//------------------------------// // A prison bake // Story: Real life stories ponyfied // by Dragonhoof91 //------------------------------// A prison bake. When you look at Equestria today, you see mostly harmony. Ponies get along, they are kind and live in a very organized and helpful society. It all seems hunky-dory and perfect, but in reality it is not -quite- as perfect. Crime does happened. Not everypony is blessed with a personal talent that can grant them a fulfilling job or even payment. Some are naturally good at things that are simply not useful for the community, and are thus forced to take jobs they really can not stand, or are not given any jobs at all due to their lacking merits. Therefor some go without a single bit to their name and no roof to their mane. They are forced to take drastic actions... And more often then not, does these desperate ponies repeat these acts to be sent to jail. Because at least there they have a bed, a roof and get food. Some ponies, and very few mind you, are not this unfortunate. Some are just horrible individuals caused by other things. Parents, can be a major problem. Ever noticed that a pony's personal skill is very much often simular to their names? Names given to them by their parents. So if you got parents of the... less creative minds? Shortly put and to not bore you. Ponies goes to prison for different reasons. Some because they are desperate, some because they disserve it, some because situations got out of control... And we are going to look at some today. I am not going to tell you how a prison operates or looks in every detail, I think most of you have seen pictures or read about it. So as you know, all the doors to the cells are locked by the guards at the evening when the prisoners are guided back to their cells. This one time, the guards forgot a couple of these cells... The guards responsible for locking the cells had a system. They would start at one end each and cover what the other did not. They would meet at the middle before they would go to the next floor and repeat. However sometimes prisoners spur and spaz out when the guards get close, and this time one did. Causing the guard on the other row of the cells to rush to his friends aid to pull the reaching prisoner away, accidentally forgetting the last few cells on his row... Inside these three forgotten cells was two ponies each. A murderer, two thieves, a burglar, an attempted murderer and a terrorist. They had all noticed that the cells never got locked, but kept silent about it and acted like nothing, pretending to sleep and make private plans for what to do. One of the 'veterans' of the prison, the murderer pegasus Sky Drop, was first to act. Sneaking to the cell and sliding it open. His cellmate, a thief earth-pony by the name Dirt Dig, joined him. Being the only other ones awake, the ponies from the other cells quickly joined as they heard the weak sound of the metal door to Sky's and Dirt's cell. They all knew each other very poorly, but they knew another's sentence as that was the closest thing to status amongst prisoners there was. And Sky had been known for being here a long time for his act. "... Lucky turn of events, would you not say gents?" Sky smirked as he whispered to the others who left their cells. Dirt was just about hiding behind the large pegasus, nervous and still just a young adult. The other four approached and nodded as answer. Without much other said, Sky simply nodded to stairs leading down to the main floor, and they all silently moved down there. Two of them were pegasi, but they all were forced to wear a cramping belt over their wings to prevent them from flying. Just like the only unicorn in the group had a clamped ring on his horn, blocking all magic. Therefor they were all forced to move by hoof, and snuck as best they could. Somehow not alerting or waking up any of their fellow prisoners. "So... what now? We got only a few hours before the guards return.." Dancing Colours, or Dance as they called him, was the other pegasus part from Sky, spoke. "And we still have these confounded belts..." Sky gave him a dry, bored look. "You can do as you please, I am a leader for no-one. But I have a personal goal.." The bound pegasus began to walk down the hallway he knew all too well after these years. It's become routine. The others followed though, not sure what else to do. Dirt was always sticking very close to Sky, as the large and middle-aged air-dweller was not only his cellmate, but had taken pity on the young one. "So... uhm... What are you going to do, sir Sky?" He stuttered. "Break out?" Sky shook his head, as he reached the kitchen and kicked the flimsy lock open. "Bake." He entered, leaving the others to look at him with confused looks. It took them all a silent minute of just looking at another, hoping for anyone to come up with an idea or a plan, while listening to the occasional sounds Sky made inside the kitchen. Eventually they all shrugged and joined him. Sky was moving around in the kitchen with a soft smile, the first time anypony had seen him do so! "So... uhm... whatcha baking there?" The unicorn and attempted murderer, Flash Light, asked. "Chocolate cake. My mother always used to bake them with me when I was a filly." He answered, smiling softly. The other