I followed Rhubarb to the barn, my heart pounding with nerves. What were we doing here?

He stopped behind the barn and began to climb some steps. They weren't steep and they were wide enough for us to walk on them. Once at the top, there was a large platform. We stood at the top and looked over the edge. We now had a bird's eye view of the whole ranch.

I turned around and my eyes widened at what I saw…

Miles and miles of land with no fences…just grass and earth, and in the distance I saw some hills. I swallowed.

It was my homeland.

Tears bean to well in my eyes and a lump rose in my throat, almost choking me.

Rhubarb lowered his head.

"I know what you're thinking," he said quietly. He took a deep breath.

"There is a way we can escape. All of us." He added nodding down at the ranch, obviously indicating the horses.

I widened my eyes and smiled.

We were going to escape. We were. All of us…

As soon as we had got off the platform and scrambled down the stairs at snail pace, Rhubarb showed me a gap between the back of the barn and the fence. It led to our homelands.

"They're testing us. They think we're not clever enough to find this." Rhubarb explained.

"They're the stupid ones, leaving a gap in the fence, and it's big enough for us to escape through!"

I nodded, listening to his every word.

"We'd best tell the others." I said, walking slowly to our stable block first.

"Great idea Sadie, but make sure you tell them quietly, don't let the humans catch on!" Rhubarb said, winking at me.

I smiled back, and approached Golddust's stable to tell her about the escape route. I explained to all the horses about the gap in the fence, and they nodded eagerly.

"…and Rhubarb and I will unlock all your stables at night when the humans are asleep…if they don't catch us!" I finished explaining to one horse, she was a mare of about eighteen years old. She smiled and said "bless you, Sadie."

I moved on to the stable net door to the old mare and saw that the horse was facing away from me.

"Excuse me," I addressed.

The horse turned around. It was a blue roan stallion with dark reen eyes. As soon as he saw me he gave me a dirty look.

Oh god.

It was Red's brother, Dark Mane!…