Departure

As Scarlet left the Cloudsdale Investigative Building, she looked at the huge clock in the center of town. It was ten past five, so she decided to give herself forty-five minutes of free time before she headed over to meet Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Scarlet never had the chance to eat lunch, so she decided to grab an early dinner. Her favorite hay stand was right around the corner, and she had a few bits with her. As she approached the stand, the owner's back was turned as he took another batch of hay fries out of the oven.  

“Hey there, Strawford.” Scarlet said in a friendly voice. “Could I get the usual, please?”

Strawford turned around. “Sorry, but I don't serve delinquents.”

“What?” she asked, insulted.

“Maybe you should go attack an innocent filly. Or, perhaps you could rob that apple stand across the street! Hmph!” He turned his back and continued tending to the hay fries.

Scarlet just stood there. “How could he know about the incident so soon? Do rumors really spread that quickly?”

She tried a few other places, but she was given a similar response at each one. “I guess that means every single restaurant in Cloudsdale is going to refuse service to me.”

She sighed, too tired to dwell on this much more. Scarlet decided to head back to the orphanage. She took the usual route. As she walked through the streets, ponies of all ages gave her nasty looks, and some even shrieked at the sight of her. Everypony in Cloudsdale seemed to look at her with contempt.

“What have I become to them?” she asked herself.

She finally arrived at the orphanage. As she walked up the steps leading to the front door, she noticed her trunk leaning against the wall. She opened it, and surely enough, all of her belongings were packed messily inside.

She knocked on the front door, and after a few minutes, it opened. Mrs. Caring stood there, with a look of disgust on her face.

“Hi, Mrs. Caring. Why is all of my stuff here?” Scarlet was afraid of the answer.

“You are no longer welcome here. I've taken the liberty of having all of your belongings dropped outside for you. Take them and go.” she turned to go back inside.

“Where do you expect me to go?” Scarlet asked pitifully.

"That's not my problem." she replied. She began to close the door.

"Wait!" Scarlet raised her voice in desperation.

“What do you want?” she asked impatiently.

“I've lived here for five years. I've learned to call this place my home. I'm guessing this is because of the incident earlier today, but why are you of all ponies disowning me? I thought you cared about me.”

“I did care about you,” Mrs. Caring started, “but I can't let a maniac live in this orphanage with the other fillies and colts. I won't risk their safety on your behalf.”

“I'm not a maniac...” Scarlet protested.

“Then why did you beat that young colt into a coma? I've seen plenty of fillies and colts get into fights before, but you did not need to go that far.”

“I don't think I knew what I was doing at the time,” Scarlet started to explain the situation, but Mrs. Caring didn't care to listen.

“That doesn't matter to me. The fact remains that you almost killed my son!” Mrs. Caring was almost shouting at this point. Upon seeing Scarlet's look of shock, Mrs. Caring realized she had said more than she intended. She went inside and slammed the door behind her.

Scarlet just stood there for the better part of five minutes. “Hoops Caring. What a weird name.” she chuckled. Even though she knew this was no time for comedy, she couldn't help herself.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet sat on the curb, wondering what she was going to do. Where would she go? Most of the ponies in Cloudsdale seemed to scorn her, and if every single pony didn't hate her now, they would by tomorrow.

“How in Equestria do rumors like this spread so fast?” Scarlet thought to herself.

It was starting to get dark outside, but the huge clock in the center of town was still visible. It read five 'til six. Scarlet was supposed to meet with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in five minutes. Hopefully those two didn't think any less of her.

Scarlet was still outside the orphanage, so she made her way around to the back. Once there, she located the cellar door, and went inside. As she descended the short flight of stairs, an idea suddenly came to mind. She realized there was only one thing she could do at this point, and although she wasn't particularly fond of the idea, it was the only option. She decided she would mention it to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

She arrived in the main cellar room. She discovered this vacant cellar a few months after living in the orphanage, and it had been her place to hang out with Rainbow Dash ever since. At first, the cellar seemed like it hadn't been used in years, but after dusting it, touching up the cracks in the cloud walls, as well as bringing in a couch, two chairs, a table, and a few of her favorite books, it had become sort of a clubhouse for the two of them.

