//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: The Pale Land // by OrphiusOlyandra //------------------------------// A groan escaped as Applejack rolled over. Everything hurt. Her legs, her neck, even the mere act of breathing caused lancesof pain to shootthrough her head. Opening her eyes, a second groan escaped as the light stung her eyes, forcing her to snap them shut once more. Slowly, tenderly, she cracked open an eye, squinting against the light to let her vision adjust. It was warm. That was the oddest thing. It was such an alien feeling, so weird and... slimy? No, not slimy exactly, it was like water. If it was thicker and lighter. Yeah, that was it, it was like being submerged in water, with how the warmth flowed over her and swirled around her body. It caressed her from all sides, reminding her of easier times, of faint memories that should have been lost long ago. As her eyes finally adjusted, she blinked in surprise at her surroundings. Where were the chains, and torture devices, and blood, and urine? Everythingsmelledso weird without the overwhelming scent of perfume or the combination of urine, blood, and sex. Everything just smelledso... nothing. It smelledlike nothing, just like how Sweetie's dinner tasted like nothing. It felt wrong somehow. The entire scenario felt wrong. She was in a bed, there was a bedside table, there was a thick blanket over her, and the room looked nice. Like, super nice. Clean, roomy, and there was even a lock on the inside of the door. This was a trick of some sort, it had to be. There was no way a unicorn would eve- The door creaked open and Applejack immediately closed her eyes, trying her best to be look as though she was asleep. Heavy footsteps echoed through the room and panic began setting in. No doubt it was a male, and all males were exactly the same. Whoever it was, they stopped by the bed and she felt her muscles tense up, hindhooves just waiting for him to try to get into the bed so she could crush his ribs with a single buck. As the seconds ticked by, Applejack felt a sense of dread overcoming her. Was he waiting for his friends to come along? She had heard of such things in the past, and even seen it once or twice when Nine Tails decided to rent out some of the mares, but none had dare come to her. Why? Was she not good enough for them? Stupid stallions. "Ah know you're awake." There was something in his voice that felt familiar. It pulled on something, a memory, an emotion. Something. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was something important. Opening an eye, she stared up at a massive red stallion with blonde mane and tail. Familiar, yes, he was definitely familiar. But why? Was this a trick of the unicorns though? Some sort of mind magic to get her secrets in an attempt to control her. It was certainly sneaky enough for a unicorn to come up with. "Just who are ya?" asked the stallion. Applejack merely cocked an eyebrow. "Silence." He snorted. "Then again, Ah can't say Ah'm surprised. Been working under that bitch of a mare all ya life no doubt. Well don't worry about that, she'll never harm ya again." A frown creased her brow before her eyes darted up and she blinked in surprise. Where was the horn? "Surprised? We earth ponies may be few, but we still fight. Ah ain't giving up, not after they took my family from me." A curious tilt of the head. "Ya silent on purpose or ya mute?" he asked. That got a shrug in response. "Ah am not surprised." He stood up and walked away. "Listen, you're with earth ponies now, no one here will harm ya. The doors are unlocked, and feel free to walk around if ya feel up to it." Without a second though, Applejack struggled out of bed and onto her hooves. The stallion made to move closer, but all it took was a single glare for him to step back. Despite her hooves shaking under her, she took a single step forward, then a second, and then a third. Though she stumbled slightly and was forced to move slowly, she could walk of her own free will. A small bark of laughter escaped as she began trotting forward, the mere ability to walk freely giving her the strength that she needed. He whistled in surprise. "Ya sure are a tough one. Most stay in bed for a couple of days after what you went through." Ah, that explained the pain then. "We were half tempted ta leave the horned freak, but captain said she might have valuable information." He spat on the ground. "As far as Ah'm concerned, they all deserve to die for what they've done." Oh, he was one of those ponies. The ones who felt everything was personal, that everything was about them and that only their pain mattered. These ponies were the worst ones, only ever focused on themselves and nothing else. What about every other pony who lost someone close to them? What about her? Surely she deserved revenge just as much as him. After all, she had no pony left, no father, no mother, not even the memory of a childhood. Everything had been taken from her, and if anypony deserved revenge, it was her. "Ya think you're fine enough to be walking around?" A very flat, and very unamused glare. "Very well." He turned around and led the way to the door. "Name's MacIntosh. Commander MacIntosh." Now what was a commander doing here talking to her? Something