Twilight, and Lawful Eye soon arrived at the Golden Oak Library later that evening. Twilight was not sure what Spike would make of having another pony staying on such short notice. Though she did not worry about it too much since she knew that Spike was a flexible little guy.
“Well, here we are.” Twilight said, as she opened the door with her magic.
Twilight and Lawful Eye entered the library’s door. Lawful Eye looked around herself in the first room. She saw shelf after shelf of many kinds of books around the rounded room.
“Spike!” Twilight called. “Spike, I’m back!”
“Twilight.” Spike came running down from upstairs, and stopped in front of Twilight. “You left early this morning without waking me up and telling me. Where have you been all day?”
Twilight rubbed her head. “Sorry, Spike. Applejack came by very early this morning to get me and the others to help her. Abacus was found at Sweet Apple Acres.”
Spike blinked. “Abacus? You don’t mean-?”
“Yes.” Lawful Eye stepped forward towards Spike. “The one in yesterday’s paper that’s been released from prison.”
Spike turned to Lawful Eye. “Huh? Who are you?”
“Oh sorry, Spike," Twilight said. "This is Lawful Eye.”
Spike blinked. “Lawful Eye? As in the Investigator Detective from Fillydelphia that was mentioned in the paper yesterday?”
Twilight nodded. “The very same. She’s going to be staying with us for a while to help Abacus.”
Spike straight away turned his attention to Lawful Eye who was looking at Spike as if she was analyzing him. The way she looked at him through her glasses with her light brown eyes made him slightly uncomfortable. Though Spike did his best not to say anything about it, Twilight could obviously notice that he was getting uncomfortable being looked at that way.
Twilight cleared her throat. “Well, uh... how about we get dinner started? We should still have some of last night’s vegetable casserole in the refrigerator.”
Spike nodded. “Sure. I’ll go get three plates and heat'em up. Be right back.”
Spike turned around, and made his way into the kitchen to get everyone's dinner ready. Twilight was a little concerned at the fact Lawful Eye was going to eat leftovers. For if having a guest staying with them was not so sudden, they would made something fresh.
“You don’t mind having some of our leftovers from last night, do you?” Twilight asked.
Lawful Eye shook her head. “Not at all. I love vegetable casserole, leftovers or not.”
Twilight quietly sighed in relief at Lawful Eye’s answer. It made her feel better that she had a house guest that was not fussy about food, especially keeping a good first impression towards others was always a top priority to her. A few minutes later, Spike came back from the kitchen with the three plates of heated up vegetable casserole. He placed two of them on the table in front of Twilight and Lawful Eye, before sitting down at the table.
Lawful Eye smelled the steam of the reheated vegetable casserole on her plate. “Mmm. This casserole smells quite good.”
“Spike made it,” Twilight said. “He’s a good little cook.”
Spike blushed. “Oh, come on, Twilight.”
Twilight, Spike and Lawful Eye began to eat, with Twilight and Lawful Eye levitating a fork full of food with their magic. Nearing the end of their meals, something about Lawful Eye got Twilight thinking. In fact, it got her thinking ever since she first saw her.
“Abi! Oh, Abi. I’ve been looking all over for you. I was so worried. Why did you run away?”
“It’s okay, Abi. It’s okay.”
"Abi?"
"Isn't that what Tiger Lily, and his mother called him?"
Twilight puzzled as she recalled the way Lawful Eye behaved towards Abacus, and Fluttershy and Rarity's conversation. Soon she began to suspect something from it, since she knew it was not how someone with a profession in investigation and policing would be towards a client.
“Hey, Detective?” Twilight asked.
Lawful Eye looked up at Twilight. “Yes, Twilight.”
Twilight briefly hesitated to ask since she knew it probably was none of her business, but she felt that she had to know. “I was just wondering. Since you arrived here in Ponyville to find Abacus, I couldn't help but notice how you interact with him, especailly calling him "Abi". Forgive me if this is none of my business, but I must ask you. Do you have some kind of close connection with him?”
