"And when I woke up, I was here..." Apple Bloom finished, looking down at her hooves. She'd been too preoccupied to pay much attention to it at the time but looking back, that whole situation had been very close to being even more horrific. Being restrained, legs held apart, Starlight's comments about discipline and that Peace Walker had gone through said discipline. The implications were...Something she really did not want to think about.
The room was silent for several seconds before she looked up and saw that Peace wasn't reacting to any of it. She was sitting down, staring at the floor with a dejected look on her face, eyes dull and downtrodden. Hearing about Apple Bloom being subjected to the those conditions was likely reminding her of going through her own unmarking and everything else she had been put through. Apple Bloom mentally kicked herself for not thinking of that possibility sooner and put a hoof on Peace's shoulder, smiling weakly as it was enough to break her from her daze.
"S-sorry about that, I-I just..." Peace started, struggling for words.
"It's ok, we've both been through a lot." That was something of an understatement. Peace's homophobia made a lot more sense in the wake of that final memory, though it also made it a lot harder to help her overcome it.
"Yeah, some more than others...You were lucky you know, Sunset wasn't there to bail me out." Peace folded her ears back and tapped the ground awkwardly. Apple Bloom gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder as she tried to think of what to do next. If Peace stayed like this, she probably wouldn't have the will to keep resisting Sunset's magic any longer. While she was likely to feel that she was in the wrong no matter what, at the very least she could focus on something more positive, remember what was waiting for once they got out of here.
"Peace, it wasn't your fault, Starlight is freaking insane and I'm sure your husband will understand the circumstances...Come on, we've still got plenty of ideas to talk about away from that. You haven't told me about him yet after all."
It was a long shot but Apple Bloom really hoped she could keep Peace's mind off what had happened. Peace was still staring at the floor, worn down from a day and a half of trying to maintain the illusion that she was fine. After a minute she blinked and looked up, looking tired but smiling slightly at the same time. Apple Bloom smiled back and shifted to get more comfortable as Peace took a quick drink before sitting back against the wall.
"One of the few things I still remember clearly...My sweet Bulwark. I met him at a night class teaching self-defence when I was preparing to apply for the Defence Force, he saw some potential in me, we hung out a few times outside of classes and ended up joining around the same time. I, probably would have ended up up quitting a lot sooner without him, then on my twentieth birthday he admitted that despite what I'd been thinking, none of our previous meets had been for personal interest, which was strange to me because it wasn't a secret we liked each other. I decided to get a smile out of him and asked him out on the spot."
"Sounds a lot simpler than what I went through." Apple Bloom commented, getting a weak chuckle out of Peace Walker, she still looked like guilt was weighing on her but her tone of voice was more upbeat now that she wasn't dwelling on what had happened.
"I guess living in Ponyville tends to make everything overly complicated."
"True, when I was a filly there, I seemed to end up in some major escapade every month," Apple Bloom moved to sit next to Peace, thinking she might feel better with somepony supporting her as much as possible. "So, I'm guessing this Bulwark was the serious type?"
"That's one way of putting it, he's a military stallion through and through. Always found time for me though, even after I transferred to the Scout Division and he was promoted to the Second Earth Pony Regiment, we managed to stay together. After a few years, he came to me and said that since the were no rules disallowing relationships between personnel, he was able to offer me a promotion to the position I'd always desired. I just about realised what he meant before he proposed right there."
"That's, unorthodox, but nice."
"It was," Peace yawned slightly and rested her head back against the wall. "We've been married for about...Six years? Is that right?"
"I, don't know." Apple Bloomed looked over at Peace Walker with a hint of concern. She'd been silently worried that Peace was finally going to succumb to Sunset's magic and have her mind overwritten for some time, the way she was forgetting details she'd clung to so firmly was a fresh warning that they were short on time.
"Hmm...That's, weird," Peace yawned again, starting to look tired despite the fact that a quick glance outside would show that it was barely sunset yet. "I err, I think I'm going to catch a quick nap. Talk to you later."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's not that late and the longer we can keep talking, the better chance you have of getting out of here, seeing him again. Peace, listen to me...Peace!"
Apple Bloom gripped Peace Walker's shoulder and shook as her head dropped down, eyes held shut as if to try and block out the reality surrounding her. The steady rise and fall of her chest showed she was still fine in herself, but the way tiredness had suddenly overcome her and dropped her into such deep sleep so quickly was worrying. Apple Bloom slowly pulled her hoof away and looked out of the window, watching the sun making its descent. The last time she had taken the time to watch this was back on that outcrop with Pinkie Pie, when everything seemed to be going so right.
