A Pop Star, a Princess, and a Prisoner

by Raptormon132

Chapter 18: "Don't Jump, Abacus!"

The atmosphere of Ghastly Gorge was silent, as the wind blew through the surrounding vegetation and rocks of the area around the edge of the gorge. No sign of life was spotted anywhere, save but a lone, dark brown earth pony stallion with a grey mane and tail, and still covered with bandages standing on the edge of the highest peek of the gorge. The breeze flowed his mane and tail as Abacus sadly stood there looking out into the distance.

"Get away from my baby, you monster!!"

"Get away from that pony! He's dangerous!"

"Get out of town, you murderer! You aren't welcome here!"

"Just look at his face! Pure evil!"

"So hideous! Tiger Lily's evil husband has shown his true form."

"Mommy, Daddy, make that scary pony go away."

"What Tiger Lily's headstone said was right: You are a monster."

"You're not just a murderer, and a foal hurter, but you're a pedophile too!"

"So much for freedom. Prison scum like him have no purpose, and are nothing, but a waste of space in society."

"The only way prisoners like him are going to survive is on the charity of others."

"How does it feel to feel the pain that you caused to our kids?!"

"Abacus Sum. I have no choice...but to place you under arrest on all charges."

"Enjoy your undeserved freedom while it lasts, you scum!"

"Yeah, Abacus Scum!"

"When they locked you up, they should've threw away the key...Abacus Scum!"

"You're going to be put back behind bars where you belong, Abacus Scum!"

"Abacus Scum! Abacus Scum! Abacus Scum! Abacus Scum!"

Abacus dropped his head sadly. He began sobbing with tears of heartbreak and betrayal running down his cheeks, as he recalled the hurtful, hatred-filled words of the townsfolk. The very same townsfolk that once loved and respected him dearly when his wife, Tiger Lily, was alive. He took another step forward, and looked down over the edge below, as he prepared to jump and end his tragic, forever doomed life.

Twilight, Lawful Eye, Spike, Warden Rehab, Lock Down, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy rushed towards the area, hoping that they could get there in time to save him. The trees past by quickly as they rushed through the small wooded area with their hearts racing. They looked through the trees ahead, gasping in horror with their eyes widening at what they were seeing. They saw that Abacus was standing very close to the edge of the cliff preparing to jump.

"Abi, no!!" Lawful Eye said.

Abacus turned his head to the sound of Lawful Eye calling to him. His face turned to a mix of fear, heartbreak, and anger at the sight of her and the others rushing towards him. Twilight and Lawful Eye slowed down and stopped about five meters away from the edge where Abacus was standing, with the others stopping and standing right behind them.

"Abi, don't do it!" Lawful Eye approached Abacus slowly.

"Stay back," Abacus said. "Don't come any closer!"

Lawful Eye and Twilight kept coming forward. "Please, step away from the edge."

Abacus put a back hoof right on the edge. "I SAID "STAY BACK"!!!"

Lawful Eye and Twilight stopped, and kept their distance. The others watched on as Twilight and Lawful Eye try to reason with the mentally disturbed stallion.

"No, please," Twilight said. "Please listen to us."

Abacus glared. "Why should I listen to any of you? I'm prison scum."

Twilight shook her head. "You're not scum, Abacus."

Abacus glared at Twilight. "Why don't you tell that to everypony in town who once loved and respected me! They'll tell you different! Everypony treats me like scum, so now I'll behave like scum! That's who I am!"

Lawful Eye shook her head. "That's not true, Abi."

Abacus growled at Lawful Eye. "You shut-up!! You don't deserve to call me "Abi" after what you did! You lied and betrayed me!"

Lawful Eye shook her head. "No. I didn't betray you."

Abacus sobbed. "You arrested me for things I didn't do!"

"But I had no choice." Lawful Eye said.

