My Little Dashie: The Cruelty of Man

Chapters

Chapter 1: The heartless man
Chapter 2: Sometimes we just need to be shown a little kindness.
Chapter 3: Because I promised.
Chapter 4: Just in time.
Chapter 5: Don't give up, Rainbow Dash
Final chapter: Lesson learned/Returning home.

Chapter 1: The heartless man

Rainbow Dash flew around impatiently, barking orders to the pegasi under her command. It was almost time for the last biggest storm of spring, and they weren’t anywhere close to being ready. A few sick pegasi had thrown them off.

Twilight, seeing her friend struggling, offered to help. “I could use my magic to increase the size of the clouds. That will save you a lot of time in creating them.”

Rainbow looked down at her alicorn friend, getting quiet as she gazed at her workers flying around, clearly tiring. She would have preferred to keep weather creation among pegasi as a matter of pride, but even at the speed they were going it was obvious it was going to be late and put them even further behind. So, reluctantly, she agreed to her friend’s request.

Twilight’s horn glowed as her magic shot out to the numerous storm clouds the weather pegasi had gathered. Slowly, they began to grow in size. Rainbow Dash watched the progress as her workers took a much needed break.

“Hmm?” Rainbow looked with some concern at the expanding clouds. They had become big enough to start touching each other, and soon enough they began to all merge together into one gigantic thundercloud. “Twilight! That’s enough!”

The now lone cloud was getting out of control, beginning to pour down rain and shoot out lightning bolts in several directions, nearly hitting several pegasi who rushed to get out of the way.

“Oops! Too big. I can fix it.” Her horn began glowing again. This time she was aiming to shrink the cloud. As her magic shot towards it a lightning bolt collided with her spell.

There was quiet for a moment in time, and then the space where the two met began to warp, rapidly expanding. Too fast to react to, the warped space engulfed Rainbow Dash in the bubble of energy.

Twilight screamed out her friends name. Rainbow Dash looked stretched out and distorted. She had to get Rainbow out of there. She didn’t know exactly what it was doing to her, but Twilight knew it couldn’t be anything good.

However, before she could do anything else, the expanding sphere stopped, then contracted into nothingness, taking Rainbow Dash with it.

Her legs losing the strength to carry her, Twilight fell to the ground, a horrified look on her face. She might have just killed one of her best friends.

***

Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself tumbling to the ground before her instincts kicked in and she righted herself, landing on a nearby tree branch. As she glanced around she quickly felt confusion. There were no clouds in the sky, and it was approaching dark. She was also all alone, with not a single other pegasus around. On top of that she had absolutely no idea where she was. She didn’t recognize the landscape at all.

A touch of nervousness entered her consciousness. That strange force that had occurred when the two powers met… she had been in the blast radius. She didn’t feel hurt in any way, but it seemed she had been transported somewhere far off from Ponyville.

To what degree, though? Had it taken her to another town? To the past or future? Or… to another world entirely?

Rainbow Dash knew that other worlds existed from the Sunset Shimmer incident, when Twilight and Spike had traveled to one from the portal in Celestia’s mirror. And from what she could see she assumed the two powers combined had opened a portal just like that one. Her world was bright and full of so much color. Here… colors seemed muted. Dull. It was still beautiful in its own way, but it just didn’t compare to her home.

Anxiously, she began flying around in small circles. Needing to do something, anything, to keep herself steady. If she had only been transported to someplace else in Equestria it wouldn’t be too hard to get home. All she needed was a map telling her where she was and what direction to head.

From what Twilight had told her about time spells, Twilight had only been able to transport herself for a very limited time, so she didn’t think she was in the past or future of her world.

However, if it was the last possibility, then she was utterly stuck. She would have to simply wait to be rescued, a prospect she didn’t care for. She didn’t even know if they’d be able to find her. How would they even go about it?

Wondering and panicking wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She had to scope out her surroundings. If she could just locate another pony she could ask them where she was. As she began to fly away she couldn’t deny that she felt some misgivings about leaving the area she had been sent to. What if her friends somehow did manage to find where she had been sent, and, upon seeing no one there, believed they had been mistaken and went back home, truly stranding her? On the other hoof, waiting patiently and relying on others never was one of her strong suits. She had to do what she could on her end, and hope her friends were doing all they could for her back in Ponyville.

Coming to a stop as an idea came to her, she turned around and went back. With a grimace and a few seconds of pain she ripped out one of her feathers, setting it down on the ground and holding it in place with a rock. Then, locating some sticks, she placed them in an arrow formation. At least if they showed up they would have the general direction.

As she began flying again she noticed something that made her feel a little more relaxed. It was a dog. It was much bigger than Applejack’s tiny dog Winona, but it gave her more hope that she was still in her own world.

The dog barked at her, running under her. That made her laugh. “Oh, you want to try me? Bring it on!” As she put on a burst of speed the dog began running harder. “That all you got?” she cried out, speeding up some more and leaving the dog in the dust. Letting out a triumphant laugh she said, “Sorry, but you’ll have to do better than that if you want to catch up to Rainbow Dash!” She indulged herself in a few victory laps.

The large dog ran up to a human, barking away. “What is it, Scrappy?” he asked. The dog ran ahead a little, barking up towards the sky. The human looked up towards the strange looking bird a few hundred feet away. He patted the dog’s head, saying, “Good boy, Scrappy. You’ve found our dinner for tonight.”

Lifting his shotgun he aimed it up at the blue bird making circles in the air. With a steadying breath he pulled the trigger.

Rainbow had just finished her victory laps and started to continue on her way when she heard it: a deafening bang, followed immediately after by an intense burning sensation in her left wing. She quickly lost air, bouncing painfully off of tree branches all the way down until she hit the ground.

She let out a moan of pain, panting for breath and seeing stars. At first she couldn’t move for the pain. Just when she was about to make an attempt she heard something approaching. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Into the clearing came the dog from before, as well as a strange creature that she had never seen before, though it did seem vaguely familiar somehow.

The dog growled, starting to approach her, but the creature sternly ordered it to sit, and the dog obeyed, becoming quiet.

As the man took a close look his gaze of confusion mirrored her own. Before him was, not a bird as he originally thought, but… a horse? A blue horse… with a rainbow colored mane. But on top of all of the other strange things, it definitely had a pair of wings. A horse… with wings. He knew that it was called a pegasus, but they only existed in tales and legends of fictional stories. They didn’t REALLY exist, but… here was one right in front of his eyes. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that information.

In a bit of a desperate situation now with her injured wing, Rainbow knew she needed some help. Mustering her willpower, she forced herself into a sitting position. “Please, um,” she started, then realized she didn’t know what to call the creature. She felt nonplussed at the look of amazement on his features. What was with that? She guessed from the voice that it was a male. “Excuse me… sir. I... I need some help. My wing was injured from some strange magic.”

“It talks!” he said to himself, his eyes going wide.

“Of course I can talk! What’s so surprising about that?”

The man began shivering in excitement. This thing was far too valuable to simply end up as a meal on his table. A real life mythological creature! It would surely be worth millions. Maybe even billions! He could sell it to a zoo. He knew she’d be a big hit there. Kids would line up for that. Or maybe he could sell her to a lab. Scientists would kill for a chance to study such a rare specimen. If they could figure out how it was made, then maybe they could be mass-produced, and he could get a huge commission.

He was going to live in mansions and get everything he had ever dreamed of. His heart was racing in delight.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?” Rainbow asked, feeling uncomfortable at the look of utter glee on his face.

“Well, little horse, you’re going to make me a bundle. I’m going to become rich when I sell you off to the highest bidder.”

“What?” Rainbow said flatly.

“In our world you shouldn’t exist. Horses don’t talk, have wings, blue fur, and rainbow colored hair. You are a truly unique little beast. That means people will shell out a ton of money to possess you.” The man smirked, his mind already on the luxuries he’d be able to buy for himself.

Rainbow recognized his expression as pure and simple greed. She narrowed her eyes, adrenaline beginning to flow through her, wiping out her feeling of pain. “You’re not taking Rainbow Dash without a fight!” she cried out angrily, unfurling her wings.

The man sneered. “Cute. You even have a name. That will be good for when you’re mine.