Lawful Eye looked at Twilight with both their eyes locked on to each other for a few moments. Lawful Eye’s eyes then looked down sympathetically. “I guess it’s obvious. You see, Abacus... he's my best, oldest, closest, and dearest friend, along with his late wife, Tiger Lily, since we were kids in kindergarten.”
Twilight blinked. “He's your best friend?”
Lawful Eye nodded. “That’s right. Tiger Lily and I met him in kindergarten in our childhood in Fillydelphia. I’ll never forget the day we first met.”
________________________________________________________________
Twenty-seven years ago...
A group of little fillies and colts were sitting on a patterned carpet in a kindergarten class room of Fillydelphia Elementary School. They were listening to a teacher doing a fun class activity involving a story of a bear involving mathematics.
“The big, brown bear got his pot of honey, and got one more to go to the party," The teacher said. "Alright children. Can one of you tell me what one plus one is in this little story?”
“Two?” A little, dark brown earth pony colt with grey hair said.
The teacher smiled at the colt. “That’s right, Abacus. You have a good little talent for numbers."
Suddenly, the class was interrupted by the sound of the school period bell ringing throughout the whole school. The bell meant it was time for lunch and recess.
"Well, time for recess, everypony.” The Teacher said.
Every little filly and colt made each of their ways to their lunch boxes, and went out of the back of the school building and into the schoolyard. Little colt Abacus sat down on a bench, and opened his lunch box to eat his lunch. He was about to start eating when he was approached by a slightly bigger earth colt with a moderate olive colored coat, and a pale, light grayish olive and light yellow patterned mane and tail.
“Well-well. If it isn’t Abacus, the smarty pants.” The colt said.
Before Abacus could react, the mean earth colt swiped his lunch out of his grasp, and on to the ground. “Hey! My lunch!”
“Yuk! Only a smarty pants like you eats garbage like this.” The mean colt began to stomp on Abacus's lunch into the ground with his hoof.
“No!" Abacus said. "My mommy made that!”
“Too bad, smarty pants! Why don’t you eat out of the trash?!” The mean colt laughed horribly.
“Why don’t YOU eat out of it instead, Rotten Eggs?!”
The mean colt called Rotten Eggs turned to where the voice of a filly came from. Only to find himself getting shoved into the nearby trash can, with the trash can tipping over, and covering part of him in foul smelling garbage.
Rotten Eggs got up from the garbage. "Eww!"
Rotten Eggs looked to see the one who pushed him into the trash can was a dark grey unicorn filly, with a chocolate brown mane and tail, and light brown eyes. He walked towards the filly, growling and pounding his fore hooves. "Now you’re going to get it, girly!”
The filly glared, unintimidated by the colt bully. “You can’t hit a girl.”
“I can too," Rotten Eggs said. "Take this!"
The filly ducked as Rotten Eggs swung a punch at her, she instantly retaliated by punching him back in the face. The punch was able to stun Rotten Eggs, and caused him to falter for a moment. Just before Rotten Eggs could retaliate, the filly twisted her hind legs before her, and landed a hard buck square into his snout. The force of the buck made Rotten Eggs fall back into the tipped out garbage with a loud "SPLOSH". Rotten Eggs got up, covered with squishy, foul smelling garbage, and noticed blood slowly dripping from his snout.
Rotten Eggs began to sob. "Ow, my nose! I’m telling on you!”
Rotten Eggs ran off crying. The little unicorn filly then turned her attention to Abacus, who was sitting on the ground crying over his ruined lunch.
“Are you okay?” The filly asked.
Abacus sobbed. “My lunch.”
The filly gave Abacus a hug. “Never mind. You can come with us." The filly pointed at a light brilliant tangelo colored unicorn filly, with light brilliant vermilion and green striped mane and tail, and had a tiger lily flower in her mane sitting under a tree close by watching them. "My friend and I can share our lunches with you." She released her hug. "And don't worry. That horrible boy will never bother you again.”
