A Slave's Freedom

Hearing his voice over her scares me. It's not normal to hear him like this. I'm not supposed to hear him. He's been doing it since I've gotten here: the voice inside my head at the boulders, climbing up the rocks, I hear him in the caves and he's still here with me while I swim. Where is he? Where is he?

"Dyson!" Rainbow Dash shouts. "Don't let him get to you. Come on!" She nuzzles my chest. "You don't want to be stuck here forever, do you?"

I shake my head.

She pulls away from my chest; gets up on her four hooves, her leg wobbling as she stands tall; puffs out her chest; and with her one good wing, she slaps me upside the head. "Then let's get moving! We both have friends to return to."

I flash her a smile, hoping that she doesn't see what's behind it. It's a mask I wore, long before she met me. I wear it every day, especially when I hear my Master's voice. He's here now; I'm aware of that. Where...

I shake my head, but not towards Rainbow Dash. She's standing directly near the edge where large rocks overshadow her size. Meanwhile, I am slowly making my way towards it too, taking the last few breaths I could take before losing it all to the water where the giant eel lurks for its prey.

Whether we're the prey or not is not what I am worried about.

I watch as Rainbow Dash dives into the water, making a splash that splatters the walls of the grey, dry cave. Drips of leftover splashes, probably where that beast took its own dives, slowly make their impact into the water too, adding to the scene. And here I am, standing, still, wondering if we're both going to make it out of this alive. This situation seems familiar, almost like I've lived it before. Well, minus the talking clown horse, the cave, the grey grains scattered aplenty, and the injuries sustained by the fall we took to get here, the concept of swimming away and wondering if we're going to live felt so similar. It was...

Brother!

It was like her and I. My sister. I wonder where she is--probably on the farm still, begging the master for me to come back. She's crying in Mother's arms too, while twirling the black hair left on Mother's head. I miss them.

I jump in the water.

Jump in, Brother!

Splash.

Come on sister, jump!

I slowly search the darkness below, hoping that Rainbow Dash didn't leave me behind.

I'm comin' in!

I find her, staring with those magenta eyes. She beckons me forth, and I follow, hopelessly, swimming through those waters again. I hope I can find her.

Brother!

I hope I can.

Following that rainbow tail is a problem. She's quick when she swims, her wings closed tight to her sides. The brown fragments float on by, not staining her coat one bit. Meanwhile, those brown fragments like to hit me square in the face, making me blind momentarily. Brushing them off is a problem too due to how... heavy I feel. It's like I'm swimming against a current, but there's nothing to stop me from moving forward. I can move freely, but the water is restraining me, restricting me from going forward so I can catch up with Rainbow Dash, whose tail looks like it is losing its color. Deep within the waters we swim, but I look at that tail, losing it...

Suddenly, I see her. I see her well.

And so does it.

She turns and looks at me frantically, eyes wide in surprise. The eel is not as large as we thought. No, it is larger, the hugest thing I have ever seen. It was almost as large as the river, which ran by Sweet Acres and connected us together with the other farms. It... helped irrigate the others. For us, we used it as an escape route during the night. Well, some of us did.

Brother!

Rainbow Dash paddles her way towards me. Above her is something, a tail, with white strands of electricity bouncing off. It's about to charge her, strike her, or do something that I don't like.

So I swim.

I swim fast.

In seconds, Rainbow Dash meets me and narrowly missing a powerful strike by the eel's form. The eel, whose beady eyes were locked onto her, thrashed about momentarily, its tail swishing and swashing in the water. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and I swim away, hoping to lose it in the dark. Yet, I had a thought deep within me that we weren't going to lose this thing. This eel was going to get us.

Behind me, the eel snaps his tail again. I hear it echo loudly, the shock zipping by her and I. I saw the strand pass on by, lighting up the way in front of us. There were many large rocks jutting out from the ground below, pointy and wide. These were where we could lose this thing. We could make him get caught in his own rock nest. Maybe, just maybe, we'll survive.

I swim towards the first large rock and easily passing by. Another white bolt zips on by, shattering a rock near into pieces, sending the rock fragments all around. I quickly dodge them but the painful reminder zaps me with my own sense of pain, making me grimace. An air bubble slowly floats away from my mouth, and there I begin to panic. I know I can breathe, but I cannot breathe underwater, and here, where she and I are vulnerable to a beast much larger than us, the idea of losing air would not be in our best interests. In fact, if I don't get out of here soon, I'll be one burnt Dyson. A crispy, burnt slave.