was definitely off. Regardless, she kept her eyes open and her ears perked for the slightest hint of weirdness. If a unicorn was running this fake reality, then there would eventually be some weird flicker or something that simply didn't make sense. As soon as that happened, Applejack was going to shatter this stupid place with a single buck. Stepping out into the hallway, Applejack blinked in surprise at how roomy it was, and at the sheer number of rooms that went all the way along. There were a dozen in view and probably even more around the corner. "Oh hey, you're awake!" Applejack reared back as a face was suddenly shoved in her face. "Oops! Sorry, heh, anyways, you looked half dead when we dragged you in and I suppose you were half dead weren't you? Aaaaaaanyways, welcome to the land of living, where we have parties and food and, oh, oh! Counter Weight, Counter Weight! Hey, are you running from me! Stop running from me~!" And just like that, the purple pony was gone. The two earth ponies exchanged a confused look before they continued onward silently. "Don't mind her, we all think she's slightly wrong in the head," said a passing earth pony. "Good to see you up, the commander was really concerned about you." That... was weird. She was used to unicorns walking around with their noses in the air and not even paying attention to what was going on around them. The only time they cared was when it came to sucking up. But here? Here, everypony actually cared. It was just so obvious in the way they talked and in that slight sparkle in their eyes. Eventually, they reached the end of the corridor and took aleft,entering a massive hall full of ponies. As soon as she stepped through the door, a massive cheer rang out and Applejack flattened her ears to stop the ringing. A second later, a loud rumble drowned everything else and a flush crept over her cheeks, and though laughter followed, there was no malice in it. In fact, the pony closest to her shuffled to the side and patted aseat as another pushed a bowl of fresh hay towards her. Oh by the stars, that smelt delicious. It was just sweet and so... so... Applejack's eyes closed as she savored the taste. Just that crunch and burst of flavor.Wa-was that basil she tasted? And...apple!? This was a dream, this had to be dream, but if it was, Applejack seriously considered never leaving. This was an apple. Fresh apple. They even put fresh apple in with thei- Oooooooh, by the sun, she could feel the juices trickling down her throat. She stared down at the empty bowl, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. It wasn't meant to be like this, it wasn't meant to end. For those brief seconds it took for her to wolf down the food, she was in Elysium and knew the meaning of true bliss. "Don't worry, eat up," said some mare. "We're all earth ponies here, there's more than enough to go around." She had to be joking. Only the richest of the richest could afford something like this, and she doubted that even General Shining Armor could get a bowl this massive of such high quality food. "Oh right! You're new here.There is a reason why the other races get us to work the frozen fields you know-" She rolled her eyes at the rumbling from the other ponies. "As I was saying, when you have a village of earth ponies who work together and want to do well, you get a lot more done. This, this is a bad harvest for us." Applejack's jaw dropped. "So what's your name?" asked a green stallion. "Can't talk," replied MacIntosh. "That unicorn bitch do that to you?" he snarled. "If so just say the word and we can give her something she'll never forget." A part of her was tempted to nod her head just to punish that horned freak. To show her the pain that Applejack had been forced to endure. All those whippings, all those broken bones, all those frostbitten hooves and impossibly cold nights.Let that bitch suffer for everything that. For every single scar Applejack had gotten at the hooves of those monsters, she could inflict them back tenfold with a single nod of her head. But revenge would be so much sweeter if it was with her own hoof. A simple shake of her head and the stallion backed down. Maybe later, maybe at some point she'd ask, but for now, she was happy to just drown her sorrows in another bowl of that delicious hay. Something the other earth ponies were all too happy to provide, and Applejack was more than happy to eat everything placed before her until all she could do was lie there in a stupor. Eventually though, she climbed back onto her hooves, using the table as a brace and simply nodded to MacIntosh. He, in turn, returned the nod and began trotting off while she limped after him. Along the way, earth ponies waved at her and she awkwardly waved back before making it out the other side. Taking a left, they went down a flight of stairs and arrived at another large, open hall, except this one was full off training dummies and ponies sparring. No words were spoken as he simply inclined his head before backing out and going back up the stairs and down the right hoof path. Stopping at the base of the stairs, he tilted his head at the corridor off to the left, "No access." Applejack nodded in understanding and MacIntosh began trotting down the main