Date at Dodge Junction

by Rated Ponystar

Act 6

Despite popular belief, Applejack wasn’t that much of a religious mare. After her parents died, despite her prayers to the various gods and goddesses she heard about, she stopped believing they actually cared about her. If deities couldn’t help her, then she would just rely on herself. It caused a few problems with some of her more faithful relatives, but they respected her in the end for choosing not to count on the gods for everything.

Now, for the first time in years, Applejack was praying. Slavery was a fate that all ponies feared ever since the Griffin Wars three hundred years ago, back when it was legal in the Griffin Empire. Raiders of armed, winged monsters came down to kill all the stallions, rape the mares, and sell the foals, in chains, to powerful nobles. Some for service, others for cleaning or cooking, the worst were for... pleasure.

After the war and the destruction of the Empire, which gave way to the Republic, slavery was outlawed in every nation that had to deal with the former empire. All but the Badlands. The stories about the Everfree Forest were scary to hear about growing up. The stories of the Badlands, however, could even give a royal guard nightmares. It was a land of no order, only scum and villainy. Anything was acceptable from slavery to rape to murder to theft and more. There was no ruler and only one rule: “Everything Goes”.

The borders between Equestria and these horrible lands were more secured than the princesses’ castle, but even still the criminals of the Badlands found ways to move about undetected. Applejack, trapped in chains and hidden in a carriage, was praying that somehow she would not end up in these horrible lands. She eyed Metal Hoof and the gang members that kept watch over

 her, making sure she didn’t escape. She thought of her family and friends back in Ponyville. Would she ever see them again? Most slaves who end up in the Badlands rarely ever made it back home, and the princess dare not send any armed forces into the chaotic lands. It would cause a war between them and every criminal element that wanted to hold onto their freedom, a risk Celestia would not do even for Applejack.

If she crossed that border, Applejack might as well slit her own throat.

“Hey, boss?” asked one of the rouges, a unicorn who stared at Applejack’s backside with a lick. “Why don’t we have some fun with this one? That flank’s been all but begging me to bang it.”

Applejack instantly covered her rear end with her tail and held her breath.

“No, the more virgin they are, the better we get paid,” said Metal Hoof as he leaned down and stroked her cheek.

The carriage stopped and Applejack felt her heart stop with it. The carriage door opened, and she saw a train being loaded up and ready. Metal Hoof kicked her out of the carriage and into the dirt where she groaned upon feeling her belly make contact with the rough terrain. A conductor walked up to them and nodded. “This here it?”

“Yup, how soon ‘till we leave?” asked Metal Hoof as he levitated a small bag of bits to the conductor who took it with a greedy smile.

“Give it an hour and we’ll be headin’ south.”

“Good, put her in a crate and we’ll wait by car number five,” said Metal Hoof. Applejack struggled against the two that grabbed her which caught Metal Hoof’s attention. He walked up to her, raised her head and shook his own. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Why don’t ya take a nap?”

The last thing Applejack saw before her lights went out was his metal hoof aiming for her face.

McShady opened the second lock on the warehouse, which he learn about from his interrogation. Rainbow Dash had been shocked to learn that the pony who she had been working with was actually a retired bounty hunter, but the clues were now starting to fit in place. It did make her wonder why a retired bounty hunter became a rodeo pony of all things, but she wasn’t gonna question it. Not when saving Applejack was more important.

“Why are we wasting time here when we could be saving Applejack?!” demanded Rainbow Dash, stomping her hoof. “I mean, we’re in the middle of a bunch of warehouses! Why?!”

McShady rolled his eyes and glared at Dash. “Use that brain of yers under all that multicolored abomination ya call yer mane. Metal Hoof and his cronies got guns, and it’s just the two of us until the sheriff and his men get here,” he unlocked the final lock, “so we’re gonna even the playin’ field.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen as she saw what the warehouse was filled with. “G-guns... lots of guns...”

There had to be a hundred of them. Small ones. Big ones. Long ones. Fat ones. Even a giant cannon was placed by the corner. There were also sets of knives, swords, black balls with rope at the end she recognized as bombs, and all sorts of deadly traps. McShady walked inside and began pointing at them. “One of mah many old safehouses back in the huntin’ days. Pistols. Shotguns. Rifles. Mult-Rifles. Sniper Rifles. Grenades. Knives. Grab what you want as well as the ammo.”