Abacus sniffled and wiped some of the tears with his hoof. “Thank you.”
Abacus soon sat down with the two fillies on the grass of the schoolyard under the tree. The two fillies opened their lunch boxes, and took out two sandwiches that were each cut in half. They then each offered half their sandwiches to Abacus.
“Do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?” The tangelo unicorn filly asked.
Abacus nodded. “Oh, yes please.”
The dark grey unicorn filly smiled. “Oh, my name’s Lawful Eye."
The tangelo unicorn filly smiled. "And I'm Tiger Lily. What’s your name?”
“Abacus. Abacus Sum.”
Tiger Lily smiled. “Abacus. That’s a nice name.”
Lawful Eye took a bite of her remaining half of her sandwich. “So, Abacus, what do you want to do when you grow up?”
Abacus took a bite of one of the two half sandwiches he got. “I want to be an accountant like my mommy. And what about you?”
Lawful Eye smiled confidently. “I want to be a policemare, a detective and a lawyer, and put all the bad guys in jail.”
“And I want to own a flower shop," Tiger Lily said. "But I'd like to be somepony who likes to help out anypony in need.”
Abacus took another bite from the sandwich, only to get a bit of the jelly on his nose. The two fillies began to laugh.
“You've got jelly on your nose, Abi.” Tiger Lily said.
Abacus tilted his head. “Abi?”
Tiger Lily smiled. “Yeah. "Abi" is a cute nickname.”
Lawful Eye nodded. “Hey, yeah. So why don’t we call you "Abi"?”
“Abi." Abacus smiled. "My mommy calls me that.”
The three children, now friends, began to laugh playfully as they enjoyed their lunch together.
________________________________________________________________
Back in the present...
Lawful Eye smiled as she remembered the day she and Tiger Lily first met Abacus in their childhood. It was one of her most cherished memories of their friendship.
“And you see,” Lawful Eye said. “It was because I fought off a horrible playground bully, that Tiger Lily and I met Abacus. And after sharing our lunches with him, we became best friends instantly.”
Spike blinked. “Wow. Talk about friendship at first sight.”
Lawful Eye nodded. “That’s right. As the years went by, he and Tiger Lily became so close that they fell in love. When they reached twenty-two, they got married.”
Lawful Eye looked at her bag laying on the floor on the other side of the room, and with her magic, she pulled out what looked like a photograph. She levitated it in front of Twilight and Spike where they took hold of it. Both Twilight and Spike looked at it. It was a picture of an unscarred, happy Abacus in a nice looking suit. Next to Abacus was a beautiful light brilliant tangelo colored unicorn pony, with light brilliant vermilion and green striped mane and tail, wearing a wedding dress and veil standing in between Lawful Eye and a grayish brown colored earth pony mare with dark fuchsia mane and tail and wearing grey framed glasses.
“Hey.” Twilight said. “That unicorn with Abacus? Is that…”
Lawful Eye nodded. “Yes. That’s Tiger Lily with Abacus on their wedding day about eleven years ago. I was their best mare.”
“Wow! She’s beautiful." Spike cleared his throat when Twilight and Lawful Eye looked at him. "…Of course not as beautiful as Rarity. Rarity’s much more beautiful.”
Twilight and Lawful Eye continued to look at Spike awkwardly at what he said. At that moment, Spike began to embarrassingly smile at them both looking at him. “Uhh…I think I better check on dessert.”
Spike quickly ran out of the room and into the kitchen to check on dessert before it got any worse. Twilight saw that Lawful Eye was somewhat confused by what she heard Spike say.
“Sorry about that," Twilight said. "You see Spike has a big crush on my friend, Rarity.”
Lawful Eye tilted her head. “Really? A dragon being infatuated by a pony." She adjusts her glasses. "I’ve seen some strange things, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Twilight chuckled. "I know.”
