Iron and Blood: We Dear Sisters

Maud rested soundly on her husband’s chest. Her shallow breaths whistled a somber melody as her upper body rode with the rise and fall of each breath her husband took. Obsidian’s mouth was agape as his mind subconsciously listened to the soft squeaking of the ceiling fan… The room shook violently, jolting them awake. They shot up and frantically looked around. “What the hell?” Obsidian jumped out of bed exposing his naked body to the cool night air lingering in their room.

“What do you see?” Maud asked as she threw on her nightgown.

Obsidian saw Earthen soldiers running to his left. Some took defensive positions behind brick-made railings of front porch steps. “Soldiers are taking some sort…”

A massive explosion erupted on the street. The blast shook their room and exploded the window. Luckily, Obsidian jumped out of the way at the last second. Covering their heads, they stayed still as gunfire erupted from the streets below. “Damn it!” Obsidian growled as he got to his hooves. “We need to leave!” He threw on his paints.

“I’ll wake up the others!” Maud shouted as she ran to the door. Throwing it open, Maud found that her mother and her sisters, as well as her in-laws, were already up and standing in the hallway. “Are you alright?” Maud asked as she ran up to them. Her husband ran out of the room, haphazardly throwing on a shirt.

“We’re fine?” Cloudy Quartz hugged her daughter. “What’s happening out there?”

“The damned frontlines fell apart!” Obsidian growled.

“What?” Limestone felt a pain in her chest. She looked off into space and started to hyperventilate.

“Calm down!” Maud grabbed her shoulders. “Breathe Lime!” Limestone nodded aggressively. Hearing other doors opening, the family saw familiar faces of their fellow town ponies leaving their rooms.

“Where do we go?” A mare asked.

“Away from the city!” A stallion yelled as he ran down the hall. His panic caused others to panic also. Ponies ran toward any nearby exits in a mad frenzy.

“Stay close to one another!” Onyx yelled as he motioned his hands at himself.

“What about Cheerilee?” Maud asked.

“Well find her later,” Obsidian promised as he held her hand tight. Maud gave her husband a nod as she tightened her grip as they ran down the stairs.

Entering the lobby, they stopped in their tracks as bullets ripped through the glass. Several earth ponies fell to the ground with meaty thuds. Holding out his hands, Onyx stopped his family and looked over his shoulders at the exit down the hall. “This way!” They ran down the hall, their hooves clopping against the tile as they ran.

Slamming the door open, Maud's and her husband’s family ran down the street. The sounds of war echoed out all around them. Hearing bullets whizzing over their heads, they instinctively lowered them as they ran toward an alleyway a few yards from them. Before they could enter the alleyway, a warm sticky liquid splattered the back of Obsidian’s neck. Turning around, he saw a large exit wound on his father’s head. Onyx's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he fell forward slamming face first on the ground. “PA!” Ruby cried out as she grabbed onto her father’s corpse.

Rose Sapphire’s eyes trembled as she stared at the brain matter oozing out onto the cobblestone street. Seeing several Unicorpian soldiers a hundred and fifty yards away, Rose Sapphire took control of her emotions. “Obsidian grab your sister and let’s go!” Several more bullets whizzed over their heads.

Obsidian swallowed his fears and grabbed his sister and held her in his arms. Ruby desperately tried to get back to her father. Obsidian tightened his grip as he cooed in her ear. “Say your goodbyes…”

Pinkie took on more glance back and stared at Onyx’s hollowed eyes which stared right back at her. She shivered as her vision began to blur from the tears escaping down her face.

Getting to the alley, Maud saw an opened door hanging precariously from one of its hinges from a building a few feet from them. “Hurry!” She shouted as she opened it even further. Her family ran into the basement. Maud tried closing the door, but it snapped off its hinge and fell to the ground with a thud. Hearing hoofsteps getting closer, Maud looked down the alley and saw shadows from the street lights. Maud didn’t stay to see who they belonged to as she ran down and hid under the stairs with her family.

They heard the hoofsteps die down to a soft pattering sound as they neared the door. “You think they went down there?” They heard a masculine voice ask. “Maybe?” Another one replied. Cloudy Quartz who was holding her twin daughters and Limestone close to her, listened as the stallions talked. “Should we go down there, it's dark as shit!” She heard one of the soldiers lean in. “I got a flashlight.” The other soldier sighed. “Fuck it, if they are in there, they’ll come out when we burn the town to the ground.”

Cloudy Quartz felt numb. The muffled sounds of the firefight above them danced in her ear drums. She looked at her daughters. Seeing that they clung to her for dear life, she shivered as she looked at Maud who held onto her husband as they both stared at the ceiling. Looking over at Rose Sapphire, she saw her comforting her daughter to the best of her abilities. ‘Lord, forgive me…’ She swallowed a lump. “Give me your rings!”

Maud and Obsidian looked over their shoulders. “What?” Maud looked at her mother with a look of bewilderment.

“Give me your rings!” Cloudy Quartz took off her wedding ring.

“Ma? Why?” Maud tried to ask but her mother ignored her please as she took off her wedding ring.