Now, it was all falling apart. Even if she knew just how she'd got here, it didn't change anything in the long run. There still wasn't any clear means of escape from this building, let alone the town. Starlight and Sunset's power couldn't be taken head on, even if she still had those magic charms that Pinkie had gathered. Speaking of which, she had no idea where Pinkie was right now, if Sunset had been truthful then it had been weeks since she'd been kidnapped with no clear sign of what had happened. Apple Bloom could only imagine just how hard Pinkie had taken it, or was still taking it, given her previous reactions.
She stayed by the window, the same thoughts chasing each other round her mind in an effort to come up with something new, until the sky outside was blanketed by the night. The sound of movement broke her focus enough to pull her eyes away from the rising moon and back into the room. Peace Walker was starting to wake up again, bringing a hoof up to her forehead and pressing on it slightly as she groaned quietly. Apple Bloom moved in front of her quickly, checking for any kind of abnormal behaviour and silently praying to find none.
"My head...How long was I asleep?" Peace asked quietly, bringing her hoof back down and looking up at Apple Bloom.
"Only an hour or two." Apple Bloom replied, about to decide that nothing was wrong when she noticed the look on Peace's face. Confusion, as if she was trying to recognise the pony in front of her, though the words that followed it up proved far worse.
"I'm sorry, but have we met? I haven't seen you around town before. I know there was a party yesterday and I went a little nuts with the drinks, maybe I just didn't remember. That must be why I'm not at home, somepony let me sleep it off in here and they'll check on me later. Makes sense, doesn't it?"
"I...Yes, yes we have met. In fact you're the only pony I've properly spoken to in the last twenty four hours." Apple Bloom managed to keep her voice calm but blind panic was setting in on the inside. This was what a brainwashed pony was like? The entire town outside was full of this?
"Strange, if everypony was there then I would have definitely seen you. Are you new to our town? My name is Peace Walker, pleasure to meet you."
"I-I don't think this is right. I've met you before today, you've only been here for a week. You had your own life, with your husband and a full career."
"Are, you feeling alright?" Peace looked even more confused with every word she heard. "I don't know where you heard that but I've never been married. I did have a coltfriend once but we fell apart quickly. We still get along here though, everypony does thanks to our leader, Starlight Glimmer. Maybe you should talk to her about seeing a doctor."
"No, no that's a bad idea. You have to believe me when I tell you that Starlight is dangerous. She's been using her magic to manipulate you and everypony else here. Did you ever wonder why everypony had the same cutie mark?"
"We were born with them, a sign of our standing together in equality, nopony any better. Starlight, along with her assistant, Sunset Shimmer, keep tattoos over theirs to help us find them quicker in the crowd. It's how things have always been and having lived it for thirty four years, it's wonderful."
"You're only thirty one!" Apple Bloom snapped, starting to lose her composure at the sight of just how serious this was. Peace Walker stared at her for a moment before getting to her hooves.
"I'm sorry, whoever you are, but I don't want to argue this. You can have your opinions, your slander about Starlight and all that unhappiness, but please keep it to yourself. We don't appreciate it in our town." Peace said, somewhat forcefully. Apple Bloom stepped back in surprise as she moved away and went back to one of the corners, muttering something about the room they were in.
That was it. It would take a better pony than her to talk down a pony that had been brainwashed like this. Peace was gone, a lot of options for escape gone with her. Apple Bloom slumped down against the wall, sighing as she started to try and think of where to go from here. The most obvious answer right now was probably to continue going through her memories, buy some more time against Sunset's magic, though that would take a lot longer with no guarantee it would work in time, if at all. Any other plans that would lead to getting out would take even longer to come up with and even then, all of them would then require her to flee the town, without anypony catching her, and find a way back to civilization despite having no idea where she was.
The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. Apple Bloom simply sat there, trying to think of a new way out of this, hardly even registering Peace getting up and moving round some more. She'd lost track of time when a new sound managed to capture her attention, a gentle shuffling noise that seemed to be coming from outside. More specifically, from the windows. She pushed herself back to her hooves and brought her head up to the opening, decided that whatever was out there was better than staying quiet in here.
"Hello? Anypony?" She called quietly, silently praying for a reply.