"Oh, I understand. You had no choice. WRONG! You had plenty of choice!" Tears trickled down Abacus's cheeks. "What happened to the pony who said she wouldn't let anypony get their hooves on me for as long as she had breath within her?! What happened to the pony who said she would make sure those ponies get brought to justice for doing this to me?! It was a lie! It was all a lie!! You're no different to those bad cop friends of Storm Dasher!" His eyes glared with anger. "Or even that evil investigation team from Canterlot. The same ones who falsely charged me with murdering Lily after Mayor Mare and Lady Justice got them on me!"

"Abacus, I'm sorry that happened to you." Twilight dropped her head. "I know how the Canterlot investigation force were wrong, and made a terrible mistake in convicting you."

Abacus scowled harder. "Wrong?! Terrible mistake?! That's another lie! The Canterlot investigation force were not any of that!"

Twilight tilted her head. "What?"

Abacus angrily glanced at Lawful Eye. "Are you saying Lawful Eye didn't tell you?! Not surprising, considering it's top secret!" He looked back at Twilight. "The Canterlot investigation force was evil and corrupted! They deliberately put innocent ponies in Hoofstrong Prison by charging and framing them with false crimes that get them sentenced to life. And they did it for the money they'd get from the ones they put away, as well as from the courts and government!" He sobbed. "And Armstrong and his guards, he would get a share of it, as well as getting innocent ponies like me to torture, abuse, rape, and even kill for their own sick pleasure!"

"The prisoners at Hoofstrong...were all innocent ponies? And the Canterlot investigation force framed them?" Twilight was confused and unsure at what Abacus had just said, with Lawful Eye, Lock Down, and Warden Rehab mildly wincing. Twilight then turned to Lawful Eye. "Lawful Eye? Is what Abacus saying the truth?"

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike were also confused and unsure at what Abacus had just said. They turned to Warden Rehab and Lock Down.

"I don't believe it," Spike said. "Rehab, Lock Down? Is Abacus telling the truth?"

Lawful Eye, Warden Rehab, and Lock Down dropped their heads in sync with one another, and said in unison, "It's the truth."

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike's eyes widened. "What?"

Fluttershy blinked. "That can't be true."

"Why didn't you mention this to us before?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Lawful Eye sighed. "Because it was classified information. It was not to be presented to the public until Armstrong, his guards, and the former members of Canterlot police investigation force were brought to justice."

Spike tilted his head. "So are you saying that there was some kind of conspiracy secretly happening between Canterlot investigation force and Hoofstrong prison centre?"

Lawful Eye nodded. "That's right. It was royal orders from Canterlot to keep it top secret from the public until royalty said otherwise."

"Enough!" Abacus shouted. "I don't care if it's classified information! I don't care if it was orders from royalty! I don't care what happens anymore! Because I'm not going back behind bars where scum like me belong!"

Lock Down stepped forward. "You are not scum, Abacus. Remember what I told you?"

"Yeah, I remember! Telling myself "I am not scum"! Well, I did what you told me, but it didn't work! Because I AM scum!" Abacus sobbed. "I remember those times I hurt those ponies. I have no remorse for hurting those cops! I have no remorse for biting Storm Dasher, who I was trying to go for his throat! And I have no remorse for biting the penis off of and nearly killing one of Armstrong's guards!" He winced. "Especially since that guard was none other than that pony, Rotten Eggs!"

Twilight blinked. "Rotten Eggs?"

Spike turned to Twilight. "Hey, wasn't that the pony Lawful Eye briefly mentioned who bullied Abacus back in kindergarten?"

Twilight's eyes widen in realisation. "Yes. You're right, Spike."

"Of course you wouldn't have remorse for doing it, Abacus," Lock Down said. "But that doesn't make you scum. They were ones who meant you harm. You were defending yourself."

Lawful Eye nodded. "We understand, Abi."

"No, you don't understand! Armstrong got the real evidence from the Canterlot police force, and he burnt and destroyed it in front of me!" Abacus winced. "And then...his guards...they bashed me, raped me, tortured me, starved me, and if they ever fed me, it was foul slop that looked and tasted like muck! Or something else far much worse! And they put one of those collars on me that shocks you, and they shocked me constantly for their enjoyment! And now every time when somepony touches me, or if I touch them, I'm always afraid to feel those horrible shocks again! " He glared. "So you don't know how that feels! You don't understand what I went through! You didn't see any of it!"

