It was a calm summer morning, and there was a pleasant breeze sweeping through the trees and grass. It was the ideal day, as far as she was concerned. She watched her daughter race her shadow and frolic in solo play. Nothing could go wrong, though Maggie, nothing. Everything was so perfect, she decided to roll to convince herself she was not dreaming. She wasn't. Maggie made a pivot without thinking about it, and set herself at a brisk trot around the field. Miss Doc Sally soon joined her, cantering to keep up, and drinking in the fresh air as her mother did. Maggie's flaxen mane blew in the breeze, and Miss Sally's little bush of black mane rustled pleasantly. Things couldn't get any better for either of them. When Maggie and her daughter decided to stop, they had reached a little knoll. They stood happily and let the breeze blow in their faces. Had anyone been watching, they were incarnating the stereotypical "happy horse." Maggie moved off in search of good green grass. Miss Sally watched her mother walk off, but did not follow her.

Two hours passed in simple pleasure, with Maggie's daughter alternating between nursing, rolling, cavorting and simply enjoying life to the fullest. Even though her mother was at the other end of the field, Miss Sally was not worried. Something moved at her end of the fence, and Miss Sally trotted over to check things out. Suddenly, her left hind leg jerked backwards and she lost her balance and fell with a dull thud on the ground. Slightly dazed, she got up and tried to regain control of her leg. Something was holding it back; a thick rope tied to a large tree. She heard a low growl and just had time to look up as a large doberman leapt at her and knocked her over on her side. Miss Sally gave a terrified scream as the dog sank his teeth into her shoulder. She tried desperately to fight him off, but he was much to big and much too strong for her. She called her mother desperately.

A sound drifted on the wind and Maggie caught it. It had an oddly familiar tone to it, but she couldn't quite place it. There it was again. Suddenly, it's meaning became crystal clear to her; it was her daughter, and she was in danger. It sounded like an "I'm being attacked" kind of danger. Maggie's ears flattened in a split-second and she began to see red. "Nobody is going to hurt MY daughter and get away with it!!!" Maggie's neck lowered to almost touching the ground and she set off at a wild gallop, following the sound of her daughter's screams.

There she was, on the ground, with a large, black dog on top of her. Maggie gave a blood-curdling scream and bared her teeth, while travelling as fast as her legs would allow her to. She tore into the dog who gave a frightened and surprised yelp as the equine cannonball sent him sprawling on the ground 100 feet away from Maggie's alive, but extremely weak and profusely bleeding daughter. Not slowing down at all, Maggie jumped over her child and bore into the dog once more. She grabbed him savagely by the neck, lifted him clear off the ground and literally threw him down again. The dog yowled in pain. Before he could get up, Maggie was hammering him with her hooves until he lay dead on the ground. Breathing heavily, she shot her head up and looked for another threat, but had no time to avoid the rope that went hissing through the air and landed around her neck. Maggie reared and leaned against it, but it was solidly tied to a tree. She saw him. He brought back memories that she had taken a long time to get rid of. She seethed with rage and lunged at him, neck low, ears pinned against her head, eyes blazing and teeth ready to rip flesh, but was jerked still as the rope tightened around her neck.

Finally; the upper hand. Jason took full advantage of it. He taunted the horse that had gotten him fired. She refused to play along with him. She dodged every smack, avoided every attack. She was biding for time. She knew the rope was fraying, and it would only be a matter of time before she was free again. Then, Jason pulled out of his back-pack an object she did not recognize. He approached her, keeping a safe run-away distance available, just in case. Then he lunged her. She jumped in shock as a bolt of electricity flowed through her body. He had a cattle-prod, and it hurt. She was totally unprepared for this new attack. She swivelled and dodged as best she could, but they both knew she was trapped, and he took his time. Once, she saw his hand get too close and she lunged. Her teeth bit deeply into his arm. She could feel bone crushing, and she held on. Jason screamed in pain and tried to pull his arm free. She was not budging. Desperately, Jason applied the prod to her jaw. She released in pain and screamed as she reared up. The rope gave, and she landed. Jason knew he was as good as dead. She lunged at him, and there was nothing to stop her. She slammed him hard and sent him reeling against the tree. He just had time to roll out from under her hooves as they came crashing down within inches of his legs. He scrambled up and started to run, knowing far well that it was useless. He could see in her eyes that she was bent on killing him, and would stop at nothing in the process. She tore after him.

"OH MY GOD! JOHN!!!!!" screamed Alice as she took in the situation that was going on not a kilometer away from her. John came running. "S***! Call the vet and the doctor! I'll get the gun!!" "John, no!!" "GO!!!" he hollered and raced back into the stable. He emerged not a second later with a tranquillizer gun and trembling loaded a dart in it. He aimed for his darling horse gone mad.

Jason felt the horse slam into him and his bones literally shook. He fell on his stomach. Instinctively, he rolled into a ball as the horse pummelled him with her hooves. Suddenly, the horse gave a frightened neigh and stopped hitting Jason. The dart had found it's mark. Maggie ran off, hitting Jason's head in the process. She heard sirens, but they seemed so far away. She felt unstable. Her legs began to shake and she slowed down to a stand-still. She knew she had to lie down. So she did. She was out within a matter of minutes.

Jason was carted off in a screaming ambulance. He had suffered a head concussion and his arm was broken in several places. Miss Doc Sally had been saved within an inch of her life. Jason's dog had been killed. Maggie survived. John and Alice sued Jason and his family for cruelty and torture to animals and trespassing on private property. They won. However, Maggie was deeply scarred from this experience and did not successfully bear a foal for the next 2 years.

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