//------------------------------// // Anticipated Altercation // Story: Earning Freedom // by Daxisle //------------------------------// Anticipated Altercations Mac awoke to a gentle prodding on his side and the calling of his name. He slowly opened his eyes and cringed them shut as the light of the sun did nothing to help an, all to quickly developing headache. He coughed at the dryness in his throat, he wished he hadn't. His throat was horse and raw from he and Spikes mid night screaming session, and his eyes drooped from the lack of sleep he had. "Get up Mac." Sins voice called, The red stallion felt another push into his side. "I know you two had fun with your screaming escapade last night, but we have to get rolling soon. And I think you are the kind who actually eats breakfast." Mac heard the unsociable stallion walk away and begin his wake up call for Spike. Mac began to lift his head, though the headache and dry mouth were enough to make him want to lay back down, and call the Reaper for his soul, A small feeling of relief came from within him. It wasn't that incredible feeling he had woken up to for the past few days, that was quickly overpowered by the illness he was ready to beat his head against a rock to get rid of. The feeling of relief came from a small piece of his mind, it was that little area where he let everything fester; that part of him that would bring dark thoughts front and center, and make every little bit of stress far greater than it needed to be. As Macintosh wondered over to his saddlebag, he grabbed a large red water pouch he had stuffed for his travels. The liquid was cool and refreshing on his raw throat. Though his dry mouth and thirst were only quenched after the water was all but gone, the discomfort in his throat had subsided and his headache began to fade. A loud and agonized grown erupted from behind, Mac turned his head to see Spike rubbing his temples and sighing heavily. "Aww man, my head. What happened last night?" He asked, his voice shrill and cracking. As the dragon opened his eyes, he clamped them closed again with another complaint. "Man that's bright, who turned the sun on so high?" "Yelling requires a lot of energy." Sin explained taking drink from his own canteen. "It dries your throat, thus forcing your body to redirect hydration to it and away from other places that your body needs it. He tossed the water container to Spike who drank from it, grateful to treat his throat to the relief. "Once that starts circulating up to your head, the headache should go away. Unless you have herbs that will numb the pain instantly. But numbing the pain isn't solving the problem, it's only masking it." Spike drained the rest of the contents down his throat, he took in a gasp before wiping some droplets of the refreshment from his chin and cheeks. "Oh, uh." He looked down in realization at his unintentional over indulgence, "sorry about that." He stood up to give the canteen back to Sin, only to fall to his knees as a sharp and sore pain shot threw his feet and legs. He hissed and looked down at his feet, tracing his claw gently on his pained part of his feet. "Y'all right there, tender hoof?" Mac teased trying to stop the oncoming giggle. Spike deadpanned. "Oh ha ha, very funny." His scowl lightened and he couldn't help but laugh at the irony. "Wow, did one day of walking really mess my feet up this bad?" "Mac's used to bucking apples and working his farm." Sin said again replacing the bag on his back. "I have been traveling by foot for the longest time. From what you told me about your confinement and your overprotective care taker, you have been shielded from this long a walk. Nothing to be ashamed of, you'll get used to it." Mac agreed that Spike could ride on his back for a few days, at least until he could walk on his own at a decent pace again. Sin mentioned seeing a some wheat growing at the bottom of the mountain and a small lake next to it for them to refill their water supplies. After Spike questioned why they walked all the way up the mountain, seeing as this wasn't the one that they were going for, he was bemused to find that Sin's answer for doing so wasn't a "why" but a "why not?" After half an hour the party had finally reached the bottom and drank happily from the pond below. Though it's taste was more stale then Mac's liking, he couldn't complain that his thirst was finally and fully quenched. He turned his attention to the delicious looking grains only a few feet away, his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he began to approach. The sweet and slightly bitter scent of the herbs called to him, making his stomach growl for satisfaction. "Hey Spike." Sin called as the mentioned individual dipped his feet into the water with a stinging his. "I've been meaning to ask, dragons are primarily carnivorous right? How did you manage to live among pony folk for so long? I couldn't imagine they were to keen on the idea of giving you free roam of the fields for hunting." After a sigh of relief, the adolescent looked back with thoughtful eyes. "I've never eaten meat before. Back in Ponyville, I just ate the Gemstones they gave me." He shrugged musing over the idea of killing an animal for its flesh. Typically