Iron and Blood: We Dear Sisters

Maud heard a mind-numbing hum making it feel like a sheet of large grit sandpaper was rubbing repeatedly against her brain. She let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a bright light connected to a ceiling-fan. The blades of the fan slowly spun. ‘So that’s where that’s sound is coming from…’

She let out a huff as she went to rub her forehead… A chill ran down her spine as she felt her hand was bound to the bed she lay on. In a panic, she checked her other hand and saw it was handcuffed to a medical bed. ‘Where am I?’ She looked at both hands, pulling at her restraints.

“Oh, good you’re awake.”

Maud looked to her left and saw a unicorn mare, wearing nurse scrubs. “What happened?” She worked up the nerve to ask as she watched the mare stare at a clipboard with dull eyes.

“You fainted in the cafeteria.” The mare said dully as she kept her eyes on the paperwork in her hands. “And then you were brought to the infirmary, well to be more precise, the wing of the infirmary for prisoners.”

Maud felt her blood run cold as the memory of last night came flooding back. Her world went numb as Pinkie’s words swam through her head. ‘Raped…’ Maud kept repeating the word. Her baby sister was raped… And it was all her fault.

“Hey, are you okay?” The mare looked at her skeptically as she went to place a hand on her forehead. Maud jerked and stared at the mare with wide eyes. “I take that as a no…” Maud kept looking at the mare. She wanted to tell her that her sister was raped, but would she care, would any of them care? The mare sighed as she held her clipboard to her chest. “I’ll be right back.” She sat up and left, slipping past the curtains that walled Maud off from the rest of the patients within the infirmary. Trapping her in her own wild thoughts.

The nurse exited the infirmary and walked down the narrow hallway. Coming up to the end of the hall, she entered the room on her right. “Sir?” She stood at attention.

A stallion who sat at a desk looked up from his work. “Yes, Glimmer?”

“I have an update on my patient.” Glimmer showed him the clipboard.

The stallion looked at it. His eyes widened as he saw the results of the blood work “Are you sure this is correct?”

“I ran that test twice.” She placed her hands behind her back. The stallion ran a hand through his mane as he stared at the paperwork once more. “Should we tell the foreman?”

The stallion looked up and nodded. “He has to make the decision.”

Nightingale placed a sunny-side-up egg on a piece of wheat toast. Proud of himself for not breaking the yoke, he walked over to his dining table near the radiator and placed his breakfast beside his cup of coffee. Hearing the phone ringing, he looked over at his desk on the other side of his office home and sighed. “Of fucking course…” He stood up and lazily walked over to the phone. “This is Nightingale?”

“Hello foreman, this is Doctor Vesper calling to update you on prisoner 5179.”

Nightingale’s face went serious. “Yes, how’s she doing?” He looked out at the horizon and saw the sun sat at seven in the sky. “Can she go back to work?”

“I…” The voice on the other line hesitated. “I don’t think so.”

Nightingale placed the phone to his chest to muffle his growl. “Is it serious?” He tapped a finger on his desk.

“We think so.” The doctor sighed.

“What is it?” Nightingale sighed as he looked back at his breakfast.

“She’s pregnant.”

The world around Nightingale faded as he stared off into space. ‘She’s pregnant?’ He questioned as he watched the cooked egg glisten in the light of his ceiling lamp. “Finishing up breakfast, then I’ll be on my way.” He hung up the phone. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth little missy…”

Entering the infirmary Nightingale walked down the cream-colored tiled floor. Nearing the room, he stopped for a second and let out a sigh. Composing himself he stepped into the room and saw Maud handcuffed to the medical bed, she was staring off into space, until she heard him walking up to her. Those eyes of hers held so many conflicting emotions, from anger, to fear, and failure. “This is the second time I’m speaking with you.” He ignored her stare as he pulled the curtain, inclosing them in a veil of privacy. “You seem like you enjoy getting yourself into trouble?”

“Trouble?” Maud pondered.

Nightingale took a seat. “Yeah.” He placed his elbows on his knees and placed his fingers together. “Why did you faint?”

Maud stared at the end of her bed. Her mind fought whether or not to tell him. ‘What if he hurts her?’ Her body began to shiver as she refused to look at him. ‘What if he rapes her or worse…’ She closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her face. The realization that she had no power to fix the situation, to protect her sister fell upon her like a ton of bricks.