“Scruffy, sic her!” He snapped his fingers, pointing towards Rainbow Dash.

At the man’s order, the dog rushed at her. It was faster than she expected. It bit down hard on her front leg, then began rapidly shaking her around. She attempted to get away several times, banging on the dog’s head, but she was unable to free herself.

After about a minute of this treatment the man told the dog to stop. Rainbow was now lying limp in the animal’s teeth, a small puddle of blood on the ground. “Good boy, Scruffy. That took the fight out of her. Come on, boy.”

The dog let out a muffled bark, following behind the man.

Rainbow’s head was spinning, her head pounding. She felt about to pass out from the abuse she had just suffered. She probably would have if it wasn’t for the tendrils of pain and her feeling of indignation at being dragged along on the ground like a sack.

She pictured Twilight… Fluttershy… Rarity. All of them. She felt such a feeling of sorrow. She wished she had her friends with her right now. Then she could have handled this.

“Y-you,” she sputtered out weakly.

“Hmm?” said the man. “Oh, are you back with us?”

“What are you? There are no beings like you where I live.”

“I’m a human. You never heard of them?”

A human! It connected a piece of the puzzle in her mind. She definitely wasn’t in her own world anymore. The reason the man had seemed familiar was because Twilight had described humans to her.

“W-what’s your name?”

With a raised eyebrow he responded genially, “John. What’s it to you?”

“John… were you the one who hurt my wing?”

“Yes, that was also me. At first I was just looking for a meal. I never expected to find something like you.”

“How?” She grimaced as she was dragged across some rocks in the path. “Twilight told me that humans can’t do magic.”

“Twilight?” he asked with great interest. “There are more of you freaks?”

“My friends aren’t freaks!” she cried out, her anger aroused again. She tried to get back to her hooves but Scruffy only bit down harder and began to shake her again. After just a few seconds John snapped his fingers twice, the dog stopping instantly.

“Scruffy is very well trained. I wouldn’t suggest making him angry by attacking me.”

The man lifted up his shotgun to the stunned pony. “This is called a gun. It’s not magic. It’s just a weapon. Through a combination of materials it shoots out an object with great force, doing a nice bit of damage to whatever it hits. You were lucky you moved out of the way when you did. Of course that also works out better in my favor. People will find you much more impressive alive.

“Now, I answered your question. What was that about others?"

In her dazed state Rainbow didn’t think to keep quiet. “I… come from a different world than this. All ponies can talk there, and own their own businesses and houses. Some can fly, like me, and others have a horn and can do magic. I was transported here by a spell gone wrong.”

“Hmm,” John muttered, pondering that. He didn’t believe in real magic, but… how else would it explain her being here? And if she was transported here, then surely her friends would follow her to return her back home. If he played his cards right he could bump up his cash estimate almost immeasurably. It only depended on how many would follow.

Rainbow felt sick to her stomach and her leg was slowly going numb from where the dog was biting her. It she didn’t do something soon…

She did her best to concentrate and formulate a plan. The only one she could come up with was risky, and she was only going to get one shot at it. It she failed… well, she didn’t want to imagine what he would do to her.

Her heart began to race as she prepared her escape attempt. She found herself hesitating, something she almost never did. The truth of the matter was simply that she was afraid. She had no allies, no one to back her up if she couldn’t handle it. As strong as she was, she knew at heart that it was only because of her friends that she could brag and boast like nobody’s business. It was their "weakness" that pushed her to be strong, so she could help them when she was needed. And, at times like now, when she wasn’t feeling strong, they were always there to help her back up.

“Ah. Home sweet home,” said John as they approached a house.

She took a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t wait any longer. This was going to hurt even if it did work, but it was her only chance.

As quick as she could she dug her hooves into the ground. With the small bit of leverage she used all her strength, lifting the surprised dog into the air with a yelp and slamming him into the man. To her relief it was enough to get the dog to release her, even though it had opened her wound more.

The dog and the man both fell to the ground in a heap. After a quick rollover the man wound up on top of the dog, pinning Scruffy beneath him for the moment.

She quickly snatched up the gun in her good hoof. She opened her wings and jumped off the ground, barely avoiding the dog as it jumped at her. Her injured wing protested painfully but she ignored it for the moment.

The angry dog let out barks and wails at her, seeing its prey escaping.

With all the strength she could muster she hurled the gun as far as she could, before heading in the opposite direction. In order to remain airborne with her increasingly uncooperative wing she had to adopt a position she had learned at junior flight camp. She had to curve her body at a diagonal, putting the majority of the strain on her good wing. It was a last ditch move only supposed to be used in emergencies, when a pegasus absolutely had to fly on only one good wing. It was very awkward, but she felt she had the hang of it.

John looked dispassionately at the fleeing pony. “Darn!” he cried out in an annoyed tone. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but it’s better than letting you get away.”

He ran over to his house, opening the shed to reveal a small assortment of guns. He pulled a rifle and scope out, quickly getting the gun ready to fire.

Setting the back of the gun on his shoulder he aimed at the slow moving pegasus. Initially he aimed at her head, but then decided against it. That would definitely kill her. He didn't want her to die if he could help it, so he shifted his target to the only thing keeping her airborne and out of reach: her other wing. Holding his breath to steady his aim he centered the scope on the middle of her wing, and pulled the trigger.

Direct hit! She went tumbling out of the air like a rock. He wondered if she was still alive. After a fall like that, it wasn’t likely. At the very least she had to have broken a few bones. With two injured wings and a hurt leg for sure she definitely wasn’t going anywhere for a while even if she was alive.

John looked with annoyance as he saw his brother Peter run out of the house to see what the commotion was. His brother would surely want to be a part of the hunt, and so want a cut of his reward. He was the older one by two years, but his brother was almost exactly like him. There was no way to completely keep his brother out of the loop. Peter would find out about his discovery sooner or later, so he figured he should clue his brother in now, and then go as low as he could in paying him.

Chapter 2: Sometimes we just need to be shown a little kindness.

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 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 gentle 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 he was the 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.

Chapter 3: Because I promised.

Henry walked casually for the first hundred feet, then broke into a run when he was sure they wouldn’t hear him.

When he reached his sister’s room he felt a small bit of happiness to see Rainbow Dash sleeping soundly. He didn’t want to disturb her. He wanted to believe that they would accept his explanation and leave, but he couldn’t be sure. The scent of money could be a powerful lure for men like him.

“Rainbow Dash! Wake up!”cried out Henry.

She mumbled sleepily, and then opened her eyes halfway. “What’s going on?” she complained. “I’m trying to sleep here.”

Outside the house John said, “Well, it’s time to go hunting. Let’s see how many shots it takes to kill a door.”

“What about the kid?” asked Peter.

“What ABOUT him? If he tries anything clever we’ll show him whose boss.”

Henry started to explain when Rainbow suddenly heard a sound that made her wake up instantly. It was that same deafening boom from before. Her heart started racing.

“That guy is here! And he brought his brother along with him. They’ve come back for you. I just can’t believe they’d go this far. We have to get out of here!”

He went to pick her up, but she pushed his hands away. “I can take care of myself!” she insisted, her voice trembling a bit. Her pride wouldn’t let her completely rely on someone else.

As she got down on the floor she tested her bad leg. With her hour of rest and the splint she could walk better than before. It was more like the feeling of standing too long than the throbbing pain of earlier.

“Fine, then,” said Henry in a short voice. She was so stubborn. “Downstairs in the corner room is a rug. Underneath it is a cellar door disguised as just a regular part of the floor. It’s the only way in and it was originally supposed to be a fallout shelter in case of a nuclear attack, so it has a lot of supplies.” Through her fear he saw her confusion. “A nuclear bomb is a weapon of unbelievable power. It has the capability to wipe out an entire city.”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide. The level of destruction he was talking about was beyond her scope to imagine.

“Anyway, I’ll hide you down there. When they’re unable to find you they might decide to leave. Knowing them, they’ll do all they can to find you, but even if they look under the rug there’s no way they’ll figure out that there’s a door down there. It blends in so well that even I have some trouble finding the exact spot you have to lift up on. Just stay behind me and be as quiet as you can. I won’t let them hurt you anymore. I promise.”

