Chapters Loud evening, silent night
Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…
“Hey! Turn off the radio! This tune is way too overrated!”
The rainbow-haired girl smash the ‘stop’ button with enough force to make the whole car shake, letting go of the steering wheel for a second, which triggered a few panicked screams among the six other girls crammed in the vehicle. The sun was already setting, and a few drops of warm rain were shining on the narrow streets of cobblestone. The dark blue car was heading towards downtown Canterlot, ignoring the speed limits and most of the traffic lights.
“Why are you trying so hard to get us killed?!” Said a purple-skinned girl, doing her best to keep her large glasses on her nose.
“Hey, I’m trying to get us to the movie on time!” Rainbow Dash answered, “You’re lucky Rarity’s not driving, we’d have had to leave two hours early!”
“Oh, uhm, psh! Please, Rainbow Dash, I’ll have you known I’m a very good driver!” A voice said from behind the driver seat.”
“I didn’t say bad, I said slow!”
“Turn it down, you two!”
“Sunset, you got the tickets?”
“Yup!”
“Alright then!”
The driver stomped on the brake pedal, stopping the car so suddenly, most of the girls fell on each others, like a giant, messy game of Twister.
“Ouch! What in da hay was that Rainbow?”
“Red light.”
“I SWEAR TO-”
}--THREE HOURS LATER--{
“Man, that sure was a movie!”
“I know right! Canter Zoom never disappoints!”
“There were sooooo many characters though!”
“I mean, they’ve been setting this cinematic universe for what? Ten years? It’s normal, Pinkie.”
“That sure may not have been their best movie, but it was certainly their… most movie.”
“Alright girls!” Rarity exclaimed, “If you don’t mind, I’ll be buying dinner tonight!”
“Really?!”
“Wow, awesome!”
“D’awww, thanks Rarity!”
“Of it’s nothing, really, after all the weather was wonderful when we entered the theater” The fashionista added, opening the heavy door under the glowing ‘exit’ sign, “There is no reason to-”
She was interrupted by the ear shattering sound of thousands of gallons of water smashing against the pavement. Despite the hour, the sky was already dark, filled with grey clouds. The wind was blowing away flower pots, newspapers and people like it was nothing. Sunset watched as a girl they all knew from CHS ragdolled past them.
“Oh, hey Derpy.”
“Heeeeyyyyyy….”
“Shit!” Rainbow Dash yelled, “I think we can all forget about the food!”
“It feels like the end of the world…” Fluttershy whispered, curled up in Applejack’s arms.
“No worries, darling!” Rarity smiled, grabbing her blue necklace. As she closed her eyes, several large blue crystals appeared out of thin air, creating a warm light and protecting the group of girls from the raging elements.
“Nice goin’ Rarity!” The country girl complimented, “Now come on y’all, let’s hurry back to the car!”
“Oooohhhh I don’t think I’ll be able to make it…” Fluttershy mumbled, trembling in her friend’s arms.
“And I can’t just my power to carry us all there…” Rainbow Dash added, “Hitting the raindrops feels like hell at this speed, believe me!”
Sunset took a moment to think about the current situation. Her friend was obviously too scared to walk for ten minutes under such a storm, which was understandable, even with Rarity’s shields. The others didn’t have that issue, but they couldn’t just wait for hours until the weather decide to calm down. And leaving their friend behind wasn’t an option. She had to make a decision…
“Alright everyone, here is what we’re gonna do! You girls go back to Rainbow Dash’s car before it gets flooded of blown away. I’ll stay with Fluttershy and book a hotel room for the night. There’s one just at the corner of the street. Is it alright for you Fluttershy?”
“Uhm… Yes? I mean, I’m sure I would feel much safer between four walls, especially if you’re there Sunset.”
“Alright! Perfect! We’ll try to be back for lunch, if your offer is still on Rarity!”
“Oh, of course darling! Are you sure you and Fluttershy will be alright?”
“Totally! I’ve got my wallet, my phone is charged, and we even have our necklaces! No worries, it’s just one night!”
“It bothers me to leave you two behind like that…” Twilight added with a nervous pout.
“Yeah! Can’t you just call a big bird and fly really really fast to the car?!” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“Well, I would never ask those nice birds to go out in this weather…”
“Or maybe… You know… They could never actually carry you?”
“Let the dream alive, Rainbow.”
“It’s settled then! We’ll meet at Rarity’s tomorrow!” Sunset concluded happily, “Deal?”
“Deal!”
“Yup!”
“Totally!”
“Yay!”
“Alright Fluttershy, you’re ready to run?”
“What?”
The girl didn’t get the time to proceed the information, as Sunset grabbed her wrist and pulled her in her course, running on the wet pavement, as the cold rain kept pouring on the entire city.
}--oO0Oo--{
“That wasn’t so bad.”
“Oh, that was… scary…”
“Hey, don’t worry, we’re safe now! Here, let’s book a room and get some dry towels!”
“Yes, thank you Sunset!” Fluttershy smiled, face covered with her soaked pink hair.
