Sister Slaves (Built Upon Dreams, Paid in Blood)

Sitting on Octavia’s lap and laying her head on her chest, Pinkie looks around the hull of the cargo-railcar. Her eyes scan the random tools, boxes, and knick-knacks that surrounds her. Finding the items filling up the room to be lacking, she turns her attention to the other slaves to her right.

Her eyes are drawn to the pegasus mare within the middle cage. The mare rests her head on the human male’s shoulder, sleeping the early-afternoon away. The mare’s wings fascinates Pinkie, their feathers look so soft, like a pillow, or a cloud, or cotton candy.

Seeing one of the earth ponies in the last cage staring at her, Pinkie gives him a shy wave. The stallion smirks, waving back. Blushing, Pinkie nervously giggles and buries her head in her sister’s inner elbow. Octavia awakens from her nap, opening an eye she watches her sister’s antics.

“Damn!” Dropping her act, Pinkie looks up and turns her attention to the cargo-railcar’s entrance and sees Ratchet and Willow stepping into the cove. “That was a good brunch, best bowl of berries I ever had!” Willow states, closing the gangway connection of the cargo-railcar.

“Yeah, they were… but I’m glad we’ll be eating dinner in Canterlot tonight.” Ratchet states sitting at his desk.

Curious about their conversation, Pinkie slowly crawls to the bars of her cage and tries peaking into the cove. She frowns, she can only see Willow’s backside. Octavia panics and crawls up to her sister. “Pinkie get back from the bars.” Their sisters awake from her tone of voice. Pinkie whines as she grabs the bars, refusing to listen to her sister, her mind too focus on her slave masters.

“Can we please eat at some other restaurant this time?” Willow asks placing her hands on her hips.

“But I love that restaurant!” Ratchet groans.

“I know, but I’m getting tired of it… Oh looks like someone’s hungry?” Willow notices Pinkie staring at her intently. Stepping out of the cove, Willow walks up to the filly’s cage. Nervous, Pinkie backs away from the bars and dives back into Octavia’s arms. Octavia brings her into a protective embrace, glaring at the mare. Willow frowns at their defensive demeanor. “Damn, what did they do to you at that camp?” She turns her attention to the cove. “I hope they didn’t scar them too bad?”

“If so… We’ll work on them…” Ratchet pokes his head out from the cove. “It’s easy to gain their trust! They're earth ponies! They have a strong desire to please and serve a master.” He laughs. “They believe that there is an all mighty stallion in the fucking sky!”

Willow rolls her eyes at his dramatic statement. Looking back at her slaves, she gives them a warm smile. “So, are you hungry?”

The sisters and Golden Stone look up at the mare. A thought fights for dominance in Pinkie’s mind. “Can we have some berries?” She crawls up to the bars, standing up. “You… You were having some!” She huffs.

Willow tilts her head as she lets out a giggle. “You’re a funny one.” She walks to the cove, and after a few short seconds later she comes back tossing each slave their own multigrain hardtack. “When we get to Canterlot later tonight you’ll get something else besides this.” She steps away from the cages and walks into the cove, shutting its door.

Pinkie picks up the hardtack from the floor and gives it a frown. “Pinkie come here!” Golden Stone points a finger at a spot in-between Limestone and Marble. With a huff, Pinkie crawls over to her sisters and silently eats her meal.

“You have a lot to learn filly.”

Pinkie, her sisters, and Golden Stone turn their attention to one of the earth pony stallions. “What do you mean by that?” Limestone asks, defending her sister.

The stallion looks up from his lap, breaking the hardtack in half. “You think you can bargain with, reason with slave masters? Think again!” He chews on his meal as he glares at the children. “You’re going to have to learn to keep your mouth shut and listen!” He lifts up his tattered shirt showing his scars. “Or you’ll get whipped!”

The pegasus mare growls at the stallion. “Tace, et erant filii pavidas inguine.”

The stallion grits his teeth. “Earthen you winged freak!”

“She said shut it!” The human replies glaring at the stallion.

The earth pony cowers a bit, but he soon regains his composure. “You can’t coddle those children! They need to know the truth!”

“I’m sure they know the truth!” The human retorts. “Look at where they are! I think they get it!” Pinkie and her sisters stare at the man and stallion with concern, their hearts heavy with fear. Golden Stone places a hand over her protruding belly, her eyes trembling as she stares at her growing foal. “How many months?” The human asks looking at the young mare.

Golden Stone looks at the man and runs a hand through her mane. “Six months.”

The human hums a thought. “Is the father still in the camp where you were at?” He tilts his head.

