Gravel is gone.
Guards came to our cell the following morning. “Good news, Gravel! A certain somepony decided to make a generous donation to shorten your sentence. Your time here ends today.”
They quickly took Gravel to the Grand Hallway and into the depths of the prison. I raised an eyebrow as I saw them leave.
“Who would pay to set her free?” I whispered to myself. A raspy voice from behind me answered.
“They aren’t gonna set her free, comrade.”
I turned around and saw the malnourished inmate.
“What do you mean?”
“Ponies don’t just drop a load of bits to get a criminal out of jail these days. Especially one like your friend, Gravel. Everypony knows what she did back when. My guess is she made somepony specific real angry, and they held a grudge long enough till today to bribe for her execution.” The stallion coughed violently. “Wouldn’t be the first time this happened, but it never occurred so quickly before.”
I froze. My breath stopped and my mind began shattering. Tears formed for the first time since Manehattan. My body collapsed onto the cold, stone floor, as my soul drifted into a sea of senselessness. The inmate only observed me, unable to give sympathy anymore.
Gravel Bubble; my guiding light.
She is dead now, and there is nothing I can do about it.