"But I did." A female voice suddenly said.

Everyone turned their heads behind them to where the female voice came from. There was the sound of hooves coming from a dark place in a wooded area that grew as it got closer and closer. Then out of the shadows of the wooded area slowly stepped a pony. She had a dark blue coat, with a moderate sapphire blue mane and tail that was partially translucent, rippling and sparkling, magical and wavy. She wore blueish-silver shoes, and a black crown. She was also slightly taller and sleeker than an average pony, and was an alicorn.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Fluttershy's eyes widened with surprise at the pony before them, for it was someone they knew all too well. "Princess Luna!"

Luna nodded. "Yes. It is I."

Luna stepped forward towards the others to join with them. Abacus glared at her, believing she was another pony here to hate him as well. All despite that Luna was a pony that he had never seen before.

"Who are you?!" Abacus asked. "Another of one of those who want to see me behind bars?!"

Luna turned to Abacus. "I am Luna, the princess of the night. And I have been watching you for sometime, Abacus Sum."

"Princess of the night," Abacus said. "I've never even heard of you!"

Luna nodded. "I'm not surprised that you haven't. You have missed so much through those two years and five months of suffering. I know what you, and other ponies like you, had suffered. I have seen it myself through coming into your dreams."

Lawful Eye tilted her head, and she looked at Luna with a suspicious glance. "Through coming into your dreams."

“Lawful Eye. Lawful Eye!”

“Who...who’s there?”

“Lawful Eye. Go to Ponyville. Abacus is in Ponyville.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Go to Ponyville!”

Lawful Eye's eyebrows rose as she recalled the dream she had that lead her to Ponyville, for she now recognized Luna's voice from being the same one in her dream. "It was you. You were the one who told me to come to Ponyville in my dream. And you also must've been the one who put those visions of this area into my head earlier before?"

Luna turned to Lawful Eye and nodded. "Indeed. Yes, Lawful Eye." She turned back to Abacus and offered her hoof in friendship. "Come on, Abacus Sum. Come away from the edge."

"No," Abacus said. "I'm not stupid! As soon as I do, you'll arrest me again, and send me right back to prison! I won't let that happen! I'd rather die, then go back to prison!"

Lawful Eye reached a hoof out in protest. "Abi, no!"

Abacus quickly stood up on his hind legs, and fell backwards over the edge of the cliff. Lawful Eye rushed to the edge frantically. "ABI!!"

Abacus began to fall down, down, down into the gorge. Lawful Eye watched helplessly over the edge of the cliff with tears running down her cheeks. For that moment, Abacus's life flashed before his eyes, with images of the good and the bad events of his life. Then he saw the image of his deceased wife and mother. He closed his eyes, knowing that his suffering was about to end, and that he would be with his mother and Tiger Lily any second. Suddenly, right before Abacus hit the ground, a rainbow colored wake flashed on Abacus. The others looking down watching became relieved, for Rainbow Dash had caught and saved Abacus right in the nick of time.

"I gotcha!" Rainbow Dash flew back up, carrying Abacus back to safety. She then placed him down on the ground with the others.

Lawful Eye came to Abacus, thankful that he was okay. "Abi!"

Abacus got back up, and rushed back towards the cliff. He was desperate to take his own life, no matter what. And was not going to let them or anyone stop him from doing so.

"Abi, no!" Lawful Eye said.

Before Abacus got close to the edge, he felt himself being suddenly pulled back. Twilight had gripped on to him with her magic, and was telekinetically pulling a struggling, screaming Abacus away back towards them. Through their prison guard training, Warden Rehab and Lock Down then grabbed and held Abacus down on the ground in an inescapable hold. Abacus screamed, yelled, and struggled in vain from the two stallion's grips on him.