Sunset smiled back at her friend, and turned around to face the receptionist, a short old man with messy hair and broken glasses, scratching his nose and listening to the sound of rain against windows.
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Yes? Oh, welcome to the Golden Horseshoe Hotel, young girl. What can I do for you?”
“Me and my friend just barely escaped the storm, and-”
“Ah yes, crazy, am I right? Reminds me of my childhood. My brothers and I used to play outside during storms. Mama hated it.”
“Haha, that sounds… interesting. So, we’re searching for an available room, with either two beds or one double. Just for the night.”
“You’re not a fan of storms I get it? Alright…” He added, standing up with difficulties and looking through a drawer filled with old-looking golden keys, “It doesn’t seem like we have anything avail- Oh, nevermind, found one! Don’t know why that key was under all that stuff, but here you go! Room 207, second floor. You have any luggage? I can call my son.”
“No no no, it’s perfectly fine sir, we’re empty-handed. How much for the night?”
“Oh, well, I’m supposed to charge you extra since it’s Friday night, but I wouldn’t want you going somewhere else with the current weather, so I’ll make an exception… It’ll be fifty for a double bed.”
“Oh, thank you! That’s really sweet of you!”
“Hey, no worries! Just don’t tell my son, alright?”
“Promise.” Sunset answered, smiling at the old man’s kindness. She used the cash she had left to pay, thanked the receptionist deeply, and went back to Fluttershy, who was timidly staying in a corner, trying not to stain the floor with her wet sandals.
“Alright, we have a room!”
“Oh, that’s amazing Sunset! Thank you! Here, how much was it? I’m sure you want me to pay for ha-”
“No no no, you’re not going to give me your money. You’re going to come with me, and we’ll dry your hair and clothes, alright?”
“...Alright. Thank you Sunset.”
“No worries. Now let’s go!”
Sunset walked towards the stairs, followed closely by her friend, carrying the only backpack she had brought (mostly filled with animal care products, a few snacks and the pictures they all had taken months ago at Camp Everfree). They reached the second floor after a few seconds of climbing, and began searching through this maze of a building. There were so many rooms, it was hard to believe only one was available, but they could definitely hear voices behind the multiple doors: people eating, watching TV, talking about the storm outside… Even with three other floors above her, Sunset could still hear the rain fighting against the integrity of the rooftop, which held strong.
“For now… These walls look kinda fragile to me… ”
“Oh Sunset, this place is lovely, don’t you think?”
“Looks cosy. They must have nice old comfortable beds! Hope there’s still enough hot water though, with all these clients.”
“Oh my, a hot shower would be nice.”
The eventually reached the room labelled 207: a plain red door, just like the others. Sunset used the small key she had been given, which gently slid into the lock, and after a few mechanical sounds, they finally were able to penetrate the room.
“Oh Sunset, look at this! This place is gigantic!”
“Holy…”
The bedroom was indeed way larger than it seemed to be at first glance: at least five hundred square feet, with a queen size bed, a small kitchen, a separate bathroom and a large couch facing a wall with a TV way too modern for the wallpaper decorating the entire place.
“Uh… It’s bigger on the inside…”
“What?”
“I don’t know, I think I heard that in a TV show or something…”
One of the features that got Sunset’s attention was the huge curtain separating the room in half. White on the bedroom side, red on the living room side. It was thick and soft, and probably made to keep the heat in one room or another.
“This room is lovely! It feels so warm and tranquil! Nice going Sunset!” Fluttershy softly complimented.
“Gotta say, I expected… Not that.” The crimson-haired girl chuckled, “Now! You wanna be first for the shower?”
“Whatever’s best for you.”
“Haha, that’s nice Fluttershy. Though I told you, when someone asks what you prefer, don’t tell him to pick, it’s up to you!”
“Oh, uhm, well… In that case, I’ll gladly be first, yes.”
“There you go! Gimme your clothes, I’m gonna dry them on the radiator!”
“Oh. Uhm… Right now?”
“Sure! We only have these with us, so we’ll need them nice and dry when we leave tomorrow!”
Sunset observed as her friend’s cheeks turned blossom in within seconds. She should have seen this coming: even after all this time, Fluttershy wasn’t totally confident in sharing her intimacy with the rest of the group, unlike Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie, who could sometimes be not discrete enough.
“...Sure, just give me a second…”
The girl put down her bag, and clumsily took off her shoes, jacket and dress, as Sunset turned on the radiator, filling the first half of the room with a pleasing warmth. When she turned back towards Fluttershy, the latter was already in her underwear, arms crossed to hide her chest, a pile of wet clothes sitting next to her. Her messy, soaked hair gave her quite a miserable, yet cute, look.
“...Alright.” Sunset continued, watching Fluttershy’s face turn more and more red by the minute, “I’ll see if there’s something to eat in the kitchen. Have fun in the shower!”
“Th… Thanks Sunset.”
