//------------------------------//
// New Job. 
// Story: Jailed 
// by ladyanaconda 
//------------------------------//

Just like Fluttershy suspected, this place was larger than it appeared. There were lots of corridors, doors and rooms, all gray and cold, some led into more showers, others into the cellblocks, the kitchen and mess hall, laundry room, and many other places. The rooms were the inmates worked were apart from the rest, and all had the materials and tools according to what job they were doing. Fluttershy could hear different sounds of machinery among others coming from the inside of the rooms. A part of her was curious as to how the inmates worked without using magic if those rings prevented them from using it at all.

Finally they came to a metal door from where she heard the familiar sound of sewing machines, the first familiar sound she had heard in a while, which gave her a bit of relief. Fire Throat turned the knob on the door and pulled it open, motioning her to go inside. "This is the sewing room."

Surprisingly, the 'sewing room', if it could be called as such, was a bit more colorful than the rest of the rooms. Not that much, but it was something. There were wooden tables, the working stations, and there large, black, metal and apparently worn out sewing machines, most of them were being used by inmates who, in their majority, were sleek and slender, with little to no muscle at all, and they didn't have as many scars as the rest of the inmates. The machines creaked as they were used, and a few had to be given a good smack it's the tail to unstuck them and have them work properly again. On a desk in one side of the room was a boring-looking guard, who had been apparently fallen asleep a while ago, surprisingly undisturbed by the loud sound coming from the machinery. On the opposite side of the desk there was a long fie of wooden tables with cloths and fabrics on top of them, all strewn out and scrambled, different colors and fabrics intermingled with each other, which would make it more difficult to find a suitable piece of cloth to start with.

If Rarity saw this, she would have given the drakes a long lecture on crimes against fashion.

When they heard the door opening, they glanced to see who had entered, only to go back to their work when they saw it was just Dark Wing, The Dwarf and the Pegasus newbie.

"What exactly do they make here?" Fluttershy inquired. 

"Second-hand clothing." Swift Tail retorted curtly. "The cheap clothing you can buy at low prices."

"It's mostly for low and middle-class dradies and sometimes drakes." Fire Throat added. "In your case, I think they'll place you in the dradies department." He led Fluttershy to the desk. "Sir." 

The guard grumbled and shifted awake, letting out a yawn and cracking his eyelids open, glancing at Fire Throat irritated. "What the hell do you want?"

"Is there any place for the newbie here?" Fire Throat said, motioning down to Fluttershy, who waved her hoof shyly at him. "I don't think she'll survive five minutes in the hard labour."

The guard stared at Fluttershy for a few moments, before shrugging. "As long as she doesn't run a needle through her hoof, I guess it'll be fine." He left the desk and motioned Fluttershy to follow him, and she trotted after him, becoming nervous when both Fire Throat and Swift Tail waved their talons at her and left, probably to their own labour. The guard stopped in front of an old sewing machine, apparently the smallest they had (in Krussian standards, at least), and motioned her to get closer. Fluttershy climbed unto the high chair with a bit of difficulty, and took a look at the machine. It was a bit rusty and worn, but she guessed she could figure out how to make it work. 

Thankfully, the guard spoke Equestrian. "Start with making a dress, can you handle it, newbie? A simple dress?" he said with a bored expression. 

"Sure, what kind of-?

"Good, then get to work." 

Fluttershy was a bit upset from the way he had just dismissed her, but didn't feel in the position to complain, and simply watched as the guard went back to the desk, probably to continue with his nap. The only sound was that of the other inmates making dresses, but they were making them remarkably quickly, almost in a sort of auto-pilot mode: cut, sew, stitch in the machine, place aside. Cut, sew, stitch in the machine, place aside. She could tell they had been doing this for a good while. But the guard hadn't told her what type of dress they were doing. What if she made the wrong one? One of the other inmates ran out of fabric, and left his working station to go to the tables were the fabrics were, conveniently passing by Fluttershy's table. 

"Excuse me..." she whispered, lifting her hoof timidly, hoping to catch his attention in case he didn't hear her (and praying to Celestia that he understood Equestrian). "Mister..." 

The Temnokt stopped and turned to her curiously. "Do you need something?"

Thankfully he seemed to be the tranquil type of inmate, though he didn't speak Equestrian, apparently. She could try and use corporal language. "What dresses are we making...?" Fluttershy moved her hooves in the manner of a dress, but she wasn't certain if he understood. "Dress." she pointed at the fabrics, then grabbed a small napkin (in her standards it was a small blanket) and wrapped it around herself. 

