When they decided it was time to head back for the day, they had company. Bella did her leap with Brad, summoning the rainbow bridge, and trotted along it up and away from Equestria, but they could hear rapid hoofsteps right behind them.
RC was following along as if it were nothing. "I wanna see where this goes! You don't mind, do you?"
Brad considered that, and also the practical part of what he could do to stop her, other than asking nicely. That was an option. "It's headed to my world, where horses, and things that look like horses, are expected to not talk."
RC inclined her head, following along without looking at all dissuaded. "Do I look like a horse? Ponies are very different than horses. Maybe they'll be alright with a pony talking." She winked at him. "And I won't be, unless they ask. You mind me seeing the other side? I'll be good!"
Bella neighed in agreement, nickering lightly as she came to a halt, right at the end of the rainbow bridge, staring back at its bright colors that led towards Equestria.
"I don't talk horse like you two, but I think Bella's giving a last chance to turn around and head home before you get into any trouble." He waved along the trail they had arrived at. "My world's not as friendly as yours."
"I don't have any plans," she answered, and let out a contented sigh, settling herself down to lean her weight on her haunches. "I'll be good. If you trust her, I trust her."
"That isn't." He chuckled softly. "Alright, guess I'm not convincing you. Try to keep your mouth shut unless you're absolutely sure I'm the only one that'll hear you."
Bella and RC stepped off the rainbow together, and it vanished away rapidly. RC went around to touch her nose to Bella's larger one. "Thanks for the ride. That rainbow is something else, huh?" She lifted into the air for a moment to see where they had wound up, hovering off the ground to examine the new location.
Brad nodded but made a lowering motion with his hand. "No flying." How he'd explain a little pony with wings was another problem he considered. They made their way towards the stable. A couple of the staff appeared, happy to see Brad and Bella, though just as confused by his new companion.
"I already fed her for the night," he assured them, gesturing to Bella. "But I was wondering if you had something that might fit my new friend here? She's had a long journey."
Miguel hiked a thumb behind him. "Si, there are plenty of stables, technically you could put her in any of them, but, you know some are larger than others. Is she comfortable in larger ones or smaller ones? Some horses are pickier than others."
Brad had met such fussy horses before. He would have just asked RC, but making her talk wasn't the idea. They hadn't raised a fuss about her so he went with it. "Let's put her here." He guided RC towards a larger stall and parked her inside. "She's not ranch property, to be clear."
Bella huffed, her jaw clacking.
"That one is?" Miguel grinned as he watched Bella settle in next to her new friend. "What are you doing with her, bringing friends over or something?"
"Yeah!" Brad got that out a bit too fast, coloring faintly. "Just a friend. If it's a bother, let me know." He pulled the stable gate shut with a click of its latch. "She's well-behaved. You'd almost swear she understands you from the way she acts, so shouldn't be hard to get along with." He paused as he glanced back at her. "Maybe don't pet her, though. She's a bit sensitive about that."
"She looks a little tired. No offense meant, little one." Miguel approached and gave her a light pat on the side.
Bella grumbled lowly, glaring at him.
"Well, maybe she's a little protective." Brad gently nudged Bella away with a push to a cheek, turning her away. "Let's get you retired for the day too."
Bella grumbled more at that, but turned with a huff and let herself be led out of the stables. She tossed her head and dragged him towards the barn he slept in. He laughed as he let her do that much. "Hopefully our guest won't make any trouble." He could imagine RC in that stall, and there were so many ways things could go awry.
He turned his attention back to his best animal companion, as she guided him back to the barn he stayed in. "What's up, girl? It's been a good trip." She stomped a hoof, the door rattling, and gave him a meaningful look.
"I have a busy day tomorrow." He gently pat her on the end of the nose. "I can't go back to Equestria right away." He got a snort in reply, Bella leaning in to rest against him. "Give me some time. I still want to visit and meet more ponies." The two rested their foreheads together. In those moments, they understood one another just fine.
Brad left her behind, going instead to check on the ranch and inspect all the various little things that needed attention. A loose board here, a missing hinge there. Nothing major, but enough to notice. By the time he was satisfied, and his belly rumbled for dinner, he headed back to the main house for some food.
Enticing smells reached him before he saw the kitchen. "Smells great, Anna." She always had wonderful recipes prepared, though it took him a little while to get used to them. Even Miguel struggled now and then, though they'd been eating her cooking for years. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Ah, you just focus on getting your dinner and sitting down." She flapped a hand at him, motioning him away. "You know it's a madhouse in here!"
She wasn't joking, with many other workers of the ranch piling in and taking a seat to get their share of the grub. He grabbed a plate for himself, just to be grabbed by the shoulder before he could finish turning back for the table.
"Whoa!" He spun to find Miguel smiling at him, all smug and amused. "Hey, partner."
Brad just gave his roommate a deadpan look. "Something up?"
"Maybe." Miguel gestured to the nearest empty chair at a table. "We've got a few minutes, come sit down, we should chat."
