Mr. Burr stirred underneath his blankets. He was semi-awake, drifting between wanting to get himself out of bed and wanting to sleep for a few more minutes. This sleepiness was caused by his illness, something that has slowly felt less and less wearing over the past few days.
It was all thanks to those two slaves of his...
Mr. Burr couldnât help but smile. He was happy, something that he hadnât felt since he had gotten sick. Each day he had felt stronger. He even was able to muster enough strength yesterday to finally go outside, even if it had taken him a minute or two to collect his breath after going down a few steps. It had filled him with a sense of pride. He was getting closer and closer to beating that sickness that had plagued his wife andâ
His eyes snapped open. Mr. Burr grimaced, reaching out to save what little sight he had left from the attack that penetrated his window. The sun had nearly blinded him, but using his arm, Mr. Burr shielded himself from the light, while he hid himself under the sheets to take cover from the sunâs shine. The man grunted, holding his head tightly. He really needed to get some curtains to cover the window. Why he hadnât gotten any made was a mystery to him.
Mr. Burr sighed and scooted away from the window. He then rolled back over, peeked his head out from his covers, and stared at the ceiling. It stared back, nothing but white paint welcoming the plantation ownerâs eyes. The clock chimed in the other room, behind closed doors.
âUghâŚâ Mr. Burr groaned weakly. âWhere is Dyson?â
As if on cue, the man heard a pair of footsteps walking up to his bedroom door. He smirked, knowing who was going to come walking through the old rickety thing.
Suddenly the door flew open, hitting the door jam with a ferocity that Mr. Burr feared could injure anyone within its range.
Dyson stepped in first. âM-Master? Yâawake?â
âY-Yes, Dyson,â Mr. Burr replied, still holding his head. His brow furrowed. âHowâre things goinâ?â
Another voice chimed in to answer it, one that drew him closer and closer to proclaiming that God was waiting for judgment day. âDyson and I are doinâ well, Massa!â
In arrived that woman that was darker than any night sky he could think of. She had been a saint, and an advocate of the devil, if he had any say to the labels. She had done well for Mr. Burr, since she truly cared even though her methods⌠were a bit unsuccessful (or nearing a physickâs level of insanity). Luckily, Dyson was there to keep Miss Sable in check. The tall negro had keptâMr. Burr paused, and tilted his head. Dyson's lanky arms and tall figure were misleading. Boy was as sharp as a bayonet. He was stronger than most of the slaves there. He had more sense than some of his guards. How he had gotten a slave like Dyson in his possession made Mr. Burr stay still, frozen, as the two approached his bedside.
âMaster?â
Mr. Burr knew that Dyson had called to him, but his mind was too enraptured by these thoughts that ailed him. They told him that he still thought the same before his wife died. These two in front of him? Although he had felt that they were more alike with him, they werenât of his kind. They were still his possessions, his property, yet, the words felt⌠vile to even think of. They tasted so dry, even if he hadnât said the words that plagued his mind. It tempted Mr. Burr, the poor man licking his lips.
Mr. Burr gripped onto the sheets in front of him and shook his head. He gave the two a slight smile. âSorry⌠thought I saw something behind you both.â He cleared his throat before he continued, âIâm glad you both are doing well. Howâs the harvest?â
Sable nodded very enthusiastically. âHarvest doinâ well, Massa! Got all of âem in line out there!â Her face, however, slightly fell, something that nearly made Mr. Burr raise an eyebrow. âLittle Leo been bit of a pest thoughâŚâ
âHow so?â Mr. Burr asked.
Dyson rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. âHe got mad when a guard tried howlinâ at him from the trees out back.â
Mr. Burrâs right hand gripped the blanket tightly. That was a behavior he had never expected from the new arrival. Leo had seemed very responsive when Mr. Burr had met the negro boy, but since he was incapicated due to this illness of his, he had not seen what the boy had become, something that Sable and Dyson had seen first hand. Mr. Burr frowned and loosened his grip on his sheets. âIs he okay?â
Sable was about to answer when Dyson shoved his arm out in front of her. âLeoâs fine, Master. A few words were said, but I got him away, sir! He restinâ under the old oak tree before he returns to the fields!â
For some reason, Mr. Burr noticed how Sable had reacted to Dysonâs tone. She tilted her head and pursed her lips, before she leaned on the wall beside her. She let out a brief snort, almost like a warning shot that she may eventually strike him down if Dyson interfered again, but that wouldnât happen, not in front of Mr. Burr. He knew she wouldnât want to cause a ruckus.
