Chapter 1: things change with time- 2:14 am, november 3rd, 1941
The six mares were uncuffed and pushed out onto the cold snow. They saw they were surrounded by other captives that must have been soldiers taken prisoner or civilian captured for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least a hundred guards armed with assault rifles and machine guns watched over the new prisoners. The six were pushed into the crowd of colts and mares walking into a familiar place. Applejack, rainbow dash, twilight, rarity, fluttershy, and pinky pie had the strange feeling that they had been to this place before, but they couldn't quite remember until several ponies moved out of the way, revealing a large sign.
"Sweet Apple Acres Labor Camp" This was not good.
The ponies around the mane six were mares and colts just like them and of all ages. Rarity almost broke down in tears when she saw a foal that could not have been more than a few years old and could barely walk pushed along at gunpoint. Pinky pie's spirits were crushed at the sight of an old stallion getting pulled out of line and shot in the back of the head right there on the spot. They each witnessed a different horrifying event that scarred them all, but nopony saw a worse sight than applejack, who felt a sharp pain in her chest when all of the prisoners were directed to a stage where they would be addressed by the warden, and saw no other pony but her own brother, big macintosh. The others had to hold her up when she collapsed from shock. How could her own flesh and blood willingly lead a forced labor institution?
"Mares and stallions of the east." Big macintosh said into a microphone. "You are here because you were arrested for treason against the crown. You are a traitor to your country and to your leaders, princess celestia and princess luna. This is Sweet Apple Acres Labor Camp, where you will spend the rest of the war working in the coal mines or in the refinery. Any resistance against the guards or signs of rebellion will not be tolerated, and you will not go without punishment. All offenses committed here at camp will result in solitary confinement, whipping, or execution. You will each be given three meals a day, a bunk in your assigned cabin. All ponies must be in their bunk by dusk, anypony still outside after curfew will be shot on sight. You will be assigned an inmate tag. This tag has your ID number, you will need this tag to access all parts of the facility. Should you lose your tag, you will be punished severely. Your tag also has your assigned cabin, bunk, and job. All ponies have a job at SAA labor camp, no matter their age. You will begin your work day at six a.m. after breakfast, continue until lunch at noon, then work until you return to the mess hall for diner at eight p.m. If i have made myself clear, you all will now be assigned your IDs, jobs, and cabins." As the large, red pony started to walk off the stage, we was stopped by a protesting voice. "Heheh, there's always one who thinks they have a chance."
"YOU SICK BUSTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN KIND?!" Two guards pulled applejack out of the crowd and marched her up on stage. "How could you do this to your own family?"
"Applejack? It's been a while. Five? Six years?"
"Piss off."
"There's always one who speaks up on the first day. They never make that mistake again." Applejack was tied up to the post in the middle of the stage. "Now ah know you won't be causing any more trouble." Big mac pulled a whip off of his belt and uncoiled it.
"AAGH!" Applejack cried out in pain as the entire camp watched big macintosh slash his sister in the back. "AGH!" She was whipped again and again. The torture ended after ten brutal lashes. Applejack was untied before she fell to the ground, her blood spilling out onto the hard wooden stage.
"Does anypony else have something to say?" Big mac turned to his sister. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Go to hell." Applejack spit in her brother's face. Big mac just brushed it off and walked off stage. As soon as he left, applejack's friends rushed to help her.
"AJ, you're bleeding, you need help." The five mares brought the unconscious pony to the infirmary. "You're going to be alright applejack." Rainbow dash said, trying to ease the pain by spreading out some snow onto her back.
"Alright, get to your cabins." A guard pushed all of the ponies out except for applejack, who was not receiving any helpful medical attention. There was nothing the medics did for anypony that was useful in any way. They were not even real doctors, they just sat in the infirmary doing nothing just so big mac could meet the requirement of having a medical staff so the princesses would not close the camp. Applejack's back and chest were sprayed with antibiotics and bandaged up, then she was sent to her cabin.
Twilight and rarity helped their friend to her bunk. All if the mane six were placed in the same cabin, their beds in a group. The bunks were stacked in twos, applejack on top of rainbow dash, twilight on top of rarity, and fluttershy on top of pinky pie. They git only a few hours of sleep before morning came, and they were sent to work. Their bodies were examined, and they would be placed in either the mines or the refinery based on their physical ability. Rainbow dash and applejack, both athletes, were the only two out of the six that were deemed fit enough to work the mine tunnels, the other four were sent to the coal refinery. Rarity, fluttershy, twilight, and pinky all sat in the freezing cold factory operating large machines. If they screwed up, they were beaten or shot. The two stronger ponies were of the few females that were given pick-axes and helmets and pushed into the large elevator that lowered then deep underground.
Lots of ponies had been moved between jobs for one reason or another, and they all said that they would take factory work any day. Rarity was talking to a slightly older colt that used to be a minor, but was injured by a rockslide and was put on machine work. "You be grateful you aren't fit enough to go down in those tunnels." The stallion said. "The smell of coal is impossible to get used to, there are falling rocks everywhere, it's at least a hundred degrees down there even in the winter... He went on and on, listing about fifty or so reasons to rarity explaining why her friends were in hell. When applejack and rainbow dash heard rarity asking about what it was like, they described their job worse than the stallion in the factory did.
At the end of day one, applejack and rainbow dash saw the beautiful sun that they felt like they would never see again. They sat down to dinner with the others, still covered in soot and coughing up coal dust. The factory workers knew the mines were torturous, but they couldn't stand to think about what it was like for the farm pony and her injuries. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were nothing but little piles of green slop. "I'm not even sure this is edible." Twilight said, poking her dinner with a spoon. The minors, however, did not care. They were so hungry after work that they devoured their mush in just a few bites, despite the foul taste and wretched smell. "What are we even doing here? We were supposed to be at a political meeting, but instead get thrown in a damn forced labor camp that used to be our own home." Twilight said.
"This is the shittiest, most despicable hellhole on the planet. Applejack, your brother is a demonic son of a bitch." Her friends looked at her in shock.
"Fluttershy? Was that you?" The yellow pegasus had not realized what she said until after it came out.
"Oh, gosh, i didn't mean to, um say-" Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane. Just then the mess hall was filled with a loud, echoing, beep that signaled dinner was over, and they had fifteen minutes to get to their cabins.