It had been a long while since Mr. Burr had felt this way. Weakness was not something he would want to show, and this fever had put him out there for all of his slaves to see. Fortunately for Mr. Burr, he now resided in his bed, secluded by the four, white, cracking walls around him. The discoloration in some spots turned what was once pristine white into a light grey. A brown chair stood battle-scarred in the corner. Next to it, a window sill that peered out into the world beyond. And then a candle, in case Mr. Burr decided to read, much like his wife had done. Mr. Burr took a shaky breath.
It was hot in the room. It wasnât because of the heat outside. No, Mr. Burr was covered in the bed sheets. It was all Dysonâs idea to hide Mr. Burr in his own room, away from the rest of the slave population. âYouâll be comfortable, Master,â Dyson had said to him. Comfortable mattress, yes, but not in temperature.
He unfolded the sheets back a bit, letting his body breathe. He was tempted to try and squirm out of bed to crack open the window, however, his legs reminded him of how this fever took over. His legs were hard to move. It felt like trudging through murky waters, except there wasnât any water like that in his estate. How a simple fever could make him this weak was beyond Mr. Burrâs comprehension. All he knew was that he was sick, most likely with something that his wife got.
Mr. Burr shook his head. There was no need to be thinking like that. Heâll pull through, he had to. These slaves got nowhere else to turn to. They should know that. YetâŚ
Outside, the sky began to fade away, the red sun falling further and further out of view. Soon, heâd have to have one of his slaves come in and light the candle by his bedside, or maybe grab that lantern outside in the shed and put her next to him. That would make him want to read the Ripley Advertiser too andâ
Mr. Burr didnât want to admit to his own issues. He felt like his mind was cursing him. Every little waking moment he had now reminded him of every little waking moment he had with his wife, and that he wouldnât get her back andâ
âPromise me youâll take care of âem, my love.â
He sat under the covers, wondering if heâd upheld those words that tortured him.
Two days had passed since Mr. Burr had been under the care of Dyson, who simply said a couple days of rest would help him. Unfortunately, that remedy was a very slow cure. His body felt worse despite the rest he had gotten, and at this point, he did not feel hungry, just incredibly thirsty. He had asked Dyson before for water, but Dyson had heard from one of the other slaves that giving Mr. Burr any sort of water or food would increase the likelihood of death. So, when Dyson had advised him against drinking or eating anything, he had followed through.
Mr. Burr licked his own lips. There was very little saliva left on that palette of his. The rest of his body felt limp, and he didnât feel like getting up out of his bed anymore, even if the sheets made him feel like a furnace at the blacksmith. Unfortunately, what little sweat Mr. Burr had on his face wasnât going to fix his tongue nor his hunger. Frustratedly, Mr. Burr let out a long sigh, and attempted to pull the sheets back from his body.
That was, until Dyson made an entrance.
The door flew open, slamming against the door jam. Suddenly, both Dyson and Sable flooded into the room, clambering to his bedside.
âMaster, are you okay?â
âNoâŚâ Mr. Burr muttered, his voice strained. He shifted under his sheets. âToo warm in here, and Iâm feelinâ like I got run over by a runaway stagecoach.â
The two slaves looked back at each other. Mr. Burr raised a brow at the two.
âIs this how Iâm supposed to feel?â
Sable looked downtrodden, her head hung low. She twiddled her thumbs. âNot, exactlyâŚâ
Mr. Burr hummed to himself. âWhat other options do I have?â
Dyson piped up first, âHow about we get ya a bit of food andââ
âMassa donât need to eat none,â Sable stated rather sternly, her eyes glaring daggers at Dyson. She turned to Mr. Burr once again and smiled. âMassa howâd ya feel about bloodletââ
âNo way in hell Iâd do that! Anything involving blood would be what that damn physick would say, and I'm not wanting to visit him anytime soon.â
The sudden burst of energy shocked the two slaves, their eyes widened at his words. âMr. Morris wouldnât do that, Massa!â
Sableâs words echoed in Mr. Burrâs ears. He grimaced as he remembered what Mr. Owens told him about those âinsane medical contraptionsâ Mr. Morris had in his office. âI wouldnât put it past him, Sable. Heâs one of them.â
Dyson rubbed the end of his chin with his hand. âThen if Master ainât too comfortable on Mr. Morris, what ya think we could do?â
Mr. Burr knew that question wasnât for him. It was for Sable, who just tilted her head in response. Silence settled in, only the chiming of a pendulum clock in the living room was to be heard.