As Fluttershy closed the door behind her, Sunset grabbed the clothes, and placed them, soon followed by her own, on the hot metal rods. Now wearing nothing but panties and bras, she walked towards the kitchen corner and started searching for any sort of food that could be used as dinner. As she opened the fridge, she unwillingly thought about the body she had just seen:
“Gosh, I wish I wasn’t bi sometimes… ”
}--oO0Oo--{
After a dozen of minutes, Fluttershy came out of the bathroom, a large white towel wrapped around her whole body. Sunset was still half-naked, placing the few things she had found on the table: chocolate cookies, tea, orange juice, bread and butter. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Going back outside to fetch something to eat wasn’t an option.
“Hey Fluttershy! I found a couple of things in the fridge! Why don’t you eat something while I take a shower of my own? Just leave me some tea, alright?”
“Of course Sunset!”
The guitarist grabbed another towel, and crossed the doorway to the bathroom, before being interrupted by her friend’s voice:
“Oh, and Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“...Thank you.”
“Of course! That’s what friends are for, y’know? Alrighty, see you in ten minutes, I’ll be quick.”
She closed the door behind her, and immediately stripped naked. The bathroom was still steamy, and she could barely see herself in the mirror. She stepped in the shower, turning the dial and letting the hot water pour down her back, appreciating the change from the more… natural water they had to face half an hour ago.
“Jeez, I’ve come a long way, haven’t I? ”
She let the water flow through her hair, and took a moment to think. To think about her life before CHS, before she was a bully. About that time when she met a group of formidable people who accepted her in spite of her past mistakes. About all the things they had lived together, six girls, later seven,... All the people they had met, helped and fought, all the obstacles they had overcome. All the obstacles she had overcome. Including herself.
“When life gives you lemons… Find some people to share the lemonade with… I definitely found mine .”
She took a hand out of the shower to grab her phone and put on some music. DJ Pon-3. Uh, that’s right. She hadn’t been the best person to Vinyl during her years as CHS’s entitled bully, not at all in fact. But that was in the past. Another good example of how people can make you change.
After ten good minutes of enjoying her own little moment, she stepped out of the shower, shivering at the not-so-cold-but-still-colder-than-the-shower air, and drying her hair and body with her towel. Yes, this hotel seemed like a nice place. Maybe they’d come back someday, with all her friends.
She opened the door, waiting for Fluttershy to tell her that she should put her towel around her body, not her hair, but nothing. Silence. Fluttershy was asleep, curled up in the white sheets, smiling.
“D’aaawwww… ”
Sunset smiled, looked at the empty teacup, and poured herself some orange juice. After a cookie or two, she slid into the bed, carefully placing the towel between her hair and pillow. She could feel Fluttershy’s body pressing against the blanket, her characteristic smell of tea and catnip mixing with the flavour of chocolate in her mouth. She closed her eyes, and thought about the next day.
Tomorrow morning, lunch with the others.
Another day with her friends. Together.
No need to run anymore.
Author's Note
Boy oh boy, here we go again, second story!
I know I'm taking risks, both by writing about Sunset (because let's be honest, there are a LOT of different opinions on the character) and a sad story, which if you've read "Silent Love", isn't something I'm really used to do.
Anyway, I really, really hope you guys like this new story, please let me know if you liked (or disliked, please tell me what I can improve)!
This story scenario was inspired by the song "Renegades" by X Ambassadors. I had the idea when I first listened to this song, back when I was writing the very first chapter of "Silent Love" (so yes, the two stories are basically the same age!). This song is still my all-time favorite to date, and I highly advise everyone to listen to it. Multiple times. As soon as I heard this track, I pictured the exact scene you can see on the cover (made once again by KillJoyDraws, my dear friend and free artist ^^). Point is: listen, it's GOOD.
Thanks to everyone who has followed me so far, and to everyone who has read this first chapter (and who knows, this note). You are all qualitative persons.
On that note, see you in [REDACTED] weeks for the next chapter!
Gros bisous,
Saga.
“Mhmmhhhmmm…”
“Sheesh, is it morning already? ”
“Roflflfflflflfl…”
“Don’t want to wake up… ”
“...”
“Come on body, you can do this… ”
Sunset opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the sunlight beaming through the window. The glass was covered in fog, due to the warmth of the bedroom colliding with the fresh air of downtown Canterlot. The storm was long gone, only remained the water flowing down the downspout, as well as the hundreds of newspapers, cigarette butts and restaurant chairs scattered across the streets.
“There we go, no harm done.” Sunset thought, before noticing two fallen oaks in a nearby park, “Well, almost.”
Her hair was a mess. It already was hard to maintain on a daily basis, but sleeping right after the shower was definitely not a good idea. She grabbed a brush from Fluttershy’s bag, and started walking towards the kitchen as she tried her best to win the eternal war opposing her crimson hair and any form of combing. The curtain had done its job keeping the heat in the upper half of the room, and arriving in the second half gave the girl some slight chills. Nevertheless, she found a coffee mug, and poured herself some hot water from the kettle, before adding a scoop of dark-brown tea leaves. She smelled the steam coming out of the liquid. It was perfect.
