Memories in the Clouds

Chapter 4: Mending

*******

A stallion's voice echoed in Rainbow's head as she dreamed violent dreams.

"Why the buck would you spend everything on that little gutter foal?!"
"That foal is our filly! you useless cider drunk! She can do it! "
"Oh! You really think sending her there will do her any good?! With all those damn Central Asses!? They're the reason we are in this dump! "
"It isn't like that anymore! Central is trying to help-!"
"Shut up! where were they when we lost everything?! All faded into the mist!"
"She deserves more than this! She deserves more than you as a father!"
"I told you to shut up!"

The voices faded away to be replaced with distant weeping, as Rainbow's drifted back into a dreamless slumber.

"Dashie... Wake up!" her mother's voice echoed in her head as she blinked opened her eyes, and rubbed them to clear her blurry vision.

The sun glimmered through the small holes in the dark house. The blue filly writhed in a large stretch and yawned loudly, a smile crept on her face as she felt the excitement rising for the day. Rainbow glanced over to her mother quickly putting the last of Rainbow's possessions in her worn saddlebag. The spartan room was even more bare without Rainbow's posters and figures. She rolled over on her stomach and slowly lifted herself up. She looked at her mother again as she saw one of her eyes hastily covered by her thin mane. It was purple and swollen.

"Mom?... What happened?!" Rainbow looked in shock as Rainbow tried to rub her eyes again to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Shhhh, its okay Honey...its okay, its nothing." Her mother came close to Rainbow and reassuringly brushed her mane gently.

"What do you mean nothing?... you're hurt. " Rainbow reached a hoof to touch her mother's eye. Her mother quickly grabbed her hoof and moved it away slowly.

"Not a word... dear. Come on, the bus stop is a little bit away. I'll take you there today, but first." Her mother insisted as she put a worn saddlebag on Rainbow's flank and started to wiped her face with a small damp wash cloth. Rainbow tried her best to smile as her mother preened her as best she could. She smoothed out Rainbow's coat and wings, but left her mane just the way her daughter liked it. Rainbow gritted her teeth and clenched her hooves in anger.
.

"Done! Aw... look at you... you look beautiful!" her mother said triumphantly.

Rainbow looked blankly down and didn't say anything in return.

"Hey... Silly filly." Her mother reached out a hoof in front of Rainbow. She stared at it confused as she looked at her mother. Small hints of her swollen eye showed. But her face still resonated the uncompromising warmth that Rainbow always remembered.

"Don't leave me hanging now..." Her mother said nonchalantly with a wry grin.

Rainbow put on her best smile and grabbed her mother's hoof. They came out of the small room and out the old grey house, closing the door behind them. Rainbow barely had time to look back at their home, as her mother walked along the sidewalk quickly and continued to hold her hoof tightly.

The alleyway was exceptionally misty today, and it made it hard for them to see too far in front of them. The only guiding light was the bus stop's blinking red light on top of a high pole in the distance. Along the sides of buildings the cloud-homeless ponies laid with small cups in front of them. The sounds of mumbling and raising of cups came too and fro as they passed through to the main street. Rainbow's mother tried to looked at a old clock tower nearby. The thick mist veiled the clock's time. Rainbow's mother grumbled in frustration and flared out her large wings.

"Come on honey we have to move! here let me fly you over there" Her mother scooped Rainbow up and with a single bound they were airborne. Rainbow held tightly on to her mother's neck as the force of strong wings pushed the smoky mist aside. The wind flowed through Rainbow's mane as they picked up speed. With sudden flash they broke above the low-lying mist, to a blinding light. Rainbow covered her face with one of her hooves as her eyes adjusted, revealing the glorious shimmering city in the sunlight.

Rainbow gasped in amazement. The afternoon sun gleamed upon the crystal towers and flowing arches at their base. Their silhouettes pierced the blue sky with vivid clarity as the arches faded into the dense mist below. In that moment she took in a deep breath of the fresh crisp air and gazed at the sprawling cloudopolis.

"Woah..." her mouth stood agape at the sight. Her mother smiled as she drew Rainbow closer to her.

"Imagine... someday. You will get to see this every day." Rainbow's mother whispered into her ear.

Rainbow glanced at her mother smiling to catch a glimpse of her broken face, she looked away and with a heavy heart asked, "What about you?... Will you see it with me?"

Small tears appeared on her mother's face betraying her smile, "Just remember Dashie... the sky has no limit... remember that. Believe in yourself! promise me that."

Rainbow buried her face into her mother's mane holding her tightly. "I-I promise!"

