Work Horses

by swedely

30 Years Ago

I had been sitting outside of the conference room for probably half an hour, but it felt like ages. The coalition still didn’t trust me. I’m not allowed to leave the building without supervision and I can’t contact anyone. They still consider me a prisoner, though I have access to any room except the archives. I can’t go home, but I have to tell my parents what I have been doing. It’s only right. Plus, I wanted to ask them some questions that might make some sense of this insanity for me.

Fluttershy was waiting with me. To be honest, I didn’t understand why she always wanted to be by my side. I had been so cruel to her, and I was sure that I didn’t love her more than a brony, but at the same time I wanted her to be near me. Then again, she’s had it pretty rough lately. Maybe I make her feel safe.

“Hey,” I started. “You doing alright?”

“Um, yeah,” At least she was willing to talk to people again “The people here are really nice to me.”

I laughed softly and said, “That makes one of us.”

Fluttershy looked down at the floor where she lay and took a deep breath. Her face retreated into her hair and started shaking. I leaned over and saw her trying to fight back tears. “Hey, hey, what’s the matter,” I asked.

She sniffled and said, “I miss Angel, my pet bunny. I found him all alone and took him in with me. He wasn’t always nice, but I always knew that deep down he loved me. But now he’s gone…most of my old friends are gone…”

Her grip on her tears finally broke loose and she cried openly. I saw the tears splash to the tile and felt my lower lip curl. I knelt down and she looked up at me with swollen eyes. I didn’t know what to say. What can you possibly say to cheer up someone who is all alone? In the end, I said nothing. Instead I wiped a tear away from her face, and she jumped up to hug me, catching me off guard, but I still returned it. I don’t know why I felt the need to comfort this creature, but maybe that was just it: to me she was no longer just a creature

Fluttershy released her grip on me and curled up into herself. I sat back in my seat and not two minutes later, the door opened up and Alec walked out. “Good news,” he said, “we’ve decided to let you see your parents.”

I couldn’t contain the smile that broke across my face. “Really?”

Alec replied, “Yes, but you can’t talk about the coalition or any of our operations. You know, confidentiality and what not.”

“Can I come with you,” asked a hushed little voice coming from the pony on the floor.
I knelt down to her again and told her, “I’m sorry Fluttershy, but I can’t risk you leaving the compound. You’d be safer here with these guys and your friend.”

“Actually,” said Alec, “They’re trying to get some answers from Applejack to see if she knows about any weaknesses or anything about our enemies that could further our mission. They’ve been at it for about half an hour now.”

Well woopty doo! I guess they must be getting something if they’ve been busy for this long. “Still, you should stay here Fluttershy,” I said, and I walked away before she could argue, although I don’t think she would’ve.

I went to the little room that the coalition had supplied for me. It was the same kind of room that the ponies who live with the coalition stay in. The coalition can’t house all the ponies in the world, but they do their best to be hospitable to the ones that they can bring with them. The difference between a pony’s room and my room was that mine was bare with only a simple bed. I had caught a couple glimpses of some of the ponies’ rooms, and it looked like they were able to put anything they anything they wanted to in there. Something told me the coalition’s friends in high places had something to do with that.

I need to list out what I wanna ask. I grabbed the keys to my car, which Alec had driven to the compound after our scuffle, and headed to one of the offices to borrow a pen and a sheet of paper. Finally, I came out the back door to the parking lot, got in my car, wrote down my questions, and drove off.

The radio was tuned to a rock station, but I turned it off. Man…how has it come to this? Why do I hate ponies in the first place? Everyone has heard of ponies, and because they are so integrally part of our lives almost every parent had their kids watch the show, even though it stopped airing about 30 years ago. I never really understood why everyone liked it; I thought it was okay, but nothing special. Maybe that’s why I never liked ponies; people treated them as special and all I saw was another type of animal, but these ponies were more than animals.

My parents’ house was a good hour away from the compound, but I had a feeling that they had several other compounds elsewhere. When I was a kid we lived in an alright suburb, but once I moved out they left for the country. They said it was to get away from the noise. Plus, our front windows were shot out; at by teenagers with BB guns, so I can understand wanting to get away from suburbia.