“Just trust me, sweetie!” Cloudy Quartz grabbed Obsidian’s hand and pulled off his ring. “Give it.” She looked at Rose Sapphire with a stern glare. Rose Sapphire looked down at her wedding ring and slowly played with it. Looking back at her, she nodded and took off her ring, and handed it to her. Cloudy Quartz placed the rings in her nightgown’s breast pocket. “We need to go!”

“Ma were safe here!” Maud pleaded.

“I will not have my family die in a burning city.” She held Maud’s face in her hands. “You need to trust me.” She kissed her. Maud looked into her mother’s trembling eyes and slowly nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

Exiting the basement, they made their way back onto the main street, but before they could make it even five blocks down the road, a bullet ricocheted off the cobblestone by their hooves. The family got close to each other as they looked to their right and saw a group of Unicorpian soldiers wearing different uniforms from the others they'd seen slowly walking up to them with their bolt action rifles raised.

“Hands up and don’t move!” One of the soldiers, a grey-furred unicorn spat.

“Hey, they got a group!” A soldier further behind the others shouted.

“How are we going to do this?” One soldier asked as he got behind the family, aiming his rifle at their backs.

“Coin toss to see which group gets what?” Another soldier stated.

“Really?” The grey-furred unicorn raised his brow.

“What?” The other soldier sighed. “Do you have a better idea, fly-colt?”

Understanding what the Unicorpian soldiers were talking about, Cloudy Quartz stood forward. “Here!” She held out the rings and showed them to the grey-furred unicorn. “Will these be enough to keep our children together!” She waved at hers and Rose Sapphire’s. The other soldiers raised their rifles as she stepped closer.

The unicorn stared at the rings in her hands. He stepped up closer and took the rings, studying the craftsmanship of each one. He chewed his bottom lip as he rubbed the precious gems they held. “How many do you have?” He looked at her.

“Four daughters.” Cloudy Quartz pointed at them.

“How old are they?” He raised his brow at her.

Cloudy Quartz swallowed a lump in her throat. “Fifteen, thirteen, and ten.”

Maud felt a chill run down her spine. ‘Why are you lying?’ She held her sisters close to her. ‘I’m not fifteen?’

“And you?” He pointed at Rose Sapphire.

She sighed as she pointed at her children. “Two. He’s sixteen and she’s ten as well.”

Obsidian kept his eyes on his sister. He didn’t need to look at his mother. He knew why she lied about his age. ‘I hope this works…’

The grey-furred unicorn nodded his head and turned his attention back to the rings. “What are you going to do Sargent?”

He looked at his fellow soldier and let out a sigh. “Fine.” He looked at Cloudy Quartz. “I’ll keep your kids together.”

“Do I have your word?” Cloudy Quartz stared down the stallion.

The unicorn laughed as he wagged his finger at her. “Feisty, I like that.” He showed her the rings. “Of course, I will. These will fetch us a good number of bits.” He put away the rings in his back pocket.

“What about us!” Some of the other soldiers from another division grumbled.

The Sargent rolled his eyes. “You can take the mares! But be gentle, don’t want to ruin the merchandise.” He looked at Cloudy Quartz and Rose Sapphire and eyed their bodies. “Say goodbye to your children and make it quick!”

Cloudy Quartz quickly gathered her children around her. Seeing her twin daughter’s eyes swollen with tears she gave them a loving smile as she wiped away their tears. “Oh, my dears, everything will be fine.” She looked at Limestone and Maud and saw their stoic expressions, but their eyes deceived their looks. “You two always staying strong, like your Pa.” She kissed them on the head. “And you stay that way you hear, don’t let them break you!” She glared at her children. “Don’t!”

Maud and her sisters nodded as they hugged their mother.

“You do the same you hear!” Rose Sapphire told her son. “You look out for your sister.” She pulled her son in a hug and whispered in his ear. “And your wife.” Obsidian gently pulled away from his mother and smiled.

Seeing the approaching Unicorpian soldiers, Pinkie and Marble began to hyperventilate. Looking at their mother, they clung to her nightgown. “MA!” Pinkie whined. “I don’t want to leave you!” She felt the cold aura of one of the unicorn’s magic around her neck. She choked on her cries. Her grip failed, allowing the soldiers to hold on to her as they bound her hands in front of her.

“You stay strong!” Their mother shouted as her daughters were led away from her.

Maud kept her eyes on her mother as they were led down the street. She saw the other soldiers drag her mother and Rose Sapphire into a neighboring building. Her blood ran cold as she feared the worst. Seeing her sisters in front of her, she fought back her fears and focused her attention on them. ‘Stay strong…’ She told herself. ‘Stay strong…’

The Unicorpian soldiers lead Maud, her sisters, Obsidian, and Ruby toward a massive airship docked beside a barn that overlooked a cornfield on the east side of the city. The massive spotlights on its gondola illuminated the field in a harsh white light that made it feel sterile and otherworldly.

Groaning at the pressure on her wrists from the rope, Pinkie looked at her surroundings to take her mind off the emotions that swam violently through her mind.

