Survival Through Resignation

Apple Bloom stepped naked into the reception area. All of her school-issued belongings had been returned, including her dining set and clothing. All she had now was a small collection of items that the school was not expecting to have returned: A toothbrush, a showering rag and a handful of hair ties. If her new owner wanted her to wear a dress and eat at a table or wear only a collar and eat out of a dog bowl, that was their choice. They had complete control over her daily life as soon as they picked her up.

She kneeled down in the waiting area in front of the chairs. Those were for guests, and she was property. There were two guards in the room, one of which marked something off his clipboard, likely noting that she had arrived. It was fair to guess that he was responsible for making sure she was properly secured to whatever vehicle was going to take her away.

"Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom looked up. Coming in from another wing, she saw a face she hadn't seen since she came in. "Sweetie Belle?"

"I can't believe it's you! Where have you been all this time?"

"Ah wasn't allowed to leave D wing."

Sweetie Belle kneeled down next to her. Her breasts were huge, but it didn't at all compare to her belly. She was clearly carrying a foal in there. Something else was made clear, too. Her horn had been caged. Her new owner likely had the key already, assuming it hadn't been broken. "D wing? I was told that's where all the bad slaves are."

"Sounds about right. Ah would'a said troublemakers, but eh..."

"Do you think we were bought by the same buyer?"

Apple Bloom huffed. "Ah don't think fate's that kind."

"Well, Silver Spoon and I are going to the same place. Maybe the same guy bought you. He was kinda cute, actually."

"The one that came by yesterday?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Isn't that right, Silver?"

Behind Sweetie Belle's enhanced girth, a petite-looking Silver Spoon kneeled. She looked down at the floor, seemingly upset about something, but as soon as Sweetie asked, she nodded wordlessly.

"Ah only saw his feet," admitted Apple Bloom. "Ah guess, since we're the bad slaves, that we're hit harder for misbehavin'."

The front door opened, and a mare poked her head in, nodding to the clipboard guard, who turned over his clipboard to her. She stepped in, revealing herself as a yellow pegasus with bright red hair. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon. Come with me, please."

While they doubted that this mare was their owner, being only a slave, herself, the three of them stood up and followed her out the door. There was a carriage awaiting them, much nicer than the one that brought them there. What few belongings they had were taken from them and stored in the back compartment as they climbed in and sat down as directed. The mare climbed in after them as the pair of drivers turned and pulled them away.

"I'm Calla Lily," introduced the mare. "I don't mind if you continue your conversation, but if you don't want me involved, let me know."

"Ah don't mind," said Apple Bloom.

"Neither do I," agreed Sweetie.

"You look familiar," came Silver's response.

Lily smiled. "You'll find out why soon enough, I think. The master will tell you."

Sweetie gasped. "You were a florist! My sister visited you all the time!"

Lily nodded. "My shop is a pivot pump now."

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up. "Are we goin' ta Ponyville?"

"What's left of it, yeah."

The carriage fell silent as the girls looked to each other. Silver Spoon now looked hurt, and rather than holding her hooves behind her back, she crossed them over her stomach and leaned forward, as if she'd just been struck.

"What's wrong?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Diamond Tiara sold her out," informed Sweetie Belle. "They were trying to escape the siege together, and Silver helped Diamond up on top of the wall. When Diamond was supposed to turn around and bring Silver Spoon with her, she ran, instead, saving herself and leaving Silver Spoon behind to be captured by the zebras."

Apple Bloom swallowed hard. "Shit. Ah'm sorry ta hear that."

"It still hurts," sniffled Silver, receiving a hug from Sweetie Belle. "You're best friends with someone for years, and then she just quits you when the trouble comes. She had four minutes to pull me up; the zebras hadn't even found us yet. She just ran off, probably found her parents, and they bought their way out."

"Well, they're not in Ponyville," smiled Lily. "That's some solace, right?"

Silver Spoon turned her head away. "I guess..."

Apple Bloom turned and looked out the window. They weren't out of the Zebrican Empire yet, and if the borders had changed, they might not ever be. She could infer that Ponyville belonged to the zebras now, but something was odd about it. Everypony in this carriage was from Ponyville.

It was a few hours of riding before they arrived. In that time, Lily had explained their roles, with Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon being farm workers, and Sweetie being a pleasure slave. She was going to spend a lot of time off her feet, anyway, being pregnant, so lying on her back or sitting down was preferable.

When they did arrive, the carriage kept going until they arrived at what had once been Sweet Apple Acres. Certainly, there were zebras about, but most of the slaves seemed to be in a good mood, and kept in line by other slaves, as Sandstorm had kept the rest of Apple Bloom's room in line. The barn at Sweet Apple Acres had been rebuilt, and surrounding it were some very young apple trees. Further out from them, the older ones showed some clear signs of fire damage, but it was old damage, something from a time long ago.

They all fell to their knees, with the exception of Lily, as their new master approached. Apple Bloom recognized the feet from yesterday. "Welcome to your new lives, girls. I understand that you are used to a certain way of living. Hopefully, that acclimation will change, as you now belong to me. You will have no work today, as you are going to be oriented properly, first. You will also be fitted for your uniforms and given a physical examination. Tomorrow, I will assign you your duties. I hope you will come to enjoy your time here in Appleford.

"Thank you, Master," the girls said in unison.

"You can call me by name," he answered back, "And you can look at me, too. Eye contact is allowed, here."

Apple Bloom looked up, and she couldn't believe it. Not only had she become reacquainted with Ponyville, now Appleford, and she'd also been reunited with Sweetie Belle and a likely less hostile version of Silver Spoon, but even her new master was somepony that she used to know. "Rumble?!"