A Slave's Freedom

It's dark down here. Real dark. The grey rough grains that traveled through my fingers now go through my feet. They harden and dry my skin, while their dullness bring back the barriers between Rainbow Dash and I. She walks beside me, eyes unmoving as she stares into the abyss of darkness. Not a single bit of life nor hope lay in this cave. Not a single one.

My bones burn within my chest, a normal feeling I've gotten used to since my hands dug into the lush plantation dirt. Yet the times, I think, have changed; it's just a theory. The theory of being alone with a talking horse that cares about me more than most. It's disturbing. Even though the idea that it could be the neighbor's horse and I was poisoned by my Master still lingers in my mind, I can't help but think of the other possibility: being in a fantasy world like the ones in my books. Maybe, maybe I'm free. Free from him. The giddiness inside me lies with the hope of freedom. Its power begins to numb the seething flames within me.

I turn to my left and watch as she holds her torch in her maw, letting the fire stay farthest from her face. She still stares on, not even giving me a peak of her eyes. So, I decide to give her a reason.

"Hey, Dash?"

She reluctantly turns to me, her magenta eyes still bright as ever. "What?"

As I was about to open my mouth, my Master calls to me, "Think before you say, boy!" I wince at his words. "You niggers always blabber and never think!"

I stop and take what I'm about to say into consideration. What would be a good thing to start with?

I flash her a smile. "What do ya wanna do when you get outta here?"

Her muzzle lightly scrunches up and begs for me to grab the torch. So I do, gripping it tight. She smiles and walks a bit closer to me. "First, sleep. Sleep is necessary for this pegasus." She giggles. "Then I'd wake up and come find you."

"Me?" I say, startled. "But we jus' met!"

She looks down. "Aren't we friends, Dyson?"

Friends...

"Aren't we friends, Dyson?"

The question rang in my ears. Her voice dragged. Dragged long before she stopped breathing.

I wince as the ringing invades my ears. "I-I don't know..."

"You don't know?" she growls, but her anger quickly fades away. She stares at me with concern. "Dyson, what's wrong?"

My chest burns. My legs burn. My body is weak. "I'm weak."

She tilts her head. "It's only been a day..." She pauses. "Don't you eat?"

I nod. "Mostly beans and bread whenever we got 'em. I even got steak once or twice when I was on the farm. Master says I be a good slave, dealin' with all his letters..." I see her lookin' at me strangely: a tilt of the head, and the wrinkling of her muzzle. I gotta ask her what is wrong. "What?"

Her eyes widen as she realizes a little drip of saliva came from her lips. "Steak?" She sighs. "What kind?"

"Medium-rare."

She facehooves. "Not that kind!" Her face is a bit red. "I'm asking what type of steak."

I pause. I remember its taste: juicy, tender, a bit salty, and a mighty fine cut with just the right amount on the plate. "Pork. Juicy pork steak."

I watch her look at me in disdain for a brief moment, her eyes full of venom. Yet, she turns it around, bringing herself to my gaze. She sighs and leans against my leg. "I'll get you some fish steak when we get home..."

I smile and weakly bring my hand to her ear. "I'll hold ya to that, Dash."

I hear her purr as I scratch underneath her ear. "Do this more, and I might have to get Twilight to do a cloud-walking spell to make you permanently live with me!"

My heart, for the first time, fluttered. I wasn't falling. No. I am walking, now standing. She and I, we walk. Yet, for some reason, I feel like flying. Flying high. Yet, I don't see it now. We're still in this tunnel. A tunnel that is black and grey. We can't even imagine this stuff until we are out.

I turn to her. "We need to get goin'."

"But I thought you said you were weak?" she snaps. She eyes me up and down. "Besides, you're not in shape for this right now." She flexes her able wing and walks to the opposite side of the cave tunnel. She, then, carefully curls up like a farm dog. "Wanna come by me?" she asks.

"Why did ya move?"

She points her hoof towards the ground beneath me. "You're not exactly on dry ground."

On cue, I look down to see water rush between my feet. It is warm instead of the cold, aching water that I know from my past. It comforts me with its never-ending rush of warmth. Yet, I understand; the water is not a good place to lie in. I nod in her direction, come close, and lie beside her, wrapping my arms around her frame. She squeaks. I see her cheeks: a mixture of red and blue, a scene that I remember seeing before we fell.

"D-Dyson?"

"Yeah?"

She squirms a bit in my grasp. "Why are you holding me?"

Looking down at her is when I see the resemblance: eyes that peered into a soul and rattled it, heart full of gold, voice distinct and like no other, and a smile that could make me smile too. One thing is different about her. Rainbow Dash is a horse, full of color and life, while she...

A tear leaves me as I hug her tight. "T-This is what friends do?"

She stops her squirming and smiles. "Y-Yeah, Dyson, friends."

I feel her head rest upon my shoulder before she begins to snore. Her snores are soft, yet are just like any horse. However, I know something else is going on. I need to stay up. Stay up for her.

Maybe I'll be able to think of something while she rests. Rainbow Dash is a pegasus after all, she said they needed their rest. I sigh and keep her close.

It is night. She lies beside me, her smile tenfold. "Big brother?"

I look at her, the night's care stares into her. "Yes?"

She coughs a bit, while laying on the cool, spring grass. "Can ya tell me 'bout Momma?"

"What 'bout 'er?" I say, my head rustling through the vivid memories of her.

She sighs, her voice becoming shaky, "Papa said Momma be good at playin' the piano..."

I nod while pulling her close. "Yeah, Momma be very good at the piano." I pause as I begin to pet her hair. "She actually played for Master one night."

This gets her going. "Really?" she squeaks.

I chuckle. "Of course," I begin with a smile on my face. "Ya never got to hear her play, did ya?" I see her shake her head. "Well, how could I describe it?" I pause, letting a light breeze rush past us. "She was slow and gentle with her strokes, pressin' them buttons with care like of one of her newborns. She played softly, yet loudly for anyone in the vicinity to hear. She sung low, sweetly; the master heard them melodies one night and saw 'er practicin' it. Master gave her that time, a time to play. Master let 'er play his favorite song, but it was fast. Fast like a train. Yet she did it. 'Amazing' it was he called it."

"Amazin' for us?"

For some reason, a chord within me snaps. "Y-Yeah. Us."

She caught me. Caught my stutter. "Brother?"

I take the plunge. "S-She was good. Played his song for a while. A few times after that night as a matter of fact. It was good until she messed it up one evenin'. Messed it up bad."

"B-Brother..."

"She asked him for forgiveness. He shook his head and told her to get up." I pause as a shiver slithers down my spine. "She hollered as they came."

"They?"

Images flash before my eyes. "They came with a knife. A long, curved one."

Her eyes widen. "T-They..."

"She couldn't play the piano again without all them digits."

A small breeze whisks above us while the moon's bright light fades behind the cover of the dark black clouds.