Rainbow Dash faded into semi-consciousness, floating in the air above a crystal-clear river. The only obstructions in the river were ripples from the strong current. Rainbow looked back to find that her wings were still bandaged. As she looked back, she was shocked to see that the river was flowing in the opposite direction of a waterfall. She moved her legs, and found herself standing upon some invisible surface, existing only a few feet above the river.
Rainbow looked around, completely unsure of what to do. Her surroundings, save for the river, were pitch black. There was nothing here other than the river and herself. One end of the river stretched off into a waterfall, from which the water was strangely flowing the opposite direction, and the other rain off into the darkness before her.
"This has to be a dream... There's no way this place is real!" Rainbow said to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked down, to the river. The direction of the current was obvious, but she didn't know what to do.
Follow the flow...
"Huh?" Rainbow asked, turning around frantically. As far as she saw, there was no one else in this place besides her. "Follow the flow..." She repeated. She looked to the river, the words in her mind suddenly making what little sense there was to be had.
Rainbow cautiously moved a hoof forward. She sighed in relief as it contacted this invisible walkway she was on. She followed the river, following the flow. She was eventually led to the front of a large, mossy temple. As she approached, the large stone doors swung open. A stiff, very cold wind brushed past Rainbow, halting her movement. A bright light shone from within the temple. Rainbow moved a fore leg to her eyes to shield from the blinding illumination.
When she lowered her hoof, she saw, existing before her, a pair of large, menacing, familiar eyes. They were the eyes of Tarik, undoubtedly. Rainbow took a step back in defense and fear as the eyes focused on her, narrowing in anger.
Suddenly, the eyes closed, sending a wave of relief through Rainbow's body. A breeze of soft, warm, relaxing air followed, blowing past Dash as a separate set of eyes opened in the same place as Tarik's eyes had been. These eyes, they were unfamiliar to Rainbow, yet they seemed to calm her, making her feel safe. The eyes had large, jade green irises.
Rainbow watched as the eyes closed, taking away all of the light around her, what little there was. Rainbow was left in a realm of immense darkness. Just as she was about to try walking, a blinding flare of light brought her out of that realm and back into hers, snapping her back into consciousness.
"It was only a dream..." She spoke to herself, realizing that she was still tied to the tree branch upon which she had slept the previous night. Looking to the sky, she saw the sun above. "Good. It's day."
Rainbow untied the rope and climbed down the tree. Upon reaching the ground, Rainbow's ears perked to a sound that she had overlooked the previous day. The sound of a flowing river. The entirety of Rainbow's dream flooded into her mind.
"It's the only lead I have to finding any help..." Rainbow said.
Rainbow Dash began making her way through the dense foliage, in search of the river that she hoped would lead her to safety, and hopefully, a way back home.