In the moments after the board struck Rainbow Dash, only two things registered in her mind: She was in serious pain, and she was bucked. She felt something snap in her right wing and she shrieked, tumbling through the air as Applejack screamed her name from below. Although gravity should have taken her down, the wind had other ideas, heaving her upwards into the air and keeping her sailing forward towards the Everfree. Adrenaline raced through her body as her mind started to go a mile a minute, panic setting in and her heartbeat escalating. She screamed as she fell across the sky, the ground approaching all too quickly. She was maybe a hundred feet above the trees when she suddenly heard a voice in her head...familiar...but still unknown to her

"When faced with a crash landing, REMAIN CALM! Angle your wings forward to catch the wind and compensate for the lift, sending you into a downward motion." Rainbow Dash blinked, automatically responding to the voice and angling her good wing downwards. However, with her right wing out of commission, this only succeeded in sending her down in a semi-violent spiral. She screamed as the voice spoke out again, an eerie calmness in its tone "In the event one or both of your wings are broken, damaged, burnt, or otherwise, use your hooves to manually adjust your wings to the appropriate angle, but BE CAREFUL not to further damage your wings, THEY WILL BE YOUR FINAL LIFELINE!" Rainbow Dash looked over to her right wing, gently placing a hoof on it and crying out as a white-hot pain coursed through her body. She angled her wing down regardless, tears of pain streaming down her face. As the wing moved into the same position as her left one, her descent had suddenly slowed, her body leveling out but still traveling downwards towards the trees.

"Remember, when Impact finally arrives, land with your shoulder and attempt to go into a slide on your side, DO NOT LAND HEADFIRST! Keep your weight evenly distributed to avoid going into a roll, and DO NOT MOVE until you are SURE that you have come to a full stop, and the surface you have landed on is stable." Rainbow Dash nodded to herself, picking out a clearing that had plenty of room and angling herself downwards, turning her head away as the ground rushed up to meet her. Her shoulder hit the ground and her body fell with a loud 'THUD', turning her body so that she landed on her side and slid forward for a good fifty feet. When she finally stopped the voice called out to her again "The first few moments of crash-landing are CRUCIAL! When you are sure that you have landed and are stable, LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY, but do not travel too far. Wild Animals may have seen your landing and may move to investigate, however this goes for Pony Spectators as well who may have seen your crash. Conceal yourself for at least two or three hours to avoid detection, but keep a good ear out for a Pony or Pony Search Party calling your name."

Rainbow Dash heaved for breath, the adrenaline from her dangerous flight and landing still powering her muscles. She felt cold but feverish at the same time, and she realized she may have nearly gone into shock. She lifted her head, looking around quickly for any sign of danger. Seeing nothing but the forest's edge, she dragged herself towards the nearest bushes that lined the edge of the clearing, pulling herself into them. She nestled down in the thick brush and waited, wondering if the voice would call out to her again. She was relieved when it did and carried the words "Now that you are hidden, be on the lookout for any animals or otherwise that have come to investigate. This will give you a better grasp on what steps you'll need to take to avoid detection. In the meantime, before an animal presents itself, give yourself a good look over and determine the extent of your injuries, moderate to severe."

Her eyes shifted over to the clearing. Nothing yet, as far as she could tell. She turned her head and looked down her own body, checking her hooves, her belly, her sides. Her right wing was the most severe, the appendage bent in an odd angle and most of the feathers were out of place. It was more then likely broken, which upset her but she'd get over it. A long, thin scratch traveled from her chest and down her left side, probably sustained from the impact. She reached a hoof to her forehead and felt something wet and sticky, bringing it down and grimacing at the blood. She probably had a gash on her forehead or something else of that nature. She looked up when she heard a sudden grunt and put her hooves up over her mouth to avoid gasping loudly. A pack of ten wolves had entered the clearing, all of them VERY large, with patches of fur missing and their yellow eyes gleaming with rage and hunger. They were sniffing all around the center of the clearing, trying to catch her scent. The voice called out to her again as she felt the wind blowing in her direction "The Wolf is a common predator that may investigate a crash, as they are scavenger animals. Be cautious, as one is often seldom found alone. Try your absolute best to stay downwind of the creatures, as they primarily work on scent and tracking. Hide all blood-trails, and do whatever you can to cover your own smell. Swimming in water and rolling in dirt right afterwards is one of the most effective scent-killing methods, as it replaces your unique smell with that of Earth."

The wolves padded about for a bit more before one of them barked loudly and bolted out of the clearing. The other's followed and Rainbow Dash let out a deep sigh and laid her head down onto the ground. The voice had told her two to three hours...so that's what she gave it. During this time, she let her mind and body recuperate and rest, thinking about a long list of things. She was a Crashed Pegasus, which was bad news for any of her particular pony species. Often times the survival rate was high, depending on where a Pegasus crashed. She was thankful that 'Forest' was on the 'Highest Survival Rate' list. She thought about the voice for a moment. Who WAS that? Was it a unicorn communicating with her? If that was the case, why wouldn't it tell her help was on the way, that somepony knew where she was? It seemed to know an awful lot about survival for a Pegasus, and she was certainly grateful that it did. She hoped that it'd stick around, at least until she was able to think for herself and find a way out of this mess.

