She's....gone!

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I stumbled through the sky as the crying stopped. Now the shock was setting in that this was really happening. I felt numb all over and I was welcoming this feeling of numbness. It was so much better than the fear and crying. The rain began to fall slowly at first then it picked up more. Low crashes of thunder and flashes of lightning in the sky signified this storm would last a while.

Once I got to the doorstep, I opened the doors slowly. I knew they were closed and only Pinkie was awake now getting ready to open. She turned to me and smiled. "Hi Dashie!" she said in her perky voice. Once she got a good look at me her smile dropped and it looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"Dashie...what...?"

I slowly took a few more steps in before collapsing onto the floor. I just lay there, unable to say anything. Or do anything. Or process anything.

"_{She's..........gone.........}"

Immediately Pinkie ran over to me and threw me into a hug. "Dash...who's gone...?" she asked, rubbing my back.

I began to choke up now as it seemed tears poured from every inch of my body.

"She's....gone!" I sobbed as a steady river of tears streamed down my face. "Fluttershy..she's...she's.....!!!!"

Pinkie squeezed me tighter. "Dashie......I'm so sorry..."

I cried. Hard. No, crying isn't the right word. It felt like every sob I let out wasn't hard enough. Like chunks of my soul were being spewed out in ugly moans and wails. My salty tears stung my eyes and I could taste them in my mouth as they mixed with my drool.

This was a very ugly crying on a very ugly day.

"She just left me!" I continued on. "She left me all alone and I'm so...broken!!!" I held my foreleg out in an attempt to reach out to her, even knowing that it wouldn't work.

"I can't go on like this. I can't go on without her! I can't do this alone...I can't do this alone!!" how Mr and Mrs Cake slept through my desperate sobbing I'll never know. But they did, and Pinkie continued to console. I knew I came to the right Pony for comfort. She didn't ask questions, she didn't try to analyze. She just held me.

"I have to get her back..." I said, sobbing and moaning. "I have to try to explain to her that I don't need the Wonderbolts and I need her..I-"

She cut me off. "Dashie...I know you already tried that..didn't ya...?" she asked in sad voice.

I remained silent, still crying. She was right. I did do that.

"Y-...yes!!!" I continued to scream and sob. "It was hopeless. She didn't listen! She didn't tell me she loved me. Not even a kiss goodbye. Nothing!" I sobbed even more, clinging to the pink pony holding me.

"I'm so sorry, Dashie..." she whispered. "I truly am....I had no idea..."

I slowly slipped from Pinkie's grasp and onto her lap as I continued to cry. She slowly pet my mane the best she could, to comfort me. "Just let it all out, Dash..." she whispered soothingly.

I continued to sob harder. "Why...why...why Fluttershy....why?!" I rubbed my face into Pinkie's leg, probably soaking it with my tears.

Pinkie helped me up and lead me to the bar. I was still sobbing uncontrollably. She got me a glass of water and I took very small sips. Now she only looked at me sadly, waiting for me to calm down. Her blue eyes blinked curiously at me.

"What happened exactly?" she asked.

I took a shaky inhale and spoke. "She...she said that she wasn't attracted to me anymore.." even saying those words brought back more tears as my crying continued. I rested my head at the edge of the bar and continued to cry. Pinkie placed her hoof on the back of my neck and rubbed it gently.

"Then what..?" she asked, urging me to talk about it. I didn't want to but I knew I had to get it all off my chest now.

"Then...she said I needed to just move on. To join the Wonderbolts...but I can't. I can't because I have to get her back. There is no way I'll ever fly like I used to. She said that I had to continue on..." I paused, sniffling. "As if we never even dated.."

Pinkie Pie lowered her head and lowered her ears. "Oh dear...oh Rainbow Dash. I'm so sorry." she looked up at me now, a few tears forming in her eyes. "This is..terrible."

I slammed my hooves on the table. "I have to get her back, I need your help to get her back, Pinkie Pie!!" I pleaded.

She gave a small smile but sighed. "Rainbow...it wont do any good. If she is doing all this..nothing is going to get her back right now. Except space. And maybe.." she went on. I listened in.

"Maybe you should join the Wonderbolts."

I swallowed hard and shook my head frantically. "No no no! If I do, then I'll leave..and she." the tears came back. "She'll fall inlove with another stallion!" the thought of that made me sick to my stomach as I hugged myself and continued to cry.

Pinkie ran back over to me and rested her head on my back.

"It hurts..." I moaned. "It hurts so bad....how can I go on without her...?"

Pinkie took a shaky breath and put her hoof on my back. "I'll be here, Rainbow Dash..." she said. "I will always be here for you."

~~~

About twenty minutes went by and I continued to cry and cry. Eventually, for now however, I was all cried out. I slowly sat up and I knew that I must not look like the same Rainbow Dash, as Pinkie only looked at me with sympathy.

"Thanks so much, Pinkie Pie.." I said, slowly walking to the door. "I just wanna go home and go to bed now.."

Pinkie nodded. "Just..go to sleep and come back anytime, Rainbow.."

I almost walked out the door when I bumped into a large, feather figure. It was hard to tell who it was between the dark cloudy sky and my tear drenched eyes.

"Watch where you're going, Dweeb." a familiar voice spat at me.