RUN GIRL RUN

Sunfire sat down, eager to eat.

The eggs were surprisingly good compared to the rest of the house, except for the shell that Thunder had clearly let slip by. She dug in without a second thought, devouring the eggs in one fell swoop. The first thing she had eaten that wasn't garbage.

Thunder ate at a painstakingly slow pace, chewing each and every bit to the fullest extent before swallowing. He looked scary just eating a day-to-day meal. His gaze would dart to a new location entirely every so often, and it would remain fixed for minutes at a time. When asked what he was looking at, he simply shook his head. He was stranger than Sunfire had thought.

After the food was no more, Thunderhoof silently took the plates out to the kitchen. He dumped them in the sink, already overflowing with old dishes. He sighed and turned back to Sunfire, staring at her. As much as she wanted to look away, his gaze was besetting. It held her by the eyes.

"I'm sorry..." he said, looking down at the floor.

"S-sorry...?" Sunfire began. "Sorry for what?"

"I'm a freak." Thunder replied bluntly.

"N-"

"Yes I am." he thumped his hoof on the ground.

Neither pony knew what to say, so they stayed quiet. The words rang throughout the house, bouncing in and out of their own ears.

"I haven't slept in four days," Thunder finally spoke up. "I'm going to bed."

A bed, that's what it was called.

He stumbled over to the disgusting couch across the room, and laid himself down on it. "Please, make yourself at home."

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?" Sunfire cocked her head. "Especially when there's a clean bed upstairs? I wouldn't even mind sharing it with you."

"No," he replied. "The couch is special."

Sunfire sighed and took for the upstairs bedroom without a second thought. She promptly laid herself across the mattress, and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she'd passed out cold, letting her body give way to the darkness that fed her life.

Hours had passed before she opened her eyes. She awoke, and sat up in her bed.

Something was wrong. No light was shining through the window, it looked as if no time had passed by since she fell unconscious. Sunfire rolled over and peered through, only to find the same dark silhouettes dancing in the wind; waving to her.

Confused, she got up. She decided to see if Thunder was still asleep downstairs, and if not, perhaps he could answer a few questions. The house creaked with pain as she moved, every step stressing a different part of the structure, making it cry for help. Eventually, she reached the landing, only to find Thunderhoof wide awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling, completely motionless.

"Thu-"

"This forest," Thunder cut her off. "Is not for the likes of you."

He turned his head to face her. His eyes were wide, and horrifically bloodshot. His muzzle dripped with blood, trickling down all over his chest. He had not slept, not one minute.

It was now that Sunfire had realized the front door was open. The cold breeze blowing in from the outside beckoned to her, she almost wanted to run. Thunderhoof was unsettling before, but now he was terrifying.

"We need to go." he said, pulling her from her daze.