"What the-" Mr. Brown, also known as Colton, gasps as he eyes Rainbow in my arms. He snaps out of it long enough to look me in the eyes. "Wait... I remember you. Matthew was it? How are you boy?" He says with a friendly smile.

"I'm fine, been better. But its not me that I'm worried about." I say as I push Rainbow a little in his direction, indicating that I'm talking about her. He looks down at her, leaning down to get a better look at her.

"What is this creature? I've never seen anything like it!" He says as he readjusts his glasses. Figures he hasn't heard about Rainbow on the news, they don't even have a television, much less internet.

"Look, I'll explain more later, but she needs help. She's really sick Mr. Brown, can you look at her?"

"I could give it a shot. Shouldn't be too hard right?"

"I don't know, she's never been sick before, so I'm not really sure what to do."

Well, come on in then son, get comfortable." He says as he steps aside for us to enter. As I walk in, I can hear him gasp quietly from behind me. "Oh, I see you brought friends."

"Oh, yeah, almost forgot about them." I say with an embarrassed half smile. "That isn't a problem is it? Because they can just stay outside if it is."

"Hey!" Alex yells from outside.

"Its no problem, really! You're all welcome in my home."

I small at Mr. Brown, and head for the living room. I still remember the layout fairly well, so it doesn't take long to find it. Gees for a family of three, this cabin is pretty damn big.

I lay Rainbow down on the couch, covering her halfway with a blanket that was draped over the top. I get down on a knee and feel her forehead again, my finger burning at the touch. I can't tell if she's gotten worse or not, but she definitely needs medical attention, and quickly. I grab a hoof in both hands and touch it to my forehead. My eyes burn, but I'm able to hold in my tears. I need her now more than ever, and she isn't even able to stay awake long enough to talk to me, much less help me find Star and Emily.

"Matt!?" I shrill voice calls out from behind the couch. I look up and over the top of the sofa, and spot Alice, the daughter, looking at me with a surprised, yet excited expression. "Is that really you?"

"Nice to see I'm remembered." I say as I stand up, wiping the moisture off of my eyelashes. She runs over to me, and I catch her in an embrace. "Still as friendly and hyper as ever I see." I say as I pat her on the back.

"Well yeah, I haven't seen you in a year! So, what's up with you? Why are you here?" She asks as she brushes a strip of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Well, look for yourself." I say as I wave a hand towards the couch. She gives me a curious glance before walking around to the side of the couch. She lets out a gasp when she sees Rainbow laying there on the bed. I take a moment to look past her to see Alex and the others talking to Mr. Brown outside.

"It... what... what is it?" She stutters as she looks back up at me. "It looks like a blue horse."

"Well, kinda. I'd say you're half right. This is Rainbow Dash, and she is a pegasus." I explain to her, leaving out the part that she's my girlfriend. I have no idea how she'd react to that.

"She's... adorable!" She squeals out as she kneels down next to Rainbow. "Is she sleeping?"

"I guess. She's really sick, that's why I brought her here. Your dad said he'd take a look at her, but if he can't do anything... Well, I'm not sure what to do then."

"Don't worry, my dad knows a lot about animals, he'll fix her up real nice." She says with a confident smile.

"Good to kno-" I'm cut off by the sound of someone approaching from behind me.

"Well I don't believe my eyes. Matthew Green, is that you?" A familiar voice calls out from behind me. I turn around to see yet another familiar face.

"John! What's up man!" I say as I approach him. He shakes my hand rather firmly, actually causing a dull pain to shoot through it.

"Didn't reckon I'd ever see you again." He says as he tips his hat towards me. "What brings you out to these parts?"

"My friend, she's sick." I say as I lead him over to the couch where Alice is still kneeling next to Rainbow. John looks at her, then at me, then at Rainbow again.

"I... What am I looking at?"

"That's Rainbow Dash. my gir- I mean, best friend." I say as we both kneel down next to Alice. We all stare at the unconscious pegasus for a good five minutes before we hear another sound coming from the doorway. Mr. Brown and the others all walk in, causing Alice and John to gasp at the sight at five conscious ponies.

"So... cute." Alice mumbles quietly, her mouth hanging open. John just stares, probably in shock. Can't say I blame him, I did the same thing when I first saw Rainbow.

