Survival Through Resignation

"Ah can't believe Rumble's our new owner." Apple Bloom stowed her tiny sack of belongings in her shelf compartment. All slaves were granted a half metre cube of space to store their belongings against the wall of their sleeping quarters. "He's what, eighteen? He's younger than us!"

"He may be young," agreed Sweetie, "but since he's from Ponyville, maybe he'll go easier on us because he knows what it's like to lose his home. His house was probably destroyed, too."

"I don't remember what he was like," huffed Silver. "Was he nice, or was that just a ruse to lure us into a false sense of security?"

Sweetie put her hand on Silver's shoulder. "Come on, Silvy. Not everypony's going to betray you like Diamond Tiara did. I'm still here, aren't I?"

Silver nodded, embracing Sweetie in a tender hug. The way they pushed their hips together and the small moan Silver Spoon let out immediately made Apple Bloom remember Gen's body. She had to find somepony to satisfy her all over again. She shook the thought from her mind, fully aware that, because she knew nopony here after years of being separated, she would have to make friends before she could make love to any of them. For now, it was just the zebras, at their discretion.

The door opened, and Lily walked in. "I found clothes that should fit you two," she smiled, beckoning Silver and Apple Bloom over. "Nothing for you, Sweetie, but judging by the size of that bump, you're going to change sizes again soon, anyway."

"I'm due next week," she smiled.

"One week of no clothing is going to be fine," nodded Lily, giving clothes to the other two. "I will also need to paint your stripes on, so turn away from me and bend forward."

It wasn't long before they were all wearing the same stripe pattern, with the exception of Sweetie Belle. The way the patterns worked was to show the owner around the shoulders with their own personalized branding. Below that, on the middle and lower back, was a mark displaying their primary duties. On the arms was a third marking determining whether the bearer was a slave, a free worker, a contractor, or a noble. There were other smaller displays telling any observer information at a glance, but since Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom were owned by the same stallion, both slaves, and both farmers, they had the same marks. Sweetie, being an entertainer, had different lines on her lower back, as did Lily, who was a general-purpose slave. But Lily had different marks on her arms, too, making her a middle management slave.

Their first day was a tough one. While they were allowed to talk to each other, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon didn't have much to say. It was currently spring, so they were planting today on a freshly purchased plot of land. Since Apple Bloom was stronger, she operated the tiller, while Silver Spoon followed behind with the seeder, and a pair of young fillies behind them, no older than fourteen, distributed the water.

Rumble watched the whole thing, issuing commands when necessary. While Apple Bloom was tired and being worked very hard, she didn't mind so much. Being well aware of the amount of work that went into running a farm, she took no issue with being told what to do, and if she was good at it, she could be finished before the end of the day. If Rumble was a nice owner, he would give her the rest of the day off for finishing early.

Unfortunately for her, he kept telling her to slow her pace so as not to break away from the others. They were all meant to stay together as a group, keeping a safe distance of somewhere between one and two metres from the machines in front of them, and while Silver Spoon managed to keep pace easily, the fillies pulling the water were having a hard time keeping up.

This gave Apple Bloom time to look over Rumble's back. On his shoulders, he bore a different mark than the girls, meaning he was owned by a different pony than they were. Initially, she thought this strange, but seeing his arm markings made it clear. Everypony here belonged to Rumble, as he was the highest rank of slave there was. Despite having an owner, he was allowed to own and operate his own force of slaves, so long as he was not in violation of the rules set forth by his own owner, who had to either be nearby, or have a guard to enforce his will.

At noon, they took a break. They weren't allowed three meals per day, but Rumble did make sure that they had two. The food was even good. The mashed-up gruel they'd been given at the school had been replaced with pan-fried turnips and carrots. It wasn't great, but it was better than Apple Bloom had eaten in almost a decade, and was very welcome.

Just before they went back to work, Apple Bloom rushed in front of Rumble to stop him. "Master, if I may be so bold, I think I know how to help us move this along."

Rumble pursed his lips and folded his arms. "I'm listening."

"We can tie a rope to the plow, and the other end to the irrigator. Having me help will make it easier for the other two to keep up, and it guarantees that we will all stay together."

Rumble pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh. "As much as I think that's a good idea, and as much as I would like to allow you to finish ahead of time, I'm bound by the rulings put in front of me. I'm not allowed to say yes to your idea, as making it easier will not teach them discipline, and will not teach you teamwork. You all have to work hard. Now, let's begin. If you all work hard, we can reach that ideal without the need for rope."

Apple Bloom bowed and exposed her back. "Yes, master. I'm sorry for speaking out of turn."

There was a brief pause, then Rumble cleared his throat. "Are you going back to work, or do I have to use my whip?"

"I thought you were going to, Master. Don't I deserve it?"

"Not yet. Hurry up and mount that plow, or you will."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yes, Master."

"And you can just call me Rumble..."