Today was going to be a good day.
“Gee, what’s this noise outside though?”
She peeked through the window to notice a few police cars parked in the street. Probably here to check on the potential damages caused by the storm. The usual.
“Alright, now… What time is it?”
The old clock on the wall was showing 10am. A good time to wake up Fluttershy: they could be ready in half an hour and take the bus to Rarity’s place. Maybe bring some extra food along, if they could find a grocery store on the way.
“Fluttershy?! You there?!”
“...”
“Yo, Fluttershy?!”
“...Sunset?”
“Eeeyy, there you are!” The young girl said as her friend walked into the kitchen, pushing the heavy curtain aside with what appeared to be much difficulty.
“Is it morning already?”
“I know right?! This bed was so comfy, didn’t even feel like an entire night! Slept well?”
“Yes, very well in fact! Is there some tea left?”
“Sure! I’ll pour you some! Hey by the way, did you see this huge wooden chest? I noticed it yesterday, but it actually really bloody massive!”
“Oh my, it is quite big…” Fluttershy answered, looking at the said chest with interest. It was made of old green planks, stuck between two wardrobes and locked with a simple chain guard. Sunset walked towards it, mug still in hand, and gazed for a few seconds at the dusty furniture. Without a warning, she suddenly unlocked the chain guard, and grabbed the two rusty handles, opening the chest and ignoring the wood crackling at the effort. With a smile on her face, she lifted the lid, hoping to find many wonders, maybe the forgotten treasure of a pirate.
But no treasure.
No wonders.
She stopped.
As did time.
She looked down.
And the smile disappeared.
She let go of the wood. The chest slammed in a deafening sound. It was a person. A human. Asleep, not likely, dead, probably. Trapped. Who was he? What was happening? The room. It felt small. Fluttershy, behind her. She didn’t know yet. What to do. What to do.
Heavy breathing.
Heavy breathing.
No air.
Can’t breathe.
Where was she? When was she? How much time had passed since she opened that chest, since she froze in terror? Half a second, half an hour? Felt like the latter. It didn’t matter.
“Sunset? Are you okay?”
She turned around, eyes wide and hands clenched. Fluttershy was still here, standing with her cup of tea, visibly worried by her friend’s current behavior.
“I…”
“What’s happening? Did you see something? If it’s a spider, I’m sure I can talk this out with her.”
But Sunset didn’t answer. What could she possibly say? What could she possibly do? Panic? Stay silent, stay static? The shock was here, she was drenched in fear. Now all she could do is hope to God Fluttershy was not going to try and open that chest, for she didn’t think she had the strength to stop her.
“Here, let me see…”
“No, I…”
She had to stop her. At least from seeing it. Drawing every ounce of strength from her body and mind, she turned to Fluttershy and managed to grab her wrist before it was too late.
“Sunset! What are you doing? Are you sure you’re alright?”
Sunset’s breath was heavy. The light in her eyes had disappeared, to give way to fear, concern and doubt. She was whispering, but her voice felt like it echoed in her own head, like a broken bell falling down a tower:
“Listen to me… Don’t open that…”
“Why?... What’s going on?”
“Because inside there is a fucking…”
That’s when she realized. The police. In the street. They weren’t here to check for damage caused by the storm. She rushed to the window, and looked down. Two floors beneath them, on the pavement, the CPD was entering the hotel. Half a dozen of them. People all around, taking pictures and asking questions, with no idea of what was happening in the Golden Horseshoe Hotel.
“...Fluttershy?”
“Y… Yeah?”
“...We need to get out of here.”
Yes, they needed to leave. Right now. Surrendering to the police? Probably what most people with a minimum of common sense who do. But she couldn’t. They couldn’t. The CPD and Canterlot High weren’t exactly in the best of terms, with all the magical events which had happened in the area these past years, the police had decided to keep an eye on the school’s activity.
Also, well... her.
What would she do if she ever got arrested? She had no identity, no legal documents, no family,... The police would never take the word of her friends or the school, and even then CHS would get into their share of trouble if they did. In Equestria, she was Sunset Shimmer. Here, she was no one. A ghost. A perfect culprit. The police wouldn’t have to think twice about this, and she didn’t blame them.
“What… What do you mean get out of here?” Fluttershy asked with increasingly confused eyes, with a hint of fear in her voice, “Sunset, tell me what’s happening…”
“Because in that chest there is a fucking-”
She stopped for a moment. She had raised her voice, guided by panic and fear, and now her friend was more scared than ever. She had to get this under control, at least for the time being. But the sight of this man in the chest kept haunting her mind, like a spider lurking in the shadows of her thoughts. He was there, a few feet away from her, trapped.
“And if we don’t move, we’ll end up trapped as well… ”
She could hear the policemen in the hall. Coming for them. How did they know? Did someone tip them? Did someone… place that body in the room?
“No time for questions Sunset .”
She ran to the armchair, grabbed her bag, shoving in everything they had brought. She took the golden necklace she had left on the nightstand, and placed it around her neck.
