Ch. 1: The Farther The Better
Runaway: Chapter One.
The Farther The Better
I pressed my hooves into the dirt with force that propelled me forward, sending me nearly flying over the landscape as the wind ripped the stinging tears from my eyes. My lungs ached for a break, to sit down and actually attempt to breathe. But it didn't happen, I just kept going. I couldn't stop. I choked and gagged on what little breath I had, but I hardly noticed. My wings flapped heavily, not sending me upwards but instead forcing me even faster ahead. I had to get out. I had to be alone.
It doesn't matter where I end up, how I get there, or who I end up with when I get there. I needed to get away from the people now, and I needed to get away from him.
Suddenly I misstepped and went tumbling forward, a canon of fur and hooves across the grass. When I finally stopped rolling I sat there, swaying in small circles as I waited for my vision to clear. I took this time to finally breathe and calm myself done. When I could see I looked behind me, then in front of me, and suddenly I realized I had no idea where I was. Good. Exactly where I need to be... alone.
I exhaled deeply as I stood, stretching out my sore wings as I continued to look around, deciding where to go from here. During my moment of deliberation, I began pondering to myself if anyone had noticed I was gone yet. They probably haven’t, which is fine. The longer they go without noticing me the less I have to worry about them finding me.
I, through sore muscles and aching lungs, pushed forward again and took off at a less-frantic-but-still-fast pace. For a while I continued until it felt like my legs would buckle under me at any moment. When this happened I extended my wings and propelled myself into the air and sped through the clouds. The farther the better, I repeated to myself.
My father’s back hooves burst open the front door to the close friend’s house as he turned and aggressively trotted inside. “Where the fuck is my daughter? And if you tell me I don’t know you’re flank is going to end up as some hunter’s dinner.”
My close, and at this point only friend, John, cowered behind a semi-protective counter in the kitchen, ears flat and wide eyes peering over the counter. “B-But I don’t know! I’ve been trying to figure out where she’d go all day! I have no idea where she could have gone. She just up and left, she didn’t talk to anyone!”
My father’s eyes narrowed as his ears fell backwards. “I swear to Celestia if I find out you’re lying to me...”
“I’m not! I can’t figure out where she is, either. And I swear on my life if I find something you’re definitely the FIRST to know!”
“...Fine.” With a loud nasally huff my father turned on his hooves and quickly trotted from the house in search of other possible sources of knowledge who may know the location to his daughter.
I landed in a large clearing surrounded by big, full trees and nearly collapsed. I was exhausted. I had no idea how far I had traveled but I could only guess the obvious: far. With an audible groan I laid my heavy frame down onto the ground and gave my blood a chance to refill my wings.
I was glad to be gone, that’s for sure. My only worry at this point was the fact that I knew that eventually, they’d start looking for me. And I prayed to Celestia they never found me. Because I surely did not want to go back there.
I slowly rest my head down on my front legs, my own ears falling with exhaustion. After one last glance up to the full moon above me, my eyelids fell shut and I let the exhaustion overwhelm me and put me to sleep.
“I don’t know where she is, Daniel!” My mother took a defiant step forward, a risky move on her own part. “If I had any clue as to where she could have possibly gone don’t you think I would have told you?! I want her home just as much as you do!”
“Well someone has to know where the unholy hell she went! No one is telling me
“Maybe it’s because no one knows! She just LEFT, Daniel! You know how hard things have been on her lately have you really not seen it coming?!”
best friend.
“Daniel! Are you kidding me?! You’re always off working, or hanging out with the ‘guys!’ You’re never home anymore! She misses her father and has even told you this but you’re always too far gone on Cider to hear her out! Not to mention her witnessed how you treat me! It’s a miracle we’re both even still here!”
“What the fuck are you saying to me, Michelle?”
My mother’s eyes narrowed. “What I’m saying is you’ve abandoned your daughter. You’re ever there for her. You don’t even know half the things she’s going through. It’s no wonder she up and left. She feels like John and I are all she has. And I’m starting to think the same thing.”
LOST her! And you want to sit there and blame everyone but yourself!”
Finally my father snapped, his eyes physically red with anger as he charged.
The sun slowly woke me, my eyelids unwillingly opening to the warm rays healing my body. I groaned and stretched every limb possible. I had to look around for awhile before I remembered where I was or what happened.
I laid there for what felt like hours, letting the sun slowly repair my torn and aching muscles. By the time it was mid-afternoon I slowly, carefully pushed my body to a standing position. I needed to find some form of sustenance; water, food, something. I was exhausted and clearly lacking nutrients.
With a forceful push I began looking around for something to eat. I managed to locate some wild berries and flowers, and with some leaves I found managed to prepare myself a makeshift salad. Resting near a small river I inhaled what little food I managed to find and filled myself up the rest of the way with water.
Feeling like I was able to function, I began trotting on a small pathway that wove its way through the trees of the forest. I decided it was most likely in my best interest to not push myself too hard today. My body already felt like it could crumble at any moment.
John threw the book he was trying to focus on at a nearby wall. He rested his head in his hooves and let out a long sigh. Where could she have gone... She is not one that should be left to her own devices. That’s asking for trouble. Standing, he looked around his small makeshift lab, as if the answers would simply jump from the numerous shelves of equipment. Why would she have even left? There’s gotta be one reason above all others, something to finally push her to that point that she’d run away from home. Something...
With a sigh he sat down in defeat. “I don’t know what to do... I have her father on my flank and my best friend is gone. There has to be something I can do to help find her.” He crossed his front legs on the desk in front of him and rested his head, sighing as he tried to think, tried to put the pieces together in his head.
My mother attempted to push herself off of the hay mattress she slept on, but ended up falling with a hard thud to the floor. Nearly shrieking, she cringed and curled into a ball until the pain subsided. She then stood and focused on getting one hoof in front of the other to get out of the house.
On her way her eyes wandered to the disaster her living-room had turned into in a matter of hours. Tables were flipped and some even lay in pieces across the floor. The corner lamp had been shattered. The cough was in pieces, and shattered and broken dishes lay all across the kitchen floor. With a sigh she pushes the image out of her head and slowly pushes the door open, leaving the house.
She was alone on this venture now. She had no idea where Daniel went, or where her daughter went. But she had one mission: She had to find her daughter and bring her home.