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// Introduction 
// Story: Prison: Welcome Back 
// by SwordTune 
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	I extend greetings to all our new and returning readers. It has been a while yes, but my colleague and I have found outstanding ponies with must-hear stories. For example, take the case of Wing Song, a pegasus with a hearty vocal range and an affinity for fixing my carriage that can't stop imploding from its own weight. 

For a minor role in a "Sparkler" deal, he was picked up and sentenced fifty years in Manehattan City Prison. He's free now, thankfully, due to loosening penalties for minor offenses, but has come to us to share his experience in picking up the scraps of his life after prison. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the drug industry, which would be many of you I hope, here's what you need to know about Sparkler's; Sparklers are hallucinogenic drugs synthesized from a chemical found in crystal berries. While present in many other plants, crystal berries have the highest natural concentration of the chemical. While this chemical is not the source of the hallucinations, it is a primary bonding agent for the molecules that are responsible for the high, and thus are essential to the manufacturing of Sparklers. 

Despite the harm of the drug -unawareness, dehydration, and even seizures after prolonged use- there are many who can't help but turn to its industry for some much needed cash or simply mere dependence on the substance. That's not to say that these ponies are bad or a threat to Equestrian society. They make mistakes, and like any other citizen most of them want to fix their lives. 

But, there's one small problem in their reform. They don't get a second chance. Ex-prisoners often start out with nothing once they leave prison. Away from home and away from any secure income, these ponies have to fight tooth and hoof to find work in a society where a single tick "yes" to the question "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" can determine whether employer's even look at you. 

And if there's family to turn to, they might not be able to help either. In many cities, most prominently Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, and Cloudsdale, if ex-cons return to families living under subsidized housing, they will be turned away by law. For instance, Emerald Angel, a mother of five in Baltimare, is one such pony who had to turn away her eldest son when he returned home after time in prison for a minor drug offense. The city of Batlimare actually made Emerald sign a statement saying that she will not let her son live with her, or else the rest of her family could be evicted. 

Don't think it's this bad? Well, tonight I have with me Wing Song himself, a decade after his release, to tell us what it was like for to be released from prison and try to glue his life back together. 


This audio recording has been adapted and funded by Sofas and Quills, Manehattan Times, and Manehattan Journalism Company.