Old Empathy

The clock ticked loudly as Tempest paced the room, her patience wearing thin. First, she, a top leader of both an Assessment and a Strike Team, was called here to the head office, but then the person requesting her dared to let her wait—one of the biggest forms of disrespect in Tempest’s eyes.

Finally, the door opened, and Tempest fixed the man entering the room with a withering glare.

“I’m really sorry, Tempest—” he began.

“It’s Commander Shadow for you,” Tempest interrupted, cutting him off. “Spare your excuses and get to the point; you’ve already wasted enough of my time.”

The man nervously placed the folders in his hands on his desk. “It’s about the girl you brought here,” he said. “You’re well aware that here, we mainly research new technologies for weapons, right?”

“I made it clear what your task with Sunset Shimmer is,” Tempest replied.

“To analyse if there is a possible parathreat affecting her, yes, but—”

“You don’t seem to get it, Director Whistle.” Tempest took a step closer to him. “For months, my team has been searching for any information on why the Foundation suddenly contained Canterlot City with its citizens in it, to no avail. This girl might be the key to figuring out what the parathreat is, and I demand your best personnel in this case.”

“You can’t expect me to cut into our own valuable time for your research!” Whistle retorted.

“I have the right to do so, and you know it.” Tempest eyebrow’s furrowed. “But do I really have to explain why this girl should be anyone’s top priority, or will you figure it out yourself?”

The director rubbed his forehead in frustration. “I don’t see a reason.”

“And your division is supposed to be the smart one.” Tempest rolled her eyes. “The Foundation has contained something inside a whole city, and yet it could have leaked into this girl.”

The man’s eyes widened. “You mean whatever it is they contain, it can spread?”

“Depending on whether or not the parathreat in her case is the same, but if it is, then that's the next step. Do you understand now why time is essential?” Tempest's tone was deadly serious.

Whistle nodded.

“Any more questions?” Tempest asked.

“No.”

“Make sure to report any findings immediately to me.” With that, Tempest turned on her heel and left the room.

Entering the designated room, Sunset's eyes fell upon a table adorned with two microphones. The room itself, with its stark white walls, emitted an unmistakable air of an interrogation chamber. As instructed, she took her seat, awaiting the imminent encounter.

Before long, a woman in a lab coat entered the room and settled herself opposite Sunset, carefully placing her clipboard on the table. Glancing briefly at Sunset, she then shifted her attention to her watch, jotting down some notes. "Sunset Shimmer?" she inquired.

Sunset arched an eyebrow in response.

“Born on June 16th, 1998 in Manehattan, since 2003 taken care of in Serenity Orphan Home... Is that correct?”

“Sure,” Sunset replied, her tone tinged with a hint of curiosity.

“I’m Dr. Snowfall, and I’ve been assigned to investigate your case pertaining to Canterlot City,” the woman introduced herself,

Sunset crossed her arms.

“To begin, our records indicate that you have no background or familial ties to the city. Is that accurate?”

“I'm not aware of any,” Sunset replied. “But why would the United Nations be so interested in a normal city?”

Dr. Snowfall pursed her lips, contemplating her response.

“Are we not even within the same country?” Sunset probed further.

“To maintain the integrity of the investigation, I kindly request your patience regarding our coalition's involvement,” the woman stated.

Sunset studied Snowfall’s anxious expression, sensing the falsehood in her words. Nevertheless, Sunset decided to bide her time. As long as they didn’t have any information, they relied on her cooperation.

“But let’s refocus on you,” Dr. Snowfall continued. “When did you first become aware of or hear about Canterlot City?”

“In second grade, while studying the map of our country,” Sunset responded.

“I implore you to fully cooperate and be honest with me,” Dr. Snowfall insisted.

“I am being honest,” Sunset groaned. “I immersed myself in books, maps, and science whenever I had the chance. Give me an empty map, and I can accurately pinpoint the location of each city.”

“Interesting,” Dr. Snowfall muttered, scribbling down a few notes. “Allow me to rephrase the question: What sparked your curiosity to learn more about Canterlot City?”

Sunset glanced to the side, memories of the cracking laughter from the creature in her nightmare flashing before her. City… Canterlot. None of the creature's words made sense, but that didn't matter to it. Each night, it relentlessly returned, tormenting her and forcing her to awaken in fear, no matter how many times she returned to the same unsettling place.

It had become exhausting, and all Sunset yearned for was an end to the torment. Yet, would Dr. Snowfall even believe her? Would she dismiss the nightmare as a mere psychological issue and send her back to the orphanage? Moreover, Sunset was curious to uncover the reason behind an international organisation's keen interest in a teenage girl searching for information about it online.

“Sunset, there is no wrong answer,” Dr. Snowfall reassured her. “No matter how strange or insignificant it may seem, it’s best for everyone that you share all the details with me.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” Sunset sighed.

“Every detail matters.” The woman smiled warmly. “You never know, your cooperation could be the key to saving a human life.”

Sunset tilted her head. “What is going on?”

“What do you mean?” Dr. Snowfall asked.

