The 9:15 to Foalsome

by Zap Apple Smash

Getting back on track

Not much could be said about Bantu’s trial. Faced with what was incontrovertibly overwhelming evidence against him, he did the only thing he could and pleaded guilty in order to get a reduced sentence. Though reduced sentence was a relative term as he still had 20 cases of indirect assault and a fortune's worth of theft and property damages to answer for. Still, when the alternative was being charged with acts of terror and deemed an enemy of the state, this certainly was the lesser of two evils.

And so he arrived at Foalsome prison.

Considering the Equestrian legal system was built more on reconciliation and reform rather than punishment, it wasn’t the worst place in world. Inmates were fed, given adequate warmth and shelter as well as opportunities to better themselves.

Still it was prison. A plain, grey, stone cage.

The first couple of days were rough. Not only was there learning the rules of the place, but being the ‘new guy’ meant that all the inmates were watching him closely.

When it became clear he was no threat to the natural order of things, the novelty soon wore off and he was left to his own devices. Soon the days started to blur as the monotony started to set in. Day in and day out, it followed an almost exact routine each day.

Get up.

Wash.

Breakfast.

Yard time.

Lunch.

Afternoon for social interaction and ‘self improvement’.

Dinner.

Put back to your cell.

Bed.

Every single day.

Soon without even realising it, two weeks had passed and he was told by a guard that he had a visitor. As he was led to the visiting area, he saw Galeb sitting at one of the tables, obviously waiting for him.

“What happened?” Galeb asked when Bantu was seated at the table.

“What happened is that two-faced snake Trixie betrayed me and my own brother abandoned me.” Bantu grumped. “We could have pulled this off. We could have lived like kings. But when I needed you most, you weren’t there for me. You’re as much to blame as she is!”

“I can make this right,” Galeb shot a wary glance at a nearby guard before switching to Prench. “<I can bust you out of here.>”

Bantu looked at his brother skeptically before replying in kind, “<and then what? Spend the rest of my life on the run? Never able to return Neigh Orleans? No thank you, I’ll do my time and be done with this. And as a bonus, it means I won’t have to see you again for a long time.>” Bantu switched back to Equestrian to speak to the guard. “We’re done here.”

The guard approached and released Bantu from the table.

“I’ll come see you again soon,” Galeb said.

“Don’t do me any favors brother,” Bantu spat the word. “Go back to your little market stall. Or better yet go suck up to Trixie. You <perdants> are made for each other. I hope the door hits you on the way out.”

---

After a few years, Bantu had gotten a feel for the place and saw some interesting characters. Some mobsters that tried to make it rich kidnapping the Elements of Harmony, a couple of fast talking unicorns who got thrown in solitary almost as soon as they got here, a psychologist that had been unlawfully experimenting on patients with an unethical personality adjustment treatment. Oh, and one truly disturbingly normal murderer.

All the worst scum that Equestria had to offer. But unless the only card game you liked to play was solitaire you had to make do.

For the most part he kept a low profile. Attacking a relief aid train hadn’t been the worst thing anypony had done to get thrown into Foalsome but it certainly hadn’t made him any friends, so it was best not to draw attention to himself. Not an easy feat for someone like Bantu but he got the hang of it, mostly. Still he wasn’t surprised one day when he was led to the Warden’s office.

“Hi Warden,” Bantu said cheerfully as he was led in. “How’s the wife and kids?”

“Still non-existent as always,” the warden replied dryly. “A letter came for you.”

“Oh? And why did you bring me to your office to tell me that?”

“Because it is from Trixie Lulamoon. She wanted me to make sure that you read the letter.” The warden slid the letter over to Bantu. “And seeing as a protege to the Princess and one of Equestria's saviours has made this request you are not leaving that seat until you have read the entire thing.”

Not happy but not having any other choice, he read the letter quickly, and then read it again.

The letter was a detailed account of his brother Galeb’s criminal actions in Ponyville. An accounting of his premeditated hostility against not only Trixie but an entire town. All in an attempt to avenge his older brother. Bantu was struck dumb by the thoughts of what his quiet little brother had done. In the end he just kept re-reading the letter’s last paragraph.

I don't blame you for Galeb's actions. He made his own choices and he must face the consequences for them. However, this does not change the fact that everything he did in Ponyville he did in your name. I have recommended to the judge that you and Galeb be incarcerated together. My hope is that between the two of you there is at least one shred of decency left. We were friends once, that is why I'm giving you this chance. Though make no mistake, this is the last chance you’ll get from me.

“I’ll have the guards escort you back to your cell,” The warden stated. “You look like you have some thinking to do.”

Bantu had plenty of time to dwell on what the letter had said, as well as figure out what he was going to do about it.

A week later, Galeb arrived at Foalsome prison.

He was led to his cell by a guard on each side.

"It's bad enough I'm stuck in this place," the Zebrony grumbled. "Do I really need to be naked as well? This is just demeaning."

The guards remained as stoic as ever but it was clear that they were glad to soon be rid of him. Once they had him in his cell they almost smiled as they shut the door on him.

Almost.

Galeb turned to face his cellmate.

