to the farmhouse, making a u-turn and heading back the way she came, as if she had gotten lost in the neighborhood. She spotted the girls staring at her car as she did so, but was confident she was too far away for them to recognize her.
She rounded a corner and began making her way back to the cul-de-sac the farm was in. As she got closer, she saw the girls had moved on. She walked up the driveway of the farmhouse, keeping an eye and an ear out for anyone else. She didn't see anyone.
But she could hear them. Female voices coming from the orchard.
Good, that would make it easier to follow them. Tempest followed the sounds until she reached a fence, dividing the formal rows of trees in the orchard from the woods which surrounded the back of the subdivision. Tempest crawled through the space between the fence rails and moved deeper into the forest.
It was time to get to the bottom of this.