Relation Ships: The Shallowsby TheStorytellerChaptersCrampedChatSlumberCrampedIt is always disconcerting when you fall asleep in the comfort of your own bed, only to wake up in a completely different bed. It would be even more concerning if you woke up and found someone else sleeping next to you. And what would be especially concerning is if the room you woke up in was somehow floating in the middle of the ocean. Normally, when two people awake to such a circumstance, they would naturally panic, scream, and flail about like headless chickens. However, these two occupants are not normal people nor are they any type of chicken. They are, in fact, Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry; college students at Ponyville University, now marooned on a boat. Or at least, they assumed they were on a boat. Truth be told, Twilight and Flash were trapped in a room. A ridiculously small room at that. A twin-sized mattress bed could be found in the far back of the room. On one side of the room was a minifridge built into the wall. Beside it was a small stove with two stovetops and a vent above it, along with an overbite of a counter connected to it. Parallel to the appliances was a doorway leading into a bathroom with all the basic things a bathroom holds; toilet, shower, sink, mirror, etc. With all telltale signs, it became pretty obvious that the two were on a boat. That much was clear from the gentle sways that occasionally rocked their room and from the telltale design of the interior of the room. However, what was most alarming to the two, was that there was no door or means of exit for the two. There was no sign of an entryway or any way in or out of the room. Suffice to say, the two were trapped. Twilight, being the problem solver she is, decided to gather all of the facts. “Okay…” Twilight nibbled on her thumb’s fingernail. “Let’s recount everything that happened before we ended up here.” “Right…” Flash rubbed his chin as he recalled the previous night. “I was finishing up some homework for my criminology class last night, then Tempest called me over to her apartment to hang out. I went over, we hung out, talked about her doing…stuff.” “She was discussing that ‘snuggle session’, between you and Shimmer,” Twilight corrected, using air quotes for the wording that Tempest had used. Flash looked at her with bewilderment before she explained, “The walls are thin in my apartment; it doesn’t take much to overhear. Besides, we need to be completely accurate in order to keep our facts straight.” She added, in an attempt to alleviate Flash’s embarrassment. Flash's cheeks were tinted a slight crimson. He cleared his throat, “A-anyways…we were discussing…that, and then it started raining like bullets outside, so Tempest offered to let me stay the night. I crashed on the couch, then I woke up here with you.” “Okay,” Twilight acknowledged. “As for me, I came back after a night out with my study group, then…” She trailed off, doing her best to recall what happened afterward, only to draw a blank, “…I can’t quite recall what happened afterward. The last thing I remember was sleeping in my bed.” “Same here.” Flash nodded. “Er-, I-I mean sleeping back in my bed. Not yours,” he quickly corrected. There was a sudden sound of heavy footsteps above the two. Drawing their attention, they both looked upwards at the ceiling where they had heard the steps coming from. “So… guess we’ve got our captor,” Flash said, silently thankful for an opportunity to change the discussion. “Seems that way.” Twilight tore her gaze away from the ceiling and onto Flash. “Why do you think they kidnapped us?” “Huh?” Flash looked bewildered. “What makes you think I’d know?” “Come on, humor me,” Twilight said. “Bounce some ideas off me.” Flash rubbed his chin, pondering the motives behind kidnapping two completely normal, non-magical, college students. “Well…my family doesn’t have enough money, so they couldn’t have kidnapped us for a ransom,” Flash stated. Twilight nodded. “Same with my family. Not to mention they didn’t chain us up or give us any information.” “Maybe they want to question us?” Flash suggested. “About what?” “You know…” Flash shuffled awkwardly, “about magic?” The footsteps moved away, trailing off to who knew where. The two were silent for a moment before Twilight looked back to Flash. Twilight shifted uncomfortably for a moment; the topic of magic was still something she found rather…touchy. “Actually,” Flash spoke up, noticing how uncomfortable Twilight was, “forget I said that, it’s probably not magic since…” he trailed off. “Yeah,” Twilight agreed, hugging herself, “If It was about magic, they’re about three years too late.” Silence once again, the two looked away from each other, scanning the room. Both as a way of finding a way to escape the room and from their current awkward situation. Alas, their situation became even tenser when Twilight’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound. *CLUNK* Flash and Twilight turned to a noise that came from the fridge. At first, they remained unmoving, but slowly their curiosity got the better of them. Flash made his way towards the fridge. Gripping the handle tightly, he very slowly opened it, peering through the crack. He said nothing, just observing the wonder before him. “What is it?” Twilight asked, unable to see over Flash. Flash opened the door fully, revealing that the fridge was now full of food items. There was a small carton of eggs, a package of hash browns, seasonings, shredded cheese, slices of bread, berry jam, and a bottle of orange juice. Everything needed to make a healthy breakfast. “Well… that’s convenient,” Flash said. They wasted no time making themselves breakfast. After half an hour of cooking, the two sat on the bed with a plate full of scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast and jam, and glasses of orange juice. The two ate in silence until Flash thought of something they could discuss. “Hey Twilight,” he started. “Hmm?” Twilight mumbled, giving Flash her attention without opening her mouth full of scrambled eggs. “How did they get the food in the refrigerator?” Flash asked. Twilight pondered for a moment; it was certainly a good question as there was no way for the food to have just magically appeared inside. Unless of course they somehow teleported into the fridge, but that was impossible. There must’ve been a reasonable and logical way for the food they were eating to have entered the fridge. Putting her big, genius brain to work, she formulated an answer. “Clearly,” she pushed her glasses up, “our captors noticed that we were hungry and stocked the fridge via a secret compartment in the back of the fridge.” Flash thought for a moment before agreeing. “…Yeah, that could be it.” He set his plate to the side and approached the fridge. “In that case,” He grabbed its handle and tried to pull it open, but the door refused to budge. “Hrrrrggggg!” The young man grunted as he pulled and pulled with all his might, but it was to no avail as the door remained shut. “Dang! It! Won’t! Budge!” Flash said, releasing the handle. “You gave it your best shot,” Twilight did her best to give any kind of moral support. “Thanks,” Flash said, walking away from the refrigerator. “Although… there’s still one thing that doesn’t quite make sense to me.” “How so?” Twilight asked. Flash turned to face her, “Why give us ingredients instead of fully prepped meals? Not to mention, they left several tools and pieces of equipment that we could use.” Flash stated, referring to the kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dishware, and various other items. “Yeah…” Twilight agreed. Flash looked over to the wall, he approached it and gave it a tap. There was an echo, indicating that it was in fact hallow. “Hey, Twilight,” Flash pointed. “This wall is hollow here. I think we can break it down.” Flash backed away from the wall and readied himself. In a swift motion, he raised his leg and kicked at the wall, like a cop trying to break open a door. This ended poorly as Flash’s kick didn’t leave so much as a scratch on the wall. But it did leave a pulsing pain through his foot. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” Flash hopped on one foot, nursing his injured foot as best he could through his boots. “That was stupid.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “By all means—ow—feel free to do—ow—better,” Flash gestured, still rubbing his foot. Twilight, after finishing her breakfast, put her dishes aside and walked over to the kitchen. She grabbed one of the pans and approached the wall Flash had kicked. She raised the pan and struck the wall. *SNAP!* The battle between wall and pan was over in an instant, so much so that one would call it a slaughter rather than a fight. The moment the pan made contact with the wall, the base of the pan had been severed from the handle. The body of the pan ricocheted off the wall and was flung directly towards Flash. It smacked him right on the head, bouncing off of him with a cartoonish ‘plonk’ before dropping to the floor. Twilight could do nothing but cover her mouth to suppress her shock, her eyes wide with horror. “Oh my gosh! Flash, I’m so sorry!” Twilight quickly rushed over to inspect her companion. Flash held a side of his head, groaning in pain. Twilight brushed his hand aside and cringed upon seeing the small bruise on his temple start to form. On the plus side, however, his foot didn’t hurt anymore. *CLUNK* Another sound from the minifridge. Twilight wasted no time, quickly rushing over. She threw the door open where there was an ice pack wrapped in cloth sitting on one of the shelves. She grabbed it and walked over to Flash. “Wait, wait! No!” Flash shouted in vain as the refrigerator door swung close and locked itself back up again. Twilight realized that she had missed her opportunity to see if there was in fact a secret compartment at the back of the fridge, having been too preoccupied with treating Flash. “I’m sorry,” was all Twilight could think to say. “No, it’s okay,” Flash reassured, taking the ice pack from Twilight and placing it over his bruise. “That door has to open up again eventually.” Twilight assumed that what Flash said was correct. Eventually, the fridge would unlock again sometime for them to have lunch or dinner. However, this was nothing more than mere speculation. “Flash, stay here,” She guided him to sit on the bed, “I’ll take care of everything.” With that, she took up the handle from the pan and started bashing it against the wall like how an amateur sculptor would chisel away at a block of marble. Suffice to say, her efforts proved futile. After she took a breathe, she looked down to see that it was the handle that was being eaten away with every swing she took. “Ugh!” she groaned in frustration. “What is this wall made out of? Mithril?!” “You’re doing great! Keep it up!” Flash cheered, doing his best to keep Twilight’s spirits up. Twilight couldn’t tell if Flash’s sudden goofy attitude was because of his personality or because of the rush of blood starting to swell around his head. The genius scientist didn’t give up. She kept hammering away at the wall, her strikes becoming more aggressive and frantic. “Uh… Twilight,” Flash reached towards the woman as he noticed how panicked she was becoming. “Twilight,” he repeated, getting up from the bed, he made his way to her. “Twilight!” he yelled, grabbing her wrist, he stopped the young woman from her pointless beatdown on the wall. Twilight looked up to Flash with scared eyes on the verge of tears. She was breathing heavily, as though she had run a marathon. Flash recognized the fear and desperation behind her eyes and he knew that she was having a panic attack. Although he wasn’t well versed in calming people down, he knew the first thing that should happen is to get her breathing back to normal. “Twilight, slow your breathing,” he suggested, moving his grip to her shoulders, doing his best to calm her down. “Repeat after me,” he took a deep inhale for three seconds, holding up three fingers for each second that passed. Once three seconds passed, he exhaled for another three seconds. Twilight took deep breaths in the way Flash had demonstrated, keeping a steady rhythm of a deep exhale and deep inhale until she got her breathing under control again. Finally, after one last exhale, Twilight was breathing normally again and looked much calmer. “Better?” Flash asked, making sure that Twilight was okay before he released his grip. Twilight nodded, “Thank you, Flash. I’m feeling much better now.” Flash removed his grip from her, “Okay, ” he looked around again. “suffice to say, we’re not gonna be able to use anything in here to break us out.” “What do you suggest?” Twilight asked. “Best guess?” Flash rubbed the back of his head, “I suppose we just chat until the fridge unlocks again.” Twilight sighed. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was better than anything else, “Okay…what do you want to talk about?” “Well… I haven’t really seen or spoken to you in a couple of years,” Flash stated, "How've ya been?” ChatFlash and Twilight attended the same university––Ponyville University––and although they did see each other every now and again, they hadn’t really spent too much time together as friends. The last time that Twilight could honestly say that she saw Flash was when he came over to her apartment last night and spent time with her roommate, Tempest. It became clear that the two would have a lot of catching up to do. “Why don’t we start with our Ponyville introductions?” Flash suggested as he went first, “My name is Flash Sentry, I’m 20 years old, my major is in criminology, and an interesting fact about me is that I enjoy cooking.” His smile faltered for a bit, “although, you already knew that about me.” Twilight giggled, “Yeah, I did, but I’ll play along. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I’m 19 years old, undecided for a major, and an interesting fact about me is that I’m a superhero.” Her expression saddened for a moment, “or rather…I used to be.” … A silence filled the air. Twilight mentally kicked herself for making the atmosphere around them awkward again. Like things weren’t embarrassing enough with the two of them in such a small room. “A-anyways,” Flash began, desperate to change the subject, “you’re an undecided major?” “Yeah,” Twilight confirmed. “Why do you ask?” “Nothing, it’s just that I would’ve thought you’d choose something like robotics, or chemical engineering, or mechanical engineering, or literally anything that involved engineering.” Flash said. Twilight twirled a strand of her hair, “I’ll admit that I did have some interest in those… but nothing that I wanted to make a full-time career out of.” She looked over to Flash. “What about you? I’m quite surprised that you chose criminology of all things. I would’ve thought you’d go for something in the musical category.” Flash tensed up upon hearing that, “Yeah…well…see the thing is…” Flash fumbled with his words, “I’ve always wanted to do something good, you know, in some way to better help the community. I want to become a police officer or maybe something along the lines of a detective.” “Really? What made you want to do that?” Twilight asked. “Let’s just say…I inspired myself to become one.” Flash answered. Silence filled the room once again. If there was a clock, the two would’ve noticed that it had only been minutes of them talking to each other. It was clear that if they were to make any progress in escaping the room, they’d have to find something more discussion-worthy to talk about. Thankfully, Flash thought of something. “Hey, Twilight,” he began, “why did you want to attend Ponyville University?” “What do you mean?” “Someone as talented as you could’ve gone anywhere. You could’ve gone to Discord Tech, or Grogar College of Science, or literally any other kind of science-based