five gathered around him, as the mix he was making filled the air with a soft hint of cocoa. It did not take long before the rest of them were involved as well. Having nothing better to do, and not wanting to waste this one night of freedom. Soon the kitchen was lit up with located candles, the stove brought to life and several bowls was being stirred with different blends and mixes. They began to talk about their reasons for being here. Dirt showed courage by going first. He had been abandoned early by his earth-pony parents, for reasons unknown. And became very shy and nervous at the Canterlot Orphanage. He had finally run away, and tried to make a living with the only thing he was good at. Digging.. Needlessly to say, it had not gone too well. And he was soon forced to start stealing food from markets and shops to just get by. Constantly digging himself holes to live and hide in, but eventually got caught. The others pitied the young one, saying that at least he was here on the shortest sentence of the lot, and maybe could find job for a construction-company. That cheered the boy up, and he asked Sky for his reason. The pegasus sighed, and began to tell his story of how he became one of the few murderers in modern history. Killing another pony was a crime that was punished with life-time. And Sky Drop had been just an average hard-working weather-manager until one night. Having worked hard for his usual minimum wage, he had come home to his house in Skydale to find his wife cheating on him. He had long felt that their once young and exciting romance was dying, but not to this level. Sky was known for being able to freely fall from any altitude and than spread his strong wings and avoid the earth with minimum distance. The pony she had cheated with was a earth pony, so when he in rage threw him out of their cloud-carried house, the earthern stood no chance against the earth. The others silenced for a moment. For some reason, they had all pictured his story to be more gruesome. But in their honest opinions, it was a very reasonable act. Sky had not intended to kill the pony, just throw him out and forgotten in his rage where they lived. To break the silence, Flash Light began to stir his bowl again and spoke. He had been a student at the academy for magic, and was punished for attempted murder due to a spell going out of control. During one of his tests, he was to turn a bird into a flower and then back. Sadly, he sneezed when casting the spell, causing it to just barely miss and hit his teacher. The spell was calibrated for the bird's small size, and had a... disturbing effect on the teacher. And no matter how much Flash tried, he knew nothing of his to aid his teacher who was vomiting growing vines that slowly choked him from the inside... The ponies made faces of the image in their minds, but they could not help but smile a little out of compassion. It had been an accident after all. And like this they carried on. Even when the cake was in the oven and they kept working on the icing they spoke about their different tales, their reasons for being jailed, and discovered that none of them was really bad ponies. They all had done things they should not, but some was out of accident, some was out of desperation... nothing evil. That same morning, just a few hours later, the guards came back to check on the prisoners. To their terror and guilt they found three cells unlocked, opened and empty. And was about to send a emergency letter to the princess about it, when the six ponies came walking casually down the hallway. Laughing, talking, all in good spirits and happy smiles. They greeted the dumb-founded guards and offered some samples of their pastries that they carried with them. In all this, the guards were taken dumbfounded and did not know what to do. Other then politely accept what they were offered and listen to their explanation. They told the guards that they had borrowed the kitchen, but cleaned up once they were done. Sky apologized for the broken lock, but said it was not all TOO busted to not be hammered back. After that, the prisoners all returned to their own cells calmly and closed the doors. Yes, they were prisoners, but they had that night gotten friends, a chance of freedom, and learned that they were not alone in their misfortune. Also, the lot spent most of that day sleeping the best sleep they had in a long time. After this, they kept meeting. And while several of the six got to leave the prison, one by one, they all always came back during the holidays to greet another and exchange gifts. They had bonded, and while in the end only Sky remained in prison, they kept sending letters. And after a few years, Sky was even getting visits from his own son... This story is based on a recent event in Sweden. Where several prisoners found themselves free to roam the prison unguarded for a whole night. And they spent that night baking in the prison kitchen and watching TV, just having a grand time until the morning when they were calmly and happily brought back to their cells once the guards found them. Not all people in prison are bad people. And things like this, that such unstained and innocent acts can take place in a building meant to hold back murderers and psycho's? It fills one with hope. Does it not?