“Fluttershy, you have your necklace on you?”
“Yes, I have it, but-”
“Here, I think I got everything!” Sunset interrupted, throwing her friend’s bag at her feet. Before she could even pick it up, the pink-haired girl jumped as her friend stood in front of her once again, putting both her hands on Fluttershy’s thin shoulders:
“Fluttershy, do you trust me?”
“Sunset, please tell me what’s goin-”
“Do you trust me?” She insisted.
“Of course I do!”
“Then trust me when I say: we need to get out of here.”
“Get out of… Please!” She begged, eyes watering and fists clenched, “Just tell me what’s going on! What s it that you saw?!”
“...Nothing good. For us. And now some people think that we’re responsible.”
“...Are we?”
“What?! Of course not! But we can’t afford to just wait and get caught!”
“...’Caught’? Wait, who’s-”
“Fluttershy please!”
“Okay, okay, I’m with you… Just… don’t yell at me… it’s scary.”
“Alright, I’m sorry. Here, grab your bag and come with me.”
She had to be calm. Confident. Like a leader, to get her friend out of this situation. But the truth is, she was terrified. She could hear them: the people climbing up the stairs to find them. They had to run. Now.
“Why would we want to go to the bathroom?”
“There’s a door there, to the next room. I just hope that it’s empty… And that the door isn’t too thick.”
“Oh, you want to… damage the hotel?”
“You know what? If it’s what it takes to get to a safe place, I’ll take that enormous responsibility.”
She ran to the door. Her ear twitched: she could hear the police, arriving on the second floor. They had to leave now . She locked the bathroom door behind her and Fluttershy. The passage to the next room was painted in white, like the bathroom walls, and deprived of any embellishments, or even doorknob. Sunset placed her ear against the wood. Nothing.
“So… What do we do now?” She heard Fluttershy ask from behind her back.
“Holy fucking shit am I really about to do this? Once we cross this door, we’ll be running away from the law… Fuck…”
Suddenly, two brief knocks on the door.
They were here.
No time.
“This is the CPD! Open up!”
Two more knocks. More powerful this time. Sunset took a few steps back, and looked at Fluttershy, holding her bag tight against her chest, hair covering her wet eyes. She had to do this, if not for herself, then for her friend.
“There we go.”
“Alright, officer, breach!”
Sunset ran to the door, shoulder forward.
On both sides of the room, the two doors yielded.
Author's Note
Well hello there!
It's time for the second chapter! Shorter, yes, but I guess you got why it ended where it ended.
So, the feedback on the first chapter has been... underwhelming, kind of ^^"
Also let's be honest, writing anything about Sunset is taking risks. It's like making the next DC movie. Sure, it could be great, but you have a lot of people who expect a failure.
On that note, I once again hope you enjoyed reading my story! Stay safe and flutter on my boys!
Bisous,
Saga.
Sunset’s shoulder hurt from busting through the door. Not her most brilliant idea, but certainly the only one she had to save Fluttershy and herself. She had heard their room door collapse under the policemen’s orders: they were close. Very close. Too close. She had no time to think clearly. No time to think at all, really.
“Sunset, what was that noise?!”
Fluttershy was still holding on to her left wrist, like a frightened animal seeking comfort. No need to use her powers here: she could feel the fear and panic in her friend’s eyes.
“Please don’t be locked, please don’t be locked… ”
It wasn’t. Thank goodness. Or not? The emotional ride she was experiencing prevented her from feeling any sense of relief. Maybe some men were waiting behind that door, maybe…
...Nothing. Without realizing it, she had opened the door in a hurry, and was now standing in the empty hallway, only a few meters away from the law enforcement. She could even hear them, beyond the cement walls:
“Are they gone?”
“He told us they’d be here.”
“Check the bathroom.”
Fuck. No time to waste, or to wonder who they were referring to. No time for anything, except running towards that small green sign marked “exit” at the end of the hallway, glowing like a little beacon of hope. A misleading beacon, leading to what looked like more misery. What would they even do? This was truly their last chance to turn themselves in. Sunset thought about it for a second that seemed like hours: on one side, their friends, Fluttershy’s parents, and the perspective of being two runaways from the law with nowhere to go… but on the other, endangering the very same friends, being falsely accused and risking prison, not only for a murder they didn’t commit, but also for her lack of papers.
And one last thing.
Twilight. Equestria Twilight, not… here-world-human-ish… Twilight. One way or another, she would hear of this, and then… what would she do? What would she not do? And princess Celestia… Now that she had forgiven Sunset, she could very well decide to intervene as well. Could Sunset’s situation escalate into a conflict between the two worlds? And what about how she promised Twilight to be better? Could the princess lose faith in her and abandon her? Could her friends abandon her?
She knew what she had to do. She turned to Fluttershy, placing her hands on her shoulders:
“Last chance Fluttershy, you can still stay here, I promise I’ll be fine.”
“No you won’t! What am I going to do? And what are you going to do all alone? It’s not like you have Twilight or Rainbow Dash to help you out! I could never forgive myself if I let you by yourself!”
