Gohan's bloodied body lay limp on the ground of West City.

He was just laying there.

It's as if he were stuck in a deep sleep...

Why here, of all places...?

...

"...Alright! Thanks, King Yemma!" The familiar voice beamed.

Gohan's face twitched, and his hand slightly moved, but his eyes remained closed.

'...W-What was that?' He thought.

For the first time in a while, Gohan did something, even if it was just conjuring up a thought.

Footsteps could be heard.

"It's time to wake up, buddy..." Gohan heard, as if someone familiar was standing above him.

Gohan's heart started racing.

'T-That wasn't...' He thought.

Gohan slowly creeped his eyes open, his vision a complete blur.

He could make out a huge head of hair and orange clothes...

Then, he finally made out the person standing in front of his fallen body.

It was his late father, Son Goku, with a halo over his head.

"Well, look who's finally awake! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Goku asked, flashing a cheerful smile.

"F-Father...?" Gohan asked.

'What's going on...!? Why is dad here!? Did I die...?' He thought.

"You might be wondering why I'm here..." Goku said.

Gohan didn't respond...

"You're not dead, but you came really close to kicking the bucket." Goku said.

"Right now, you're... dreaming. Sort of. I don't really know how to explain it..." He said.

Gohan tried to move his body, but pain shot through his entire body.

Every attempt to move was accompanied with a grunt...

He couldn't get his arm to push himself off the ground, not even to let him sit.

Gohan quit trying to move.

"Looks like you need a hand..." Goku said, smirking and giggling to himself.

Gohan groaned, not finding the joke to be particularly funny.

Goku held out his arm to Gohan, but didn't make an effort to squat down and be at that level.

"Take my hand, Gohan... I'll get you back on your feet." He said.

Gohan didn't seem to make an effort...

"...I don't have... the strength..." Gohan said.

"It's too much pain..." He muttered.

Goku's smile faded, and he gave his son a disappointed stare.

"I don't remember raising a quitter. Your friends don't expect you to quit, either. The world is counting on you, Gohan. Take my hand." He said.

'Ugh... Look at me... They'd be disappointed... I have to get up...!' Gohan thought.

The thought of his friends suddenly gave him the energy to lift his arm.

Gohan let out plenty of grunts as he tried pulling his upper body as well.

The pain shot through his body again, but he ignored it as much as he could.

He was reaching out to his father's hand with a shaky arm...

"C-Come on...!" Gohan muttered to himself, letting out loud gasps and grunts.

He was almost there, and...

"Got it!" Gohan yelled, holding on to Goku's hand tightly.

"Nice work. Now..." Goku said.

A white light appeared behind Goku...

It was getting increasingly brighter.

Gohan couldn't shield his eyes, so he squinted them to keep his sight on Goku...

Then, suddenly, Goku put his other hand on Gohan's and grabbed tight.

"Wake up!" Goku yelled, pulling Gohan up and into the light.

Gohan's sight was just pure white, and suddenly, pure darkness again.

Gohan didn't show up for school yesterday.

And the day after that.

And the next day.

And the next day.

And the next da-

'It's been a whole month...' Fluttershy thought.

She stood outside the school, alone, staring at the sky on a Saturday morning.

It was somewhat windy, and her hair was blowing in the wind.

'I'm done waiting. You're out there, and I'm going to find you, Gohan.' Fluttershy thought.

'It's risky, but... Desperate times call for desperate measures...' Fluttershy thought.

She looked around, waiting for someone...

'If Pinkie doesn't show up anytime so-'

"Heya!" Pinkie said, literally appearing behind Fluttershy.

"Eep!"

Fluttershy jumped forward and turned around.

"Pinkie, don't scare me like that...!" She said.

"Sorry! Anywho, what do ya need?" Pinkie asked.

"You're perfect for the job... Can you scream 'Nimbus' into the sky really loud for me?" Fluttershy asked.

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie said.

She pulled out a megaphone and took a deep, deep, breath.

"Pinkie...? M-Maybe not that lo-"

"NIIIIIIIIIMBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUS!"

The fucking clouds in the sky were blown to the next country and the scream created a typhoon for the rest of the world.

Fluttershy's hair was just completely fixed backwards.

She fixed it herself, but...

It's a miracle she wasn't deaf.

From far away, the Flying Nimbus was zooming towards the two, leaving it's yellow streak across the sky temporarily.

Then, it just stopped itself in front of the two.

"T-Thanks..." Fluttershy said.

"So... What's this for?" Pinkie asked.