such a thought would disturb him to literal sickness, but it didn't now for some reason. "But I have a good weeks worth of emeralds in my bag, so; I should be alright for a while in the food department." Sin nodded thoughtfully and joined Mac in his quiet grazing. After everyone had their fill of food, the two stallions began their walk north again, with Spike still poking at his feet on Mac's back. They left the mountain behind and moved from the luscious green grass and trees, to a more dry and dirt ridden climate. Passing by several dead trees and brush, Mac began to feel the temperature drop as they continued. It wasn't anything that really bothered him at the moment, but it was defiantly noticeable. "So, what's the reason we're going to see the Minotaurs anyway?" Spike asked, breaking the silence that had lingered for hours. "One of the things i do to help ponies awaken to the idea of freedom and self sufficiency is give them a weapon they can use to aid what ever situation they are in." Sin explained motioning the others to walk around an upcoming ditch. "Typically a crossbow and selective number of arrows, which reminds me, Mac do you still have that Crossbow i gave you?" "Eyup." Mac lifted the flap of his pouch to reveal the the wooden contraption was present and in good condition. Sin nodded his approval and asked the stallion to brace it on his forehoof. Mac agreed holding the march for moment before he strapped the bow onto his arm. Sin pulled open his own bag and pulled out a black crossbow that was modeled the same way Mac's was. After fastening it to his own fore hoof, he pulled out a couple of arrows and placed them into one of Mac's pockets. "Be on guard you two," Sin cautioned looking around at the dead plant's and small amount of rocks that lay about. "We are entering very dangerous territory." "What ya mean?" "Bandits." "Bandits?" Spike inquired, his eyes darting for any unseen threat. "Yes," Sin answered before he used his mouth to load an arrow into the crossbow, placing a strap down to hold the projectile in place as he walked. "Instead of creating for themselves and earning their way through life, they have decided to it better to simply steal or kill in order to take from another. Truly the second most disgusting kind of creature alive." He spat his last words in absolute disgust. Mac cleared his throat to gain attention. "Only the second? That sounds like the worst kinda pony Ah evah heard of." he stopped his trot in order to attempt to load his bow, having a bit more trouble than his companion did. "As bad as they are, at least they have the honesty to do the dirty work themselves." Sin replied placing another arrow on an elevated holder, so that when pushed correctly, it could quickly be inserted into bow for another shot. "At least they don't try to hide behind a righteous cause while they steal money from others." Mac was taken aback by Sin's unprecedented change in tone. He seemed almost angry with his final words, and the fact the red pony had no idea what his friend was talking about, only fed his suicidal desire to press the issue. Sin breathed a calming sigh before he apologized. "S'alright," Mac replied smugly, "Though, Ah am curious what you meant by 'hide behind a righteous cause'." Sin shook his head and wordlessly continued walking forward. Mac followed, unsure if he had done anything to offend the lead stallion. Spike was to concerned with looking around for anypony who might jump out and try to take his gem stones to worry about what the two were talking about. After an hour into the walk, the group approached a a tall and lengthy forest. Trees as far as the eye could see, and then some. Mac bit his lip as his nerves began to act up on the incontrovertible fact that every single tree was with out leaf. He narrowed his eyes to see if there was any living vegetation in the wood work, but all he could see was grey and brown tree bark beyond what he saw before. "Gentlecolts, this is Deadwood forest." Sin proclaimed before he turned around to address his followers. "The sun will be going down in a few hours, and we will not have enough time to make it through before nightfall. So, I ask you: Would you rather wait the night out here where a reasonable amount of visibility can be maintained? Or take our chances by spending the night within?" Mac looked up to what would have been the canopy of the trees. Sharp and pointed twigs shot out in every direction, a strong feeling of discomfort festered in his stomach as his eyes shifted between the trunks. He couldn't see anything threatening, but the dead trees and lack of color only gave off a sense of danger and malice. He looked back to get Spike's opinion on the matter, based on the young reptiles expression, his thought's hung around the same areas Macintosh's. "Nope." they both said in unison. Sin took one look behind himself, observing the forest from a closer standpoint before his eyes returned to the others. "Good call." They wondered around for a bit, trying to find something to eat or some shelter that they could spend the night in. The group came upon a field of daises and the two stallions began to feast on the few flowers that had yet to fall to autumn's chill. After a few