Lawful Eye cleared her throat. “Anyway. About two years after they were married, they decided to move to Ponyville, as a quiet change to city life in Fillydelphia. I had to stay behind, because of me being a private detective and lawyer in the city, but we always kept in touch by letters, or when they visited Abacus’s mother once every month." She showed the picture to Twilight again, and pointed to the grayish brown colored earth pony mare in the photo. "In fact, that's her right there."
"And not to mention poor Arithma was there too."
"She's Abacus's mother. Abacus and Tiger Lily spoke very highly of her."
"Abacus and Tiger Lily would make visits to her in Fillydelphia once a month. She even visited Ponyville a few times. She was such a nice pony."
"Nopony ever heard from her, or saw her again after that."
Twilight looked at the image of Abacus's mother with wonder as she recalled what her friends said about Abacus's mother the previous day. "So that's Arithma?"
"That's right." Lawful Eye said.
As Twilight looked at the picture, she scratched her chin, thinking of something that caught her attention. "Question. How come his father isn't in it?"
Lawful Eye cleared her throat. "Well, the thing is... Abacus never had a father."
Twilight tilted her head. "No father?"
"Well, you see," Lawful Eye said. "Arithma was an asexual. She had no sexual attraction to neither stallions or mares. So she became a single mother through a sperm donor. Despite Abacus being diagnosed with mild autism as an infant, she raised him herself."
Twilight rubbed her chin. "I see. Asexuals do have the option of having children through sperm donors. And I didn't know about Abacus being autistic, even with all the books I've read about numerous medical conditions."
"Then one day, six years later, they told the wonderful news that they were going to have a baby, and that I was going to be the godmother of their child. That was a week before Tiger Lily's death." Lawful Eye sighed. "It was the last time I saw Tiger Lily alive. A few days after their last visit, I had to go to Manehattan to help solve a very difficult crime that took nearly four months, and required me staying there full time for that period.”
Twilight blinked. “That explains why you didn’t know about Abacus and Tiger Lily.”
“That’s right.” Lawful Eye dropped her head in sorrow. “When I got home after that, I went to visit Arithma at her apartment, only to find her crying in grief. It was there she told me the tragic news, that Tiger Lily, one of my best, oldest, and dearest friends…was dead. And that Abacus was... charged with her murder. When I heard what happened, I…I cried. I cried at the fact that I lost not one best friend, but two. There was something else. Tiger Lily was not just a best friend, she was also my foster sister while both of us were in foster care. So it made it hurt all the more worse. And for a time, I blamed myself. If only I had not taken that case, Abacus would never have suffered. In some way, it was my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Lawful Eye,” Twilight said. “How were you supposed to know it would happen? It was a senseless tragedy that nopony could’ve seen coming.”
Lawful Eye sighed and smiled. “You’re too kind, Twilight. As my profession as a private detective investigator, and a part-time lawyer and prosecutor, I decided to take the case and investigate. But as you know, when I tried to visit him in prison, they turned me away, as they did to anypony else who went there to try and visit. Until one of the guards, who was the right-hand of Armstrong came forward secretly, and told me everything of what was going on there. While I tried to put the events of common prison torture and abuse to court, I organised for an investigation team of members of the FPI from Sydneigh to help investigate the evidence of the cause of the fire in Abacus’s house. They succeeded in finding that the fire wasn’t deliberately lit."
"That reminds me." Twilight turned her head and levitated what seemed like some newspaper articles to the table. "I did some research yesterday and last night on the case in Ponyvilles newspaper archives. According to the stories, the ones from Canterlot Investigation Force who investigated the case was Chief Inspector Blue Ward and Detective Lieutenant Cover-Up."
Spike came out of the kitchen to the table with a hot apple pie in one of his claws and a tub of ice cream in the other, and placed it on the table just as he heard Twilight mentioned the names. "Blue Ward and Cover-Up? Aren't they some of the best investigators in Canterlot? How could they have gotten the case wrong? I guess even the best investigators can make mistakes."