The inmate understood, apparently, and grabbed one of the finished dresses from the nearby table, holding it out for her to see. The red was... to put it lightly, she could tell these guys didn't bother to put effort into their work. It was a large, large gown fit for a fully-grown female Temnokt, red wine in color with only a few black patterned trimmings on the skirt and a bit of satin on the sleeves, though she had to give credit that the stitches that held the pieces of the dress in place were perfectly placed. Nothing fancy, but too simple. Either these guys didn't have any sense of fashion, as Rarity would have said, Krussian fashion standards were different and this was considered decent, or the inmates didn't really care if their finish products were garbage as long as they got paid. Then again, Swift Tail had mentioned these were second-hand clothes. 

"Thank you". Fluttershy smiled politely at the inmate, who surprisingly returned a smile of his own before placing the dress back on the table and heading towards the fabrics. 

Roachie finally crawled out of her mane and unto the table, crawling around in circles excitedly. It seemed he was excited about the idea of designing a dress. "I guess you could lend me a hand... or six." Fluttershy smiled at him. He hopped in delight and crawled towards the sewing machine. 

Thankfully, there was already a generous surplus of dark mint fabric in her working table, so she could start with her work. But now that she thought of it, the guard hadn't given her any kind of design to make, and she didn't see the inmates looking for any kind of reference. Did this mean she was supposed to... invent a design and do whatever she imagined? If that was the case, then maybe she could improvise, but she didn't know anything about Krussian sense of fashion. What if they didn't like what she did? She recalled Rarity had a special song for situations like these, perhaps it wouldn't hurt, a little music would help her creativity flow. Fluttershy pulled a long, wide piece of fabric and tried to think of a design a Temnokt would use. 

And in a very low voice, she started to sing. 

Thread by thread,
stitching it together.
A Krussian dress
You cut out the pattern snip by snip
And I have to fold the fabric nicely
With a perfect color and a hip.
Always gotta keep my mind in pacing
Making sure the clothes' correctly facing. 
To stitch a Krussian dress...

The nearest inmate nearby, the one who had shown her the dresses they were supposed to make, a young drake of lilac hair and underbelly, and blue eyes that was apparently just entering adulthood, heard tuned whispering nearby and interrupted his work to look around, finding it came from the little Pegasus from before. She was apparently singing something as she cut pieces of the fabric and he thought he saw a large cockroach helping with the needle and thread. Fluttershy continued to sing as she sewed patterns on the pieces of fabric she had cut, oblivious to her public.

Yard by yard, they don't fuss on details. 
Silk neckline
Cause a stitch in time will save me nine
Make them something perfect to inspire
Even though these aren't formal attire
I will mind those important details
They are not really concerned with the scales
A drady's new dress

The drake tapped the shoulder of the worker next to him, a bit older and with silky long gold hair and aqua green eyes, and motioned him to look at the singing Pegasus. Soon, the rest of the inmates were glancing at Fluttershy, even their supposed supervisor had cracked an eye open when he heard a sound other than the machines working (after noticing they weren't working at all), and noticed they were staring at the newbie in an almost curious way. Fluttershy hadn't yet noticed she was being stared at, and now adorned the dress with teal satins. 

Dressmaking's not that easy
No pink, yellow, white or green
Something wild and almost torn
Blend color and form...

Fluttershy whispered to Roachie. "Do you think it looks bored?" Roachie shrugged, and passed black thread through the needle of the sewing machine. Fluttershy continued singing. 

Temnokt are brash
Maybe they'll like fetching.
Hook and eye, they don't fit with this color of dye
Maybe they'll do good for a small veil
Some love and care into this new dress
Just like Rarity does back at home
But these clients are so big like tanks
I'm stitching a Temnokt's dress...

A few of the Temnokt were trying to figure out what she was singing, while others moved their heads around in tune with the melody, even the guard's tail was tapping unconsciously after he went back to his nap.  Now she proceeded with the sewing machine, which Roachie turned on and made sure she didn't make any mistakes.

Piece by piece
Snip by Snip,
Croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip
Thread by thread, primed and pressed.
Yard by Yard, never stressed
And that's the art of the dress-

Fluttershy nearly had a heart attack when suddenly she heard loud clapping, and lost her balance on the chair as she fell back, squealing when she was caught by a thick tail, and placed on the ground. When she looked up, all the other inmates they were staring down at her in delight and amazement, and one of them-the one she had talked to earlier-took a look at the newly-made dress. It was smaller than the ones they usually made, but it would fit for a small Temnokt yearling. It had much better quality than the other dresses as well. It was a simple but beautiful dark mint dress with satin at the bodice and light aqua green skirt with black patterns and a bit of crystals. 

Fluttershy was beyond embarrassed, her cheeks were so red her coat nearly looked orange. Had they heard her singing?! She tried to hide behind her mane, not really minding if they were looking at her dress as if they had never seen one before as long as no one made fun of her singing.

After a while, one of the inmates spoke at her. "Where did you learn to do this?"

"You idiot, she's Equestrian, she doesn't understand Krussian." Another growled at him. 