Nightingale stared at Maud watching her emotions break before him. “Have no reason?” Maud stared at the cuffs that bound her to her bed. Sighing, Nightingale clasped his hands and rested his chin on them. “No secrets?”

Maud felt clammy as she slowly looked at the stallion. “Secrets?”

“Yes, secrets.” He leaned back in his seat.

“I don’t…”

“You know…” He interrupted her. “It’s well known that the average age for earth pony mares to be married is fifteen or sixteen. When you arrived, did you tell the processing staff you weren’t married?”

Maud felt a bead of sweat roll down her brow. “Y-Yes.”

Nightingale studied her collected demeanor slowly cracking. “Are you sure?” Maud nodded. Nightingale nodded as he stood up and grabbed her face, pinching her cheeks. “Stop lying!” Maud kept silent as she hissed through the discomfort. “Maybe one of your sisters will tell me the truth!”

“Don’t hurt them!” Maud cried out. She tried to lunge at the stallion, but the cuffs prevented her from doing so.

Nightingale saw tears pouring from her eyes. He let go of her and proceeded to hover over her. “Then tell me the truth!”

Maud fought back the waves of emotions clouding her mind. “I…” Images of her sisters being tortured flashed through her mind. “I’m married!” Thoughts of what would happen to Obsidian flooded her mind. “I was married…”

“What happened to him?” Nightingale crossed his arms.

“He…” Maud smacked her lips, trying to wet her dry mouth. “He died… Trying to save us from… you…” Her voice lowered as she stared at him with harsh eyes.

Nightingale studied her for some time, before sighing and sitting back down. “How did he die?”

The image of Obsidian’s father lying in a pool of his own blood, his brain matter leaking onto the cobblestone road played out in her head. “A-A bullet to the head,” Maud reoriented herself on the bed and looked away. She stared at the tiled floor for a while, letting the silence wash over her. Nightingale sighed as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Smelling the tobacco-laced smoke, Maud let out a soft cough, as she looked at him. “How did you know?”

Nightingale held the cigarette in his mouth as he looked at her with a slight smirk. “We ran blood work on you after you fainted.” He blew out his drag. “One of the tests we ran showed that you’re pregnant.”

His words broke her. Her vision began to blur. A ringing sang in her ears. She felt sick. ‘Pregnant?’ She tried to wet her drying mouth. ‘Why here? Why not before I was…’ She felt clammy as she stared at the ceiling fan, watching the fan blades spinning slowly, mocking her. ‘It wouldn’t’ve mattered…’ She needed to puke… Before she knew it, the contents of her stomach unloaded themselves. Nightingale was quick on the draw and placed a trash can on her bed.

Nightingale watched her convulse several times before she was able to gasp for air. Seeing her despair, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. He knew the protocol for pregnant prisoners. But seeing her in such a state, brought out memories, past memories he thought he had long forgotten. ‘Damn it…’ He hissed under his breath. Rubbing the base of his horn, he stood up and opened the curtain. “I’ll be right back.” He waited for a reaction, but Maud was too lost in the sea of her own despair. With a sigh, he walked out of her room and down the hall to the head doctor’s office.

“So, want me to get the procedure ready?” Doctor Vesper sighed as he pulled out a sheet of paper from his filing cabinet behind him.

Nightingale sat in a seat opposite of him, staring mindlessly off into space. His mind kept mulling over Maud, seeing her broken like that. His eyes narrowed as he placed a fisted hand up to his face, resting his chin on it.

“Want me to go along with the abortion procedure?” Doctor Vesper asked again, studying his boss’s expression.

“She was pregnant before coming to the camp.” He finally replied. “Correct?”

“Yes, of course?” Vesper raised his brow. “But protocol states that.”

“I know the damned protocol!” Nightingale rubbed his brow. “I’ve been living by the damn thing for almost half my life.” He took out a cigarette and plopped it in his mouth. “The ever-changing protocols!”

Vesper sighed as he leaned against his desk. “Like or not, they’re the law of the land.”