"No! Let me go! Just let me die! You can't take me back to prison! I knew I shouldn't have trusted any of you! I never should've come to this stupid, fucking town! You've wanted to destroy my life! Everything was a lie! You gave me nothing, but false hope, and lies! You lied about my mother! I have nothing to lose! Nothing to live for! Everything I once had, everyone I once loved and held dear, is gone! I have nopony who loves me! Nopony who would ever love me like Lily did, because I'm scum! Abacus Scum!! I HAVE NOPONY!!!!"

Abacus stop struggling, and broke down in tears, crying hysterically on the ground. Everyone's hearts sank at seeing how heartbroken, betrayed, and psychologically damaged this stallion was. Even being so desperate as to end his own life. Lawful Eye came over to Abacus, and kneeled down to him, stroking his mane to calm him.

"Abi," Lawful Eye said. "Please look at me."

Abacus slowly looked up at Lawful Eye with his teary, heartbroken eyes, coming in contacted with Lawful Eye's teared-filled eyes.

"Oh, dear Abi. You're not scum. I know the loving, kind, gentle pony I know is still there. You're not under arrest. You never really were. I did it because it was the only way I could protect you." Lawful Eye sniffled. "I'm so sorry I made you feel that I betrayed you, and I should've told you earlier. And I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the truth about your mother. I truthfully didn't know you already knew from Armstrong. I was planning to tell you about it gently when I came to pick you up from Hoofstrong. The last thing I ever wanted to do is hurt you. Please, Abi. You have to believe me."

Abacus dropped his head in great shame and sobbed quietly. Luna, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike approached Abacus and Lawful Eye to help her console him.

"Lawful Eye is telling the truth, Abacus Sum," Luna said. "She did not know about you already knowing about your mother's passing. I am sorry that you had to find out from that monster, Armstrong."

Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "Taking your life isn't the answer."

Twilight and Fluttershy nodded. "Rainbow is right. Tiger Lily sacrificed herself for you because she wanted you to live."

"You've been given a second chance at life," Twilight said. "Don't let her sacrifice be in vain."

Spike nodded. "Yeah. You may have been in prison, but that doesn't mean your life's over and ruined. Not by a long shot."

Luna turned to Warden Rehab and Lock Down. "Let him go."

Warden Rehab and Lock Down carefully, and slowly released Abacus, but stood by next to him just in case he made another attempt to jump off the cliff again.

Abacus continued to sob. "But why did I suffer horrifically for it? Of all ponies, why me? It hurts! It hurts so bad! It's not fair!"

Lawful Eye continued to stroke Abacus's mane. "I know it's not fair. And it hurts me too. Lily wasn't just my best friend, but she was also my foster sister." She sniffled. "I don't want to lose you too, Abi. You're the last thing I have in this world, like I am with you. Abi...I love you."

Abacus looked back up slowly at Lawful Eye from the three words she just said to him. His eyes came in contact with Lawful Eye's teary eyes. "You...love me?"

"Yes," Lawful Eye said. "I've always had feelings for you, Abi. Ever since we were kids. I never had the chance to tell how I felt for you, because I was scared. When you married Lily, I was sad, but I held no grudge for her or you. I was happy for both of you, and I just wanted you to be happy. I love you, Abi. I could never replace Lily, and I don't want to, but I promise I'll do my best, and I'll always be here for you."

Abacus was touched by those heartfelt, genuine words from his dear friend, but was still in heartbreaking doubt. "But how could you love me now? I have no job, no home, no respect in town, and my face is ugly and ruined, just like my mind, and my life."

"You're not ugly, Abi. But we can fix it. We'll find a surgeon who can help you look close to normal again. But you also need psychological help." Lawful Eye embraced Abacus into a big hug. "It'll take time, but you and me, we'll work through all this together. I promise."

Abacus and Lawful Eye tearfully embraced each other as the others watched on with feelings of relief and heartfelt, like if they were watching a romantic film. Rainbow Dash and Spike thought that it was something Rarity would have love to have seen.

