//------------------------------// // IV. Confrontation // Story: Power And Seduction // by Milliardo5 //------------------------------// Monday. The first day of campaigning for Class President. Sunset didn’t join the group like she normally did at lunch time. Instead, she was in the music room, waiting for Pinkie and Sonata to report in. She had instructed them earlier on what to do, carefully explaining to them the plan, although she had already told Sonata much about it yesterday at their house. She brought the two small recorders she and Sonata bought last Saturday, and told them to conceal it as much as possible. Pinkie also suggested to get Photo Finish to get some shots, and after considering it Sunset agreed. Sunset’s idea was to get both Sonata and Pinkie as close to Inspirio as possible, and even try to be in on his campaign team, or at least be close to them. She had them follow his campaign to see what he would do. Now, she waited on them in the music room to hear what they had to report. Maybe this is all a mistake, Sunset thought as she waited. She knew it was a big risk not only on her part, but to Sonata and Pinkie as well, to do this, but she also knew that she had to keep integrity in the school, even if it means exposing herself to potential danger. Sunset looked up when she heard the door open. Pinkie and Sonata had arrived, and Photo Finish was with them as they came in. “We got some recordings”, Pinkie announced to her as she handed the small device. Sonata also came and gave hers. “We’ll be back there to get some more. And she has some good pictures too!” Pinkie thrust Photo Finish forward. Sunset looked at her and waited for her to speak. “I, Photo Finish, have the photos”, she said to her. “They are good, ya”. She put down her camera in front of Sunset. Since she had had her laptop open, Sunset took out her USB cable that can hook up to Photo Finish’s camera. “I hope they are clear shots”, she said to Photo Finish. “Photo Finish never takes bad pictures”, Photo Finish declared. “You will find them to your satisfaction.” “I’ll download them here on my laptop, if it’s okay with you”, Sunset asked her. “Photo Finish does not mind”, Photo Finish said. “You might find some of them interesting.” She said this with a little hint, and Sunset looked at her quizzically, but Photo Finish didn’t say another word. She connected the cable to Photo Finish’s camera, and after a few keystrokes began downloading the pictures taken. “I guess you’ll be back on the campaign trail later”, she said to Photo Finish as the pictures were being transferred to her laptop. “It is my job”, Photo Finish merely said. “But I make sure that I get the best shots for you.” “And for the school paper, too”, added in Sonata eagerly. Sunset was about to say something, but then the download finished. She took off Photo Finish’s camera from the cable and then connected the recording device next. “I think I might be working here all afternoon”, she said as the voice recordings were being transferred. “What about classes?” Pinkie asked her. “I think I can take a few absences”, Sunset replied with a shrug. “I can catch up on lessons pretty quickly, so it’s not really going to be a problem.” They waited a few more seconds before the recordings were on Sunset’s laptop. She handed the device back to Pinkie. “We’ll catch up with you later”, Pinkie called out as she, Sonata and Photo Finish headed out. Sunset remained in the Music Room, listening to the recordings as well as viewing the pictures that Photo Finish took. She took out a bag of potato chips and opened it while she scanned the pictures and at the same time listened to the recording. Looks like this is going to be a long afternoon, Sunset thought. Although she prepared for the task, she soon realized that it was daunting, as well as tiring. The minutes spent just looking and listening seemed like hours had already passed by. She could feel the minutes drag on, and soon she began to feel the tediousness of what she was doing. She was about to call it a day, getting ready to close her laptop, when she noticed something in the picture she was scanning. She suddenly felt awake. Since she was using a photo editing program to scan the pictures, she enlarged the photo to get a closer look. She mentally berated herself for not thinking of getting Photo Finish to use a video camera instead of a still camera as she enlarged the photo until it was large enough to see more details. When Photo Finish said the pictures would be interesting, she means it, she thought, a little bit amused as she thought of what Photo Finish said. But she focused more just then at the picture. She looked into it, inching her face forward towards the laptop screen to get a better look at it. Looks incriminating, but I couldn’t be certain about it, she thought as she continued to stare at it. She sighed as she fell back on the chair. She realized she would have to get a better context of the picture. She turned her attention to Pinkie’s