On her right, she saw a mass of Unicorpian troops chatting and celebrating their victory. On her left, she saw several Earthen soldiers standing side by side along a water canal used to water the nearby crops. Four Unicorpian soldiers that stood in front of them raised their rifles. Pinkie shook as they opened fire. The Earthen soldiers crumbled to the ground and slipped down into the shallow canal.

The smell of spent gunpowder wafted into the air. It tickled Pinkie’s snout and caused her to sneeze. Her body shivered. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the horror. She slowly stopped and stared at the mass of bodies laying in the ditch in a varying cascade of uncomfortable positions unfit for a living being.

“Move it!” A soldier guiding them spat. Pinkie shivered as she got back in line and followed her sisters. Limestone growled at the guard as she got in front of her sister. “Watch your tone prisoner or all bash your teeth in!”

“You do no such thing!” The Sargent called out. “The captain would be displeased if they came to him with broken bones.” Nearing the airship, the Sargent walked up the rampart and looked back at his comrades. “Load them up. We are on the clock!”

Pinkie sat on her knees. Her head hung low as she rested her bound hands on her lap. Blinking her eyes, she felt her hot tears rolling down her face and dripping off her cheeks landing with silent splashes onto her nightgown. Sniffing, she lifted her hands and whipped her eyes. Letting out a phlegm-filled cough she looked at Marble who sat to her right, resting her head on her shoulder. Pinkie could feel every tremble as she moaned in her sleep.

Shivering from the cold, she looked to her left and saw her sisters Maud and Limestone. Limestone was trying desperately to break free from her restraints. Even in the dim light, she could see that her wrists were bruised to all hell.

Sensing her sister’s gaze, Maud looked at Pinkie. She could see that she was on the verge of a meltdown. She knew sleep would be good for her but the fear of the prior events stopped her from embracing the comfort of such an act. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

Pinkie let out a pained sigh. “Tired…”

“Then sleep…” Maud looked at Limestone. “That goes for you as well.”

Limestone let out a growl. “I can’t!” She showed her hands. Maud stared at her bruised wrist and let out a sigh. “Follow their example.” She lifted her bounds arms and pointed at her husband and his sister who sat on the other side of the ship. Obsidian leaned against the wall which allowed his sister to rest her head on his chest. However, he wasn’t fully asleep and saw Maud pointing at him. To help get her point across, he gave them a nod and rested his head on his sister’s.

Limestone grumbled as she leaned against Maud. “Fine…” She closed her eyes, trying to get comfortable on the rough wooden floor of the airship.

Maud smiled as she saw Pinkie doing the same. Letting out a sigh she looked at the other side of the airship and saw Cheerilee fidgeting with her tail. Cheerilee felt someone looking at her and smiled when she saw it was Maud. Maud waved and Cheerilee did the same.

Hearing hoofsteps walking down the stairs, Maud looked up at saw two crewmen standing on the steps as they scanned over their twenty earth pony prisoners. “Not many to choose from?” One of them complained.

“There’s five of them, just pick one?” The other one rolled his eyes.

The other one squinted his eyes as he scanned over their prisoners until his gaze landed on Cheerilee. “How about that one?” His comrade looked at Cheerilee and nodded. He hummed as he jumped off the steps and walked up to Cheerilee. “We need to ask you a few questions!” He unlocked the chain on her hoof that kept her bolted to the airship’s floor.

“What kind of questions?” Cheerilee asked as she was led up the stairs.

“Oh, you’ll, see?” The stallion laughed as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Maud stared up at the top of the stairs, her body shivering as a terrible thought swam through her mind.

The soldiers lead Cheerilee into a room at the back of the airship’s gondola. It was a cramped space, just big enough to fit four. Cheerilee saw that the room contained a table and a single chair. A full trash can sat in the corner waiting for someone to relieve it of its burden. The room’s mustiness sent a shiver down her spine, it smelled like several years of cigar and cigarette smoke that had permeated the wall's wood paneling. Swallowing her nervousness, she looked at the stallions. “What questions do you have for me?”

One of the stallions placed a hand under her chin and gently stoked it. “Are you a virgin?” Cheerilee was stunned by the question. Her throat tightened up as she slowly backed away from the stallion. “Answer the question!” The stallion grabbed her neck with his magic and pinned her against the wall.

Cheerilee tried to speak, but the pressure on her neck was hard for her to breathe.

“Looks like she wants us to find out instead.” The other stallion laughed as he lifted up her nightgown. Seeing that she was wearing panties he tucked his hands in them and started playing with her clitoris.

Hearing the door open, the stallions and Cheerilee looked over at a stallion with midnight black fur and a silvery white mane and tail. He wore a flight jacket adorned with a myriad of metals and a nameplate that read ‘Moonlight.’ His blue eyes stared at his men. “What are you two doing with one of our prisoners?”

The stallion looked into Cheerilee’s green eyes and watched them tremble. “Just asking her a few questions, Captain.”

Moonlight looked at one of his men’s hands and saw that it was in Cheerilee’s underwear. “Just be gentle with her.” He closed the door.”

Alone the stallions looked back at Cheerilee and gave her menacing grins. “Of course, we will.” The one on her right laughed as he pulled down her panties.