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// 005 Life's Imprisonment 
// Story: The Life Returns 
// by Dress72 
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005
I was in jail under the charge of fraud. I had been able to get Twilight and her friends to come down with Celestia to the prison, through the pony named Shining Armor. I attempted to get the six ponies I met in Ponyville to cooperate with me, but to no avail. 
I was about to say something to the ponies standing there, but Jake beat me to it. “Daddy isn’t a bad person! You guys are being bullies!”
“JAKE!” I nearly yelled, but somehow was able to keep my voice calm, albeit slightly shaky. Calling my son Jake confused the ponies there, as he was introduced as Red Wing, but it helped Jake understand the weight of the situation. “While that statement is true, I don’t want you to get in trouble or hurt for speaking things like that. There are a few things that I want you to do though. First of all, I want you to take this,” I handed him the 68 bits that I had on me, “and head back to the house. There you will search the construction area for the construction funds. There is enough there, where if you are wise on its use, should last you the ten years that it looks like I will be here for. With that money, I also want you to enroll in school.
“Secondly, after you have located the funds and put them somewhere in the house that is easily accessible for you, I want you to go down to the mayor, and ask if she could gather the residents of Ponyville for something regarding me, White Wind, and the paragliding lessons. I want you to tell them that due to me being put in prison, I will be unable to continue with the lessons for quite some time. They will most likely ask you why I’m in prison, but I want you to avoid that subject. Don’t forget to thank the ponies for taking their time listening to you, and don’t forget to thank the mayor for calling the assembly. Last thing I want you to do, is take care of yourself, and don’t hold grudges against anypony.”
My rage had almost disappeared, but my voice was still shaky. I said one last thing to my son, “I love you Jake, my son. Remember that, and don’t let anyone or anypony try to tell you otherwise.” Tears had formed in my eyes, but refused to fall. I hugged Jake through the bars, and nuzzled him for a few brief seconds. We broke the embrace, “Go,” I whispered softly to him, and he ran down the hallway. 
The tears finally fell as I watched him disappear. Turning on the ponies who watched the little show, my rage came back full force, not registering that they, as well, where crying. “I hope you all are happy now! Because of all of you, that boy will grow up most of his life, being without either of his parents!” I looked away from the ponies outside the cell and started to sob softly for my son. There was a pause before anyone said anything.
“I-I’m sorry, we didn’t mean it…” I heard one of them start to say, but I don’t know who. I interrupted her before she could finish the rest of what she was going to say.
“Of course! You didn’t ‘mean’ anything!” I yelled harshly at them, turning my head in their direction. I hadn’t been crying for long, but I’m sure that my eyes were red. One of them tried talking but I interrupted them again before they could speak, but this time, my words where barely a whisper, “Leave, just, leave.” I moved my head away from them as I said my last two words. 
It was quiet for a few minutes longer before I heard the shuffling of hooves. I couldn’t count how many were moving even if I tried, but I don’t think that they all had left. Yet again, at least three of them could fly, and two of them most likely would.
I closed my eyes, laid my head down next to the bars of the cell, and continued to cry, not even caring that I was on a cold, hard, rock floor. After about ten minutes, I felt something against my mane, stroking it. Opening my eyes I saw blue fur, and a rainbow mane, and knew that Rainbow Dash was lying down on the end of the bed what was just outside the cell, but she wasn’t the one petting me. Looking over, I saw that it was Fluttershy that was stroking my mane.
“What do you two want?” I asked in a defeated voice, a completely opposite tone of what I usually used. I also didn’t try to escape from the petting, letting myself get lost in the sensation. The two ponies stayed quiet, and I didn’t press for an answer. I laid my head back down, and soon fell asleep.
‘The cat was before me, staring. “It could have been avoided, you know,” the familiar call rang through my mind. *** I was back within the clearing. I watched once more as Elis was killed and eaten by the cat. The difference this time, and the others, was that I could see the cat stalking her. Luna didn’t come to save me this time either, nor was I able to break the spell the dream created. The cat finally turned to me and leapt.’
I awoke from the nightmare, covered in sweat. Fluttershy was no longer petting me, and Rainbow Dash was next to her, directly across the bars. “Are you okay? You were screaming in your sleep, and we couldn’t wake you.” Fluttershy asked.
“Yah, I’m fine.” My defeated voice was gone, and replaced with my normal voice once more. My voice changed because I remembered that Jake still needs a father he can look up to, even if that man was in jail.
“Are you sure?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, you were screaming really loud about this Elis, for like, 50 minutes.”
“Yah, it was just a bad dream.” I clarified.
“Good, because Fluttershy was scared for you, you know, but I knew you would be alright.” Rainbow Dash added, trying to save face with nopony.
“So, why are you two still here?” I asked, “I thought I told you all to leave?”
“Sorry, if we are being an inconvenience for you, we can just leave,” Fluttershy said, turning around and starting to go.
“No, no, I’m actually kind of glad that someponies stayed. I think that it helped kick me out of my funk.” I said quickly, causing Fluttershy to stop, and stay.
“Glad we could be of help!” Rainbow Dash jumped in.
I looked at Rainbow Dash, and saw a desperate sort of expression hidden within her eyes. I guess Fluttershy saw it too, because she made her excuses, and left. “So,” I said, “Why were you here? I understand why Fluttershy was here, and didn’t mind so much. What with her doing her best to actively try to help me. But you, I don’t. All you did was let the conversation roll on by you, like you didn’t want to pick a side.” I said it to hurt her, and I guess I got what I wanted, for I could see the expression creep across her face, but I didn’t feel any satisfaction from it.
