Consequences

by shallow15

Evasion, Searches, and Discoveries

Gloriosa Daisy looked up from her computer as she heard a car pull into the Camp Everfree parking lot. She picked up her phone and called her brother, Timber Spruce.

“Yo.”

“Hey,” Gloriosa began. “Were we expecting any deliveries or workmen or anything today?”

“No,” Timber replied. “Do you need me to come up?”

“No no, it's fine. I'll take care of it. You keep working on the storm windows.”

“All right. Call if you need me.”

Gloriosa ended the call. She got up from her desk and headed to the door. She opened it, and found herself facing a tall woman with a violet complextion. Her head was mostly shaved, except for a crest of bright red hair that flopped over on one side, covering her right eye. She was dressed in a slim black suit, with a matching turtleneck. A pin in the shape of twin blue lightning bolts was on her lapel.

“Hello,” Gloriosa said, taken aback. “Um... welcome to Camp Everfree.”

“Hello.” The woman reached into her pocket and presented a wallet with a badge and ID. “Gloriosa Daisy?”

“Yes... can I help you?”

“Agent Tempest Shadow. I'm with the Specialized Taskforce Overseeing Remarkable Matters. I'd like to ask you some questions.”

Gloriosa swallowed, then stepped aside, holding the door open. “Um... okay. Please come in.”

Gloriosa led Tempest back to her office and sat back behind her desk. “I'm sorry, but I don't have any coffee made or anything.”

“That's fine, Ms. Daisy.”

“So... what's all this about?”

Tempest pulled out her phone and brought up her notes. “I'm investigating a strange event that happened at the Canterlot Mall a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh, I saw something about that on the news,” Gloriosa replied. “But, what does that have to do with me?”

Tempest looked up. “I spoke to one of the mall investors. Filthy Rich?”

Gloriosa's expression hardened. “Oh?”

“He mentioned back in April some sort of deal to buy the camp fell through?”

“He was not going to buy the camp!” Gloriosa hissed. “He was going to swindle it out from underneath me and my brother!”

“I apologize. I'm going by what Mr. Rich said.”

Gloriosa frowned. “Oh really? And just what else did Mr. Rich say.”

“Primarily that some teenagers happened to be able to put together a last minute fundraiser to help you with your financial difficulties.” Tempest kept her face neutral as Gloriosa visibly relaxed.

“Yes, those were some students from Canterlot High who had come up here for Spring Break. They found out about our financial issues and managed to get quite a few former campers to contribute.”

“Wow,” Tempest replied. “Sounds like you lucked out.”

“Yes,” Gloriosa smiled. “If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here now.”

“Mr. Rich also mentioned some kind of strange plant life he saw around the grounds, and some... structural damage?”

Gloriosa tensed up again. Her voice rose. “There were a few mishaps. I kind of went... overboard for the kids. I thought it was going to be our last group of campers, so I tried to do everything myself and there were a couple of things that I didn't pay as much attention to as I should have. A couple of things broke, but fortunately no one was hurt and the chaperones were very understanding.”

Tempest said nothing, but looked back down at her phone. She tapped the screen a few times. Gloriosa felt her fists begin to clench, but forced her fingers back open.

“Is there anything else, Agent Shadow?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Tempest slowly looked back up. Her expression was dark. “Yes, Ms. Daisy. I would like to know exactly – “
The door to the office opened, admitting Timber Spruce. He was carrying a toolbox which he put down on the floor. “The storm windows are all up and the shingles are replaced. What's ne – oh, hello.”

He dusted his hands off and extended one to Tempest. She stood and shook it.

“Agent Shadow, this is my brother, Timber Spruce,” Gloriosa said. “Timber, Agent Shadow is here about what happened last April.”

Timber blinked. “Well... no offense, Agent Shadow, but, why? We just hosted some high schoolers, and they helped us get the money we needed to keep the camp open.”

“I was informed that there was some unusual plant life that appeared during that time,” said Tempest. “It may have something to do with the investigation I'm conducting in Canterlot City.”

“Oh that?” Timber smiled. “We had a kudzu infestation break out.”

“Kudzu?” Tempest quirked an eyebrow.

“Nasty stuff, kudzu. Grows like crazy. The night before, nothing. Next day, boom. Kudzu.”

Tempest looked from Timber to Gloriosa, who quickly smiled. The agent returned her gaze to Timber, who looked casual and relaxed.