Then, Sable gave Mr. Burr a short smile and said, âMassa, have ya gone to Church?â
âNo,â he replied, shaking his head. âBeen stuck here for the past couple days, and last week the church was closed for⌠ârepairsâ.â
âThen ya at least prayed, havenât ya?â
Mr. Burr raised a brow at her. âYes, I have, Sable. Lordâs prayer, every single day I wake up. Is this going somewhere?â
Sable nodded. âThey say if ya pray to God, then he help ya get betterâŚâ Her eyebrow twitched. âI done what I can, Massa. It in Godâs hands now.â
âWhat aboutââ
âDyson!â Sable exclaimed. âFeedinâ him ainât going to do noneââ
âHow do ya know that, Sable?â Dyson tilted his head at her, his eyebrows furrowing. âWe got no other options! And if none of them other ones ainât workinâ, then we need to give this one a try!â
Mr. Burr smiled as the two argued about him. They were like siblings: a son and a daughter, both arguing about what they should do to help their father. Yet, as Sable gave a loud huff through her nostrils, he knew who they were again. Not his children. They were his slaves. Hell, those two werenât even siblings. How could he think of them like that?
âWe could just put a cold towel on his head.â
âWhy ya say that, Sable?â
âMassa said he was hot, right?â
âVery,â Dyson replied, scratching his head. âWhy a cold towelâoh, oh.â
Sable smirked and nudged Dyson on the shoulder. âNow ya be usinâ your head, Dyson.â
Mr. Burr tried to stifle a laugh, but due to his dry throat, his laugh turned into a coughing frenzy. The two slaves turned their attention to him, but he waved them off. âJust dry is all. Canât even laugh when feeling like this.â
Sable sighed. âWell, maybe we should give him a bit of water andââ
âWait, are ya sayinâ what I think youâre sayinâ?â
Upon hearing those words, Mr. Burr saw Sableâs eyes roll hard. He was worried that those eyes of hers would fall right out of her head. Yet, they did not. They just glared at the two of them as she walked towards the door. âMaybe ya might be a bit right, but Iâll believe it when I see it.â She gripped on the doorknob and turned it slightly to the right. âLet Massa rest for tonight. Iâll get him some of that water, while ya get him that candle lit.â
Dyson raised a brow. âWhy we needinâ to light that candle?â
Sable turned back around and peeked her head back in the room. âCuz he been eyinâ it like he got somethinâ with it!â
Mr. Burr suddenly felt his face burst into flames, his cheeks warmer than even the fever that plagued him. He wanted to hide under the covers, but he did not want to show his slaves any sort of weakness. He needed to be strong. He needed to not look at the candle andâMr. Burr looked at the candle.
Dyson chuckled. âMaybe youâre right too, Sable. Master lookinâ at it right now!â
âNeither of you will utter a word to the others about this,â Mr. Burr growled, glaring at the two in his midst.
Even though they knew of what ailed their slave master, Dyson and Sable stood up straight, or at least Dyson did. Sable was nearly out the door, still peeking in to see what was happening. She did though, step in to show that she did care, despite how she spoke. âSorry, Master. We wonât tell a soul,â Dyson said, while Sable just gave a very curt nod.
âGood,â Mr. Burr said. âOh, and while youâre at it Dyson, can you fetch me my newspaper for the day?â
Dyson gave Mr. Burr a grin. âThat I can, Master.â
With that, the two slaves left their owner in his lonesome, the door slowly creaking shut in their wake.
The last thing I remembered was sitting in a room with a woman who claimed she was a dreamer. She said she supervised everyone elseâs dreams. She also told me how she was not like me, and how she was like Rainbow Dash but not like her as well. She was able to see me, and hear what I was thinking. It was⌠way too much, yet I was able to get what I needed out there, while⌠well, wrapping my mind around this entire quest she told me about.
However, I was not there now. I was on the ground, sort of, washed up on a little shore-like area. I felt like I got run over by one of them horse drawn carriages. Every single part of my body was aching, and as I tried to pick myself up off the ground, I felt every muscle scream in agony. I groaned in response, trying to stretch what pain that wore me down, but my leg was surely not going to cooperate. Guess I had something wrong with my leg. However, my body aching was the least of my worries.
