//------------------------------// // VIII - Terror From the Past // Story: The Misadventures of Sunset Shimmers // by Yukito //------------------------------// The pain was almost too much to bear, but he couldn’t stop running. His legs felt heavy, his heart was racing, his stomach felt like it was on fire, but he had no choice but to keep moving. Keep moving until he reached the safe house. There, he could lay low for a few days, wait for the heat to die down a bit, and then flee the city proper. If only he hadn’t been so stupid. If only he hadn’t taken such a huge risk, he wouldn’t be in this situation right now, being hounded by those- “FREEZE!” He stopped. The street before him became a wash of blinding lights and loud sirens. Vague shadows shifted about in the light and encircled him. “Don’t move! You’re under arrest on charges of murder!” Feeling trapped, the only thing he could think to do was point his firearm forward and fire blindly in the hopes that that would somehow resolve the situation. Unfortunately, his arm was caught by something before he could move it. It was a hand. “I’ve got you now,” the ragged breath of his pursuer said. “I told you… there was no escape…” He gritted his teeth. “Shining… Armor…” Suddenly, the pain became too much to bear. The rush of adrenaline that blocked out the pain from his wound had worn off, and now all that he could do was fall to the floor and writhe in pain. “Bring the first aid kit!” Shining Armor shouted as he placed a pair of handcuffs onto his captive victim’s wrists. “Hurry!” The lights died down, revealing two officers and two medics rushing towards the two. Behind them was a man in a dark suit, who looked to be in his late-fifties. Shining Armor rushed towards this man. “You did good out there,” the man said as he placed a hand on Shining’s shoulder. “We’ve been after this man for ten years. And now, thanks to your efforts, we caught him.” “All I did was chase him… fruitlessly…” Shining Armor said. “If the backup hadn’t arrived-” “The backup was only able to do its job because you called it in, and because you chased our culprit relentlessly, keeping him in the open.” The man nodded his head as he witnessed the culprit being carried away. “I see good things in your future. It seems I made the right call on scouting you out.” “Thank you, sir!” Shining Armor said. “I’ll kill you!” Shining Armor and his boss turned to the car where the culprit was giving the officers arresting a hard time. “You hear me, Shining Armor?! I’ll freakin’ kill you! You and your family!” Shining Armor felt a chill down his spine. “My… family?” “I swear, when I get out of prison, I’ll find you! And I’ll kill everyone you hold dear!” The officers finally managed to get the culprit into the car. Shining Armor watched with dread as the vehicle drove away, and jumped as his boss suddenly spoke up beside him. “Don’t worry about what he said.” “Sir?” “With the crimes he’s committed, he’ll be away for the rest of his life.” Shining Armor felt relieved to hear that and smiled. His boss returned the smile before moving on to talk with a nearby officer. “… My first big case as an FBI agent…” Shining Armor felt a tingle down his spine. The same tingle he had felt when he first received his police officer’s badge, and again when he found out that the FBI were personally seeking him out. “That was so awesome!” he shouted as he thrust a fist into the air. He blushed as he realised people were watching him and quickly regained his composure. As he followed after his boss, the words of the man he had just arrested came into his head once more. “I don’t have to worry about that,” he whispered to himself, assuring himself that everything would be okay. “Right, of course not. With that criminal record, Grogar won’t ever be released.” Three years later, Shining Armor’s life remained fun and exciting, as well as full of work. Still, since joining the FBI, he had made many friends and met many interesting people. And not long after joining, he met Mi Amore Cadenza, the woman he currently had been dating for an adventurous two years. Indeed, life had its ups and its downs, and the workload never seemed to ease off, but all-in-all, Shining Armor could not complain, and he would not trade this life away for all the glory in the world. “You’re in high spirits this morning.” Although there were some aspects that he would be more than happy to trade away given the chance. Shining Armor stopped to greet Chrysalis. “That’s because I-” “You spent the night at Cadenza’s?” Chrysalis chuckled. “Yes, I can tell. You reek of perfume and you brought a lunch into work today. No doubt something she made for you, hm?” Shining Armor blushed as he looked down at the