Rainbow Dash returned to consciousness. At first she tried to open her eyes, but that only made them burn. She attempted to breathe but she couldn’t, and began choking. After a few more seconds, as she regained her senses, she realized she was underwater. She forced her eyes open, looking for a light. When she saw it she kicked her hooves off, swimming towards the surface. She gasped in oxygen, coughing out the water she had inhaled.

She tried to walk out of the lake but fell on her face as she put weight on her injured leg. With some careful effort she did manage to get back onto dry ground. She tried to shake the water out of her coat but it only made her injuries burn.

She began walking, a dead expression on her face. Every time she put even gentle weight on her front leg she felt like it was being ripped apart again. She did her best to keep her body weight onto her other legs but it didn’t help much.

Where exactly she was walking TO… she had no idea. She just knew that she had to keep walking. There had been nothing good about this adventure from the get-go. Barely able to move, her wings and one leg useless, someone doing their best to kill her, being transported to a strange world without any of her friends with possibly no way to return, certain that she had by now gone way off course to the direction she had left to her friends should they manage to arrive…

So she walked. She was a pony of action, always moving forward. Every thirty seconds or so she tripped when she stepped on her bad leg the wrong way, but each time she forced herself up and kept going because she felt if she stopped her spirit would break. If she stopped and just lay down to rest and recover then she might start dwelling on the reality of the situation; the reality that there was a strong possibility that she was never going to be able to go home; that she might die here, alone, never having achieved her lifelong dream of being a Wonderbolt.

However, even her physical activity didn’t completely stop thoughts and emotions from churning up within her. “Twilight,” she said quietly, imagining her alicorn friend. “It wasn’t your fault, Twilight.” A few tears began running down her eyes. Rainbow knew that Twilight was going to blame herself forever if she couldn’t find a way to return her back home. “It was just an accident. You never meant for this to happen, so…” She closed her eyes as a few more tears came down. She fell down again, her tears now running down freely. She struggled to get back to her hooves again, her body protesting all the way. Her pace was a lot slower as she finished, “So… please… don’t blame yourself.”

A feeling of overwhelming despair threatened to envelop her, and she didn’t know how long she could fight it. Right now it felt like the only thing keeping her going was her prideful image of herself that pushed her through every step. If she was going to die here, then she was going to die holding true to herself. She was going to fight to the end and not give up.

She heard something up ahead, and her heart began racing as she saw another human up ahead, walking toward her. It was all over. She didn’t have the strength to run anymore.

From the remains of the sun’s rays she could see this one looked a lot younger than the other one. Unsure of what to do she stayed still, lifting her injured leg up to keep pressure off of it, but the result was that she simply fell again.

“Poor thing!” cried out the young man in concern. “You’re hurt!”

As he moved toward her she started to yell at him to stay away from her, but then she remembered that other human saying that ponies couldn’t talk in this world. So she made all the angry sounding noises she could think of in an attempt to make him leave.

The young man did stop his approach. Talking in a very gently tone he said, “It’ll be okay. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to help you. I know you can’t really understand me but that leg looks hurt bad.” He stopped talking and gave her a perplexed look at the way she was glaring at him. He had cared for animals and knew of ones that had a distrust of humans, but this was much deeper than that. Her gaze just felt so… human, like she was trying to stare him down.

“Can you… understand me?”

Rainbow’s heart started racing again. Was even THAT too much? Were horses just stupid pets in this world? Couldn’t they do ANYTHING?

The young man looked with interest at the panic on the pony’s face. Once more it just looked so human-like. “Man, I guess I should get out and explore more of the world. The horses I look after are dull compared to you. I wonder who raised you. Probably one of those rich guys who has nothing better to do with his money.

“So, little horse, I know you can understand me. I see your leg is torn open.” He sat on the ground. “My name is Henry. Something or someone hurt you, and you’re scared. I can tell that. I work on a farm where I care for animals all the time.” He put up one hand, like he was waiting for a high-five. “I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t let me. So I’m going to respect your boundaries. I’m going to sit right here and wait for you to come to me.”

Rainbow looked at Henry with uncertain suspicion. He was certainly nicer than the other guy, but after her first experience with humans she didn’t know if she could trust him.