Damn, that was… unexpected of Fluttershy to say. But it was certainly what Sunset needed to hear. She dried her tears, grabbed her friend’s arm, and the two started running towards the exit. They reached the end of the hallway, and look at the single window on the wall: it was leading into a small metal staircase, coiling down the hotel floors and ending in a narrow back alley, filled with large garbage bins and empty bottles. She swiftly opened the window before helping a trembling Fluttershy onto the stairs. She followed as closely as she could, trying her best to close the window from the outside. The guitarist ran down the staircase so fast she could feel her head crying for help. Once their feet finally reached the ground, they both took a few seconds to breathe, as Sunset tried to remember which side of the alley led to the police cars, and which one was safe.
“You’re still with me Fluttershy?”
“...Of course…” The girl answered, still panting from the effort. She followed as Sunset walked towards the next street and peeked to make sure the path was clear. Nothing but a few pedestrians, restaurants opening their doors and taking out the tables, all unaware of what was going on in the Golden Horseshoe Hotel.
There it was. What Sunset was hoping to find. The new bus line. It just had been opened to public, and she had no idea where it was headed. But no matter. The bus was approaching, just a few yards away from the green sign. Just the time they needed to run and get in.
“This is it… A dive into the great unknown… No going back…”
When she realized she had said these words out loud, Fluttershy had already laid her head on Sunset’s shoulder, holding her arm close and shivering at the cold of the morning.
}--oO0Oo--{
“Last stop!”
Sunset opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? How much time had passed since they left? She had no idea. Fluttershy was still laying on her side, looking so calm Sunset barely wanted to wake her up.
“...Hey, Fluttershy… We’ve arrived.”
“Arrived?” She asked, yawning, “Where?”
“I… don’t know…” Sunset admitted, looking around through the bus windows, “Definitely not in Canterlot anymore. It’s strange though, I feel like I’ve seen this road before…”
“Misses? You’re gonna get off or what?”
“Sure!” Sunset answered, quickly gathering her stuff and helping a still sleepy Fluttershy to get up. When they finally stepped off the vehicle, they got the chance to observe their surroundings in greater details:
“Looks like we’ve reached the edge of a forest. But in which direction is Canterlot?”
Sunset took out her phone, and opened the compass to realize They were East from the city.
“Wait, East of Canterlot is… ”
“Hey Sunset, look at this!” Fluttershy exclaimed, pointing at the stop sign, “We’re back at Everfree forest!”
They were indeed. That road they were looking at was the one the school bus used to reach Camp Everfree, located deep into the woods. And now here they were. Sunset could feel her necklace pulse under the greater magical presence inhabiting those wild lands.
“Oh hello there sir!”
Sunset turned around briskly. Was someone else here?! She looked at Fluttershy, sitting on the ground, turning her back to Sunset. Nobody else was here.
“Fluttershy, who were you talking to?”
“Mister Redstart over here of course!” She answered cheerfully, turning around and revealing a small orange bird perched on her finger.”
That’s right. Fluttershy’s own necklace allowed her to communicate with animals. Often cute, sometimes surprising, especially with the 10 feet polar bear from the Canterlot Zoological Park. But in their situation, it could be more than useful.
“Say, Fluttershy, could you ask your friend if there is any rest area of some kind near us? A place where we could maybe know more precisely where we are?”
“Of course! Mr. Redstart, tell me, would you happen to know any place where we could rest for a bit, please?”
The bird looked at the two girls for a few seconds, before emitting several joyful (or what could be interpreted as joyful coming from a specie whose favorite hobby is pulling out worms from the ground) chirps and leaving Fluttershy’s finger to fly north.
“So?”
“He’s going to lead us to a camping site located around five hundred yards North. He said the people there are usually very nice and give him bread.”
“Great, hope they’ll be as welcoming with us. If we’re lucky, the news from Canterlot haven’t reached them yet. We’re gonna have to walk.”
“Alright! Quick, don’t lose sight of Mr. Redstart!”
Sunset wondered… How could Fluttershy be so… carefree? With everything that was going on, everything that had happened in the past hours, how could she now be following a bird, walking like it was nothing?
“Hey Fluttershy? I wanted to ask you-”
Bzzzzzz
Bzzzzz
Bzzzzzzzz
Bzzzz
Wow. Both their phones were vibrating like they were trying to get out of the girls bags. They probably had reached a zone with mobile coverage again. Sunset took out hers, only to see more notifications than she ever had had before:
“Where tf r u?! R.D”
“Sunset please call us back. Twi”
“Darling, where are you? Is Fluttershy with you?”
“Sunset where did you go? What’s going on downtown?!”
“Yo everyone’s worried for you at CHS! -Lyra”
“Sunset this is principal Celestia. There is a situation here. Some policemen from CPD showed up at the school, and are apparently looking for you and Fluttershy? Please contact me as soon as you get this message.”
Author's Note
Jesus what an incredibly long wait for 1.5k words amirite?
Jesus I need to kill myself.