"Lighttalon, you take Equestrian classes, right? Ask her where she learned to sew like this."

Lighttalon, casually the Temnokt she had spoken to a while ago, passed the dress back to another inmate and spoke to her in crude Equestrian. "Where you learn make dresses?"

Fluttershy managed to calm down enough to give a decent reply. "M-My friend R-Rarity is a f-fashion designer... She t-taught me a b-bit and... I-I know a b-bit about sewing..."

Lighttalon tried to translate her words to his language and spoke to the other inmates. "She says she has a seamstress friend who taught her how to sew."

"Well, she must be a renown one." Said the Temnokt who was looking at the dress. "This is well made, and it's neither too simple nor too overwhelmed."

"And that tune was simply delightful! A bit too cheery, but sticky!"

"What's going on there?!" The supervising guard was irritated that the inmates had stopped working and were losing precious time with the newbie instead of continuing working, so he left  his desk and stomped his way to Fluttershy's working station, barking at the inmates. "What's with the ruckus?! Get back to work!"

"S-Sir, take a look at this!" Another of the inmates showed the dress to  the guard, gulping a bit.

Fluttershy felt nervous when the guard levitated the dress closer to his face, narrowing his eyes as he examined it with critical eyes. He made a sound that reminded her of a cat's purr, and froze when he looked down at her, rather uninterested. "Did you make this, newbie?"

Lighttalon assumed she didn't understand what he had said. "He asked if you make it." 

"Y-Yes, Sir." 

"She says she did it, sir."

The guard placed the dress with the rest of the finished products. "Not bad for a fingerless pony. A bit too small for a drady, but it can fit into a yearling." He turned to Lighttalon, assuming he was the 'translator'. "Tell her to make more like that, and get back to work!" he growled, and glanced at the rest of the onlookers. "That goes for the rest of you as well!"

As the guard returned to his post and the inmates back to their working stations to resume with their work, Lighttalon glanced down at Fluttershy. "He says that you make more that... and go work..."

Fluttershy could tell he couldn't yet speak complete sentences in her languages, and there were some words he didn't understand, or weren't in the Krussian vocabulary, perhaps. "I'll do my best, thank you." She smiled at him a bit. "I could... you know, help you a bit with your Equestrian if you'd like." 

He seemed surprised, but before he could reply, the guard whipped his tail against the floor, making a loud sound and snapping his teeth. "BACK TO WORK!"





8:30 P.M. 
Dining Hall..





"So you made new... friends." 

Fluttershy nodded shyly, staring down at the... cut of meat in front of her, her stomach growling in protest and also churning in disgust at the sight, so she let Roachie have it, he was very hungry after helping her sew dresses all day. Thankfully, they had also served an apparently edible thing... they were called fries, apparently a sort of small, rectangle-shaped potatoes fried in oil and seasoned with a bit of salt. They were tasty, but they tasted a bit too greasy. "Sort of. They kind of liked how I made the dress." 

"And they say you started to sing?" Swift Tail added, taking chunks of meat and swallowing them without chewing, complimenting with some fries. "That was daring on your part."

The dining hall was bustling that night. It was half-an-hour before they would be sent back to their cells,  so the inmates were rushing to eat all they could. When all the individuals had been served, Fire Throat joined Fluttershy and Swift Tail at their newly-reclaimed table away from Bullshot and his cronies, placing his tray of meat and fries on it and sitting down. "What were you saying?"

"Newbie here started to sing in the middle of work and the other inmates took a liking to her dress design." Swift Tail said with his mouth full. "And she hasn't touched any food, all day judging by how she's trying not to collapse." 

"I'm f-fine..." Fluttershy whispered, though in truth, she was trying her best not to faint at that very moment as her stomach continued to growl in protest. She was dying for a milkshake or some salad, but there weren't any vegetarian options in the menu, and doubted it would ever be added considering all the inmates were predatory creatures, they would not add a salad bar for one Pegasus. "I ate some fries..."

Fire Throat was not fooled, however. "You have bags under your eyes, my dear. You look terrible."

"I think I can go through the night, I'm not that hungry..." her stomach betrayed her and let out a loud growl that perhaps a few tables around could hear. "Well... maybe a bit..." 

Swift Tail and Fire throat looked around to made sure there were no guards, and the former looked beneath the table as if he were expecting to find something, chuckling dryly as he emerged holding two apples-

Wait, apples?!

"Well, Neckslicer did keep his end of the deal." Swift Tail said. 

Fluttershy gulped at the nickname. "N-Neckslicer? Who is that?"

"A sort of a mole, he has contacts here that bring him things from the outside." Fire Throat explained. "If you want something, he's the right person to ask from, but he doesn't give things away for free. You have to pay him, on time."