After the third hour, Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and was greeted by the voice yet again "After you have waited for the three-hour-period, move around your initial crash-site in a circle, looking for any kind of water source which you can use to cover your scent or use to drink. In the event you CANNOT find water close by, be sure to mark a trail back to your crash-site. Once water has been obtained, you have to work FAST with what daylight you have left. Search Parties will be searching in the day time in preset patterns, so time is crucial! You will have to use whatever you have on hoof: Branches, rocks, logs, whatever you can find. Use these to spell the following letters and number: M, D, 2, P, D. This is the universal symbol for "MAY DAY, MAY DAY, PEGASUS DOWN!".

Rainbow Dash move carefully through the trees, being sure to stay within range of the clearing. The forest was still under the storm, making Rainbow jump a little in fright when the loud echoes of a thunderclap roared out from the black clouds. Rain continued to soak the area as she moved around the forest, being careful not to stray too far away. About half way around, she sighed with relief as she found a small lake, moving to get in and wash herself. She stopped suddenly as the voice cried out "BE CAUTIOUS when approaching any water source! Use a feather, still covered in your scent, as a tester. If your feather begins to smoke, the water is TOO hot to be safe. If the feather barely moves, it may be TOO cold. If the feather is pulled underwater suddenly, GET AWAY IMMEDIATELY! There are many predators that lurk in the water. As for drinking availability, wait in seclusion until you see another animal drink from the source, as many animals rely on lakes and streams to drink as well. Fellow drinkers equals safe waters for all!"

Rainbow Dash reached over with her mouth, wincing as she plucked a feather from her injured wing. She threw it out on the water and waited, watching it with great intensity. The feather floated quietly along, moving quickly across its surface. After about ten minutes, Rainbow decided that the water wasn't too cold or hot, and didn't have anything hungry waiting at the bottom. She was just about to approach when she stopped, becoming still as a statue. A deer had poked its head out from behind a tree, looking to the left and right cautiously, checking for movement. The only thing that moved however, was Rainbow Dash's eyes, the magenta orbs following the deer's movements. She felt relief wash over her as the deer finally approached the water, and took a few good laps of the surface. She waited for it to move away before she approached herself, sticking her front hoof in the water. It was perfect for her, the water warm and drinkable. She leaned her head down and took in a heavy gulp of water, sighing with great intensity as her dry throat was washed and her thirst quenched. She took several more mouthfuls before easing herself into the water, her injured wing floating limp besides her.

She closed her eyes, letting herself float along in the water. She wondered if anypony knew where she was, or if she had even crashed. Her eyes opened as she suddenly thought of the pony who did. Applejack! Applejack had seen her fall! She smiled, knowing that Applejack would go for help, that she'd be saved! She dunked her head in the water and pulled herself out, heading over towards a bare patch of dirt. Minding her right wing, she laid down and rolled around in the muck, getting herself covered and caked with dirt. After this she looked up into the sky, the black clouds still ominous above her. The one thing she did know was, that wherever storm clouds were the lightest out of a single mass, is where the sun would be. She frowned as she determined the sun's position to be that of evening, and moved back towards the clearing quickly.

She needed to get that sign up, pronto. She started to pull large, dead branches from the forest with her teeth, collecting them in a large pile in the middle. Once she was satisfied with the amount, she began arranging them into the appropriate letters and the number '2'. It took her about an hour, and when she was finished she stepped back to admire her hoof-work. She muttered to herself with a smile

"Mayday, Mayday...Pegasus Down..." The sign clearly visible from the sky. She was starting to lose daylight however, the area around her slowly starting to dim. She lifted her head as the voice spoke out

"Now that your sign is completed, your next task is to find shelter. For a forest, hopefully there is mountainous terrain, as it is easily defensible and more then likely to have caves. Be sure wherever your shelter is located, whether found or built by hoof, that it is within reasonable range of your drinking source and crash-site. Remember, search parties who find your sign will be looking NEARBY for you, not far away!"

She nodded and went back to her lake, picking up a rock near the edge of the water and scratching trees that led to the clearing. She stood in the middle of her sign, looking about and trying to see through the rain. An outline of something in the distance caught her eye and she squinted both of them, trying to discern what it could be. A smile crept over her lips as she realized it was a medium sized mountain, within relative walking distance. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed it before, fate thankfully working in her favor today. It was like this place was perfect for her, suiting all her needs. She didn't get her hopes too high however...remembering something her boss had told her once.

"Sometimes Rainbow," her boss had said "Good things don't last forever, NEVER take anything for granted."