I slip by the next few rock forms while carefully dodging the barrage of white bolts coming from the eel. It had changed his concentration on me due to Rainbow Dash's projection. She had safely swam away from me, which made the eel choose. Her or me? Well, apparently, a crisp slave with arms, legs, and a broken rib is better than a talking clown horse.

I continue to swim for my life. I nearly hit a rock I couldn't see, its pointy edge grazing my right knee. I grimace once again knowing that another cut has made its mark on my already broken body. I pay it no heed though. It doesn't need the attention now. Only the thought of escaping with her lives. She lives.

Another bolt zips by my face.

Brother!

She does too.

I'm comin'!

In seconds, the bolt lights up the site in front of me. What's left is a few more rocks and a very steep incline. This must be the end. It must be the end to this place. I got to lose him here--Rainbow Dash might be near. Maybe...

I look to my left. A rock shatters in that direction--it was hit by a bolt too--and there she is, cowering in fear. The monster had found her again. She is now the victim while I am just free as what she was earlier. I won't let that happen.

I won't.

She stares at me as I approach, my arms spread wide for her. I quickly snatch her up and grip her tightly as another bolt zips on by, hitting that steep incline of grey dust. A puff floats over towards us, but I see her eyes are closed. For me, the luck isn't so neat as I can take a whole face full of dust. There my eyes burn and there I begin to thrash. The dust slowly floats off me, but the rest sticks like I was covered in some sort of binding.

The eel thrashes about again, its eyes wide due to the shocks it has given. Maybe, just maybe the shocks affect it too?

I couldn't help but think that it's hurting itself because we're here. Well, don't worry, eel. We're leaving now.

I poke her to tell her it's okay to look, but as I poke her, I realize something. Something bad.

There, where a wing once was, now looks worse than before. Her broken wing is torn to shreds, almost as if the eel had bitten them off. I gasp slightly, letting another gulp of precious fresh air leave me. Without  a moment to spare, I spring up towards the surface and hope that I can get her out of the water. She's my priority now; nothing else supersedes it.

Piercing the surface, I quickly observe the surroundings. In front of me is a large ridge, which, if I threw Rainbow Dash over the ridge, she could sustain more damage to her body than I would like. I wouldn't want her to be more injured than she already is. However, as I turn to my right, I see the paradise. A low lying area gives way to the path towards the large ridge, making it possible for her and I to escape without certain death. So, without hesitation, I swim towards our only way out.

Below me, an eager predator waits to cook her and I whole. Above me lies certain paradise, a way out--hopefully.

Brother!

I will get to you, sister. I will.

Lying Rainbow Dash onto the dry section of the slope, I carefully hoist myself up. My painful reminder makes itself certain, sending wave after wave of pain all over my body. The knee, which I thought was just a simple cut, turned out to be much more. It was bleeding, heavily, and the only clothing I had left was my pants. If I take that off, I'd be leaving myself exposed. No, not to the animal--talking pony--she wouldn't mind?--I am exposed to the environment. I will be colder, while she will survive. I need...

I crawl with Rainbow Dash in my arms. Her heart is still beating, but she hasn't moved. Not once has she squirmed. Not once has she told me that she's okay. She'll be fine--something is wrong. I look at her wing again. Those feathers she had--blue and beautiful--are no more. There lie flesh and bone, with bare minimal feathers stretching between the wing's base and her body. The rest of the bone and flesh is black.

The eel had zapped her.

It got her.

It hurt her.

My mind can't handle it, nor could can my past.

She's mine now, boy. She's going to hate you for leaving her be.

I grab her and pull her close.

She'll be just like your sister. She'll be just like her...

My eyes widen. That means...

"No..." I mutter. I set Rainbow Dash away from the ridge. Another bolt hits a rock from above, shattering it to pieces. Some rubble lands into the water, while some hits the ridge. Fortunately, were are not hit by any of it. I...

I will not let her leave me.

With one strong leg left, I slowly bring myself up with her in my arms and carry her towards the exit. We're going up, thankfully, away from the water.

But...

If we don't get out of here soon, she'll be gone.

Just like my sister.