"Yes. It was a mistake. And that mistake caused so much loss to Abacus." Lawful Eye sighed. "But there was another sad loss yet to come.”
Twilight tilted her head. “And what was that?”
“About nine months into the investigation.” Lawful Eye closed her eyes sadly. “Arithma had developed terminal stomach cancer. She was so heartbroken at the fact that she wouldn’t get to see her son again, or even one last time. Five months later after her cancer development, she died.”
Twilight put a sad hoof over her mouth. “Oh, no. That’s so sad.”
“Indeed,” Lawful Eye said. “I was the last one to see her before she died. I remember what she said to me the day she died.”
________________________________________________________________
Eleven months ago...
Lawful Eye sat in a ward's waiting room of Fillydelphia hospital waiting on news on Arithma's condition. Just then, a Light goldish gray unicorn mare with a brown mane and tail, and a white doctor's coat came out of a room, and approached Lawful Eye. She got up from the seat as the unicorn stopped in front of her.
“How is she, doctor?” Lawful Eye asked.
The doctor sighed. “I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left. It's best if you go see her right now. She’s been asking for you.”
Lawful Eye sighed sadly. “Then I must see her, please.”
The doctor nodded and lead her into the room. Arithma had a breathing tube in her nose, apparently feeding her oxygen. The heart monitor next to her beeped intermittently, and a nurse was sitting beside her bed, crying silently. Lawful Eye went to her bedside, where the frail, dying mare looked up at her.
“…Lawful.” Arithma said weakly.
Lawful Eye nodded sadly. “Yes. I’m here, Arithma.”
Arithma breathed a gasped of air. “…I’m afraid…I can’t hold on any longer...to see my baby again.”
Lawful Eye sniffled. “I’m so sorry.”
Arithma raised her hoof very weakly, reaching out to Lawful Eye. “Lawful…please...come closer."
Lawful Eye moved closer and took hold of Arithma's hoof.
Arithma struggled to take another breath. "…I want you to promise me something. Please…get my baby out of that prison nightmare he’s in.”
Lawful Eye nodded. “I…I promise.”
“Since I’m…not going to be here anymore…you’re the last thing he has in this world to turn to." Arithma struggled to take another breath. "Until he's free, I leave everything I have to you. Look… Look after him for me. Promise me.”
Lawful Eye sniffled as tears began trickling out of her eyes. “I… I will. I promise I’ll make you proud.”
"And...I want...to be buried next to Tiger Lily...in Ponyville." Arithma groaned. "Would you...honor my request?
Lawful Eye sobbed and nodded. "Okay."
“When you get him out…tell him that I…love…him……..”
The soft, monotonous droning echoed from the heart monitor throughout the whole room. The doctor and nurse dropped their heads sadly.
“Arithma? No. No!"
Lawful Eye sobbed as she collapsed on the side of the hospital bed crying next to the limp, lifeless form of Arithma.
________________________________________________________________
Back in the present...
Lawful Eye dropped her head down in sadness as she recalled the last moments she had with Abacus’s mother when she died with her at her side.
“I was the very last pony she ever saw,” Lawful Eye said. “She was heartbroken to know she would not get to see her son one last time. And after making a promise to get him out, and to look after him, she died with me by her side. And it struck another blow to my heart to know that Arithma, Abacus’s mother, the very last relative that Abacus had in his life…was dead.”
Twilight frowned. “Poor Abacus. I’m so sorry.” She then sadly thought in her head. Now I understand why nopony ever heard from her again. Because she died.
“Afterwards, when she died, everything she owned was to go to Abacus, but instead went to me." Lawful Eye looked up. "And she was buried next to Tiger Lily here in Ponyville."
Twilight blinked. "What? She was buried in Ponyville?"
Lawful Eye nodded. "It was her dying request. At any rate, when I received word from a guard from the prison, the FPI investigation team from Sydneigh secretly organised a secret undercover investigation. I even formed a secret task force with them that we dubbed "Task force River". However, getting an approval to do so would’ve taken a whole eight months. But that was, until I received this a week later.”
