//------------------------------//
// Arc 5(Break-In at Coltsom)-1: The Prison Life is for me 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Trials of Friendship" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


Arc 05: Break-in at Coltsom


The Prison Life is for me.



It was a beautiful day near the town of La Maresa.  The Everfree Forest dwarfed the quiet town with its majestic and enchanting beauty.  Animals roamed through the woods, searching for food while birds sang towards the morning sun.
But outside of the forest, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score ran as fast as possible, laughing and taunting, all while Bright Mac chased after the trio with a lasso in the air.
“Come back here,” Bright Mac yelled.  “You three are going to get it when I rope you all in.”
Score let out a big raspberry and yelled out “Maybe you and that hag of a granny shouldn’t have hit the snooze button.”
Hoops, Dumbbell and Score ran as fast as they could, leading Bright Mac on a wild goose chase through the plains of La Maresa, dodging and jumping over rocks, and running through the tall grass.  Bright Mac continued to chase after the two, smashing through the rocks that got in his way and slicing through the tall grass.
“When I get my hooves on you three,” Bright Mac yelled.  “You’re definitely going to get it.”
Hoops, Dumbbell and Score ran as fast as they could with Score continuing to taunt the pursuing Bright Mac.  Hoops ran a bit back and smashed Score on the head, causing the tormenting pegasus colt to bite his tongue.
“Quit doing that you iggit,” Hoops said in an angry tone.  “Wait until we get away from that big apple stallion.”
As the colt trio ran towards the end of the grassy field, they came to a sudden stop.  Right in front of them was the edge of the cliff, with the bottom being around three stories tall.  But up above was another cliff that stood around two stories taller than their position.   Two wooden logs at the end of each cliff were all that was left of a wooden bridge that connected the two cliffs.
“Nowhere to run and no place to hide,” Dumbbell said.
“Are you out of your mind?” Hoops said as he flapped his wings.  “We’re pegasi.  We can clear that with ease and get that mad apple farmer off of our backs.  Now come on.”
Hoops ran as far back as he possibly could, paying no attention to Bright Mac approaching him with the rope lasso in his teeth.  Hoops’ wings extended outward before he ran forward and jumped as high as he possibly could.  At the height of his jump, he flapped his wings and flew upwards, until he reached the top of the opposing cliff.  Then he turned to Dumbbell and Score, who stood on the previous cliff below.
“Come on you two,” Hoops yelled.  “We don’t got all day.”
Dumbbell and Score nodded before they ran all the way back into the grass before running towards the opposing cliff that Hoops was on.  They extended their wings out like Hoops and flapped it really hard before they jumped into the air.  Dumbbell immediately flapped his wings, flying towards Hoops at the top of the cliff.  But before Score could flap his wings, he felt something tug at his rear.
“HEY!”  Score yelled as he struggled to fly towards the group.  “Something’s got me.”
Hoops and Dumbbell looked at Score to see a lasso wrapped around his waist.  They looked at the far end of the lasso, where Bright Mac was trying as hard as possible to pull him back.
“There’s no use escaping,” Bright Mac said as he held the rope with his front arms.  “It’s time you delinquents face the consequences.”
“So you want to play Tug-O-War, eh?” Hoops said as he extended his wings out.  “Well you got it.”
Hoops and Dumbbell flew from the cliff side and grabbed onto Score as hard as they could, trying to pull him free from the rope.  Bright Mac held his ground, holding the rope as firm as possible.  The three colts struggled to break free as Bright Mac began to pull the trio towards him.
“Hold onto him good,” Hoops said to Dumbbell.  “I’ve got a nasty surprise for him.”
Dumbbell nodded as he flapped as hard as possible, all while Hoops let go of Score.  
“Hey,” Score said as he reached out to Hoops.  “You’re not going to leave me, are ya?”
“We’re not,” Hoops said.  “We’re in this together.”
As Bright Mac continued to pull the trio close to him, Dumbbell held onto Score while Hoops flew as fast as possible towards the big earth pony.  Bright Mac watched as Hoops flew below the cliff that the earth pony is on.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Bright Mac said as he continued to pull Dumbbell and Score towards him.
