Iron and Blood: We Dear Sisters

Pinkie and Marble huddled against one another. The eerie creaking of their cage sent shivers down their spines. They kept their heads still as they looked around the interior of the cargo railcar with their eyes. It was a cramped space, crates and boxes of varying sizes were stacked in the left-hand corner up to the ceiling. On their right was a small cove. They could see the lights were on through the gap at the bottom of the door. Seeing two pairs of shadows move pass the door periodically, the twins presumed that their new ‘owners’ were in their doing who knows what.

The train shook from the hilly landscape. Pinkie shivered as she remembered the train ride to Willow Brook all those months ago… Letting out a heavy sigh, she turned her attention to the other slaves on her right.

In the cage next to theirs was a human male and a pegasus female. She’s fascinated by the two. She’s never seen a human or a pegasus up close before, only heard about them in text books, or on her father’s radio.

The human’s skin was tan in color and void of fur like her, except for his arms and chest. His black hair was short and messy. His eyes were closed, but she could tell they were smaller in size compared to hers. And his ears, they were strange indeed. Pinkie touched her ears. She wondered what it would be like to have ears like that.

Her attention slowly drifted over to the pegasus mare. She was a lot smaller in stature to the man she leaned against as well as to unicorns and or earth pony mares. Her light blue fur seemed a lot softer than hers. And her wings, the way her fur transitioned into feathers was something to be amazed by.

Pinkie looked at her back wondering what it would be like to have wings. She smiled as she remembered Marble telling her it was a silly idea… ‘Be proud to be an earth pony…’ Her father’s words swam in her mind… What did being an earth pony get her in life? ‘Nothing…’ She placed a hand on her forehead. If only she was born a unicorn, then maybe…

“Why are you touching your head little one?” An earth pony stallion in his mid-forties asked.

Pinkie pulled her hand away from her forehead and stared at the earth pony. “Nothing…” She huffed as she turned her attention back to her lap and saw her sister was sleeping. She stared at her sister with bewildered eyes. She didn’t know how she could just sleep like nothing just happened. Did she not care? Or was this how she coped with it all… Pinkie clenched her teeth.

‘It’s all your fault!’ A voice growled at her.

Pinkie’s eyes trembled. ‘No!’

‘You wanted it!’ Another voice laughed.

Pinkie felt clammy as her eyes darted all around. ‘I didn’t want it!’

‘You’re a slut!’

‘No am not…’ Pinkie yelled back at the voices.

‘You enjoyed it!’

“SHUT UP!” She yelled. Her voice cracked under the force as she spewed her words out. Her body felt numb as she saw the other prisoners and her sister staring at her.

“Sis?” Marble felt her throat tightened up. “Are you alright?”

Snapping out of her haze, Pinkie started to hyperventilate she backed away from her sister and into the corner. Hitting the back of the cage, she curled up into a ball and began sobbing into her tail.

Marble’s ears laid flat against her head as she watched her sister falling into a pit of despair. “Let her be little one.” Marble looked over at the other earth pony in the same cage as the others. “There’s nothing you can do for her right now.”

“There is always something you can do.” The pegasus mare sighed. “She sat up from her embrace she shared with the human and stood on her knees close to Marble. “Hold her tight and never let go.” She placed her hands on the bars.

“Let the filly morn alone!” Another earth pony stallion huffed. “She needs to learn to grow up and understand where she is and what she is!”

“She needs hope, more now than ever!” The pegasus mare growled.

“You’re delusional, but that’s typical of you winged freaks!” The stallion growled. The human looked at the stallions and gave them a harsh glare. “What are you looking at?” The stallion asked. The human stayed silent as he kept his glare on them. His lips went flat as he brought his hand up and ran his finger across his neck, like a knife. The stallions cowered a bit as they backed away from the human and huddled by their corner of their cage. “Humans…” One of the stallions muttered.

