Zebrica
New Timbuktu
New Prosost Prison
The Pit
9:00AM
"Wake up!" Rainbow was currently shaken awake by the Raven headed gryphon. "Rations are going to be dropped any minute unless you want to go hungry get off your plot and move it!" She opens her eyes to see the annoyed gryphon.
"Yaya......." She slowly gets up. "What's the big deal? They feed you three times a day don't they?" She looks at the gryphon only for him to start laughing.
"You have a lot to learn pony we get fed once and only once a day unless the warden is feeling like letting us go hungry to help his bottom line. Even then he makes sure that we have to fight over what they give us there's never enough so we either fight or starve." He pushes her up to her hooves while she shakes her head in disbelief.
"B-but I thought that Zebrica was all about r.... Rehab...... Celestia dam it!" She wracks her brain for the word.
"Rehabilitation? Well ya for normal criminals but for the likes of us? Sulfur mines and maybe a few cage fights!" He laughs half heartedly. "Pony this place isn't for rehabilitation I thought you would have figured that out by now, this place is where they send convicts to die, often painfully now zip and move that toned flank!" He lifts off a rusty bar from the door and slowly sliding it open to the main chamber. "Now unless you want a bad ride with one of the locals stay near me they will gang up on you and they will tear you up." He says making her huff but one look around the cavern and feeling the stares make her shutter.
She kept near him as she looked up she could just see the blue sky far out of her reach along with a few bats fluttering around. "So...... I never got your name......" She says hoping to break the tension.
The gryphon seems to think for a moment. "Gábriel..... Though if you read the papers I was known as the Raven of Balsam..... It's time?" He looks up seeing a platform being slowly lowered down.
Rainbow looked around seeing the other prisoners licking there's lips staring up at the platform. "So what are they sending down?" She asks despite the platform being little more then a grate with cable supports she couldn't make out what it was.
"Ration bars..... Made from some kind of algae or something..... They taste awful but they keep us alive..... When it hits the floor get ready to move and grab what you can before heading back to the cell....... Eating in the open is only for those high on the totem pole down here.... Or those who think they can fight off the starving inmates that haven't had a good meal in awhile" he says as he eyes the platform as it slowly lowered.
Rainbow waits in the back of her head she wondered why she couldn't just fly up and grab some... The phantom pain in her back quickly returned the bitter memory. She swallows watching it slowly get closer to the stone floor.
"......wait....." He says as the platform falls to the ground and a single zebra with swirling tattoos slowly trots over down from the highest cell and slowly makes his way down the pathway the lines the cavern slowly circling the group of inmates looking down at them.
Rainbow watched the zebra and couldn't help but shutter. She didn't know why but something wasn't quite right about him as he slowly made his way to the cubical stack of dark green bricks that were to be their meal. "Who is that?....." She asks while Gábriels claw forces her head down.
"Don't look at him! He was Balsams personal mystic!" He wispers into her ear as he forces her to keep her head down seeing he other inmates are doing the same around her.
"....mystic?.... Like a unicorn?" She asks liking over at the gryphon only for him to look at her like she was stupid.
"No not like a unicorn....." He shakes his head while the the group of inmates make room for him to walk past towards the cubical stack of dark green bricks on the metal platform. "If your lucky you might just see something."
The zebra stood in front of the small stack of food for a few moments. He just stared at it before she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She slowly looked over seeing an amber and gold mane. "Lightening D-" just as she was about to call out the name her mouth was covered.
"Well..... Luckily he wasn't going to bless the food if you interrupted him during it....." shakes his head as the zebra leaves with a brick once he climbs his way back up to his cell shutting his door.
Once he closed the door every inmate jumped forward trying to grab what they could Rainbow found herself trapped under a Minotaur, two zebras, and what she hopped was her husband for lack of a better word before grabbing something in her hoof and pulling with all her might but she was trapped. "C-can't b-breat-....." Only for talons to grab her back hooves and pull her out from the pile of inmates fighting over scraps.
"Come on let's get back to the cell unless you feel like trying your luck with them...." Gábriel looked down at her helping her to her hooves as he motions to a few zebra and ponies staring at them hungrily. He slowly helps her back to their cell. "Hold your nose when you eat it...." He helps her back into the cell and bolts the door before taking a large bite out of his meal after pulling it out from under his wing wincing a bit a the taste.