As they left the room Rainbow Dash kept staring at Henry’s back. Her heart was going a mile a minute. She knew it wasn’t JUST her pride that made her insist on walking. At first she had accepted his help out of sheer necessity, having no other options. As he had helped her and they had talked she gained a grudging trust and respect for him. She went with her instincts, and had decided he was one of the good guys unless he proved otherwise. Now those doubts she’d had about him were resurfacing. How had that man found her location? What were Henry’s true intentions?

“There are two staircases going downstairs,” said Henry. “I’ll go to the other one and make some noise to get their attention and lure them over, and then we’ll go down this one. The room with the secret door is really close to it.”

“Okay,” Rainbow said emotionlessly.

She watched Henry leave around the corner, and a short while later she heard a loud thump and the sound of him crying out, followed by several thumps in quick succession, like something falling down the stairs. The floor rattled as she heard the pounding of feet both below and in front of her. Henry came running up to her, saying, “Let’s go! They’ll figure out the trick in a few seconds. As soon as you’re down the stairs take a left and it’s the corner room on the right.”

Henry jogged down the stairs quickly, heading to the door. He opened it and ran inside. He would have to leave it to Rainbow to close it since they didn’t have much time. He yanked the rug up, getting on his hands and knees and feeling for the loose part of the wood. He lifted it up, feeling relieved it all looked fine despite the years it hadn’t been used.

“Alright! Let’s get you in quickly, Rain… bow…” He looked behind him to see only the empty doorway. He tried to make sense of it. He hadn’t heard her running down the stairs, but with her lightness it hadn’t registered as strange to him. She’d had more than enough time to get down the stairs and if she had fell he was sure he would have heard her cry out in pain.

“I just don’t know if I can trust you.”

Her words came back to him then. She wasn’t sure whose side he was really on. He cursed loudly under his breath. “Damn it!” he said angrily, hitting the floor. “She’s going to get herself killed!”

Rainbow Dash stealthily walked through the mostly empty house, straining her ears for anyone approaching her location. She had made her decision. She didn’t trust him. Not anymore. He had planned to lock her in an area only he knew about, with only one way out. She was on her own from here on out. She’d have to rely on herself, just as she had always tried to do before.

As she walked down the hallway she saw the bandages and felt the splint helping her walk. Guilt bubbled up inside of her again for her thoughts, but she couldn’t take any chances. She HAD to stay alive until her friends came to get her. She would trust and help other ponies first over other species, so she assumed he’d do the same for other humans. If it came down to his life or hers, if he was threatened with death to tell where she was, then surely he’d give her up to protect himself than get killed protecting someone he’d only met a little more than an hour ago.

Even if Henry truly did intend to keep her safe, how long could he do it for? If that other human beat him and tortured him for her location, then she’d be completely trapped. She couldn’t fly or hope to climb a ladder in her condition.

If she could just get out of the house she could slink away into the shadows. She’d find a safe spot to hide until morning, and then…

And then… WHAT? She’d have to scrounge around for food and avoid any more humans for the unknowable wait that was ahead. It wasn’t a very comforting prospect, but it was the only one she could think of.

With a sigh she thought that it was her personality that had gotten her into this mess. If she had just stayed in the general area of where she had arrived in this world, like she knew she should have, then she wouldn’t be in this situation.

Downstairs, John and Peter saw the remains of a broken object at the bottom of the stairs. “Hmph!” said John. “It’s just a ploy to distract us. There has to be another staircase, but if they think they’re getting out of here they have another thing coming. I prepared for that.

“I’ll run to the other one. You go up this one and let’s regroup upstairs. If we have to we’ll do a room by room search.”

“Yes, oh wise one,” said Peter sarcastically.

Peter slowly climbed the stairs, a part of him still having troubling believing this nonsense, but if it did pan out he could be rich. It sounded good enough to him. As he neared the top he saw that there were two pathways. One long one to his right and a short one to his left that quickly led to another turn. Most likely the second floor hallways were set up like a square. From the light downstairs he could see just enough to make out a light switch. As he flipped it on he heard a gasp to his right. When he turned to look his eyes went wide as he could see a blue horse with a rainbow mane. Her body was wrapped up in bandages so he couldn’t see if it actually had wings, but he had never seen a horse that looked like that, that was for sure.

“Darn it!” the horse cried out. “Just leave me alone! How many of you are there?”

Rainbow turned and awkwardly ran in the opposite direction. She had to get to the other staircase. She thought that Henry would probably be coming up it by now, but she’d at least take him over that guy and his brother.

Peter had clearly heard it talking. That was enough for him. Even with what his brother had told him he didn’t particularly want to shoot it. He thought that they should keep her alive.

As she reached the second staircase and was about to ran down it she stopped as she saw it wasn’t Henry coming up the stairs but John. They had split up! She had to keep going. She ran a little more down the hallway, glancing behind her until she looked forward and to her horror saw she had ran right into a dead end. As she turned around she saw John had made it to the top and was blocking her way back down the hallway.

She was trapped. There was a closed door to her right a little ways behind her, but it would take too long to get open, and they would just catch up right away. A little to her left was a hallway. If she went for it she might be able to buy some more time, but they would surely shoot at her before she could make it. No matter how she thought of it she couldn’t find a way out of her predicament. Nothing… except for the worst option of all: Death.

“So then, little horse, any last words?” He aimed the gun at her.

Setting herself down on the floor in a submissive position she said in a feeble voice, “Okay. I give up. You got me. I won’t run anymore.”

“Oho!” replied John with mild interest. “That’s lovely that you finally comprehend your own powerlessness.” Despite her anger Rainbow Dash stayed in her spot and didn’t respond. She would gladly take the humiliation in exchange for her life. “However, little horse, I asked you for your last words.”

Her eyes went wide as she began to tremble from his words. “B-but why? You said yourself that I was worth more alive. You just want to sell me off, right? I’d take that over dying.”

John gave one of his superior smirks. The fear and the terror starting to permeate inside her was glorious. He couldn’t wait to break her spirit before finishing her off. He’d be repaid in full for his embarrassment. "Oh, I’m sure you would, but you should have thought about the consequences before you attacked me and my dog.

“Yes, you’re absolutely right that you are worth more alive, but moneywise you alone won’t get me all I want. Do you remember? On the way to my house you helpfully told me that you had a group of friends who would come looking for you. I’m sure they love you very much, don’t they? And after traveling between worlds how do you think they’re going to react when, after all that effort, they arrive to find you dead? They’ll be overcome by sorrow, their hearts will break, and leave them shells of their former selves until I can capture them. Then instead of one little freak to sell I’ll have a small army.”

“NO!” she yelled out, her whole body trembling as terror began to overtake her. “I don’t want to die!” Tears were streaming down her eyes, all thoughts of pride forgotten. “Please! I’ll do anything! I won’t fight back anymore. I’ll be your obedient servant for the rest of your life. I… I want to live. I want to see my friends again.”

She looked up into his eyes for a small bit of pity, of compassion, but all she saw there was amusement. Her pleading and begging… was only an amusement to him. She knew the only reason he hadn’t yet killed her was simply because he was enjoying her torment and her frenzied plea’s for her life.

“A fine performance,” said John, moving his gun so he could clap. “However, it just didn’t move me.

“So, are you done now? I’d really like to get things moving.” He aimed the gun at her again.

“Hold on,” she said quickly. “My… my last words.”

John let out a bored sigh. “If you must.”

Rainbow slowly moved around as she began talking, trying to get herself in the best position to make a race for the hallway. This was her absolute last chance to possibly survive. “Tell my friends that I love all of them, and their friendship meant a lot to me. I would never have come as far as I did without them.”

Just a little more, she thought. A few more steps, and she could make a run for it.

“Okay, enough with the sappy talk. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Fine, then!” She went to dash towards the hallway, but with a flash of pain she stepped on her bad leg wrong and crashed to the ground.

“Truly pathetic. Was that your best attempt at an escape you pitiful creature?

“Well, time’s up! Goodbye!”

Rainbow closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to look her death in the face. Her friends popped up into her mind, the only thing she wanted to think about before she went. It was all over for her. Now she hoped with all her heart that her friends wouldn't be able to find this place. Better for it to always be a mystery than for them to find out the truth. At least then they could always hope.