“Uh, r-right,” said Dash as she nervously went over and grabbed a few pistols and knives.

“Have ya killed before?” asked McShady, loading up a revolver.

Rainbow Dash paused in grabbing a set of shells and looked down at them. “Yeah...during the Changeling Invasion. Some of the blows I gave them were fatal.” Training my dad taught me. “I... I felt disgusted that I killed them, but they were trying to kill me. I kept thinking though... did they have dreams? A family? Was this bug pony thing really evil, or was he just following his queen’s orders?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I had nightmares for awhile. Princess Celestia and Luna helped us all out after that day, and I got over it. But I don’t like killing... even though I might have to do more since I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt one day and part of the military.”

McShady stopped examining a shotgun and sighed. “It’s not a pretty thin’, but would ya rather have the blood of scum on yer hooves or the blood of the mare ya love?”

“How do you...”

“Ah had that look once. Long ago,” said McShady before turning back to his work. “Don’t think of it as killin’, but rescuin’. Saving a life that ya care about more than anythin’. Think that, and you’ll be alright.”

Rainbow Dash nodded before she took a few more weapons and belts to hold them. When it was all done, the two put them together in a big bag after loading them all up with ammunition. McShady sighed and nodded. “Okay, this is what we’ll have to carry.”

“So now we have to find them,” said Rainbow Dash, smashing her hooves together. “I can do a quick flyby around town and see what I can find.”

“No need. I know exactly where they’re goin’,” said McShady as he grabbed the bag and walked out of the warehouse. “Only one train is workin’ this late at night. It’s supposed to head down to a few village’s of the Hayseed Swamps for givin’ supplies, but has to cross under a mountain that’s part of the border of the Badlands. Metal Hoof will be using that route to transport Applejack.”

“So we head to the train yard and beat them up, right?” asked Rainbow Dash, flying next to him.

McShady shook his head. “Nope. We’re gonna need the element of surprise for this one. So we’re gonna head over to somepony who can help us.”

“Who?” asked Dash

“The undertaker?” asked Dash, staring at the store in disbelief. McShady ignored her as he walked up and banged on the door a few times.

A light appeared in the store just as an old earth pony in a nightcap appeared and yawned. He quickly woke up when he saw who it was. “McShady! What are ya doin’ here? And who did ya kill this time?”

“Nopony yet, but soon. Ah need yer help. Ah need a funeral dress, flowers, and a casket. Nothing special, just a decent one.”

The undertaker raised an eyebrow. “Ah thought ya said ya didn’t kill anypony?”

“It’s not for a target. It’s for her,” said McShady, nodding to Rainbow Dash.

“Wait, what?!” screamed Dash.

A black carriage that anypony would recognize as the undertaker’s passed into the train yard with a single puller of the black carrier with lilies decorated on the sides. Two of Metal Hoof’s armed stallions got up from their seats and walked over to the carriage which stopped in their midst. The hooded pony nodded and said, “Evenin’.”

“Funny time to be here undertakin’ this late at night,” said one of the thugs.

“Sorry, but this is a late delivery. Ah’m here to take this poor mare to her folks down in Swimmers Town in Hayseed Swamp for her burial,” answered the hooded pony, motioning to the brown casket in the carriage.

“Ya don’t mind if we check it out, make sure yer tellin’ the truth,” asked the other.

The hooded pony nodded. “By all means, just don’t disturb her too much. We worked hard to make sure she’s prim and proper for her final rest.”

The two guards walked over to the carriage and opened it, taking out the casket and laying it down. They opened it, revealing a light blue pegasus, in a simple black dress, with a rainbow mane lying inside on a bed of red roses while a small bouquet of them lay on her chest, held by her hooves. One of the guards looked at her and asked, “What happened to her? She’s so young.”

“Scorpion stung her in her sleep. Died peacefully, at least,” answered the undertaker.

“Ain’t that a shame. So young and already up there in the big barnyard in the sky,” the criminal replied before he closed the casket. The two hoisted it back up. “Alright, yer in the clear. Put her inside and get on out of here as soon as ya can.”

“Thank ya kindly,” the hooded pony said before trotting into the train yard. When they were away from the guard, Rainbow Dash poked out of her casket and whispered, “Told ya I was a good actor.”

“Ah’m sure yer gonna win an award, now get back to playin’ dead,” muttered McShady under his hood.

Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out before lying back down.