Rainbow looks at him and sniffs the bar, in any other situation she would turn down the off smelling brick but her stomach was rumbling. She sighed taking a bite having to stop herself from spitting out the ration bar and forcing herself to swallow it down her eyes watering a bit from the taste.
"When you finish I'll show you where we are going to be doing back breaking labor and after a long day I'll show you the still." He smiles as he bites out another chuck out of his bar.
"When you say still do you mean?....." She asks as he nods.
"Tastes awful but let's be honest down here anything to put you in a mild haze to distract you right? Now finish your bar the platform will be lowered soon to take us up to the mine." He smiles as he sits next to her.
Equestria
Ponyville
Sweet Apple Acres
11:53am
Big Mac sighs as he makes his way over to his sister while she moves the latest harvest in the barn with her white sisal covering her eyes. "AJ? When you finish that we have to talk." He says as he wait for some kind of response only to get a half hearted grunt.
"AJ don't be like that... I know your still hurting but getting mad at things you can't change won't make it better." He says only to hear another grunt but this one was quieter. He look her over and slowly made his way over to her while she continued to throw barrel after barrel into the barn. "Sis you need to stop your not well, please come inside...." He reaches out a hoof to touch her only for her to pull away, his frown grew but he knew that pushing it with her would make it worse. He turned to leave only to suddenly feel a familiar weight on his side and the feelings of his sister hiding her face in his coat. "...AJ?..."
"I-is it our fault?...." She asks as she drys her tears on his coat her hat falling onto the ground nearby as she hugged him a familiar smell hit his nose from her breath.
"Is what our fault?....." He asks hoping she's not asking what he thinks she is.
"You know dammed well what I'm talking about....." She says looking up at him with red eyes.
"AJ..... There's no telling why she did what she did...... I know she was mad about the changes that were happening around her.... And the fact she was having trouble at that fancy academy... But the only pony that would know why she did what she did is her... Ever since the papers started printing what happened Iv spent every night wondering what should have happened if I did something differently... Maybe if I offered to hire her before she lost her house... But then I remember we were trying to pay off our debts.... Then I wonder what if us and the other farmers protested before we switched to mechanical irrigation.... Only for me to remember how the CWC handles protests... We can spend all of our time finding ways to blame ourselves or we can make the best with what we got we can't change the past... No matter how much we want too..." He says sadly resting on his haunches while hugging his younger sister close.
"...Mac... I know what she did is wrong... And that what she did was her own choice.... But I can't help but feel responsible... Even if we didn't force her... We indirectly took everything from her... And then.... I just added salt to the wound when I finally saw her." She sniffs softly.
"AJ I know it's hard.... You have a tendency to bottle up your emotions and try to hide it all behind work ethic, frustration, and anger.... Ever since we were foals you... And I have trouble expressing ourselves after what happened to our family... Applebloom even was effected by it and she was too young to even remember them... That's likely our faults... But we have to focus on what we can do... Right now we have a babysister that needs us and a granny that needs our care... So we need to just keep moving forward... No matter what..." He says waiting for Applejack to say something only for her to remain silent. When he try's to pull away a grunt tells him to stay, he sighs just sitting there with her comforting his sister.
Equestria
Ponyville
Sugar Cube Corner
12:32pm
Misses Cake rested at the counter sighing softly the lunch rush just ended and she could afford to take a breather. It seemed like all the ponies in their little town had lunch at the same time these days. Not that she could complain they could finally start to afford saving up Bits for Pound and Pumpkins college fund. The new ovens were faster and cheaper then using the enchanted ones from Canterlot, even the upkeep was cheaper no more having to hire some unicorn to redo enchantments or repair, they were so easy to fix even her beloved clumsy husband could do it. However not everything was well in the bakery, ever since Pinkie came back she seemed to lack the energy and personally that she and her family had come to love.
"Miss Cake?... I finished the raisin muffins want me to put them in the display or in the ice box so they'll keep?...." She turned her head to see Pinkie holding a baking try of muffins. Her coat was a pale pink and her mane laid limp over her face hiding half of her frown.
"You can put them in the ice box for now dear... The display is full from all those donuts we made earlier...." She says softly while the pink mare turned around and slowly made her way back to the kitchen to the large ice box resting the tray inside.
"..... Ok..." She says half heartedly before resting the try inside and closing the thick door.