Half an hour later, and we were all acquainted, and spread around the house. Everyone was off doing their own thing, whether that was exploring or napping or eating. Me? I was still in the living room, alone with Mr. Brown, Twilight, and the unconscious Rainbow.

"Got anything yet?" I ask as I lean on the top of the couch from behind it. Twilight looks up at me with a worried and tired look.

"Well, I might not be right, but I think I know what's wrong with her." Twilight says with a sigh.

"And that is?"

"Pegasitis." She says with a serious tone. I can't help but laugh at the funny sounding name. Who comes up with shit like this?

"Pega-what-now?" I say, trying my best to hold in my inevitable laughter, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Pegasitis, a disease that only pegasi and catch. I know, I know, the name sounds really dumb, but that's what it has always been called."

"How did she get it though? She's been on here, on Earth, for months and she has been fine. Hell, the last time she was even in Equestria was when she gave birth!"

"She's a mother?" Mr. Brown asks. I just nod in response, still not wanting to blow my cover.

"The disease isn't contagious, it is something that just... develops from the inside." Twilight tries to explain.

"Like a cancer?" I say, worry in my voice. What if this is something terminal?

"I'm not sure what that is, but, I guess so." Alright, pony cancer is not a thing, good to know. "It is treatable, but the ingredients for the cure can't be found here, and if they can, most aren't readily available."

"And what will happen if we don't make this cure?" I ask, rubbing my hands together nervously. I didn't even notice that they were covered in sweat.

In response, Twilight doesn't even respond verbally, but I can understand what she is trying to say by her eyes.

"Oh..." I mumble as I stumble backwards. I lean against a wall with one hand, the other one on my forehead. Mr. Brown and Twilight walk over to me, and the former places his hand on my shoulder.

"You alright son?" He says sympathetically.

"Y-Yeah, I just... need some air." I say as I run outside. I almost truck Alex and Applejack as I run outside into the backyard. I run, and I run, vanishing into the thick forest. After ten minutes, I come to a stop, dropping to my knees. I'm about to scream when I hear a dull thud sound in the distance. The sound repeats several times.

I stand to my feat, wiping the tears and sweat from my face. I listen closely, following the sound. Thankfully, I was born with incredible hearing and sight. Of course, to compensate for that, my sense of smell was horrible. At least I wasn't smell right now.

I jog into a clearing, and the sound becomes much louder and clearer. I spot John, standing there with a rifle pointed at a fence with a bunch of cans lined up. Target shooting, just the thing for a guy like this to be doing.

"Howdy." I say as I approach. I guess he could hear the distress in my voice, because he takes out his ear plugs and places his rifle on the ground.

"Matt? Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I need to explain why I'm really out here." I say as I stop in front of him. He crosses his arms and looks at me, indicating that he's listening.

"Well yeah, I figured there must be some other reason for you coming all the way out here. Nobody sane would come all this way just for medical attention."

"You're right about that one. The real reason I came out here... I'm on a rescue mission John."

"Rescue? Rescue who?"

"My sister and... Rainbow's daughter. They were kidnapped a few days ago, and I have reason to believe they are being held in that same warehouse that I escaped from over a year ago."

"Kidnappers? Well ain't that somethin'. Why would someone do such a thing?"

"Revenge probably. I killed five men that day that I escaped. Little did I know that they were part of some gang that roamed the streets of Jacksonville. God knows how big their gang is, there could be hundreds for all I know. There's this guy, Jack. I went to highschool with him. Turns out he's a part of said gang, and I think he's the one responsible for the kidnappings."

John whistles and flick his hat up, allowing me to see his face a little better. He reaches down and picks up the rifle. After checking that the safety was on, he tosses it to me. Shocked, I fumble it around before gripping it firmly.

"Ever fired a rifle before?"

"No, just pistols." I respond, still wondering what he's getting at.

"Well you're gonna learn. A pistol ain't gonna do nuthin' for you at a distance. You gotta learn how to use this."

"Why?"

"Because, Matt, family is the most important thing in life. I don't know what I'd do if someone took Alice. You want your family back? Learn to shoot."

"Okay, what do you want me to use this for?" I have a good idea at this point what he wants me to do. A devious smirk spreads across his face, as well a mine.

"This here rifle? It'll be the thing that kills that sum a' bitch."