“Why, sending you on a nice trip,” Hoops said.
With a couple of powerful kicks, Hoops smacked the area of the cliff below Bright Mac, causing the ground to quake a bit and for the apple pony to lose his grip.
“Knock that off,” Bright Mac yelled.  “What are you trying to do, kill me?”
Hoops swung his legs back and said “Oh I’m just trying to get my kicks in.”
Hoops swung his hind legs so hard, it caused the point of the cliff under Bright Mac to crumble.  The apple pony looked down under and began to freak out, losing his grip on the rope and allowing Dumbbell and Score to fly away.  Hoops flew up to Bright Mac and stuck his tongue out in mockery.
“Have a nice trip, sucker,” Hoops said before he flew up from Bright Mac.  “See you next fall.”
But before Bright Mac could do anything, the ground underneath him gave way and fell down the cliff side.  Bright Mac immediately grabbed onto a newly formed cliff edge, holding himself and preventing him from falling down.
“Blast it,” Bright Mac said.  “This time, they’ve gone too far.”
Bright Mac pulled himself up from the cliff edge, all the way up until he was finally on the safety of solid ground.  He turned on his back, took off his hat and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Ma’s not going to like the fact that those hoodlums got away,” Bright Mac said.  “And I can only imagine her reaction.”
“You don’t need to imagine that reaction, my son.  I had a feeling they would blow off their punishment and fly the coop.” Bright Mac looked up to see Granny Smith walking up to him.  The younger apple pony rolled onto his hooves and stood up, looking ashamed.
“I’m sorry, ma,” Bright Mac said as he picked up his hat and placed it on his chest.  “Those three slipped away from my hooves.”
“It’s not your fault, Bright Mac,” Granny Smith said.  “Since we forced those three back to La Maresa after banishment only made their behavior worse, we tried a number of techniques to get them to shape up.  The only thing they shaped up was our patience, our temper, and a good number of our apple crops.”
“But what can we do about them?” Bright Mac said.  “I hate to see those three give Wanda and her friends a hard time.”
Granny Smith approached Bright Mac and said “Word has it that there is a Juvenile Detention Facility nearby called Coltsom.  Those three have a thing for trouble and they’re willing to check it out for their own amusement.  But once they fall into that kind of trap, I figured some time in the slammer will shape them up.”
“Coltsom?” Bright Mac said.  “I’m fond of harsh punishment for those kinds of delinquents.  But even that’s overkill.”
“Not exactly,” Granny Smith said. “And I have a feeling those three bit off more than they could chew.”

Further down the plains, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score laid on some rocks and stared at the sky. The trio looked completely relaxed as if they didn’t have a care in the world.  Nearby, the rope lasso that was wrapped around Score laid there as if someone cut the loop off.
“We sure showed that stupid farmer,” Hoops said.  “The nerve of that guy nullifying our deserved banishment from that boring place.”
“Yeah,” Dumbbell said.  “If anything, his attempts at punishing us were completely pathetic.  Stupid chores around Sweet Apples Acres.”
“And you should have seen the look on his face when we decided to knock some of his trees down,” Score said. “That was priceless.”
“Bros,” Hoops said.  “From here on out, let’s be the most hated ponies in Equestria.  The despised.  The loathed.   The Scrappies.”
“Yeah,” Dumbbell said.  “Scrappies sound like a fun name.”
“If the majority of Equestria hates us because of the fact that we’re a bunch of trouble-making delinquents,” Score said.  “I’d say that’s worthy of an achievement.”
The trio laughed at Score’s remark before sighing and looking at the sky.  Dumbbell sat up and stretched his arms and wings out.  But just as he got done stretching, something caught his eye.
“Hey guys,” Dumbbell said.  “Do you see what I see?”
Hoops and Score got up on their four hooves and looked in the direction of Dumbbell’s eyes.  In the distance, they saw what appeared to be a greyish building surrounded by a mix of a stone wall and some fencing with barbed wire on top of it.  The towers on the buildings each had some search lights attached.  In the fields within the walls looked like colts around their age, wearing orange jumpsuits.
