//------------------------------//
// My Life? (Revised) 
// Story: Earning Freedom 
// by Daxisle 
//------------------------------//





My Life?






Big Mac stared at the parchment, the first line playing over and over again. "Were you put on this earth to serve another?" he sat the note down on his sleeping shelf. "Was ah?" He whispered thinking of his family. He enjoyed bucking apples and working the land, helping out with the farm was all he had ever known; was he dedicating his life to serving them? No, he had a choice. He could leave at any time, but would the farm be able to sustain itself without him?

The stallion shook the thoughts away, deciding such over analysis would need to wait until he was free from this prison. Mac hunched over the bag, and used his mouth to undo the string that tied at the top. He reached in and pulled out a heavy contraption that held a curved piece of wood held by a string at one end, with a long arm that held a ring at the other. Though he had never used such a projectile, the pony had seen it before and understood how it worked. He slipped his hoof threw the ring and pulled it up his foreleg until the curved piece was just above his hoof. He fastened the crossbow onto his foreleg and gave it a wiggle to check its stability.

After a few adjustments, Macintosh deemed the contraption would hold, and reached back into the bag to pull out a small red feathered arrow and a face mirror. He perked an eyebrow at the reflective surface, the bow and arrow were easy to decipher in their use, but what of this? Mac peered into the mirror; looking at his blood-stained mane when the guard- no... THAT guard stomped him in the forehead. The unicorn who he had nothing but absolute contempt for.

Big Mac's anger flashed in the mirror, he glared at himself; despising the fact that he was being used. How could he have fallen for such a disgusting ploy? He pushed the mirror away before he could watch the tears fall from his eyes. What would his family think of him? If Applejack DID have to come down and, "pay" for him to leave. 

'NO!' A voice in the back of the red pony's mind seethed. 'You will not let that happen, you were put in here for no reason. NO REASON AT ALL! You did nothing wrong; HE is the one who deserves to feel shamed. Punished for putting you in here for no reason other than for that bastard to get his jollies.'

Big Mac's tears stopped. He looked down at the mirror again, a determined glint in his typically somber emerald eyes. "Ah am Big Macintosh," he whispered turning away from the mirror and grabbing the arrow from on top of the bag. "And ah will NOT be used bah some two bit mule," His whisper turned into a growl as he sat down on the shelf and began to contemplate his plan of escape.

Big Macintosh wasn't sure where exactly he was, due to the fact the stallion was knocked silly by a particularly maniacal guardspony, but he remembered that the building they dragged him into was not very big. He also didn't recall seeing anypony else before he’d been left in his cell. If he was lucky, he wouldn't have to go through more than three of them to get out of here. Thankfully, one of them would fall immediately thanks to whoever gave him the bow and bolt.

A sly smile claimed Big Macintosh's face. The plan formed quickly, and all he needed to do was have the right pony come and open the door for him. He stood from the shelf and walked over to the bars, "Alright!" he barked, trying to get his captors attention. "You win! Ah'll do what 'cha asked."

Mac sighed, his excitement out weighing his nervousness. He was taking control of the situation now, he was in control of his life. He would no longer be at the will of the pony coming to, for all intents and purposes, release him. Trotting hoofsteps started to echo louder and louder throughout the hall, each clop of hoof to stone; brought a faster race to the red stallions drumming heart. The captive stallion sat down in the corner of the room, hiding the crossbow from sight. "Come on ya' son of a mule, come on."

After what seemed like an eternity, the jailor finally stood in front of Big Mac's cell, his keys in hoof. "I'm glad ya came to yer' senses, colt." he unlocked the cell door and walked in, much to Big Mac’s delight. "Ya' know? Just because yer' panzy hide didn't make me wait too long, I think I might just plant myself in her sweet plot when I'mma gettin' ready to finish up."

Big Mac's eyes widened in anger for a moment before he suppressed the emotion and the urges that came with it. Vengeance would be sweeter than he had originally anticipated.

"So," the guard said grinning at the downtrodden captive. "When d’ ya want me ta send for her?"

Big Mac grumbled, turning his head away, doing his best to feign despair. 'Come on, just a little closer!'

"Beg yer’ pardon?" Asked the jailer, his hoofsteps closing the gap.

With tear ridden eyes, Macintosh looked back at him. he found the unicorn was unarmed, exactly what he was hoping for. He turned his head away and mumbled again.

The sadistic jailspony moved even closer, putting his hoof to his ear. "Didn't quite catch that." He lowered his hoof and walked until he was only inches away from his prisoner. "Don' worry mate, no one in this whole jail but you n' me."