The two of them sat in their respective positions, unmoving, looking at each other, for over five minutes. Finally, slowly, Rainbow Dash limped over to him. She didn’t know if he really wanted to help her or not, but she was out of options at this point. She HAD to put her faith in him, or try to continue mindlessly wandering around.

As soon as she got within range she collapsed halfway onto his lap. After a few seconds Henry began petting her, running his hands through her mane, then down the middle of her neck. At first she tensed up at his touch, but she loosened up a bit when he didn’t do anything else to her.

“There. See?” he said in a comforting tone. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you.” He worked himself out from under her. “I’m going to go get some supplies to patch you up. I’ll be right back. Please stay here until I return.”

As he ran away towards his house in the distance Rainbow had to stop herself from telling him not to leave her. He had been the first positive thing that she had seen in this world. She did still have some reservations about him, but she only briefly considered leaving. She NEEDED help, and she wasn’t going anywhere with her injuries.

Off in the distance she saw the beam of a flashlight approaching. Henry returned, carrying a bucket. He set it down, and at first went to look at her leg, but then was struck with curiosity. He directed his flashlight beam towards her flank, seeing the strange branding mark. He didn’t recognize it as belonging to anyone he had heard of. As his flashlight passed over her wing he didn’t think much of it. He thought it was just part of a fancy saddle.

He got a better look at her head with the aid of the flashlight, and remarked, “Well, someone had fun with you, didn’t they?” He chortled with some amusement at her multi-colored mane. Thinking back to her branding mark he said, “So what’s your name, little horse? Rainbow Lightning?”

“Dash!” she corrected automatically. “Rainbow DASH!” Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. ‘Ponyfeathers!’ She thought with a groan.

“You’re a really fascinating creature, aren’t you?” said Henry with a smile. “My sister would have loved to have met you.”

“You…” She paused, looking up at him. “You don’t think it’s weird I can talk?”

“Well, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a talking horse before, but then again I am just a simple country boy and have pretty much lived here my whole life. I hear of a lot of crazy things people in the city have and can do. I’m sure a talking horse is one of the least odd things that exist in this world.

“Now, what do you say we take care of that leg?”

Hesitantly Rainbow pushed her leg out towards him. Going into the bucket Henry pulled out a bottle. Opening it he said, “This is a disinfectant. It’s going to sting a bit.” With that warning he poured a clear liquid over her wound.

As soon as it touched her skin Rainbow Dash let out a howl of pain, getting to her hooves and hopping away from him, her wings unfurling automatically. She fell back down again after a second. The look of wide eyed astonishment on Henry’s face made her curse herself again.

“That wasn’t… a saddle. You… have wings!” He said it with reverence, looking totally in awe of her. “Absolutely… incredible. You are a truly beautiful creature.”

She had to run. She had to get away. He knew everything, and now he would probably be struck by the same greed the other human had.

Henry could see the fear had returned to her, so he sat down again and put his hand out just like before.

She looked to Henry, seeing him waiting patiently. She then looked around her. There were some very faint sun rays, just barely enough to make out the general outline of the landscape. She knew she should run away. However, no matter how much she wanted to, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to outrun him in her condition. Once more she felt a sense of hopelessness starting to creep in. She hated feeling defenseless and needing to be reliant on someone else. With great reluctance she forced herself over to him again. “Let’s get this over with,” she said in a resigned voice.

“Well, I haven’t had anyone to talk to recently, so I was hoping we could talk a bit. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

“What’s the point?” she said apathetically.

“Oh, come now. Don’t give up hope, little one.” She didn’t respond. She looked like she had shut herself down for now. “Well, maybe I should start. You asked me why, and my answer is that if we’re talking it will distract you from the pain.” Still no response. Her head lay on his leg, a blank expression on her face.

“Hmmm. Well, I’ll try anyway. You don’t have to say anything. You can just listen.

“Like I said earlier my name is Henry. I live in that two floor house over there. During the day I work on my friend’s farm. She has a lot of animals, like horses, pigs, cows, and chickens. She’s a sweet lady with two beautiful daughters named Gina and Tammy, who are seven year old twins. Linda, my friend, took the two of them on a small vacation for their birthday. Since they’ve been away I’ve had to care for and feed all of the animals myself. It’s a lot of work.