Nightingale nodded as he stared off into space once again. His thoughts drifted to the image of Maud staring at him. Those eyes of hers. Reminded him of someone he was close to in his youth. She reminded him of her… ‘Fuck!’ He shook his head. The rules, the damned rules… unless. An insane thought really… But it had its benefits. An easier way to keep her in check and to save, a… An earth pony foal… He rubbed his brow. ‘She’s not a unicorn…’ He took a long drag of his cigarette. ‘You already have several loose screwed prisoners. Want to add another? You will if you kill her unborn child.’ He told himself as he mulled over his thoughts.

“Sir?” Vesper tilted his head. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” He finished his cigarette. “I want you to cancel the procedure.”

“Cancel?” Vesper asked in shock. “But, sir?”

“But, nothing.” Nightingale stood up. “If I remember correctly, the law states if she’s my slave, then what I say goes, correct?”

Vesper stared at the foreman in shock. “I-I, yes but?”

“But nothing,” Nightingale made his way out the door. “I will get the paperwork started, so in the meantime, don’t touch my slave, understood?”

Vesper saluted him. “Of course, sir!”

Nightingale nodded as he left the doctor’s office.

Maud stared at her belly. She had been staring at it for the past five hours or so. Her mind kept imagining it swelling up with a living being growing inside her. A creation of hers and her husband’s doing. Her husband… She had lied to the foreman about her husband… But what would she do when she broke the news to him. Would the foreman find out then? Would she even be able to return to them?

Her mind began to drift and her eyes shrank to the size of pen needles as a thought entered her mind. She saw no other mare prisoners with foals. Did they abort the foals from pregnant mothers? She started to kick her legs form her stress. ‘Will they kill mine!’

Hoofsteps broke her from her maddening thoughts. Her curtain opened revealing the nurse from earlier who was surrounded by two guards. The nurse smiled as she used her magic to uncuff her hands from the bed and cuffed them behind her back. “Follow me, we’ll get you checked out and send you to your new room.”

Maud felt the guards’ magic surround her around her shoulders and armpits as they lifted her out of the medical bed. Standing on her hooves, she followed them on shaky legs as her mind wandered to worrying about her and her unborn foal’s fates.

Walking down the hall she noticed they passed several screening rooms until passing through an archway into a small cozy space with hard brown colored carpet, and cream-colored walls adorned with dark wood trimmings. Standing in front of a desk a mare on the other side looked up from her work and looked at Maud and her escorts. “She’s all good to go?” She asked the nurse.

“Yes, she is.” The nurse handed her a folder.

The mare took the folder and skimmed through it. “She hasn’t had the abortion procedure yet?” She rolled her eyes. “Well, then, who will be checking her in for her follow-up appointment?” Maud felt her blood run cold.

“She will not be getting one.” The nurse stated flatly. One of Maud’s ears stood erect as she eyed the nurse with pondering eyes.

“She’s not?” The mare frowned. “On whose authority?”

“The foreman.” The nurse replied in a flat tone.

The mare stared at Maud with narrowed eyes. Maud returned to the glare. “Alrighty then…” The mare sighed as she stamped the paper work. “Give this to him, he’ll need it for his registration of, her.” She said as she turned her gaze back to Maud.

“Understood.” The nurse took the paper work. “Take her to the special holding cellblock at the processing building.” The guards nodded and grabbed Maud by the shoulders and lead her out of the infirmary.

Entering the processing building, Maud felt a humid chill wash over her. Vivid memories of when she first entered this building filled her mind. Feeling her chest tighten, she sucked in a breath and held it. She did that several times until the pain in her chest left, bringing some relief to the panic that gripped her mind.

Walking up the stairs onto the second floor, the guards led her down the hall until coming up to a set of double doors. They opened and Maud had to close her eyes as bright white lights flooded them. She blinked several times until her vison came back. The room she found herself in was adorned with white tiles on the floor and walls. On either side were a set of cells, six on the left and six on the right.

Walking past on of these cells, she gasped as she saw Cheerilee sitting on a cot, resting her head against the cell’s corner. She couldn’t look away, her eyes stayed glued as she studied her mentor’s defeated demeanor. A chill washed over her as Cheerilee slipped out of view from the wall dividing wall.

One of the guards opened the cell door that was beside Cheerilee’s. He undid the handcuffs and shoved Maud in. “You will be fed shortly.” He sighed as he locked her in.

