Rainbow Dash feared nothing.

For so long she had dreamed of a life of adventure and exploration. For so long she had imagined herself as somepony who went into dangerous places, did dangerous things, met dangerous creatures. She was not somepony who would be content to live a peaceful, safe existence; she wanted to be a pony they sung of in legends. She would pursue that dream, and she would achieve it, or die trying.

Hopefully with not so much dying.

As she soared about with nary a care in the world, she let her eyes take it all in; the forest was perhaps easiest to see, trees that resembled massive flowers more than actual trees beneath her, mountains in the distance before her. Looking back, she could see her group's ship, and a distance away, faintly make out a small town. She turned forward and smiled; she was an explorer. She saw the world in ways others did not. She enjoyed it for it's vastness and potential.

She was at one with the universe.

For all of ten minutes before getting hit by a hover-taxi.

"Hey! Watch where yer goin' ya crazy bird!" shouted a voice that seemed to fade quickly as it moved away and as Dash plummeted to the ground. Then, everything went black.

Consciousness slowly returned to Rainbow Dash. The world began to come to her in small sensations; wind against her fur, the sounds of animals. Slowly, she opened her eyes and groaned, feeling a sharp pain in her side. She rolled in favor of that side and stretched her wing out to find it busted. She let out another, louder groan and shook her head. "Dangit... grounded..." She flopped her head into the dirt below her and stared into the distance. She hated being unable to fly; it was like torture. All that freedom she had mere moments ago? Gone with but the blink of an eye... and a taxi driver who clearly did not keep his eyes on the skies. Still, she couldn't lay an mope forever; eventually she'd need to move.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash peeled herself from the ground and looked to her wing. She moved it about a little; it stung, but it didn't feel broken; maybe a bruised bone? Either way, it wouldn't carry her. Rainbow Dash let out a dejected sigh and pulled from her saddlebag a small syringe. Closing her eyes, she jammed it into the wing and pressed. The injury began to fade, ever so slightly. Throwing the spent needle aside, she stretched the wing out and moved it a bit; it was still tender, but now at least she could stand on two legs if she needed to fight. "Well" she said with a sigh, "Guess I better make my way back to the ship and get some first aid... now to head.... uh..."

Dash looked around a second. "Was it... that way...? No... I think it was... this...? No, that's not...." The pegasus stared into nothing for the longest time before stomping a hoof. "Pinfeathers! I'm lost!" Once more, she flopped uselessly onto the dirty ground to mope about the situation.

"Today is totally not cool."

A beeping sound caught Rainbow's attention. She brought up her hoof, which had a communicator attached to it (as well as another wrist device just below it), and pushed a button. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Hey Rainbow. You been quiet a few minutes, an' we figured by now you'd be gettin' chased around by a bear or somethin'! Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah" said the pegasus mare with a groan. "I just hurt my wing is all. Gonna have to hoof it back."

"I see" said Applejack, with a short pause. "Well, Twilight n' Fluttershy already took off to do sciency stuff, an' Rarity went into town, so we're kinda short on healers at the moment. You gonna be okay out there by yourself?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow grinned, rubbing a hoof to her chest. "I'm Rainbow Freaking Dash, and don't you cupcakes forget it!" Applejack laughed on her end of the com.

"Right then. Take it easy Rainbow and give us a shout if you need anything! We'll be there quicker n' Big Mac can down scrumpy!" There was a short pause. "What? It ain't a secret! We see you take swigs everytime you're about to talk to a mare! Applejack out." The connection cut, Rainbow sighed, and looked up to the sky. Well, if she was going to have to trek back, she might as well keep her eyes open for something to do.

And so, she walked. Yes, walking; the lazy Pegasus' flying. Or non pegasai - poor bastards. Yes, this walking was amazing it was! It was thrilling and invigorating in it's own way! Why, she might take up walking in place of flying for a change of pace - that was what Rainbow did, right? Changed pace? After a few minutes, she realized she was kidding herself and in dire need of something to remind her she was not temporarily grounded. She decided now was as good a time as any to make a map, and so, she pulled out her map making equipment and... draw a line. Okay, this seriously wasn't helping! Rainbow Dash was losing her patience, and she was losing it fast!

And that is when she noticed a particularly juicy looking hilltop.

On any other day, she'd fly to the top and land to get a good view, but in her current condition, climbing was the only option. Maybe she could stake claim? Oh yes, she was on this! Rainbow Dash immediately began to make her way towards the hill, until reaching it's base. She set upon looking it over, for anything that stuck out, and she found it in the form of a bunch of rocks that stuck from the walls. "Jackpot" she said with a grin, and jumped onto the first rock.

She moved from stone to stone; at one point using a branch that inexplicably stuck from the stoney surface to ascend, and nearly falling a few times, until she reached a point that seemed to form an actual path. From here, she walked in an ascending spiral; a wide one. It took her more time than she'd really like to considered before she finally reached the top.

It was odd; in the center there was a massive, perfectly round metallic structure covered in vines and plantlife that had taken it in, with two giant eye-like holes, and a tree growing out of it's head. "Huh" she said with a smirk. "Twilight'd flip her lid if she saw this." Rainbow Dash was quick to call on assistance, and within seconds, a pod slammed into the dirt before her, and from it rose a satellite dish.

"This one is ours now!" She said with a grin and a flap of her wings, wincing as her injured wing reminded her she was not at 100%. She turned around and trotted towards the dome, placing a hoof on top of it and pulling herself up to the tree. Deciding she earned herself a nap, Rainbow Dash leaned against the tree and yawned, shutting her eyes.

And then a loud humming noise was heard, and the holes began to glow.

The ground exploded into a mass of dirt and grass, and a horde of mechanical spiders poured from the hole, spilling down the hillside and circling the dome. Some stopped and looked to Rainbow Dash, and soon they began to rush her.

"Oh shoot!"

The Pegasus jumped from her perch and held out her wings; careful not to strain them, she let herself glide down, getting a good distance from the hill, before gracefully slamming into the ground and tumbling a few feet. She lifted herself up and shook her head, trying to regain her senses, and turned to see several of the little mechanical monstrosities making their way towards her. Rainbow Dash then put one hoof before the other and ran as quick as she could.

"Rainbow! Twilight! Come in, we got some trouble!"

"I'll say!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "I'm being attacked by a hundred little robot things!"

"What!?" shouted Twilight on another line. "Uh... er... girls, I think... oh shoot! It's going to blow! If I don't make it out, tell my brother-" suddenly, her link cut. In the distance, Rainbow heard a loud explosion and saw a cloud of dust and smoke rise into the sky.

"Twilight!?" she shouted, but got no response.

"Twilight!?"

"Sorry!" There was static, but it was Twilight's voice. "I managed to avoid that one! Everypony, meet back at the camp!"