"Uh... That's for me to know." Fluttershy said.

"Alrighty! See ya later!" Pinkie said.

Then she darted away and disappeared into the city.

Fluttershy just stared at where Pinkie was...

"It was that easy to just...?" She muttered.

"...I will never understand that girl." She said.

Then she focused her attention on the Nimbus.

"Now, how do I pilot you...?" Fluttershy asked.

She slowly made her way onto the cloud, kneeling on it.

She gripped onto it tightly, making sure she wouldn't fall off.

"Uh... Can you go up?" Fluttershy asked.

...

...

"...Please?" Fluttershy asked.

And to her very surprise, the Nimbus floated upwards!

...At a snail's pace.

...

"Oh, don't worry, take your time..." Fluttershy said, patting the Nimbus.

She also rubbed the cloud a bit.

For some reason, it... looked like it enjoyed it.

'This thing has emotions?' Fluttershy thought.

Once she stopped, the Nimbus also stopped.

"Oh, alright..." Fluttershy said, continuing to give the cloud some attention... somehow.

She just started giving the equivalent of a belly rub...

The Nimbus definitely took it's sweet time ascending past what was left of the Wondercolts' Statue.

"You're doing really great..." Fluttershy said.

...

'...Am I really talking to a cloud and cheering it on?' Fluttershy thought.

After what felt like an eternity, the Nimbus finally carried Fluttershy to a high altitude.

It stopped at the perfect spot, and Fluttershy stopped petting it.

Only then did she finally realized the situation she put herself into.

'Oh dear... We're really high up...!' She thought.

She could even see the roofs of various buildings...

"Please don't let me fall off..." She said.

The Nimbus shuffled a tiny bit, but who could tell what it was trying to say?

'Don't look down, don't look down...!' Fluttershy thought.

She looked down, and...

"I might cry...!" She said, very high pitched, moving back and covering her vision with the cloud.

"Go down, go down! Please...!" Fluttershy said.

The Nimbus complied... at a snail's pace.

'Ugh... I give up...!' Fluttershy thought.

'...But that isn't what he would do...' She thought.

She looked at the sky, and...

'Gohan... I need an answer. I'm going to find you...!' She thought.

The Nimbus kept going very slowly...

"...Stop." Fluttershy said.

The Nimbus stopped, but it didn't really move far from where it started.

'I don't have Gohan to save me this time, but... I can do this.' Fluttershy thought, closing her eyes.

A deep breath in...

Then out...

She opened her eyes, and...

"Okay, so... I know East Mount Paozu is, well, east..." Fluttershy said, looking in the general direction of East Mount Paozu.

"...But do you happen to know where Gohan's house is?" She asked.

The Nimbus shuffled a bit, but Fluttershy couldn't tell what it was trying to say.

"Um... Okay, well... If you do happen to know where it is, can you take me there?" Fluttershy asked.

...

"...Please?" She asked.

ZOOM!

The Nimbus darted off, catching Fluttershy off guard.

The only thing keeping her from falling and dying was her clutch on the cloud.

Other than that, her body was flying with the wind.

"Ahh! Stop! Slow down!" Fluttershy yelled.

So, the Nimbus did just that, and came to a complete stop.

Half of Fluttershy's body was on the cloud, and the bottom half was dangling from the side.

She started hyperventilating, clutching onto the cloud for dear life.

"I regret waking up today...!" She said, extremely high pitched.

"Gohan...!? Anybody!? Help...!" She said, very high pitched again.

Nobody was there to heed her calls.

She tried to pull herself back onto the cloud, but she grunted and strained to no avail.

"No...!" She said, very high pitched.

She kicked her feet around, trying to get at least one foot on the cloud to support her...

It worked...?

Fluttershy was surprised that she even got her foot all the way up there at all.

She managed to pull her body back on top of the cloud, laying flat on her back.

She tried to catch her breath from all the hyperventilating...

"Hah... Hah... Okay... Hah..." She panted.

'I know you're trying to be strong, but please, try not to kill yourself...!?' She thought.

Then, she got into a kneeling position where she wouldn't fall off.

Also, she clutched the cloud with all her might.

"Okay... I'm ready, but can you go a little slower this time...?" Fluttershy asked.

ZOOM!

Fluttershy didn't almost fall off this time, and didn't have too much trouble staying on either.

But damn, going at over 400 mph makes it real hard to see.

Her hair flew back, so that wasn't the issue, but she squinted real hard.

'How does he see while driving this thing...?' She thought.