“Oh yeah,” Hoops said.  “I’ve heard of that place: The infamous Coltsom Juvenile Detention Facility.  A place for trouble makers like us if you got arrested and had the book thrown at you.”
“So, you wanna check the place out?” Score asked.
“Check it?”  Hoops replied.  “I’d say we should consider breaking into the joint, get our own jail cell, and test the system out.  See if we can drive it mad within a year.”
“You really want to do that?” Dumbbell asked.
“Of course we do,” Hoops said.  “After all, we have a new reputation to uphold: To be the most hated ponies in Equestria.  And if we can break into a prison and cause some ruckus, that will ensure our status as the Scrappies.  You boys in?”
“YEAH!” Dumbbell and Score yelled in sync.
“Then come on,” Hoops said.  “We got a prison to check in.”
Hoops, Dumbbell and Score extended their wings out and flew towards the Coltsom Detention Facility in anticipation.

At the chain link fence part of the prison, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score landed outside of the prison, where Dumbbell’s eye caught some young inmates lined up as if they were awaiting orders.  Dumbbell tapped Hoops’ shoulder and pointed to the inmates.  Many of them looked a bit roughed up.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Hoops said.
“We break in and become part of the group?” Score replied.
“Exactly,” Hoops replied.  
“But how do we blend in?” Dumbbell asked.  
Hoops pointed to a nearby dumpster inside the prison grounds and said “Lo and behold.”
Dumbbell and Score looked at the dumpster.  On top were three orange jumpsuits lying out in the open.  Dumbbell smirked at the sight of those prison garbs.
“Nice find,” Dumbbell said.  
Score looked above and noticed a nearby camera that’s in a fixed position.  He tapped on Hoops’ shoulder
“Hey Hoops,” Score said as he pointed Hoops in the direction of the camera.
“A camera that doesn’t move at all,” Hoops said.  “Something tells me there is more to this facility than meets the eye.”
“What do you mean, Hoops?” Dumbbell asked.
Hoops pulled Dumbbell and Score to him, huddled down and said “So here’s the plan.  Since that camera is fixed like that, we’ll sneak in when no one is looking, sneak up to that garbage bin, grab the garbs, put em on, and line up.  And before you know it, we’ll be occupying our own prison cell.”
“Sweet,” Dumbbell said.  
“Imagine the look on their faces when they find out that we broke into a prison and caused some ruckus,” Score said.
“Now come on,” Hoops said as he looked at the opposite side of the fence.  “Let’s get this done.”
Hoops, Dumbbell and Score extended their wings out and flew up, jumping over the fence with the razor wiring and landing on the opposite side.  Immediately, they ran towards the dumpster before hiding behind it.  Hoops looked down to Dumbbell and Score before shishing them.
“Stay low,” Hoops whispered.  “There’s a guard nearby.”
Hoops, Dumbbell and Score stood still behind the dumpster, watching the guard walk by.  But for some reason, the guard looked worried.
“What was I thinking of signing up for this job?” the guard said.  “What’s the point of watching these delinquents with all these long hours and pitiful pay?”
As the guard walked off in the opposite direction, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score popped their heads out, surprised by the guard’s tone.
“Sounds like there is truly more to this prison than meets the eye,” Score said.
Hoops looked up at the prison garbs and said “Now’s our chance.  Grab 'em and don’t mind the smell.”
Immediately, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score reached out and grabbed the orange jumpsuits.  They went behind the dumpster and put on the clothing, starting with the pants, and then the buttoned shirt.  Once they were done, they stood on their four hooves and looked down at their new outfits.
“What do you think, boys?” Hoops said.  “Think we’ll stand out?”
“You bet,” Score said.
“Then come on,” Hoops said.  “Time to reveal ourselves as the new colts on the block.”
Immediately, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score ran out from behind the dumpster and lined up alongside the other inmates.  While the pegasi trio kept their cool, they also looked a bit nervous.  But in their comparison, the other inmates looked scared, like they were terrified of their own lives.
“Hey, what’s with those dweebs?” Dumbbell asked.
