1 - Well, shoot.

"Oh, for cryin' in the mud." Petunia glared out of the bars, looking left and right. The guards had moved on to other places. "So sure I can't get out of here! Jus' you watch."

"I wouldn't recommend the doing of that." Another pony was there, trying her best to smile but doing a poor job of it. "We're very stuck here."

Petunia smiled at her fellow pony captive. "What are the odds, really." She turned to present her rump. "We're both flower mares. Did they plan it? Darn it all, that would just about make my day!"

The other pony managed a slightly more sincere smile. "I am Saffron Masala, but Saffron will do. I prefer to be cooking with my papa, but--"

"--But you got thrown in here." Petunia stormed up to her cellmate. "What'd you do? You seem like a nice mare to me. I know we jus' met and all, but I get a feeling about ponies, and you're not making me want to run away."

"That's fine," Saffron said as she adjusted her glasses. "It would be rather difficult for one of us to go anywhere else, I should think."

"Tell me what they put you in here for," Petunia insisted, sitting down on the bed. "I'm still trying to figure out what a nice mare could be in here for."

"I could ask the same." Saffron reached up to prod Petunia gently. "Though you seem louder than I am." Her thick accent rolled naturally from her tongue as she swept her large pony eyes over Petunia. "You must have broken some law, yes?"

Petunia snorted, waving her tail dismissively. "It wasn't my fault! These idiots don't even know how many laws they just broke by throwing me in here!" She pointed back at Saffron.

Saffron rubbed behind her head softly a moment before she found the courage. "What exact laws did they break?"

"Well, there was trespassing," Petunia said firmly. "They entered my property without permission! That's plain rude, is what that is."

"Ah, that explains it. I should have remembered that guard ponies must ask before they enter." Saffron's voice was thick with sarcasm, a little smirk on her face. "What other laws did they break?

"There was assault..." Petunia bounced on the cot, scowling with building righteous fury.

"Did they knock you over or strike you?" Saffron pinned an ear back. "I hope not."

"Well, no--" Petuna rubbed behind her neck with a tense laugh.

"Then--" Saffron leaned in.

"--There was kidnapping and false imprisonment." Petunia waved around the jail cell they found themselves in.

"In fact they--" But Saffron didn't get to finish, Petunia pushing forward.

"--And there was blackmail too." Petunia gestured in a square with her hooves. "Threatened to tell the whole town about these trumped up charges, like they could get what they wanted if they threatened me!"

"Hmm." Saffron watched her for a few seconds and then lay down on her bed. "Sounds like you had quite the time."

"Now you're getting it, hon!" Petunia crossed her front legs smugly.

Saffron let out her breath with a soft sigh. "My situation is far simpler. I was visiting your town." She paused. "Is this your town? I am assuming it is."

"It is." Petunia rolled her eyes with exasperation clear on her face.

"Your lovely town, and I brought some food with me." She laughed nervously. "I had no idea you needed a specific permit to vend food here. The guards informed me, and also gave me a free hotel room for the night." Saffron gestured to the cell. "I did not ask for it, but they also were not asking if I wanted it."

"Yeah, I understand the feeling, hon." Petunia ran a hoof through her mane. "If I knew that was all you did, I'd go up to the town hall tomorrow and demand we both be freed immediately!"

Saffron smiled gently at her roommate. "You will not be doing that while you are in here. Did they say what you were arrested for?"

"It's such a silly thing!" Petunia cried out. "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous before! They were asking me all sorts of questions about my father--"

Saffron leaned closer, clearly interested in Petunia's story. "Both our fathers are involved? Coincidences are many today."

"That they are, hon." Petunia huffed as she settled herself on her cot, determined not to spend a minute more than necessary in that horrible place.

Saffron rolled a hoof slowly. "What did they say next?"

"They thought I was being sneaky hiding something from them." Petunia glanced to Saffron to make sure the other flower mare understood. "But they didn't say what. Can you believe that? Sneaking? Me? When have I ever been sneaky?" She blinked. "I mean, aside from now."

"Hiding something from the guard ponies is not a very good thing to do." Saffron paced across the room. "So they were asking questions about your father, and you declined to answer. Your reward for your faithfulness, this prison cell?"

Petunia sighed, holding her head. "I may have called the chief guard pony a jerk."

Saffron covered her mouth, a smile creeping out. "What else did you say?"