"What happens if you don't have money? I mean, he could surely give a few days-"

"There's not a few days with him, honey." Swift Tail remarked. "When it's due to pay him, it's due. Believe me, he didn't earn the title Neckslicer  for peeling potatoes." 

Fluttershy gulped and stared at the two apples on Swift Tail's talons. "Did he leave those here...?"

"It's easy, you ask him for something, he tells you when and where to find it, and when you have to pay him. You can either save up money from your labour, or ask a loan from another inmate, but in the latter option you must also pay the individual back when he asks for it. No later." Fire Throat shivered in discomfort. 

"Anyway, newbie, gobble them up." Swift Tail placed the apples in front of Fluttershy. "The others don't really eat apples, but they may rob them from you just to annoy the fuck out of you." 

Fluttershy didn't need any more words. She quickly grabbed one of the apples and gave it a large bite: there was a party of sweetness and flavor in her mouth as she devoured the fruit in seconds, quenching her growling stomach and her thirst, and then moved on to the second one. Ah, sweet apples! Sweet, juicy, delicious, meatless apples...

Apples...

"Alright, girls! Who's ready for some apple cider from the Apple Family on the house!"

Applejack... 

Rarity... 

Everypony... 

"Honey?" Fire Throat panicked when Fluttershy stopped in the middle of eating the second apple and her eyes swelled up with tears. "Fluttershy?" 

"She's having an emotional flashback." Swift Tail shrugged. "She's probably remembering her family on Equestria and got all teary-eyed, I think."

"Could you try and be more sensitive?"

"Sensitive? This is Brokenfang, Dark Wing. Since when has sensitivity being useful to survive here?" 

"She's not like us! Aren't you seeing her right now?! How would you feel if you were locked up with foreigners and lived under constant fear of death?!"

Swift Tail bared his fangs. "She has to get used to it! She'll be spending years, if not the rest of her life, here!" 

That sentence finally did it.

"E-Excuse me, I-I..." Fluttershy couldn't help it any longer. She jumped off the table and galloped down the hallway, ignoring the inmates as they watched her in confusion, trying to hide her glossy eyes from view with her mane, heading to the doors and pushing them open with some difficulty, leaving the dining hall altogether. 

Fire Throat and Roachie had watched her go in complete surprise, feeling a twinge of compassion for her, before they turned to Swift Tail with a severe glare. 

The Dwarf simply shrugged. "What? Was it something I said?"

They didn't notice a group of Temnokt sitting near the doors leaving their seats and going through the doors a few minutes later.





Fluttershy looked for an isolated corner among the dimly-lit hallways to hide, and then she started to weep. The tears flowed down her fur like waterfalls and she hid her face into her hooves. Swift Tail's words were still echoing in her mind like buzzing bees.

She will be spending years, if not the rest of her life, here!

The rest of her life... She had been sentenced to twenty years here, maybe for a Temnokt that was a minor punishment, but for a pony that was a very long time. She wondered if the judge had been planning on giving her the typical time in prison for a Temnokt, only to change his mind when he recalled it was not a Temnokt he was judging, but a pony. The rest of her life... Could it be possible? She hadn't thought about it. Twilight had said they'd do everything in their power to have her released, even Princess Celestia herself would try to appeal to King Bittercold to reopen the case and have the real culprit caught, but she hadn't taken into account that this was a prison, not an inn. It was a jungle, the strongest survived, the weakest perished. She might as well die from another inmate's claw, heartbreak, or any virus caught in any of these anti-hygienic conditions before King Bittercold could intervene at all, if he could at all. 

She'd never leave this place? Would she never return to Equestria, to her home, her cottage? Who would take care of her animals? Who would take care of Angel? Would she ever see her friends again? They'd come to visit, they had promised, but even she knew they wouldn't be able to stay in Krussia forever. They had their own lives back in Equestria. They wouldn't abandon her, but they would eventually have to return home, and even though they'd send her letters and pictures, it just wouldn't be the same without them. 

She missed them. 

She missed her friends. 

Her animals. 

She missed home.  

Fluttershy had lost the track of time between her sobbing and her thoughts, before she knew it the bell announcing it was time to return to their cells rang. Wiping the tears off her eyes, she stood up from the ground and made her way down the deserted hallway back the way she had come, the darkness dominating at this hour sent shivers down her spine, it felt as if she was being watched. She quickened her step into a trot, but when she turned around one of the corners suddenly a large black talon grabbed her back, and she let out a low-pitched yell of surprise as she was pulled into a room, and the door slammed closed. Before she could scream for help a rag was forcefully stuffed into her mouth and another piece of cloth was tied around her muzzle, and her hooves and wings were tied up to keep her immobile. 

Fluttershy let out muffled sobs and yells of fright, and they augmented when she saw glowing pairs of eyes staring at her, one of them flashing a toothy grin.

"Looks like the pony's out of the corral, boys."