“So how about you? Do you have a special friend in your life?” He waited to see if she would answer. When she didn’t he went to keep talking.

“Fluttershy,” came her quiet voice.

“Excuse me?”

“Fluttershy,” she repeated, turning to look up at him. “She’s a yellow coated pony with a pink mane. She’s a pegasus like me, but she doesn’t like to fly because she’s afraid of heights, so she mostly stays on the ground. She’s a bit like you. She takes in woodland creatures and feeds them, giving them a home to live in.

“You’re also a bit like Applejack. She’s an orange coated pony with a yellow mane. She works on a farm too, but for apples, growing them and selling them.”

“Are… are all your friends smart like you?”

“What are horses like here?” Rainbow asked, wanting to know how different they were in this world.

“Well, they’re considered pets, mostly. Humans own them and take care of them. They don’t talk, none of them have wings that I know of, and aren’t really that smart. Children and adults alike come to ride them, and the best ones are bred specifically for racing, which is a popular sport.”

“I would be one of those here,” she said wistfully. “I may not look like much now, but I’m one of the fastest and most talented racers in my world.”

“In your… world?” His eyebrow went up.

“I don’t belong here. I belong back with my friends. I somehow wound up here by accident.”

“You’re looking a little calmer now, so what do you say we fix up that leg at last?” What she said was odd, to say the least. However, whether she came from some other place or not she was still an injured animal, and needed tending to. His questions could wait until he fixed her up.

“Okay,” she replied with a small sigh. He had been right. Talking had relaxed her a bit. She stuck out her front leg.

“Since you’re considered so tough and talented where you come from, I’m sure you can take a little pain, can’t you?”

“Of course!” she replied strongly. She had a better idea of the pain now, so while she writhed a bit as the liquid burned her wound clean she forced herself to keep still.

He waited a short while, then pulled a towel out of the bucket and began gently patting her wound clean. Putting a soothing balm on her wound he then began wrapping up her leg. When he finished he took out a small piece of rectangular wood.

“What’s that for?” she asked.

“It’s a splint. It looks like you got a bad sprain there. This will help you walk a little better, but it would still be in your best interest to avoid walking too much in the near future.”

When he finished applying the splint she gingerly got to her hooves. She took a few steps, and she had to admit he was right on both counts. She could walk a little better, but it was still very tender. She sank back down to the ground.

"My wings are injured too. Could you take a look at them?”

“Of course!”

As he began to clean and wrap her wing she asked seriously, “Why are you helping me?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s in it for you? What do you WANT from me? I got these injuries from another human who had a 'gun.' He shot me to try to stop me from escaping, telling me he was planning to sell me to get a bunch of money, since I don’t really exist in this world. I barely managed to get away with my life. So, again, what is it you want?” She glared up at him.

A profoundly sad look came to his eyes. “I’m sorry that this happened to you, Rainbow Dash. I don’t 'want' anything from you. You’re an injured animal, no matter where you came from, so I want to take care of you just like my sister Tracy would have.”

“So where IS this sister of yours?” Rainbow asked in a bored voice. She noticed he had stopped wrapping her wing. His face had grown pained.

“She… she’s…” He stopped, taking a deep breath. “Well, why beat around the bush? She’s dead.”

Rainbow’s stony expression cracked as she put her head back on his lap. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

With a sigh he continued, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t like to talk about her much. She was also a great lover of animals, maybe even more so than your friend Fluttershy. She was five years younger than me and worked on Linda’s farm before I did. After she passed I decided to continue on where she left off, the only way I could think of to honor her memory properly.”

“I… I just don’t know if I can trust you,” Rainbow admitted. “That human shot me and sent his dog after me. That’s why my leg was torn open. How do I know what your intentions are?”

Henry paused again for a few moments. “I’m not like that. But… I also know I have no way to prove that to you.”

“How can I know you’re not just patching me up so I’ll be in good shape when YOU decide to sell me?”

“Well… whether my intentions are noble or malevolent, I’m sure you can at least agree that you’d be in a better position by letting me help you heal."