Rainbow looked to the distance she saw the soft glowing of red from the light by the bus stop. Her mother dove down gracefully back into the cloudy mist and landed softly to the ground. Her mother enveloped Rainbow with her wings one last time as a large bus came to a abrupt stop along the side of the street and its door slid open. Rainbow turned to look up the stairs she saw nothing as the mist seemed to grow extremely dense, she turned around to look at her mother, but everything faded to a brilliant white.

*******

"Mom!?" Rainbow bolted upward as her one of her eyes opened to the darkness of night, the other was swollen tightly shut. A soft moan of pain escaped Rainbow's mouth as her body failed to hold her up and she fell back on to a soft cloud-bed. Intense throbbing came from her left eye, she gently examined it with her hoof and realized that she had a small cloth bandage around it. Using her one good eye, she looked around the room eventually laying eyes upon the base of the bed. On the misty floor, Fluttershy snored quietly in slumber. A small first aid kid laid sprawled on the ground with open tubes of ointments and unfurled rolls of bandages around her. Rainbow sighed deeply, pursing her lips at the sight.

She glanced around the dimly lit room, it had two cloud beds and desks across from each other. Moonlight flooded in from the large window between the two beds. Next to her was, a glass of water and a pitcher on a small dresser. Her mouth felt dry and as she tried to swallow her throat felt like rough sandpaper. She arduously lifted her hoof and reached towards the glass. A shot of red-hot pain came from her stomach up to her head and she dropped her hoof near inches away from the water. Small gasps escaped her mouth and she looked at the glass as her vision started to blur again. Darkness began to veil her eyes, but in that instant a small yellow hoof picked up the glass and moved it right next to her hoof. Rainbow blinked the dark spots from her vision and slowly focused her eyes to see Fluttershy looking at her.

"Hey... Rainbow Dash.."

Rainbow shifted uneasily and glanced around avoiding the yellow filly's gaze, "Where... are we?" Rainbow asked weakly.

"We're in the dorms... t-they gave me a first-aid kit and a room number. So.. I brought you here. I really tried my best. Um- I never really bandaged somepony before. Sorry if it's not right." Fluttershy apologized meekly.

"They're okay." Rainbow said with uninterested and closed her eyes turning her head away from Fluttershy. Moments of agonizing silence followed between the two until Fluttershy broke the tension.

"I should... have told you. I'm sorry." Fluttershy admitted as her voice wavered in uncertainty.

Rainbow felt her heart sink and she clenched her hoof tightly.

"I never meant this to happen... I-I was just scared! I didn't want you to think. I was like them... " Fluttershy's ears lowered as she nervously scuffed her hooves on the cloudy floor.

Rainbow looked away from the glass of water in front of her and looked at Fluttershy, "Why? Why would you do all of this for me? You could have just left me. I don't get it."

Fluttershy paused in deep thought for a moment and took a deep breath, she looked up at Rainbow and smiled, "I.. I can't just leave you hanging, can I?"

Rainbow felt the words wrack her heart. Her mouth fell slack and eyes widened, she gaze into Fluttershy's eyes in awe. Fluttershy trembled as she stared tentatively at Rainbow.

Rainbow moved her hoof past the glass of water and tightly gripped Fluttershy's hoof.

"No...you can't... and neither can I."

A smile formed around their faces as Fluttershy grabbed the glass with her other hoof and gave it to Rainbow. She drank heavily of the cool water, it flowed down her throat extinguishing the dull pain all throughout her body. A wash of relief fell upon her softened face. She looked over towards the yellow pegasus with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Fluttershy."

"Your welcome... Rainbow Dash." She nodded her head as the smallest hints of pink surrounded her cheeks.

Fluttershy turned around and began towards her bed and upon reaching it tripped over her mane and fell on it clumsily.
"Doh!"

Rainbow began to laugh lightheartedly. "Careful!... well, that's one day down! looks like you and me better stick together... huh?" Rainbow mused.

Fluttershy giggled softly, "Oh yes... most definitely... and- Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes?"

"I'm... really glad that I met you." Fluttershy spoke in sincerity as she began to comb through her mane nervously.

"Me too... and you can just call me Dashie, you know." Rainbow insisted.

Fluttershy eyes lightened and she asked, "So... does that mean we're still friends?"

"Always..." Rainbow answered.

The two fillies covered themselves tightly with their cloud blankets as the moon and stars continued to glow warmly upon the night sky. They looked at each other as the other's eyes started drooping into slumber. Just as sleep overtook them, soft whispers fell upon each other's ears.

"Good Night, Dashie."

"Good Night, Shy."