It didn’t take them long to enter the trainyard and hide the carriage near an abandoned caboose. Dash got out of her coffin and the dress before being handed two pistols and a shotgun by McShady. Taking a few guns, including a bolt action sniper rifle, McShady pointed to a nearby radio tower. “Ah’ll keep watch up there.”

“Okay, let’s find AJ,” said Rainbow before she rushed off. McShady shook his head at her impatience and made his way towards the tower.

Climbing the latter as swift and quiet as a cat, the bounty hunter made it to the top and peeked up, noticing a single guard leaning over the railing. McShady slowly got up and, before the guard knew it, his forelegs were around the neck and snapped it. Laying the deceased guard down, he blew out the nearby candle light and lifted up the rifle.

Back down below, Dash was rushing and ducking through various train carts, keeping an eye on wandering patrols. Some of them looked like station workers, others looked a lot like bandits dressed in dark cloaks and black hats. She could even see their guns by their side;  mostly likely Metal Hoof’s boys.

Ducking under a nearby train, she laid her belly on the tracks as she crawled under the train as stealthy as she could. Along the way, she saw two guards walking towards her direction and talking to one another.

“So, where did Metal Hoof put the slave?” asked one of them.

“She’s in an apple crate, ironically. Might as well enjoy the smell of them before the only thing she’ll smell is the aftermath of a Diamond Dog Warlord having his way with her sweet flank.”

The two laughed and it almost made Dash fly out and punch their lights out for saying such things about Applejack, but she bit her lip and held on. When she was sure they were gone, Dash quickly got out of the train and flew up. She quickly scanned the area, using her sharp flyer’s eyes to look for any sign of crates. She noticed a large number of them by a train that looked like it was getting ready to leave.

Feeling like it was her best bet, Rainbow Dash flew down and landed in the middle of them. Galloping through the crates, she eyed every single one of them in search for any labeled “apples”. Come on, AJ! Where are you! Where the buck are you!

She was about to reach the end of the crates when she finally found it. The large crate labeled her friend’s namesake. With a strong kick, the crate smashed open, revealing piles of apples that rolled down the pile and onto the floor. in the middle of the crate was none other than Applejack, gagged and tied up, and unconscious. “Applejack!” shouted Dash as she rushed over and held her.

“AJ, open your eyes! It’s me! Dash!” she cried out.

Applejack stirred a bit before she opened her eyelids and widened at who she saw smiling at her. A tear slipped down her cheek as she muttered under her gag, “Dash...”

Hugging her friend for a good while, Dash then removed the gag and began to work on the chains. “Hold on, I can get you free without any problems.”

The sound of a hammer cocking at the back of a gun pressed against the side of her head stopped her. “Ah think ya got a new problem to worry about.”

Applejack and Dash grunted as they were both tossed to the ground on the station platform, their bonds now freed. The two looked up as Metal Hoof stepped forward, his gang surrounding them at every corner. He chuckled before taking out his gun with his magic and pointed it at Dash. “So we got ourselves a shinin’ knight tryin’ to save the princess.” He grinned, which made the two shiver at the sight of the half-metal mouth’s appearance. “Don’t ya girls know the fairy tales never end up bein’ real?”

“Let her go, Metal Hoof! It’s me ya want!” cried out Applejack, standing up with a determined look on her face. “Sell me as a sex slave. Just let her go!”

“Screw that!” shouted Dash getting up and glaring at AJ. “I didn’t become the Element of Loyalty by abandoning my friends. If you’re going down, I’m going down with you.”

“Such a warm hearted friendship ya two have,” Metal Hoof yawned, “but Ah’m gettin’ really tired of havin’ mah work interrupted. So... what to do with either of ya?”

Applejack lowered her hat and glared. “If yer gonna kill us just do it quick already.”

“Kill you?” gasped Metal Hoof, although it was clearly fake. “Why would Ah want to do that? Do ya take me for a monster?”

“You sell ponies as slaves to be used and thrown away like used tissue paper! You’re nothing more than scum!” shouted Dash, growling.

“Scum, sure. But rich scum nonetheless,” chuckled Metal Hoof, with a very raspy laugh. He sighed and looked at Rainbow Dash while aiming his gun at her. “See, while it’s temptin’ to take the two of ya. Ah don’t want to risk it. So one of ya...” he then pointed it at Applejack. “Is gonna die here and how.”