Misses cake slowly got off her stool and trotted over to the front door flipping the we'er open sign to sorry we'er closed. "Pinkie?.... Dear could you come over here for a bit?...." She asks entering he kitchen seeing how clean it was almost giving off a sterile feeling compared to the usual mess it was when Pinkie baked.
"Uh-huh...." Pinkie exits the pantry holding a bag of flour and resting it on the prep counters before trotting over to her. "Is this about the donuts?.... I dunno why ponies aren't buying them as much... I followed the recipe..." She says while Misses Cake just looks at her in shock.
"You followed the recipe?... No going with the flow?... Adding fun ingredients?... Closing your eyes and dumping what ever you felt like into the mixer?... Pinkie.... Are you ok?... This isn't like you..." She reached out and touched Pinkies shoulder only for the mare to just stand there with no reaction.
"... I guess..." She says while looking at the wooden floor and scuffing her right good against it.
"Pinkie.... I know something is wrong... It has to do with your friend doesn't it?...." The response made the mare flinch. "I can't pretend to know what your going through right now... But... I want you to know that both me and Carrot Cake are here for you... If you ever need to talk.... Please don't hold back your as much a part of this family as the twins are...."
"... Ok misses Cake... Thanks...." She says softly while going back to the prep counter and pulling out some dough. "I'll get back to work..."
While misses Cake wanted to say more she wasn't sure what else she could say to the heart broken mare. "I'll just start wading the tables then...." She sighs sadly as she leaves going back upfront and cleaning off the crumbs and plates from the booths.
Equestria
Ponyville
Carousel Boutique
12:47pm
Rarity sighed softly as she finished a few alterations for a few local clients in Ponyville before. Looking around her shop she could almost pretend for a moment that she was still selling hoofmade dresses to nobles and locals alike. But if one were to look closer at some of the dress wearing ponyikins they would see the faintest trace of dust on them. She haven't been able to sell one of her own dresses for at-least a few months. Luckily the incoming alterations kept her afloat with little spending money compared to what she used to have. Oddly enough the spa wasn't missing her business it seemed many of he farmers, store owners, and even some of the laborers could now afford it. She was happy that they were thriving but it was a bitter pill to swallow when she could no longer afford her Deluxe Spa treatments once a week. She slowly got up from her sewing table resting the plain blue altered dress before making her way to her idea table. Looking down at all the drawings that laid haphazardly on it, countless ball gowns, party dresses, sun hats, and even a few more..... Personal designs were all laid out before her on parchment and ink. It only reminded her of the changing market now, massive fancy ball gowns were out of style along with corsets, sure the new styles had there charm, suits with ties, simple yet elegant dresses, and large hats seemed to still be popular, for now any way she had managed to sell a few of her own but Filthy started importing some from Zebrica that used exotic Feathers and fabrics she couldn't hope to find in Equestria and importing them would cost to much as it was she was just getting buy!
"Rarity?....." She looked down to see her little sister Sweetie Belle trotting in with her saddle bags on her back with a big smile on her face
"Yes Sweetie?" She asks smile softly seeing her sister.
"I have something to tell you....." She giggles struggling to contain her excitement "you know how I'm president of the Ponyville Choir and music club? Guess what happened today!!!" She bounces up and down excitedly.
"Did you win your audition to sing thr Equestrian anthem for the town?" She smiles down her sister only to confuse her further by shaking her head.
"Even better! I mean ya of course we won the audition but something even better one of the Diamond dogs that has been selling those radios to Mr. Filthy heard us singing and wants to record us for those radio stations down south! They are even gonna pay us 10 pence each time they play one of our songs! That means that I'll be able to pay for camp!" She smiles while Rarity just try's to put on a happy face.
"T-that's wonderful Sweetie I know how much going to that singing camp means to you! W-why don't we celebrate at Sugar Cube Corner! B-but first why don't you go upstairs and clean yourself up, I just need to clean up a bit myself." She says keeping her smile on her face while Sweetie Belle squees and runs to her room leaving Rarity to her thoughts.
She sighs trotting to her room passing by the countless ponyikins wearing dresses that would likely never be sold and stacks of hats that were out style. She enters her room, the room was unusually messy but not nearly as bad as Sweeties luckily. She sits down in front of her vanity mirror looking at her self. What she saw made her queasy, the stress from both what happened and keeping her business afloat was showing, luckily she could cover it up with makeup expertly.