The human let out a sigh as he looked at the twins. Seeing Pinkie pulling at her mane, he shook his head. “Go now filly.” He looked at Marble. “Go comfort her.” He said in broken equestrian.

Marble looked at the man. She was in awe at the authority his brown colored eyes held. Nodding she crawled up to her sister and laid her arms around her. Pinkie rejected her offer at first, but Marble held firm as she tightened her embrace. Pinkie had no choice and gave in, melting into her sister arms, laying her head on her chest as she fought off the demons that swam in her mind.

Willow stuck her head out from the cove and watched the twins embrace each other. Her lips were held in a flat pose of longing thought as she studied Pinkie’s tear-stained face. “Is everything okay in there?” Ratchet asked.

Willow stared at the twins for a few more seconds before dipping back into the cove and walking up to Ratchet, who sat on the edge of the bed. “No… it’s the twins we bought from Nightingale.” She sat next to him. “The pink one, she doesn’t seem all that stable.”

Ratchet looked up from his book. “We’ll evaluate her when we get to Canterlot.” He closed the book and set it on the desk near their bed. “It’s a prison camp, they’re going to treat them like shit once and awhile.”

“I hope she’s not too messed up.” Willow looked at her hooves.

“I’m sure its fine.” Ratchet kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s get some rest. It’s going to be a busy night when we get into the city.”

Willow laid down with him. “Can we stop at that restaurant I like before we process our slaves?”

“If we have time.” Ratchet sighed as he placed his hand behind his head.

“We will have time?” Willow corrected as she cuddled him.

“Maybe after.” He sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

Hearing the breaks of the train squealing out a horrid melody, Pinkie woke up from her sleep. Smacking her dry mouth, she found that she slept on Marble’s lap. Yawing she looked up and saw her sister was waking up herself. Seeing her tear-stained eyes, she felt guilty. She could barely remember her outburst; she was worried what she had said from her despair. “Marble?”

Marble looked down at her sister and gave her a soft smile. “Are you okay?” She softly spoke.

Pinkie looked around and saw the other prisoners were waking up themselves. “Uh…” She got on her knees and crossed her arms as she leaned against her sister. “Sort of…” Marble just hummed a response as she rested her head against hers. Pinkie just stared off into space. It still amazed and yet baffled her that Marble was taking everything so well… but was she? ‘Is this how she coped?’ Pinkie wondered as she stared at her hooves.

The door to the cove swung open revealing Ratchet with a broad smile on his face. Willow followed after him, clearly still trying to wake herself up. He walked over to the large sliding door to their rail-car and threw it open. It squealed as it rolled along its tracks until stopping with a dull thud.

Pinkie and Marble looked through the opened door and saw the city scape of the capital city of the Unicorpian empire, Canterlot. Their eyes looked at the small brick constructed skyscrapers of lower Canterlot. Only a few ever reached eight-stories tall. Past the skyline, they saw a tall mountain with a castle built within its cliffs. They shivered at its sheer size. It was almost as big as their town of Ashmore. “Alrighty then!” The twins broke their gaze and looked at their new slave masters. “Let’s load you up so we can get all of you processed.” Ratchet hummed as he jumped out of the rail car.

The putter-wagon rocked back n’ forth as it rolled along the uneven cobblestone road. Pinkie and Marble braced against one another as they tried riding with the madness. Groaning at the harsh jerking, Pinkie fidgeted with her cuffs to keep her mind off the discomfort. Marble opted to lay her head against her sister’s shoulder and hum a soft tune.

“This too shall pass.” The pegasus mare stated softly. One of the earth pony stallions huffed at her words, but she ignored him.

Pinkie and Marble just stared at the mare, unsure of what to say. Their thoughts on the matter however faded as the putter-wagon threw them forward as it came to a stop. Groaning out their discomfort, the twins got back on their seats and looked at the back of the wagon as they heard the doors open and close as Ratchet got out of the vehicle.

