Survival Through Resignation

"Settle down, you two. Jericho's tryin' ta sleep."

Applejack sat in the carriage next to Bitch with Zaka on the other side. He chuckled at their two children having a shoving match as they bounced along the road. In Applejack's arms sat their third, trying to sleep and feed from his mother's teat at the same time.

Being married for several years had taken its toll on Applejack. She'd finally found Apple Bloom a month ago, right before she was sold. By the time her notice had arrived to bring Apple Bloom to the palace, she was gone.

"Why is it that you seem dejected?" asked Zaka, looking at her. "Your tears are in my people reflected."

"Just thinking of what could have been," deflected Applejack. She didn't want him knowing her thoughts. She'd worked hard to gain his trust enough to allow her a second slot for a personal slave, and she wanted to keep that slot open in case she found her sister again. "Ah guess Ah'm just tryin' ta figure things out for myself."

"Don't let your imagination run too wild," he smiled back. It was the same malevolent smile he gave when he wanted something from her; something he would have, because she could not refuse. "Soon, you'll be carrying another child."

Applejack sighed and nodded. She didn't know what the point of filling her with children was. He already had two dozen children with his other wives, and the oldest had just turned seventeen. He would be first in line for the throne, followed by so many others that it was unlikely that any of Applejack's offspring would be any higher in status than she had been before the siege. She hoped the best for them, certainly, but none of them would ever wear the crown.

Still, she had some importance these days. She had been struck by some of the other wives for being the favourite, as she could tell that they were embarrassed by not being as preferred. It was never a happy time for an orgy to turn into a brawl.

"This should provide relief for your being bored," he smirked, pointing out the window. "This is the outskirts of Appleford!"

Applejack followed his gaze. She immediately recognized the landscape, even though the buildings were different. This was the exact place where Ponyville had once been. Even her barn was in the same place, though her house was nothing more than a string of sheds filled with machinery.

"Can we stop here?" asked Applejack. "Ah need ta see this place."

"We're on a time limit that's pretty tight," declined Zaka. "We don't have time now, but on our way back, we might."

Applejack nodded and looked out over the fields. She recognized a few of the ponies, and after seeing Silver Spoon closing a barn door, realized that a lot of the others were around Apple Bloom's age, and had grown up. She could probably recognize several others if she knew their names.

Suddenly, they ran over a rock, and the resulting jolt knocked her eldest, Lapis, into her youngest, Jericho. Being just a baby who had been sleeping soundly moments ago, Jericho immediately started crying. While Bitch ushered the filly to the other side of the carriage, Applejack tried to calm her child. While he may never wear the crown, she still wanted him to be a happy adult eventually.

The carriage continued to go along the road. While it was possible that an Equestrian military force was hiding nearby to ambush them, it wasn't likely. They had eight guards hanging off the carriage at this very moment, and this had been zebra territory for quite some time. Not all of Equestria had fallen, but a large belt had been stretched across it, dividing the country in half. While this did mean that the zebras were fighting on two fronts, it managed to blockade the Equestrian supply lines, and the north was beginning to have thoughts of surrender as more and more ponies came closer to starvation.

The road turned north, and began to slow as the slope inclined. Applejack knew this road. It was going to Canterlot. Having to escort a wagonload of apples up here every day for a week while the train lines were being repaired, Applejack certainly understood the strain of the slaves that had to pull them along.

When they did arrive, the place was still in mild shambles. Piles of rubble were scattered everywhere, but there was an army of slaves rebuilding the city brick by brick. Some of the buildings had been left standing, but the decorations had been modified. There had been one square in a residential district that used to be a pony holding a pole, from which waved the Equestrian flag. Now that pony had stripes carved into its back, flew the zebrican flag, and had several statues of ponies servicing his manhood, which had not been there before.

The castle had been completely rebuilt, and as they pulled up in front of it, Zaka bade everyone to step out. As soon as Applejack's foot hit the ground, she was greeted by a very large, well-fed zebra. "My emperor and his darling wife!" He waddled up and tossed his arms around Zaka's shoulders. "I hope your journey held no strife?"

"The roads were smooth and very clear," answered Zaka. "It's not my ire you need fear."

The two shared a laugh as they turned and walked up the steps. All but one guard followed them up the steps. The one that stayed escorted the slaves pulling the carriage to the parking area.

"For your wife, I would not dare assume," said the zebra nobleman. "Would you like a tour, or just your room?"

Applejack shook her head. "Ah think Ah'll just go to our room for now. Ah need to put the little one back ta sleep. Send a slave up later, and have them show me around."

Zaka nodded in agreement. "The infant's age is a month and a half. Besides, she's more comfortable around just staff. You needn't worry about her trying to run, just bring her up to the chamber of the sun."

A few guards from within the castle stepped forward and showed her up to the room they would be staying in, with Bitch following close behind, holding the hands of the two that were old enough to walk on their own. While Applejack had only seen Celestia's bedroom once before with Twilight and the others, she knew it had changed before she even saw it. With who was in charge of the place, she could have guessed that the white walls were desecrated with black stripes, that the bed came with restraints, and two slaves with ring gags would be waiting for her husband to make use of them, if she didn't, first.