The reason Scarlet loved this cellar so much was because it was probably the only room in Cloudsdale that went underneath the cloud floor. There were windows on all four edges of the room, and she could get an amazing view of the surface. Scarlet had never been to the surface, but Fluttershy had been talking about it nonstop for the last few days. She described it as a place of “so many wonders” and that it was filled with all sorts of plants and creatures. Rainbow Dash was bored to death by this, but Scarlet was very intent on listening, because of her interest in geography. Scarlet knew the map of Equestria like the back of her hoof, but she had always wanted to see the different places for herself.

There was a knock on the cellar door. Scarlet spoke up. “What is a Scarlet Rainbow?” she asked.

She heard a loud sigh, then an answer, “It's not a rainbow at all, but a red ribbon strewn across the sky.”

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash had designed that password in order to keep this place a secret from other ponies. Well, Scarlet had initially come up with it, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care either way.

Scarlet walked over to unlock the door, and as soon as the 'click' noise was heard, the door burst open. Scarlet was knocked on her back, and pretty soon she found herself pinned down by Rainbow Dash.

“What happened?!” she could barely contain her excitement. “Is everything okay? Are we in trouble?”

Fluttershy still stood by the entrance to the cellar, watching the action without a word. Scarlet groaned. “Calm down, Rainbow. Get off me, so we can discuss this like civilized ponies.”

Rainbow Dash hesitated for a second, then slowly lifted herself off of Scarlet. The two of them made their way over to the couch and chairs, but Fluttershy still stood by the entrance in silence. “Come inside, Fluttershy.” said Scarlet. “You need to be here for this discussion, too.”

Fluttershy was also hesitant, but surely enough, she made her way down the short flight of stairs, and joined them by the couch.

When all three of them were seated, Scarlet spoke up. “First things first. Rainbow Dash, I need you to tell me exactly what you saw. Don't leave out any details, and don't get over enthusiastic. I need to be able to keep up with what you're saying.”

Rainbow Dash explained the entire ordeal. It was practically identical to the report Scarlet heard before, except this time, Rainbow mentioned Fluttershy arriving in the middle.

As soon as Rainbow finished her explanation, she bombarded Scarlet. “So when were you planning on telling me about this 'ability' of yours, huh? Considering we tell each other everything, that might have been nice to know.”

“Because I didn't know about it, myself,” began Scarlet. Rainbow wore a confused look on her face. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I'm still having a hard time believing it, to be honest.”

“You think I'm making this up?” said Rainbow defensively. “I saw what I saw!”

“No, Rainbow. I have no reason to believe you're lying to me. It's just so... bizarre. This... 'outburst' of energy you mentioned. It sounds more like magic to me than anything, and if you haven't noticed, I'm not a unicorn! It just doesn't make any sense to me.”

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Rainbow. “Are you gonna try to find out more about this, or are you gonna just try to forget about it?”

“Well,” started Scarlet, “That brings me to a rather upsetting announcement, but one that needs to be a mutual understanding between us, regardless.”

“Tell us, already!” Rainbow Dash was obviously impatient.

“I will, but first I need to make something clear. I've already made this decision, so don't bother trying to change my mind. This decision isn't without reason, I assure you of that.”

“Just tell us!”

As reluctant as Scarlet was to make this announcement so suddenly, she knew it had to be done. “I'm leaving Cloudsdale.”

The room was so silent, they could hear the light breeze coming from outside.

“You're... leaving?” asked Fluttershy. This was the first time she had spoken up since she arrived.

“I think she means she's leaving on vacation. When did Mrs. Caring start giving you that much freedom, Scarlet? I'm jealous!” Rainbow Dash was in total denial.

“No, Rainbow. I'm leaving Cloudsdale, and I'm never coming back.”

The look of bewilderment and shock on Rainbow's face was enough to know that explanations were in order.