I realized that this place was dark, and I couldnât see a thing. Only a light from across the way, where a pool of water lay. Since I saw no other light like it near me, I had to guess thatâs where we fell down from, especially since a small stream of water filtered in from that beam of light. I took a look at the shore and bent down, quickly taking a scoop of water in my hand and gulping it down. Thinking it was okay to drink, I took a couple more handfuls before I wiped my hand off.
I was pretty dry to the bone, well, except for my right arm. My arm was still soaked from probably being in it while I was barely on shore. That view turned for the worst though, as I realized there was barely anything left of my clothes to salvage. Shirt was all torn to pieces, while what remained was soaked and dirty. My pants were one of the few things to survive, luckily, as there were only a few small tears. However, where those tears were, so were a few instances of blood.
I winced at the sight of it. The blood looked like it had dried up, but it still didnât look that good. Iâm lucky that nothing else happened and that Rainbow Dash wasâwait where was she?
âD-Dash?â I sputtered, a dry cough making me nearly keel over.
I quickly hobbled along the little shoreline that was here, only to find that she was here. It took me a bit of balance, but I found her just a little ways down the line. That did soothe my mind a bit, but her condition did make my heart race. That strained wing of hers? Bit more bent now. And that bad hoof? There was a bit more blood on it than before. I didnât want to say it was all hers though, It could be from my body, knowing how much the fall tore me up. But maybe it wasnâtâall I knew was that we mustâve fallen into some other stuff on the way down, or maybe landing in this big water-filled cave did have a huge impact on us.
That wasnât the worst thing I saw, though. Even though she was much more damaged than before, I nearly fell over when I saw her eyes werenât open. She was breathing, though, which made me fall to my knees, both thanking whoever watched over us that she was alive, while also checking her over for any other injuries. It didnât appear like there was much else, only minor scratches across her frame. I sighed a sigh of relief, and held her close. That woman said she was my guide, and if I had already broken my promiseâŚ
âYou reap what you sow.â
I frowned, watching as her chest heaved in and out. It was like she was desperately trying to breathe, something that made me act quicker than I thought. I had pulled her further from the shoreline, up higher on this landmass in the cave. I tried to wake her up, but her body wasnât having it. Her muzzle was all scrunched up, and her eyelids were twitching. Was she⌠dreaming?
A whimper was what I was awarded for that thought. She definitely was dreaming. Was she dreaming of us falling again? Was she wondering if she was dead? Or was that woman telling her something too? I didnât want to know for sure, I just wanted her to wake up.
I just wanted her to wake up.
My eyes widened. I grabbed a hold of her and started shaking her.
âDash, wake up!â
She began whimpering more. I couldâve sworn she said my name tooâ
âDash! Dash!â
My shaking mustâve done something. Her eyes flicked wide open and she let out this shrill yelp that sounded like a mouse getting stomped on. Then, she turned to me, blinking. âIs that you, Dyson?â
âYes, Dash!â I practically shouted, my voice echoing in the cave. âWeâre alive!â
I watched as she let out a dry, cheery giggle, before coughing like I did too. She pointed at her throat. âT-Throatâs dry, eh heh.â
I gave her a short smile. âMine was too.â I looked over at the water next to us. âYou could drink from here, yâknow?â
Dash looked over at it, eyes glazed. âI donât know about that, Dyson. It⌠looks kinda dirty.â
âWhat choice do we have?â I asked her.
She shook her head. âNot muchâŚâ She let out a coarse laugh. âSorry, k-kinda out of it at the moment. That fall got me thinking⌠less straight than n-normal!â
Slowly, I watched her get up. I held her close, just to make sure she didnât fall over and bend that wing of hers even more.
âThanks, Dyson,â she breathed. Her eyes fluttered shut and she gave me a weak nuzzle. âTell me when I n-need... to b-bend over.â
I raised a brow at that. âWhy? Canât ya see?â
Her eyes, those pink orbs, they looked like they were swimming in her head. âI⌠c-can see, just not well. Headâs hurting⌠a lot.â
âThen Iâll guide ya, Dash,â I said, trying to keep myself steady. I brought my hands gently to her chest, and interlocked them together. Then, I slowly leaned forward. âLean into âem.â
She did, slowly, even craning her neck. Eventually, her mouth found water, lapping at it like a dog on a hot summerâs day. I couldnât help but smile. âTaste good?â
âY-Yep!â Dash said, although it sounded like she was gargling some of the water. She tapped me on my chest with one of her hind hooves, signalling for me to pull up. So I did, pulling her away from the water.