Applejack did her best to show no fear, but she looked at Dash with worry in her eyes. She would rather be sold on the market like a piece of meat then see her crush end up with a fate like this. This is all mah fault, Ah should be the one to die. Not her. She’s got a future as a Wonderbolt!

“Let’s let fate decide, eh boss?” asked one of the gang members, showing a bit.

Metal Hoof smiled. “Why not? Heads it’s the pegasus. Tails it’s the earth pony.”

The bandit flipped the coin in the air as Applejack watched with baited breath. Time seemed to slow down as everypony watched it fall. If it was heads, Applejack would have to say goodbye to the love of her life. If tails, she was still gonna have to say goodbye. It was a lose-lose situation, but AJ didn’t know what was gonna be worse. To be alive and know that she lead the one pony she cared more than any other to her death? Or to never tell Dash how she really felt before a bullet was put into her skull.

The coin landed and AJ fell to her haunches in tears.

Heads.

Dash was the one who would die.

She turned to Dash, knowing this would be the last time she would ever see her beautiful eyes. Unsurprisingly, Dash didn’t show a single look of fear, but instead smiled as she gazed over at AJ. “Dash... Ah’m so sorry...” whispered Applejack, lowering her head in shame.

A hoof raised her chin and before she knew it, her lips were touching Dash’s. Eyes wide, she felt the electrified taste of blueberries on her lips for a brief second before Dash pulled away and gave her a smile. “Relax, AJ. I hear heaven’s pretty sweet. I’ll see you there.”

“This is sweet and all, but can ya turn around so Ah can aim right?”

Rainbow scowled as she turned around where Metal Hoof was aiming his gun straight at her forehead. With tears in her eyes, Applejack tried to fight the urge to look away. She wanted to see Dash until the last moment, letting her act of bravery be the last thing she sees in Equestria before her horrible fate.

‘Ah love you...” whispered Applejack, without knowing it.

“I know,” said Dash, smiling without looking at her.

A shot rang out and Applejack’s heart stopped but she soon found herself in darkness while the lightbulb above was shattered into tiny pieces. Instincts kicked in and Applejack bucked the two goons behind her before ducking just as shouts went out followed by gunshots from all directions. She didn’t know where that first shot came from, who was shooting who, nor if Rainbow Dash was still alive.

Before she knew it, she felt a familiar wing brush against her back followed by a voice she had never been more glad to hear in her entire life. “Run! Don’t stop!” shouted Rainbow Dash before Applejack heard the sound of wings flying into the air.

Applejack didn’t need to be told twice. She picked herself up and ran like her tail was on fire. While she raced into the darkness, she heard Metal Hoof ordering his gang to stop shooting and spread out. Applejack doubted she was gonna be used for slavery now. Most likely she was gonna be target practice. She kept running until she pressed herself against a nearby shed. She looked behind her and saw three of Metal Hooves goons coming straight towards her, guns high in the air thanks to their horns..

They fired a couple of shots at her, and she hid back just as the bullets flew past her. Cursing her luck, Applejack tried to figure out a way of how she was gonna get out of this one. Her answer came in the forum of another gunshot, but this time she heard one of the gang members go down.

“Sniper!” shouted the other one as the two hid behind some barrels.

Seeing her chance, Applejack rushed out towards them, hoping to catch them off guard with whoever her savior was. The two spotted Applejack and aimed, but a few more gunshots from the sniper stopped them. Before either of the two remaining gangsters knew it, Applejack was already upon them. She tackled the first one and knocked the gun out of his hooves before smacking him a few times in the head.

She heard the click of a hammer from the other gangster and dived out of the way just in the nick of time as the bullet entered the shoulder of his friend, causing him to whine and scream at the pain. Applejack turned around, eyes widened as she saw him aim at her. This time she had no chance to dodge in time.

Thankfully, whatever gods were looking after AJ didn’t abandon her as she heard the sound of the empty gun click. Without wasting any time, Applejack rushed over and bucked the shocked gunpony in the head with an instant KO. She turned towards the other one, but he was still on the ground, clutching his wound and whimpering. Applejack relaxed; no way he was gonna be trouble now.

“Ya hit?”

Applejack turned around, ready for another fight, but to her shock it was McShady, walking towards her with a rifle across his back. She was ready to attack when he held a hoof saying, “Relax, Ah ain’t yer enemy. Ah’m here to help ya.”

“Help me?! Yer boys tried to hull mah flank off into slavery!” shouted Applejack, gritting her teeth.