Seriously though, I am sorry for the long hiatus guys, hope this story's already small public wasn't reduced too drastically.know . Sometimes I didn't have time to write, sometimes I didn't really want to... I... still don't know if people actually like this fic or not? It's a bit blurry.
Bisous,
Saga.
“Fuck. ”
“FUCK ”
“Fuck… Fuck, fuck fuck... ”
“WE’RE SO FUCKED .”
Sunset couldn’t think. Her brain was saturated. Her mind was scattered. Where was her attention? Someone, somebody please listen. Her grip on reality was getting weaker and weaker, with every step she made alongside Fluttershy. Her friend hadn’t noticed anything, with a phone either silent or out of battery. She had to tell her, she had to get it together, she had to do something sooner or later, walk faster, be stronger, get it together, get it together…
“Everyone knows, everyone knows. The police is in CHS. All our friends know… but they don’t know… They don’t know… We can’t reach them, we can’t see them… ”
They couldn’t go back, only forward, deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. But on the other side wasn’t the Wonderland. Just an old camping site she could start to distinguish in the distance. No white rabbit, no singing flowers, no mad hatter. If she was lucky, she could always get high off something and pretend she is conversing with a blue caterpillar.
“Is everything alright, Sunset?”
No. Everything was not alright. It was far from alright. What kind of question was that anyway? Some stupid lazy way people have to say ‘Are you okay?’. Leave that to cheap novel writers, everything wasn’t ‘alright’. Nothing was alright. Why was she still thinking about this, it was just a question! And why was she thinking about the fact that it was just a question?!
“Why? ”
“WHY? ”
“FUCKING WHY?! ”
“Sunset?”
Wow. Back to reality. There goes the white rabbit. Her palms were sweaty, knees weak and arms heavy. There was sweat on her shirt already, in spite of the cold wind. She was still walking. Forward. Always. But Fluttershy was at her side, looking directly into her eyes.
“...Oh my, what’s happening to you? You were completely lost in… your thoughts… And I don’t need your power to guess they were not the most pleasant ones…”
Sunset looked at the pink-haired girl with confused eyes. Where were they going again? Oh that’s right, the camping area. Shit. She shook her head and smiled at Fluttershy, with incredible efforts to look calm and ready. On the surface.
“Nah, I’m just a little tired from the bus… You know, public transportation always gives me a small headache so… no worries. I’m fine! Look! Aaaall good! And look, we can see our destination already!”
“Yay…” Fluttershy answered with a relieved, yet nervous voice.
“She’s not stupid. She knows something is up. I can’t hide everything from her. She has to know. She needs to know .”
But she kept walking. And walking. And walking. Don’t say a word, don’t look around. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. No need to slow down, no need to stop. Just reach the camp, and try to figure out something. Anything. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Hope for the best.
Hope for the best…
Don’t slow down, you’re already late, so late…
}--oO0Oo--{
“Good morning ladies!”
“Hello!”
“Hey…”
“Welcome to Griffonstone camping site! How may I help you?” asked the the tall man with exceptionally long dark hair, falling on his shoulders like the leaves the girls could hear rubbing against the roof of the wooden cabin.
“We are kind of lo-”
“We are planning on coming here with friends in a few days.” Sunset interrupted, stopping Fluttershy from saying things she might regret later, “And we were hoping you could let us check out the site, to get an idea of what we could find here!”
“Well it’s pretty chilly this week…” The man chuckled, “So we don’t have that many clients. I’m sure nobody would mind if you took a look around. Just… try not to disturb the campers, alrighty? It’s still pretty early.”
“Alright, thanks.” Sunset answered abruptly, “Hey, can I grab a map?”
“Sure… They’re free, so have at it!”
“Thanks.”
Take the map. Grab the bag. Open the door.
“If you want, I can give you a tou-”
SLAM
“...’Kay.”
“Sunset! You could be a little more polite with that man! He was so nice with us!”
“We don’t have time to lose, Fluttershy… There, there are toilets. Wanna go?”
“Uhm… sure…” The girl answered with a frowning pout. She was tired, so was Sunset. But time was running out on them.
“I’ll try and find something to eat. Let’s meet here in five, okay?”
“Fine for me.”
And so she left, disappearing behind the shack wooden door, like the sun hiding behind the clouds. And now Sunset was alone again. She had to act : do something, anything. She had to be in charge, be responsible, she had dragged Fluttershy into this mess, now she had to keep her safe. Food. Shelter. How? Where?
“Calm down, just calm down. For a second. Food’s easy. You have your credit card : use it.” She held that thought for a bit. “No, maybe not, what if they track it? What then? ”
There. An ATM. Here, in the almost-middle-of-nowhere. Praise capitalism. Just one cashout, and she’ll be good. Even if they do track it, it wouldn’t matter. And it was better than nothing. She marched towards the machine, located just outside the small souvenir shop, and proceeded to grab as many bills as she could. Two hundreds. That would have to do for now.