“Gossip seems to have a way of spreading very quickly in Cloudsdale. The incident only occurred six hours ago, and already, everypony in town is treating me like some sort of deranged freak! I can take looks of disapproval every so often, and I could survive if restaurants refused to serve me, but when Mrs. Caring is so perturbed by me that she decides to kick me out of the orphanage, that is when I know there's nothing left for me here.”

There was more silence, and then Fluttershy said, “So, all those things happened to you today?”

“Who cares about that?!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “You can't leave Cloudsdale! Where the hay will you go? You're just a filly! When did you even decide this?!”

“About 10 minutes ago, to answer your last question. As for your other one, I haven't decided where I'll go yet, but I'll figure something out. I want to find a place where I can live in peace, but I'm hoping I'll chance upon somepony who knows a thing or two about what happened to me.” Scarlet seemed surprisingly calm, despite the life-changing situation at hand.

Rainbow Dash stood there, uttering random words and sounds, not saying anything in particular. Scarlet knew what this meant, because she'd seen it before. Rainbow was at war with herself. She was bouncing back and forth between thoughts, most likely trying to make up her mind about something.

At last, Rainbow Dash spoke in complete sentences. “I can't let you go by yourself. I'm coming with you!”

This caught Scarlet by surprise. She knew Rainbow Dash was loyal to ponies she cared about, but she wasn't expecting this!

“When are you leaving?” Rainbow asked eagerly.

“I was planning on leaving tonight, but-”

“Great! I'll pack my stuff! Meet me at the western edge of Cloudsdale.” she turned to leave, but then stopped, and turned back around. “What about you, Fluttershy? What are you going to do?”

Fluttershy stood there, utterly unsure of what to say. “Oh, well, I'm not sure...” she said.

“Do you want to come with us?” Scarlet blurted out without thinking. Fluttershy was caught off-guard by this proposal.

“Leaving Cloudsdale to go to the surface...” she thought out loud. “That would be nice, seeing all the different animals and places. What would my parents think?” at the mention of her parents, she stopped.

“My parents... what would they think?” now Fluttershy was the one in conflict with herself. After yet another couple of silent minutes, Fluttershy spoke. “I just can't, Scarlet. As much as I care about you two, I don't think I have it in me to leave everything behind and come with you. I'm sorry...”

“Don't worry about it,” Scarlet said reassuringly. “I shouldn't have asked that of you. For that, I apologize.”

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash exchanged sad goodbyes with Fluttershy. Then, the two of them agreed to meet at the western edge of Cloudsdale at seven o' clock, giving Rainbow about half an hour to sneak into the orphanage, pack up her things, and sneak back out. Scarlet was already packed, so she was ready. The three of them parted ways to prepare for what was to come.

[][][][][][][][]

Fluttershy entered through the front door of her house. Her parents were lounging in the living room, and made no comment when she returned. She went straight to her bedroom, where she closed the door behind her.

As she sat at the foot of her bed, she contemplated what had just occurred. The only two friends she'd ever had were leaving Cloudsdale forever. As she thought about it more and more, the true reality of the situation hit her like a brick.

“I'm never going to see my friends again,” she told herself. As she repeated those words over and over in her mind, her eyes began to well up with tears, and she couldn't hold them back.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by shouting, and it was coming from the other room. Fluttershy leaned against the door to hear what her parents were shouting about.

“Her inability to socialize with other ponies is unbelievable!” said her mom. “She barely even talks to me, her own mother! I've never heard of such a thing!”

These words were nothing new to Fluttershy. Her parents had been arguing about this same subject for months. She didn't know what they expected her to do about it. It's not like she chose to be shy and timid.

“She hangs around those two abrasive fillies all the time, yet she can barely even look at me! I just don't understand what her issue is.”

Fluttershy sighed. She didn't have an issue at all. The reason she talked to Rainbow Dash and Scarlet was because they were the only ponies who didn't judge her timid nature. They may be rough around the edges, but they're also incredibly kind and caring, which was a quality she rarely saw in ponies these days.

“If this bothers you that much, why don't you pull her out of that ridiculous flight camp, and place her in a boot camp? I'm sure that will toughen her up a bit.” suggested her dad.