Lawful Eye once more looked at her bag laying on the floor on the other side of the room, and with her magic, pulled out what looked like a scroll. She levitated it in front of Twilight, where Twilight took hold of it with her magic, and opened it up to read it. Twilight’s eyes moved as she read it quietly to herself, until she suddenly stopped with a look of surprise.
“I don’t believe it.” Twilight said.
Spike tilted his head. “What is it, Twilight? What’s it say?”
“It’s an approval letter.” Twilight turned her attention back to Lawful Eye. “Who sent you this?”
“It doesn’t say," Lawful Eye said. "There was no name on it. All it said was it was from somepony who’s been watching for some time.”
Twilight used her magic to unroll the bottom of the scroll. Right there was the words “from somepony who’s been watching for some time.”. And on the end of the scroll was a symbol. The symbol was of two alicorns, one white, the other blue, circling around a burning sun and crescent moon. Twilight looked at the symbol with eyes widen with surprise, for it was a symbol she knew all too well.
“It can’t be," Twilight said. "This is the symbol of Canterlot royalty. Was it from Princess Celestia?”
“I don’t know." Lawful Eye pointed on the opened scroll with her hoof. "As you see, it has no name.”
Spike looked at the symbol on the scroll. “It had to have been. There’s nopony else who uses that symbol.”
“Well, whoever it was, they knew about what was going on with Abacus,” Lawful Eye said. “So with that approval, as well as the help from the guard, Sydneigh’s FPI investigation team organised an eight month investigation, with an agent to go undercover as a prisoner serving a life sentence being sent to Hoofstrong Prison Center. During the eight months of his stay undercover, he saw exactly what I most feared. That Abacus, as well as other prisoners, were being sadistically abused, and tortured in every way possible. The agent that went undercover took it as well.”
“And that was their biggest mistake.” Spike said.
“Indeed it was. With that, it was enough evidence to arrest and convict Armstrong and all of the prison guards for several counts of first degree abuse, rape and pony cruelty. The prison was quickly taken over by Equestria's royal guards, where Armstrong and all of the prison guards were captured and arrested. Finally, I got to visit Abacus in prison for the first time in over two years." Lawful Eye groaned. "Only to see the damage that was done to him."
________________________________________________________________
Three months ago...
Lawful Eye flinched as the heavy metal door slammed shut behind her. Right in front of her was a unicorn royal guard standing. She could not help, but notice that he had a scar on his right shoulder that just showed past his armor. A feature that made him noticeable from other royal guards there. The unicorn royal guard made a little grunt directing her ahead into the intimidating and dreary prison of Hoofstrong Prison Center.
"This way, ma'am." The royal guard said.
As Lawful Eye followed the unicorn royal guard, her mind was racing with mixed feelings on what the condition of her dear friend was. She had received word that Abacus had been mauled in the face by Armstrong's vicious dog on the day the royal guards stormed and took over the prison. He had been briefly taken to hospital for treatment under the royal guard escort. While there, he was also tested for STD, due to him being raped by Armstrong's guards.
Lawful Eye continued to follow the royal guard down the hall. She walked past the many barred prison cells, hearing the many sobs and moans of imprisoned male and female ponies. She even saw the state they were in. Many were very thin from starvation, scarred, and were even disfigured beyond recognition from the horrific tortures they suffered. Unicorns and pegasi had little stumps on their heads and backs where their wings and horns once were. She also noticed that all of them were wearing steel collars around their necks. The sight of all this made Lawful Eye wince with anger and disgust. The only thing new she saw with the prisoners was that they were all wearing orange jumpsuits. One of the other new rules and regulations that had been implemented since the royal guards raided and took over.
"How much further is it?" Lawful Eye asked.
"Not too far now, ma'am," The royal guard said. "Cell number 132 is just ahead."