Eventually, she just had to close her eyes.

The wind wouldn't dry her eyes that way.

And...

The Nimbus suddenly stopped.

'That's strange...' Fluttershy thought.

'It's like my hair just stopped flying and the winds just- Wait.' She thought.

Fluttershy opened her eyes, and-

"This is Gohan's house?" She asked.

Yes, she was, in fact, in front of that dome house.

"Wait, how long were my eyes closed for...?" She muttered.

Strange...

She shrugged and slowly made her way to the ground.

She patted the Nimbus...

"Thank you." She said.

The Nimbus started showing her affection by basically rubbing itself on her.

Fluttershy giggled and pushed it off.

"Wait here, please?" She asked.

The cloud managed to nod... somehow.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and walked towards the door...

She knocked on the wooden door three times, then took a step back.

...

...

The door opened, and Chichi came out.

"Uh... Hello..." Fluttershy said.

Chichi sighed and closed the door behind her.

"Listen, missy, whatever it is you're selling, I don't want it." She said.

"Er... What?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm looking for Gohan... Is he home?" She asked.

Chichi looked surprised for a moment, but quickly collected herself.

"If you're looking for a date, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. What manners you have, coming over unannounced, and without proper introduction! Shame on you!" She scolded.

Fluttershy was taken aback...

"Uh... S-Sorry, but that's not why I'm here..." She said.

"Sure." Chichi said sarcastically.

'Jeez, I thought she was just scary, not rude...' Fluttershy thought.

"Who are you, anyway?" Chichi asked.

"My name is Fluttershy, and-" "-So you're that girl he keeps talking about!" Chichi interrupted.

"Er... Huh?" Fluttershy asked.

"Listen here, I'm not gonna let some girl steal my son away from me!" Chichi said.

"Miss, I'm not even sure what you're going on about." Fluttershy said.

"Don't try denying it!" Chichi said.

"All I wanted to know is if he's safe and sound! He hasn't shown up to school for a while!" Fluttershy said.

Chichi's angry look turned to a look of surprise...

"...Ma'am?" Fluttershy asked.

"...You can just forget about him." Chichi said, suddenly changing her tone.

She looked saddened, all of a sudden.

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

"He's not going back to school." Chichi said.

"B-But why?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why do you care?" Chichi asked.

"Miss... He's a dear friend. What happened to him?" Fluttershy asked.

"Listen... It's better if you don't know. He isn't here." Chi Chi said.

"But I need an explana-"

BANG!

The door slammed shut.

Fluttershy ran to the door and started knocking again.

"Ma'am! Ma'am! Please! What do you mean he's not coming back!?" She asked.

'He has to come back...!' She thought.

Fluttershy made her way back to CHS on the cloud, much slower than before.

Fluttershy still squinted a bit, but she could actually make out what was ahead of her...

'Gohan isn't coming back...!? What even happened to him...!?' She thought.

'I don't want to believe it... There's no way he'd die on us, no way! I refuse to believe it...!' She thought.

Surprisingly, all of her friends were waiting for her outside the school.

"Huh? What are they... Nimbus, can you head down there?" Fluttershy asked.

The Nimbus did as she requested, turning and flying down towards the school.

Then, suddenly, she stopped right in front of the portal.

"Fluttershy!" Applejack said, happy.

"What are you guys doing here?" Fluttershy asked.

Everyone went up to Fluttershy and pulled her into a hug...

"...Did something happen?" Fluttershy asked.

The hug broke, and-

"What were you thinking riding that cloud!?" Twilight asked.

"W-What? How'd you know?" Fluttershy asked.

"I would be surprised if nobody in the universe heard that scream." Sunset said.

"When we got to Pinkie, she coughed up the details." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh..." Fluttershy said.

'I was sure she-... That darn Pinkie Sense...' She thought.

"Don't go and do dangerous things like that..." Applejack said.

"Especially without telling us..." Rarity said.

"I really wanted to find out what happened to Gohan..." Fluttershy said.

"Did you figure it out?" Sunset asked.

"No... His mother wouldn't budge... She said he was never coming back." Fluttershy said.

"What!?" Pinkie asked.

"She wouldn't even tell me why... This stinks!" Fluttershy said.

"I know!" Pinkie said.

"I mean, honestly, wouldn't it suck if your crush just up and left forever?" She asked.

Well, that hit too close to home, and Fluttershy looked down...

"...Pinkie." Applejack said.

"What?" Pinkie asked.

"...I'm going home now." Fluttershy said.

"See what you did?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy got off the cloud.