“It’s like they can’t toughen up,” Score replied.
One of the inmates turned to the trio, and his eyes popped out a bit.
“Wait a minute,” the young delinquent said.  “I…I’ve never seen you in here before.”
“We’re the new Scrappies on the block,” Hoops replied.  “What are you in here for?”
“Well,” the delinquent said as he rubbed the back of his left arm with his right arm.  “I was locked in here because I got sick and my parents looked after me.  I even had a doctor’s note for proof.”
“Wait,” Hoops replied.  “You were taken away and locked here because you were sick?”
“Yeah,” the inmate said.  “The school approved of it.  But sometime as I was recovering, some stallions came by and took me away.  Told me it was because I was playing hooky.”
“That’s messed up,” Score said.  “Who gets themselves arrested for being sick?”
“And here’s the worst part,” the inmate said.  “Despite protest by my own school and my students, I was sent here as punishment, no court trial at all.”
“All that punishment just for something that isn’t worthy of a delinquent,” Dumbbell said.  “The standards are falling.”
Suddenly, they heard someone shouting “ALL YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOTS BETTER BE LINED UP!”  Immediately, the inmates stood tall, looking upwards as if they were expecting the worst.  Hoops, Dumbbell and Score looked at the row of inmates before turning towards each other.
“I think we better do what they are doing,” Hoops said.  “Maybe we’ll get noticed by whoever called that out.”
Dumbbell and Score nodded, and immediately they along with Hoops lined up next to the other inmates, looking proud and tough.  Immediately, a stallion dressed in an officer’s garb marched down the line, inspecting each and every colt lined up.  But despite his job, there’s a sense of disappointment in the officer’s look.
“Does the warden call these guys juvenile delinquents?” The officer said to himself.  “I’ve seen tougher delinquents in the alleyways of Manehattan.”
Immediately, the officer’s eyes roll over to Hoops, Dumbbell and Score, changing his mood from disappointed to surprised.
“Now where did those three come from?” The officer said to himself.
The prison officer walked up to the three juvenile pegasi and glared at each of them.  He looked down at the orange jumpsuits that they were wearing and took a close look at their numbers. 
“I don’t know how you three got in,” The officer said.  “Or the fact that you’re wearing jumpsuits that belonged to three delinquents that were transferred to a correctional facility near Canterlot.  But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
“NO SIR,” Hoops, Dumbbell and Score yelled.  The officer looked at the trio and smiled.
“Then from here on out,” the officer said.  “You are now inmates of the Coltsom Detention Facility for Delinquent Colts.  My name is Blue Heat.  I will be your correctional officer from here on out.  I don’t want to see any monkey business coming out of you three.  Understand?”
“YES SIR!”  Hoops, Dumbbell and Score yelled.
“Very well,” Blue Heat said.  He turned to a guard and said “Escort them to their cells.  Show these three their new roommates.”
The guard nodded before approaching the group of inmates and said “March you deadbeats.  To your cells this instant.”
Immediately, the line of inmates marched off towards the giant doors that lead inside the prison.  Hoops, Dumbbell and Score marched right behind in anticipation.
“Did you see that?” Dumbbell said.  “It worked.  We’re in.”
“Yeah,” Hoops said.  “I can’t wait to see what our cell is going to be.”
“Maybe we’ll be in a cell with a number of psychopaths,” Score said.  “Or maybe thieves, or even puppy-punters.”
Hoops and Dumbbell glared at Score with a hint of score all while they continued to walk in a line.  Score looked at his bros and just blushed with embarrassment.
“What?” Score said.  “It was worth a shot.”
As Hoops, Dumbbell and Score were marching towards the facility entrance at the back of the line, prison officer Blue Heat turned towards a couple of the guards.
“See to it that they get into their cells,” Blue Heat said.  “I need to talk to Warden Steel Bolt about this.”
The two guards nodded before they walked up and marched alongside the row of juvenile inmates, especially Hoops Dumbbell and Score.  Immediately, Blue Heat walked past the line of juveniles and towards the entrance of the prison.