"I might have--" She trailed off, looking embarrassed as she backed up against the wall. "--insulted their dress code, their dreadful codes, and about anythin' else that came to mind. I lost track of it all! I was real mad and--" She flopped forward on the cot. "Here I am."

"In here you are." Saffron padded up to the bars, leaning against them. "We're both in here."

"Isn't it the truth?" Petunia bounced as she landed back on the ground. "But, I wasn't lying. I could bust us both out of here in a jiff. Wanna see?"

Saffron raised a brow at Petunia. "I do not doubt you, new friend, but I am afraid if you are doing that, we may get in even more trouble."

"Oh yeah? How would that happen?" Petunia challenged. "They've already locked us in here! It's not gonna get worse than it is already."

Saffron smiled enigmatically, laying down on her bed. She raised a hoof to bat at the big golden ring on her ear. "They will lock us again, and for longer. Right now, it sounds like we are both getting a day to think about our mistakes. I would rather a single day than years in this place, would you not?"

Petunia pouted as she pulled her saddlebags around with a foreleg, rifling through them. "They better not touch my stuff. I got important things in here. Journals, snacks, a spare bandana."

Saffron perked an ear curiously. "They let you keep that?"

"You kidding?" Petunia snorted. "They didn't know to take it or didn't think I'd make a fuss if they did." She growled a bit as she stared at Saffron.

"I should imagine." Saffron inclined her head slowly. "They precisely did think you would make a fuss. Please do not make them change their mind and cause trouble with what you have. But--" She smiled gently. "--If you have a snack, I would be very happy to share it with you."

Petunia stood, glancing towards the door before she walked up to Saffron, sitting right beside her as she unpacked a fresh apple and set it on the floor between them. "You just might be my favorite new friend ever. So long as you don't give me away when the guards come back!"

Saffron giggled behind a hoof. "That depends on how much there is left. After all, I haven't eaten in hours. You would not starve a friend, would you?"

Petunia pounced the other pony playfully, snorting. "If you wanted a bite, you could just ask, you know." With a quick chop of a knife she had in that bag, she sliced the apple right in half, keeping the bit half for herself and offering the clean other towards Saffron.

"Thank you," Saffron said sincerely, taking her half gingerly with a nod. "You have done quite well by me despite my intrusion on your evening. If you are certain it is all right to tell, why don't you explain your situation in full? We have nothing but time, I should think."

"Now that, I can do." Petunia tucked the saddlebag under the cot before she settled on top of it, watching Saffron eagerly. She chomped her apple half, almost destroying it in one bite. "I had a nice evening planned. I only had half a dozen things to do, practically a day off, compared to the usual day."

Saffron's eyes widened. "You keep yourself quite busy." Her vision passed to the bars where a guard walked past at a sedate rate. She waited until they had passed. "Is that normal, or has this been a busy week?"

"This is actually quiet!" Petunia grinned as she bit into her apple half again. "Normally, there's double the amount of things I need to do in the course of a day! I'm sure it doesn't compare to what you're used to doing."

"It does not," Saffron agreed with a laugh. "But I'm not a mayor either."

"How did you know about the mayor business?" Petunia perked with thought. "Oh, right. I don't exactly keep that a secret. Welcome to town!"

Saffron burst into laughter. "I was not expecting to be welcomed in quite this manner. If you are the mayor--" She glanced left and right. "Could you not pardon me, if you were in the mood?"

Petunia glanced away, grumbling as she rolled her apple core around. "Would love to, I really would! The problem is, these yahoos went and confiscated my pin!"

Saffron inclined her head slowly. "Pin? What is this pin and how is it helping you right now?"

Petunia got up, making her way towards Saffron. She took her half an apple, holding it up so the golden hue shone bright in the dull cell. "There's this pin. It's shiny gold. Lets me open any door in this town so long as I'm wearin' it, 'cause that's the law here! And as I was sayin', these ponies have gone and taken it from me so I can't get out of this cell."

Saffron let out an 'ah'. "No, I am not asking you to force any doors open." She pointed at Petunia directly. "You are mayor. Can you not just say 'I forgive this pony,' point at me, and then I am going free? I promise to never break that rule again. It was an accident, I promise."

Petunia sighed and deflated, throwing the empty apple core away. "It's not that simple! They have to process you. Go through the whole jail thing. Then, you pay a fine, and you go home. I could say the nicest, kindest words and they'd still have to go through the procedure."