“Alright, decent. Now to buy food. Poor Flutter, she must be hungry… See, what does she like most… ”
She entered the shop, waving politely but discreetly at the middle-aged woman at the desk, and wondered between the rows for a few minutes before grabbing a few products: sliced bread, chocolate, beef jerky, canned beans,... Enough for a few days. Maybe. If they were reasonable. But in their situation, reason wasn’t of question, out of vision, not even a suggestion. And just like the rabbits she saw passing by the camping site through the window, they were out of time.
“Sunset?”
Fluttershy had just entered the shop, bag in hand and looking slightly more refreshed after this quick break. She came to Sunset’s side as the crimson-haired girl grabbed her bag of products to offer assistance.
“Hey Fluttershy… No, it’s okay, it’s only one bag… Here, got you this.”
The girl’s eyes widened as she noticed what her friend was holding :
“Oh! Nougat! Sunset, you’re the sweetest! I don’t think I deserve thi!”
“...Of course you do! After all this, you’ve earned some nice sugar-heavy delicacy! Enjoy your ectomorphism, lucky you!”
She chuckled as she watched Fluttershy devour the treat, with even more pleasure in her eyes than that time when she saved a seagull with a broken wing. Pleasure was a rare resource now, they had to relish it.
“Didn’t think I’d even come to contemplate the setting… Yet here we are. This place is… surprisingly peaceful. ”
Her surroundings contrasted heavily with the need she had to hide, to run, to protect her friend and herself. It was true what they said, some places, some sensations, some… moments… really can make one reconsider its whole life. Well, maybe not life, more her situation, her past day. But being really honest with herself, she didn’t need anything other than two intact brain cells to reconsider the past twenty-four hours. But this… this was good. An escape, a break, a time out. Not only did it feel good, it felt… deserved.
“Hello Mr. Whiskers! Look how cute you are!”
Sunset looked at Fluttershy, crouched on the ground, with a small grey rodent sitting in the palm of her hand, nibbling on a tiny piece of sugar. She looked… happy, still. Maybe it was the forest, the wild life. She did seem better now that they were far from the city, far from the danger.
“Really makes you think, uh? ”
She took a small portion of dark chocolate, biting the corners before attacking the center, back laid against the wall, eyes wandering into the distance. Maybe it wasn’t all dark. Maybe there was some good in all this madness.
But all good things come to an end, eventually.
In that case, the end’s name was Silky Winds. Silky is married, two kids, a boy and a girl, who run around, scream and annoy neighbors all day long. She likes to eat, she likes to sing, and she is a good citizen. The kind of citizen who’d notify the police if she ever saw two wanted fugitives she had heard about on her miniature TV about an hour ago. Two girls… So young… Young but deadly apparently. Never trust facades. She should’ve known that before marrying her husband.
Sunset could hear the tires. She could see the blue lights. They were coming. Coming for them, coming at them. Someone had tipped the police off, and now here they were. How could she have been so stupid?! Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong!
“Sunset, what’s happening?”
“We need to go.”
The back door. Perfect. The owner couldn’t see them. Slowly but surely, the headed towards the exit, so close yet so far away. Closer… closer…
Out they were.
The police cars had stopped at the entrance of the camping, probably asking questions to the man from earlier. Were they all up there?
“Freeze!”
No they were not.
“Holy fuck… ”
“Nooo!” Fluttershy screamed.
A young man in blue was facing them, standing between the girls and the woods. Gun still in holster, but hand on gun. Don’t move an inch, don’t breathe a word.
“Mister…” Fluttershy started, much at Sunset’s surprise, “We-”
“Now you listen to me! We’re going to wait here, nice and steady, alright?”
“But we-”
“Young lady, you have the right to remain silent! I strongly suggest you use it!”
Fluttershy sighed. Then she touched her necklace, and whispered, just loud enough so that Sunset could hear :
“Please help us… Someone…”
“Hands in the air! Don’t force me to pull out my gu-”
Before he finished his sentence, help came, in the form of dozens of squirrels, mice and nutrias, climbing on the policeman’s legs, scratching his pants, gloves and belt. Not hurting him in the slightest, but surely as hell scaring him. Ironically, he was the first to run away. But he would be back. With others.
“Fluttershy, is he alright?!”
“Oh my, I certainly hope so, When I touched my necklace, I was just asking for a distraction…”
Sunset wondered how close this just had been. Was escaping the police a second time a good thing? Or not?
Didn’t matter, they had to go. Now.
Now.
“NOW! ”
Bells in her head, they don’t ring by themselves, and the bell ringer was right :
“Run.”
And they ran. Into the woods. Deep, deep, into their own twisted Wonderland.
Author's Note
If some are still expecting a decent update schedule, I'm sorry for them.
I know, I know, these chapters are short, too short! But this is how I feel about writing this particular story : smaller, more intense chapters of 100% story, no side plots, no time for jokes, we're in the endgame now (Most Subtle Reference Award 2019).MAYBE expect a slightly shorted wait!
I said maybe.
Bisous,
Saga.
Oh yeah, and I'm having fun with music references, see if you can spot any.