I looped one of my arms around her body. She fell into me as a result. She let out a laugh. âI feel drowsyâŚâ
âDonât sleep none, Dash. Not goinâ help that headache of yours.â
She sighed. âYouâre rightâŚâ She gently brought her head close. âWhat do⌠you think we should do, then?â
I frowned. âI donât know, Dash. We need to find a way out of this here cave, but I can barely even see ya!â
I watched as Rainbow Dash blinked rapidly. She took it in the surroundings and smirked. âY-You mean you c-can't see, Dyson?â
âWait, you can see?â
âYep!â she began, chuckling. âItâs a bit⌠b-blurry, though but if you keep holding me up, I-I can get us through here!â
I shook my head. I couldnât believe that she could see with her being that weak. Guess thatâs what horses can see, even though, well, they could easily get scared by a mouse scurrying across their pen. But she wasnât exactly a horse. Like one, surely, but not all the way. She wouldn't be afraid of a mouse.
It wasnât important anyway. My mindâs like a mouse too, going all over the place. I pulled Dash back towards me. âIâll do my best.â
She gave me a weak smile. âThen letâs find a way off this little shore!â
We hobbled along the edge of this thing. There didnât seem much of a way up to the higher portion of this mass, but as we tried to walk, I felt as if we were going up. It was nice to feel a bit of progress in each step andâoof!
I nearly broke my foot as I tripped over something. Dash didnât see it either, I guess, yelping as she fell into me. âWhat we just trip over?â
I turned around and picked up the offending piece of⌠âWood?â
She gasped. âWhyâs there wood down here?â
I looked back behind us, back at that hole that had the light in it. It mustâve drifted over like those branches I saw in the water. But⌠why?
âI think that some wind brought this down here,â I said to her. âThat light across the water is where we fell in, so it mustâve drifted onto this here shore.â
I could see part of her head bobbing in the dark. âP-Probably, which means we could make ourselves some torches, too.â
Torches. I remembered what those were. They werenât with the greatest of memories, but for now, I did not need to hear or see those.
âYou see any more of them, Dash?â
And so the hunt for wood began. We kept on searching near the shore. Soon, we collected a nice hefty bunch in my hands. She brought herself close, making sure to match my pace. We walked in and around this place, climbing further and further up. Eventually, we saw another light, one that barely lit up where we stood. We had gotten to a flat part of this place, a grey piece of clearing that looked like a great place to lay down.
Dash mustâve read my mind, she collapsed to the ground in a heap of feathers and pain. âThatâs enough moving for right now.â She looked over to me. âYou think you could keep watch over me while I sleââ
âDash, ya canât sleep, remember?â
She whined, letting out a harsh blow through her muzzle. âB-But!â
I walked over to her and smiled. âNo excuses, maâam!â
âI t-thought I told you... not to call me, m-maâam,â she growled through seething teeth.
A rather familiar feeling emerged from me, one that I had felt when Master was sick, or when I couldnât help myself and let my mouth run off at Leo. I guess I had never truly recognized what it was. A sense of⌠self? I couldnât wrap my head around it, I knew who I was after all. Had always been a slave. Yet, here I was, letting the shiver race down my spine. I slowly pointed a finger at her, and smirked. âIf you thinkinâ of sleepinâ, then I get to call ya that⌠maâam.â
At first, that shiver turned into a queasy feeling that stayed in my stomach. Yet, it stopped when I saw Dashâs reaction.
âOkay, okay!â she exclaimed. She shoved her forehooves at me, as if to push me away. âThen you better start trying to get that torch ready. Just, talk to me while you do it, okay?â
âSure, Dash,â I replied. Grabbing a couple large chunks of them, I began to grind them together like I saw Master do that one time.
Rainbow Dash made sure to maintain her distance while I did this. She probably didnât want to get any wood or ash in her eyes. But she didnât stay too far away, either. I could tell that she was watching me intently, about a leg's length from where I was sitting.