Sounding extremely muffled to her ears she heard the bang go off.

At first she couldn’t understand what was happening. She felt nothing. She was still alive. She suddenly felt something fall right in front of her. Cautiously opening her eyes she at first wondered why she couldn’t see John and his brother. At least she did until she heard the raspy voice calling her name right in front of her. Her eyes went wide as saucers as she looked up into the face of Henry.

"You!" she cried out in surprise. "W-why... why would you...?"

With a pained smile he said simply, “Because I made you a promise. I said I wouldn’t let you get hurt."

Chapter 4: Just in time.

Rainbow Dash barely had time to process Henry’s words before a cry of “Stupid kid!” went out as John kicked Henry out of the way.

John and Peter were right in front of her now. She glanced toward Henry, then up to John, and all her fear vanished for the moment as a seething anger infected every part of her being. As John went to shoot her she quickly stood up and jumped upward on her good legs, slamming her head into his and knocking him to the ground. Spinning around before she landed she kicked Peter in the stomach as hard as she could. Both of them fell to the floor.

She started running full out, knowing that they would chase her, all thoughts of her wounded leg forgotten as adrenaline surged through her body. She had to lure them away. They weren’t interested in Henry. Only her. It was the only way she had to protect him now. Guilt attempted to drain her strength, but she didn’t listen to it. She had gone off on her own, and a friend had paid the price for it. The only thing she could do now was run. Just as she had thought before, the idea of having someone to protect gave strength to her limbs, even when she was hurt and feeling weak.

Coming upon the staircase she jumped onto the banister, sliding down it and jumping off near the bottom, rolling as she landed. The front door was close. If she could get out of the house they wouldn’t be able to find her. She ran up to the door as she heard the yells and footsteps of John and Peter as they approached, eager for revenge.

The part of the door near the doorknob was in pieces, blown open by the force of the bullets. Grabbing the handle she turned it. So close! Once she was out she could try to find some help for Henry. She thought he would be okay. She had been badly hurt and now she was alright. It was the only hope she had to rely on. No longer was this just about her. It was about Henry too. She had been wrong about him. Dead wrong. He truly did mean what he said, and she had doubted him even though she was sure he was on the side of good.

As she opened the door and began to run out she stopped in her tracks, letting out a gasp as she came face to face with the dog from before. Time seemed to stop in place for a moment, both of them surprised at the others sudden appearance in front of them. Scruffy started growling and Rainbow quickly turned around, slamming the door behind her, having to use all her strength to stop the dog from getting in the house and attacking her.

Worry and despair ate at her. Now what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t get out of the house and her bad leg was really starting to ache again.

The cellar! That secret compartment Henry had told her about. If she could just get there… but could she make it now without being seen?

Her question was answered as a shot went off, making holes in the area right next to her. She looked up into the eyes of her tormentors for a brief moment before she began running again.

“Going somewhere, stupid horse?” John asked with cruel glee. “I knew you might try something like that, so I had Scruffy waiting just outside for you. You’re not going anywhere! You hear me? You’ll die tonight, and I’ll be rich!”

Rainbow heard them running down the stairs after her. She cursed under her breath. She was quickly reaching her limit. Her leg was throbbing and they were too close behind her. There was no way she could get to that secret room without them seeing her go in. Even after Henry had gone out of his way to take an attack meant for her, was this where it was all going to end? The only thing she could think of now was to hide in one of the rooms under a bed or in a closet or something. She didn’t know how long that would work, but with the outside off limits it was the only thing she could do to get a little rest so she could hopefully run some more later.

As she rounded a corner a shot went off, and her back leg near her hoof seared with pain as a stray pellet hit her, making her trip and fall on her face. ‘No!’ she thought desperately. ‘No…’ Tears came down her eyes. She had let everyone down. ‘Henry.’ She did her best to get up but it was too late. John and Peter were in front of her again.

“Well, little horse. I guess this is the end of the game. Not just once but twice you made a fool out of me,” John said furiously, giving her a hard kick in the face that sent her rolling over a few times. The anger left his voice and a big smile came to his face. “I hope you had fun being defiant, because now you’ll get to see just what the cost of that will be.”

He dropped his gun on the ground. “It would be so easy to shoot you now and finish you off, but that would be much too simple. No, no, no. I think I’ll take my time. After all, the night is young and no one is going to interrupt us.”

His eyes narrowed with a demented glee, he reached towards the right side of his belt, pulling out a hunting knife. “So now, let’s see. So many choices. What to do first? Maybe I’ll cut those wings of yours off…” He took a step toward her. “Or maybe one of those legs. Either way it goes I’m going to enjoy watching you die.”

Rainbow Dash watched helplessly as he slowly approached her. She was now totally out of options. There was nothing left to do but die. She couldn’t run away, and all she had to look forward to was a long and slow torture. For a moment she thought of asking him to at least spare Henry, but she decided to keep her mouth shut, figuring John would just go kill him immediately to spite her.

John looked down at her, knife at the ready, still giving her that frenzied grin. “Well then, are you ready? Oh, who cares what you want anymore. I’m done just talking and threatening. I have a lot of aggression built up that I think I’ll take out on you.”

As John raised the knife Rainbow closed her eyes, not wanting to see. However, though she waited she didn’t feel the plunge of the weapon into her flesh. She heard a gentle hum from a space in front of her, and she slowly opened her eyes. John had now backed up away from her, back towards his brother, looking perplexedly at the area between them. There was a glowing white ball of energy occupying the space, about the size of a basketball but slowly expanding. Using her two good limbs she awkwardly jerked herself backwards away from it, not sure what it was. After a time it stopped growing, now completely filling up the space in the hallway between the three, the humming louder and the energy pulsing hard.

As she watched the ball of light started turning grey in the middle, at first just swirling around, but then it slowly solidified into distinct shapes. Disbelief crossed her features as another few seconds passed and the bright light faded away to reveal all of her friends and Princess Celestia.

“Y-you guys!” Rainbow called out, hardly believing this fortune of coincidence. “Y-you really made it.”

“Dashie!” cried out Pinkie Pie. “You’re ali-“ She suddenly stopped as she saw the condition Rainbow was in; Her leg and wings wrapped up, a bruise swelling on the left side of her face, and the blood dripping out of one of her back hooves.

“Rainbow Dash!” said Twilight with alarm. “What in Equestria happened to you? You’re a mess.”

Rainbow’s feeling of joy was quickly snuffed out as she remembered John and Peter right behind them.

Princess Celestia bent over her and touched her horn to Rainbow’s forehead before she could say anything more. As Rainbow’s memories flowed into Celestia a burning anger seized her as she turned around to face the two men.

John let out a maniacal laugh, pure joy suffusing every fiber of his being. The little freak had been telling the truth. There were more of them. He had just witnessed magic, real magic, with his own eyes. Eight of them. There were eight of them; All of differing colors but only one of them had the look of a regular pony from earth. He thought that maybe the blue one was right. Maybe he SHOULD shift priorities and take care of the one wearing a hat and leave the rest of the freak brigade alive.

John picked up his gun, aiming it at Applejack without a word. He never got the chance to pull the trigger. Celestia’s horn glowed, and John went flying backwards twenty feet, slamming into the wall. Peter let out a frightened yell, shooting at Celestia who effortlessly blocked it with a magical shield. With another shine from her horn she twisted the metal of the weapon before splitting it into two pieces.

Celestia walked forward, hatred on her face. Her magic slowly changed from its usual yellow to black, her eyes lighting up and turning green as a sphere of magic surrounded her. “You worthless scum have dared to attack one of my most important subjects.” Tilting her head forward she unleashed a powerful blast, incinerating the door and most of the room behind the two men. “LEAVE HERE AT ONCE WHILE I STILL HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER MYSELF! IF I EVER FIND OUT ABOUT YOU HARMING ANOTHER LIVING THING AGAIN I WILL RETURN AND DESTROY YOU!”

The two men trembled in fear, finally finding out that they had messed with something they shouldn’t have, something beyond their understanding. Turning around they began running away as fast as their legs would carry them.