"I'm so strapped for cash that my little sister has to pay for camp herself.... What did I do wrong? I'm following my cutie mark but I'm slowly watching my savings dwindle... What kind of world is this when ones cutie mark becomes obsolete?..." She rubs the makeup off her face with a cloth revealing a few small wrinkles around her face and bags under her eyes. While many stallions would consider her still beautiful her ideas of perfection made her feel as if she should wear a mask. "Why couldn't have those diamond dogs stayed on there little content far away from us?... Rainbow wouldn't be rotting in a prison, Twilight wouldn't be neck deep in politics, and I wouldn't be slowly losing everything I made..." She sniffs as she starts to reapply her makeup carefully she was proud Sweetie was finally finding her place in the world but she couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment for her sister already more successful then she was at her age. But is seemed like she would likely have to find secondary employment in order to keep a roof over their heads.
Equestria
Ponyville
Fluttershys cottage
2:27pm
Fluttershy sighed as she rested in her couch while hugging her Angle Bunny close, a radio on her coffee table was on announcing the weather and winning lottery numbers but to her it was just background noise. She was still recovering from there time in Zebrica, it was hard for her to forget being torn from her bed and dragged away with a hood over her head to who knows where. The Government had sent a number of apologies to all of them but she rarely read them preferring to just stay home and collect her salary as a forest ranger.
A soft nocking was heard at her door she slowly got up passing a faced down picture frame on one of the shelves pausing to look at it before shaking her head. She passes a number of empty food bowls and try's to avoid the few animals scurrying about on her floor. "Y-yes?...." She stops at the door opening it with the chain lock still on.
A brown coated middle aged stallion was on the the other side of the door. "Fluttershy I presume?" He asks politely smiling softly.
"Y-yes?... C-can I help you?..." She asks as she looked through the small opening.
"I was wondering if you could answer some quest-" he was cut off when she slammed the door in his face and locked it.
"N-no thank you! P-please go away! I mean if you don't mind..." She says the last bit mostly to herself before slowly making her way back to her couch where Angel Bunny watched her sadly.
The nocking continued for a bit before it stopped and she heard the stallion leave. "Why won't they just leave me alone... I-I thought by now the news ponies would just move on to somepony else...." She sighs cuddling her snow white bunny close.
The rabbit squeaked at her softly making her shake her head while he looks up at her with a frown.
"I I just can't Angel.... After seeing what she did... All the evidence... And the pictures... Just thinking about all the foals that depended on those zebra... E-even now I can't except she did it but seeing her like that... It makes my heart feel like it's being torn... " she sniffs softly nuzzling her bunny. "I just can't see how the mare who...who protected me in flight school.... Who would help me with my flying..... Who would spend sleepless nights studing for tests with me.... Could do that.... If someone I thought I knew so well is capable of that... Then what really separates us from all the monsters we face?... If it really only takes is to have some things taken away and some frustration then... H-how can I trust anyone?... W-what if one of the girls suddenly loses there lively hood?... O-or what if my parents savings run out?... I-I don't know what to think anymore... I always thought everyone only needed a little kindness... But what happens when kindness isn't enough?...." She sniffed before softly crying while her animal friends slowly surrounded her hoping to provide some sort of comfort.
Equestria
Ponyville
Royal Guard Post
2:01pm
Hard Law sighed he had hoped that by asking for help and support from the Mane Six would allow him to garner more help. But it seemed like they were unwilling to help thanks to resent events. It seemed like he would have to do things the old fashioned way he would have to shape up the local guard first. He looked around his small office that was just a bit larger then a boom closet with little more then a scratched desk and a few files planted on top of it. He slowly got up from the lose wooden chair and shuffled past his desk and exited his makeshift office.
As he opened the door and made his way through the small guard post to the break room. That halls were fairly simple being covered with old slightly faded wallpaper with a number of old paintings that were likely given from local artists. If he bothered to look out the window he passed he would see a rather scenic view of the Ponyville country side along with a garden just out front... A rather poorly tended one at that but perhaps it was fitting since this was an old house converted into a sort of makeshift post. Ponyville never was willing to have a true Royal Guards Barracks built something about it not being welcoming but with the latest... Changes he had to wonder just how true that was he didn't even notice the rather oddly muscular white pegasus until he ran right into his chest which was akin to running into a stone wall.