lunchbox he was carrying in his hands. He walked past Chrysalis and made his way towards the refrigerator behind her. “Yeah, well, what’s it to you? That’s what couples do, right?” “Too bad Cadenza’s coming to work later today. The two of you could have held hands as you walked here together.” “You jealous?” Shining Armor asked with a smug grin. “Oh please. If we were dating, we would do so much more than simply hold hands on our way to work.” A shiver ran down Shining’s spine. “Well, maybe in some crazy parallel world that is the case. But here, I’m just gonna take your word for it and leave it at that.” “Suit yourself. Just give me a call when you grow bored of little Cadenza,” Chrysalis said with a wink. “Oh yes, I almost forgot. The boss is looking for you.” “The Director?” Shining asked. “What for?” “You’ll see when you get there.” Shining Armor gave Chrysalis a curious look as she simply turned and walked away. With a shrug, Shining left the kitchen area and walked down the hallway towards the elevator, wondering what his boss could possibly want with him. Sunset Shimmer tapped her foot repeatedly on the carpeted floor as she stared up the stairs before her. “Come on already!” she shouted. “It’s been fifteen minutes! How long does it take?!” “Just a second!” Twilight shouted down the stairs. “Just a few more to go!” “You said that ten minutes ago!” A glass of water entered Sunset’s vision. She turned her head to see Twilight Velvet offering her the glass and gracefully accepted it. “Thanks.” “I’m terribly sorry about all this,” Velvet said. “I don’t know what got into Spike to chew up all of Twilight’s checklists, but she was up late into the night trying to recreate them. I tried to get her to stop, but-” “It’s hardly anything new,” Sunset said. “Well if she’s not done in five more minutes then we can threaten her with the possibility of being tardy.” “I’m done!” Twilight shouted from up the stairs. “Let me just grab my things and- W-WHOA!” A crashing sound followed by a young girl’s moans sounded from upstairs. Moments later, the sounds of a door opening and then closing were followed by the appearance of the short-haired girl Sunset Shimmer had been waiting for. “It’s about time,” Sunset said as Twilight reached the bottom of the stairs. “Here you go, dear.” Velvet gave Twilight a small plastic lunch box. “Now you two be careful on your way to and from school today. In fact, maybe I should give you a lift…” “What for?” Twilight asked. “Didn’t you read the paper this morning?” Sunset asked. Twilight shook her head. “Right, I guess you were busy… Well, the papers said there was an escaped convict sighted here in Canterlot.” “An escaped convict?” Twilight asked in a worried tone. “I don’t think we have to worry, though,” Sunset said. “It’s light out, lots of people about, and the convict is said to be from Tambelon. We just stick to the open streets and avoid foreigners and we should be fine.” “I don’t know,” Velvet said. “I’m still a little uneasy about all this. This is usually such a peaceful city, and you two aren’t exactly the best athletes.” “You have a Language class to attend, right?” Sunset asked. “If you drove us, you might miss it.” “I don’t want that,” Twilight said. “Sunset’s right. We’ll be fine walking to school.” Velvet looked between the two and the nodded. “Well, okay… But I’m definitely going to pick the two of you up. It’s winter, so it gets dark early, and that makes me really worried.” “Deal,” Twilight said. “Now come on, Sunset, we’re gonna be late!” Sunset watched Twilight run past her with an annoyed look on her face. “And whose fault will it be if we are?!” she asked as she chased after her friend. Velvet sighed as she watched the two girls leave. “… I’m worrying too much,” she assured herself as she moved towards the living room. “Shining says that the police force in this city is the best ever. There should be no problem.” “Sunset, waaaaaait!” Twilight cried, stopping dead in her tracks in order to catch her breath. Sunset also stopped to breathe. “W-We’re going to be late if we keep taking breaks!” “B-But I’m n-not good at… at running…” Sunset wiped the sweat from her brow and looked down at her watch. She then looked around and found an alleyway to her side, leading towards the direction of the school. “We might be able to make it if we cut through here.” “But isn’t that dangerous?” Twilight asked. “Mum said to stick to the open streets and-” “Twilight, it’s daytime,” Sunset said. “And the convict wants to remain hidden. Besides, he was sighted on the other end of the city, so it’s unlikely he’ll be anywhere around here.” “Are you sure?” Sunset nodded. “Anyway, it’s just a short walk through the alleyway and we may just make it on time. The alternative is being late.