Maud timidly walked up to the bars of the cell and pressed her face against the bars, watching the guards leave the cellblock. Hearing the metallic snap of the lock, Maud got closer to the wall that divided her cell from Cheerilee’s. Not being able to see her, Maud rested her forehead against the bars of her cell. “Cheerilee?” She called out in a raspy voice. Cheerilee remained silent as she played with her tail. “Cheerilee? Please?”

“Get out of my head…” Cheerilee mumbled to herself.

“Cheerilee it’s me!” Maud pleaded.

Cheerilee’s left ear moved toward the sound of her voice. Letting out a moan she turned her head toward the bars of her cell. “Maud?”

Maud could hear the despair in her voice. “Y-Yes… It's me.” She said softly.

Cheerilee slowly got off her bed and walked up to her cell door and placed her hands on the bars. “Maud… Is it really you?”

Maud held back a cry of excitement. “Yes…” She let out a sigh. “I’ve been worried about you. Been worried about everyone.”

Cheerilee fought back her own emotions. “I’ve been fine.” Her tone conflicted with her statement, but Maud kept her questions to herself. She just wanted to enjoy this time being close to her mentor. “Why are you here?” Cheerilee asked softly, her voice’s tone showing a hint of worry.

“Maud tightened her right hand’s grip on the cell’s bars. “I’m pregnant…” She placed a hand on her stomach and slowly rubbed it.

Cheerilee’s ears stood erect. “You are?” She felt her mouth begin to dry. “By who?”

“It’s Obsidian’s” Maud replied. “It has to be?”

Cheerilee let out a shallow breath. “You weren’t raped...” She rubbed her brow against the cool iron bars. “Thank god…” Maud’s body shivered at her words. Her mind drifted to Pinkie, sitting beside her, telling her the horrible truth. Only hearing silence, Cheerilee began to worry as she tapped her fingers on the bars. “Maud? Is everything okay?”

Maud broke from her mind’s tormented thoughts. She stared at the white tiled floors. “Y-Yeah… Just thinking about the foal…”

Cheerilee could tell she was deflecting the question. Sighing, she leaned against the wall. “How are your sisters?”

Maud leaned against the wall of her cell and slowly slid down until her butt touched the cool concrete floor. “They’re doing alright.” She fidgeted with her fingers.

Cheerilee stared at the wall in front of her, eyeing the faint markings that were etched into the concrete by past occupants. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor. “Maud,” She brought her knees up to her chest. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Maud felt her chest tighten. “Uh…” She grabbed her stomach and began rubbing it.

“Maud?” Cheerilee closed her eyes as she rested her head against the wall. “Are your sisters, okay?”

Tears rolled down Maud’s cheeks. “No…” She brought her knees up to her chest and began rock back n’ forth. “Pinkie…” Pinkie’s hollowed-out eyes flashed before her eyes. “She was raped…” Her eyes trembled as her emotions overtook her. “And I failed to protect her!”

Silence fell over them.

Cheerilee sat still, her eyes never leaving the floor as Maud’s cries filled the air. Pinkie. One of her most eager learning students. Innocent Pinkie. Bubbly personality. Mind full of youthful excitement about the world. Now, innocent no more. Frist the war, then the camp… now this. Cheerilee ground her teeth. “Who?” She fidgeted with her fingers. “Who did this?” The memory of her own rape replayed in her head.

“A mare…” Maud managed to control her emotions. “Her name is Scarlet.”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe a mare could do such a thing, especially to a pony of the same sex.

“And I can’t do anything about it!” Maud cried as she buried her head in her hands. “What kind of sister am I?”

“Maud!” Cheerilee’s tone of voice was firm yet had a motherly cadence. “Don’t you blame yourself!” She sat on her knees and placed her hands on the bars.

“But I could’ve done something!” Maud retorted.

“No, you couldn’t have!” Cheerilee hissed. “You’re playing by their rules now! You have to adapt! We all have to! Pray to have the strength to not let them break you! Pray for your sisters, for your husband, for your unborn foal!”

Maud shivered at her mentor’s tone. “But what if she keeps hurting her?”

Cheerilee mulled over her answer. “She’s strong, she learned from you to stay strong. She won’t break!”