Unless it involved bloodletting. Then she would be fine with that.
âIf thatâs soâŚâ
âThat it is, Master,â Dyson said, nodding. He gave Mr. Burr a nice grin. âYa feelinâ better now?â
Mr. Burr shared his slaveâs excitement. âI am, boy! Feelinâ like I could walk down to town today!â
Sable got off that wall of hers and looped an arm around Dyson. She turned her attention to Mr. Burr, giving him a grin. âYa really think so, Massa?â
He grinned back devilishly. âI do. You two mind accompanying me?â
The words felt so fluent. Yet the reactions felt coarse. âYou want... us to go with ya, Master?â
Mr. Burr knew what Dyson was referring to. The both of them were⌠well, his slaves. Heâs heard Mr. Stockton prattle on about not bringing more than one slave with you at all times, unless they either were chained up or he had a couple guards escorting him. However, with his guards being too busy rattling on with Leo, Mr. Burr wasnât so sure if he could trust them with keeping their mouths shut.
Besides⌠he needed to show these two something. If he was to get past this, then maybe, just maybe...
Mr. Burr nodded. âYes. Who else on this plantation is going to keep me balanced?â
Sable spoke up first, âWell the guards could help you with thatââ
âYes, and I could already hear one of them hootinâ and hollerinâ over seeinâ that lady down near the Post.â
Sable shook her head, like she was disappointed. She probably understood what Mr. Burr meant, and Dyson⌠well, he stared on, frozen, his eyes unmoving. Mr. Burr couldnât help himself, letting out a laugh. âThe look on your face Dyson tells it all.â
That got the boy blinking like he just woke up. âSorry, Master.â
âPfft⌠ainât nothinâ to be sorry about. Thatâs why Sableâll be with ya.â Mr. Burr looked over at the woman, who was twiddling with her thumbs. âRight?â
She jolted a tad, suddenly going from that confident smirk to a mouse squeaking in the corner. âR-Right, Massa. Gotta⌠keep him in line.â
Dyson glared at her when she said that.
Mr. Burr felt his lips curl up again. âThat ya do!â He pushed himself upright, and began to slide off the bed. He landed on two feet with a bit of a wobble. Sable was there to catch him if he fell, but he didnât need her to, he knew what to say here.
âThank you, Sable.â
She blinked twice before stuttering out a reply, âY-Youâre welcome, Massa!â She looked at Dyson, who simply shrugged, before looking back at him. âYou sure ya both of us goinâ with ya?â
He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at first, but when nothing came, she opened her eyes and listened to his words, âIf the past few days were anythinâ, then I think ya both wouldâve given me a reason or two already not to trust ya.â He let go of her. âBesides, I think if I went with only Dyson, heâd have his head stuck in the clouds.â
Dyson shook his head. âNo, Master. I ainât like that! I was just thinkin'...â
âThatâs what they all say,â Mr. Burr replied, smirking. He dusted himself off. âHow about ya give me a few minutes to change and weâll head out?â
The two suddenly looked like deer trying to run as fast as they could. They filed out of the room, saying affirmatives louder than they shouldâve. The door, this time, closed softly with a little click.
Mr. Burr sighed and shuffled to his dresser. âGoinâ have to have an earful with those guards before I leaveâŚâ
It had been a while, and nothing had changed. I was still trying to get these two chunks of wood to spark. Unfortunately, there had not been a single one. I was getting tired again, my arms and hands aching from angrily grinding the chunks together, but I pressed on. I wasnât going to be beaten by them.
Rainbow Dash had watched me this entire time. I could feel her breathing over my shoulder. Every so often sheâd snort in my ear, probably making sure she wasnât falling asleep. I turned around to check on her, but I couldnât really see her face. However, one time, I did. I caught her nodding off, her pink eyes closing shut, but I nudged her a bit with my elbow, getting a yelp in return. I saw those eyes flicker when she woke up.
I frowned. I knew why she was keeping herself up. I told her she wasnât allowed to because of her wing. She didnât want to bend it any more than it already was. It⌠wasn't something I should be thinking about right now. I should be focused on this stupid fire. Yet, I was thinking about how much pain she was in. How her wing looked. How she still had a headache that reallyâI needed to get this out of my head out so I could focus.