Once the two men were long gone the aura faded and her horn stopped glowing. Turning around back to Rainbow Dash all of them could see tears streaming down her face. Walking over she lay down on the floor, nuzzling Rainbow’s face. “I am so sorry for not coming sooner.”

“You were right on time,” Rainbow said with relief. “Another few minutes and… well… he certainly wasn’t planning on letting me die easy.

“So how did you guys manage to find me? I thought it was going to be impossible, but I certainly hoped…”

Twilight spoke up. “Well, we created a very complex spell based upon the Elements of Harmony.”

It was only then Rainbow noticed her friends were each wearing their respective elements. “But I thought that they only worked with all six of them? And I don’t get how it helped you find me.”

“Well, when I transported you I refused to believe that you were dead. I immediately went to Princess Celestia with the rest of our friends. I was a wreck, panicking and freaking out. Even if I was sure you were alive I wasn't sure what my spell had done to you.

"Well, anyway, I finally hit a brainwave. I thought that maybe we could use the Elements of Harmony to lead us to you. This was a hypothesis based on two very important pieces of information. The first was that the Elements are ALWAYS connected to their most recent wielder, regardless of how much time passes. I deduced that from the Discord incident. “

“Discord?”

“Yes. Following Princess Luna’s banishment, Princess Celestia stored the Elements away and never used them again. They remained inactive for one thousand years until we reactivated them. Despite the fact they remained dormant for so long they turned to stone Discord’s seal spell still held up until the point the Elements got a new wielder, at which point her spell began to weaken, so even though we returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony you should still be connected to them as the Element of Loyalty.

“The second piece of information came from the incident with Sunset Shimmer. Even though only the Element of Magic was taken, your alternate world counterparts, despite not possessing the actual Elements but holding their virtues inside their hearts, were enough to allow me to use my lone Element to its full effect to defeat her.

“From these two important facts I deduced that you have a certain 'magic' inside you. It’s not like unicorn or alicorn magic, but a piece of who you are. It’s why you can be the Loyalty holder in the first place. All we needed to do was search out that 'magic' and hone in on it. We found no trace of you in Equestria, so we knew that you had to have transported to another world. In order to gather the necessary energy to make up for you missing and thus unable to use your element’s power, we enlisted the help of Princess Luna, Cadence, and my brother. We all played our parts in helping to get here. Now we need you to help us get home.” Her horn began glowing as she levitated the Element of Loyalty onto Rainbow’s neck.

In her love of spouting knowledge she had temporarily forgotten, but as her diatribe ended she suddenly found her worry coming back. “Rainbow Dash, what did those two do to you?”

Rainbow gasped as the memory came back to her. “We don’t have time for this. We have to go now!” She ignored her injuries as she forced herself to her hooves and began running. After just a few seconds she tripped, but she turned it into a roll to keep her momentum.

“Rainbow, stop! You’re hurt!” Twilight cried out. “What’s the rush?”

Rainbow didn’t answer. She hopped up the stairs on her two good legs, ignoring all her friend’s warnings and questions. ‘Henry,’ she thought, thinking of her injured friend. ‘We’re coming. Please hold on!’

Author's Note

I made an attempt to fill in the plot hole of explaining how they managed to find Rainbow Dash in the original story, but I don't know if I just made it more implausible. Let me know your opinion on it.

Chapter 5: Don't give up, Rainbow Dash

When she came upon the corner area where Henry laid she felt despair at the puddle of blood on the floor. With the exception of Celestia, who had seen what had happened through Rainbow’s memories, all of them gasped.

Rainbow flopped to the floor, unable to stand anymore, looking towards Celestia. “He protected me from those other two, and gave me medical care. He got hurt taking an attack meant for me, and now he’s hurt badly. You have to help him. He saved my life.”

Celestia walked forward, but none of the rest of them wanted to. Her horn glowing, she lifted his shirt to reveal the numerous small holes in his skin.

Rainbow Dash looked intensely at Celestia as she examined Henry. After a minute she looked away and their eyes met, and Celestia closed her eyes, sadly shaking her head back and forth. Rainbow’s whole body went cold. “No!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. Even with my great magical power I don’t know much about medical spells. The damage is too severe. I expect he’s only got a few more minutes left in him. All I can do with my magic is to try to nullify his pain and make him comfortable before he goes.” Her horn began glowing, and Henry was moved to a sitting position near the door. As she cast the spell to negate his pain he let out a small groan.

“Henry!” Rainbow Dash cried out.

Henry felt confused at how his pain was fading. He definitely had heard a lot of noise downstairs but he had been too hurt to think much of it. He opened his eyes and a look of shock took over his features as he saw all the ponies suddenly occupying his house. He smiled through the pain that was still there.

“So it really happened,” he said wistfully. “Your friends from another world have come to take you home. I’m so happy for you.” A few tears came down his eyes. “Let’s see… pink mane and yellow coat. You must be Fluttershy, the animal lover.” He gazed over at her, then to each of them in turn. “Applejack, the apple farm owner who loves her family. Rarity, the fashion lover. Pinkie Pie, the party animal. Twilight Sparkle, the recently ordained princess who accidentally sent her here.

"And, of course, you must be Princess Celestia. It’s an honor to meet you. I would bow, but I’m not in good shape right now.”

Though her inscrutable expression didn’t change, another tear came down Celestia’s face. “You do not have to bow to me. You have already served me honorably by your actions towards Rainbow Dash. I saw through her memories the extent to which you cared for and protected her. I am the one who should bow to you.” And she did just that. “I am eternally gratefully to you for keeping one of my most precious ponies safe.”

“Thank you so much, sir,” said Twilight, bowing to him as well.

Henry laughed weakly. "Who would have ever thought that one day I’d be getting bowed down to by royalty?”

Rainbow slammed down her front hoof. “WHY?” she cried out. “Why did you do this for me? Why give up your life for mine, for someone you only met a short time ago? Just for a promise?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Henry said, looking over at her laid out on the floor, surrounded by her friends. Straining, he raised his arm, putting his hand out towards her.

She didn’t hesitate. Forcing herself up as best she was able she crawl-limped over towards him until she was halfway on his lap.

“So this is how it goes, then? It only took three times.”

She looked up at him perplexedly, not understanding.

“The first time I put my hand out it took you many minutes to decide to come over. The second time was shorter. Now you came right away. I guess this means I finally have your trust, huh?”

Rainbow sniffled, her guilt burning inside her at his words. “Henry, I’m so sorry! If I hadn’t-“

“Shhh,” said Henry, slowly petting and stroking her head like before. “None of that now. What happened has happened, and nothing is going to change that. It’s okay. I forgive you.

“You asked me whether it was just my promise to you that made me save you. It wasn’t.” His eyes closed as his head tilted. “I told you that my sister was dead… but it’s more accurate to say she was murdered. She was a lot like you, or so I thought. She was the toughest person I knew.

"When she was younger she was very gentle and soft, always needing to be protected. After we lost our parents she went through a change, and grew strong from it. She never let anyone push her around. She wasn’t just empty words, either. She could go toe to toe with people twice her age. The only time she seemed to be like her old self was when she’d work with animals. She’d always look so happy and unrestrained.

“One day someone broke into our house, and for the first time my sister’s uncompromising nature worked against her. She was shot and hurt badly like you were. By the time I could get any help she would have been gone. As her life faded she told me that, despite her physical strength, she had always felt weak and worthless and had only been putting on an act of invincibility so that no one would notice it. That was why she felt so comfortable with animals. They couldn’t judge or yell at her. They accepted her just as she was.

"I see a lot of my sister in the way you act, so when I saw you about to die I had to rush in and save you, the way I couldn’t do it for her. I always wanted to find a way to continue down my sister’s path, which is why I started working on my friends farm after she died.

“For the longest time I felt so alone and useless with the loss of my closest supporter and the last person who lived with me. So many times I thought of just ending my life because I felt I couldn’t take the guilt anymore, but Linda literally slapped some sense into me. She told me that it would be a disgrace to what my sister represented, and if I only lived a little bit longer I might find something worthwhile to do with the life I felt had no value. And today I finally proved that right. My life did still have a little value left.