Fluttershy gasped. She had never heard this kind of suggestion from either of her parents before now.

“Do you think she would be able to handle that? I can see that as a potential solution, but don't you think they would eat her alive?”

“Eh, it'll be good for her. I think it's about time we showed her some tough love.”

“You're right! Plus, this will keep her away from those two fillies. They're such a terrible influence. Did you hear, that pony named Scarlet Lightning got into a fight with a colt earlier today? I heard he's in the hospital right now. How frightening to know that our daughter is hanging around such a brute!” stated her mother.

“Alright, then. I suppose I'll sign her up.” said her dad.

Fluttershy took her ear away from the door. She'd heard enough. Her eyes were flooded with tears at this point. She hadn't realized before that her parents truly despised who she is. Not only that, but the thought of going to boot camp terrified her more than anything, and panic began to set in.

She checked the clock at her bedside table. It read six-fifty.

“ten minutes. I have ten minutes to get to them.”

She'd made up her mind. She pulled out the saddlebag from beneath her bed. She tried not to think about the weight of the situation, and instead, focused on getting her things together. She had to be careful not to forget anything, because she knew she wouldn't be coming back to retrieve it.

[][][][][][][][]

Scarlet waited at the western edge of the city, thinking about the day's events.

“It's hard to believe that so much has happened in such a short amount of time.” she thought. “Just earlier today, I was doing stunt classes with Rainbow Dash. Now, I'm leaving behind everypony I know to live on my own. I'm just glad Rainbow is coming with me, because in all honesty, I don't know how long my sanity would last without her.”

“What will the rest of my life hold in store for me? Will I ever be able to salvage something good out of this hollow husk of a childhood? I suppose if I want to find out, I'll have to keep going.”

Scarlet heard the familiar sound of Rainbow Dash's wings flapping. She looked at the luminescent clock at the center of town. It was seven o' clock on the dot. Scarlet was surprised by her friend's punctuality.

Rainbow Dash appeared out of the darkness, her rainbow mane and tail easily visible, even in the black of night. She carried her saddlebag over her back. Her facial expression was one of fierce determination.

“Are you ready, Rainbow Dash?” Scarlet asked. She already knew the answer.

“I couldn't be more ready.” she replied.

“Alright, but I hope you-”

“Wait!”

Scarlet was interrupted by a familiar voice. She looked at Rainbow Dash questioningly, but Rainbow was just as clueless as her.

“Girls! Wait!” yelled the voice again. There was no mistaking it this time. Rainbow Dash and Scarlet knew it was Fluttershy's voice, and they could hear her approaching, but they had no idea why.

Finally, the Canary Pegasus came into view. She carried her own saddlebag, and her heavy breathing told them that she had flown here at top speed.

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash stared at her curiously, and noticed that she had been crying.

“Fluttershy, what are you-”

“I want to come with you!” she declared.

Scarlet and Rainbow Dash looked at each other indecisively, and after a few seconds of silent collaboration, nodded their heads in agreement.

“Fluttershy, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into,” Scarlet affirmed. “We're not going to have anyone to help us. We'll be completely on our own. You realize that, don't you?”

“But we'll have each other, won't we?” asked Fluttershy innocently.

Scarlet smiled, and a single teardrop made its way down her cheek. “Of course we will. We'll always be there for one another.” In spite of the situation, Scarlet was overcome with joy as she realized the potency of the bond she shared with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Scarlet looked out to the horizon. She was prepared to tackle whatever life threw at her. Her confidence only increased knowing that the two ponies she cared about most would be by her side the whole time.

“Alright, girls. Are you ready?” she asked in a headstrong manner. They nodded.

She looked off the edge. In the dark, it looked like a never ending abyss. “It's now or never,” thought Scarlet.

Scarlet dove off the edge of Cloudsdale and soared freely through the air. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy following close behind her. “This is how things should always be,” she thought to herself.

The three fillies flew off into the night, unknowing of their destination, and utterly clueless as to what life had in store for them. Regardless, they continued to fly, and they promised themselves not to stop.

Thus, began the journey of a lifetime.

End of Volume 1