"FORGIVE ME COMMANDER HARD LAW! I WASN'T LOOKING WHERE I WAS GOING!" Hard Law was nearly struck deaf with the intensity of the voice that the stallion was know for. Luckily for the pegasus the brown unicorn had read through the files of the local guard. Most of them were reserves with only one full time guard on site.
"It is fine errrm Bulk Biceps.... I know that your.... Nervousness causes you to..... Raise your voice just please try not to yell in this old stallions ear would you?" He says trying to put on a friendly face while the stallion nods his head. "Could you patrol and see what you can find on the Ponyville Trio?" He reachs up a hoof to stop Bulk from opening his mouth. "A nod will do thank you." Bulk slowly nods his head and bows before trotting away.
"No wonder crime is rampant in this town.... Let's see..... Oh yes..... Lily..... Let's see what our guest has to stay about all of this....." He sighed as he trotted to a locked door near the kitchen of the converted home moving the dead bolt and opening the door next to the wood stove. He slowly made his way down the old steps to the basement where old Rondels sat next to a candle. The mute grey coated stallion wore an old Royal Guard helm that was dented and showed signs of age, it covered a smoky black mane, but by far the most striking feature of the old stallion was his eyes a sort of cloudy green. He never even bother to look Hard Laws way only focusing on their only lead and prisoner a pink coated and blond maned mare who's irritated yellow eyes stared through the rusty bars unblinking.
"Anything to report Rondels? Have you managed to get anything out of her yet?" He asks hoping for some good news.
"Nothing I can't tell if this mares brain is too fried to talk or if she's the hardest nut I have had to crack since the Harvest case... With the new laws on the books I can't use most of the old tactics I did back then either..... Not with out the go ahead from you...." He sighed resting on an old crate.
"Your sure you can't crack her?" He asks looking over the mare but she hadn't moved in hours since they caught her dealing and threw her in the cell.
"As I said she hasn't said a word and she has all the signs of heavy use of Spice..... Have you every seen what happens to somepony who overdoses?...... It's like they become a shell..... Just repeating certain behaviors you could almost fool yourself into thinking their all there but then when you get close..... It's like looking at a caricature......" He runs his hoof over his face. "... Don't take my word for it... We would need a doctor to be sure... But that has its own problems... They could just declare her mentally disabled and we could both end up in hot water for holding her..." He says looking at the motionless mare.
"So I either approve the use of physical interrogation risking it turning out that she can't really tell us anything or have a doctor come in and accusing us of malpractice making us lose our only lead anyway. Celestia damit.... We have two choices but either way we risk everything and could add to waves of accusations that the Royal Guard are the real crooks......"
"So what will it be?" Rondels asked looking over at him.
"...do it... Whatever happens I'll take the heat your too close to retirement to risk losing your pension now..." He says as he turns making his way back up the stares from the musty basement to go fill out the paperwork that would soon follow.
Equestria
Ponyville
Old Carrot Homestead
5:43pm
"What?!?" Carrot l nearly hacked up her coffee in front of her nephew.
She was currently resting in the old root cellar surrounded by stone walls, old shelves filled with preserves, a few crates, and more then a few electric torches lit up the room. She was resting in an old creaky chair while young Pip gasped for air after running across Ponyville.
"Lily was arrested! Now Daisy and Roseluck are on the war path! They want to attack the Guard Post with everything they have!" Pip managed to gasp out before sitting down on his haunches.
"T-those..... T-those.... Those...... Morons!!! They could ruin everything! We aren't nearly ready to take on they entire Guard! Pip run across town and tell them to come here! Tell them unless they want every one of my movers within a 50 mile radus to come crashing down on every one of there drug dens unless they will move there flanks here now!" She lost it for a few moments while the small colt was shaking on the ground. She took a deep breath and saw the fear in the small colts eyes. "... P-Pip I-I......" Before she could apologize the small colt ran out.
"B-Boss Carrot?......." She turned her head to see Gizmo looking at her from behind the door. "S-should I send out a messenger?...." He asked shaking a bit himself.
"Yes... And send another messenger to put all of our movers on alert.... And our allies....... If it comes down to it I will deal with those sisters myself. We can't risk those drug fueled maniacs turning Ponyville into a war zone!" She shouts getting up and making her way to the armory. "We need to load up and prepare for the worst...."
"Yes ma'am!" Gizmo salutes and runs to go wake up Running Leaves and Timber Hooves.