With a huff, hating to admit it, she said, “Guess I can’t argue with that. I’m certainly not going far like this.”

As he continued to patch her up he said, “So you’re from another world, huh? Sounds fascinating. From the little you’ve said it sounds like where you’re from you’re exactly like humans from our world. Here we’re considered the most powerful and intelligent of the creatures on our planet. Though some, like the one who shot you, take that to mean that they can treat others any way they want. They think it means they can do anything!”

Rainbow glanced up towards Henry, hearing the bitterness in his voice. His eyes weren’t looking at her, even though his face was still on her. She assumed that there was a correlation between his words and his dead sister, but he had already said he didn’t like to talk about her so she didn’t pry.

Henry let out a mournful sigh, then his face brightened a little. “Well, let’s not dwell on misery. Why don’t you tell me some more about where you come from? It’s a little hard to believe that there are other worlds besides this one, especially ones where talking, flying horses rule it. But I barely see enough of my own world, so I guess it shouldn’t come too much as a surprise that there are many things I just don’t know about.”

Rainbow’s body went rigid as he poured some disinfectant on her other wing. “Suuuuure,” she replied in a groan through clenched teeth. She let out little huffs of breath as the pain began to recede. She told him about her other three friends, about Cloudsdale and Ponyville, and finally about their Alicorn rulers.

By the time she was done he had finished wrapping her other wing, before he completely bound her wings to her body to be sure she didn’t try to fly with her injuries. It reminded her of what Applejack had done to her before the Running of the Leaves, to be sure she wouldn’t cheat by flying.

“Okay,” said Henry, a happy look on his face. “Anywhere else?”

“No. That’s it.” She looked up at him awkwardly, the words hovering on her tongue. At first she averted her eyes, ready to say it, but then she met his eyes again and said, “I, um… thanks.”

“No problem.”

She laid her head on his leg again, still for the moment as she basked in the blessed reduction of pain. She felt him begin petting and rubbing her again, his other hand scratching her ears. She had to admit that she didn’t really mind his touches. Back in Ponyville she had balked at the thought of getting a hooficure at the spa, but the relaxing feelings she experienced made her think that maybe she should let herself get pampered every once in a while.

After a while Henry said, “So, thank you for telling me about your world. It sounds like a place I’d really enjoy. You think I could come visit sometime?” He asked it with a laugh.

“Sure,” Rainbow responded, laughing too. “As soon as I figure out a way home, you’re welcome to visit too.”

She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts wander, but his question made her think once more about the possibility that her friends wouldn’t be able to find her. As she thought of her friends and all the great memories they had shared, and thought of never getting to make new memories with them, something rose up within her.

She wanted to go home! She wanted to know she wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life in this human world. Before she could think to stop it her emotions overflowed and she began crying. It wasn’t full-on sobbing, but even so she couldn’t believe she was crying in front of someone else.

On the rare occasions she did cry she always did so alone because she favored her tough girl image too highly. Now here she was crying in front of a complete stranger, simply because he was the first person to show her a little kindness since she had arrived.

Henry looked at Rainbow Dash with a sad smile. “Come on, you,” he said gently, standing up. He carefully reached under and picked her up, surprised at the lack of strain. She felt feather light, like she was made of air. She had told him that pegasi were naturally light to enable them to walk on clouds and manipulate weather, but even still it felt like a tiny breeze should be enough to send her flying all over the place.

Putting it out of his mind he turned around and started walking towards his house.

“W-where are you taking me?” she asked with a sniffle.

“To my home. You need a clean, warm place to rest for the night. In the morning we’ll see about finding the spot where you arrived here and find a way to direct your friends my way if they show up. I’m sure they will do it. If there was a way to send you here, then there has to be a way to send you home.”

“I hope so,” Rainbow replied, not having the energy to argue her independence and insist she walk.

“Don’t give up hope. Is THAT the attitude of a future Wonderbolt?” He smiled down at her.

“No,” she said with a sigh, a little amazed at how quickly he spoke of things from her world so easily. “But how are they even supposed to find me if they no idea where I am?”

Henry shifted her to free a hand so he could open his front door. Closing it behind him he went to the second floor, opening another door and setting her down on a bed.