Maud rubbed the tears from her eyes. “I want to protect her… To protect them all…” Cheerilee sighed as she listened to her cries. She stayed silent allowing Maud to vent her frustrations.

Hearing the door open, Cheerilee looked to her right and saw Nightingale walking into the block and up to their cell. “Is everything alright?” He asked staring at Maud’s defeated demeanor.

“Yes.” Cheerilee looked down as she backed away from the cell door.

Nightingale’s eyes jumped between them. “You know her?” He tilted his head at Maud.

Cheerilee studied the foreman’s posture. “Yes, she was one of my students.”

Nightingale looked at Maud. “I see…” He took out a pair of keys from his cargo pants pockets. “Come with me.” He opened Maud’s cell. “We have some things to discuss.” Maud shivered as she slowly stood up. Crossing her arms she looked up at him and gave him a hollowed stare. Letting out a sigh he used his magic and attached a leash to her collar. Looking at the leash she shivered out a heavy sigh and slowly walked to the door. “You’re working at the offices today. Someone will be here in ten minutes to take you.” He told Cheerilee before following Maud. Cheerilee held onto the bars and strained to watch as they left the cellblock.

Stepping out onto the gravel road, Maud kept her arms crossed as she followed Nightingale to his office tower. Silence fell over them as she watched her hooves. Her tail wagged from her internalized frustrations that begged to resurface. Hearing the distant sounds of the mine tickling her ears, she looked to her left and stared at the mining complex in all its glory.

She was awestricken at its enormity. Only seeing the mine up close didn’t do it justice. Turning her attention to the warehouse, her mood soured as Pinkie crossed her mind. She squeezed her arms. Her tail swished quickly from side to side as she thought of the mare that abused her. She gritted her teeth as she imagined torturing her for taking her sister’s innocence.

Hearing a moan, Nightingale looked over his shoulder and eyed Maud and her reserved posture. ‘I’ll get to the bottom of that.’ He told himself. ‘Don’t need a slave with a sour attitude…’ He tightened his grip around the leash’s handle loop. “Watch your step.” He tugged on the leash to get her attention as he ascended the stairs to his office home.

Maud let out a groan from the pressure on her neck. Looking up at the office tower, she eyed its stairs, watching her hooves with bated breath as she followed after him. Her mind drifted to the last time she walked up these steps. Where Pinkie was punished for something she did… ‘What kind of sister am I?’ Were her sisters going to be pushed for her being pregnant. Was the foreman going to torture her until she gave up the father of the foal? And if so, what would happen to Obsidian if she did…

Her thoughts were broken as she felt a cold aura on her shoulders. She was gently forced to sit in a chair beside the radiator. Nightingale unlatched the leash from her collar and set it on the coffee table in front of her. Letting out a sigh he took a seat in the chair opposite of her. They sat in silence until he lit a cigarette. “So, I have a feeling you’re wondering why you’re here and not on an operating table.” He pointed at her stomach, “Removing that.”

Maud instinctively placed a hand on her stomach. “Do you still plan to?”

Nightingale took a long drag. “No.” He flicked some ash into an ashtray beside his chair.

Maud stared at her belly. “Why am I here?” She looked at him.

He studied her dull demeanor. “You’re my salve now.”

She felt a shiver dance across her back. “What?”

He walked up to her. “You should be thanking me. If I didn’t make you my slave, you would’ve lost it.” He stared at her belly. She instinctively covered it as she stared at him with wide eyes. “To be honest I really didn’t want a slave, but I’m short on prisoners and I didn’t need another mental wreck of a prisoner.”

Maud squeezed her stomach “Is that the only reason?” She narrowed her eyes. “There has to be more to it?”

Nightingale smiled. “You’re a smart one.” He walked into the kitchen and pulled out two glass cups and filled them with water. “I can keep you in line. You think I don’t have my eye on all my prisoners?” He offered her a glass.

She timidly took the glass and took a sip. “W-What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you return with the cart you brought to the warehouse?” He took a sip of his drink. “One of my guards saw the cart return with one prisoner, not two.” He took a seat in his chair. “What were you doing?”

Maud struggled to swallow her drink. “I was pulled away by a guard to help them move something around.” She omitted Scarlet’s name, in hopes that he wouldn’t look further into it.