institute,” Flash listed. “So why did you choose Ponyville?” “To be honest, it was because you and Shimmer were going there,” Twilight admitted. Flash remained silent, letting Twilight explain herself. “After we closed up the portal, everyone went their separate ways. Sunset went back to Equestria, Rainbow Dash joined the army, Fluttershy took that job at Whitetail Woods, Pinkie Pie went to Appleloosa College, and Rarity and Applejack both went to Manehatten University. I chose Ponyville University because it offered programs I was interested in. And because two of my friends were going there,”she finished, to which Flash nodded in understanding. “Although, it didn’t really do much good, seeing as how you and I never so much as spoke to each other.” Flash avoided Twilight’s gaze, “Yeah…that’s a little on me.” Flash admitted. “It’s fine,” Twilight said. In truth, she couldn’t really blame him––a college life schedule made things difficult, if something didn’t align with someone else’s schedule then there was no chance of it happening. “What about you?” She asked, turning the topic to Flash. “Why did you decide to go to Ponyville University?” Flash shrugged. “Same reason as most other college students; scholarships, location, classes––you know, the basic reasons.” There was the sound of footsteps above them again. The two looked upwards, eyes following where the sound was coming from. “Is it concerning that I forgot we were kidnapped for a minute there?” Flash asked. “To be honest, I completely forgot as well,” Twilight admitted. Flash cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, “HEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!” “Ow!” Twilight winced, not expecting Flash to start screaming. “Oh, sorry.” “Could you maybe, I dunno, not do that?” Twilight yelled, glaring at Flash. “Do you have a better idea?” Flash said, all ears for any other plan that Twilight might have. Twilight opened her mouth, only to close it as nothing of value came to her. Without any reason to argue or any counterpoints to make, she also cupped her hands over her mouth and joined Flash in screaming at the ceiling. Suffice to say, their screaming did nothing but tire their throats. They spent an embarrassing amount of time hollering before giving up. Having exhausted themselves from screaming, they had lost all energy for conversation and waited in silence for something to happen next. *CLUNK* Their prayers were answered by the signature sound coming from the refrigerator. Without a word, Flash and Twilight approached the fridge, crouching down to be at eye level with it. The two shared a look, saying nothing but only giving a nod to each other as Flash gripped the handle and opened the fridge door. Inside were all the ingredients needed to make two sandwiches, along with some bags of chips and water bottles. Twilight kept the door open, and Flash began taking the food out of the fridge and setting it on the counter. Once the fridge was fully empty, Flash took the broken handle from the snapped pan moments ago. He tapped against the walls on the fridge, testing them on their density. After doing this, he shook his head, “There’s no way we’re gonna break through. Not with this, anyways.” Twilight let out a sigh. She hated to admit it, but Flash was right. There was no way for them to make so much as a dent with what they had with them. Before she could say anything else, the refrigerator door suddenly swung and closed itself. There was an audible click sound, indicating that it had locked back up. “Well, so much for that plan,” Twilight muttered, standing up again. Flash watched as Twilight sat back down on the bed, her expression defeated and depressed. In the end, you can’t help anyone. The hateful words of someone Flash knew echoed within his head. It reminded him of his helplessness, and he hated that feeling. But it reminded him of what he was good at, if he couldn’t get them out of this mess, he could encourage the one that could. He stood up and put a reassuring arm on Twilight. “Hey, it was a good idea,” Flash said, putting on his best smile. “If it was a good idea, we’d be out of here already,” Twilight huffed. Flash kneeled down, being eye level with Twilight, “Any idea is better than nothing. I mean… nothing was ever achieved right away. Everything and anything that anyone ever succeeded in was done through constant trial and error until they got it right.” Twilight looked to Flash with a half-smile, her confidence slowly returning, “You know, you’re right!” She stood up from the bed and scanned the room once more, new ideas forming in her head. “I take it you’ve already thought of a bunch more ideas?” Flash asked. “Yep,” Twilight nodded, “but I’m going to need a hand to make them work. Mind lending me some support?” Flash tossed the broken handle in the air. It spun for a few seconds before falling back into his open palm. “Lead the way.” With that, the two went off to try many more escape attempts. SlumberDespite their numerous attempts, they were unable to escape. In the end, Flash and Twilight were unable to escape their room and lay exhausted on the bed. Thankfully, their dinner didn’t require any meal work. However, their exhaustion made them aware of one very crucial factor that they had been neglecting during their entire imprisonment. There was only one bed. It became very clear that, for all intents and purposes, Flash and Twilight would have to sleep in the same bed. The two blushed upon coming to that realization until the sound of footsteps appeared above them once more. An idea popped into Flash’s head, one which would save the two from the potentially embarrassing situation. “Don’t know about you,” Flash began, “but I’m not too comfortable with the idea of sleeping while our kidnapper is right above us.” “R-right,” Twilight quickly agreed, catching onto what Flash was suggesting. “But we can’t just go without sleep. So here’s what I’m thinking, how about we sleep in shifts?” “Are you… okay with that?” Flash asked. “What do you mean?” Twilight responded with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just- I don’t- what I’m saying is-” Flash fumbled, trying his best to get the words out. After he took a deep breath, he spoke, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and well…you know.” Twilight could see how nervous and clammed up Flash was. This time it was her turn to put a reassuring hand on Flash’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I trust you and I’d know you’d never do anything to me,” she said with complete sincerity. “If anything, I feel safer knowing that you’re here.” “…Really?” “Really,” Twilight nodded. “Now then, do you want to take the first shift or should I?” Flash thought for a moment before he came to his decision, “I’ll take the first shift.” “Okay.” Twilight pointed to the circular window, “we’ll use the moon’s position as an indicator for time. When the moon is here,” she pointed to the highest point on the window’s rim, “that’s when you’ll wake me up and we’ll switch shifts.” Flash nodded in agreement. *CLUNK* There was another thud. The refrigerator door swung open, revealing its contents. This time it wasn’t filled with food but instead with two pairs of pajamas; one that was blue with green alien heads and the other was purple with blue stars. Lying atop the folded pajamas was a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a small container of mouthwash, and some containers of floss. On the rung below the one that held their pajamas were bottles of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Flash went over and grabbed both sets of clothing. It wasn’t hard to figure out which ones belonged to who. “Not only did our captors kidnap us, but they were also kind enough to steal our belongings and fold them neatly for us,” Flash said, instantly recognizing his pajamas. “How generous,” she said, taking her pajamas from Flash. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?” Flash deposited the three bottles from the fridge onto the counter, and once the fridge was empty its door swung closed and locked itself. “Sure,” he answered, to which Twilight entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Flash waited outside, leaning against the wall. He looked upwards as he heard the sound of footsteps once more. “Hey, we should come up with a name for our captor,” Flash suggested. “Mwah?” A muffled response came from Twilight, brushing her teeth. “You know, it feels kinda rude to just call them ‘captor’. Maybe we should give them a nickname for the time being?” The door to the bathroom opened and Twilight emerged, her hair no longer tied up and draped over her shoulders. She was now wearing the pajamas given to her. “Well, how about the name 'Captor'?” Twilight suggested, to which Flash just gave her a flat look. “Flash, this guy kidnapped us. I’m not exactly in the mood to give him a good name.” “Them,” Flash corrected. “Huh?” “We don’t know if this person is a man, woman, or any other form of identification. We should give them a gender-neutral name.” Flash rubbed his chin. “How about, Cappy?” “You can call him-er, them, whatever you want,” Twilight retorted as she made her way to the bed. Flash entered the bathroom next. He brushed his teeth and put on his pajamas before exiting the room. He looked over to the bed where he saw Twilight without her glasses. She lay under the covers, her head against one of the two pillows. Twilight looked to see that Flash was staring at her. “Something wrong?” she asked, causing Flash to snap back to reality. “O-oh, no!” He quickly looked away, hoping to cover up his blush. “Sorry, it’s nothing,” he lied, but in the end, that was all he could do. He couldn’t possibly tell Twilight just how much she looked like her. “A-anyways, you go ahead and get some rest. I’ll take the first watch.” With that, Twilight made herself comfortable. Thanks to the comfort of the mattress and the gentle sway of the room, she was asleep within seconds. Several hours passed before Twilight awoke. The room was now completely dark, with only the moonlight shining inside of it. It was, of course, the moonlight that had awoken the young genius. She rose slowly from the bed, using one arm as a support and the other to rub her eyes. She fumbled for where she had set her folded glasses for a moment before her hands landed on them and she grabbed them. Pushing them onto her face, she was now able to see everything clearly. The first thing she looked up to notice was the position of the moon, and how it was very far away from where she had indicated. This of course meant only one thing; Flash had let Twilight oversleep. She pivoted and looked to the other side of the room, where she saw her fellow captive sitting down, leaning against the wall. He looked up to Twilight with a half-smile. “O-oh, s-s-sorry, d-did I w-wake you?” he asked, his teeth chattering. Twilight removed the covers and immediately regretted doing so as she exposed herself to the freezing temperature of the room. She shivered, then rubbed her arms to provide some form of warmth. However, her first concern wasn’t the cold, but rather the condition of her cellmate. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” she demanded, a frown on her face. Flash looked sheepishly at her, “Would y-you believe m-me if I t-t-told you t-that you looked s-so peaceful sleeping?” “Chivalry aside,” Twilight sighed, moving her legs over the bed, “I’ll take the next watch now.” “No!” Flash bolted upright in protest. “Y-you get some rest. I can take the remaining shifts.” With Flash standing fully upright now, Twilight was able to see the effects of the cold environment on Flash. His skin was lighter, his lips looked blue, and his cheeks were red. She looked around again for something that she could give the young man as a source of warmth; a blanket, or warmer clothing, anything. Alas, she found nothing. “You’re not going to let me take the next watch, are you?” Twilight muttered. “Fine, in that case then,” she moved all the way over to the other side of the bed, making room for another person, “we’ll just have to sleep together.” Flash’s cheeks went from cherry-red to full-on crimson upon hearing that. He was about to protest but Twilight spoke first to cut him off. “Look, I’m not too comfortable with this situation either,” Twilight admitted, her cheeks red from embarrassment, “but I can’t just let you stay out in the cold air. So, get in here already before I have to drag you in here.” Understanding the threat loud and clear, Flash hesitantly approached the bed. He sat down on it and turned his back to Twilight. He tucked his legs under the covers and draped the top of the heavy blanket over his top side. Twilight shifted around to make herself comfortable, and in doing so she brushed her leg against Flash’s––causing her to flinch and withdraw her leg instantly. Eventually, the two were able to fit onto the bed in a platonic way, with their backs against each other and the two facing away from the other. Flash’s cold, large, backside pressed against Twilight’s warmer, slender, frame. “See?” Twilight spoke, doing her best to hide her embarrassment, “told you we can do it, just two friends sharing a bed in a completely platonic manner. Nothing awkward or weird about that.” “Nope, not at all.” Flash agreed, his eyes locked right in front of him. … … … “If anyone asks, we’ll say Cappy made us do it.” Twilight declared. “Agreed.” Flash nodded without any hesitation. “Hey…you called them Cappy.” “Well…you had a point,” Twilight admitted, “I don’t know why, but giving him- them a name somehow made them less scary.” Twilight had to admit that giving their kidnapper a goofy name like ‘Cappy’ made the situation less tense. Speaking of a tense situation, there was a nagging thought gnawing at the back of Twilight’s brain. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to rest unless it was answered so she asked her companion. “Hey Flash?” Twilight spoke up. “Yeah?” He responded. “How are you so calm right now?” Twilight asked. Flash didn’t respond right away. He thought carefully about what he’d say before speaking. It was true that in any normal situation, anyone would be panicking and freaking out about being captured. However, Flash was calm and collected. “I guess it’s because of you.” Was all Flash could answer “Me?” Twilight responded, completely taken aback by his answer. “Yeah.” Flash paused before explaining. “I can’t fully explain it, but right now, knowing you, I’m sure that we’ll figure out a way out of here. After all, you’re Twilight Sparkle. Why should I be afraid when I’ve got you?” Twilight was thankful that Flash was facing away from her. Otherwise, he would’ve seen the slight blush on her face. “Thank you, Flash,” Twilight said, feeling a lot more comfortable being near the guitarist. “I’m actually really glad you’re here too.” “Really?” Flash asked incredulously. “Really,” Twilight answered. “We weren’t able to make any progress today, but that just means we’ll have all of tomorrow to figure something else out. Besides, it’s like you said; this is a great excuse to catch up with one another.” A slight chuckle escaped from Flash upon hearing that. “Well then, I look forward to either getting out of here or getting to know you better, Twilight Sparkle.” “Likewise…Flash Sentry.” She responded between a yawn. As if put under a spell, the two quickly succumbed to sleep. The gentle rocking of the ship, the warmth of the bed sheltering them from the cold exterior of the room, and the peace that the two gave each other created the perfect conditions for a peaceful slumber. Nothing could stir them from this restful slumber. Not even the shimmering light that emerged from across the room could stir the two. The wall on the opposite end of where the bed was stationed began to warp and change. And in a flash of colorful wisps and sparkles, something new appeared on the wall. A door.
CrampedIt is always disconcerting when you fall asleep in the comfort of your own bed, only to wake up in a completely different bed. It would be even more concerning if you woke up and found someone else sleeping next to you. And what would be especially concerning is if the room you woke up in was somehow floating in the middle of the ocean. Normally, when two people awake to such a circumstance, they would naturally panic, scream, and flail about like headless chickens. However, these two occupants are not normal people nor are they any type of chicken. They are, in fact, Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry; college students at Ponyville University, now marooned on a boat. Or at least, they assumed they were on a boat. Truth be told, Twilight and Flash were trapped in a room. A ridiculously small room at that. A twin-sized mattress bed could be found in the far back of the room. On one side of the room was a minifridge built into the wall. Beside it was a small stove with two stovetops and a vent above it, along with an overbite of a counter connected to it. Parallel to the appliances was a doorway leading into a bathroom with all the basic things a bathroom holds; toilet, shower, sink, mirror, etc. With all telltale signs, it became pretty obvious that the two were on a boat. That much was clear from the gentle sways that occasionally rocked their room and from the telltale design of the interior of the room. However, what was most alarming to the two, was that there was no door or means of exit for the two. There was no sign of an entryway or any way in or out of the room. Suffice to say, the two were trapped. Twilight, being the problem solver she is, decided to gather all of the facts. “Okay…” Twilight nibbled on her thumb’s fingernail. “Let’s recount everything that happened before we ended up here.” “Right…” Flash rubbed his chin as he recalled the previous night. “I was finishing up some homework for my criminology class last night, then Tempest called me over to her apartment to hang out. I went over, we hung out, talked about her doing…stuff.” “She was discussing that ‘snuggle session’, between you and Shimmer,” Twilight corrected, using air quotes for the wording that Tempest had used. Flash looked at her with bewilderment before she explained, “The walls are thin in my apartment; it doesn’t take much to overhear. Besides, we need to be completely accurate in order to keep our facts straight.” She added, in an attempt to alleviate Flash’s embarrassment. Flash's cheeks were tinted a slight crimson. He cleared his throat, “A-anyways…we were discussing…that, and then it started raining like bullets outside, so Tempest offered to let me stay the night. I crashed on the couch, then I woke up here with you.” “Okay,” Twilight acknowledged. “As for me, I came back after a night out with my study group, then…” She trailed off, doing her best to recall what happened afterward, only to draw a blank, “…I can’t quite recall what happened afterward. The last thing I remember was sleeping in my bed.” “Same here.” Flash nodded. “Er-, I-I mean sleeping back in my bed. Not yours,” he quickly corrected. There was a sudden sound of heavy footsteps above the two. Drawing their attention, they both looked upwards at the ceiling where they had heard the steps coming from. “So… guess we’ve got our captor,” Flash said, silently thankful for an opportunity to change the discussion. “Seems that way.” Twilight tore her gaze away from the ceiling and onto Flash. “Why do you think they kidnapped us?” “Huh?” Flash looked bewildered. “What makes you think I’d know?” “Come on, humor me,” Twilight said. “Bounce some ideas off me.” Flash rubbed his chin, pondering the motives behind kidnapping two completely normal, non-magical, college students. “Well…my family doesn’t have enough money, so they couldn’t have kidnapped us for a ransom,” Flash stated. Twilight nodded. “Same with my family. Not to mention they didn’t chain us up or give us any information.” “Maybe they want to question us?” Flash suggested. “About what?” “You know…” Flash shuffled awkwardly, “about magic?” The footsteps moved away, trailing off to who knew where. The two were silent for a moment before Twilight looked back to Flash. Twilight shifted uncomfortably for a moment; the topic of magic was still something she found rather…touchy. “Actually,” Flash spoke up, noticing how uncomfortable Twilight was, “forget I said that, it’s probably not magic since…” he trailed off. “Yeah,” Twilight agreed, hugging herself, “If It was about magic, they’re about three years too late.” Silence once again, the two looked away from each other, scanning the room. Both as a way of finding a way to escape the room and from their current awkward situation. Alas, their situation became even tenser when Twilight’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound. *CLUNK* Flash and Twilight turned to a noise that came from the fridge. At first, they remained unmoving, but slowly their curiosity got the better of them. Flash made his way towards the fridge. Gripping the handle tightly, he very slowly opened it, peering through the crack. He said nothing, just observing the wonder before him. “What is it?” Twilight asked, unable to see over Flash. Flash opened the door fully, revealing that the fridge was now full of food items. There was a small carton of eggs, a package of hash browns, seasonings, shredded cheese, slices of bread, berry jam, and a bottle of orange juice. Everything needed to make a healthy breakfast. “Well… that’s convenient,” Flash said. They wasted no time making themselves breakfast. After half an hour of cooking, the two sat on the bed with a plate full of scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast and jam, and glasses of orange juice. The two ate in silence until Flash thought of something they could discuss. “Hey Twilight,” he started. “Hmm?” Twilight mumbled, giving Flash her attention without opening her mouth full of scrambled eggs. “How did they get the food in the refrigerator?” Flash asked. Twilight pondered for a moment; it was certainly a good question as there was no way for the food to have just magically appeared inside. Unless of course they somehow teleported into the fridge, but that was impossible. There must’ve been a reasonable and logical way for the food they were eating to have entered the fridge. Putting her big, genius brain to work, she formulated an answer. “Clearly,” she pushed her glasses up, “our captors noticed that we were hungry and stocked the fridge via a secret compartment in the back of the fridge.” Flash thought for a moment before agreeing. “…Yeah, that could be it.” He set his plate to the side and approached the fridge. “In that case,” He grabbed its handle and tried to pull it open, but the door refused to budge. “Hrrrrggggg!” The young man grunted as he pulled and pulled with all his might, but it was to no avail as the door remained shut. “Dang! It! Won’t! Budge!” Flash said, releasing the handle. “You gave it your best shot,” Twilight did her best to give any kind of moral support. “Thanks,” Flash said, walking away from the refrigerator. “Although… there’s still one thing that doesn’t quite make sense to me.” “How so?” Twilight asked. Flash turned to face her, “Why give us ingredients instead of fully prepped meals? Not to mention, they left several tools and pieces of equipment that we could use.” Flash stated, referring to the kitchen utensils, pots, pans, dishware, and various other items. “Yeah…” Twilight agreed. Flash looked over to the wall, he approached it and gave it a tap. There was an echo, indicating that it was in fact hallow. “Hey, Twilight,” Flash pointed. “This wall is hollow here. I think we can break it down.” Flash backed away from the wall and readied himself. In a swift motion, he raised his leg and kicked at the wall, like a cop trying to break open a door. This ended poorly as Flash’s kick didn’t leave so much as a scratch on the wall. But it did leave a pulsing pain through his foot. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” Flash hopped on one foot, nursing his injured foot as best he could through his boots. “That was stupid.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “By all means—ow—feel free to do—ow—better,” Flash gestured, still rubbing his foot. Twilight, after finishing her breakfast, put her dishes aside and walked over to the kitchen. She grabbed one of the pans and approached the wall Flash had kicked. She raised the pan and struck the wall. *SNAP!* The battle between wall and pan was over in an instant, so much so that one would call it a slaughter rather than a fight. The moment the pan made contact with the wall, the base of the pan had been severed from the handle. The body of the pan ricocheted off the wall and was flung directly towards Flash. It smacked him right on the head, bouncing off of him with a cartoonish ‘plonk’ before dropping to the floor. Twilight could do nothing but cover her mouth to suppress her shock, her eyes wide with horror. “Oh my gosh! Flash, I’m so sorry!” Twilight quickly rushed over to inspect her companion. Flash held a side of his head, groaning in pain. Twilight brushed his hand aside and cringed upon seeing the small bruise on his temple start to form. On the plus side, however, his foot didn’t hurt anymore. *CLUNK* Another sound from the minifridge. Twilight wasted no time, quickly rushing over. She threw the door open where there was an ice pack wrapped in cloth sitting on one of the shelves. She grabbed it and walked over to Flash. “Wait, wait! No!” Flash shouted in vain as the refrigerator door swung close and locked itself back up again. Twilight realized that she had missed her opportunity to see if there was in fact a secret compartment at the back of the fridge, having been too preoccupied with treating Flash. “I’m sorry,” was all Twilight could think to say. “No, it’s okay,” Flash reassured, taking the ice pack from Twilight and placing it over his bruise. “That door has to open up again eventually.” Twilight assumed that what Flash said was correct. Eventually, the fridge would unlock again sometime for them to have lunch or dinner. However, this was nothing more than mere speculation. “Flash, stay here,” She guided him to sit on the bed, “I’ll take care of everything.” With that, she took up the handle from the pan and started bashing it against the wall like how an amateur sculptor would chisel away at a block of marble. Suffice to say, her efforts proved futile. After she took a breathe, she looked down to see that it was the handle that was being eaten away with every swing she took. “Ugh!” she groaned in frustration. “What is this wall made out of? Mithril?!” “You’re doing great! Keep it up!” Flash cheered, doing his best to keep Twilight’s spirits up. Twilight couldn’t tell if Flash’s sudden goofy attitude was because of his personality or because of the rush of blood starting to swell around his head. The genius scientist didn’t give up. She kept hammering away at the wall, her strikes becoming more aggressive and frantic. “Uh… Twilight,” Flash reached towards the woman as he noticed how panicked she was becoming. “Twilight,” he repeated, getting up from the bed, he made his way to her. “Twilight!” he yelled, grabbing her wrist, he stopped the young woman from her pointless beatdown on the wall. Twilight looked up to Flash with scared eyes on the verge of tears. She was breathing heavily, as though she had run a marathon. Flash recognized the fear and desperation behind her eyes and he knew that she was having a panic attack. Although he wasn’t well versed in calming people down, he knew the first thing that should happen is to get her breathing back to normal. “Twilight, slow your breathing,” he suggested, moving his grip to her shoulders, doing his best to calm her down. “Repeat after me,” he took a deep inhale for three seconds, holding up three fingers for each second that passed. Once three seconds passed, he exhaled for another three seconds. Twilight took deep breaths in the way Flash had demonstrated, keeping a steady rhythm of a deep exhale and deep inhale until she got her breathing under control again. Finally, after one last exhale, Twilight was breathing normally again and looked much calmer. “Better?” Flash asked, making sure that Twilight was okay before he released his grip. Twilight nodded, “Thank you, Flash. I’m feeling much better now.” Flash removed his grip from her, “Okay, ” he looked around again. “suffice to say, we’re not gonna be able to use anything in here to break us out.” “What do you suggest?” Twilight asked. “Best guess?” Flash rubbed the back of his head, “I suppose we just chat until the fridge unlocks again.” Twilight sighed. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was better than anything else, “Okay…what do you want to talk about?” “Well… I haven’t really seen or spoken to you in a couple of years,” Flash stated, "How've ya been?”
ChatFlash and Twilight attended the same university––Ponyville University––and although they did see each other every now and again, they hadn’t really spent too much time together as friends. The last time that Twilight could honestly say that she saw Flash was when he came over to her apartment last night and spent time with her roommate, Tempest. It became clear that the two would have a lot of catching up to do. “Why don’t we start with our Ponyville introductions?” Flash suggested as he went first, “My name is Flash Sentry, I’m 20 years old, my major is in criminology, and an interesting fact about me is that I enjoy cooking.” His smile faltered for a bit, “although, you already knew that about me.” Twilight giggled, “Yeah, I did, but I’ll play along. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I’m 19 years old, undecided for a major, and an interesting fact about me is that I’m a superhero.” Her expression saddened for a moment, “or rather…I used to be.” … A silence filled the air. Twilight mentally kicked herself for making the atmosphere around them awkward again. Like things weren’t embarrassing enough with the two of them in such a small room. “A-anyways,” Flash began, desperate to change the subject, “you’re an undecided major?” “Yeah,” Twilight confirmed. “Why do you ask?” “Nothing, it’s just that I would’ve thought you’d choose something like robotics, or chemical engineering, or mechanical engineering, or literally anything that involved engineering.” Flash said. Twilight twirled a strand of her hair, “I’ll admit that I did have some interest in those… but nothing that I wanted to make a full-time career out of.” She looked over to Flash. “What about you? I’m quite surprised that you chose criminology of all things. I would’ve thought you’d go for something in the musical category.” Flash tensed up upon hearing that, “Yeah…well…see the thing is…” Flash fumbled with his words, “I’ve always wanted to do something good, you know, in some way to better help the community. I want to become a police officer or maybe something along the lines of a detective.” “Really? What made you want to do that?” Twilight asked. “Let’s just say…I inspired myself to become one.” Flash answered. Silence filled the room once again. If there was a clock, the two would’ve noticed that it had only been minutes of them talking to each other. It was clear that if they were to make any progress in escaping the room, they’d have to find something more discussion-worthy to talk about. Thankfully, Flash thought of something. “Hey, Twilight,” he began, “why did you want to attend Ponyville University?” “What do you mean?” “Someone as talented as you could’ve gone anywhere. You could’ve gone to Discord Tech, or Grogar College of Science, or literally any other kind of science-based institute,” Flash listed. “So why did you choose Ponyville?” “To be honest, it was because you and Shimmer were going there,” Twilight admitted. Flash remained silent, letting Twilight explain herself. “After we closed up the portal, everyone went their separate ways. Sunset went back to Equestria, Rainbow Dash joined the army, Fluttershy took that job at Whitetail Woods, Pinkie Pie went to Appleloosa College, and Rarity and Applejack both went to Manehatten University. I chose Ponyville University because it offered programs I was interested in. And because two of my friends were going there,”she finished, to which Flash nodded in understanding. “Although, it didn’t really do much good, seeing as how you and I never so much as spoke to each other.” Flash avoided Twilight’s gaze, “Yeah…that’s a little on me.” Flash admitted. “It’s fine,” Twilight said. In truth, she couldn’t really blame him––a college life schedule made things difficult, if something didn’t align with someone else’s schedule then there was no chance of it happening. “What about you?” She asked, turning the topic to Flash. “Why did you decide to go to Ponyville University?” Flash shrugged. “Same reason as most other college students; scholarships, location, classes––you know, the basic reasons.” There was the sound of footsteps above them again. The two looked upwards, eyes following where the sound was coming from. “Is it concerning that I forgot we were kidnapped for a minute there?” Flash asked. “To be honest, I completely forgot as well,” Twilight admitted. Flash cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, “HEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!” “Ow!” Twilight winced, not expecting Flash to start screaming. “Oh, sorry.” “Could you maybe, I dunno, not do that?” Twilight yelled, glaring at Flash. “Do you have a better idea?” Flash said, all ears for any other plan that Twilight might have. Twilight opened her mouth, only to close it as nothing of value came to her. Without any reason to argue or any counterpoints to make, she also cupped her hands over her mouth and joined Flash in screaming at the ceiling. Suffice to say, their screaming did nothing but tire their throats. They spent an embarrassing amount of time hollering before giving up. Having exhausted themselves from screaming, they had lost all energy for conversation and waited in silence for something to happen next. *CLUNK* Their prayers were answered by the signature sound coming from the refrigerator. Without a word, Flash and Twilight approached the fridge, crouching down to be at eye level with it. The two shared a look, saying nothing but only giving a nod to each other as Flash gripped the handle and opened the fridge door. Inside were all the ingredients needed to make two sandwiches, along with some bags of chips and water bottles. Twilight kept the door open, and Flash began taking the food out of the fridge and setting it on the counter. Once the fridge was fully empty, Flash took the broken handle from the snapped pan moments ago. He tapped against the walls on the fridge, testing them on their density. After doing this, he shook his head, “There’s no way we’re gonna break through. Not with this, anyways.” Twilight let out a sigh. She hated to admit it, but Flash was right. There was no way for them to make so much as a dent with what they had with them. Before she could say anything else, the refrigerator door suddenly swung and closed itself. There was an audible click sound, indicating that it had locked back up. “Well, so much for that plan,” Twilight muttered, standing up again. Flash watched as Twilight sat back down on the bed, her expression defeated and depressed. In the end, you can’t help anyone. The hateful words of someone Flash knew echoed within his head. It reminded him of his helplessness, and he hated that feeling. But it reminded him of what he was good at, if he couldn’t get them out of this mess, he could encourage the one that could. He stood up and put a reassuring arm on Twilight. “Hey, it was a good idea,” Flash said, putting on his best smile. “If it was a good idea, we’d be out of here already,” Twilight huffed. Flash kneeled down, being eye level with Twilight, “Any idea is better than nothing. I mean… nothing was ever achieved right away. Everything and anything that anyone ever succeeded in was done through constant trial and error until they got it right.” Twilight looked to Flash with a half-smile, her confidence slowly returning, “You know, you’re right!” She stood up from the bed and scanned the room once more, new ideas forming in her head. “I take it you’ve already thought of a bunch more ideas?” Flash asked. “Yep,” Twilight nodded, “but I’m going to need a hand to make them work. Mind lending me some support?” Flash tossed the broken handle in the air. It spun for a few seconds before falling back into his open palm. “Lead the way.” With that, the two went off to try many more escape attempts.
SlumberDespite their numerous attempts, they were unable to escape. In the end, Flash and Twilight were unable to escape their room and lay exhausted on the bed. Thankfully, their dinner didn’t require any meal work. However, their exhaustion made them aware of one very crucial factor that they had been neglecting during their entire imprisonment. There was only one bed. It became very clear that, for all intents and purposes, Flash and Twilight would have to sleep in the same bed. The two blushed upon coming to that realization until the sound of footsteps appeared above them once more. An idea popped into Flash’s head, one which would save the two from the potentially embarrassing situation. “Don’t know about you,” Flash began, “but I’m not too comfortable with the idea of sleeping while our kidnapper is right above us.” “R-right,” Twilight quickly agreed, catching onto what Flash was suggesting. “But we can’t just go without sleep. So here’s what I’m thinking, how about we sleep in shifts?” “Are you… okay with that?” Flash asked. “What do you mean?” Twilight responded with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just- I don’t- what I’m saying is-” Flash fumbled, trying his best to get the words out. After he took a deep breath, he spoke, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and well…you know.” Twilight could see how nervous and clammed up Flash was. This time it was her turn to put a reassuring hand on Flash’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I trust you and I’d know you’d never do anything to me,” she said with complete sincerity. “If anything, I feel safer knowing that you’re here.” “…Really?” “Really,” Twilight nodded. “Now then, do you want to take the first shift or should I?” Flash thought for a moment before he came to his decision, “I’ll take the first shift.” “Okay.” Twilight pointed to the circular window, “we’ll use the moon’s position as an indicator for time. When the moon is here,” she pointed to the highest point on the window’s rim, “that’s when you’ll wake me up and we’ll switch shifts.” Flash nodded in agreement. *CLUNK* There was another thud. The refrigerator door swung open, revealing its contents. This time it wasn’t filled with food but instead with two pairs of pajamas; one that was blue with green alien heads and the other was purple with blue stars. Lying atop the folded pajamas was a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a small container of mouthwash, and some containers of floss. On the rung below the one that held their pajamas were bottles of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Flash went over and grabbed both sets of clothing. It wasn’t hard to figure out which ones belonged to who. “Not only did our captors kidnap us, but they were also kind enough to steal our belongings and fold them neatly for us,” Flash said, instantly recognizing his pajamas. “How generous,” she said, taking her pajamas from Flash. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?” Flash deposited the three bottles from the fridge onto the counter, and once the fridge was empty its door swung closed and locked itself. “Sure,” he answered, to which Twilight entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Flash waited outside, leaning against the wall. He looked upwards as he heard the sound of footsteps once more. “Hey, we should come up with a name for our captor,” Flash suggested. “Mwah?” A muffled response came from Twilight, brushing her teeth. “You know, it feels kinda rude to just call them ‘captor’. Maybe we should give them a nickname for the time being?” The door to the bathroom opened and Twilight emerged, her hair no longer tied up and draped over her shoulders. She was now wearing the pajamas given to her. “Well, how about the name 'Captor'?” Twilight suggested, to which Flash just gave her a flat look. “Flash, this guy kidnapped us. I’m not exactly in the mood to give him a good name.” “Them,” Flash corrected. “Huh?” “We don’t know if this person is a man, woman, or any other form of identification. We should give them a gender-neutral name.” Flash rubbed his chin. “How about, Cappy?” “You can call him-er, them, whatever you want,” Twilight retorted as she made her way to the bed. Flash entered the bathroom next. He brushed his teeth and put on his pajamas before exiting the room. He looked over to the bed where he saw Twilight without her glasses. She lay under the covers, her head against one of the two pillows. Twilight looked to see that Flash was staring at her. “Something wrong?” she asked, causing Flash to snap back to reality. “O-oh, no!” He quickly looked away, hoping to cover up his blush. “Sorry, it’s nothing,” he lied, but in the end, that was all he could do. He couldn’t possibly tell Twilight just how much she looked like her. “A-anyways, you go ahead and get some rest. I’ll take the first watch.” With that, Twilight made herself comfortable. Thanks to the comfort of the mattress and the gentle sway of the room, she was asleep within seconds. Several hours passed before Twilight awoke. The room was now completely dark, with only the moonlight shining inside of it. It was, of course, the moonlight that had awoken the young genius. She rose slowly from the bed, using one arm as a support and the other to rub her eyes. She fumbled for where she had set her folded glasses for a moment before her hands landed on them and she grabbed them. Pushing them onto her face, she was now able to see everything clearly. The first thing she looked up to notice was the position of the moon, and how it was very far away from where she had indicated. This of course meant only one thing; Flash had let Twilight oversleep. She pivoted and looked to the other side of the room, where she saw her fellow captive sitting down, leaning against the wall. He looked up to Twilight with a half-smile. “O-oh, s-s-sorry, d-did I w-wake you?” he asked, his teeth chattering. Twilight removed the covers and immediately regretted doing so as she exposed herself to the freezing temperature of the room. She shivered, then rubbed her arms to provide some form of warmth. However, her first concern wasn’t the cold, but rather the condition of her cellmate. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” she demanded, a frown on her face. Flash looked sheepishly at her, “Would y-you believe m-me if I t-t-told you t-that you looked s-so peaceful sleeping?” “Chivalry aside,” Twilight sighed, moving her legs over the bed, “I’ll take the next watch now.” “No!” Flash bolted upright in protest. “Y-you get some rest. I can take the remaining shifts.” With Flash standing fully upright now, Twilight was able to see the effects of the cold environment on Flash. His skin was lighter, his lips looked blue, and his cheeks were red. She looked around again for something that she could give the young man as a source of warmth; a blanket, or warmer clothing, anything. Alas, she found nothing. “You’re not going to let me take the next watch, are you?” Twilight muttered. “Fine, in that case then,” she moved all the way over to the other side of the bed, making room for another person, “we’ll just have to sleep together.” Flash’s cheeks went from cherry-red to full-on crimson upon hearing that. He was about to protest but Twilight spoke first to cut him off. “Look, I’m not too comfortable with this situation either,” Twilight admitted, her cheeks red from embarrassment, “but I can’t just let you stay out in the cold air. So, get in here already before I have to drag you in here.” Understanding the threat loud and clear, Flash hesitantly approached the bed. He sat down on it and turned his back to Twilight. He tucked his legs under the covers and draped the top of the heavy blanket over his top side. Twilight shifted around to make herself comfortable, and in doing so she brushed her leg against Flash’s––causing her to flinch and withdraw her leg instantly. Eventually, the two were able to fit onto the bed in a platonic way, with their backs against each other and the two facing away from the other. Flash’s cold, large, backside pressed against Twilight’s warmer, slender, frame. “See?” Twilight spoke, doing her best to hide her embarrassment, “told you we can do it, just two friends sharing a bed in a completely platonic manner. Nothing awkward or weird about that.” “Nope, not at all.” Flash agreed, his eyes locked right in front of him. … … … “If anyone asks, we’ll say Cappy made us do it.” Twilight declared. “Agreed.” Flash nodded without any hesitation. “Hey…you called them Cappy.” “Well…you had a point,” Twilight admitted, “I don’t know why, but giving him- them a name somehow made them less scary.” Twilight had to admit that giving their kidnapper a goofy name like ‘Cappy’ made the situation less tense. Speaking of a tense situation, there was a nagging thought gnawing at the back of Twilight’s brain. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to rest unless it was answered so she asked her companion. “Hey Flash?” Twilight spoke up. “Yeah?” He responded. “How are you so calm right now?” Twilight asked. Flash didn’t respond right away. He thought carefully about what he’d say before speaking. It was true that in any normal situation, anyone would be panicking and freaking out about being captured. However, Flash was calm and collected. “I guess it’s because of you.” Was all Flash could answer “Me?” Twilight responded, completely taken aback by his answer. “Yeah.” Flash paused before explaining. “I can’t fully explain it, but right now, knowing you, I’m sure that we’ll figure out a way out of here. After all, you’re Twilight Sparkle. Why should I be afraid when I’ve got you?” Twilight was thankful that Flash was facing away from her. Otherwise, he would’ve seen the slight blush on her face. “Thank you, Flash,” Twilight said, feeling a lot more comfortable being near the guitarist. “I’m actually really glad you’re here too.” “Really?” Flash asked incredulously. “Really,” Twilight answered. “We weren’t able to make any progress today, but that just means we’ll have all of tomorrow to figure something else out. Besides, it’s like you said; this is a great excuse to catch up with one another.” A slight chuckle escaped from Flash upon hearing that. “Well then, I look forward to either getting out of here or getting to know you better, Twilight Sparkle.” “Likewise…Flash Sentry.” She responded between a yawn. As if put under a spell, the two quickly succumbed to sleep. The gentle rocking of the ship, the warmth of the bed sheltering them from the cold exterior of the room, and the peace that the two gave each other created the perfect conditions for a peaceful slumber. Nothing could stir them from this restful slumber. Not even the shimmering light that emerged from across the room could stir the two. The wall on the opposite end of where the bed was stationed began to warp and change. And in a flash of colorful wisps and sparkles, something new appeared on the wall. A door.