corridor. Walking past all the doors, he stopped at the end of the rundown, dirt corridor and entered, holding the door open for her. Once more he got that look and with what could almost be called a sheepish smile, he let the door swing shutbefore Applejack opened it herself and stepped through, panting slightly. "Shouldn't exert yourself." With a glare, Applejack leaned against the chair for support, but did not sit down. If this was a trap of some kind, she wanted to be ready. Sure they were earth ponies, but she had seen one too many raised by unicorns into serving them faithfully and without question. For all she knew, this was some elaborate trick to get her to play along and help out. Or she could be in some weird dream thing where they could break her down without harming her. That one had always sounded like a paranoid rumor inthe slave pens, but now that she was here in this weird place, it seemed like a real possibility. "Ah know ya from somewhere," he finally said. Maybe, maybe not. If she had ever met an earth pony this massive in the past, she would have remembered, but she just couldn't shake that feeling of knowing him from somewhere. There was something that sparked a memory, a thought, a dream. There was something when she looked out the corner of her eye, but when she stared straight ahead at him, there was nothing. Not even afaint glimmer of familiarity. But if he was being honest, if this wasn't some trick, then he felt the same way. There was something there, something both of them recognized and remembered, but neither knew what. "A spy?" AJ's blood froze at those words. It didn't matter if it was true or not, if they believed it was, she would face a fate worse than death. MacIntosh stared at Applejack with those unblinking eyes of his. "Nah, not a spy." A sigh of relief escaped. "So where do Ah know ya?" A blow suddenly struck her on the side of the head, sending her reeling to the side into a wall, causing some dirt to crumble off. "Not a unicorn, unless a really powerful one..." Shaking her head, Applejack got back onto her hooves only to sway to the side and collapse again. For such a large stallion, he moved ridiculously fast. "So just who are ya?" he mused. Applejack glared up at him from the floor, but he ignored it as he continued staring down at her in confusion. Eventually, he snorted and walked off, sitting down at the massive table. Slowly, Applejack climbed back onto her hooves once more,usingthe wall as support. A single step forward and she stumbled yet again, this time straight into the bookshelf. A shelf collapsed from the impact, dropping some books and papers onto the ground. Shaking head to clear it, the world spun around her, forcing her eyes to close as she rested her head against the ground. Slowly, her eyes opened and she found herself staring at the picture. There was no way, there was no possible way. And yet... A red hoof blocked her vision, scooping the picture away. "That, is private," grumbled MacIntosh. "That, is my mother," hissed Applejack as she lunged forward, slamming him into the wall and pinning him there with a hoof against his throat. "Where did ya get her picture?" He just stared down at her in shock before their positions were suddenly reversed and Applejack found herself choking for air. "My mother died in a unicorn raid, as did the rest of my family, including my sister." Knee to the stomach followed by a hook punch and Applejack was once more on top. "Ya better not be suggesting what Ah think ya're suggesting. If so, the unicorn running this little illusion should be hanged for making it so obvious." "Funny, Ah was just about to say the same thing." The two stared at each other in silence, neither daredmoving an inch. "What's my name then?" After a brief moment of hesitation, he whispered, "Applejack." Sucking air through clenched teeth, she stumbled back like he had bucked her in the face. She stared at him, that name echoing through her mind, and overlaid on top of it was her mother's soothing voice, whispering her name in that tender way of hers. This had to be a trick, there was no way anypony could know her name. There was no- no way. They had all died, they told her so, they told her that every last earth pony had been slaughtered. All the mares raped, all the stallions killed, and all the foals taken, raised to be nothing more than slaves. There had to some explanation, something, anything! There- there had to be something. Anything! She had gone so long without any hope, without a shred of dreams to guide her, and yet here he was,standing there, looking at her with that stupid face of his, and she was meant to just believe him? To just think that h- he- Tears were not leaking down her face! Tha- That was just the roof dripping water, there was nothing wrong with her. Dust. That was all. Nothing more. Damn the sun! Damn the sun and moon and stars. Damn everything! This was a lie, this had to be a lie. She had not wasted so much of her life when there was something more for her. All those hours toiling in the field, wishing for death, but always too cowardly to carry through.All that time there was something more, something to push her on.Anger, frustration, hate. They had sustained her for so long, and now it was all