“Well, those ‘boys’ were actin’ on their own. Listen, if Ah wasn’t on yer side, do ya think Ah’d have ya still breathin’? Ah saved yer sorry butt twice, the least ya can do is trust me.”

Applejack lowered her stance as she thought about it. She could still smell the fresh gunpowder from the rifle, and it was clear it had been shot more than once recently. Plus, a rifle had saved her and Dash. Not to mention if he was on Metal Hoof’s payroll then she would be already dead by now considering how fast he could shoot.

“Alright, Ah’ll believe ya for now. Where is Dash?” asked Applejack.

McShady was about to answer when they heard gunshots coming from the other side of the railroad. Shaking his head, McShady spat on the ground. “Well, we follow the bullets,”

Rainbow Dash felt her hooves shaking as she lowered the gun from where she stood. The gang member clutched his chest as he stared at Dash with a look of fear in his eyes. Rainbow Dash didn’t need to know what he was thinking, it was clear on his pale and frightened face.

I don’t want to die.

She did nothing but stand still as he fell forward, motionless, and landed on his face. A small pool of blood began to form from underneath him as Dash did her best to fight down the bile in her throat.

She killed him. She knew that he was chasing after her and was ready to kill her. So she killed him first.

Rainbow Dash didn’t have much time left to think about what she had done as she heard the approaching gang members that had been behind her. Biting her lip, she tried to figure out what to do now. She couldn’t just out fly them or else they might go after Applejack, who she hoped was with McShady by the direction she last saw them. And Rainbow Dash didn’t know if she had it in her to kill anymore.

Man, what would Daring Do do in this situation? thought Dash. She thought back to Daring Do and The Stone Warriors where the rock golems of the lost diamond dog kingdom of Tenochiwawlan were after her by orders of their new master, the evil Professor Diabolic. She had created a mud and straw version of herself and threw it off a cliff where some crocodiles ate it, making the stone warriors believe her dead. Smirking, Dash thought of a similar plan as she took off her cowpony hat and tried to find a suitable stand in.

A nearby bag of tomatoes would do just nicely. She hide it in the dark, visible enough to spot the hat but not the body, and waited till they were close enough where they could see her. Taking the pistol she had in one hoof, she shouted, “Hey, scrapheaps! Warning shot!” and fired twice into the air.

The Gangponies ducked down quickly as the shots rang out. They turned and saw a dark figure standing from the direction they heard shots and opened fire. The head of the figure exploded in a spray of wet red. They lowered their guns, satisfied, as smoke from the shots filled the air. They fell for it, Dash thought with a grin. Now to finish the job.

She dashed out from her hiding place, quick as a lightening bolt and began to fly in circles around them. The smoke from the guns trailed behind her, making it nearly impossible to see the blue dart. More shots rang out as they tried in vain to kill her. Faster and faster she flew, kicking up dust and debris. The Gangponies began to lose balance as they slowly rose off the floor; Dash’s wind tunnel creating a mini tornado. Rainbow Dash squinted as the dust hit her hard in the face, leaving scrapes and cuts, but she refused to give up. Gotta go faster, she thought.

Pushing herself as hard as she could, the Gangponies were now several feet off the ground. Finally, in an act that would make the Wonderbolts proud, she adjusted her direction at an angle and gave one final push, a slight trail of rainbow colors forming behind her. Just before the push back she knew all too well of a failed Sonic Rainboom hit her, she released the tornado and flung the Gangponies off into the distance till they were little specs in the air.  

Rainbow Dash looked at her work and felt the need to pat herself on the back. “Awww, yeah! That’s what I call a good old fashioned desert storm! Now I just got to find Appleja- “

A crack in the air went out and Rainbow Dash screamed.

Never before had she scream so much until she felt her shoulder burst open and blood sprayed across her face. She fell down like a sack of bricks, holding on to her bleeding wound while she fought back the tears in her eyes. Rainbow Dash looked up and gulped, spotting the smoking pistol that had shot her.

Metal Hoof, grinning with that metal lip of his, slowly made his way towards Dash who did her best to try and get up, but each time she tried she hissed and fell back down. She looked into the cold, dead like eyes of the slaver that had tried to sell her best friend off like some whore and didn’t flinch.

“Ya’ll are an amusing pegasus, little filly,” whispered Metal Hoof before he lifted his trademark name and pressed it against her wound.