Sitting down next to her he said, “Friendship will always find a way. That’s what someone told me once. If your friends love you as much as you say, then they won’t rest until they’ve located you and brought you home. Don’t you think it sounds like them?”

A memory came to Rainbow Dash then, of the time Applejack refused to return home because she felt ashamed she hadn’t won the prize money to fix town hall. All five of them had traveled across all of Equestria, looking for anyone who might have seen her; for the slightest clue to her whereabouts.

“Yeah,” she responded, her lips pulling up at last. “That sounds JUST like them.”

Henry grinned down at her, seeing her genuine smile. “I’m glad. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but you’re welcome to stay here until you heal, or until you just don’t want to be here anymore.” With a small sigh he continued on in a somber voice, “This was Tracy’s room. I’m sure she would have wanted you to use it.

“This house used to be so full of life. At one time this house used to be filled to the brim with family. Parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. Someone was always visiting. But as the years went on, people have passed. Responsibilities have taken precedence, and relatives now have their own families to care for. And, now, I’m the only one left here. Taking care of my sister after my parents died in an accident was the only thing that mattered to me. But… then…”

He stopped, a few tears coming down his eyes. “Well… she went too, the last thing I had to care for. So now this house is mine and mine alone. I’ve gone visiting my relatives now and again, but I just don’t feel like I fit in anymore. If it wasn’t for Linda and her daughters and the farm, then I would feel like I had no purpose at all.”

Henry let out a heavy sigh. “Well, it’s not your concern. I shouldn’t be forcing so much of my problems on you. I know you have enough to think about with your own situation.”

Rainbow let out a little sad groan, seeing the despair etched on his face. “It’s okay,” she told him. “You took care of me and patched me up. It’s the least I could do.”

Henry gently rubbed her head. “Well, we’ll probably have a long day tomorrow, so I’ll let you get some sleep. If there’s anything you need just give me a holler. I’m a light sleeper.” He walked towards the door, leaving it open a crack as he departed.

Rainbow Dash didn’t feel tired in the least. Her mind was whirling with too many thoughts. She was still a little uncertain about Henry. He seemed to be a good guy, but that wasn’t always good enough. Queen Chrysalis had been masquerading as one of the good guys until she was exposed. Henry was friendly and kind, but the contrast between the two humans she had met is what made her keep her guard up, and wouldn’t let her trust him completely.

That guy with the gun and the dog had been amazed at her existence, saying that nothing like her was present in this world. That was why he was so intent on capturing her. Henry had been a little too accepting of what she had told him, and didn’t seem all that phased by it.

He did seem, behavior-wise, like he’d fit in well in her world, but the way he kept talking about his dead sister made her wonder about him. What if he had become unhinged by her death and intended to keep her here forever in his sister’s old room as a tribute to her?

She let out a sigh, feeling like she was being paranoid. She knew all these thoughts and fears were simply as a result of her condition. If she was in peak condition she wouldn’t fear him at all. She felt she could easily handle him if she wasn’t injured.

No matter how she went back and forth in her mind she couldn’t decide what she could do about him if he did reveal some ulterior motives for helping her. She felt guilty for doubting him after he had gone through the trouble of helping her, but she was still uncertain about the creatures of this world.

The fact of the matter was that she simply didn’t know enough. Twilight had told her about humans when she had returned from the portal. They had sounded similar to ponies in their world, but there was no guarantee that this was the same human world Twilight had been sent to. After all, when Twilight had been sent over there she had transformed to look like other humans. She had even lost her horn and the ability to do magic. She, Rainbow Dash, had been sent here with her own body and wings intact.

The other thing that was troubling her was, of course, her friends back home. As Henry had reminded her, they would keep looking for her until they tracked her down. The only question was… how long would it take? It wasn’t just about her wanting to go back home as soon as possible. It was also about her caring for the well-being of all her friends. They had their own lives to lead, jobs they had to do, and family and friends to care for.

If it came down to a month or even a year of searching then it wouldn’t be that bad. However, she didn’t want her friends to spend the rest of their lives futilely searching for her and worrying about her.