"Chat." Brad took the offered seat without complaint, but gave Miguel a side eye as he sat next to him. "Okay, what's going on?"
Miguel pulled a folded slip of paper from his pocket. "I've been watching you, amigo. You've been vanishing off the last few days. And I mean that literally. I went looking for you today and you were just gone, not there, no warning."
Brad flushed at that, but couldn't deny it. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he did so. "Yeah, just went for a ride, you know?"
"I don't think so, amigo." Miguel rolled a hand. "Go ahead and eat, but I want answers, si? I'm getting a little concerned." He didn't dig into his meal, focusing on Brad.
Brad scooped up a bite of the rice, enjoying the tastes as he chewed. "It's, well..." He considered how to speak about that. "Could we at least wait until the crowd's cleared?" He gestured vaguely at the noisy room.
Miguel inclined his head, continuing to eat as he waited for his chance to talk. As the last stragglers were finishing up, he looked around. "Better? Out with it."
Brad finished swallowing his latest mouthful and wiped his chin clean with a napkin. "Alright, yeah, we should do this. Um." He felt very small. "So, I've been able to, ah, make a road for myself."
"A road? Que? I need a little more than that." He rubbed at the bridge of his nose with one hand. "You are making this weird, and I want to be supportive, but I don't follow."
Brad let out a slow deep sigh, looking once more for other listening ears. "This will sound mad, crazy even. But let me get to the end of it, and try to assume I'm giving it straight. Can you promise that? It's important."
Miguel shrugged, making a vague rolling gesture. "I promise, fine. What is it you're telling me?"
"I have been going to another world, a place where magic is real." Brad squirmed at how impossible it sounded even as he said it. "Bella and I, when we do a good jump, can make a bridge that we can then walk across and get there and back. That pony I brought with me today? She's from there too."
Miguel stared at him. "You've been sneaking off to some sort of mystical magical land where you've been picking up animals? You realize how nuts this sounds, si?" He swatted at Brad's shoulder. "Muy Loco." But he was nodding, and didn't give off truly angry vibes.
Brad patted his hand in return. "It's why I was trying to talk somewhere private."
Miguel chuckled and sat back in his chair. "No one was believing this. So, a bridge." He made a spanning gesture with a sweep of his hand. "A rainbow one?"
Brad nodded, glad he'd said so much. "It's been amazing to see what's there. Real living talking ponies. Mystical creatures and magic and the like." He sat up. "They're nice, so damn nice. The first time we showed up, they sat us down for dinner, didn't even know who we were, and we were eating with a whole family of friendly ponies. It's..."
Miguel squeezed him on the shoulder. "If you're so excited, why didn't you invite me along, hm?"
Brad blinked at that. "You want to go?"
"And see magical ponies? Yes, of course! Do they all look like that one?" He pointed in the direction of the stables.
"Her name's RC. Some have horns or wings, and some don't have either. They're all nice as hell so far I've seen. Very generous."
"Oh." Miguel winced, and seemed to come to a realization. "Wait, we need to bring something." He grinned. "I have a treat in mind."
"It's fine, they really don't expect it." But curiosity burned. "What did you have in mind?"
Miguel stood, gathering up his plate and the remains of his dinner. "You'll see." With a grin, he headed off to take care of his leftovers.
Brad was left to finish his meal. The delicious hints of chicken and green pepper lingered on his tongue. It wasn't the kind of meal that you could just gulp down, after all. He made a slow meal of it, savoring the spices as he took his time.
Only when it was all finished and he had a cleaned plate did he rise and clean up after himself. He thanked Anna for her cooking, then made his way to his room to get some sleep.
He didn't get a full night, interrupted by a gentle rap on his window. He stirred awake, and realized the knocking continued. "Hm?" He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get a sense of what was going on as he slid to his feet and shuffled towards the window. On the other side, RC was looking up at him with obvious delight. She pointed at the barn.
He rubbed at his eyes, trying to work out what time it was. "RC?" He pulled up the bottom of the window, opening it. "What are you doing here? You should be sleeping in the barn."
She smirked. "I can get out without being noticed. That's what I'm doing." She lowered her voice. "I just wanted to talk a little bit."
"Ah. Right." He shrugged softly. "I told you my world's a bit less friendly to ponies than yours."
She shrugged with a chuckle "It's exciting to me, but I could totally see how it's more scary for you." She settled to the ground outside his bedroom. "Can I come in?"
"The window's barely—" He didn't get to finish as she squeezed in with almost a pop, landing with a soft clop on his bedroom floor and shaking out. She looked around curiously, poking through his personal effects without any concern. "Ahem!"
"Oh!" She turned back to him with an innocent expression. "Right! We were going to chat? Nice room you have here. I haven't been in a human room, it's cool." She patted at a painting hanging on one wall. "What is this?"
He snatched it up before she could do much damage. "Careful with that." But her attention had already slid.