The tailgate dropped down with a thud. The camper’s canvas flaps opened revealing Ratchet and Willow. “Okay mares and stallions, let’s get to it the sooner we get this done the sooner we can enjoy the rest of our evening!” Ratchet looked over his shoulders at his employees. They nodded and unloaded the twins and the other slaves from the putter wagon and into a small warehouse that hugged against a two-story building.

The vibe of the prison camp came flooding back into Pinkie’s and Marble’s minds as they stared at the eerie similarity the warehouse’s atmosphere gave off. Seeing a small cage barley large enough to fit three people, they held each other’s hands as they were shoved into it. Hearing the metal door close with a thud, they turned around and saw Willow looking down at them. “In a few minutes you’ll be taken to the showers and given a makeover. After that you’ll be fed and taken to your rooms. Understood?” They slowly nodded their heads. Willow smiled. “Good.” She placed her hands on her knees as she bent down to be eye level with them. “I hope you’re hungry, I got something special for you two.” She hummed before standing up and leaving them.

Alone, the twins looked around and saw that a concrete wall separated their cage from the others. Shivering from the cold and fear, they moved to the back wall of their cell and sat down on the cold floor. “Are they going to hurt us?” Marble asked. Pinkie kept silent as she crossed her arms over her legs. “Pinkie?”

“I don’t know…” Pinkie huffed. “Just expect the worst…” She buried her head in her arms.

Marble shivered at her sister’s answer. It was hollow. It was monotoned. Unsure of what to do, Marble copied her sister’s pose and stared at the cracks that scared the concrete floor. “I wonder how Maud and Limestone are?” She felt her throat tighten. “And Obsidian, and Ruby?”

“Who cares…” Pinkie hissed.

“What?” A pale sweat washed over Marble.

Pinkie glared at her sister. “I said, WHO CARES!” She growled. “They left us to be taken away!”

Marble felt anger rising within her. “How were they supposed to stop it?”

“They could’ve of!” Pinkie yelled, lifting her arms in the air. “THEY COULD’VE STOPPED IT!” Her voice began to crack. “THEY COULD’VE STOPPED ME FROM… from…” Pinkie pulled at her mane. Tears threaten to blur her vision.

“Pinkie…” Marble slowly brought a hand to her sister’s shoulder.

“Don’t!” Pinkie pulled away and backed up. “Y-You’re just going to hurt me!” She said with a sob. Marble frowned and got close to her and wrapped her arms tight around her sister. She felt Pinkie trying to break free, but she held firm. “LET GO!”

“JUST SHUT UP!” Marble growled. Pinkie shivered at her tone and stopped. They sat in silence for what felt like hours, but it was only ten minutes when Willow came back to their cell.

Seeing their current state, she frowned. ‘What did they do to you?’ She stared at Pinkie’s grief-stricken face. “Time for your showers.” She opened their cell’s door. “Get up and follow me.” She snapped her fingers. The sound broke the twins from their embrace. They quickly stood up and followed her to the other side of the warehouse.

Stepping into a small room, Pinkie and Marble saw that the room was a shower stall, with a wooden bench bolted to the wall on their left and a table near the door on their right. The grey tiles that adored the floor and the walls were worn and covered in a thin layer of grime.

“You have ten minutes, make it snappy.” Willow said as she handed them a bar of tar soap and two towels and shut the door.

A white static silence filled their minds as they wandered up to the table. The twins mindlessly took of their slave gowns and tossed them onto the table. Shivering from a cold pocket of air, Pinkie scanned the small space they were in. Flashbacks of the small storage room danced across her mind. A static image of Scarlet filled her vision.

“Pinkie?” Marble placed a hand on her shoulder. Pinkie jerked at the touch and looked at her sister with wide eyes. “Everything is fine… You’re safe.” She guided her sister to the shower and turned on the faucet knobs.

