Ripped Away

by HeartBeat

The First Night

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Chapter Two

The First Night

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The cyan pegasus bolted from the cloud, trying to gain her composure before she meets her friend, Fluttershy. The wind blew away the remaining tears that leaked from her eyes; the mare hoping that it wasn't too obvious the moment she is spotted. Passing down through the final layer of Cloudsdale, she could see the small three that was Fluttershy's home. The pegasus never understood why her best friend would live down on the ground; in a tree at that. With a large gust of wind, she landed on the ground, watching as her friend had been outside, checking for mail down from her tree.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow called out, causing the skittish pony to recoil, hiding behind the mailbox and ducking her head under her hooves.

"Eeep!" Flutershy squeaked, peaking an eye out. "Oh... Rainbow it's you! Sorry.... you startled me!" She said in a soft whisper, blushing from embarrassment.

Hearing the soft voice of her friend never seemed so soothing before. "Hey... Do... Do you have a moment?" She asked, dropping her ears back and lowering her ruby eyes to the dirt, kicking a hoof as she felt so vulnerable.

"Of course! What's bothering you, Dashie?" Fluttershy said, holding a hoof out to raise the cyan pegasus's chin to look into those saddened eyes.

"Ah! Uhm... N-Nothing much!" Rainbow said, forcing a smile as she tried to bring back her 'tough-guy' looks. "It's just... Have you seen my parents?" Dash asked, scratching her head and looked back to the friendly mare.

"Oh Rainbow... I'm so sorry, but you know I don't know much about Cloudsdale anymore... My weak wings can't bring me back! The ground feels so much more like home..." Fluttershy explained, getting sidetracked before snapping back to the question. "But why do you ask? Did they leave you home alone again?"

"N-No... It's not like last time..." She said, remembering how fun it was when her parents had left to Canterlot for a whole day. Back then, it seemed so cool to not have a parent around. Now it seems so dark; knowing that her parents will never be coming back. "They're gone... For good." Rainbow choked, biting her lip as she tried to fight back a tear.

"W-What?" Fluttershy said, shocked and confused. "A-are they..."

"No... They aren't dead..." Rainbow interrupted. "Or at least I hope not... My mom left me a note, telling me that they had to leave me... I don't get it, because she sounded like she hated herself. Like she was forced into it..."

"Let's go inside, Rainbow. Explain it all to me..." Fluttershy said, taking Dash's hoof and leading her to the tree home.

Rainbow sat down, sipping the tea that her friend made, making small winces at each mouthfull of the girly drink. She was never much of a tea-drinker, but she gave it another try. Finishing her tea, she finally started to explain how it all started. It didn't take long for Fluttershy to begin to cry. The yellow pony had tears streaming down her cheeks, listening to her friend speak of the horrible morning that tore the pegasus's life apart. Many cups of tea later, the two sat silent. Small sniffles came from the shy mare, sitting quietly as she looked at Rainbow. Memories that flooded the pegasus's mind flooded her thoughts in an instant, all hitting her at once and delivering the idea that she will never have them again.

"I... I guess it's not so bad." Rainbow said, forcing another smile as she locked her gaze out the window. "No bed-time... No rules... No parents..."

"Rainbow..." Fluttershy whispered, noticing the struggle on the mare's face to hold back the pain.

"No... D-Don't... I'm fine." Rainbow strained herself. Coughing to clear her throat. "I'm strong... I can do this! You know me, Fluts... W-Who needs a family anyway?" Dash said, feeling her stomach grow knots as she lied and lied.

"Rainbow... I-ah... Sorry to say this, but Rainbow Dash; you are a terrible liar... You love your parents and I can tell that you want them back! Don't lie to yourself..." The shy pony declared, putting a hoof on the table as grew the nerve to raise her voice.

"What did you say?... You called me, a LIAR?" Rainbow growled out, standing up. "I-I pour my day out to you and almost start to cry! Yeah, I'll admit that! The toughest, fastest, pony of all time cries! But I am not lying!.." Rainbow spewed her anger out to the yellow pegasus, who whimpered in return. "I don't need my parents and I don't need YOU." She growled out, sprinting to the door and kicking it open, bolting to the skies above. She heard Fluttershy calling out for her friend, apologizing as it was only just ignored.

Rainbow didn't have the guts to return home. She stayed at the highest clouds as they wondered the skies. She could feel them growing wetter under her body, growing darker as they were going to empty the water they held. The pegasus huffed as the rain sprinkled down gently, yet not too bothersome. She laid on that cloud for quite a while, soon dozing off under the raining sky.

*CRACK!**BOOM!*

Lightning strikes from the cloud the pegasus floated on, ripping her from the dreams she tried to use to escape reality. Jumping to her hooves, and loosing her footing, she slides from the cloud. Screaming out, she spreads her wings, unable to catch the strong, alternating winds as she plowed through clouds, slowing her fall more and more. Right at the tree-line, she caught the low winds, rocketing over the trees before one branch catches her hoof, sending her tumbling through the forest. Bouncing through trees and breaking branches, she screams out in pain. Splattering into the mud below, the pegasus remained on her back, feeling the puddle slowly start to grow up around her body, raising in level from the pouring rain.

"D-Darn it..." She moaned out, sitting up and wincing as she looked at the damage.

There was a clean hole through many trees where she made her entrance and exit, like a bullet hole. Suprisingly, she only had a few scrapes and bruises on her body. Stretching out her wings, she doesn't feel any splinters or breaks in her bones. Rainbow huffs, looking around and spotting the dim-lit tree of her friends. "Just my luck..." She thought. "Well... I guess I need to apologize anyway..."

*Knock Knock Knock*

The door swings open, the yellow mare gasping at the sight of her muddy, hurting friend. "R-Rainbow! Are you okay?!" She exclaimed, remaining in the door way, hoping to not get yelled at again.

"H-Hey Fluttershy. Do you think I can come in?... I want to talk..."