//------------------------------// // Reflections of Anarchy // Story: Earning Freedom // by Daxisle //------------------------------// Reflections and Anarchy The sun was begining to set over the Apple Orchard as Mac threw the rejuvinizer he was supposed to gently place and mesh around the tree roots of his crop. Wiping away a bit of sweet, the stallion stomped and grind the compound, effectively cutting its effects in half from both inefficient usage and damage. He couldn't get his sister out of his mind. He hoped some time working the fields and working out his stress would bring calmness and clarity to his mind, but it seemed only to irritate him farther. Applebloom had come out to check on him repeatedly, offering water and lunch, but he refused with a ferocity that he was ashamed to display. The shame only adding to his already foul mood. He tried desperately to fill his mind with other things. Things that once made him happy and smile, but each thought brought with it the mistakes he'd made in his life. Annabelle and the things he'd said to her, Spike and the lack of authority he provided, His parents and their deaths, Apples and his day long mistreatment of them. No matter his happy thought, there was something attatched that made him want to kick himself in the balls. 'Mistakes happen, you can't hold yourself to such a high standard.' That didn't matter, mistakes were made. Mistakes were failures on his part, that's exactly what they were. Failure, failure to acknowledge the best course of action, failure to account for variables within his control, failure to protect the one's he love, failure to- 'ENOUGH! Enough of this self pity party already.' Pity? PITY! Mac didn't feel "pity" for himself. He was far to angry to feel such an emotion. He was livid with himself and any sorry feelings weren't a factor. As he felt his body start to tremble again, Mac grew a strong desire to buck something, anything. Anything to make the feelings that had been plaguing him go away. He eyed the tree he'd just applied rejuvinizer to and his anger amplified ten fold. He gave the tree the identiy of all of his problem, Soarin, Granny, hopelessness, failure and regret. Everything he hated, everything that scared him, everything emotion he wanted gone. He quickly pivoted on his front hooves and slammed his back legs into the trunk of the tree, resulting on a very satisfying release and snap that echoed throughout the orchard. Though, his satisfaction was short lived and he bucked the tree again, and again and again. Grunting in irritation as every buck became less and less fulfilling than the last. He gave one last buck and heard a unique snap and the tell tale signs of cracking and creaking that always accompanied breaking wood. He closed his eyes as the cracking and popping grew in intensity and finally came to climax as a loud thud echoed from behind, finalizing the destruction he'd committed with a deafening silence. His mind blank, the stallion flinched from the noiseless finality, he slowly turned to look at the fallen tree and quickly wished he hadn't. The stump and root were slightly disturbed, but well intact to the ground. The top part of the tree, on the other hand, lay ravaged on the ground utterly useless, hanging on by a few slivers. All of this complimented by the intensity of the red tint that the dusk offered, making the scene look more disturbing than it really was. What made him wish he hadn't looked was the fact every last bit of stress he'd rid himself of with the act returned ten fold. He'd just ruined a tree, destroyed a crop that he needed in order to keep himself and his family fed. More destruction. Finally, releasing himself from all rationality, the stallion screamed. A yell of anger and frustration, a cry of desperation, hopelessness and pain that would infect any listeners with both fear and heartbreak. In his desperation, he leapt forth onto the fallen tree and unleashed a ravenous assault, fully convinced that if he just destroyed it, if he just mashed it into nothing but wood chips and splinters, all of his pain would go away. He kicked, he bucked, he stomped the poor flora. Stamping, slamming and grunting all the while, sparing no strength he had in himself. Nothing else mattered, not the brusing on his legs, not the splinters in his hooves, not needed oxygen in his lungs that just couldn't get seem to fill to need. All that mattered was destroying the object of his hatreds. Slowly, he felt his energy deplete as the pain in his body finally pushed past the adrenaline to tell Mac about the damage he'd done. Tears had pushed themselves out of his eyes at some point in his tirade, he didn't know when though. But as his movements slowed, his crying fell from being out of rage and pain to tears of emptiness and sorrow. He was empty now, no more anger or hatred, but the pain and hopelessness were still present and more profound. Mac struggled to stay upright, but knew that soon he'd be on the ground, bawling like a baby. Maybe that's what he needed? To simply let it all out. Lose control and have himself a cry. "Big Mac?" Pressing his lips and readying himself, Mac slowly turned to find Applebloom standing a few feet away and immediately turned away from her. She didn't need to see him like this. "Mac, what happened? What's goin' on?" She asked, her voice dripping with worry. "The tree, it was-" "Ah'm not talkin' 'bout the tree! Ah'm talkin' 'bout you!" She yelled. She ran up in front of him and gasped. "Oh mah gosh, brother. Look at yer legs and hooves!" He obeyed and found that the signals of pain his brain was receiving really didn't do justice to the damage. Splinters stuck out of his hooves and