Prison Anon 3: Cinderblocks
 
>I explained my story to my fellow cellmates. How I ended up here, what I learned from the griffin camp and what I learned from the wagon.
>The cheese-legged horse and the talking dog are still silent from it.
>They have a hard time believing I'm from another world but they're sympathetic with what I felt when I got involved in the war.
 
>"Well well, that is one heck of a story. Like a pig who wandered into a slaughter house and survived long enough to get drafted in the feeding grounds."
"More or less. Well, I told my story. Care to keep the end of the bargain for me?"
>"Of course. My name's Vesper. I'm a changeling mercenary. Defected from my mother's sleeping kingdom, I took part in the war to make a name for myself. Sadly I was a horrible actor and got caught on the first day."
"Changeling? Is that another type of pony?"
>"We look like ponies but we're of different species. We're imbued with the power of disguising ourselves in any way we want."
"Don't suppose you tried to use that disguising thing to escape, huh?"
>"Changelings can only change if they have sucked off a decent amount of energy or to be more specific, love from someone. I only have enough for one disguise, and I can't just waste it all in one place."
"Huh. So you're like a vampire."
>"Moreso. We act like parasites in a way.
"Wait, if you guys can disguise yourselves, why haven't you conquered a kingdom yet?"
>"We tried, we failed and every optimism in our bone was lost. Right now our queen is suffering from severe pessimism that she couldn't even conquer an anthill. I got tired of her and left the kingdom."
"What happens to your victims? Do they die from lack of love or something?" I say, chuckling.
>"They get completely lazy and will brood for several hours. At least that's what my last three victims did."
 
>Vesper rubs his chin
 
>"Anyways, back to my story. When I heard that the Canterlot princess had started a war with the griffins, I knew it was my time to shine. I looked around and read about how the war started. Apparently it was the ponies fault."
"What did they do?"
>"Started the fire. Not a literal fire but they attacked first. The kingdom retaliated and stuck back. I, being an upstanding citizen of my own, sided with what seemed morally well."
"How'd that happen? I mean why did they attack?"
>"From what I heard? Territory dispute gone horribly wrong."
"Was that really enough to start a massacre of innocent soldiers?"
>"For everyone, yes. Anyway, I presented myself to the griffins as a changeling and offered them my services. They told me to capture a pony. Easy enough, I traveled along the path, encountered an earth pony soldier and tried to rope him up. Turns out he was stronger than I thought and had backup on the way and in the end I was an embarrassment to myself."
"Got thrown in here for attempted assault?"
>"Yes, though I was specifically put here because I'm a changeling. Despite the other prisoners being griffins and pony alike, this prison specializes in multiple juvenile species, each part of the place built especially for certain types."
"So it's not just a prison for war criminals?"
>"No. It used to be just a specialized prison but due to the war, changes were made in prisoner transfer. Some come and go, others get shanked before they even got the chance to get out."
"Yeesh."
>"Yeah. The griffins though were less merciful to their prison camps. What I heard is that they have these torture chambers where they test things on ponies. Whether or not it was just a mix up with a griffon camp and Unit 731 is up to whoever listens."
 
>My other cell mate comes to us and helps explain about the prison.
 
>>"Aight, look here. Prison has three levels. We're in the middle."
"But isn't this the first floor?"
>>"No. The underground is MUCH bigger. Down there is where the dragons and other dangerous beings are kept. You name it, they got a cell for it. Cocktrices, Chimeras, Breezies and all that."
"Do they get to go up?"
>>"Selected few. Helps with security. Any troublemaker is locked down in the dark until their next 'examination'. Don't ask me about that. I don't have anything on it."
"What about this floor?"
>>"Regulars. Ponies, Griffins, Jackalopes, Minotaurs, Manticores and brutes all in one place. Only reason Vespa here got transferred to this floor instead of going down there with the magic users is because they think Vespa's powerless right now."
"How'd you play dead?"
>"By acting weak. It's pretty simple. Let them push you around and they'll give you special treatment by putting you up at this floor. Trust me, no matter how bad this cell looks, it's ten times better than down there."
>>"Anyways, third floor is where we keep some of the more...vicious prisoners."
"Killers and sociopaths?"
>>"By default, most prisoners here are sociopaths but-"
>"Oh come on, that's just stereotyping."
>>"I just say it how I see it!"
>"Yeah? What if I told you all diamond dogs are mindless greedy brutes?"
>>"I'd...just accept it. People have different beliefs in their-"
>"Ugh, I can't believe I'm stuck with a goody-twoshoes preacher."
"You guys seem like best friends."
>"We either get used to each other or scowl like whiny teenagers."
>>"LIKE I WAS SAYING, the third floor houses escape artists and potential leaders, people who would lead a prison riot in an attempt to gain control or escape. Getting popular and charismatic is no way to go in this prison."
>"Poor buggers up there gets...re-educated by means of tearing down their smug faces and after a month, turning them into either empty husks or quiet scarred prisoners."
"That sounds inhumane!"
>"Yeah, but it helps tear down gang forming and prison rivalry. A bit."
"Damn."
>"But the worst part of it is out the prison."
"The court yard?"
>>"No." The diamond dog emphasizes."
>"The worst part is the war going on."
>>"For the last two weeks prisoner attempts to escape have lessened. Everyone's afraid of dying out in the open, or getting affiliated with either the ponies or the griffins.
>"The moment you choose sides is the moment you're marked for death by the enemy nation."
>>"It's what many believes would happen. The prison's the safest place for a guy who never saw the outside world for years." The diamond dog says, alluding to the prisoners who got longer sentences.
"So I'm literally stuck here for the rest of the war?"
>>"No. If you know how to survive out there, feel free to try and escape."
>"And we don't mean that sarcastically. We'd REALLY like to see someone escape. This place is so BORING!"
"Ah crap."
 
>I lean on the wall and rubbed my face.
>I asked myself what have I gotten myself into.
>The griffin crest, the war, this prison.
>Three floors of Purgatory.
>And the outside is hell.
>Stuck in a cell with a mare-looking and mare-sounding dude of a Changeling and a dog who likes to preach.
>Unlikely a duo, they're the only friends I have left in this desolate place.
>Gonna have to take my chances with them, the future and myself.
 
>"You alright?"
"Yes. No. Both."
>"Rest up. You're gonna need the energy tommorow when we get out to the mess hall for lunch. You're the runt of the whole place."
"I know." I say, accepting my fate.
 
>My name is...well, I don't have one. Guess I'll settle with Anon. I'm a human trapped in the middle of a battlefield and in a prison full of the dangerous criminals of Equestria.
 
>>"Well, I guess we covered everything. The war, the prison and ourselves. My name's Wafflejaw, and welcome to the safest place in Equestria!"
 
>I may not survive.
>God help me.
 
Endish