"It will be hard for you for a while, but it'll pass. Also, I'm sorry for the loss of your wife. I understand it hurts, and will hurt for quite a while, but I'm sure you'll find somepony new. Somepony who will truly love and care for you no matter what you look like, and whether if you were in prison or not. Just don't give up."

Lock Down smiled warmly as he recalled what he told Abacus after his retrial. He extended a hoof, and began to pat Abacus gently on the back. "I told you you'd find somepony else new."

Abacus and Lawful Eye released each other from the hug, and they wiped their eyes with their hooves, with Lawful Eye adjusting her glasses. Luna then came over, and placed a caring hoof on Abacus's back. "You are not alone. I was imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years. I know how you feel."

Abacus sniffled and sobbed quietly as he wiped his eyes with his hoof. "I don't want to go back to prison."

Twilight placed a hoof on Abacus's back, and began to rub his back. "You're not going back to prison, Abacus. We're not going to let that happen."

"That's right," Rainbow Dash said. "There's no way we're going to let those police pigs from Cloudsdale get you. If they get a federal order, I'd say "bring it on"!"

"And my sister and I will not let it happen either." Luna turned to Abacus. "Though you will need to testify against Armstrong, his guards, and the Canterlot police force in court soon. And again when Storm Dasher, Coco-Nut, and officers Strike Law and Rogue Order face justice." She placed a gentle hoof under Abacus's chin. "I assure you, Abacus Sum. You will never have to worry about going to prison ever again."

Abacus looked up at Luna with his teary eyes, and Luna gave him a caring smile. She then turned Twilight and the others.

"Now, don't you have a certain pop star to see?" Luna asked.

Twilight's eyes shot wide open with a gasp of realization. "Sweet Celestia! We have to get to Applejack's to put our plan into action."

Luna nodded. "Then I suggest that we get going at once."

Author's Note:

This is the eighteenth chapter. The nineteenth chapter will be up sooner or later...I hope. I plan to make this story into parts for anyone wanting to do a dramatic reading of this.
Enjoy!

Comments

[gamer91]

Just a question why didn't Luna or Twilight use their magic to catch Abacus?

[Raptormon132]

7723793
Twilight did. She caught Abacus before he tried to run off the cliff after Rainbow Dash brought him back to safety from attempting suicide.
But if you mean when he jumped off the cliff the first, it was because they were not quick enough. Things like that can happen before one has time to react. Plus I didn't think of that, and I wanted to add tension by having Rainbow Dash save him with her supersonic speed.

Just for the note: I'm a bit surprise you're commenting on that, and not on the major bombshell Abacus, Lawful Eye, Rehab, Lock Down, Luna dropped in this chapter.

[gamer91]

7724517 what the corruption? I didnt want to say it but I kinda saw it coming. No investigation force is sloppy enough to send only innocent people to such a horrible facility and no one make a peep of it until the facility itself was raided.

[Raptormon132]

7724678
I see. I guess nothing misses your eye. But good prediction.
I got the idea of the investigation force from Cantalot being ignorant and sloppy from Twilight's observation of them in the MLP fan game, My Little Investigations, if you've ever played the game.

Also, just a note. The information on Hoofstrong prison and Cantalot's police/investigation force conspiring together was to remain a secret until during the trial of Armstrong, his guards, and Cantalot's police/investigation force, or if royalty (Celestia or Luna) says otherwise. Because if you remember, Lawful Eye, Rehab, and Lock Down kept saying they couldn't say for court reasons.

[Bronycommander]

Looks like he can start a new married life

[Raptormon132]

7966446
Indeed.

[Truthseeker]

Okay, I'm sorry, but what the fuck!? If Luna knew all this, if she was working in the background all this time then WHY did she let so many suffer and probably DIE like that!? I mean, Celestia had to be in on the dirty dealing, it was going on right under her fucking nose! If somehow Celestia did NOT know that would be even worse. How many thousands had to suffer because of this corruption? The blame falls to her. Honestly, at this point, I'm ready to say, 'just nuke Ponyville' for all the hate there. It's ridiculous.

[Raptormon132]

8556172
Just wait until you get to chapter 20. Everything will be then clear.