gone. All that was left was a hollowness, a deadness. Then she was crushed in a hug. Squeezed until her eyes popped and her ribs cracked and her heart burst. Struggle. Fight or die. There was no running, no escape, if she was going to godown she was going to ta- Somethingdripped onto the top of her head, tricking through her mane and fur. For a couple of seconds, she just stood there, completely uncomprehending before she found herself just laying her head on the those broad shoulders, her very own tears prickling the edge of her eyes. But she blinked them back and hidthem away. She had promised to be strong, and she never broke a promise. But... Surely once didn't matter, right? Just this one time? Surely mother would understand, surely she would... she would... Tears began staining MacIntosh's fur and soon Applejack was hugging him back just as hard as he held her, and for a brief moment, she felt safe. For that brief moment, she felt something that she thought she had lost forever. Something that had been confined to dreams and wishes, to be held out there, away from her heart just in case it was true. And now that it was she here, her heart felt like it was being ripped in two. Eventually though, the two pulled apart and MacIntosh held her at hoofs length. "What about ma? What happened to..." Applejack turned away and he placed a hesitant of her shoulder. "Did she die or is she a... a..." "Dead." "And the foal?" "Dead," she snarled. He blinked in surprise. "Wha-What?" "Better dead than a slave," she growled. "If she survived, she would have been raised as a pet, to do everything she was told with a smile. To spread her legs, bend over with her tail nice and high and then to beg for more once they were done. Death is a blessing in that place." He nodded slowly, but there was no doubt in her mind that he did not understand. There was no point in describing that place, of even talking about it to someone who did not realize how things worked, how things truly were. It would be easier to convince a unicorn the world would be a better place if they would all simply commit suicide. "Ah'll take yerword for it then," he said into the silence. "Ah've never been a slave, but some of the things Ah've seen rescuing slaves... Ah don't doubt ya one bit." "Good." Applejack limped back to the chair and slumped down. "Can Ah... that is..." She gestured at the picture in his hooves. "O-Of course." But even as he said that, his hoof hovered there, unwilling to move. Then, quick as a lunging wyvern, the picture was down on the ground and his hoof was by his side. Still his eyes lingered though, and when Applejack reached out, his body twitched ever so slightly. Muscles bulged and tensed, but he stayed stock still. Slowly, Applejack picked up the drawing and turned it around so that it was the right way around. Even then, she couldn't bear to look at it, instead she gazed at that all too interesting mark on the table just to the left of it. Sure, she caught a glimpse before, a clear stare, but this was different, this was somehow more intimate. More private.More... something. It was hard to put into words, maybe impossible, but there was something there, something that tugged at her heart, tugged at the very thing that made her who she was. To look was to see something, to gain something back, and yet, it felt so much like a loss. As though she was giving up something precious. Memories. She was giving up her memories. She could only recall the vaguest of ideas of what her mother looked like, but that didn't stop her from building an image in her mind. One of a strong pony, one that looked confident andself-assured, but gentle and nurturing all at the same time. There already was an image in her mind of what her mother looked like, what she should look like, and to gaze on this picture now, to really look at it and take it all in. That would shatter her illusions, her memories, her dreams, the thing that kept her alive and walking for so long. How many nights had she spent replying those scenes in her mind? How many times had she imagined being held by her mother, of that loving caress and tender kiss? With a deliberate slowness born out of fear, she let her gaze drift across, and there lay her mother. Features all too plain, all too unremarkable, and all too frail. There was nothing special, nothing unique or strong or caring. It might as well have been any other pony staring back at her, but there was asense of rightness. That click, that vivid image in her mind's eye. She could hear her mother's voice echoing in her mind, see how she moved with that natural grace. There was nothing special about her mother, and yet that felt right. "Thank you," whispered Applejack as she passed the picture back. He slipped it into this desk drawer and they sat there silently. Neither of them moved, there was no need. The silence was an old one, something that came from the past, the ghost of a memory, an echo destined to repeat itself again and again as long as they lived. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, they simply clicked together, and that was enough for her. "When that unicorn wakes up, Ah want to be there," said Applejack and for over a minute, they just stared at each other, neither willing to give an inch. "She was my owner. If anypony deserves to be there, it's me," hissed Applejack. "It's torture." "Ah'm used to it." Those words hung in the air. "Very well." "Thank you," whispered Applejack as she followed after her brother. Already, a thousand different thoughts filled her mind. Already she could see all the ways she could make that horned freak scream. All the ways she could slowly break that bitch down, to return all that pain and anger and hopelessness that she had felt for so many years. This was it, this was what she had dreamed of since forever. If she had concerns about her mother's approval, it was washed away with the vindictiveness in MacIntosh's eyes. If he could do it, if he was willing to do it, then she could as well. If he could do it, then she could as well... Rainbow Dash stomped down as hard as she could, and was rewarded with the satisfying crunch of breaking bones. Spitting to the side, she wiped the blood from her face before giving that damned stallion an extra kick just for good measure. Nopony had the right to be so damned hard to kill unless they were a Wonderbolt, and considering this was just some dirt pony bastard, it should have been over in ten seconds flat. But no, he just wouldn't fucking fight fair. After yet another kick, Dash limped away, muttering curses under her breath. Ignoring the dead bodies littering the ground, she trotted over to Twilight and slammed the horned freak against the caravan. "What the fuck!? We could have gotten away without having to fight!" yelled Dash. "You were the one who said we should come and investigate. Both you and Spike." She sounded far too calm about everything. "If you had listened to me, then we never would have come in this direction to begin with. With was it you said? Ah yes, 'It could be pegasi in danger and so we have to help out,' I believe it was." "And when we found it wasn't, we should have left. Not fire a bloody fucking arrow into that slut's head! What in the sky were you thinking!? Oh wait, you weren't!" screamed Dash in Twilight's face. The unicorn calmly wiped the spit off her face. "We were here, ponies were in trouble, so I helped. In fact, we even managed to save some." "What." Enough venom dripped from that single word to kill an entire battalion. "Are you telling me, we just saved some horned freaks?" "Yes." "What. The. Fuck!" Dash reared back and punched a hole in the wall right by Twilight's face. "Alright, that's it, I'm gonna slaughter every single last one of them. Where are they?" "Already gone." The monster dusted herself off. "I figured you would have this type of reaction, and planned accordingly. As far as I'm concerned, they were slaves and needed to be freed." "I should rip your head off and make you eat it," snarled Dash as she stalked away. "They're horned freaks!" "And you're a feathered freak, and that dead body over there is a dirt pony." Twilight followed with an eye roll. "Stopthisfoalish behavior and get over yourself." "Why you little-" "Rainbow Dash," whispered Fluttershy. With a snarl of frustration, Dash walked away. If the other two decided to follow, she didn't know and she didn't care. If she saw another stupid living thing, she was going to rip them limb from limb and feed them to the timberwolves. Sure, she could hear the whispering behind her, and sure, it could have been about her, but at this point, she was beyond caring. As long as they weren't in sight, they did not exist. "You're a real hypocrite, you know that?" Dash clenched her teeth, hoping that the stupid drake would go away. "Save the pegasi, but not the earth ponies or unicorns. Typical really, not sure why I'm even surprised." Go away, go away, go away, go away, go aw- "You know, ignoring me won't work." Fuck. "What do you want then?" growled Dash as she turned her head to glare at Spike. "Just to talk," he said. "Well you can suck it." "I'm just curious how far you'd go to save the pegasi." He triedto land on her back, but a simple buck stopped him from doing that. "Would you die for them?" "Of course." Dash snorted in amusement. What a stupid question, then again, she really shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't his fault he was raised by that freak. "How long would you last under torture until you gave up information?" "Until I died." "And if you never died?" "Then forever. I'd cut out my own tongue to stop myself if it came to that, just to make sure I wouldn't say anything. Chop off my hooves and gouge out my eyes. Whatever it took to stop myself." Spike snorted in amusement. "You make it sound so easy. It's one thing to say it, another to actually do it." "I've dived into a pack of timberwolves to save my pegasi. I've jumped into frozen waters and injured my wing saving my pegasi. I will do anything it takes to keep them safe. Something you and that horned freak obviously do not understand." "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" He sounded almost smug about it. "Tell me, if a shipment of food had been poisoned, and you overhead some pegasi talking about it, some high ranking pegasus who would never do such a thing. And let's say that whoever you told just scoffed and brushed it off, or they did some investigation but came up empty. And then