They continued to walked down the hall, until eventually the royal guard stopped and motioned to his right to indicate to the unicorn that they had arrived. Lawful Eye gulped as she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It had been a very long time since she saw her dear friend. She was very excited to see him, but at the same time, worried and scared to find out what became of him. Lawful Eye looked through the bars of the door of the prison cell. She could hear the sobbing of a stallion as he laid on his bed with his back facing the door. Though his back was turned, she could see he had bandages wrapped on the left side of his head. Lawful Eye also noticed he had a steel collar on like every other prisoner. Though he was wearing a jumpsuit, she could see his dark brown coat, and his grey mane and tail was somewhat scruffy.
Coming closer to the bars, Lawful Eye summoned the courage to speak. "Abi?"
Looking to the inside, Lawful Eye could see the ears of the dark brown earth pony perk up at the sound of his pet name being called. Very slowly Abacus rolled over and turned his half bandage face towards the door of his cell. When his eyes came in contact with Lawful Eye's, his eyes welled up at her. Lawful Eye's eyes welled up too, for she knew she had found her dear friend for the first time in over two years.
"...Lawful." Abacus said.
"Oh, Abi." Lawful Eye smiled and sobbed with joy. She then put her front hooves through in between the bars, and opened them up to welcome him into a hug. "Dear Abi!"
The scruffy earth pony stallion, still sobbing, got up from his bed, and came to her. It had been the first time Abacus had seen a face he knew in a very long time. He jumped into Lawful Eye's arms, and Lawful Eye tried to hug Abacus as best she could through the bars. Just then, Abacus suddenly screamed as he fell backwards on to the concrete floor of his cell in pain. Lawful Eye noticed that Abacus's steel collar was glowing with yellow sparks of electricity surging around it. It was then she realized to her great shock that the royal guard was causing the collar to shock him with his unicorn magic.
"What in Equestria are you doing!?" Lawful Eye yelled at the guard.
The glow of the guard's horn faded. "Prisoners are not allowed to touch visitors." His response was matter of factly, but at the same time conflicted.
Lawful Eye turned her head towards the door of Abacus's cell, as she heard the loud sobs of the stallion.
"Abi." Lawful Eye leaned on the bars of the cell that separated the two ponies. She felt helpless to come to her friend's side. "Oh, Abi. Please don't cry."
Lawful Eye's heart dropped as she watch helplessly at the sight of Abacus bursting into tears on the cold hard concrete floor of his cell.
________________________________________________________________
Back in the present...
Lawful Eye groaned with a mix of sadness and anger as she finished recalling the sad incident of when she saw Abacus for the first time in prison.
"His scarred, bandaged face, and his depressed condition was horrible to see." Lawful Eye closed her eyes with sadness as a small tear escaped her eye. "But worst thing of all to see was what happened when I tried to hug him through the bars of his cell. Because he was not allowed to have any physical contact with any visitors, that guard shocked him for it. I had never seen a full grown stallion break down into tears like he did. He didn't deserve it."
Twilight frowned. "That's so sad. And I don't understand why he had one of those steelectric collars on like all the other prisoners."
Spike cocked his head. "Ste-what collars?"
Twilight turned to Spike. "Steelectric collars. They're collars made out of steel. Each one of them is enchanted with an electrocution spell that are put on the necks of prisoners. When a prisoner gets violent or rebellious, it's used to shock, stun, and even incapacitate them with a painful shock of electricity by the magic from unicorn members of the prison security." She rubbed her chin. "But aren't they strictly used for only the most dangerous and violent prisoners?"
"They are," Lawful Eye said. "But Armstrong and his guards put those steelectric collars on all of them to torture and break them for their own sick pleasure."
Spike shoved a spoon full of apple pie and ice cream into his mouth and ate. "Well, why couldn't the new guards simply just take them off?"
Lawful Eye sighed. "Because it was not that simple. The new warden of Hoofstrong filled me in on the details."
Continues on part 2...