All these heavy thoughts were starting to wear on her. There was ample illumination from the light of the moon. Getting up, she limped over to a desk by the window, hopping up on her good legs. She lay down in front of the windowsill, gazing up at the full moon above. It made her think of Princess Luna. “Luna had to wait one thousand years to come home. When she did she bonded with her sister and now lives a good life again as she rules with her sister.”

Images of her friends and the good memories they had shared together passed through her mind. “I can wait too. I know somehow, someway, my friends will find a way to get to me. Then… then we can all go home again and make new memories.” Peace entered her heart, and her gloomy thoughts began to quiet.

Being careful of her leg she headed back to the bed and made herself comfortable. She closed her eyes, hoping that when they opened again she’d see her friends waiting for her, all wearing smiles and ready with hugs in tow.

Henry was sitting in his room, feeling troubled. “Oh, Tracy. Would you be proud of me now if you could talk to me?” He had preserved his sisters room as much as possible, the only thing he had left to remember her by besides photographs of their younger days. He certainly never imagined he’d be letting anyone sleep in her bed, but… it just felt right.

Living out in the country was enjoyable. He’d never really wanted much. As he had told Rainbow Dash times had changed, and now he was only one who stayed in his house nowadays. Linda had asked him countless times to just sell the house and move in with her family so he wouldn’t feel so lonely. He knew she meant well and only asked because she cared for him, but he had grown up in this house.

He had considered it a few times, but in the end he never could go through with it. He did spend most of his time with her and her daughters anyway, but he hadn’t recovered yet from losing his last close family member, and he wasn’t ready to try for any more relationships. He couldn’t take the heartache anymore.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, lost in thought, when he heard a knock on the door. He sighed heavily, getting up. “Who in the world is here at this hour?” It wasn’t really that late. He just wasn’t used to having visitors. He guessed that maybe Linda had come back early.

When he opened the door his eyes went wide and he had to suppress a gasp as he backed up a step. It was him! He just knew it. On his doorstop were John and his brother. Since they lived pretty close to him he had met them a few times before, and he had never liked them. He spent his time caring for animals, and they spent their time killing them for sport. He was absolutely certain that one of them was the one who had hurt Rainbow Dash.

“No need to bristle like that,” said John. “We’re not here to kill you or anything. We just had a question for you. Have you seen a horse puttering around near here?”

That settled it. There was no more doubt in his mind. Getting control over his emotions he put his elbow on the door frame, rested his head on his fist and said in a bored voice, “Sorry. Unless they escaped from Linda’s farm, and I can assure you I make sure they don’t, then I haven’t seen one near here.”

“Oh. We’re looking for a special horse. It’s blue, and someone attached some phony wings to it.”

“Sorry,” he responded firmly. “Doesn’t sound familiar.

“Well, listen,” Henry stretched and yawned. "I’m trying to sleep so if you want you can check the property for your mystery horse. Just try to keep it down, will you?”

“Sure,” said John with a smirk as Henry shut the door and locked it.

“She’s here!” he exclaimed happily.

“What makes you say that?” asked Peter.

“Isn’t it obvious? You saw his reaction to us."

“Oh yeah, opening your door at twilight to see two men with guns on your door stop. SO strange of a reaction. Oh, and once he recognized us he talked to us in a calm voice. SOOOOO unusual. I’m starting to think you made this whole thing up as an excuse for why you don’t have dinner.”

“Didn’t stop you from coming along, did it?”

“I just came because you said you wouldn’t give me a cent of the payoff if I didn’t. On the off chance this thing really does exist then why exclude myself from it?”

“He’s a good actor, I’ll give him that much. But I could hear the slight shake in his voice, and see the anger and fear in his eyes. Mr. Goody-Goody must have given her some medical care, and she must have told him about me and Scruffy. But he’s not getting MY reward. I’ll take her back, no matter what it takes.” With a sadistic grin he said happily, “Then I’m going to kill her!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” cried out Peter. “She’s worth much more alive. Who’s going to pay full price for a creature full of bullets?”

“I know that, but she made a fool out of me, and she’s going to pay.

“Don’t worry so much. We’re still going to become rich beyond our wildest dreams for sure. Her death is the first step. After that everything will fall into our hands.” A cool smirk came to his lips as he explained his plan to his brother.