Big Mac couldn't hide his smirk, as he place the arrow readied crossbow up into his new captive’s throat. "Ain't nopony hea' but us, ya' say?"

As the sharp metal pushed up into his naked neck, the jailer's eyes lit up in fear, and he rose his empty hooves in show of surrender. "What? What's going on here? Where did you get that?"

Mac pushed the arrow eagerly against the ponies neck. "Ah think tha' question y'all should be asking is: How do I get the angry red stallion to not stick this here arrow in my throat?" He growled keeping his bow holding hoof right below the button that triggers the firing sequence.

"Hey take it easy, I was only jokin'." The unicorn laughed nervously.

Tremors of fear vibrated past the bolt and into Big Mac's arm. The stallion knew he was in control, but he wanted to make sure the guardspony knew it as well. "Y'all arrest me with no charge, knock meh' silly for no reason, generally treat meh like dirt," His tone growing darker with each point, "Throw me in this here cage, tell me Ah need ta' let yah have yer' way with mah sister to get free, and all you have to say is that you were only jokin'!?" Mac's eyes narrowed at the creature before him, he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying the brown stallion’s squirming a little too much.

"Please dude, I'm sorry, just, please don't kill me, man. I got a wife an’ kids." The captor-now-captive pleaded.

'Dude?'

"Ah ain't no murderah',"Big Mac seethed, lowering the crossbow slightly. As he saw the pony relax, Mac pulled his free hoof back and sent it flying into the side of the jailer’s jaw, knocking his shocked brown face against the ground. "Even so, Ah am a stallion who believes in payback." 


The golden armored lump didn't move, save for his chest showing the clear signs of breathing. Macintosh hmphed and walked out the open gate; making his way back to his life, and the freedom he had come to appreciate. He remembered the way out, and proceeded down the hallway, fumbling with the keys to open the outer gate. Once he reached the slightly warmer holding area, he found the last door that lead outside.

A crash and pain splitting headache later, Big Mac shook his head and looked up to see his previous jailor standing a few feet away, panting heavily. "Where you think you're goin?" he asked, slightly out of breath. 

Big Mac jumped to his hooves and tried to aim his crossbow, only to have the guard too close for it to fire the shot before he grabbed it. A pair of brown legs wrapped around the crossbow to try to wrench it out of the apple pony’s grasp. Abandoning the weapon, he slammed his hoof down onto the unicorn's head. Somewhat unfazed, the unicorn brought his head back and gracelessly rammed it into Mac's own; momentarily disorienting both of them.

The red pony found his bearings first, and bucked his opponent off. He quickly stood and took aim at the unicorn's chest. After everything that's happened, the guard stood still, cocky enough to contort his mouth into a condescending sneer. "Hey, how 'bout you put that thing down and fight me like a real stallion?"

'HA! This one speaks of honor? After what he did to you to get to your sister!?' The small voice in the back of his mind barked, ending any honor bound inclination Mac began to feel. 'This thing doesn't deserve to be treated with decency, Big Macintosh, he barely deserves to live. Do it, end him; NOW!'

"Come on mate, drop the crossbow; and let's settle this like re-" His words were cut short by a thud. The unicorn's eyes grew wide and he looked down to find three red feathers attached to a long wooden shaft sticking out of his left shoulder His lips quivering, he looked up to find Macintosh with scathing eyes, and a shaking hoof.

The defeated jailor fell to his knees, shock consuming his features. Big Macintosh limped up and brought his face mere inches from him. "If ah EVAH see y'all again, you'll wish that that there arrow had killed you." He slapped the jailor with his leg and sent him tumbling down to the ground for a second time.

Mac burst through the doors, leaving the wounded pony behind. The cool night air smelled sweet brushing past his mane. The grass, cool though kind on his hooves, he took in a deep breath; it felt as if it were the first breath he had ever taken. It was a refreshing breath, the breath of a new pony, a free pony.

He looked around to find a familiar cluster of tree that expanded for miles, not far up a shallow hill. "Tha Evahfree forest." Mac smiled looking around to see if he could find Ponyville. Off in the distance he could see a bright light, though his vision was still a little fuzzy from the altercation, he could tell it was the welcoming sight of home. He trotted forth, wavering from time to time; due to his balance still not being completely regained. 

He made it to the last bluff that hindered him from the small village that was his home. He looked around as if seeing the world for the first time. That letter had struck him more than he initially realized. It was true, he had always found the world as such a constraining place. Not that he’d mind it most of the time, but to see it; to really see it as a place he could go, somewhere that nopony could keep him from. It lit a new fire in himself, one that he never before experienced, something he had always taken for granted until now. He was alive, and this was his life.

"Congratulations, Big Macintosh!" Called a smooth voice.