She hopped up onto his bed and sat on it. "Why do you get a nice soft bed and they didn't give me anything but some hay? Hay is for eating, ideally fried first."
"That's where I sleep." He rolled his eyes as he walked over. "And if you're going to hang around in here, I don't want you dirtying things up. Please don't pee."
She squinted at him. "What do you think I am, some animal? I won't poo either, if you're worried about that." RC rolled her eyes at the thought. "Does Bella do that? I'm a pony, not a horse."
"Sorry." Brad rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat down. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
She wrapped her arms around Brad, leaning in close. "I was lonely! All I had for company were horses that were either sleepy or complaining about not being able to go out for a walk." She buried her snout into his neck, nuzzling fondly. "This is way more fun."
Brad rolled his eyes at the attention but didn't discourage it. "I figured you would be fine." He stroked along her back and she perked as she arched against him.
"Oh, that feels good." She leaned back against the hand. "Kindly, do continue."
The strange part was petting her felt almost as good on his side, he was just far less vocal about it, and it felt kinda odd to gush about that kind of thing, even if he did feel good, and relaxed, petting and scratching along her form.
"I can tell you want to talk," she chided him, and tugged at him with a hoof to the waistband of his pants. "But what do you say we play first?"
He colored, shoving her away. "Woah there! I'm not ready for that kinda playing." He shimmied out of reach, further along the bed.
She followed with a hop, sitting next to him. "Aww, no?" Her eyes roved over him hungrily. "You smell pretty ready for it." She curled up next to him and reached out a hoof to brush along his side. "But you humans are funny." She teased at his stomach and he squirmed away, grabbing her hoof.
He gently warded her hoof away, but rubbed along her leg, generating those pleasant feelings for both of them. "I can do this. Are you happy with that?"
She hummed gently, still and boneless. "You can keep doing that, sure." Her words came out in a lazy drawl, her legs curling as she found herself incapable of movement. "For a good, long, time." She settled on her back, letting out a happy moan.
So it was that he found himself eventually flopped beside her, petting along her side and belly. They both faded from thinking like that, in that pleasant haze. At least, until there was knocking at the door.
"Brad?" Miguel was at the door. "You need to come out of there now, if you can. We have work to do."
Brad groaned, lifting his head. He grabbed for his phone to see that it was morning. "Coming!"
RC had woken up as well. "Work?" She stretched out happily. "Sounds like a plan!" She hopped off the bed, landing on her hooves. "Race ya!" She scrambled over to the window and popped out without hesitation.
"Wait!" He bumped against the window, not nearly as agile as the energetic pony. "No talking around people!"
"What?" Miguel could hear him through the door, clearly confused.
"Nothing, just..." He slipped on a fresh set of clothes, still rubbing his face. "Getting ready!"
"Don't forget breakfast!" Miguel chuckled as he headed off.
Brad finished pulling on his clothes, checking himself out in the mirror. He was ready for another day. He'd need to shave soon, but he opted not to that day. Striding with purpose, and hoping RC didn't get into trouble, he went in search of breakfast and Miguel.
Both were easy enough to find. "I said I'm coming."
Miguel was in the middle of eating his own meal with a grin. "I heard you getting up, finally." He gestured at the food ready for taking. "A classic."
"Somehow, I feel like you made it happen." Brad was referring to the meal on offer. A standard breakfast burrito. "It's tasty." He bit into the wrapped bundle of sausage and egg, speaking with his mouth full. "What's on the schedule for today?"
"Say it, don't spray it, amigo. You're not that far behind in the schedule." He laughed as he put his mostly empty plate aside. "We have one horse going out, three coming in. We have to break one of them, remember? They spent some time as a stray."
"Right." Brad finished up his meal, putting the plate in the sink to wash it later. "Did you decide who would be breaking them?"
Miguel gestured vaguely. "You know what? Let's go for it. We're a team, aren't we? This one's got spirit, but it could use a little help finding a home." He put the dish he'd been using into the sink. "We'll show them this is a safe place, but we humans are the boss."
Brad nodded firmly. "Fair enough." The pair headed out together towards the stables. Bella met them halfway, seeming more than a little excited to see them. She trotted eagerly beside them. Brad gently pet her side, not getting the same rush he'd gotten when petting a pony, but it was still pleasant in its own subtle ways. "Who let you out? Not complaining, but."
Miguel waved it off. "You know Bella's one of the most trained horses we have. She wouldn't go anywhere we didn't tell her to go. She didn't even move away from the stables until you got here to be next to. You two are like a team."
"That's my girl." He fondly stroked her side. "Are you feeling alright, Bella? Ready to help?"
She turned to face him, pressing her nose to his with a happy whinny.
"That's a yes." He smooched the top of her snout and waved onwards. "Let's get to work. Is the outgoing ready?"
Miguel nodded. "Got his saddle on, just needed your go."
"Thanks." He stepped into the stall to start on that. "I'll take care of this one."
Bella and Miguel both agreed to it in human and equine ways.