Saffron slumped. "That is disappointing. I was hoping I could just walk out of here. But you could, perhaps, encourage them to be faster?" She dared a little smile. "Even if you are held here, you are still mayor, are you not? I will pay my fee, if I must."

Petunia angled an ear odd. "I'm really not sure if that'll even work." But she hopped to the floor anyway and paced to the bars. "Hey, I got real important mayor business that needs a guard! Whichever of you's the closest, get over here!"

A guard poked his head in, scowling. "Miss Mayor. I am shocked at you. Have you calmed down enough to stop threatening violence yet?"

"Oh, would you relax?" Petunia snorted in indignation. "I didn't mean any of that. Just a joke between friends." Petunia laughed as she pointed along to Saffron. "This nice mare has things to do. She's said sorry for what she did, and she's ready to pay her fine. Let's get her out of here if you aren't minding."

"As I said," the guard insisted. "You'll have to wait the full 24 hours."

"I said, that won't be necessary." Petunia smirked, wiggling her ears. "I'm pardoning her. It's a mayor thing, you know how that works." She rolled a hoof slowly. "This is a penitentiary, ain't it? Well, she's sorry. She learned her lesson. Ain't no reason holdin' onto her no more."

The guard frowned at her, a low rumble in his throat. "Be that as it may, Miss Mayor, but I'm not the one in charge."

"Who is?" Petunia demanded. "Ain't it me? I am the mayor an' all."

"You aren't in charge of the guards, just the laws that we follow." He paused, holding a hoof up quickly. "And you can't make up new laws while you're in here, ma'am, before you get that idea."

"What?" Petunia stuck her face into the bars, staring the guard down. "Whyever would you say such a thing. That's ridiculous. I ain't been thinking of doing anything like that at all. No siree. In fact, I was thinking that since she's ready to pay her fines and all, you should be letting her go, seeing as how she's all said she was sorry and she didn't know she wasn't allowed."

The guard let out a weary sigh. "Ma'am. Look. I'll get the captain of the guard. He's the only one that could say yes to this." He saluted and marched off without another word.

"Guess I ain't the captain." Petunia flopped to the ground with a disappointed sigh. "Hope that works."

Saffron rubbed a hoof behind her neck. "I appreciate what you tried to do. I am glad you did not threaten to kick down the cells, at least."

Petunia chuckled darkly, turning her head back. "Thought about it, but you were right." She grinned. "I lost my temper, is all. We're just two mares that got carried away doin' what we ain't supposed to be doing, and they tossed us in here to cool our hooves."

Saffon nodded, ear dancing as she listened for those returning steps. "I think he is coming."

Petunia could hear it too, bouncing a hoof expectantly. "About time they listened, huh?" She straightened her spine as the captain came back, tail swishing behind him.

"Ma'am, you have an interesting story." He nodded to Petunia, then looked to Saffron, surprised. "Oh, I thought they let you out already."

Saffron jumped to her hooves. "I am not supposed to be here?"

"Only as long as it took to do the paperwork, and that's already done a while ago." The captain rolled his eyes. "Somepony made a mistake. You have my apologies."

Saffron looked ready to begin a tirade, but another thought came to her. "We all make mistakes." She gestured at Petunia. "Why, she made one today as well. She is very sorry for it. How about we all accept the mistakes we made, and we shall pretend today never happened, minus the mistakes we will not repeat."

The guard captain sighed at her. "You speak so prettily. I'm surprised somepony hasn't snatched you up."

Petunia snorted and giggled as she trotted up beside Saffron, wrapping a foreleg around the flower mare. "We are two of a kind, aren't we?"

The captain rolled his eyes at that, clearly seeing one mare as a little more attractive than the other. "Alright, alright. Let's empty this cell." He pulled out a key and shoved it into the door. With a firm twist, he unlocked it and pulled the door free with the clatter of metal on metal.

Saffron rubbed her ear nervously at the racket. "That is... quite a loud sound."

"Welp, I ain't gotta worry about it anymore!" Petunia called out as she rushed past the guard, eager to get out of there.

The guard beckoned Saffron along. "Sorry about that. No real way to open or close these things quietly." He closed the jail door behind Saffron. "But you have yourself a good day. If you have questions, feel free to ask us first. We're here to help, ma'am."

"I will bare that in mind." Saffron hurried to freedom. At least she had made a friend.

Author's Note:

I was given two pony names and the situation(thrown in jail) and ran with it. This is the result.

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon!