//------------------------------// // Loud evening, silent night // Story: On The Run // by Sagami //------------------------------// 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.