I pulled into the driveway of their humble abode, prepared to find answers to my questions. “This place reminds me of my house.”

I never thought such a sweet, hushed voice could almost give me my second concussion in a week. At least car ceilings are softer than rear bumpers. Holding my head and cursing up a storm, I slowly turned around to the innocent looking pony sitting in the back seat of my car. She looked at me with concern and said, “Oh my goodness! Are you alright Mr. Cornell?”

I wanted to scream at her and give her hell, but instead I gritted my teeth and slowly said, “What…are you doing…in the back of my car? You should be with Alec…waiting for your friend.”

“Well, Mr. Neumann had to back to the conference room, and I didn’t want to make him angry by going in there when they didn’t want me to, so I followed the signs to the parking lot and got in your car.”

That asshole didn’t lock my car? There wasn’t anything I could do about her now except let her tag along, but not before locking the car. I don’t need any more surprises. I had my notes in my back pocket, just in case, and rang the doorbell. My dad came to the door and said, “Eric! Hey buddy! What ya doing all the way out…Ms. Fluttershy. How are you? Ah, please, come in! Lily, Eric is here with a friend!”

Fluttershy took a few timid steps, looked back at me, and I followed right behind, which gave her some sort of courage. My mom poked her head into the hallway that led from the front door. She gave me a warm smile, but looked a bit lower and let her mouth go agape. Fluttershy looked back at me. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” I replied. “They’re just not used having a celebrity for company.”
My mom motioned us into the living room to take a seat. I sat in one of the chairs and so did Fluttershy. I had to take a second look; I did a double take at her posture. How…how can she sit upright like that? My parents returned from a hushed conversation in the kitchen and together sat down on the couch. Their faces were glowing to say the least. “So, Ms. Fluttershy,” my Dad started, “how have you been? Glad all that drama is over with?”

“Oh, yes,” the pony replied. “It’s so good to finally be free of that horrible man.”

I was about to open my mouth and speak when my Mom said, “Sorry we don’t have any hors d’oeuvres out. If we’d known you two were coming we would’ve set up. Can I get you anything Ms. Fluttershy?”

“I’m quite alright. Thank you for your concern though.”

I tried again to speak, but only got half a word out before my parents interrupted again. “Has our boy been treating you well?” my Dad asked. “You know, he never really liked ponies.”

“He’s done so much for me. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for him.”

Well of course. You smuggled yourself into my car. “Mom, Dad, please. I have some very important questions.”

One could almost feel the atmosphere in the room change. It might have just been the cool air of the changing seasons, but I noticed a distinct chill. Perhaps it was just my imagination Taking a deep breath, I tried to settle the churning in my gut and asked, “What happened thirty years ago? Why are ponies for sale?”

My Dad let out a breath through pursed lips and spoke while looking downwards, “Well, about thirty years ago, science made a huge leap forward in something that I thought would be after my time. Some scientist, Dr…whatever, I forget, solved the mysteries behind inter-dimensional travel. He proposed that all universes are connected to each other like particles in a molecule, and certain threads were the seams to a veil that kept them all separate. This scientist proposed that we only had to pull apart these seams and we could travel to distant universes. This could’ve opened up a huge trade of things that didn’t exist in our universe, but I’m sure you know what happened instead.”

My history classes told me that the first universes found were deadly to humans, and their physics were so vastly different that there was no way we could live, much less thrive. But in later years, scientists knew what signs to look for in these threads that would indicate that the universe they were bound to was hospitable. They sought out a thread with the ideal conditions and tore it open. What they had found was Equestria.

“We couldn’t believe what had happened,” my Mom continued, taking over for my Dad. “Bronyism was at its height at the time, so if you can imagine almost all the world being in a state of celebration and utter happiness, that’s pretty much how we all felt. But the ponies were absolutely terrified. Do you remember Ms. Fluttershy?”

“Yes, we didn’t know how to approach humans, so we all hid away. I remember this one unicorn was really happy, but she didn’t approach humans either. She was the one who warned all of us to beware, actually. She said that humans can be pretty rough with new discoveries. The Princesses were the first to greet humans.”