Nightingale kept his eyes on her shaky demeanor. “I don’t believe you.”

Maud felt clammy. The world around her slowed. ‘What do I say?’ She screamed in her head.

Nightingale sighed as he stood up and walked up to her. “What were you doing?” He placed a hand under her chin. “You wanted to see your sisters?” She shivered at his touch. “Am I correct?”

“Y-Yes…” She took a shallow breath. “I-I wanted to give them a gift.” Tears rolled down her face as she feared his response.

“Why?” He lifted her head so he could look into her eyes.

“It was their birthday.” Maud let out a shaky sigh.

“Their?” He raised his brow.

“Yes…” She fought back her emotions. “Pinkie and Marble are twins.” He nodded as he let go of her and walked up to his desk. Seeing him pick up the phone, Maud’s blood ran cold. “No! don’t hurt them!” She fell to the floor and crawled on her knees. “I don’t want them to be hurt again!” She sobbed. “I don’t want her to be raped!” She pointed at herself, “Hurt me instead!”

He stared at her with confusion as he placed the phone back down. “Raped?” He walked up to her and bent down to be at eye level? “What do you mean by raped?”

Maud fought to control her emotions. “Pinkie… I sat beside her in the cafeteria and she… she told me she was raped!”

“By who?”

The image of the mare flashed across her mind. “S-Scarlet…” Maud lowed her head as she placed her hands on the floor, trying to fight the urge to puke.

He sighed as he stared at her pathetic posture. ‘God damn it, Scarlet…’ He rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up and walked to his desk. Picking up the phone he spun the number dial. Maud looked up and watched him place the phone to his ear with trembling eyes.

“This is Private Lance of White Hills bookkeeping department.” A voice on the other line stated.

“This is Nightingale.” He took out a cigarette. “I want a message to go out to all prison staff on a status of a prisoner.”

“Which prisoner is this?” The private asked.

“Prisoner 5179.”

“And what message do you want to send out, foreman?”

“Prisoner 5179 status has changed. She is my slave and if staff see her out and about on the camp’s grounds, they must follow proper protocol. Is that understood?”

“Understood.” The private hung up.

Nightingale hung up the phone. Activating his horn, he grabbed her collar and lifted her up. She let out a huff as she grabbed at the collar to relieve the pressure on her neck. Placing a hand on her chin, he forced her to look him in the eye. “You’ll be sent to the showers and given a new pair of clothes. After you’re done, I have some things I need to be done. Understood?”

Maud blinked the tears from her eyes as she nodded. “W-What about my sister?”

“I’ll look into it.” He rubbed her chin which sent shivers through her body.

Scarlet sat on the catwalk, resting her head in her left hand, watching the prisoners work the sluices. Her eyes scanned them once over before she turned her attention to Pinkie. She watched and studied the subtle movements she made as she worked. Seeing Pinkie’s sweat-soaked fur glistening in the light made her shiver in delight as she imagined their bodies together, locked in passionate lovemaking.

“Scarlet?”

Scarlet’s daydreaming faded as she looked to her right and saw one of her fellow guards. “Yes?”

“I have a message to deliver.” He leaned on the railing.

“What kind of message?” She shivered. Was she found out?

“A message from the foreman.” He saw her look at him with bewilderment. “A new status of one of our prisoners has changed. 5179 is now the foreman’s slave. So, if you see her, please for the love of god, follow proper protocol, understood?”

Scarlet shivered as she turned her attention back onto Pinkie. “Understood.”

“Good, on to the next.” He stood up and walked past her to the office that overlooked the entirety of the warehouse, near the drop-off station.

Scarlet kept staring at Pinkie. She tapped the railing with her finger as she stared at her body’s curvature. Her smile grew as the news slowly sunk in. ‘Life couldn’t get any better…’ She pushed herself off the railing and walked down the stairs.

Pinkie angrily dug through the rocks. Her eyes stared madly at her shimmering reflection in the water. Seeing her own broken expression glaring back at her, she gritted her teeth and let out a low hiss as she pulled out a handful of rocks.

Marble looked at her sister. She was scared by the aura her sister was giving off. She had tried asking what was wrong the other night. She asked about Maud and her passing out in the cafeteria. But Pinkie never gave her an answer. She asked what Scarlet wanted with her. But Pinkie never gave her an answer. Marble felt her chest tighten as she remembered trying to hug her sister, only for her to lash out, swinging her limbs, hissing out a cry before huddling against the corner of the room.