The pipes creaked and groaned before water shot out at high speed. The water was cold, Pinkie stepped back and glared at the water hitting the floor. Memories of the showers dance in her mind. Marble’s memories were also filled with thoughts of the showers, but she pushed through the heaviness that it brought on her and manipulated the knobs until the temperature was just right.

Getting under the water Marble began lathering up the bar of soap. Seeing her sister standing out of the way of the water, Marble waved to her. Hesitantly Pinkie joined her. At first, she tensed up as the water washed over her body, but she soon gave into its comfort. She hummed as she tilted her head back and let the water strike her face. Her fears of the prison camp slowly began to fade. Tears escaped her eyes as the realization that she was no loner bound to the camp… Bound to Scarlet… Scarlet…

A giggle slipped past her lips. Marble stopped running the bar of soap over her body and gave her sister a puzzled look. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… Free!” Pinkie laughed out loud. “I’m free!” She began to cry. “She can’t hurt me!” She sobbed, her voice cracking as she clung onto her sister. “She… Can’t… Hurt… Me…” Marble stared wide eyed at the sobbing mess that was her sister. Holding back her own emotions she hugged her and let her sister unload her emotions. They stayed bound to each other until they heard a knock on the door.

Opening the door, Willow saw the twins hugging each other as they stood under the shower head. Seeing Pinkie burying her face into her sister’s chest, she let out a shallow breath. ‘She’s going to be a lot of work…’ She placed two white nightgowns on the table. “Turn off the water and get dressed.”

Marble used one arm to turn the faucets. The water groaned as it receded back into the showerhead. Shivering from the cold rushing into the room, Marble tried to pry her sister off of her to get the towels, but Pinkie held firm. “Pinkie, we need to get dressed.” She whispered.

Pinkie let out one final tried cry and pulled away, whipping her eyes clean of water and tears. Seeing Willow standing under the doorway, she froze as Willow’s image was replaced with Scarlet’s. But her sister tapping her shoulder broke her from her fear. Wandering up to the table, Pinkie and Marble grabbed their towels and began drying themselves.

Willow stared at the twins, but mostly Pinkie and studied her timid posture. “You alright?” She asked.

Pinkie swallowed a lump in her throat. “Yeah…”

Willow knew that answer was hollow, but she sighed as she placed a hand on the doorhandle. “You have nothing to worry about, just do what you’re told and everything will be fine.” Seeing that they were finishing up, she wiped her skirt and then placed her hands behind her back. “Get dress, we have one more thing to do.”

Pinkie and Marble sat on worn swivel chairs, made of black leather and their frames made of aluminum. They sat in front of a makeup table and stared at themselves it's mirror. Their appearance was a mess. Their eyes were hollow and dark rings hugged them. Their fur looked rough and their manes were frizzy and out of shape.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make you look good as new.” Willow hummed as she sat down on a stool and rolled Pinkie’s chair closer to her. Pinkie watched as Willow brushed her mane. Silence fell over them. The muffled ambient sounds of the outside world leaked into the room. Pinkie was amazed that the city was still active at this time of night. Nothing like her small town.

“W-Why are you doing our manes?” Pinkie asked as she placed her hands in her lap.

Willow hummed a thought as she wetted the filly’s mane. “Because ponies like their slaves looking clean.”

Pinkie kept watching her as she saw her bring out a pair of scissors. “What’s wrong with how we look?”

“Your manes are long. Way too long.” Willow ran the comb through Pinkie’s magenta mane until she got the desired length. “I’ve noticed most earth pony mares keep their manes long. Why is that?” She asked, not wanting the silence to return.

“Um, because it’s expected of us to…” Marble mumbled her answer as she fidgeted with her fingers. “Ma, said it shows a mare’s fertility…”

Willow raised a brow. “Really?” She eyed them. ‘Damn, they really do start teaching them to be mothers at a young age.’

“But we have to wear bonnets when we’re out in public.” Pinkie stated flatly.

“Then how does one know how long your manes are?” Willow tilted her head as she continued to work on Pinkie’s mane.

