Jailed

by ladyanaconda

Behind Bars (edited July 2018)

---

Chapter 1

Proof-read by ChudoJogurt

---

"We find the accused guilty of all charges."

Fluttershy would never forget those horrible words the judge had spoken, depriving her of her freedom and condemning her to a life behind bars.

What had started as a harmless vacation had taken a completely unexpected turn.

Fluttershy hugged her legs and shivered, trying to remember the name of the prison she was being sent to: The Broken Fang... Judging by its name it didn't sound like a pleasant place, at least not to a timid mare like her.

She found herself inside a cold, dark carriage made of obsidian. It was mostly to transport newly-condemned prisoners to their respective confinement or transfer inmates to another prison.

As she retreated into one of the corners, she wrapped her wings around her body to keep her body warmth. She remembered her friends' attempts to help her and the despair on their faces as she was taken away.

She was nearly thrown aside when the transport finally came into a stop. Her ears twitched at the sound of clawsteps outside. Fluttershy gulped and started to tremble when the doors flung open; she had to close her eyes shut because the light was blinding after having been in the dark for who knew how much time.

Before she knew it her four hooves were shackled together; they must know a pegasus kick wouldn’t be able to hurt them, but they probably were taking safety measures due to the severity of her charges. Before her eyes could adjust to the light, she was blindfolded again, obscuring her vision a second time.

Fluttershy was roughly pushed outside without any consideration, making her release a tiny cry. She didn't know where she was going- she was guided by the guards pulling on the chain around her neck, like a blind dog.

The bitter, freezing temperature made her shiver and she could feel the snowflakes fall on her coat and mane, and the layer of snow crunching beneath her hooves.

The sound of metal creaking and voices yelling in Krussian sent shivers down her spine, but she didn’t dare to express her discomfort.

Fluttershy started walking again when the guard tugged at the chain, and this time she felt not snow underneath her hooves, but marble. Perhaps they were inside now, which was a great relief, she had been freezing out there.

After advancing for a few more minutes, finally the guard had her stop by holding her down with a talon momentarily. At long last, the blindfold was removed, but she still had to squint her eyes until they adjusted to the light.

When she could finally see her surroundings, she opened her eyes wide and her pupils shrunk.

They were in a dark room, illuminated by lamps that gave it an artificial atmosphere. There was a counter on one side of the long room just next to a large iron door with a camera and section on the wall painted with black and white lines just in front of it for photographing the newly-arrived prisoners.

The inhabitants of this place reminded her of the dragons back home, but their scales were jet black, they moved in all fours and they had access to dark magic. Their horns would glow in purple and green whenever they cast any spell, and their eyes changed into shades similar to that of King Sombra’s when he’d use his dark powers.

Temnokt, they were known as.

Infamous in Equestria for stealing unicorn magic to keep their own, their people had been banished a thousand years ago.

Though these recent years things had smoothed out considerably between the two species, there were still a few tensions rising from the temnokt’s macabre reputation.

Fluttershy jumped when the bulky guard behind her pushed her forward with a paw, towards the drake at the camera whose expression was no friendlier than her captor's.

"Move." The black drake with yellow underbelly clad in iron armor growled in Equestrian, which surprised her.

Assuming this was the part where they photographed her to make her record, Fluttershy chose not to make any of them angry unless she wanted to go to solitary confinement straight after having arrived, so she quietly trotted towards the the place the camera was facing.

However, the drake frowned and muttered something in Krussian at the guard, who rolled his eyes and walked away into a small door only to return a few seconds later with a high chair. If it were not for the muzzler, Fluttershy would have gasped when the guard levitated her unto the chair.

The picture was quick, she was taken one facing front, and left and right, before the pegasus was taken off the chair and motioned towards the door next to the counter.

Gulping, Fluttershy walked towards it, trembling when it opened. She was met by yet another guard, clad in obsidian armor as he looked down uninterested at her. "I suppose you’re the… new addition."

Fluttershy could only nod her head slowly.

"Come on in, your new 'home' awaits you." he said, dryly

His tone made her wonder if he was mocking her under themask of cold apathy.

She froze in fear at the thought of stepping inside.

The drake noticed this, and muttered something under his breath.His horns glowed and he levitated Fluttershy inside,slamming the iron door shut with his tail. His golden eyes still didn’t seem to show sympathy towards the pegasus as he walked down the corridors.

Fluttershy saw more guards, all drakes clad in obsidian armor and wearing stern expressions on their faces, as they walked to different parts of the prison. The walls and floor were made of ivory, with dim lamps illuminating it, which made her wonder why the temnokt were so fond of the dark.

"My name is Lieutenant Meltdown, but you may refer you meet as 'Lieutenant' or 'Sir'. I suppose you know how things work here, right?"

Timidly, Fluttershy shook her head, which made Meltdown sigh in annoyance.

"Great. I guess I'll have to give the whole monologue again." He turned on yet another long, wide corridor, heading towards a more... Fortified area of the prison. "This is the Broken Fang Maximum Security Prison - BroFaM for short, if you wish - where the scum of our Empire are sent for crimes against the Royal Family, High Blood Houses or the Empire itself.

“Here you will find murderers, drug lords, psychopaths, kidnappers, and etcetera.