She blushes. “No… My foal was conceived out of wedlock…” She frowns, remembering the event. “Let’s just say I didn’t live a Godly life back in my hometown.” She brings her knees as close as she could to her chest. “I was a wild filly.”

The stallions frown at the mare, but the human gives her a smirk. “We’re all wild, little one, we’re animals after all.” He lays his head against the wall.

Golden Stone looks away rubbing the base of her right ear. “We’re more than just animals… The Lord tells us so…” The sisters stare at the man, mulling over his words. But one by one they soon forget about their thoughts on the matter and return to eating their bread.

Hearing the train’s breaks screaming out, Pinkie and her sisters, along with the other slaves awaken, turning their attention to the cove. Its door swings open, revealing Ratchet standing out of the inlet, a broad smile on his face. Walking to the center of the railcar, he unlatches the large sliding wooden-door of the railcar and opens it.

With the door wide open, the sisters stare through the doorway and eye in awe the train station and the skyline of the capital city of the Unicorpian empire, Canterlot.

The train station is two stories tall. Its tall windows allow them to peer in, showing them the brightly lit interior, illuminating the stores, booths, and small crowds of unicorns and salves mulling about within.

Looking past the train station, the sisters look at the castle off in the distance. They study its massive, imposing structure towering over the mountain city as it wraps around the mountain’s side.

“Alrighty then…” The sisters break their gaze from the castle and look at their slave master. “let’s get you bathed and fed, shall we?”

The putter-wagon rocks back n’ forth as it comes to a stop. Pinkie and her sisters, as well as the other slaves, brace themselves. Hearing the driver and passenger doors open and close with a metallic thud, the slaves listen to the hoof-steps walking up to the back of the vehicle, huddling close to one another the sisters shiver afraid of the unknowns. The tailgate and flaps of the canvas camper open, allowing the light of the street lamps to flood into the dark bed of the wagon. The slaves cover their eyes, blinking, trying to get used to the light of the oil lamps. “Come on let’s get going!” Ratchet calls out.

Several of his employees help guide the slaves off the putter-wagon and into the warehouse before them. Pinkie and her sisters eye the massive warehouse, vibes of the camp flood back into their thoughts. Stepping into the structure, they are lead to the back of the building to the right to a long room that’s twenty-five feet long and ten feet wide. Entering the space, Ratchet and his employees walk the slaves over to a large holding cell. Guiding them into the room, he shuts the door locking them in. “In a few minutes, you’ll be taken to the showers and given a makeover.” He taps a bar of the cell. “Once you’re all cleaned, you shall eat a lovely meal and then head to bed.” He walks away from the cell and out of the room back into the central space of the warehouse.

Pinkie and her sisters slowly step to the back corner of the cell and huddle close to one another. Fear consumes them. Golden Stone looks at the fillies and kneels in front of them, giving them the best loving smile she can muster. "Are you fillies all right?” She asks. Pinkie and Marble look at the mare, tears forming around their eyes. They begin to sob, their emotions getting the best of them. Octavia and Limestone try to keep it together, but their feelings get the better of them as well.

Golden Stone stares at the sisters, her mind going numb as their choirs of tears flood her ears. She panics, unsure of what to do. Seeing the young mare struggling with the fillies, the pegasus mare walks over to them and kneels down beside the mare. “Pultrellis paulo tranquillitas, tranquillitas.” She speaks softly, stroking their heads. Octavia’s sobs become harsher as she pulls Pinkie into a tight embrace. With a sigh, the pegasus looks at Golden Stone and snaps her fingers at her, pointing at Limestone and Marble. “Auxilium!” Golden Stone stares at her in confusion.

“She said to comfort them.” The human states looking at the mares and the fillies.

Golden Stone gives the man a small nod before scooting over to Limestone and Marble. Laying their heads against her chest, she runs her fingers through their manes, scratching them behind the ears. The pegasus gives the young mare a small smile as she brings Octavia and Pinkie into a warm embrace. “Sicut est amare liberos.” Not understanding her, Golden Stone just gives her a smile.

The human and the earth pony stallions watch them with a vested interest, a sense of normalcy washing over them in this short moment.

Hearing the children’s sobs dying down Golden Stone looks at the pegasus mare. “What’s your name?”

The mare looks at her and gives a smile. “Stillae.” She smirks.

“It means Rain Drops.” The human translates for her.

She smiles at the mare. “My name is Golden Stone.” She looks down at the fillies. “This is Limestone and Marble, and that’s Pinkie and Octavia.” She points to each filly.