"I’m glad I lived this long, because it allowed me to save your life. Now I can face my sister with pride if I see her again in the afterlife. It’s a shame about Linda, though. She’s going to be coming home tomorrow morning. Not exactly the best thing to come home to after a vacation.”

Looking down at her their eyes met. “Rainbow Dash, I can feel it. Even with this magic keeping the worst at bay I can feel my life fading away. I made you a promise to keep you safe, and I kept that for you. Now will you make a promise to me?”

“Anything!” she said immediately.

“Don’t give up on humans, Rainbow Dash. I won’t lie. We humans aren’t perfect. There are plenty of humans that are scum, like those two. But there are many more humans who are good and kind-hearted like my sister and Linda. I know it was only an accident that brought you here, but accidents happen, and it may happen again. You probably won’t ever come back her again, but nothing is ever certain.

"And if the unlikely happens, if you somehow find yourself here again, then I don’t want you to run away with the wrong idea of how humans are. So please…don’t give up on humans. Give them a chance and you’ll find how great and kind they can be. I’m just sorry that your first impression of our kind had to be with the worst of us, and that was why you weren’t able to fully trust me and decided to go off on your own. But if you keep your heart open and give them a chance… then maybe you’ll find a special someone like me to help you until you can return home again.

"Don’t turn out like my sister, who did give up on others and lived only a fake life. Live a good life full of love and keep an open heart. Please promise me that.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, closing her eyes. “I promise. I’ll do the best I can.”

“That’s all I can ask for.” Henry closed his eyes, slumping slightly. “Now that that’s out of the way, I guess it’s time to say goodbye. I enjoyed meeting you and your friends. Thank you… for bringing one final rainbow over my gloomy skies and bringing the sun out again.”

Rainbow’s body clenched. She wished she could do more. She wished she could heal him like he had done for her, but once again she found herself powerless, and she hated it. She hated it with every fiber of her being. Shaking, she began crying on his lap.

“You don’t have to cry. This is how it is.” But his words didn’t stop her tears.

“Thank you, for caring for our Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, crying like the rest of them.

“Thanks for caring for Dashie for us,” said Pinkie Pie, her mane drooped.

“Um…thank you, sir,” said Fluttershy awkwardly.

“Thank ya,” said Applejack.

“Even if it was only for a short time, you really were a great friend,” Rainbow said tearily.

“I’m… so… glad,” said Henry, a thoughtful look on his face. “Dashie… huh?” he asked with a pained laugh as he smiled down at her one last time. “Farewell… my little… Dashie.” A few more seconds passed before his eyes faded out. He let out a final gasp, tilting over and hitting the ground, becoming still.

Rainbow called out to him to no avail, and then her crying began again in earnest as she mourned for the loss of an unlikely friend. All of her friends started tearing up at their friends despair.

After a time of crying, her friends all snuggled around her, Rainbow felt like she couldn’t take being there anymore. “I… I need to be alone. I want to go outside and just think things over for a bit.” She tried to stand up, but this time it wasn’t her injuries draining her strength. She just couldn’t muster the energy to fight anymore. She felt so heavy from head to hoof.

“Here, Rainbow Dash. Let me help you,” said Twilight forlornly, her horn glowing as she placed her friend on her back. With a quick glide she headed down the stairs.

“W-watch out,” said Rainbow Dash. “That guy’s dog was at the front door before.”

Twilight used her magic to open the door, ready to attack, but the dog wasn’t there anymore. It had probably run away from all the noise. “Looks all clear. Where would you like to go?”

Rainbow squinted as she looked around, choosing a small hill off in the distance, the highest point in the area she could see. When Twilight placed her back on the ground Rainbow said, “Thank you, Twilight. For everything.”

Twilight nuzzled her friend, a sad smile on her face. “Hang in there. I’ll be nearby if you need me.” Twilight flew off to a space in the distance, keeping a vigil over her friend just in case something else threatened to hurt her.

For a while Rainbow Dash just laid her head on the soft grass, not wanting to move; not wanting to think. Out of it all was the nagging feeling that she had been responsible for Henry’s death. She had let a friend die despite how much she always gave to protect those close to her. That thought was nearly unbearable. She felt a strong emptiness inside of her. Even though she had only known him for a short time she had enjoyed his company and he had earned a spot in her heart for his giving nature.

Mustering a little strength she forced herself to a sitting position, once more staring up into the full moon. “I’m sorry,” she said into the air as tears began coming down her eyes. “I’m sorry!”

All of them had to return home soon and leave this world behind. All of her friends were needed for their respective talents, Princess Celestia had to raise the sun in a few hours, and the Elements of Harmony had to once more be returned to the Tree of Harmony. What was she supposed to do from here? How should she move on?

It was about fifteen minutes later when Rainbow heard hoofsteps approaching. She glanced over to see Princess Celestia coming towards her. Wordlessly she sat down next to Rainbow Dash. “Princess…”

“Rainbow Dash,” started Celestia. “It was a tragedy what happened here today, but no one can blame you for the choices you made. Under the given circumstances you made the best decisions you were able in a difficult position. You are NOT to blame for what happened here today.”

Rainbow turned away, her eyes burning as more tears came down them, trying to deny Celestia’s comforting words. “He put his trust in me! He healed me, took care of me, offered me a place to sleep for the night, and all I gave him in return was mistrust and death! I ran away from him after he promised to keep me safe in a place those two wouldn’t be able to find me. I’m DIRECTLY responsible for it all!”

“No… you’re not. The only ones responsible for what happened today are those two, and them alone. Had it not been for their greed and their evil intentions you would have met Henry under more favorable circumstances, and neither of you would have gotten hurt. Do not blame your good heart for the evils of humankind.

“You tried to blame yourself before, and what was Henry’s reaction? He shushed you, telling you to drop it and that he forgave you. He understood exactly why you did what you did. With his last minutes he told you to live a good life and not give up. If you truly do consider him a friend then do not dishonor his memory by hating yourself for something outside of your control. Forgive yourself, and find a way to honor him with the way you choose to live your life from here on out.”

It was quiet for a minute before Rainbow looked back up a Celestia, a calmer look on her face as she sniffed and wiped her face. “I… I can do that. And… I think I know exactly the way I’m going to do it.”

“What’s that?”

“He mentioned that his friend Linda and her daughters were coming home tomorrow. He told me not to give up on humans and to give them a chance, just in case another accident brings me to this world again. I’m going to meet them and talk with them.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“He gave his life to teach me something important. What’s the point of being taught a lesson if you don’t learn anything from it? Besides… Linda deserves to know why her friend died.”

With a reserved look Celestia asked, “And if Linda is not the sweet person Henry made her out to be?”

With a slight smile Rainbow responded, “I have all of you.”

Celestia smiled down at Rainbow now. “Good answer.”

“I need to sleep,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’m going to have a long day tomorrow. Oh! But I can’t. You need to go home, don’t you? The sunrise.”

“You don't have to worry about that. Just in case this was going to take a lot of time I asked my sister to take care of raising the sun.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I trust my sister. I know she can handle it. So if you need to sleep I’ll keep watch over you.”

“Thanks. Can you help me get to the house? Another lesson Henry tried to instill in me. Sometimes I need to drop my rampaging pride and just ask for help.”

“No problem.” Her horn glowed as she placed Rainbow Dash on her back and began walking towards the house. Twilight joined them on the way there. As they walked into the house they saw all of the rest of their friends waiting by the front door.

“Let’s go upstairs,” said Rainbow Dash, knowing which room she wanted to go in. She directed them to Tracy’s room. She knew what she needed to do.

Celestia sat on the floor, but the rest of them sat around her on the bed. Dropping her guard and pride completely she let herself be “weak” and told all of them about her time in the human world. She held nothing back, being completely open of her fears and worries, and of the pain she had gone through while waiting for them. Every single one of her friends looked heartbroken to hear how so much had happened in so little a time. All of them cried together.

Feeling better after getting her feelings out and being comforted by all of them she felt it was time to rest. Resting her head on her hooves she felt them each snuggle in around her, her protective shield that would not let any harm come to her anymore. She fell into an easy sleep, watched over by Celestia.

Author's Note

Next chapters the last. Hope you enjoy it. It's almost done.