more minutes of search, the three deduced that the area was devoid of water. Thus they would have to conserve what little they had on them. Instead of sitting around blankly and waiting for nightfall, Sin and Mac decided that now would be a good time to practice shooting. The two kept their backs to Spike, was now sitting and watching them, and selected a tree as their target. Mac raised his bow baring hoof and aimed it at the tree. Sin raised an eyebrow and gave gave condescending look before, he looked forward again and awaited the strum of the bow. Mac held his hoof steady as he zoned in on a crack right in the middle of the trunks base. His concentration was disrupted when he gingerly pushed the firing mechanism and the projectile launched forward in a blur of brown and white. Mac's hopeful smile fell as the arrow missed the tree truck completely and struck the dirt thirty yards behind it. He looked back down to the crossbow in confusion, he could have sworn he was right on target; 'is there something wrong with the bow?' wondered. "Good try." The leading stallion gave a genuine nod of approval. "Though, one thing about crossbows; you have to bring the arrow up to your eye." He grabbed the Mac's bow arm and brought it up to his right eye. The novice bowcolt closed his opposite eye and veered down where the shaft of the arrow would be. Sin pointed the tip of his hoof where mac was looking and motioned where the arrow would fly upon release. "Straight line, until you get to further targets, but we will stick with the basics today." Mac nodded grabbing another arrow from his bag and resetting the string. Sin stood to the side of the bow and observed his apprentice at work. Mac lined up the arrow with his eye, the contraption before him starting to shake slightly from his inexperience with it's weight. After tightening his muscles to better steady the bow, he pushed the button and watched as the arrow struck the tree. Though it hadn't hit it's mark, Mac was pleased to not that he had only missed by by a foot or so downward. He looked to his instructor, who returned his look with another approving nod. "These kinds of skills take time, Big Mac." Sin whispered, his whoof pulling up Mac's own. He observed teh unsteady shaking that the Red stallion failed to control. "Don't worry, It is a heavy object on a limb you are not used to being impaired. With a great deal of time and practice..." He paused and inspected his own crossbow before pointing at the tree. Two thuds later, he smiled and withdrew his hoof to the ground. "You'll be able to hit home almost every time." Sin turned away and trudged back to the camp area. Mac watched him go momentarily than shot his head back to where Sin's arrow had struck. Macintosh's mouth gaped when he found that his instructor's arrow not only pierced the the crack Mac was aiming for, but he hit it right in the middle of an area where the bark had pealed off. The red pony looked back to find his associates conversing about Twilight again, and her former subordinates complaints about her over corrective mannerisms. Shaking his head, Big Mac made his way back to his friends and listened to the young dragons tale about how Twilight had done something that would run her out of town if anypony knew about it... --- Wind, wind was flowing through his mane. Gently at first, but as time passed the air began to grow more harsh and started to whip his orange hair around his face. Mac felt something in the pit of his stomach, that feeling you get when you slip from bad footing, his lower body felt like a pit and his shoulders weightless. An emerald eye opened to see clouds flying past him, clouds? His eyes redirected to green, blue and brown landscape below him, as it rushed ever closer into view. --- Mac awoke from his sleep by something poking into his neck. He opened his fogged over eyes, the campfire offsetting his blurred vision. A feeling of terror claimed him upon everything coming into focus, he beheld Spike struggling against a dark rope that pinned him to the ground, two spikes on either side of his body holding the rope firmly in place, his screams for help were muffled by a white piece of cloth that was unceremoniously stuffed into his mouth. Mac's eyes darted to where Sin was sleeping, a pool of dark liquid flowed from where his body lay facing away from him. The back of his cape concealing what Mac dreaded was the lifeless body of his friend. Big Mac attempted to rise to his feet, but was immediately reminded of what had awoken him in the first place. A sharp pain radiated from his neck down to his body. With wide and trembling eyes, the stallion turned his head to see two soulless and half closed eyes glaring down at him. "Eav'ning Gov'na." Wow, a maybe decent cliff hanger? Maybe I can get a C+ in creative writing now! Alright enough of the self animosity. Questions of the chapter: Is character development up to par? (With Big Mac and Spike's learning about how restrained they really were, and how to appreciate being who they themselves, really are? (Bonus History Question.) The Federal Reserve Act and IRS Act of 1913 were signed into law by which President? I might go into world history if the bonus question actually gets answered.