recording. Most of it was nothing but random conversation. She put all of her attention then to it, listening attentively to every word said. The conversations she was listening to were mixed, with various people talking. She had to strain and focus hard to make out Inspirio’s voice among the people in the recording. She looked at her watch then. She had been looking and listening for more than an hour. If looking at the pictures proved to be tedious, listening to the recording turned out to be even more so than scanning the pictures, though she thought that she has put much effort into it already that she would have to see through it, even if it was making her tired just listening. Her eyes grew wide as she began to hear something. She turned up the volume as high as it would go without breaking her eardrum. She had headphones on so she could hear the recording more clearly, though even with it on she still had to strain in order to pick out Inspirio’s voice. Audibly though, at that point in the recording she could distinctly here his voice. Her attention was now totally into the recording. She paused it, then backed up a bit before playing it again. She listened to it a few more times, making sure she heard it right. The smoking gun? she asked herself as she listened to it a few more times. It had to be, she decided, since there could be no doubt about it. She stood up, her eyes now determined. She knew that she couldn’t delay it any longer. The longer she waited, she realized, the more people would go for him, and it would be too late if he became Class President. She left her laptop in the Music Room, locking the door as she went out. She marched across the hall towards the room that’s serving as Inspirio’s campaign quarters. She stopped in front of its door, composing herself and taking a deep breath before going in. Inspirio was seated behind a desk. He looked up when he heard the door open an d saw Sunset’s determined face as she went in. “So what made you decide to visit us?” he asked of her. “Have you come to pledge your support as well?” Sunset just stood and listened. The room, she noticed, was quite large enough to hold about seven desks, though she could see there were only four of them. Some of Inspirio’s staff was there when she came in, and stopped what they were doing when they saw her. “You know that’s not even remotely going to happen”, Sunset declared firmly. “I have come here to discuss something important.” Inspirio leaned forward when she said that, still smiling at her. “And what that might be?” he said. “What have you been doing since the campaign began?” Sunset asked. “The usual”, Inspirio shrugged. “I talk to people, I give things away…” “Including bribing them with money?” Sunset pointedly said. Inspirio’s smiled faded, now replaced by a worried look. His staff were now looking at them, listening in on what they were talking about. “You don’t have proof of that”, countered Inspirio. Sunset just looked at him without saying a word, her arms folded to her chest. “I wouldn’t have come here if I couldn’t prove it”, she finally said after a few seconds of tense silence. “You know you can’t prove that”, Inspirio said again, though now his smile has faded and there’s a hint of wavering in his voice. “Why do you it?” Sunset pressed on, ignoring what he just said. She could see that he was by now uncomfortable, trying to wiggle a bit, though he still tried to show a calm demeanor. “I don’t have to answer your questions”, he hissed, by now leaning forward, his smile gone. He scowled at her while he talked. “No one will believe you and your accusations. Yes, the school still hasn’t totally forgotten what you did then, Sunset Shimmer.” “Don’t act brave, Inspirio”, Sunset shot back. “You know this isn’t how you’re supposed to win. You can still back out if you want to.” “I have no intention of backing out anytime soon”, Inspirio just said. “I know I am going to win. The competition isn’t even it.” Come to think of it, I don’t even know who he’s running against, Sunset thought, though she believed that it’s still not reason enough to do what he’s doing. “Why do you do these things then if you’re sure of winning?” she asked out to him. “Call it an insurance policy”, Inspirio answered. “Just because I know I will win doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed. I am just making sure I will get it, you might say.” He smiled then, though it wasn’t the friendly smile he tried to give out earlier. Now there’s pure malice as he gave out that smile. “Now, why don’t you just run along with your evidence, and let us continue with our campaign”, he said, taunting her as he said it. Sunset looked up at his staff, who were still gaping at both of them. She knew that she couldn’t possibly convince Inspirio to change his mind then. She turned to leave. Inspirio didn’t say a word, but she could feel his stare at her as she left the room. She retreated back to the Music Room, her mind racing. That was a dumb thing to do, she berated herself as