The relatively short trip to Foalsom Prison was only a two hour train ride away from Canterlot, but to the chained Scootaloo it seemed like a long ride. A very, very long ride. She could look out of the window and watch foals playing in the playgrounds of the schools, adult ponies going about their business, all the normal things of daily life that she was now being denied. I suppose that I deserve this...I'm not just a traitor, I'm a double traitor. I've let myself down, I've let my friends down, I've let my country down, and I've let my Hive down. The train passed a beggar pony with a begging bowl as a cutie mark, munching on some grass in a public space, and Scootaloo thought that even the life of an unhappy beggar would be better then what was awaiting her when they reached Foalsom Prison. The prison itself seemed the size of Canterlot Castle and like that castle, it was perched on a tall mountain and had only one way out. As a changeling, Scootaloo could sense the misery, resentment and unhappiness of those imprisoned there and clamped her emotion gathering sacs shut to avoid being poisoned by all the bad emotions. How long am I going to be locked up in that horrible place? she thought. A week? A month? Years? Until I die in there?
Soon enough the Royal Guards marched her out of the train and up to the prison gate, and tapped on a small door within it, and a slot opened in the door to see who it was. "We have a prisoner for you, Scootaloo, a changeling who used to be a pony and is therefore a traitor to Equestria." The door fully opened and Scootaloo was handed over to the prison staff and pulled inside by unicorn magic and the door slammed shut beside her.
Inside was the cell block, with a great polished circle mosaic of polished steel upon the ground floor. Around it prisoners scurried on their way to some errand or other. The unicorn prisoners had magic suppressors upon their horns, and the pegasui prisoners had their wings chained to their sides. The guards, mainly unicorns, were dressed in black uniforms and peaked caps, and amongst their cutie marks upon their flanks were handcuffs, chains, keys and batons.
Their commander, a unicorn with two crossed keys and a peaked cap as his cutie mark, said "My name is Lock Up, Governor Lock Up to you. Try and break out of here or attack a guard, and you will be in a world of pain. Oh, and the place we are standing on is called the Centre and no prisoner except those cleaning it ever stands on the Centre. We guards have a saying about it-Princess Celestia Herself may walk on the centre, but she only does it when the guards are not looking. And you have to go clockwise around it. Take her to her cell." As she was taken away, Lock Up and his guards drew their batons and thumped them on the grill filling the cell block with noise.
Scootaloo struggled not to cry. I can't give in and cry in front of them or they will torment me even more. Soon enough, she was thrown into a large cell with several other ponies, and sat in a corner on the hard stone floor watching the other ponies around her. Many had cutie marks with crowbars, knives, and other such tools of their criminal trade that they had used on the outside. Whilst Equestria generally had only a low crime rate, it was by no means crime free. She decided not to cause any fights but to defend herself if need be.
After a while a sturdy earth pony came up to her and looked her up and down. "Well, well, a changeling, we don't get many of those around here. Listen carefully, changeling. I am going to ask you a question. Think before you answer. I am out in the pouring rain without shelter, and you have an umbrella. I am likely to get sick. What would you do?"
Scootaloo thought with care, and answered "I would come out in the rain with you."
The pony grinned. "Excellent. I'm....."
Just then he was interrupted when another changeling prisoner came into the cell, and shouted "You're talking to a traitor-she was a pony but she betrayed her own kind, and then turned around on top of that and betrayed her Hive too and her fellow changelings. She is the very lowest of the low." Scootaloo's heart sank when she realized that she was looking at Babs Seed, now shorn of her disguise.
Several of the other ponies came forward swinging sharpened mugs on the end of strips of cloth in their mouths. "I think you belong in the Big Ears gang, but that gang does not exist on this prison wing. We hate informers here, we really, really hate them."
Just then the cell door was opened, and a guard snapped "Scootaloo, you have a visitor. A very high ranking visitor." Scootaloo scooted out of the cell and was taken to a small room where Captain Shining Armour himself was waiting for her.
"Scootaloo, whilst what you did was thoroughly despicable, you did make amends of a sort by putting right what you did. The daughter of a noble family in the Crystal Empire came over to Ponyville on a visit, and unfortunately got injured by getting in the way of a carriage. Glitter Gleam is her name. Her family love and adore her, so there would be enough love to keep you fed for the rest of your life. And the Crystal Empire is far from the Chrysalis Hive, so whilst there might be another Hive's changelings there for all we know, they won't know who you are or what you've done and won't bother you if you don't bother or inform on them. If you take care, they won't know that you are a changeling. The parents don't know that their daughter is very near death, and we want you to spare them that fate; and also spy on them for Canterlot Intelligence and report any disloyal remarks about Princess Cadence, so that we can nip any revolt in the bud before it starts."
Scootaloo nodded. Anything is better then being back in that horrible gang infested prison. "So what are the conditions?"
"No replacing anyone else, in fact don't shape change from the shape we give you except in a dire emergency. Stay in the Crystal Empire, report any rebellious remarks to the contact we will give you, and obey the laws. In return you get your freedom, forgiveness from Princess Celestia, and as much love as you can gorge on. And you even get to fly." He levitated a photo over to her of a gleaming glittering golden crystal pegasus pony with three small pink hearts as a cutie mark.
"Agreed."
Shining Armour went and spoke to a nearby prison officer who was outside and soon enough he and Scootaloo were escorted outside, and Scootaloo's magical lock was removed from her horn. As soon as they were alone together, in a flash of green fire Scootaloo took the shape of Glitter Gleam. "So, is there anything else I should know. What about her friends and her family?"
"Her mother is Shimmer Gleam and her father is Glow Gleam, as for her friends and more distant family, you can explain that you got amnesia from the accident but that it won't take you long to be reminded of them. Find her diary if she kept one, that will help you a lot. In this way you can make amends for what you did and help Canterlot Intelligence at the same time."