âHey, Dash?â
She hummed a response. âMhmm?â
âWhat did ya do for fun back home?â
I felt her head rest on my shoulder for a momen, before she pulled away. âFor fun, huh?â In the dark, I heard her tap her a hoof on the ground, before letting out a brief blow. âFlying, definitely. Itâs the most awesome thing I do⌠well, besides saving Equestria with my friends.â
âSaving Equestria?â I blinked a bit at that. âWhat do ya mean by that?â
âMy friends and I⌠we go help other ponies. Sometimes itâd happen in Ponyville, and other times it wouldnât. It didnât matter where. Itâs something that weâve always done.â She paused, taking in a deep breath. âI see it as a way of spreading how awesome it is to be happy with others that care, yâknow?â
âAnd what does spreading awesome mean?â
âSpreading awesome?â She squeaked out. I nodded, and watched as she looked at my hands. âWell, it just means⌠that I want to show others t-that thereâs a good side to everything. I want to be friends with other ponies, so I can learn from them, and I want them to learn from me, too. I want them... to know that I wonât l-lead them empty-hooved. I want them to be happy, as I am.â I turned to see her white teeth forming a grin, while her gaze looked into mine. âThatâs what I do. Thatâs why Iâm Loyalty.â
âLoyalty?â
She hesitated, pawing at the ground, before she approached and briefly nuzzled my back, which caused me to stop rubbing the two chunks of wood for a moment. âThe Element of Loyalty. Iâll never leave my friends behind, and you better remember it.â She smirked, before continuing, âIâm the second best Element of Harmony ever, in my opinion.â
I sucked in a bit of air. It was a lot to take in. This injured pony behind me was like a protector or something. Like a guard, but... better. She cared about others, and⌠she was my guide. The guide to complete my âquestâ.
I smirked. âWell Iâm glad that I have the second best Element of Harmony ever with me.â
Rainbow Dash giggled weakly. âAnd Iâm glad youâre not some crazy alien.â
âCrazy alien?â
âYou know what I mean,â Dash said quickly. I didnât, but I kept my mouth shut. She took the opportunity to bring her hoof close to my hand, something that nearly made me jump out of my skin. âYou know, those logs wonât light up themselves.â
I grabbed at the chunks again. If she could see my face, my cheeks would probably be red right now. âS-Sorry, Dash. Got lost in our conversation andââ
âDonât worry about it, Dyson. I got lost in it too.â I still felt her behind me, but she no longer was near my shoulder. She moved a bit to my left, if my ears werenât lying to me. She laid herself on the ground, watching from afar. âIâll keep you focused on getting this done while we continue talking, okay?â
Gulping, I returned to scrapping the pieces together. âSure thing, Dash.â
âGreat! Now⌠let me finish answering that question you asked meâŚâ
âWait, ya ainât finished?â I asked, putting some more pressure on one of the pieces.
Her snort was all I heard. âThat would be totally uncool to think that I only just fly and save Equestria all the time.â
âWell what else do ya do?â
The sounds of the two pieces of wood grinding together made her take pause. Then, she cleared her throat. âOther than the usual cloud-smashing, I... train.â
âYou train? For what?â
She sighed. âThereâs this e-event in Ponyville coming up. Itâs called âThe Running of the Leavesâ. Itâs a race that me and a couple of my friends do. Problem is⌠that although Iâm the best flyer in Equestria, I donât run as fast as I fly, and Applejack knew that.â
I tap the side of one of the chunks. âSounds like the two of ya are rivals.â
Rainbow Dash chuckled. âYeah, and last time, we competed for last place.â
âWait, what?â I asked. âLast place?â
âY-YeahâŚâ Sounded like she wasnât proud of it. âWe were too busy with our heads in the clouds that we lost focus of the race.â I could hear the grains behind me shift. âNeither of us won medals that day, but it wasnât about that. I just wanted to beat Applejack.â She properly neighed at that. âIâll make sure I beat her this time around, and win the race too!â
I stopped and turned to where I thought she was, smiling all the while. âWhen we get out of this gorge, I be there to watch ya race.â
However, I was wrong. I felt her presence closer, like she sneaked up behind me once again. She whispered into my ear. âThanks, Dyson.â
âN-Not a problem.â I stuttered out. I turned my attention back to the two chunks. I heard her retreat to my side once again, giggling to herself. After a bit more rubbing, I saw something. A yellow little light. It bounced off the piece of wood and into the dark. âDid you see that?â
Rainbow Dash gasped. âYeah, it sparked.â She trotted in front of me, her eyes wide as can be. âIt sparked!â
I could hear her trot in place, picking up dust in her wake. She was excited, and I was too. Iâm close to getting this fire started. All I needed was to keep at it andâŚ
âYou can do it, Dyson! Just keep going!â
Those words of encouragement was all I needed. I ground those two suckers together with all the rest of the strength I had in me, and, suddenly, they became aflame.
