“Hey Sunset do you wanna play a game?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Sunset stared at the pale girl, not responding to her question. Play? Play what? Last time somepony asked me if I wanted to play a game I ended up being pushed into a mud puddle... and teased by everypony.
Sweetie Belle bit her lip at the girl’s reaction, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I was just—“
“W-what kind of game?” Sunset asked in a soft whisper.
The middle schooler barely managed to catch what the younger girl had said, “Well, we can go outside and play... uh we can play... tag?” When Sunset shook her head, Sweetie Belle frowned. Hmm... okay, she doesn’t like tag... “Okay... well then we can play... hide and seek?”
Sunset chocked her head, “Hide and seek?”
Sweetie Belle nodded, “Yeah, do you know how to play?” The younger girl shook her head.
“While one person hides, the other counts to sixty or something before they go find where they’re hiding. You get it?”
Sunset had her brows furrowed. After a couple of seconds, she nodded back at the CMC member.
Sweetie Belle stood up from the floor, “Come on, you can hide, and I’ll come find you. Okay?” When Sunset nodded, Sweetie Belle continued, “You can hide wherever you’d like, just not in my parent’s room. It’s the only room upstairs that has the door closed, so don’t hide in there, ‘kay?”
Sunset nodded again. “Okay I’ll count to 60, and then I’ll come and find you,” Sweetie Belle said, gently nudging the younger girl away from where she was, “Ready? Okay I’m gonna count now! One, two, three...”
Sunset made a mad dash to the couch and grabbed her Phoenix plush that sat on her previous spot on the couch. She then quickly left the living room and made her way up the wooden stairs before Sweeite Belle could count to ten.
When Sunset got to the top of the stairs, she furrowed her brows, mentally thinking about the best hiding spot. There was about five doors in total. The one on the far right was decorated with purple, obviously Rarity’s room. There was a bathroom and a closet door. There was a closed door next to the closet, most likely Sweetie Belle and Rarity’s parents room. At the end of the hall, close to Rarity’s room, there was an open window, letting in fresh air.
Shifting her eyes to the left, she saw a pink and purple room. That must be Sweetie Belle’s room! The girl smiled when she finally made up her mind. Sunset took a couple of steps into the pink and purple room when she heard meowing coming from the right side of the hall.
Sunset slowly turned her head to face the sound. A white cat had come out of the other bedroom. Frightened, Sunset took two cautious steps back. To her dismay, the cat began walking towards her.
Having never seen the girl before, the cat was examining her in confusion. When the cat hissed at her, the girl whimpered and accidentally dropped her plush.
Thinking the toy was hers, the white cat snatched the toy from the floor and began to scurry across the hall.
Sunset ran after the plump cat, causing it to throw the toy to the nearby closet once it realized that it was not her favorite toy. Sunset quickly went to where the toy was thrown.
Sunset picked up her plush, holding it close to her. When the girl was about to step out of the place where it landed, the door was suddenly slammed shut, locking Sunset in.
Sunset began to breath heavily when she realized where she was. She was in a closet. A dark, enclosed closet. She began to hyperventilate and tremble as haunting memories became flooding back.
***
“Don’t m-make me go back in there! I promise I’ll be good...”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you disobeyed your father. Now you’ll pay for what you did.”
***
Sunset whimpered and let out a scream, remembering the pain that her father had inflicted in her every time she was locked in the closet. Sometimes she would spend hours in there. Or even a full day! She tried her best to be good, but her best was never good enough for mother and father. She would always end up locked in the closet...
“58... 59... 60! Ready or not, here I come!” Sweetie Belle shouted, removing her pale hands from her eyes.
Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin. Hmm... maybe she went into the kitchen. Sweetie Belle went on over into the kitchen and looked under the table. Next, she checked behind the chairs. Nope not there.
She went into the downstairs bathroom, checking behind the door and in the shower. She’s not there either. Hmm... she’s gotta be upstairs then! Sweetie Belle raced up the stairs and checked her room.
Just as she was about to look under her bed, she heard a terrifying scream coming from down the hall.
Twilight ran inside the house, knowing who that scream was coming from. Oh my gosh please don’t tell me she’s worse... Sweet Celestia please don’t be worse...
When Twilight got up the stairs, she saw Sweetie Belle standing by the small closet in the hallway, opening up the door.
What they saw truly broke their hearts. Sunset was curled up in a ball in the corner of the small closet. She was trembling furiously, her sobs shaking her small form.
“How the hell did she get there?” Rainbow whispered what everyone else in the room was thinking.
Rarity turned her face towards the open window. She walked over to it and shut it closed. This window is always slamming the bedroom doors shut.
Twilight knelt down by the door, “Sunset...” What happened? How did she get in here? Why is she... Twilight then remembered a word written in the notebook: The Closet. The closet? Oh the closet... THE closet. “Sunset, sweetie, everything’s okay. No ones gonna hurt you. It’s Twilight, I’m here Sunset.”
Hearing the familiar and gentle voice, the trembling girl looked up. Her bloodshot eyes were locked on the purple girl. She seemed scared, unsure, and untrusting. The girl took several deep breaths before meeting Twilight’s eyes, “T-Twilight?” Sunset asked as several tear drops were still falling over her amber cheeks.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, “Yeah Sunset... it’s me.”
Sunset whimpered and put her back head down in-between her legs.
Twilight turned back to look at her friends, not knowing how to handle this situation. While Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were comforting each other, Applejack had her face away from the group. Rarity had Sweetie Belle in her embrace. Rainbow Dash watched Sunset with sullen eyes.
Twilight took a risky step forward, making Sunset flinch involuntary, the motion making her bump her shoulder onto the back wall of the closet. Twilight recoiled backwards, “Sunset, it’s okay. You know I’m not gonna hurt you. I—“ Sunset whimpered again, making Twilight’s heart shatter once more, “Sunset, I promise no one here’s going to hurt—“
Sunset began to cry, clutching her Phoenix closer to her. Twilight stepped into the closet and held her girl in her embrace as she cried.
Twilight rocked her back and forth in her arms, “Shh... it’s okay. You’re safe, you’re safe.”
“D-don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!” Sunset cried out, clutching onto Twilight’s shirt.
“I won’t, I promise... I promise, I’ll never leave you Sunset,” Twilight told her as she brushing her hand through the child’s red hair. Twilight stood up, carried the girl in her arms and walked out of the dreadful closet.