Inside, Blue Heat walked up to a door with a sign that said ‘Warden Steel Bolt’s office,’ and knocked on it.
“Enter,” The voice inside said.
Blue Heat pushed open the door and walked into the room.  Inside, a light-grey, well-built stallion with short brown hair and a mustache  sat at a desk.  He tapped his hooves together with patience.
“Warden Steel Bolt,” Blue Heat said as he saluted the Warden.
“I see you have something to report,” Warden Steel Bolt said.  “Bout time something happened in this dumpster fire of a prison.”
“As a matter of fact I do,” Blue Heat said.  “Three juvenile delinquents that are not in the system somehow got into this detention facility, thinking they are inmates.  And I also believe they took some of the jumpsuits that may have been thrown in the dumpster.”
“Inmates eh?” Steel Bolt replied as his serious face turned to curiosity.  “Now you’ve got my attention.”
Steel Bolt looked down at the button on his desk and pressed it.  To his left, several tube-based television screens turned on, showing monochrome images of the interior of the prison and every miserable juvenile inmate that either marched down the halls, sat in their cells, or just ate in the cafeteria.
“Now tell me, Blue Heat,” Steel Bolt said.  “Who are these juvenile delinquents that want to play inmate?”
Blue Heat’s eyes quickly caught the attention of Hoops, Dumbbell and Score as they entered into the prison halls, right behind the others in line.  He walked up over to the screen and pointed to the scrappy colt trio.
“Those three,” Blue Heat said.
Steel Bolt rubbed the bottom of his chin.  He got out of his seat and walked over to the very monitor, looking at Hoops, Dumbbell and Score marching down.
“Excellent find, Blue Heat,” Steel Bolt said.  “In fact, something about these three just gave me some inspiration.”
“Warden,” Blue Heat said.  “What should we do with them?”
“Let them play inmates for now,” Warden Steel Bolt said.  “I’m going to concoct a plan for those three.”
“Yes sir,” Blue Heat said with a salute before he turned tail and walked out of the room, shutting the door in the process.
Warden Steel Bolt walked back to his desk and pressed a button, freezing the footage in place.  He then shifted his hoof towards a button that says ‘Magistrate Creme Dream’ before pressing it.
“The Magistrate needs to know about this,” Warden Steel Bolt said.
A tube-television with a camera attached to it popped out of the ceiling and moved down in front of Warden Steel Bolt.  The screen turns on, revealing Magistrate Creme Dream on the display.
“You have something you wish to report, Warden Steel Bolt?” Creme Dream asked.
“As a matter of fact I do,” Steel Bolt said.  “I was just informed that three juvenile delinquents broke into the Coltsom Prison, took some jumpsuits that belonged to three transferees, and think they’re inmates.”
Magistrate Creme Dream chuckled a bit before she said “Well that’s new.  Failures in life that they they want to be inmates at a Juvenile Detention Facility.”
“I have the footage for proof,” Steel Bolt said.
“That won’t be necessary,” Creme Dream said.  “Besides, I know your prison hasn’t been getting enough funding for maintenance, or to even keep your doors open.”
“That’s an understatement,” Steel Bolt said.  “These convicts aren’t worth the cloth that they’re wearing.  Besides, those hacks up in the Senate couldn’t legislate new funding for this dump of a prison.”
“Then I have a proposal,” Magistrate Creme Dream said.  “There is a new maximum security detention facility that’s being made for rowdy juvenile delinquents near Appleoosa.  All you need to do is to convince one of the three newcomers to stage a jailbreak and I will make you warden of this new prison.“
“Convince one of them, eh?”  Warden Steel Bolt said.  “I like how that sounds.  And I think I have an idea.”
Magistrate Creme Dream giggled with a sinister tone before she said “Then by all means, show them what you’re made of.”
The screen that showed Magistrate Creme Dream’s face shut off as Warden Steel Bolt sat there, eyes looking anticipated, mouth looking sinister.
“It’s time to execute Operation Handout,” Steel Bolt said.  “And the one who gets sent to Solitary Confinement, will be the one to carry it out.”


	To Be Continued in…


	Coltsom Prison Blues