“I didn't think kudzu would survive this far north,” she said.

“So did we,” said Timber. “But apparently in the spring and summer months the conditions are right. We looked it up afterward.”

“Oh yes,” Gloriosa added. “Turns out it's been found as far north as Caneighda.”

Tempest looked out the window at the campgrounds. The grass between the office and the cafeteria was lush, green, and unmarred. “Seems like you took care of it.”

“Yeah, cost us a bit, but we needed to get things ready for summer.” Timber put an arm around his sister's shoulders. “Anything else?”

“Would it be all right if I took a look around the grounds?” Tempest asked. “Maybe I'll find some kudzu that you missed. I'd like to ask Mr. Rich to compare it to what he saw when he visited.”

Timber frowned. “Filthy Rich?”

“Mr. Rich mentioned seeing some strange plants here when he visited during the fundraiser,” Gloriosa explained. She looked at Tempest. “Feel free to look around, Agent Shadow. Although we did a pretty thorough job getting rid of the kudzu, but if you find any, please let us know.”

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Daisy. Mr. Spruce.” Tempest left the office. After a moment, the siblings heard the door to the building close.

“Do you still have Twilight Sparkle's phone number?” Gloriosa asked.

“I'll call her as soon as we're sure she's gone.” Timber answered.

---

Tempest spent twenty minutes wandering the campgrounds. She didn't believe the story about the kudzu in the slightest.

They know something. She thought. Something happened here.

She followed a path leading away from the campgrounds and soon found herself in the woods. She walked the path, lost in thought.

Something about this doesn't feel right. Something definitely happened here, but the damage was minimal. If it wasn't for the kids from Canterlot High being involved, I'd write this off as a dead end.

Tempest sighed. All she'd accomplished was confirming that Canterlot High was at the center of everything that had been happening. The director wouldn't be happy with these results. And if he didn't get the results he wanted...

I don't get the answers I need. Dammit!

Tempest kicked a rock on the path. It flew through the air, bounced off a tree and off into the woods. Tempest kept walking but stopped when she heard a faint crack coming form wehere the rock had disappeared. It sounded like the rock had bounced off another stone.

She walked off the path and pushed through the brush. She came out on an overlook. Below her was a rock quarry with a sizable cave. Tempest frowned and slid down the overlook to the quarry. She walked into the cave and stopped.

The cave was lined with geodes and crystals in a variety of colors. The natural beauty would have held her interest if she weren't working, but her eyes scanned the cave out of habit. She paused as she spotted something yellow fluttering above her. She took out her phone and activated the camera. She zoomed in on the object and frowned again.

“Streamers?” she said, confused. She put the phone away and ventured further into the cave. After a few minutes she came upon an antechamber. There was a hole in the ceiling of the chamber. A shaft of sunlight shone down on a broken stalagmite in the center of the antechamber. Tempest came closer and blinked as she saw something sparkling on the stalagmite.

As she got closer, she saw seven small holes in a circle in the flat surface of the stone. She reached into another pocket and pulled out a penlight. She clicked it on and flashed it in each hole. Multicolored sparkles reflected the light back. She frowned.

Geodes don't work like that. One or two colors, yes, but not seven in the same place.

She took a pocketknife from her pants pocket and scraped a sample of each colored rock from the holes, placing them in small evidence bags. As soon as she was done, she pocketed the knife, took the penlight out of her mouth and grabbed the bags with her other hand.

As soon as the bags came in contact with each other, there was a flash of multicolored light. Tempest's eyes widened and she looked at the rock chips.

Maybe I spoke too soon.

Author's Note:

So yeah, I saw the SDCC teaser for the next EG special and it looks like the Storm King's emblem is seen when the girls spot the magic on the island. So it may be possible that special does the same thing this story does: run concurrently with the MLP movie.

Hopefully not, but regardless, this story continues as planned.

Comments

[DragonxFlutter]

She's getting closer. CRAP. If she's anything like the Pony Tempest, she'll be easy to sway to the girls' side. But it's Director King that I'm worried about. The Storm King was incompetent, but Director King seems to be anything but. This'll be a tough battle.

[Twi_Clown]

Oh shit.

[Machine]

Oh scrap metal.

[CapNTilfy]

Agent Tilfy to Home Base! Agent Tilfy to Home Base! The horseapples have hit the fan. Repeat: The horseapples have hit the fan!