legs, small trickles of blood running freely to the ground almost completely coating the black part of his hoof. Applebloom looked up at him with wide eyes, confusion and a desire to understand within. "Why'd you do this tah yer'self?" Mac was silent for a moment, wishing his sister hadn't been here and didn't have to see what he'd done, but he also didn't want to hurt her more by pushing her away. He did it because he was angry, angry about so many things that the filly both could and could not understand. He left out the part when AJ was besides herself silly drunk, but did include her and granny in the list. "AJ and Granny made you do this?" Bloom asked, taking a step back. Flinching at the message received, Mac tried to correct her. "No, it wasn't granny n' Applejack. Ah did it because Ah was angry, they didn't make me do it though, Ah did it cause Ah wanted to." Suddenly, he felt a light pull on his foreleg and found his sister latched to him. "Please don't." She sniffled. "Please stahp. Ah don't wanna see you hurt yourself like this." Mac parted his lips and sucked in a bit of air. It felt good to be loved and have somepony care for your well being. He gently pulled the filly into a hug, whispering words of comfort to her. But he knew they would only be so true. Spike's hell was over at the trial, but his hell was only just beginning. Sin entered the Library, leaving the darkened streets behind for the well lit open area of the bookstore turned home. Twilight looked up from the book she was reading smiled. "Welcome back, any luck finding a job?" He didn't have the appropriate documentation in order to get a legal job, but where there were white markets, there was always black markets. It was hard dealing with ponies in such a casual town. He wasn't used to others being so friendly for so long without the snark and sarcasm. Genuine ponies smiled and greeted him as he walked thought town, it was weird and he didn't know how to respond save his faux politeness, which understandably put anyone he spoke to on edge. It would take time to acclimate to such an environment, if he could do so at all. Still though, he managed to find some work at lesser pay under the table in helping some rather shadowy pegasi transport cargo from a flower store to the outskirts of Ponyville. He had no idea what it was he was hauling, but he also didn't concern himself with it. With his lack of citizenship, he'd take what work he could get, even if he found the work beneath him. Twilight eyed him with a knowing smile for a moment. "Really? Because guess what arrived while you were gone?" She pulled out a card and booklet. "Your passport and a visa. Since you didn't have these, and a regulation identification card, I'm curious as to how you found a job." ... Motherfucker. "Legal markets aren't the only work in town, Ms. Sparkle." He shrugged, knowing that he'd most likely get some flack for the answer. And boy did he. He also got flack for disregarding orders of rest from his handler and the physician. He was supposed to take a week off to rest and recover, but he'd be damned before he'd accept any more charity. He was sick enough of how much he'd been given already. Again he shrugged off the mare's scolding and reached into his saddlebag to produce three bits onto the table. "Pay for rent." He declared, one of the better things about the black market was that it usually paid daily. Twilight's irritation quickly turned to shock and she pushed the bits back to him. Thanking him for the offer, but he'd need all the money he could get. Sin had thought about that, the more bits he accumulated, the quicker he'd be able to buy his own place, but he wasn't about to live like a parasite. "I'm not a free loader." He pressed, pushing the bits back to her. The librarian scowled in irritation, pushing them right back. "Nonsense, you're a guest here." "Yes, I'm a guest in a Library, a government building paid for by tax payers." He pushed them back, matching her scowl. "And I have no interest in living off the public's dime without contributing something in return." The debate between the two continued, each finding their own reasonings for why the money should be kept or paid. Finally Sin agreed to keep the money, Twilight looked as if she was about to start blowing steam out of her ears and his interests dictated that he'd be better served to appease her. "Thank you." She declared triumphantly, but Sin wouldn't be bested so easily. He'd just save the bits and leave them for her when he left. "How's Spike doing?" He asked, changing the topic. "Spike's been okay, he's been eating and drinking and says he's not in as much pain anymore. So, he's doing better I think." Sin nodded and went upstairs, yelling a reply when Twilight yelled that dinner was ready for him. He pushed the door to Spike's room open and found the drake humming to himself as he read a book. "Sup?" "Not much, just wanted to talk to you about something." The Federalist replied, taking a seat. Spike pressed his lips as the stallion began asking him the same questions he'd been asking himself. Spike gave the same answers. "I have no idea why they did it, honestly. I mean, I've never even seen them outside of the Golvec incident." He watched as Sin pondered the information. It was always hard to tell if the stallion was thinking or spacing out. "And you're absolutely sure you've had no other interactions with them outside of that? You've never signed a contract with them or anything?" Spike had signed a contract with them, but that was after the matter, so him saying no wasn't technically lying. Still, he wanted to ask Sin about what the Triple M. might have in store for him. But that