I knew the rest, “And human diplomats met with them and we set up good relations. But what happened afterwards?”

My Dad answered, “Eric, some people have no moral compass. After about a year, relations between Equestrians and humans were so good, Equestria was now open to the general public…or, at least, those that could afford it. From what I heard, though, it was like a dream, and I guess some people just never wanted the dream to end. It all started with kidnapping. The people responsible; Those responsible were found easily enough and the ponies stolen were returned, but soon more and more ponies were disappearing, and there were no leads to follow. Black market businesses were kidnapping ponies and selling them off.

“The Princesses were furious with mankind. They demanded that their subjects be returned, but instead diplomats went to talk with them and negotiate peace. After all, it wasn’t all of mankind’s fault that ponies were being kidnapped. When the diplomats came back…pony trade was legal. Just like that. Nobody really knows what went on in that meeting, but I doubt the Princesses just up and let their people be sold into slavery like that. Immediately afterwards, MoPA was created in America and a full list of laws regarding ponies was enacted. It all happened way too fast to seem right, but it happened. What shocked us most was how people took to this. Nobody seemed to mind what was happening. Friends started contemplating getting ponies for pets if they ever got the money, and from that point on your Mother and I considered bronyism to be dead.”

Nothing seemed right about this to me. “Ponies…just became commodities…just like that? How?”

“I don’t know what to tell you Eric,” my Dad answered, “That’s just what happened. I wish I knew. But why do you wanna know?”

I looked toward the floor, then up at Fluttershy, who nodded back at me. She was reliving the past thirty years of her life in her head, but she didn’t cry or recoil in any way. Maybe she’s relived it enough that it doesn’t bother her anymore. I licked my lips and looked back at my parents. “I’m…not gonna be in school for a while. I can’t tell you where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing, but I wanted to see you guys one last time before…before anything happened.”

They only stared back at me. They had always taught me that an education is one of the most important things in this world, and I had to agree, but I hoped they’d understand that I had something with just a bit more priority. “We always knew you were destined for something big,” said my Mom. “Just…make sure it’s the right thing.”

“I will. I love you guys. We should probably get going.”

We stood up and walked to the front door. My Mom was getting misty eyed, but she embraced me and held back her tears with all her might, but her emotion was reflected in her hug. The thought that something might happen to me must have scared her. It scared me too, truth be told. My Dad hugged me as well, and Fluttershy and I stepped outside. There was a pony catcher van parked across the street that started up and drove away as soon as we saw it. I turned back to my parents and instructed them, “Lock the doors and don’t take calls from any number you don’t recognize.”

They shut the door and I heard it lock. The two of us quickly got into the car, but I made Fluttershy get in the back and stay hidden. I took off in the exact opposite direction we came from, the opposite direction of the van. I’m not gonna risk going back directly. I need a detour. I went back through the city. Fluttershy didn’t say a word, and neither did I. My head faced forward, but my focus was everywhere. The van wasn’t behind me, but Fluttershy was looking out the window. I was about to tell her to get back down when she screamed, “Stop the car! I found Rarity!”

Comments

[mycutiemarkisagun]

Interesting. As a AFRO-AMURIKKKAN w/ a knack for history and grimdark, I'm always game for a slavery story. w00t.

LOL at the author having to add a "look, I personally don't approve of slavery" disclaimer. Really, people?

Some folks will always bitch about anything more grimdark than a paper cut, but when you're talking about America's vicious, race-based version of slavery...ugh. It really was one of those things like the Holocaust where the details are so transcendentally horrible, even the most exploitative and gory fictional depiction winds up downplaying the evil of it all.

kingtiger666 is right to suggest reading up on American Slavery for guidance:

The first 5 paragraphs of this Ta-Nehisi Coates (<3) article is a good primer on the terror of it; the slaver's pathetic sob story letter at the end is a good primer on the sheer arrogance of it:
http://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2012/10/the-hyperlinked-ballad-of-jarm-logue/263425/

I'd also highly recommend Kyle Baker's Nat Turner graphic novel.