âHolyâŚâ I muttered.
A proud orange and yellow flame rose from my efforts. It stood happily, building up to be quite an impressive flame. It was feeding off the excitement of the pony beside me. âYou did it! Dyson, we got a fire!â I heard the pat pat pat her hooves made against the grains. âQuick, get one of those longer pieces, and light it!â
I was way ahead of her. I grabbed a couple of the drier, thicker pieces of wood and brought them close to the flame. I stopped, momentarily, entranced by it. This was of my doing, a fire that I made with my two hands, without anyone forcing me to do so. It⌠was not because of Master. I did this. This was mine.
This was ours.
Without any hesitation, I plunged them into the fire. The fire roared in response. It engulfed them to the point that I knew they were lit. I pulled them out and there they were: two torches that burned happily.
âThis is perfect, Dyson!â I could see her now, twirling in place. âNow we can see⌠whatâs around us.â
I looked at what she saw, and gasped too. The cave was much larger than I thought. A high ceiling with darker grey walls, all with rocks that hung from the ceiling like chandeliers. It was⌠alluring, yet hopeless at the same time.
And then I saw the tunnels.
There were three different tunnels. The outer ones both were narrow, and spread out to each end of the landmass. The other, more central tunnel, was large and looked like it curled on itself. The two of us were⌠taken in by this place.
âDash, thereâsâŚâ
âThree of them. I see that.â She tilted her head, muzzle scrunched at them.
âYeahâŚâ I said, my voice trailing off. My feet felt frozen where I stood. I waited for her to speak. She was my guide, after all.
Yet, she didnât act like one. She piped up, âWhere should we go, Dyson?â
She left the decision in my hands. That was not what I was expecting, yet I did not disobey. I was aâŚ
I sighed. There were three tunnels, we could explore each without going down them fully. It could make the decision easier, let alone safer for us.
âWell, we could split up and see where they lead.â
I could hear her hum a bit as she took in my words, but then, as I looked over, she shook her head at me. âWe could, but⌠separating isnât the best idea. And plus, if thereâs an eel down in one of theseâŚâ She shivered, tensely shutting her eyes. âI donât think I could handle being down here alone.â
âFair,â I replied. I tapped my chin, trying to think of something else.
Like always, she spoke first, âOh, Dyson, I know! Letâs pick one at random and take it!â
âAre you sure thatâll work?â
Her lips curled up into a smile. âOf course. You got any other ideas?"
âNope!â
âThen itâs settled!â Dash announced proudly. She then turned away from me and looked at the tunnels.
The cave was silent. I stood there, unmoving, while I watched Dash closely. She was using her hoof, nodding it off each time she passed one, and then when she got to the last cave in line, she jotted back to the first. She kept repeating this same pattern, all while she spoke underneath her breath. I couldnât tell what she was saying, her voice was as quiet as a mouse. However, the last three words rang clear:
âYou. Are. It!â
Her foreleg was outstretched, and her hoof was pointing down the middle path. The large one with a path curling down.
âLooks like we goinâ down the middle, Dash,â I said. I slowly approached it, waving my torch at the mouth of the tunnel.
âGuess we are,â she replied, coming to my side.
I brought my arm around where her shoulder would be, being extra careful of her wing. âStay close, okay?â
âOkay,â she murmured and nuzzled my side. âIâll try.â
âYou better,â I said, tussling her mane. She let out a brief blow in response.
Nothing more was said. Nothing else had to be said. It was time. We took our first steps into the tunnel, slowly descending into the world of the unknown.
Thanks for the nod dude.
10155065
You're welcome. It's always great when we get together to edit, since we bounce ideas off each other for our stories! :)
And so the adventure continues... Beg my pardon, but how long do you plan this story to be, I mean it's been 11 chapters or so and they're still not out of the Gorge.
10155531
If memory serves we are nearing where the story originally was
10210211
Been writing my other chapter fic, along with handling a new collab project that will be posted on the other author's account. Will be writing this one as soon as I get some time set aside for it.
Finally caught up and WHOOPS I think I broke the track button
Is this fic dead?
10308704
Nope, just have it on a hiatus atm due to recent events in media, don't want it to get hate simply because of what I'm writing. More informationhereif you'd like to read up on it.Actually, fuck now that you mention it, it's been quite some time and I think things have died down on Fimfic. Maybe I can finally update it without too much heat getting thrown my way?
images7.memedroid.com/images/UPLOADED807/5d0f628e354d7.jpeg
Aight, lemme get the bleach.