Final chapter: Lesson learned/Returning home.

In the morning sun Rainbow awoke, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. For a moment she couldn’t figure out why she felt so heavy, until she looked around and saw her five friends gathered around her, and a smile came to her face. As the events of the night before came back to mind her smile turned sad. Today was the day. She would talk to Linda, and then she could go home at last, a lesson learned well.

Getting on the floor she tested her legs. Her back leg felt fine, so she guessed it was alright. Her front leg was still a little sore, but she could walk on it again. With a little help from her friends she pulled off the bandages binding her wings to her body, but left the ones around her injuries. She didn’t intend to go flying in the near future, but she didn’t need that outer layer anymore. Besides, if she was going to fulfill Henry’s last request she didn’t want to hide what she was. She wanted to fully show that she was a creature from another world.

If she didn’t then she wouldn’t be able to say that she had completely trusted in Henry’s word and was willing to give humans a second chance to make a good impression on her. She tested her wings, flapping them up and down. They hurt a little, but nothing like yesterday. The worst of her injuries seemed to have passed with a night of rest and her friends around her.

The only question that remained was how long they were going to have to wait. They didn’t know when exactly Linda would return home, or if she was even going to visit the house to let Henry know she had returned.

Asking for some help from Twilight they flew high up into the air and Rainbow Dash looked around, searching for the farm Henry had told her about. With distaste she recognized the house John had tried to bring her to. In the opposite direction, about a half mile away, she could see the farm. It wasn’t that far. Electing to be proactive she decided to go over there to wait for her.

When she got there she observed all the animals. Of particular interest were human world horses. She looked them over and saw that they weren’t all that different looking in body, but there weren’t many colors to them and they lacked much expression. Despite what Henry had told her she tried to interact with them, and of course received no response. She had thought that since they were both horses that they would be able to communicate between each other, but the horses just looked dumbly back at her. She found it both amusing and depressing that horses in this world had no power other than to be owned by humans and were dumb as rocks.

More pressing was that she was getting hungry. Henry had told her that he cared for the animals after his sister died, so she felt she should do the same for him until Linda came home. Applejack, who was used to caring for animals on her own farm, gave her a hand.

It was another hour or so later when they heard it: the sound of voices approaching. All of them hid. Rainbow had asked them to do that for her. She wanted to start this conversation off herself and show that she had learned from her experiences here.

She saw them, an adult about the size of Henry, along with two small girls. She heard the woman tell the children to go inside and wind down so she could check up on the animals. The two children went in the house. Coming out from her hiding spot she approached the woman from behind. Unfurling her wings so there would be absolutely no confusion about what she was she asked, “Are you Linda?”

As the woman turned around she said, “Yes, I am. Who are-“ She stopped, an eyebrow going up as she saw the winged horse. She began blinking rapidly, wondering if she was just that worn out from the ride home that she was seeing things. “Rainbow Dash?” she asked in confusion.

Rainbow was now looking surprised. How did this woman know who she was? Linda had been away during the time she spent with Henry, so he wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone else about her. “How do you know my name?”

“Aren’t you… from that show?” Linda rubbed her eyes hard, but when her hands went down the horse was still there, wings and all. “You aren’t supposed to be real.”

“I’m not an illusion. I’m real.

"So what did you mean by 'aren’t I from that show?' ”

“If you’re really Rainbow Dash, then your world is one of our popular shows for children. My girls love to watch your adventures.”

A strong wave of confusion came over Rainbow. She had to confirm something. “So tell me more about what you know.” Rainbow listened with increasing perplexion as Linda rattled off the names of her friends, her world, and battles with their most powerful adversaries. Somehow, despite the gap of an entire world, someone in this world was getting inspiration from their lives. It reminded her of the way that Daring Do had been writing stories off of her own adventures, but to a whole other degree.

“Well, since you know that much, I think it’s okay for all of you to come out too.”

Linda let out a loud gasp as the rest of them came out to join Rainbow's side. It was just crazy. What was she seeing? The magical ponies from her kids favorite TV show were all standing in front of her. She blinked, somehow telling herself that one time when she did they would be gone.

“I wanted to meet you just once,” Rainbow Dash told her.

Still trying to comprehend the situation she said the only thing she could think of: “Why?”

“Because of Henry.”

“Henry?”

“Yes…” She drifted off as her memory came back of the night before. Forcing herself to continue meeting Linda’s eyes she said plainly, “Henry is dead.”

“What!” Linda cried out in shock, the magical horse mystery instantly becoming second priority. “What happened?”

“He was murdered… trying to protect me.” She told Linda the story, of how she was transported to this world by a magical accident, and tortured by John and his dog, rescued by Henry, and finally she spoke of his last wishes. “Henry asked with his last minutes for me to give humans a second chance. Since he mentioned you were coming home today, and I’m probably not ever going to return to this world, this is the only way I can think of to fulfill his last request. And… as a friend I felt you should understand what happened. I don’t know what you feel about me. If you hate me for what I did I understand, but if you’re willing to give me a little of your time I’d like to know a little more about him.”

Linda fell to her knees, holding herself as she cried. “He… he was always a sweet boy. As his family ties dwindled he became more withdrawn. And after he lost his sister he kept feeling that he should have been the one to die instead. I felt so hurt at seeing a friend I practically grew up with wanting to die, so I gave him a hard smack and told him he had to stay alive and not give up. That he would give up his life for you and to honor his sister’s memory isn’t surprising. And… I’m grateful that you chose to show yourself before me and tell me the honest truth. It would have been so much easier to just leave and let me find out what happened to him the hard way.”

She stood up, walking over to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow stood her ground, a little scared but knowing she had nothing to fear so long as her friends were nearby. Linda touched her head and ran her hands through Rainbow’s mane. She could feel and touch this being in front of her. She was real. Whether she had suddenly snapped so suddenly was one concern on her mind, but at the same time it felt like an honor.

“This is all a little hard to believe, but I guess it must be true. As Henry said to you, it is most unfortunate that you had to meet with the worst of our kind after arriving in this world, but it is true there are many better men than them.” Moving around to Rainbow’s side she gently pulled at Rainbow’s wings. Rainbow gave no resistance as Linda examined them.

Linda asked her to sit down on her haunches. When she did Linda lifted up her injured front leg. “He did a pretty good job on you, but I think it would be prudent to change your wrappings so they’re fresh.” Linda’s voice was strangely detached, clearly trying to avoid the reality of the loss of someone she loved by focusing on something else.

She went into the house to get some supplies, then for the next ten minutes worked on removing Rainbow’s old bandages and replacing them with new ones. She let out a sigh when she was finished. “That should do it for you. Based on my estimates that leg is going to need at least two weeks to fully heal, and in the meantime you should avoid walking on it as much as possible. I haven’t cared for birds myself so I can’t say for certain about your wings, but I’d recommend you don’t try to fly until they’re fully healed or you may just damage them further and make the damage permanent.

“And now, by helping you I’ve accomplished my own way of honoring Henry’s memory.” Her body clenched as her feelings started emerging again, tears running down her eyes.

Rainbow stood up, nuzzling Linda’s face. “Thank you. You’ve been a great help.”

Linda threw her hands around the horse, having to accept her as being real. She hugged the horse and let herself cry for a bit until she abruptly stood up and said, “I need to go see him.”

“Fine,” Rainbow Dash responded, knowing she wanted to see him one last time too.

“I don’t know how I’m going to tell my girls. They loved him like a big brother. I… I’m just not ready to tell them yet. Right now they’re probably engrossed in watching TV so hopefully they won’t notice my mood when I tell them I’m going out for a short time.

“Princess…” Linda gave a small bow to Celestia, and then continued, “In light of what happened I wonder if you might keep a watch over my house while I go over.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I understand. Go to your friend. I won’t let any harm come to them.”

“Thank you.”

Rainbow asked to be carried again so as not to put strain on her bad leg. This time Applejack did the honors. Rainbow was starting to see that asking for help wasn’t as painful as she remembered.

Despite Linda’s grief she couldn’t help but feel some amusement at the strangeness of having a group of fictional characters accompany her on the trip. Her amusement quickly ended when they entered the house. Rainbow directed her to the second floor, to where Henry’s body lay.