From there, you got your classic slave narratives like Frederick Douglas & 12 Years a Slave, but the most important of those imho would be Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl because it really dives into the sexual exploitation inherent to the system. Obviously any rape themes need to be handled with utmost care, but if you wanna deconstruct "Bronies" in this fucked up world of yours, I don't see how you can possibly pull that off without addressing the sexual undertones both in the fandom and slavery. I see a "sex" tag so we'll see.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to watch the Django Unchained DVD screener. Yeah, they really did feed people to dogs.

[mycutiemarkisagun]

Yeah....so.

To build on what others have said, the central conceit of this fic is totally FUBAR.

Like let me get this straight: Ponies are legal slaves to Bronies in our world......and the Mane Six exist as...regular unremarkable slaves? Despite being literally priceless to said Brony population?

Huh?

There are good pieces here, but as currently constructed, none of this adds up. The worldbuilding itself feels broken. If Bronydom is so widespread and politically powerful, why isn't owning *Fluttershy* a Big Effin Deal? You coulda cranked up the creep factor by showing that the Mane Six aren't unique....they're just the most popular types of slaves....because they're cloned en masse and basically every Brony owns at least one. Cue horrific scene inside a pony cloning factory. You coulda fit a whole Deconstruction Fleet in the story had you went in that direction. The idea that there's really only ONE Mane Six running around this world is prolly the most broken thing about the story imho. If every pony slave is unique and Bronydom is that big, having Fluttershy in your home should literally be like having Michael Jackson or Lebron James in your home. If Fluttershy is just Fluttershy-copy-#04892304, then she's little more than a iPad or flat screen TV.....with emotions. See what I mean?

As for the story itself...I mean, you handled it like one of those dreck My Little Dashie sequels, then went off on this whole courtroom drama tangent. No Me Gusta.

On top of that, I feel like you kinda made the same mistake many white artists have made while trying to write about African-American slavery: WAY too much focus on sympathetic whites, instead of, yknow, [the slaves/i].

Sorry, I don't like beating up on people who put in effort, but I was really disappointed.

[NaughtSought]

This chapter improved somehow but I can't figure out on what. Also doesn't this mean the ponies are something in their 40s technically?

[swedely]

2046832 The Mane Six aren't just common ponies. Fluttershy was the pet of a VERY rich family, Applejack's part is due to her whole life being hard labor (also, up until this season, she was considered a "background pony" by several (not me)), and I still have four ponies to still introduce. And if that's the direction you'd rather see this fic go, why not write your own? This story is told from the POV of Eric, a guy who never really cared for ponies and isn't sure why he's doing it now, so why should I focus on the ponies rather than what I feel HIS mind is on. Lastly, this isn't African slavery, this is pony slavery where they had a legacy that a lot of people followed and revered. There's an element to this story that I have not and will not openly reveal, but rather let the reader discover. If you're still lost by the end, feel free to ask and I will answer. Until then, please have patience.

2047271 There's an explanation for this that I meant to put in the previous chapter and forgot. At least I know to put it in another chapter now.

[NaughtSought]

2049449 Well I could have just forgotten. But what's the explanation for those of us who don't want to root through the chapters for it?

[nothingtoseehere]

Well done, sir, although I am a little bit disappointed about the lack of bear.

[swedely]

2054696 I thought that'd be a bit depressing. Eric being eaten by a bear would probably kill Fluttershy internally

[CaptainAizen]

You've come a long way since the beginning, this new concept of yours is starting to really evolve. Stick with it!

[swedely]

2056214 Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I needed this today (plus, kind words fill my imaginaaaaaaation tanks).

[ponyforge89]

I love it!

[SweetMelody]

I love it . And I'm waiting for chapter 11 RARITY IS COMING
P.s. maybe you can read my story called my day in ponyville

[SweetMelody]

I love it . And I'm waiting for chapter 11 RARITY IS COMING
P.s. maybe you can read my story called my day in ponyville

[swedely]

2081548 Perhaps I shall...perhaps I shall

[ngrey651]

Wait. Just like that? This...makes no legal, ethical or logical sense. The sisters have freakin' MAGIC. How could they possibly...and how could anybody argue for...none of this makes sense! At ALL! Knowing the race is not only real, that the show's not only real, but that these beings are sentient people, shouldn't this be illegal under the Constitution?