Marewell, My Lovely

by libertydude

Purgatory

Rainbow Dash’s hands had already started to blister from the shoveling. The horse manure didn’t aid her attitude, the stench already starting to make her woozy in the afternoon sun. She’d made a promise to Applejack to help out at the Everfree Stables, however, and she intended to help her friend see the barn cleaning through.

“Hey, Rainbow!” Applejack called out. Her bound hair bounced with each step, her boots giving their signature clack-clack along the barn floor. Two water bottles filled both hands, and Rainbow let out a relieved sigh as the shovel fell to the ground.

“Thanks, AJ,” she said, grabbing a bottle and downing the frigid water.

“Careful, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. “You’ll get a brain freeze if you chug too hard.”

“In this heat, I’ll be lucky to have a brain chill. You sure picked a heck of a day to clean out the stables.”

“Well, Mr. Stamp wasn’t giving me much leeway. If we didn’t clean it soon, he might be privy to throw out the guest Twilight sent us.”

Rainbow’s eyes wandered across the other end of the barn, out to the grazing field where the horses wandered about. It was the tall one she focused on, with bright red fur and a purple mane three-quarters down his sides. Even from here, she could see a faint rage in his face, narrowed eyes that displayed little but hatred for the world around him.

“Isn’t he supposed to be, you know… like us?” Rainbow said. “Twilight said he was a pony like her.”

Applejack shook her head. “Apparently he was acting foolish over in Equestria, so she made him turn into a regular horse to learn his lesson.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Must’ve done something real nasty for Twilight to turn him into that.”

“Let’s just hope we can make him behave. Mr. Stamp won’t like it if he starts bucking or biting the guests.”

Rainbow Dash cupped a fist in her hand. “Luckily for you, I know how to break in the wildest of stallions. How about we wrap up here, then try to whip Mr. Grump out there into shape?”

“Sounds like a plan. Let me get my shovel, and I’ll help you out.” She jogged toward the other end of the barn, looking for the shovel with the bent hilt she always used.

---

In the grazing field, the dark horse pounded the ground with his hoof. The grass flew up in little whiffs with each blow, the wind catching the blades every few seconds and carrying them to the other side of the field. The rest of the horses stood there, giving their new neighbor space. Even they knew this being was not to be trifled with.

The horse remembered the names and faces of all who wronged him. Those he would need to punish for shoving him here, where the disgusting creatures walking around on two legs expected him to be their chauffeur. He would play along, of course. Pretend he was a good horse who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Wouldn’t even give a playful nip, like he’d seen the other horses do. He’d be the good horse Twilight Sparkle told him he needed to be, instead of sending him to Tartarus or banishing him into a forsaken wasteland.

But she would pay for her mercy. He just needed to bide his time. He would escape when the opportunity arose. He would jump or ram the fence, then trample all the ugly monkeys dancing around him. Then he would go back to Equestria and destroy everypony who ever--

“Mommy, mommy!” one of the strange creatures said, pointing with its minuscule fingers at the dark horse. “Look at that funny horsie!”

“Yes, dear,” the bigger creature said. Her face looked exhausted from just having to look at the dark horse staring back at them. “Horses look funny when they paint them up like that. Maybe that’s why they made him that color. He was probably just a plain old horse in his original skin." She dabbed away her sweat with a handkerchief. "Perhaps he just wasn’t particularly special the way he used to be.”