>"You ever wonder if you can see your home, Anon?"
"Hmm?"
>Still staring up at the night sky, you see Rainbow raise a forehoof and point straight up out of the corner of your eye.
>"Twi says you came from a whole 'nother planet.  Do you think it's up there somewhere?"
>She also said that you might come from a parallel universe.
>She thinks it's too big of a coincidence that you and ponies read and speak the same language.
>The night is silent as Rainbow waits for your answer.
>The sound of the breeze, crickets singing a chorus, and Rainbow's own gentle breathing are all you can hear.
"Maybe."
>You point up as Rainbow's hoof falls back down to her side.
"None of the stars look the same way they did back home."
>You peer up at the unfamiliar night sky and try to find connections between the stars you might recognize.
>You almost find something that looks like the Big Dipper, but the spacing between the stars is off, and half of the handle is missing.
"I think..."
>You swallow the lump in your throat.
>You've known this in your head for a while now, but it's more difficult to say out loud than you thought it would be.
"I think I'm very far away from home."
>Silence falls as the two of you digest your words.
>Admitting it out loud made it feel more real to you.
>Even with one of your best friends beside you, you suddenly feel very, very alone.
>Rainbow Dash is uncharacteristically quiet.
>"Hey."
>You can hear her shuffle across the grass as she tries to shimmy a bit closer to you without having to get up off her back.
>"As long as you're here, you've got a home."
>You turn your head to look at Rainbow Dash with surprise.
>She's not normally this... gentle, you guess.
>You half expected a punch on the shoulder and a joke to try and cheer you up.
>She's smiling at you, and after a moment, you smile back.
"Thanks, Rainbow Dash."
>You feel a light jab on your shoulder as Rainbow hoof-punches you.
>You guess your expectations weren't wrong; they were just a bit premature.
>"I should be the one thanking YOU, big guy," she says, "I never would have learned about all that cool hoo-man stuff if you didn't appear here in Equestria."
>She holds her cocky half-grin for a few more seconds before it begins to fade away.
>"I..." Rainbow swallows, sounding hesitant, "I'm glad you're here."
>Rainbow turns away from you and locks eyes with the glittering stars above you.
>"I wouldn't have met my best friend-who-is-also-a-colt if you hadn't arrived."
>You turn back around to look at the sky, mirroring your friend.
>That's one way to look at it, you guess.
>You wouldn't have met your own best friend - sorry, your "best friend-who-is-also-a-mare" - if your sudden arrival hadn't happened.
>That's what makes your situation that much more bittersweet.
>You wouldn't trade the friendships you made for the world, but at the same time you miss your Earth-friends and your family terribly.
>You don't know which world you would choose if someone walked up to you this second and said that they could send you home, no strings attached.
>You'd miss the clear, clean air.
>You'd miss the nights like this one where you can see every single star in the sky from the field near your house.
>You'd miss the lifestyle that was simple and satisfying, free of the stress that you didn't even realize your old world was poisoning you with.
>And frankly... most of all, you'd miss Rainbow Dash.
>Your best friend.
>She was gruff, for sure.
>She often spoke without thinking, and her temper and pride had a habit of getting the better of her.
>It had taken some time to win her over once the rest of her friends had begun to trust you, but you thought then - and still think now - that the effort was well worth it.
>In Rainbow Dash, you have a friend who never questions her loyalty to you, or yours to her.
>Rumours that you're just using her for her Wonderbolt fame roll off her like water off a duck's back.
>Hell, she was even INSULTED when you apologized to her for getting her involved with those catty, rumour-spreading stallions.
>You'd somehow managed to earn a friend who, by her own admittance, would follow you to hell - sorry, Tartarus - and back if you asked her to.
>At the end of the day, she's a friend who just genuinely wants you to be happy.
>Would you go home if you had the chance?
>A few months ago, you would have said 'yes' in an instant.
>But now...?
>You feel something impact your shoulder, followed shortly by something soft and warm press against your side.
>Bolted out of your thoughts, you turn your head to see what happened.
>Rainbow Dash, still staring stubbornly up at the night sky, has finally finished shimmying over to you and has pressed herself against your side.
"What're you doing, Rainbow?"
>"It's getting kinda cold out here," she observes, "And I know you're a bit more bothered by it 'cuz you don't have fur."
>She wriggles around a bit and folds her hooves against her chest.
>"I thought you might wanna, y'know... cuddle a little bit for warmth.  Dad always said that chivalry was dead, but mom never let him get too cold on nights like this."
>...
>You know what?
"Yeah, it's a bit chilly tonight."
>You unravel your Rainbow-side arm and slide it around Rainbow's shoulder.
>She looks up at you, confused, before she realizes what you're trying and lifts up her head so that you can slide your arm underneath.
>Once you've stopped moving, Rainbow wriggles a little bit to get comfy, and ends up leaning a bit more heavily into you.
>Above you, the sky looks just a little bit less alien.
>Would you go home if you had the chance?
>...
>No.
>You're already home.
>[spoiler]"You wanna throw eggs at Twilight's library again after this?"[/spoiler]
>[spoiler]You grin and pull your blue hell-raiser tighter against you.[/spoiler]