“Saving a human life? The United Nations caring that I, a mere orphan, searched for Canterlot City on the internet? Did I stumble upon something related to a terrorist group?”

The woman tapped her fingers on the table. “Let me make this clear: We don’t know the nature of the situation, so we explore every possible source of information.”

“Well, if you believe for a moment that I would have any involvement in that, then you're mistaken. The only connections I have are with the other children in our orphanage and our caretakers. The education available to me is inadequate, so I had to fight for the privilege to visit our town’s library whenever I desired. I've self-taught myself everything, and my intention is to surpass anyone facing similar circumstances, attend college, and build a stable, happy life for myself.

“In other words, if you're searching for any criminal activity on my part, you can search as long as you want, because you'll find nothing.”

Dr. Snowfall let out a sigh and jotted down more notes. “I understand that you're an honest and hardworking individual, but I urge you once again to stay on topic and answer my questions truthfully.”

“I haven't lied!” Sunset exclaimed.

“I never accused you of lying.”

“Then why does it matter?” Sunset stood up. “I know that once I get involved in anything criminal, there's no turning back!”

“Sunset!” Dr. Snowfall replied sharply. “I never insinuated any of that! I simply want to know why you were researching this particular city.”

“It's because of this relentless nightmare!” Sunset slammed her fists on the table. “Every night, I'm hunted by a demonic creature that repeats the same senseless phrases! And in it, there is this city!”

Dr. Snowfall nodded and rested her elbows on the table. “Why don’t you share more details about this nightmare?”

Taken aback by the calm response, Sunset cautiously took her seat. “Why does your organisation even care about it?”

“Because there may be more to this nightmare than you can imagine.”

Sunset blinked, absorbing the words. Did Snowfall genuinely believe that the nightmare warranted an investigation by an international organisation? Why? What was the purpose?

But despite her confusion, Sunset couldn't help but feel a glimmer of relief, a spark of hope. In the past, no one took her nightmares seriously. She tried everything to make them stop, but they persisted. There was no money for therapy or a psychiatrist, and she faced this torment alone.

She didn't believe the nightmare would receive significant attention from them, but if it meant there was a chance to end the nightmare, she was willing to seize it.

“Have you already made any discoveries?” Tempest asked sceptically.

“Indeed, we have,” Dr. Snowfall replied. “Sunset Shimmer experiences the same recurring dream every night. She finds herself in an abandoned city, running away from a creature she describes as 'demonic.' It repeats certain phrases to her before she wakes up.

But what's truly intriguing is the physical response her body exhibits during these dreams,” the researcher explained, pressing a button on the remote control to play a recording on the television screen.

The footage showed Sunset Shimmer lying in her bed, wearing a helmet-like device on her head. Colourful cables extended from the device, connecting to a computer next to her.

“During her sleep, the sensors indicate normal sleeping patterns until they suddenly go haywire,” Dr. Snowfall explained. “Our analysis reveals that her body experiences a significant increase in stress levels and a surge of adrenaline.”

“Is any of this considered paranormal?” Tempest inquired.

“No,” Dr. Snowfall replied. “While the spikes in activity may be higher than average, they fall within the range of typical human reactions. What is more interesting is this.” She pointed to the screen, where Sunset's body began exhibiting erratic movements. Her chest was visibly heaving with rapid breaths, and her head turned from side to side repeatedly.

Tempest raised an eyebrow, still harbouring doubts about the significance of this finding. But then, to her surprise, Sunset's mouth opened.

“A power from another world.”

Tempest felt the weight of Dr. Snowfall's proud gaze, and although she attempted to maintain a stoic expression, she couldn't help but feel a surge of relief. Finally, after tireless and previously fruitless investigations, they had achieved a breakthrough. The Global Occult Coalition might still be far from understanding the true nature of what was happening in Canterlot City, but they had taken the crucial first step. And once that initial step was taken, the subsequent ones always followed closely.

“A war against humanity.”

Tempest’s curiosity raised even higher. She remembers the promise she gave when she first became a part of the GOC, and in there, she promised to protect humanity at every cost.

“It’s breaking in, replacing empathy,” Sunset continued.

“Is that what the creature says in her dream?” Tempest asked.

“Yes, Sunset confirmed it,” Dr. Snowball replied. “But take a look now.”

Tempest observed as Sunset's eyes flew open, the veins surrounding her pupils having turned red.

“City. It all comes down to a single one. Portal. A vessel can stop her. A red geode. Hatch, hatch, and stop the infection that spreads to kill all of humanity. Canterlot.”

Sunset gasped and woke up, and Dr. Snowfall paused the recording.

“Is that what you have so far?” Tempest asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Snowfall confirmed. “We've assigned a psychologist to work with her in case it's a psychological phenomenon, but we are also planning tests to investigate the underlying causes of the dream.”

“Excellent.” Tempest nodded approvingly. “I want this research to be given the highest priority.”

“Whistle has already assigned additional personnel to the project. We will do our utmost to unravel this phenomenon.”

“Good. Keep me informed. Whatever is waging war against humanity, we must stop it by any means.”