would require telling the stallion that he did sign a contract with them, and with all the stuff going on, he just wasn't in the mood to deal with all the lecturing that entailed. Besides, he re-read over the secondary copy of the contract he was bound to, it was just one favor. He didn't sell his soul to them or anything. Spike, having enough of the subject, changed it to how Sin's first day as a Ponyville resident had been. Where once he was the prey of interrogation, he was now the predator, a much more comfortable position. Sin, apparently, was working in the transportation industry and helped move freight, and just like with Twilight, was called into account about his legality. "White markets aren't the only markets, you know that." Spike chuckled to himself, he did. While black markets had a bad rep to them, it was actually anything that the government wasn't involved in was considered a "black market". Drugs and prostitution were considered for sure, but larger wagon sales, untaxed or unregulated food sales, and the like were also considered "black" due to their lack of legitimacy in complacency in law and government involvement. A lesson he learned in passing Trottingham back when the three of them were helping a trio of minotaur unload a wagon full of illegal construction equipment. Thank Celestia Sin had seen the guards mobilizing, still it wasn't what one would call "steady" or "safe" work, considering the government was always on the look out for such things. But hey, nopony was getting hurt by it. "What were you and Twi arguing about? I could hear you from all the way up here." "I tried to give her money for rent, but she was adamant about not accepting it." Spike laughed, not surprised. It was good to see his friend and mom somewhat getting along, though. "I'm actually kinda surprised you can stand in the same room with her." "What do you mean?" "Well, you're an Anarchist, right? You don't believe in government at all. She's the student of the highest authority in the land, seems to me like you'd be natural enemies." He smirked as Sin nodded in concession. He didn't know why, but the irony of the whole friendship just struck him as funny. Same with his friendship with Uppity, honestly. "True, and while I do find it ironic, I also acknowledge where she's coming from. I've got no reason to fight her or lecture her on the fundamentals of taxation being theft. Twilight's smart, I'm pretty sure she already knows that." He smirked. "Besides, the crown isn't all that intrusive, taxes here are quite low and well, honestly, It's probably a more functional and compassionate society for it." "Oh?" Sin nodded, he knew what he was about to say went against everything he believed in, but Anarchy was a very volatile and dangerous society. It didn't matter if the society was based in Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, or Mutualism. Yea, there wasn't a government around to give the monopoly of violence to, but there was also no authority to hold the masses in check. No higher power to stem the tides of fear and uncertainty. His main philosophy against the state stemmed from the idea that no pony was fit to rule over another pony through force of violence. Both were equal in that regard, and as such, neither was fit to govern the other. But Celestia was a different story. She wasn't merely another pony, she was an alicorn with thousands of years of wisdom and experience behind her. That made her a bit more fit than others, in his honest and pragmatic opinion. Fact of the matter was that, a healthy and functional Anarchist society of all types required a polite and compassionate population, a group of individuals who were willing to fight and suffer to keep their way of life. Though, with the fear and instability of it, something all sentient life dramatically tried to avoid, it would only be a matter of time until too much of the populace abandon statelessness and sought shelter and security in a higher power. It is what had happened to his homeland after the first Running of the Centaur, and history had a terrible habit of repeating itself. Though, unlike his country, Equestria's political class didn't thrive off of fear and instability. They didn't push for laws that tried to place the ponies into sucking the government teat. So in all reality, Equestria was as close to Utopia as the world would most likely ever come. The fact it was a primarily Capitalist nation did bring a fond smile to Sin's face, though. It was an interesting idea. Spike hadn't really gone too far into Sin's beliefs before, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to respect his friend's logic. Fear and instability had always been what he thought when the word Anarchy came up, and it was addressed quite well in this instance. "Governments are never the problem." Sin sighed, shaking his head. "I've been demonized for saying so in the Liberty Synidcate, but I stand by that to this day. The chain of obedience, the ponies who obey the commands, the ponies who say "I'm just following orders" against others who aren't hurting anyone, they are the problem. Governments are just a reflection of what the population is willing to put up with. Much like how Markets are simply the reflection of the will of the populace." That last bit was lost on the drake, but before he could question him farther, Sin bid him good night and walked out of the room. Responsibility of the ponies for themselves, some might call that victim blaming, but when it came down to it, who was responsible for the individuals freedoms if the government ever became tyrannical? Who'd protect the rights of others if not the government who's sworn to protect them?