//------------------------------// // Trapped // Story: On The Run // by Sagami //------------------------------// “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.