"Look, I don't know what sort of newcomer hazing you had in mind but I'll tell you now..." The blue Zebrony trailed off when he saw who his cellmate was.

“Hello, little brother.”

“Bantu?! What are you doing here?”

Bantu raised an eyebrow.

“Considering that this is a prison cell, I think the more pressing question is what you’re doing here.”

Galeb looked at the ground in shame.

“I’m sorry Bantu, I tried to make things right. I tried to make Lulamoon pay for what she did to you. I just wasn’t able to...”

He was cut off by Bantu pulling him into a hug.

“No brother, I’m the one that’s sorry. You tried to tell me that it was a bad idea but I wouldn’t listen. I was a fool, and what’s worse I tried to take down friends and family with me.”

“But Lulamoon…”

“Did what any sane pony would have done in her situation, after I tried to take shameless advantage of her. I was angry and unwilling to accept responsibility. So I convinced myself that she was the one to blame. What’s worse is that I convinced you as well. I deserve to be in here.” Bantu pulled back slightly. “But from what I hear, so do you.”

Galeb stepped back out of the hug, developing a scowl.

“I’m not in the mood for a lecture.”

“Well you’re going to get one. Challenging Trixie to a duel for a title you didn't even want, making a town suffer when she refused, trying to set her on fire?! What makes you think I would have wanted any of that?”

Galeb let out out a frustrated snort.

“Alright, things got out of hoof. I was trying to make her pay for what she did to you.”

“Come on brother, you’re better than this,” Bantu said.

“What do you want me to do? Just forget about her and move on with my life?!” Galeb demanded. “I’m in prison because of her!”

“That’s what I thought as well but being angry hasn’t gotten either of us anywhere,” Bantu said. “I was wrong to blame you, you knew better and I didn’t listen. And we were both wrong to blame Trixie. It’s time for us to move on. Someday we’re getting out of here, so how about we try to leave better than how we arrived.”

Galeb tried to look defiant, but even after all these years Bantu still knew his brother well enough to see when his resolve was starting to weaken.

“I don’t think I can just let go like that,” He finally admitted.

“We’ve got time,” Bantu said as he pulled Galeb back into a hug. “What matters now is getting my brother back.”

Not sure how to respond, Galeb just decided to enjoy being able to hug his brother for the first time in years. Soon tears started to fall.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he finally said.

“I missed you too,” Bantu said, his own eyes starting to get misty. “Sorry it took so long to admit it.”

Galeb let out a tearful chuckle as he pulled back.

“Mieux vaut tard que jamais, mon frère,” he paused to really look at his surroundings for the first time. “So what’s the plan?”

“Do our time and maybe get early release for good behaviour,” Bantu replied.

Galeb pursed his lips. That really wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was obvious Bantu wasn’t interested in an escape attempt. Even if he could pull off a solo escape he wasn’t going to leave without his brother.

“Right, so what exactly counts as good behaviour?”

“I have no idea but apparently trying to score a date with a member of the medical staff is not considered good behaviour.”

“Duly noted.”

FIN

Author's Note:

A big thank you to my Co-creator dmgtitan and to my beta wolfstorm56 for all their help in creating this.

Comments

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Not much could be said about Bantu’s trial. Faced with what was incontrovertibly overwhelming evidence against him, he did the only thing he could and pleaded (pled) guilty in order to get a reduced sentence. Though reduced sentence was a relative term as he still had 20 cases of indirect assault and a fortune's worth of theft and property damages to answer for. Still, when the alternative was being charged with acts of terror (terrorism) and ...being.....deemed an enemy of the state, this certainly was the lesser of two evils.

“What happened is that two-faced snake Trixie betrayed me and my own brother abandoned me.” Bantu grumped. “We could have pulled this off. We could have lived like kings. But when I needed you most, you weren’t there for me. You’re as much to blame as she is!”

You know, I've read that there are over 2.5 million convicts in the USA & they blame a lot of people for their incarceration. The cops, their defense attorney, the judge, the jury (for those that went to trial). AFAIK, not one of them just stands up & says "I'm here because I'm the scum of the Earth & I did horrible things. I'm here because I deserve to be here."

Still, I suppose that if they were the type to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions, they wouldn't have done the things that got them sent to prison.

Well, the ending rendered the preceding a complete waste of time. Still, I went to the trouble of writing it so I'm damn well going to post it.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lyrics+folsom+prison+blues+johnny+cash&&view=detail&mid=6F5749B096314BF0C28A6F5749B096314BF0C28A&FORM=VRDGAR
The problem is that MTV wasn't invented until 1981, so it's hard to find good videos of older stuff.

I've heard that when Johnny Cash did the prison concert, they told him not to mention the prison. His response was "You mean to tell me that you think that if I don't mention the prison, they won't remember that they're in jail?" (IIRC)

Also, if this is finished you need to change the heading to "complete"

[DracoDarastrix]

This was a good story overall glad we see some closure about those two brothers.

8589259

You know, I've read that there are over 2.5 million convicts in the USA & they blame a lot of people for their incarceration. The cops, their defense attorney, the judge, the jury (for those that went to trial). AFAIK, not one of them just stands up & says "I'm here because I'm the scum of the Earth & I did horrible things. I'm here because I deserve to be here."