“Well, you did try to use me.” Rainbow Dash went onto the offensive. I took note of how she used ‘Me’ instead of ‘Us’.
“Yes, I did, and it was wrong of me to do so. I’m sorry for thoughtlessly trying to use you. Can you forgive me?” I apologized.
Rainbow Dash continued her argument, not quite realizing that I had apologized, “I mean who just uses… Wait, what?”
“I said that I am sorry for using you. Can you forgive me?”
Taken aback by the sudden apology, Rainbow Dash stammered for words, “Um, okay… I wasn’t quite expecting you to just give in so quickly… but sure, I forgive you.”
“Great!” I said, changing the mood, and ultimately confusing Rainbow. “Now back to my question, why did you stay behind?”
Still slightly confused, and with her defenses down from the sudden submission earlier, Rainbow answered honestly, “Because I love you.” Rainbow Dash quickly covered her mouth with the realization of what she just said, but didn’t try to take it back, or cover it up with something nonchalant, or ‘cool’.
It was my turn to be taken aback. I wasn’t expecting an honest answer like that from Rainbow, and much less a confession. “Yah right. I thought you, and I quote, ‘couldn’t care less about me’. Part of the whole reason I left, was because you broke my heart.”
Another silence descended upon us. I swear, I have faced more awkward silences in the last 24 hours, than I have in any given week of my life.	“I’m sorry, I wasn’t myself that day that Discord appeared. But I do love you, White Wind. Maybe not since the first day I saw you land in Ponyville, and maybe not fully when you created that tornado, and saved me from it, which was awesome by the way, but I do love you.” 
The fact that she wasn’t trying to cover this up with anything, made me realize that she was telling the truth. A feeling quickly bubbled up from inside of me. One that I had no trouble recognizing. “I love you too, Dashy.”
We chatted a while longer with idle conversations. Eventually, Rainbow Dash had to leave to prepare for the Weather Patrol in Ponyville tomorrow. I fell asleep soon after, only to be disturbed by the recurring nightmare.
I didn’t see Dashy the next four days, as it was difficult and expensive, or tiring, to travel to Canterlot from Ponyville every day. I had somehow conversed a guard into getting me a rubber ball, which I used to sedate my boredom. The bed had also been placed back into my cell, and I graciously accepted the comfort of a mattress over the floor. I noticed that my meals where better than what I expected from prison food, but if I had figured that it was just how prisoner ponies ate, then I wouldn’t have dismissed it. I didn’t complain that much, as I had a reasonable amount of comfort, and something to occupy my time. 
During the time I slept, I always had the same nightmare, it just wouldn’t leave me alone, and they always cut short at the cat leaping at me. I guess that the constant appearance of the dream, helped me stop screaming. The guards would always hear my cries, and comment on them when I was awake, and the fourth day, they had commented on how quiet I was. I had woken up that night covered in cold sweat, and same with the fifth night.
On the fifth day of my imprisonment, Celestia visited me, accompanied by a few guards. “Good evening Your Royal Miss Princess Lady Mare Pony, and what pleasure do I owe for a visit from Your Royal Highness?” I inquired.
“First of all, you can stop calling me that name. Why do you insist on calling me that anyways?” Celestia inquired right back.
“Duly noted, Your Royal Miss Princess Lady Mare Pony, I will not call you Your Royal Highness, anymore. As to why I call you that, I find that making jokes at the beginning of a meeting tends to slacken tensions later on.” I replied truthfully. 
I was stared at coldly, before Celestia continued, “I stopped your son from leaving by…” 
She didn’t get to finish her sentence, because I stood up on my hind two legs, rushed to the bars, and spat the words, “If you or any of your guards so much as harm a single hair on him, then I swear, even if you control the sun for millions of years to come, you will never see the light it produces ever again,” in her face, all in about 15 seconds. The pure fury that I was putting out at such a quick succession, caused the guards to draw back in fear, and Celestia to wince.
It took a while for any of them to regain composure, but Celestia, I guess, has had thousands of years to be able to adjust to situations like this. “Relax White Wind,” Celestia said, “Your son is fine, and unharmed.” I didn’t relax, and I sure as hell didn’t let up on the fury I was showing. Celestia continued, despite my actions, “I stopped him because, as much as it pains me, and as much as I love seeing you behind bars here, I ended up investigating your claim, and reinvestigating your charges. Your charge of fraud is hereby null, the re-forestation cost has been dropped to 1500 bits, which fits the damage more, and the medical fees for the hurt animals are also null, as surprisingly no animals were hurt.” 
Celestia nodded to a guard down the hall that I could not see, and I soon heard the clop, clop, clop, of hooves running on a stone floor. My anger faded instantly, when I realized that it was my son who, as Celestia had said and for what it seemed, was unharmed. She then nodded to the guards who were next to her. They had finally regained composure when my anger dropped, and they unlocked the cell. I dropped to my knees, and embraced my son.
Celestia continued her speech, “As reparation for the inconvenience I have caused, you will be paid twice what you would have made these last five days working for the Weather Patrol in Ponyville, and your fine for forest repairs will be dropped again to 1250 bits.”
Her words registered, but barely. I broke my embrace with my son to look him over, and fuss with him to see if harm truly was not done, and gave him a million and one questions. “Daddy,” Jake complained, “I’m fine, they didn’t do anything to me.”
I trust Jake, and know that he would never lie to me, so I accepted his answer, even if I did pose a few more questions, just to be reassured. “Alright, let’s head home now. I want to hear all about your past five days when we get there.” We walked out of the prison, and Canterlot, ignoring Celestia as we exited.