Ruby and Snowy shivered at Pinkie’s expression. It seemed to them like she could break a boulder with that stare of hers. Ruby felt her chest tighten as she kept staring at her sister-in-law. She had never seen her this angry before and it scared her.

Seeing Pinkie’s frustration growing as she tossed copper nuggets into her bucket, Marble wanted to comfort her, but she couldn’t think of the right words to say, and it scared her to her core. Seeing red in her peripheral vision, her blood ran cold as she saw Scarlet walking up to them.

“Hello.” Scarlet hummed as she placed her hands on Pinkie’s shoulders, giving Marble a warm smile. Pinkie’s body went numb. Her stomach twisted into itself as she felt the mare massage her shoulders. Hearing no reply, Scarlet rested her chin on Pinkie’s head. “I have some news for you two.”

“News?” Marble asked softly.

“Yes.” She tightened her grip on Pinkie’s shoulders. Pinkie squirmed under the mare’s embrace. “Your sister Maud, she won’t be seeing you, probably for a very long time.” She hummed a little tune.

Pinkie started to sweat, which made her feel clammy. “What?”

“She’s a slave now.” She loosened her grip on Pinkie. “She has to abide by new rules now.” She gave Marble a harsh stare. “No big sister, to give you gifts. No big sister to protect you.” She put her lips to Pinkie’s right ear. “Which means, I have you all to myself.” She seductively whispered before letting go of her. “Stay out of trouble.” She laughed as she walked back to her perch on the catwalk.

Pinkie stared mindlessly at the rocks in the water. The world around her began to fade as her mind began to torment her. ‘You’re going to be her whore!’ A voice laughed at her. Pinkie felt light-headed as her eyes darted around. ‘And you’re going to like it!’ Another voice mocked.

“STOP IT!” Pinkie yelled as she threw her bucket on the ground. Marble and Ruby stared at her in fear as they saw her glaring at them with hate-filled eyes. Pinkie let out a growl as she grabbed her head. “Leave me alone!” She tried running out of the warehouse. The guards standing behind them activated their horns and threw her to the ground.

Seeing the commotion, Scarlet ran down the catwalk.

“What the hell did you say to her?” One of the guards asked.

Scarlet gave her comrade a stern glare. “I told her some news about her sister.”

“Well calm her down before it gets out of hand, I don’t feel like doing an incident report tonight!” The guard huffed, pouring more mana into his magic as Pinkie squirmed against his hold.

“Drop your magic, I’ll take care of it.” Scarlet sighed as she bent down. She grabbed Pinkie’s mane and shook her violently. Pinkie dropped her temper tantrum and let out a sob from the pain coursing through her head. “You want to be a brat?” She lifted her up and grabbed her collar. “Then you’ll be treated like one!” She dragged her to the back of the warehouse.

“Where are you taking her?” The guard asked.

“To the back.”

“You need help?” He started to follow her.

“No,” She turned around, holding up a hand. “I’ll take care of it. Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?” Her comrade nodded. “Good, now what the foreman doesn’t know, the better for us. What happens here, stays here!”

He nodded as he eyed the prisoners staring at them with wide eyes. “GET BACK TO WORK!” The prisoners quickly got back to work. Marble and Ruby however kept staring as they watched Scarlet drag Pinkie to the back of the warehouse.

Scarlet eyed them and gave a growl. “Work!” She snapped her fingers. Marble and Ruby shivered as they dunked their hands into the water. Pinkie stared back at her sisters, horrified that they weren’t standing up for her.

Seeing the storage room she was rapped in, Pinkie started to sob as she tried breaking free from Scarlet’s grasp. Using her magic, Scarlet opened the door and threw her into the room. Pinkie cried as she sat on her knees. Looking over her shoulders she stared at Scarlet standing in front of the door, giving her a scowl. “You’re going to learn your place, little filly,” She flipped on the lights and shut the door. “One way or another…” She took off her belt and gave Pinkie a menacing smile. Pinkie let out a cry as she backed up to the back of the room placing her hands up to protect herself as Scarlet raised the belt in the air.