Rainbow Dash screamed as she felt him press harder and harder with each passing second. She eventually bit her tongue and then spat blood in her captor’s face, who calmly wiped it off before pistol whipping her in the cheek. Dash coughed up blood and spat out a loose tooth as she saw the gun raised at her head.

“Time to fly to heaven, little filly,” said Metal Hoof with a smile as he pulled back the hammer.

Dash closed her eyes and waited for the end.

“Hold it right there, Metal Hoof!” shouted a familiar voice followed by a gun cock.

Opening her eyes, Dash turned to her right and saw McShady standing nearby, both pistols raised and pointed at Metal Hoof. The wanted pony didn’t even flinch or move his gun from Dash’s head as he calmly looked at McShady and smirked. “Well, well, well. Duke “The Viper” McShady. Last Ah heard ya gave up ya bounty huntin’ ways a long time ago after the massacre at Red Indian Knee. A lot of good ponies died that day.”

“A lot of bad ones, too. Too bad ya weren’t there. Plenty of open space for another grave,” muttered McShady.

Metal Hoof sighed. “They say yer so fast with a gun yer like a snake poised and ready to kill. By the time they know they’ve been shot, their spirit has already left their body for judgement.” He smirked and nodded over to Rainbow Dash. “But are ya fast enough to save her life? Ya’ll can go ahead and shoot me, but are ya willin’ to put her life on the line as well?”

McShady just stood there, still as a statue with both guns still aimed at Metal Hoof. Dash gulped and wondered what he was gonna do to get them out of this situation. To her surprise, he calmly tossed his guns away and raised his forehooves in the air. Metal Hoof grinned. “That’s a good little bounty hunter,” and then he whistled.

Five armed gang members then appeared out of the shadows and pointed their guns at McShady who sighed. “Ya five realize if yer gonna aim at me, ya’ll should aim for my chest and not mah head?”

“Could you not give them advice on how to kill you?! Argh!” cried out Dash, hissing at feeling of the bullet entering deeper in her shoulder.

Metal Hoof chuckled before taking the gun away from Dash and his smile turned upside down. “Where is the other one?”

“Dead. Yer boys shot her.”

Metal Hoof rolled his eyes. “Come on, ya think Ah’m gonna fall for that trick? Where is she?”

McShady was quiet at first, but then he smirked and said, “Right behind ya.”

Metal Hoof’s eyes widen just as something leaped off a nearby caboose and landed on top of him. He tried to fire his gun, but Applejack knocked it out of his hooves and head butted him. Metal Hoof responded by smacking AJ’s head with his metallic hoof, knocking her hat off, but AJ still held on to him and continued their struggle.

At the same time, McShady grabbed something from his belt and threw it on the ground, causing a cloud of smoke to appear and hide him. The gangponies who had their aim at him fired their weapons at the cloud and Dash held her breath, trying to see any sign of the bounty hunter making his escape. She saw nothing.

The five shooters stopped and tried to spot a corpse among the smoke, but in less then a second five shots rang out. All five fell like dominos before the smoke cleared out, revealing a unscratched McShady, holding a much smaller pistol that Dash didn’t see him holding earlier. She turned back to AJ and Metal Hoof with the latter having gotten on top of her. His metal hoof then opened up, revealing a hidden blade that he aimed at her neck.

“Applejack!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

Before he could bring it down, another shot rang out and Metal Hoof screamed as the bullet went straight through his metalic limb, cutting off the blade. Seeing her chance, Applejack screamed and bucked him off of her before getting up. Metal Hoof grabbed his gun nearby and raised to aim, but Applejack turned around and gave the mightiest buck she could give.

The sound of her hoof smacking against his jaw echoed across the station...

... as did the sound of his neck snapping.

All was quiet as everypony stared at the body of Metal Hoof who sat there, still as can be with his head turned completely in the opposite direction. It swaggered a bit before falling on it’s side, motionless. Applejack stared at life of the slaver who she had just ended and froze.

Rainbow Dash was also just as shocked. She had heard Applejack say that a good solid Apple Family buck could snap a neck, and this proved it true.

Her shock was soon ended by a shot of pain and gasp for air as Dash felt her entire body starting to go numb. McShady and Applejack quickly ran over to Dash as she felt her eyes get heavier and heavier.

“Dash! Hang on! Dash!”

Rainbow Dash tried to say something, but the pain became too much and she fell into darkness.