Rain Drops looks at the children and smiles. “Aureum Stone,” She points Golden Stone. “Saxi Calcis, Marmor, Pinkie, Octaviam.” She points at the sisters. Golden Stone nods. The sisters, still recovering from their fit, look at Rain Drops with curious stares and hopeful smiles. Seeing their gazes, the pegasus smiles with a hum. Resting her head against the wall, she sings the children a pegasan lullaby.

The earth pony stallions turn their attention from the mares to the human with raised brows. “How do you know pegasan?” One of them asks. “And why are you affectionate with her?” Another asks, pointing at the pegasus.

The human looks at the stallions. “I was a slave living in the Withington empire before the great war started.” He looks at Lilly Drops, giving her a smile. “I was her father’s slave…” He looks down in thought. “Well to make a long story short, we fell in love, and made our escape from the island nation…”

“Then how are you in Unicorpian custody?” The youngest of the stallions ask.

“We left the Withington Empire just as the great war started.” He sighs. “When we arrived in Unicorpia, slavery wasn’t legal yet, but life wasn’t easy for us.” He smiles as he stares at his bare feet. “Lived as nomads for a while, but eventually slavery was made legal in Unicorpia, and we were soon captured.”

One of the stallions’ frowns at the man. “Then how did you stay together?”

The human returns the frown. “We weren’t… For the longest time we were owned by different masters and mistresses, but by sheer luck, the last master we had, happened to buy both of us on separate occasions.” He sighs crossing his arms. The questioning stallions bow their heads, before wandering off to the left corner of the cell.

“Good news!” Ratchet shouts with glee. The slaves turn their attention to the stallion. “The showers are ready!”

Pinkie and Marble stand before the entrance of one of the shower stalls, naked and cold as they look up at the showerhead, studying its construction. “Well, are you going to step in like your sisters?” Winsor one of Ratchet’s employees asks with a dull huff. Pinkie and Marble glance up at the stallion, before turning their ears to the sound of the other shower stalls running at full blast, steam rising out like smoke from a smokestack. Looking back at the stallion they blush and step inside, their tails covering their waist. “You have ten minutes to bathe yourselves, so make it quick!” Winsor states in a monotone voice as he shuts the curtain.

Shivering from the cold, Pinkie unwraps the bar of tar-soap given to them, while Marble walks up to the wall where the showerhead hangs over them. Seeing no knobs, she looks back at her sister in confusion. Low groans ring out as cold water blast out of the showerhead, drenching the twins. “EEP!” Shocked by the sudden drop in temperature, they huddle close to the corner away from the water. Thirty-seconds pass and the cold water turns warm. Feeling the warm steam, they get under the stream and enjoy its calming aura as they bathe.

But the ten minutes, which feels like hours to the sisters, comes and goes. And just like most good things, their small bit of comfort ends. “Come get your towels and gowns!”

Pinkie and Marble sit in a small room that’s only six feet by six feet. Within the room are a large makeup desk, a trash bin, and a couch. Swing their legs, they stare into the large mirror of the makeup desk and study their appearance. Their eyes are heavy with bags under them, their damp manes cling to the sides of their faces. Their fur looks less bright than it usually does.

Hearing the door open, the sisters turn around and see Willow stepping into the room with a smile on her face. “So, who’s ready for a makeover?” The twins stare at her, unsure of how to respond to her happy demeanor. Willow frowns at their behavior, she’s not mad, just disappointed. ‘These two are the shy type, aren’t they? Or maybe they’re shy because of their situation… I know how to fix that…’

Pulling up a chair, she sits it in front of them then and begins rummaging through the makeup desk. “I need to fix your manes, they need a good trimming and styling.” She sits back in the chair with a comb in her left hand and a pair of scissors in her other. “They are quite long.” She pulls Marble’s chair closer to her, spinning her around, facing her towards the wall. “Is it common for earth pony fillies to grow out their manes?” She asks trying to make small talk with her slaves.

Marble looks down, putting her hands on her lap. “Um… yes…” Her cheeks blush.

Seeing her sister's uncomfortable mood, Pinkie finishes for her. “Yes, Ma said it shows a filly or young mare her fertility.”

Willow raises a brow. ‘Wow… They really do teach them to be mothers at a young age…’ She gives a smile. “Well, in Unicorpian society, long manes show uncleanliness and savageness.” She runs the comb through Marble’s mane combing out the knots.

Pinkie watches the mare cut a strand of Marble’s mane, her eyes follow it as it falls to the floor with a poof. The snipping of the scissors sends calming chills down her spine. “Why?”

Willow keeps her eyes on her work. “Well, because when we were evolving, our ancestors had long manes to show status, but now we are evolved and civilized there are other means to display one's status…” She snips another strand of Marble’s mane. “Studies have shown that long hair is unhealthy.”