Pinkie watched some of her mane fall to the floor. The snipping of the scissors sent pleasant shivers down her spine. “We were allowed to not wear bonnets during special events, or when we would go swimming.”

“Are unicorn mares not allowed to have long manes?” Marble asked.

“Well,” Willow looked at Pinkie through the mirror. “In Unicorpian society, long manes show uncleanliness and savageness.” She worked out a knot in Pinkie’s mane.

Marble watched as Willow started to shape her sister’s mane. “Why?” She wondered as she watched some of her sister’s mane fall to the floor with a gentle poof.

Willow kept her eyes on her work. “Well, because when we were evolving our ancestors had long manes, but now we are more civilized.” She snipped another strand from Pinkie’s mane. “Because of evolution.”

Pinkie stared into the mare’s eyes through the mirror. “What’s evolution?”

“It’s a long and complicated subject, but in short it’s when one species evolves into another, bettering its chance for survival.” Willow looked at the twins studying their pondering expressions.

“That sounds weird?” Pinkie stated dully.

“Well, it may sound weird, but scientists have confirmed evolution is how this world’s intelligent and non-intelligent animals came to be.” Willow ran her fingers through Pinkie’s mane. “It’s also why some creatures are more superior to others.”

“But God created all things?” Marble tilted her head.

Willow sighed as she turned Pinkie around and pulled out a tin of makeup powder. “You were taught wrong little one.” She opened the tin and picked up the cotton disc with her magic and powdered Pinkie’s face. Marble felt a tight sensation on her chest as her words swam in her head. Willow watched her sulking demeanor and sighed internally. ‘They are timid…’ Looking at her work, she smiled. “Well, what do you think?” She turned Pinkie around to face her sister. Marble stared at her sister. Her complexion looked better than before. Her hip length mane was now shoulder length and had some waviness to it. “It’s now your turn.” Willow smiled.

Pinkie and Marble sat in their cell. It was ten feet by ten feet space, with walls made of concrete and its floor worn wood planks. The single light above their heads hummed a mind splitting tune. Its dull glow barley illuminated their surroundings.

The both of them sat on the only cot in the back corner of the room. They sat in silence listening to the lightbulb’s melody. “I can’t believe were here…” Marble stated softly.

Pinkie looked up at her sister. “What?”

Marble felt her throat tightened. “I… Miss our town… Our parents… Our sisters…” Her tail wagged about, telegraphing her frustrations. Pinkie stared off into space as she let her sister’s words sink in. Not hearing a response, Marble looked at her sister with tear-stained eyes. “Pinkie?”

“I’m sorry?” Pinkie mumbled.

“What?”

“I’m sorry!” Pinkie sobbed. “I was so mean to you!” She tightened her grip on the side of the bed.

Marble frowned as she laid her head on Pinkie’s left shoulder. “I will always forgive you…” She rubbed her cheek into her shoulder. Pinkie let out a cry, as she rested her head on her sister’s, their tails wrapping themselves around each other.

Ratchet and Willow sat at a table in the back of a restaurant fifteen miles from their warehouse. The red-light bulbs and candlelight set the mood as they shared a bowl of bourbon shallot brussels sprouts.

“So which slaves should we sell at this week’s farmer’s market?” Willow asked as she plopped a brussels sprout into her mouth.

“You never stop working, do you?” Ratchet rolled his eyes.

“We have bills to pay sweetheart.” She hummed as she stuck another sprout into her mouth. “So, what do you have in mind?”

Ratchet drank some of his red wine. “I think we can sell the twins, the human and the pegasus.”

Willow sighed. “You think, we should sell the twins as a package, or no?”

“It all depends on the crowd.” It’s going to be a hard sell, no matter what.” He took a bite of their meal. “We spent a lot for them.”

“I wish they were identical.” Willow played with her food. “We would make a killing.”

“We’ll make it work.” Ratchet smiled.

“I hope so?” Willow finished her wine glass.