Survival Through Resignation

Apple Bloom awoke the next morning to being yanked from her bed and being made to stand up. The filly that had helped her last night had her by the wrists, and she looked angry. Not the sort of angry where she wanted to lash out at her, but the kind of angry that Applejack would be if she'd caught her sneaking off in the middle of the night to play with power tools. Even her tone in whisper sounded similar to what Applejack would.

"I know you're used to certain amenities," she growled, "but you have to sleep in your own bed. If the guards caught you before I did, they'd have taken away your privilege to sleep in one!"

"Ah was only tryin' ta help," grunted Apple Bloom.

"I know, but you don't know how things are around here! Believe me, I want nothing more than to return to Equestria and let all good deeds be rewarded, but the ones in charge of this place are cruel and will not hesitate to punish you."

Apple Bloom was about to argue back, even knowing that the filly holding her was right, but something she heard suddenly drew her attention. She looked horrified as she turned back to Apple Bloom, grabbed her by the waist, and tossed her into her own bed. "Quiet," she ordered, "pretend you're asleep!"

The door swung open and the filly turned around to see a guard. "Well, well, well," he smirked. "Already up? I could use someone to join me for my morning cup." He grabbed her by the mane and returned to the door, flipping on the light and blowing his whistle, waking everyone.

Apple Bloom's hands were shaking as she tried to eat her breakfast; some kind of thin oatmeal. If that filly hadn't tossed her back into bed, she could have been the one dining with the guards, and that was unlikely to be a pleasant experience. Hell, if she'd slept in her own bed, rather than comforting Genevieve, that filly could have returned to her own bed and pretended to be asleep, and none of them would have suffered.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as Wibble Wobble sat down next to her. "I didn't have the chance to apologize yesterday," she said. "If I had been stronger, emotionally, I--"

"Don't even worry about it," hushed Apple Bloom. "Anypony would have come ta help ya. It's just chance that Ah was the one ta do it."

"But you were hurt because of me. Isn't there something I can do to right this wrong?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. In truth, there had been something she could do, and she just had. Apple Bloom coming to Wibble Wobble's aid yesterday had recontextualized the morning's events. That filly had given herself up to stop her suffering, something that Apple Bloom had done for Wibble Wobble, and risked doing for Genevieve. That filly was her newest role model, hardening her resolve. If she could protect these fillies from now on, she would. She finished her bowl, scrubbed it clean in the room's only sink, and prepared herself for whatever would come that day. If she was going to defend anyone, she needed to know the lay of the land.

The entire first day was spent scrubbing. It was the same patch of floor over and over, and every time she'd have it spotless and sparkling, the overseer would dump a bucket of filth right where she had just cleaned. Despite the fact that spreading mud that was brought in from outside with the express purpose of dumping it on the floor to be cleaned up was stupid in Apple Bloom's mind, she kept her mouth shut. There were plenty of fates worse than scrubbing floors, and she seemed to have an easier time of it than many of the other fillies.

Genevieve kept finishing just as the new mud came in, trying very hard to clean the nooks and crannies with her claws. Apple Bloom would have warned her against this, but as the tile was already very damaged, she didn't see the point. She would say something tonight, when no guards were around to hear. If they caught her saying something, they might call her out as a snitch, rather than the helpful air she was wanting to project.

Applejack had prepared her for this, in an odd way. When she'd spilled Granny's perfume all over the living room floor, Applejack had made her scrub and scrub until the smell was gone. Whether that was the tile under the wood-burning stove, the hardwood covering the rest of the floor, or the rug, Apple Bloom just had to keep scrubbing. Granted, Applejack hadn't been pouring more perfume just so it would need to be cleaned up, but Apple Bloom was no stranger to scrubbing, and when the instructors turned their backs, she'd dart to one side to help somepony nearby, or she'd "accidentally" overreach the area she was supposed to be cleaning, "inadvertently" helping one of her fellow slaves-in-training.

Thanks to her efforts, their class ended early that day, and they were allowed to return to their rooms to await further use, or dinner, whichever came first. There were a few thanks directed at Apple Bloom, but she was hardly paying attention. She hadn't helped them for the recognition, but because she felt that it was right.

When it was time for dinner, the filly that had helped Apple Bloom that morning was brought back, stumbling and gasping as the guard tossed her. Apple Bloom grabbed ahold of her and helped her to her table, to the disgust of one of the guards. He said nothing, but the look he gave Apple Bloom was vile.

"Thanks for this mornin'," whispered Apple Bloom as she helped the filly eat. There was nothing to really chew, but she did lift her spoon. "Ah'm sorry Ah put ya in harm's way."

"I put myself there," she wheezed back. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Ah don't want to see you hurt no more, neither," agreed Apple Bloom. "Or any of us. In fact, Ah kinda conned the system, scrubbin' the others' floors."

That made the filly laugh and brought a smile to her face for the first time in years. It was so unfamiliar that she drew intense stares from the other fillies. "Well... Apple Bloom, was it?" she held out her hand. "Sandstorm."

Apple Bloom helped Sandstorm into bed, but when she went to her own bed, Genevieve was standing in front of it, blocking her entrance. "I have something I need to say to you, Apple Bloom."

"Is it gonna be somethin' nasty?"

"Yep."

"Then Ah don't wanna hea--"

Apple Bloom was cut off as Genevieve grabbed her by the mane and pushed her beak against her lips, rubbing them together and lightly sucking. "Thanks for your help." With two quick pats on her shoulder, Genevieve slipped into her own bed, leaving Apple Bloom standing in stunned silence.