“I've been told you tried to murder a High Blood, right?" When Fluttershy shook her head frantically, Meltdown frowned. "Denying it won't do you any good here. You better think of your reputation -- within the walls it can save your life, or turn you into someone’s dog. And guess what? We have a place reserved especially for you in Cell Block Five."

The terror came again when they came upon another great heavily fortified metal double door. His eyes emanated purple mist and the locks opened. He pushed them open with his magic as well.

The temnokt in that place were all confined in their cells. Many of them looked like they had been in there for decades, others were just like her: frightened and confused, wondering why they were brought here.

Most of them were marked not only with the common Age Marks painted in their faces and shoulders, some had additional tattoos painted, some others had gruesome scars on different parts of their body, and she even caught sight of a few who had certain limbs missing.

As soon as the doors opened, within started yelling and whistling, throwing down wrinkled paper, paper planes among other things.

It was a cell block with about two hundred cells in tiers, each containing two prisoners, all gathered around an open central space with a security booth -- a kiosk protected by metal mesh and glass for the guard in charge of the prisoners. Every cell had thick obsidian iron bars that seemed completely unbreakable. Inside of each cell there was a metal nest tray and a bunk above it for the two inmates to sleep, a toilet and a sink.

As Meltdown walked down the block, levitating Fluttershy and ignoring the taunts from the inmates, Fluttershy had a better chance to get a glimpse of the prisoners.

Some of the inmates taunted her. Others ignored her. And a few others made her know with a glimpse that she was playing with the big boys.

"Here we are."

They stopped in front of a cell that had been apparently specially altered for her.

The cell bars were covered with a layer of thick metal wires to keep her from slipping away, this was also applied to her barred window. Her bed was a mattress cut in half to fit her considerably smaller side with a small square of cloth to act as a blanket and an old worn down pillow, but they couldn't do anything about the sink.

The cell door was open.

Fluttershy cried out when the guard abruptly pushed her inside, and the muzzler and collar were removed from her; she spat the rag from her mouth, cringing when the door was slammed closed and locked shut.

"Welcome to The Broken Fang."

Those were the last words the guard said before stalking away, snickering.

That was the last straw.

Fluttershy rushed towards the cell bars and tried to hit one only to retreat her sore hoof. The wires had spines.

Fluttershy had to bite her lip to contain a sob, but as she saw the guard walking away without a care in the world, she yelled. "LET ME OUT OF HERE! I'M INNOCENT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Her cries of despair where responded with whistles and mocking laughter from the other cells as some of the other inmates snarled something in Krussian, apparently directed at her, but she didn't care.

"LET ME GO! PLEASE!"

The sound of the aggressive words in the foreign language soon made her retreat deeper into her cell, whimpering when they turned into roars of annoyance as her pleas turned into whispers.

"I'm innocent, I'm innocent..."

Fluttershy leaned against the corner of her new residence sobbing and hugging her forelegs, hiding her face into her hooves.

The sounds coming from the rest of the cells soon quieted as the lights turned off, leaving everything in complete darkness.

She was scared.

What was she going to do now? She was alone, her friends were out there doing their best to get her out, but she wasn't certain of how long it would take to achieve anything. She couldn't understand how a harmless vacation could have turned into a nightmare.

She remembered her friends trying to appeal her case, but the words of a few Equestrians convinced no one.

Twilight wrote to Princess Celestia explaining what had happened, and the alicorn said she would do everything in her power to secure Fluttershy's release, even if she had to appeal the case to King Bittercold himself.

Unfortunately the King was absent due to some skirmishes in the borders between Krussia and Bullspain. No one knew exactly how long it would take him, and Fluttershy would be at risk until then.

She was starting to think she would never make it out alive.

She was surrounded by, as the guard said, the 'worst criminals in the Krussian Empire, the scum of the temnokt, the worst of their kind', and not only were they larger and stronger, but she was apparently the only female in this place.

She had been condemned to twenty years in this place.

She’d have to get used to it. She wasn't certain of what she'd do, but she had to make it out of here.

It wasn't long before she cried herself to sleep in the darkness of her new 'home'.

Comments

[Osiris Grandeur]

This looks pretty interesting. I'll follow it.
Also, she'll either need to learn how to defend herself or get a bodyguard. Otherwise, she'll most likely be stabbed, raped or worse.

[Aliko]

I always liked these types of stories. Good job mate. Followed.

[The Mysterious Lombax]

It's kind of like seeing Toby Mason, Fluttershy's son, being locked up in the Maximum Security Detention Center.

[Atlantis Productions]

Hm, this reminds me of a movie I watched recently. What was it called? Oh yeah, "The Count of Monte Cristo". Great movie,I suggest you see it.

[Odd_Sarge]

Oh boy! Been a while since I've seen a prison story. At least this won't just be a gag.

+1: Let's see where it goes.

[SudokuBrony]

First chapter and I feel like this should become an audio drama when finished! I get a Bride of Discord vibe when I read this!

[Not_a_Brit]

Krussians must be Russians. So some of them must be slavs. Really hope some are slavs so we can have the entertainment of slavs.
Hope this song is heard if there are slavs.

Also hope to hear,
"А ну чики брики и в дамки!"
Translated: "A nuu cheeki breeki i v damke!"