Hmm.... strange here in the Netherlands we have more then a few convicts that admit they were at fault. Is it perhaps that in the Netherlands we focus more on rehabilitation of convicts then punishing them? What I mean is in the Netherlands we actually want to prevent someone to go back to criminal activities once they are released. So more time and effort is made to make sure they won't fall back in their old criminal ways. And it seems to work. We have closed many of our prisons because of the lack of inmates. Which is kinda weird because our population is growing.

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

8589467
The USA has more prisoners than Communist China (#2 place in the world). Based on per capita rate, we have about 10x as many. But, even in raw numbers, we have more than they do even though they have close to 4x our population. (We're #1!, We're #1)

Could be because you guys don't usually put people in prison for illegal drug use (or so I've read).

But, ask someone for help just because the facts say that they're better at it than we are? Phh! As if!

[DracoDarastrix]

8589518

Actually our drug policy is a bit more complicated then that. We actually made a definition between hard and soft drugs. The hard drugs is illegal and you will be send to prison if your dealing with it. 2nd Drug use itself isn't illegal in the Netherlands. But the consequences that may arrive from it is. I think the best example would be driving under influence. So if your intoxicated while driving you really are going to get severely punished if caught.

It may sound strange it actually works. Drugs is seen like alcohol in the Netherlands. It is your choice to use it but you need be informed about the consequences and how to properly use it. By actually informing about Drug use. (School teaches that to children around the age 11-12) I was actually taught what it does and what the consequences are to my mind and body. I know what Marijuana, Canbis, Crack, Speed, Heroine, etc... does to my mind and body and how addictive they are to the human body. Also sugar, alcohol, medicine and cigarettes belong to the same subject as drugs. It teaches you to be discouraged to use it in a subtle way and if you plan to use it then do it in moderation.

The reason this works I think is because the Dutch government is build around the concept to protect and guide the "weaker" ones in society (such as children and the poor) and don't let them up to their fate. In other words the government helps those whom are in need. But won't ever trespass in personal liberty and choice. The only exception to that rule is when you trespass others of their rights and belongings. For example an addict that goes on a crime spree to fund his/her addiction and once caught be send in prison and TBS. Even when your jail tail is over TBS will still continue. TBS means your surveillance by specialist to help you become a functional member of society again. Under TBS you actually have lost your liberty of choice. They decide how much drugs (if any at all) you may daily take. They guide you to become clean, help you get to a job. Also Psychiatry help is included in it.

Note: That not all those who end up prison get TBS. TBS is only reserved to those we know will fall back to their old ways otherwise. It is hard to get rid off once enforced but not impossible. You have to prove by action and reports that you have cleaned your way.

Last Note: TBS is also given to Psychopaths, Molesters, etc.... and those never get a chance to get rid of it. It's also possible to ask for TBS without ever going to prison. It's not that uncommon either. Many Pedophilla's in the Netherlands actually asked TBS in order for to prevent themselves for ever committing such an act.

It actually another choice when you think about it. They choice to have help and government provides help.

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

8589608
Here in the USA, it's also complicated. Most adults think that Marijuana should be legal. The problem is that:
1)Most voters don't think it's important enough to change which candidate to vote for. Most of the ones that do, tend to be the ones that are against it.
2)It's gotten to be a moral issue. If you are in favor of legalizing or decriminalizing drugs (sounds like your policy on drugs), then you are seen as "soft on crime" & you're going to have problems.

Although we tend to use the words as though they meant the same thing, we are a republic, NOT a democracy. States where they have "initiative" (that is, you can circulate a petition for a law & if it gets enough signatures then it goes on the ballot & gets voted on directly, bypassing the legislature) mostly have "medical marijuana" (that is you can get a doctor's prescription for it). For good and for ill, Federal law trumps state law (part of what the War Between the States (1861-1865) was fought for) & Donald Trump is talking about having federal prosecutors go after them. Be interesting to see if a jury would convict. (I dare say that the defendants will find it fascinating)

Places where they don't have initiative......have you ever seen the movie Reefer Madness
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=reefer+madness&&view=detail&mid=2DC00CC087DEECD8DDB32DC00CC087DEECD8DDB3&FORM=VRDGAR. If you don't speak English, you'll have to get a subtitled version but it's worth it.

But, we're getting pretty far off the story. If you want to talk, send me an e-mail.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Good ending. Although to be honest, I don't have a single shred of sympathy for either Galeb or Bantu. Not a bit.

[Zap Apple Smash]

8589732
And that is fine but this story was never about creating sympathy for either character. They only have themselves to blame for what happened to them. What matters is that they both have a chance to become better. They're flawed but not irredeemable. Now it's up to them to be willing to change.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

8590666
Not sure on the 'irredeemable' part, considering the horse apples they got up to. Then again I can be a bitter guy. ;)

[RainbowDoubleDash]

Ah, the ending to this was nice. Even in prison, Equestria tries to provide happy endings. Or at least the promise of one.