I turned my head towards her. âSo, what do you want⌠to talk about?â
âI donât know,â she began. Still couldn't see her well, even if this light was here, but I could hear her playing with the grey grains of this place too. âThereâs... a-a lot that we could talk aboutâŚâ
âLike what?â I felt my words just tumble out of my mouth.
I heard her pause. She let out a frustrated sigh, and rested her head on her forehooves. âAnything else but this place.â
Ghastly Gorge was all Iâve gotten to see of this place Dash lived in. I didnât even know what to ask, but I knew she had been asking way too many questions about me, so I should be asking her some.
âWhatâs Equestria like?â
Dashâs ears perked up, and scooted closer to me, allowing me to see her more clearly. âEquestria⌠is pretty huge. L-Lots of different ponies to meet, and even other creatures.â
âCreatures?â That question got Dash nodding. âLike what?â
The pony bit back her lip, and closed her eyes for a moment. âLetâs see⌠Griffons, Hippogriffs, ChangelingsâŚâ Her eyes fluttered partially open. âL-Lots of d-different ones! They all talk just like me.â
âThatâs way different than where Iâm from,â I replied. She tilted her head. âOnly people like me can talk.â
âReally?!â she exclaimed, only to hold her head tightly with a forehoof. âAgh, canât really get too excited, m-my head is killing me.â
âWish I could help ya with thatâŚâ I frowned, slowing my pace with these pieces of wood. Why they wouldnât spark was beyond me. They werenât wet.
âTalking helps a bit,â Dash said dryly. She lifted her head for a brief moment before plopping it right back down on her hooves. âW-Was that why you said you were surprised a⌠ugh, horse, could talk?â
âYa,â I said, nodding. âThey⌠ainât much of talkers. All they did was whine and growl at us, except for Masterâs horse. He liked me a lot.â
A piece of bark fell off the side of one of the chunks, but still no spark. How much longer did I need to do this for?
I groaned, suddenly speeding up my pace. I was tempted to grind these down at this point.
Dash took notice of the sudden change and sighed. âIâm glad you donât think of me as a horse anymore.â
I turned to look at her, and tilted my head. âWell, I thought of ya like that cuz thatâs all I knew. Never thought Iâd get run over by a flyinâ pony.â
She smirked. âYeah, and horses around here are far and few between. Theyâre⌠really creepy.â
âReally?â
âTheir faces are so longâŚâ
I swore I saw Dash shiver when she said that, and itâs kinda funny to think that they see horses as creepy. They were just a smaller version of them, after all.
I chuckled. âDonât worry. Iâll defend you against âem.â
She rolled her eyes at that. âYouâre so weird, Dyson.â
âNot as weird as you, Dash.â
With that, silence filled the room for a while, except for me grinding away at these chunks of wood. I kept my arms steady and ready, hoping to see just a little flame, but nothing happened.
I sighed, throwing my arms in the air. âThis no use! This wood donât want'a catch fire!â
âDonât give up just because you donât see anything,â Dash declared, her smile much stronger than before. âThe faster we are, the quicker weâre out of here! Then, I could show you how awesome Equestria is!â
âIâll take ya on that offer, Dash,â I said. I gave her a smirk. âYa seem like youâre feelinâ better already.â
âLike I said, talking h-helps!â her voice cracked a bit. âI have to get better. I... need to get us out of here!â
For some reason, I felt my heart twinge at that. It wasnât her duty to take this all on her own. I promised that woman after all. I knew Dash was supposed to be my guide, but she didnât need to carry this on her own. We were going to get out of this here hole and we were going to go see this world of hers. And⌠I was going to...
Be free.
That woman wanted me to say this to her, yet I couldn't. I thought I knew what felt like being free, but I didn't, that's what she told me. It scared me... yet, it somehow motivated me more than ever.
I reached out and pulled her close. âNo, we have to get out of here. Weâll do this together, okay?â
Rainbow Dash looked at me like I had something on my face. Was she not expecting that? Didnât she say before that we had to work together to get out of here? But as her smile widened and her head nudged into my side, I think she mustâve forgotten. It didnât matter. I wasnât going to let this gorge beat me, beat us. Even if my arms felt like they were going to fall off, Iâd keep on going until this torch was lit. For Dash. For me.
For freedom.
Damn straight.
Possibly even for a slave's freedom.