"Aren't you heading home?" Rarity asked.

"It's the closest thing ever, I don't need to fly everywhere..." Fluttershy said.

She patted the Nimbus to try sending it off, but...

It stayed.

"Uh..." Fluttershy said.

"Go on... You can leave." She said.

The Nimbus stayed put.

"Shoo..." Fluttershy said, doing the gesture.

...

Fluttershy took a few steps backward and the Nimbus trailed her, stopping a good 2 feet before her.

"I don't think it wants to leave ya." Applejack said, smiling.

"I think it likes you!" Rarity said.

"Uh... I'm not sure what my parents would say to a pet cloud..." Fluttershy said.

"What does it even eat?" She asked.

"I didn't think Fluttershy's pets could get to this point." Rainbow Dash said.

"Not a lion, not even a shark... A cloud." She said.

"But the Nimbus belongs to Gohan, I can't just take it from him..." Fluttershy said.

"You're not taking it... you're caring for it!" Pinkie said.

"Besides, he'll call for it when he needs it!" She said.

"That's not really an excuse, Pinkie..." Fluttershy said.

"Eh!" Pinkie said, throwing her arms in the air.

"Speaking of whom..." Sunset said.

"If he really isn't coming back, then... I hope to Celestia that he's at least alive." She said.

"I believe in him... He'll be back." Fluttershy said.

This left the logician herself, Twilight, so confused...

"I don't mean to sound cruel, but..." Twilight said.

"Why do you have such blind faith in him...?" She asked.

The girls just looked at her quizzically.

"Boy, you really know how to kill spirits." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well... He's... definitely not coming back, from what you told us." Twilight said, looking to Fluttershy.

"If his mother says he isn't coming back..." She said.

"...Things look bleak for him, I know." Fluttershy said..

"But, at this point, there's no such thing as blind faith in Gohan." She said.

"You're not wrong..." Twilight said.

"Still, though. As much as I hate to say it, I really don't think he's coming back." She said.

"Ah, Twilight..." Applejack said.

"You just have to know the guy for as long as we have to understand..." She said.

Twilight rubbed her chin and thought long and hard about what to conclude from this...

Then, her brilliant mind came up with-

"Maybe this could help me understand why people can't accept loss..." Twilight muttered.

Everyone sighed.

Rainbow Dash face palmed.

"Oh, Twilight..." Sunset said.

"You really have a lot to learn about friendship..." She said.

Sympathy is lost on Twilight...

Capsule Corp....

"I've been out for how long!?" Gohan yelled.

He was standing beside a bed in a hospital gown, covered in bandages and tubes.

His hair was noticeably longer.

He seemed incredibly distressed.

At the foot of the bed was Bulma and Trunks in complete shock.

"You seem full of energy... somehow." Bulma said, wearing a lab coat and jeans.

"I did not expect you to leap out of bed like that..." Trunks said.

"Today's just full of surprises. First, that incredible scream, and now this..." He said.

"Alright, Gohan, let's get you back into bed..." Bulma said.

"Why...?" Gohan asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Now that you're awake... You need all those tubes out of you, since you really don't need them. If you yank them out like you almost did... You could've pulled your vein out, and I hope you know, I have no anesthetic drugs." Bulma said.

"So get back into bed and relax..." She said.

Gohan understood, and climbed back into his bed...

He threw the blankets back on himself, then he sighed.

That dream he just had... it was really getting to him, for some reason.

'Father... what was that? That was definitely more than a dream...' Gohan thought.

"I'm freakin' out..." He said, clutching his head.

"About... What?" Trunks asked.

"He's starting to come back to the real world, Trunks..." Bulma said.

"My days of becoming a scholar are ruined if I can't write!" Gohan said.

im back from getting milk from the store

Man! That took forever.

I'm really sorry for the wait.

Believe it or not, I wrote five different paths this story could've taken.

I hated every single one.

They ranged from Trunks simply heading to Equestria for help to Trunks creating a mass resistance against him by accident (as a potential path of the first idea) in Equestria to Trunks somewhat replacing Gohan for a month or so to Fluttershy actually finding Gohan to this.

This was the only thing I felt I could even continue the story with.

...After hating it 7 times and going to fix the other ones.

Like, seriously, I went back and forth with them. It was like a ping pong match of working on different stories that were never going in. They made no sense, and I really couldn't try to get them to make sense.

I felt that this one was the only logical way to go with this story. Although I'm not very confident in it, it's all I could really do.

going to get cigarettes now bye