Interview With A Mad Mare

"Hi, my name is Pound Cake. I'm scheduled for an interview with an inmate today."

The guard he'd just spoken to wordlessly walked into a small room a few feet away and made a phone call.

"Please wait here," said the near emotionless guard upon his return. "The warden will be here shortly."

"Th-thank you," Pound stumbled over his words, unnerved by the guards disposition.

'Is this what everypony here is like?' he thought to himself.

He and the guard both heard a sharp knock on the heavy metal door a few minutes later. The guard, once again without words, went to the same small room he'd gone to earlier and pressed a button. A loud buzz and a flash of red light signaled to both sides of the door that it was now unlocked.

A unicorn stallion with a dark, almost navy blue coat and white mane leaned out of the doorway and ushered Pound inside.

"Hello, Mr. Cake," said the stallion as Pound entered the prison. "I'm Warden Cellblock."

Pound reached out a hoof for the warden to shake before saying, "Please, Mr. Cake is my father. Call me Pound."

"Well then, Mr. Pound, welcome to our facility, or as we like to call it, the Breadbox!"

"Why do you call it that?"

"I have no idea," admitted the warden. "That's just what we call it."

Pound was already using his wings to hold a pencil and notepad, and he furiously scribbled down every word that was said.

'At least this guy's more easygoing than that guard outside,' he thought. He didn't know why, but he'd always felt more comfortable around people the happier and quirkier they were. His best guess would be that it might be because of the influence of his old foalsitter, who had always been cheerful, fun, and weird in all of the best ways. He couldn't remember much about her or her antics. He'd been far too young, but her personality had been imprinted deep into his memory.

He continued asking mundane questions about how the prison was run as the warden led him through a hallway lined with heavy metal doors on each side. They'd passed several already, but one caused the warden to shudder as he approached it. According to Cellblock, the other doors led to hallways containing many varying criminals in cells that could withstand the full brunt of a bugbear attack. Until the warden had shuddered, Pound had assumed this doorway would lead to the same.

"What's in there?" Pound asked, gesturing towards the door they were approaching.

The warden gulped before turning to face Pound.

"Your interview," he said.