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “O-Okay! You’ve convinced me! But… you go in first, okay?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “What am I, your knight in shining armour?” “Please?” Twilight asked, clasping her hands together as if to pray. With a sigh, Sunset turned to the alley and led the way. She felt Twilight grabbing her blazer from behind. “You are such a scaredy-cat, aren’t you? Total opposite of your brother.” Twilight frowned. “My brother is trained to handle himself in a dangerous situation. I’m a fragile young girl whose beauty attracts evil.” “You got the fragile part right, at least.” Sunset felt a fist hit her back softly and laughed. “Well on the bright side, your chest certainly won’t attract any bad people!” “You’re horrible!” Twilight cried as she swung her bag at Sunset Shimmer, who laughed as she dodged out of the way and ran from Twilight’s attacks. Twilight stopped and huffed as she folded her arms. Sunset turned around to tell Twilight she was just joking, but she gasped as she found a tall figure approaching Twilight from behind. “TWILIGHT, RUN!” Twilight gasped and turned around to see what was behind her. She found a tall, hooded figured standing before her, holding a pipe high into the air. Twilight quickly turned and bolted towards her friend, screaming at the top of her lungs. “You’re not getting away!” The figure shouted as he reached for Twilight’s hair, just missing it and grunting. He threw the pipe at the retreating girl, striking her leg and causing her to fall to the ground. “Sister of Shining Armor… You’re a good place to start.” “Twilight, come on!” Sunset shouted as she helped her friend up and continued to run away with Twilight’s arm draped over her shoulders. She turned the next corner that she came across and knocked over a couple of trashcans, never stopping or turning back as she ran as fast as her body would allow her. Sunset found a figure approaching her from the front and stopped. Panic spread throughout her system and she looked all around for a place to escape to. “Sunset-” Sunset moved towards a door beside her and tried to open it. “Sunset-” The door was locked, but thankfully lock picking was just one of the many subjects Sunset Shimmer had read up on in her spare time. “Sunset, wait-” Hearing the door click as she moved her hairpin about inside it, Sunset pushed the door open and ran inside with Twilight, slamming it shut behind herself. She took a moment to collect her breath, before remembering the terrible danger that she was in. The room was dark, but she could just about make out many objects in front of her. “Let’s go,” Sunset said as she began to move. “Sunset, that was a policeman out there,” Twilight said, bringing her friend to a halt. Sunset turned around to look back towards the door. All was silent for a few moments… before the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rang through the air, startling the two girls. No new sounds came about for the next few seconds. “M-Maybe it’s safe to go back out there?” The door handle turned, and the door creaked as it began to open. Sunset rushed behind the objects beside her, which she found to be a pile of boxes, and crouched down behind them with Twilight, the two peeking out to see who was there. As the door opened fully and the light from outside shone into the room, the two found the figure that had attacked them earlier walking inside, a gun in his right hand. The two ducked down quickly and held their breaths. They heard footsteps behind the boxes and simultaneously held their hands over each other’s mouths in order to stifle their whimpers. The two made eye contact and Sunset motioned for Twilight to follow her. Removing their hands, Sunset and Twilight began to crawl slowly, quietly, to their right, moving behind the cover of boxes and containers to find cover in the deeper shadows. “Where are you?” the man called out suddenly. “I know you’re in here. Come on out and we’ll talk about this.” “He’s moving further inside,” Sunset whispered as she and Twilight rounded a corner of boxes and sat with their backs to them. “When he’s far enough in, we’ll go for the door.” Twilight simply nodded. Terror had stricken her too deep for her to dare make any noise. The footsteps continued deeper into the room and stopped suddenly. A second later, the lights suddenly flickered on, revealing the full features of the large storage room that the three were in. To make matters worse, a loud, female voice began to sing from Twilight’s blazer pocket. “You think about all the things that you love to do-” Twilight quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket, feeling