that same pegasus, that same scumbag, came to you and bragged about it. Let me ask you this, you could either act and be branded a traitor, or you can ignore it. One or the other, no third option. No heroic pardon as everyone realizes the truth. Traitor or turn a blind eye. Which one would you choose?" "Traitor." There wasn't even a hint of hesitation. "They can think all they want, but I'll know the truth, and that's all that matters. I saved pegasi, nothing more needs to be said." "What if you were trapped in a cave with some slaves. Your pegasi are injured, the slaves are injured and you've only got a day to get help before everypony dies from the cold. The only other uninjured pony is a unicorn, would you-" "Work with them? If that's what it took to save my pegasi, then yes." "How curious." Dash glanced back at Spike, but his expression was oddly neutral. "You must really hate Twilight." "She has tossed aside everything it means to be a unicorn!" yelled Dash as she spun around. "She's tossed aside her magic, tossed aside her tribe, tossed aside her family and friends and everything! What kind of pony does that? What kind of monster?" "Why should she be loyal to those who tossed her aside?" hissed Spike, flames flickering past his muzzle. "Why be loyal to those who don't deserve it?" "Wha-what?" "Never mind. Forget I said anything." "No!" Lunging forward, she clamped down on his tail before he could fly off. "Tell. Me." "Her entire family died. Her entire home was burned to the ground. Nopony was spared." Spike looked Dash straight in the eyes, and she saw something in there. Pain, sorrow, perhaps even anger. "They knew about it too. They knew the attack was coming and they did nothing. So let me ask you this, why should she be loyal to the unicorns? The pegasi killed her family, the unicorns let it happen, and the earth ponies... well... they're basically extinct by now anyways. At least, free earth ponies are. So I ask again, who should she be loyal to? A bunch of horned freaks who'd stab her in the back just as fast as you would, just because she has a horn?" Dash opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. What if that happened to her? Who would she be loyal to? Dash shook her head. No, that was just a stupid question. A silly question, a question that should never have entered her head to begin with.After all, she was a pegasus, and none of them would ever betray her like that. None of them would even think about passing information to the enemy. Spitfire, and Lightning Dust, and High Commander Hurricane, and every single last pegasuswas loyal to the bitter end. Twilight being betrayed? That was just the result of her being with the unicorns and nothing more. Even if that did happen to her, there would be a good reason. Maybe pegasi were needed elsewhere,or it was to lure the enemy into a false sense of security. Whatever it was, Dash was positive there'd be a reason, and it'd be far above her clearance level. "That's what I thought." Spike shook his head. "Forget I told you anything, it was not my place to tell you, but loyalty-" He snorted in amusement. "-loyalty is nice in theory, but in this damned world? It's not enough." "Well I'd still be loyal to them," Dash finally said. "Of course you would," he chuckled. "But back to our original discussion. Did you ever think that what she does is actually to save everypony?" "Yeah, sure. And I'm actually Spitfire in disguise." "If she's right, if she can stop this blasted weather and bring the sun back, is that not worth it? You'd be branded a traitor for working with her, you'd be forced to work with a unicorn, but ultimately, you'd be saving your pegasi." "Yeah, if she's right." Plus, who even cares about that? When the pegasi won this little war, they'd have everything they needed anyways, so why bother sharing it at all? And once they won, they could go through those musty, useless books and find whatever it was that freak was looking for. With the slaves they'd have, it’dbe so simple. Far simpler than learning how to fly or how to breathe. For a brief second, it looked as though Spike was about to say something, but in the end he simply sighed and shook his head. Angling ever so slight to the right, he circled back to the other two mares who were deep in conversation about something. Whatever it was, Dash was positive Fluttershy was smart enough to separate lies from truth. Unicorns could be sneaky and devious, but Fluttershy was smarter. Far smarter than most pegasi.If anyone could smell out a unicorn lie, it was her. That dragon with his oh so smart words and tricky logical... trick-things.They thought she was so stupid, that just because Rainbow Dash wasn't afraid of anything she must be an idiot. Well fuck them! They could try as hard as they liked, they could tie her down and torture her, but in the end, she would come out on top. The pegasi would come out on top. Screw that monster and everything itstood for. As soon as Spitfire no longer needed that freak, Dash was going to break that monster's neck. Sure, it could be used in the breeding pens, but anything that came out would be twisted beyond recognition. It'd look normal, look like a perfectly healthy slave, but Dash knew better. Oh, she knew better alright.