Getting off Applejacks back Rainbow approached Henry with Linda, and the two of them began crying anew. For Rainbow it was a mix of loss and guilt, but at the same time it was also about living his final words to open her hearts to humans a second time.

After a time Linda turned to Twilight, wiping the tears from her eyes as she said, “I need your help.”

Twilight walked forward a few steps. “Yes? How can I help?”

“I want to get Henry outside to bury him. I feel it’s only right. Henry had no close friends and lived away from much human contact outside of me and my daughters, so he said when he passed he didn’t need a funeral. He just wanted to return to the earth with the rest of his family.”

With Twilight’s magic they brought Henry outside to a corner of the property where small memorial stones were set up. From there Linda said she didn’t want any more magical help. She wanted to make him a grave by hand. Finding some shovels she began her toil, a determined look on her face. After a short time Rainbow joined in, and finally Applejack. The rest of them would have joined in too, but there weren’t any more shovels.

After they made the hole deep enough Rainbow wiped her face of the sweat that had formed. She felt such a liberating sensation from helping to make her human friend a grave. With some careful effort they placed the body inside. This time all of them helped out in replacing the dirt, each of them picking up piles of dirt and pushing or throwing it in. Even Rarity, who hated getting her hooves dirty and sweating, labored without any complaints.

As the dirt began to cover Henry’s face Rainbow felt a tear come down her face as she said, “Goodbye, friend. Thank you for everything you did for me.”

When all was said and done all of them just stared down at the dirt mound for a while. Linda was the first one to speak up, still with that focused look. “There is still much to be done. I have to go through his house and find contact information for his relatives to let them know that he is gone. However, for today it still feels too heavy. I need to just relax and calm down and come to grips with this truth.”

Turning over to Rainbow she continued, “In response to something you said a while ago, I do not hate you, Rainbow Dash. I feel you made the right decision. You did what you felt you had to in order to keep yourself alive and well. It’s a shame that it turned out this way, but I cannot fault you for your choices. And even if I did I would be disgracing what Henry left behind. However, if you truly feel you want to make it up to me…”

Rainbow turned to her now, an uncertain look on her face. “Yes?”

“Well, you said you chose to stay here for a little while longer to give humans another chance and see more of what they’re like, and I know that, like me, we both need to wind down from our experiences and try to cheer ourselves up a bit before dwelling on what happened. So would you do me a favor and meet my children?”

Rainbow Dash looked relieved. Was that all? “I wouldn’t mind. But why?”

“As I said earlier they enjoy watching your adventures on the TV, so if they got a chance to actually meet you in person I’m sure it would make them really happy. I’m going to have to tell them the truth about him shortly, but I’d rather they have a good day before telling them such horrible news.”

“That’s right. They lost a friend too.” Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Alright. Let’s go now, then.”

The group made their way back to the farm, Celestia joining them as they headed to the door. As they entered the house Linda heard the sound of the TV as she expected. When she entered the living room she saw her two children laying down in front of the TV, heads on their hands.

They were watching My Little Pony, the episode with Twilight's first slumber party. Their curiosity aroused, the ponies wanted to see this show of their lives. On the TV they saw and heard Applejack as they started truth or dare. “I dare ya to go out into the rain and let your precious, tidy mane get ruined again.”

“It’s the rules. You have to do it,” said Twilight.

When Rarity returned, soaking wet and her mane drenched, the Applejack watching herself couldn’t help but laugh at about the same time as her show counterpart as the memory came back to her.

“Well, I dare Applejack to play dress-up in a frou-frou, glittery, lacy outfit,” said show Rarity. When Applejack came back wearing the fancy outfit Rarity couldn’t help but snicker as the memory came back to her too.

Linda spoke up. “Hey, kids.”

“Yeah, Mom?” one of them said, clearly not interested in being interrupted.

“I have a special surprise for you.”

“Can’t it wait until later?” responded the other one.

“Later? I guess you two wouldn’t be interested in seeing Rainbow Dash.”

The two girls briefly looked away from the TV to glance at each other and roll their eyes in a “parents are so stupid” kind of way. “Rainbow Dash isn’t even in this episode, Mom. Sheesh.”

“But I am right here,” Rainbow spoke up.

They looked at each other again, this time with confusion. The two of them both looked behind them, and their eyes went wide as saucers. They let out happy squeals, thoughts of the TV forgotten as they ran over to her and threw their arms around her, calling out her name.

“Easy there, kids,” she responded. “I’m a little banged up. Umm… you know, flying accident. I’ll be fine though.” Giving them as best a smile as she could she said, “So I heard a certain pair of girls just had a birthday.”

“Yeah!” cried out Tammy, beaming. “We just turned seven last week.”

“I can’t believe our mom got you to come visit us,” said Gina.

“Well, it’s not just me,” said Rainbow, glancing toward the other room.

When Tammy and Gina followed her gaze they began screaming again, not knowing who to go to first as they saw the rest of the crew.

For the next few hours they had a blast. They fulfilled every one of the little girls wishes, from letting them fly on their backs, giving them rides, telling them stories, running around with them, and showing them magic. The whole time the two children never lost their smiles, thinking that it was the most amazing gift they had ever been given.

Finally, though, their rampant excitement caught up with them, and they began feeling tired. Rainbow suggested a nap for all of them. She hadn’t been able to participate as fully as her friends because of her injuries, but she couldn’t deny that she had had a great time playing with them. She had begun to see what Henry was talking about. The human world wasn’t all that different from her world. There were evil ones for sure, but there were also good ones like Henry who would do whatever it took to protect something they cared about, the same way she would do anything for her friends.

As one of the children snuggled into her fur to sleep she placed a wing protectively around the little girl. She closed her eyes as she let peace and happiness enter her heart.

Following their nap the ponies all got a thrill as they spent the next two hours just watching episodes of their life. They couldn’t explain how someone was getting these ideas, but it didn’t seem to matter. As Linda told her, the show was used to teach important messages about friendship, and it was enough to know that.

Each of them laughed, smiled, and, at times, blushed, as they saw the way they had been in the past. They saw at times the way they had been mean, manipulative, or deceptive, but always managed to realize their mistakes and correct them by the end of the episode. And in the end their experiences had all made them better ponies.

Finally, though, when nightfall looked to be approaching again, Rainbow Dash knew it was time. From watching her old memories on the TV she saw that what had happened here in the human world was no different. She would take her experiences here and use them to improve her own life, letting the lessons she had learned hone her and make her a better pony.

While there was no fault in being proud of your abilities, she wanted to stop being such a braggart, as well as to stop putting on her tough-girl act all the time, and just be more open about her worries and fears. She could think of several times when her pride had gotten in the way of success.

When they were told it was time for all of them to leave Tammy and Gina instantly started crying. They didn’t want them to go. Rainbow Dash walked up to them, placing a wing around each of them. “I understand your feelings. I liked you guys too. But if you’ve seen our show then you know about the baddies still waiting in Equestria that have to be fought. All of Equestria’s best is in your living room right now, so if the bad guys attack now then who is going to stop them?

"I had a lot of fun playing with you, and you really helped me out just by being good friends. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back once I go, since it was only an accident that sent me here, but if I can find a way I promise I’ll come visit you two again at least one more time, okay? So don’t cry. And be good for your mom, okay?”

They both nodded, wiping their tears away. “We’ll be good, Rainbow Dash.”

“Please come visit again. We love all of you so much.”

Rainbow could feel their love as they both hugged her. “Goodbye for now, girls. I’ve gotta recover so I can continue on towards my dream of being a Wonderbolt, but it’s been fun. Keep watching me. I won’t let anything stop me from one day attaining my dream.”

The children went around to each of them, sadly saying their goodbyes as they hugged each of the ponies.

When it was all done Rainbow Dash rubbed her Element of Harmony. “I’m finally ready. Now let’s go home.”

“Right!” said Twilight.

All of the ponies bodies were engulfed in light as their elements powered up, then with one final swirling beam of energy the living room was emptied of the seven ponies.

As Rainbow Dash landed and recognized the usual sights of Ponyville, she knew she was back where she belonged. “It’s good to be home,” she said with a smile.