//------------------------------// // Underground, Under Surveillance, and Undermined // Story: Consequences // by shallow15 //------------------------------// STORM Secure Site Bravo-Six was located about thirty miles from Canterlot City. It was set back some distance from the main road on a large patch of property bordered by razor wire tipped fences, and several guard patrols. There was only one gate in or out of the site, manned at all times by guards who had standing orders to shoot to kill. The building itself wasn't all that impressive. A squat four story concrete cube with rows of windows on all four sides. It was nothing special, which was the point. The building itself only handled the paperwork. The real work took place in a six level bunker underneath the building. Each level highly secured and equipped with multiple redundant systems to ensure anything STORM brought in stayed in. Each level was cordoned off into seven sectors. Each sector could be individually isolated from the others, then each level could be isolated and so on and so forth until the entire bunker was cut off from the outside world. Nothing left Secure Site Bravo-Six unless STORM wanted it to leave. Level Two, Sector Four was the primary detention area. There were twenty individual cells, five interrogation rooms and four guard posts manned by two stationary guards each, with a patrol of another half dozen STORM guards that patrolled the corridors. Extra guards were posted outside any interrogation room currently in use. Such as Room 4. Tempest flashed her ID to the guards who stepped aside. Tempest passed her ID over an electronic pad next to the door. There was a beep and the LED on top of the pad changed from blue to green with an audible click. The agent put her ID away and walked inside. Sunset Shimmer was sitting at the table in the center of the room. She was wearing blue scrubs, the standard issue for all of STORM's “guests.” A pair of handcuffs were around her wrists, the chains welded to the metal table. Her brow furrowed and her lips pursed as Tempest sat down opposite her, putting a briefcase on the table beside them. “Where are my friends?” Sunset demanded, her voice cold. “They're safe,” Tempest replied. She didn't look at Sunset, instead opening the briefcase and taking out a couple of file folders and a tablet. “That isn't what I asked,” said Sunset. Tempest quirked an eyebrow at her, then closed the case and put it on the floor. She opened the file. Inside were several papers, forms, and Sunset's forged documentation. Tempest pulled out her phone and activated a recording app. “The date is Thursday, October 12th. For the record, this is Field Agent Tempest Shadow speaking to Person of Interest number 5737, name: Sunset Shimmer, regarding case number 478-QRH-3961.” Tempest looked up at Sunset and held up the forged documents. “These are good, Miss Shimmer. Not perfect, but very good.” “Where are my friends?” Sunset repeated, folding her arms. “All in good time. But since we're repeating questions to each other, allow me to repeat one of mine. Who exactly are you, Miss Shimmer? Your documentation is fake, so clearly you're here illegally. There's zero record of you in the Canterlot City area until you started attending Canterlot High. There are no actual records of your birth, or of the court case where you were granted emancipation. Nor is there any other record of you before that time in any other town within a 200-mile radius of Canterlot City. You seem to have just appeared out of thin air and with you seems to have come all manner of chaos.” Sunset felt her face begin to fall at the last sentence, but quickly firmed up her expression. This wasn't the time to let guilt get the better of her. “I don't know what you're talking about, Agent Shadow,” she replied. “I want to see my friends, please.” Tempest frowned. “Oh you don't, hm? You happen to survive a gas leak at your school and wind up in a crater where there are no gas pipes. You've been present at multiple sightings of strange lights and night time rainbows around Canterlot High. We have reports of outright demonic manifestation and breaches in the fabric of reality itself and that you were right in the middle of it! There is video of you and your friends with horse ears and wings, that I know for a fact are not costume pieces, because I've seen them vanish myself when we took these from your friends!” Tempest reached into her pocket and tossed an evidence bag on the table. Sunset's eyes widened as she saw the geodes inside it. She almost reached out a hand, then thought better of it. “What are these?” Tempest demanded. “Friendship necklaces,” Sunset replied. “Bullshit!” Tempest slammed a fist on the table. “I've seen what Rarity can do. Other agents have reported that your friend Pinkie Pie caused an entire coffeehouse of baked goods to explode. Rainbow Dash has exhibited superspeed and Applejack enhanced strength. Twilight Sparkle is a telekinetic. We may not exactly know what you and Fluttershy can do yet, but we will. All of these abilities seem to be connected to these necklaces and we want to know what they are and how they work!” “I've told you what they are,” Sunset said, her voice quiet. “It's not my fault if you don't believe me.” “Don't get smart.” Tempest took a deep breath and let it out. “Where are you from... originally?” “I would like to see my friends, please.” Tempest tapped her fingers on the table for a moment, then picked up the tablet. She activated it, set up the stand and spun it around so Sunset could see the screen. The display showed security camera feeds from six of the detention cells: bland isolated rooms with a bunk, a table, one chair, a sink and a toilet. Each one of Sunset's friends, also clad in the blue scrubs, were visible. Rainbow Dash lay on her back on her bunk, her hands behind her head. After a few seconds, she looked directly at the camera and gave it the finger. Fluttershy was curled up on her bunk, hugging the pillow tightly. Twilight was pacing around the cell, following the perimeter of the walls. Pinkie Pie, her hair flat and limp, was sitting against one wall, her head resting on her knees. Applejack was largely doing the same, but sitting on the bunk. Rarity sat on her bed. Sunset was relieved to see her legs were still in braces and there were a set of cheap crutches resting on the bed next to her. “There,” Tempest said, taking the tablet back. “As you can see, your friends are fine. Now, are you going to answer my questions?” Sunset looked at her for a long moment, then: “No.” “No?” Sunset slowly shook her head. “No, Agent Shadow, I will not answer your questions. None of us will. I've already told you I would do anything to protect them, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. But I will tell you one thing. “Those,” she pointed at the evidence bag. “Are completely worthless to you. I've done tests on them myself. To any sort of serious scientific analysis, they're just a bunch of pretty rocks. We're not going to tell you anything about them. I'm not going to tell you anything about myself. They won't tell you anything about me.” Sunset leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “And there's one more thing I'm reasonably certain I can tell you. The Director will never, ever, give you what you want.” Tempest's jaw tightened and her fists clenched. “Don't think you can play cheap mind games with me, Miss Shimmer.” “I'm not,” Sunset replied. “I just know how people like him work. I should, I used to be one. You're just as much of a prisoner of STORM as we are, Agent Shadow. The only difference is we know we're in prison.” Tempest stood up and glowered down at Sunset. “I am going to get some water. Would you care for some, Miss Shimmer?” Sunset met her gaze, a faint smile on her lips. “Thank you, Agent Shadow, I would.” Tempest returned everything to the briefcase and left the room. Sunset, sure there were cameras in the room, leaned back in her chair. Okay, she thought, that's step one. Now let's see if I can get her to bite on step two.