her heart beating at a mile an hour, and hurriedly pressed the red button to deny the call. Her relieved sigh only lasted a second before a gunshot sounded behind her, followed by a pellet hitting the floor beside her. “That’s where you are,” the man said as the sound of his footsteps drew closer and closer. “Shining Armor should be on his way. We wouldn’t want to keep him waiting, now would we?” Twilight’s hands shook and tears fell from her eyes as silence seemed to fall all around her. She grabbed onto Sunset Shimmer’s arm without thinking, as though pleading for her friend to do something. Sunset Shimmer though was faring no better. “We’ve got to run,” Sunset whispered. “It’s our only chance.” “I’m scared,” Twilight whimpered as she held Sunset’s arm tighter. “It’s okay. I’m here,” Sunset said, grabbing Twilight’s arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. “Come on. We’ll make a break for the door and get out of here, and everything will be just fine.” Twilight didn’t seem at all reassured by that. “Hey,” Sunset said, giving Twilight a little shake. “We’ll be fine. Okay?” After a moment, Twilight slowly nodded. “O-Okay.” “Good. Now, on three.” Sunset and Twilight both rose to their feet. “One… two…” “UGH!” Before Sunset’s countdown could be completed, something large and heavy fell to the two girls’ side, startling the two of them and causing them to move quickly away with frightened screams. “W-What-” Twilight began to question before she realised that what had fallen beside was… the hooded man. “Are you two okay?” a female voice asked to their left. The two turned their heads to find Chrysalis, dressed in a navy-blue suit, walking towards them. “Your leg’s hurt?” “Y-Yeah,” Twilight said as she stared at Chrysalis in complete surprise. “Um, you-” “How did you find us?” Sunset asked. She noticed several people run into the room behind Chrysalis. “The police officer outside,” Chrysalis said. “Somebody reported a gunshot, and my team was nearby. The gunshot was likely from the downed officer outside.” “Is he okay?” Twilight asked in concern. “He’s fine. It seems he was overpowered, but only knocked unconscious. When we came to investigate I heard some music, and then a gunshot.” Sunset turned to look at the body being handcuffed by the police. “What did you do to him?” Chrysalis held up a small handgun before the two. “Tranquilizer darts. Much more quiet than bullets, and don’t leave as much mess to clean up. Anyway, perhaps I should escort the two of you to your homes now. You’ve been through quite the ordeal here, and that leg needs to be looked at.” “Who was that man?” Twilight asked. “Why was after us? He mentioned something about my brother.” Twilight gulped as she prepared to ask her next question. “Is… Is my brother in some kind of dangerous situation?” Chrysalis stared into Twilight’s big, frightened eyes for a few moments, her own eyes cool and calculating. With a smile, she reached a hand forward and patted Twilight’s head. “Don’t worry,” Chrysalis said. “The man who came after you was a convicted mob boss from Tambelon. It was your brother’s keen eye when reviewing his case that found the evidence we needed to arrest him, so he was a little mad at him.” “So my brother isn’t doing dangerous stuff?” Chrysalis shook her head, bringing a relieved sigh from Twilight. “That’s good. I was worried… I thought that Shining was putting himself in harm’s way or something.” “He won’t come back, right?” Sunset asked as she watched the escaped convict being taken away. “Of course not,” Chrysalis assured. “After this incident, we’re going to have him deported to his home country and have him locked away in prison there. Even if he escapes, he won’t be finding his way to the States anytime soon.” “That’s good to know,” Sunset said as she smiled at Twilight Sparkle. “Hey… your short hair saved you back there, y’know?” Twilight smiled back, reaching for her hair behind her head. “I guess it did. You really do have my back, don’t you?” “You think about all the things that you love to do-” Twilight yelped as he phone began to sing in her hand. She checked the screen for the caller ID. “It’s my brother.” “He must be worried sick,” Sunset said. “You should answer.” With a nod, Twilight pressed the green button to accept the call and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?” Twilight pulled the phone away for a second as loud squeaking sounds came from the speaker. She slowly moved it back in place and limped to the side as she tried to speak. “Shining, I’m fine, I- Shining? Shining, calm down! I-” Whilst Twilight attempted to get a word in with her brother, Sunset turned to Chrysalis with a sceptical look. “So what gives?” she asked. “If you knew that the guy had a grudge against Shining Armor, why weren’t any guards assigned to each of his family members?” Chrysalis gave Sunset a grin. “Actually, the truth is that my boss at the FBI only just found out about the prison break today, from this morning’s newspapers. A proper team hasn’t even been assembled yet.” “Then what about you?” “I didn’t want to wait for an official task force to be put together, so I ditched my duties and called in a few friends from the police station. I wanted to get here before Shining Armor, after all.” “Why?” “Because if I didn’t, that girl might see the side of her brother he doesn’t want her to see.” Sunset and Chrysalis both turned to Twilight, still talking on the phone to her brother, before looking back to each other. “Okay, I get that,” Sunset said, “But why go out of your way to protect her like that? You’ve only met her once.” Chrysalis put a finger to her chin in thought. “Hmmm… I guess… it was to repay a favour to somebody I owe a great debt to.” Sunset raised her eyebrow, but was unable to question it any further as Twilight returned to her side. “Shining’s on his way,” she announced. “He said he’ll meet me at my house.” Chrysalis nodded. “I’ve got a car waiting outside. I’ll take a look at that leg first, and then I’ll give you a ride.” “I’ll go too,” Sunset said. “After something like that, I’m not leaving you alone until your brother gets here.” “Thank you,” Twilight said as she hugged her friend. “Really though, I don’t feel so bad. My leg barely hurts, and I-” “Twilight, you hands are still shaking,” Sunset pointed out as she stepped back from the hug and held up Twilight’s hand for her to see. Twilight gave a sheepish grin. “Well… okay, so maybe I’m a little shaken up.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “… I’m not saying you can’t come over, if you really want to.” “Come on, let’s go,” Chrysalis said as she turned around to lead the two girls out of the building. “… By the way, how did the two of you get in here?” “I picked the lock,” Sunset said with an air of pride. “Oh? How interesting…” Chrysalis continued to face forward as a grin spread across her face. ‘Very interesting indeed. This girl’s resourceful.’ “By the way,” Sunset said to Twilight, “What about your parents?” “Uh… Shining said he would call them and let them know I’m okay.” “And they’re okay?” Twilight shrugged. “I guess. I mean, they’re strong people. I’m sure they’re taking it fine.” “My poor girl!” “I knew I should have given you a lift!” “I’m so happy to see you’re okay!” “Please forgive me Twilight!” “Would you like me to get you anything?” “I’ll never let anything like happen again, I promise!” Sunset Shimmer and Shining Armor watched from the side as Twilight Sparkle was crushed between her parents and their powerful, crushing hugs. “I’m starting to see where she gets her panickiness from,” Sunset said. “I’m so ashamed,” Shining Armor said as he hung his head. “I should have gotten there sooner. I should have been there to protect her.” Sunset sighed and reached up to pat Shining’s shoulder. “You tried your best. That’s all you could really do.” Shining turned to Sunset with a sorrowful look. “… Thanks for being there for her.” “… I didn’t save her. That was Chrysalis.” “But I’m sure that Twilight would have just frozen up on her own,” Shining said. “You kept her safe long enough for help to arrive. Thank you.” Sunset blushed and scratched the back of her neck. “Well, of course. She needs me to look out for her, after all.” “Guys, really, I’m fine!” Twilight pleaded as she tried to struggle out of her parents’ grasps. Sunset smiled and turned around. “But right now, she needs her family… Go to her. I assure you that she doesn’t blame you for anything.” Shining Armor turned to Twilight and nodded. “You’re probably right…” Sunset Shimmer walked through the hallway towards the front door. “I should probably be getting back home now. My parents are probably worried sick about me.” “Sunset.” Sunset turned around to face Shining Armor. “Keep looking out for her. I can’t always be there… so be there for her in my place, okay?” With a nod, Sunset turned around and opened the front door. ‘Of course I will be.’ As she left the house and closed the door behind her, Sunset felt a shiver run down her spine. As she recalled the events that transpired earlier that day, from the two figures approaching her and the two gunshots that she heard, suddenly the temperature around her seemed to drop and her entire body shook. She also recalled Twilight’s terrified face that she wanted to protect, and the wrist she held as she pushed herself to protect her friend. ‘Sometimes though, I feel like she’s there for me.’