she walked back to the Music Room. You don’t have enough evidence yet, Sunset Shimmer, and yet you have to go in there and confront him. She wanted to kick herself for being so foolish at rushing in without too many evidences. Now she had to go back and finish what she was doing, as well as wait for Pinkie and Photo Finish for whatever else they might be able to out of Inspirio’s campaign. She got back to the Music Room and went in after unlocking the door. She sat down in front of her laptop, silent for a moment as she composed herself. She knew that she shouldn’t have went in there like that. Now I’ve probably given him more reason to cover his tracks, she said as she continued to fume at why she even went there. She realized it’s not doing her any good to think about it though, and turned on her laptop to view more of Photo Finish’s pictures while listening to Pinkie’s recordings. She also turned on a word processing program and began typing in any evidence she found in order to properly document them. By the time classes were over Sunset had decided to do the rest of her documentation at home. She was visibly tired, drained after viewing the pictures and listening to the recordings. It was stressful for her, but she knew that she had to do it. She had unlocked the Music Room then, knowing that at any time the others would be coming in. By then she had also decided to tell the group what she’s been doing. “What on Earth were you thinking, dear?” exclaimed Rarity after Sunset told the group what she’s been doing, starting with her plans all the way to what had happened earlier. “You should have told us this sooner so we could have worked together”, she continued. “I don’t want you to be too involved into it”, Sunset reasoned out. “It’s too risky, and taking you into something like this might be too much for the group.” “As if that would have stopped us”, Applejack chimed in. “You know we would have helped you out, even if it’s too dangerous.” “That’s just it”, Sunset objected. “It would be too dangerous if you’re into this as well. It’s better that few of you were involved in it.” “And let others have all the fun?” Rainbow Dash said, shooting a gaze over at Pinkie and Sonata, who just smiled back and clapped their hands. “So what do you plan to do next?” Applejack then asked Sunset. “Pinkie, Sonata and Photo Finish will continue to monitor on Inspirio”, Sunset said. “I need more proof of what he’s doing, plus I still need to view some of the photos as well as listen to the recording earlier.” “Well, if you need any help, we’re just right here”, Applejack said as a reminder. Sunset smiled. “I know I could always count on you”, she said. “But right now, I hope you can understand that I don’t want anything to happen to you in case this thing get…ugly…” “Why would it even get ugly?” Fluttershy asked. “Politics have a way of getting the worst out of people”, Sunset briefly explained. “I fear that it’s getting the worst out of Inspirio as well.” “And I think it’s bound to get ugly out there”, added in Applejack. Sunset nodded. “That’s why I want you to stay out of it as much as possible”, Sunset said as she began putting away her laptop. “Looks like we’ll have a long campaign time”, Rainbow Dash said. “I hope not”, Sunset just replied, though she thought that Dashie might be right. She was quiet for a few seconds, then turned to the others as she almost forgot to ask. “Does anyone know who Inspirio is running up against?” she asked everyone in the room. Fluttershy spoke up. “I believe her name is Sophia Riddle”, she said. Sunset and the others just looked blankly at her. “I haven’t even heard of her”, Sunset said, thinking aloud. “Well, that’s odd”, Applejack remarked. “I thought we know everybody at school.” “Apparently not everyone”, observed Rarity. “I suppose she’s new, plus the school is quite big.” “Still, that’s a little strange that someone unknown would run for such a position”, Sunset continued to wonder. “Maybe we should get to meet her”, Pinkie suggested. “Campaign is for a week, so I don’t see why not”, Sunset said. “I think that is what we should do.” “And maybe we‘ll know as well why she’s running”, added in Sonata. Sunset nodded. “I think that’s a good idea, plus it won’t look as if we’re looking into Inspirio all the time”, Sunset said. “Well, I guess we have a plan now”, Rainbow Dash said. Sunset agreed, though she still can’t help thinking that things look more mysterious than it seems. That night, Sunset tried to put her thoughts into her journal, but can’t seem to get a word into it. She was more distracted with what she had discovered so far, and she knew that she had to stop Inspirio. She put away her journal and sighed. No use trying to write right now, she finally decided. She wanted to talk things out with Sonata, but she knew that at that time Sonata was already sleeping. She looked out at the window instead and sighed again. She realized it might be a long battle, though she also hoped that it would not get out of control.