Pinkie keeps her eyes on the mare’s work. “What’s evolution?”

“It’s a long and complicated subject, but in short its the process in which a species evolves, moving up the food chain, developing into a more complex and intelligent lifeform.” Willow quickly glances at the filly studying her wide, curious eyes.

“That’s sounds weird… Why do you think that?” Pinkie asks, raising a brow.

Willow gently pulls on some of Marble’s mane. Marble’s head tilts back some. “Because scientists have confirmed evolution is how this world, the animals and we intelligent species came to be.” Marble keeps silent as she listens intently to their conversation.

“But I thought the Lord created all things?” Pinkie groans, tilting her head some more.

Willow gives a long sigh. ‘I was wrong… Her sister is the shy one, she’s the talkative one…’ Finishing the bulk of her work she looks at Pinkie. “Well, you were taught wrong little filly.” She turns Marble around to face her. “Now to shape it.” Pinkie stares at her sister’s mane and sees that its previous hip-length is now at chin-length. Marble can’t see her mane on account of her mistress is in the way of the mirror, but she can feel it. The loss of hair weight startles her. It feels foreign to her. She squirms as she feels the teeth of the comb run along her scalp. Getting the shape of her mane just right, Willow smiles and faces Pinkie. “Alright, your turn.”

Pinkie and Marble sit in a cell that is ten-feet by ten-feet in width and length. The both of them are studying their manes, eyeing the short strands of hair that make up their manes, even their long tails are cut short, the ends no longer dragging along the ground, but tickling their inner-knees. “We look weird?” Marble whines, playing with her mane.

Pinkie sighs to herself. “Yeah… we look like colts.” She huffs as she looks over her shoulder at their cell door. Unlike the metal door back in the camp, this one is a very simple welded door with a flat panel where a handle would be and a small one-by-one-foot window in the center near the top.

“I wish we can sleep with Octavia and Limestone.” Marble cries huddling close to her twin. Pinkie wraps her arms around her sister and lays her cheek on top of her head. She sighs and lets her own tears fall down her face. “I want to see Ma and Pa! I miss Maud’s hugs! I want to-to go back to school! I miss playing with our friends!” Marble lets lose her emotions. Her normally quiet and reserved demeanor breaking. Pinkie joins her sister, her own resolve broken from all that she’s seen and endured.

“I WANT TO SEE MY SISTERS!” Limestone stands by the metal door of their cell pounding at it. “NOW!” She cries out a yell, her eyes mad.

Octavia looks at her younger sister with a sigh. “They can’t hear you.” She pats a spot on the bed beside her. “We need to rest.”

“I don’t need to rest!” Limestone fights a sob.

“I’m older than you, now listen to me!”

“ONLY BY TWO YEARS!” Limestone whips her head around, facing her eldest, showing her the hurt in her eyes. Realizing what she did, Limestone, start to panic. “Sis… I’m… I’m….” She slides against the door onto the floor and begins to weep.

Octavia fights her urges to let her emotions go as she walks up to Limestone. Sitting beside her, she pulls her distraught sister in a loving embrace. “I miss Ma and… and… Pa… I miss Maud! ERR…” Limestone crises into her sister’s chest. Octavia kisses the top of her head as she rubs the back of her neck. “It’s okay Limestone… We have to be strong… We have to be…”

Ratchet and Willow sit around an inset table in a restaurant near the docks about ten miles from their warehouse. Candlelight and a dim lightbulb set the mood. In front of them is a rather large plate containing a cabbage and crab roast with a balsamic-sea salt glaze.

“So which slaves should we sell at tomorrow’s Famer’s Market?” Willow asks, looking through the documentation of their slaves.

“You never stop working, do you?” Ratchet asks with a sigh.

“We have bills to pay sweetheart.” She hums as she pulls out four pages and shows them to him. “I think these four are ready to be sold.”

Ratchet looks at the pages and sees the files for Octavia, Marble, Rain Drops and the human male. “Why are you splitting up the twins?” He points at the file about Marble. “I thought we agreed to sell them together?!”

“We did…” She takes a bite out of the roast. “But they’re not identical.” She swallows. “You know non-identical twins don’t fetch all that much.”

He rubs the back of his head. “I know… But they will bring in more than if they are separate.”

She grunts. “We both know we were excited about the twins, but thinking more about them, they could be farthest from being twins, just look at their fur color, and mane and tail color!” She picks up the sisters’ files and puts them into two piles. “If you really want to sell the sisters tomorrow, let's do it this way shall we.” Ratchet looks down at the papers and smiles.