//------------------------------//
// Story Time 
// Story: Earning Freedom 
// by Daxisle 
//------------------------------//









Story Time







"Thank you." Scootaloo said, happily taking the small tin cup full of lukewarm potato and carrot stew.

Sin took a look at the dead fire and missed the Everfree forest. When he looked at the map, he noticed that Dodge City was a a good fifty miles away from the forest with only badlands and small towns between they and Dodge. He found it practical to grab a few good sized bits of Everwood for a fire and had them kept strapped to his person using his saddle bag. Tyken had told him stories about how cold the badlands were back in Griffinstone, despite the cruel heat of the day, and Sin was a pony to rather have and not need than need and not have.

He took a drink of the broth and smiled as the warmth of the water fought off the growing cold of the slowly darkening deadlands around them. 

One thing the Federalist really didn't like about the open landscape was just how exposed the two were. There was nothing for the two to hide behind or conceal themselves with out here. Nothing but dirt, rocks, and a few skilital shrubs. It also didn't help that both would hear the occasional howl of a coyote in the back ground from time to time, setting both Angel and Scootaloo on edge. Sin himself wasn't worried about the mutts, they weren't known to attack adult ponies unless they were really desperate, but foals and rabbits? The dogs would make quick work of both, especially if they were desperately famished.

"Sooo..." Scootaloo started, growing uncomfortable with the peaceful silence Sin had come to love so much. "Umm, can you tell me why we're going to Dodge City, please?"

"I'm a nomad wondering is what I do." The Federalist replied. "Dodge is just a place I'm going, I guess."

Scootaloo frowned and repeated the question, emphasizing the why a little harder. Sin shrugged, he hadn't really come up with a reason to go to Dodge, and he certainly wasn't about to tell her the truth. Saying that learning survival in the badlands wasn't an option, since he wouldn't be in the city for long, his mission succeeding or failing. Though, if he did succeed in killing Puddinghead in Dodge, what then? Yet another question he couldn't really answer.

The filly groaned. "You're so secretive, why is that?"

"As I've said, the less you know about me the better." Sin quipped, taking another sip and munching on a stray carrot.

"Yea, I get that, but why? I mean, you don't seem like a bad pony to me." Scootaloo argued, still unable to understand his claim. Sin decided to go with the classical response of not everything being as it seemed, leading the filly to pout and sulk in her ignorance.

'C'mon Sin, she's a lost foal who's scared out of her mind, would it really be so bad to let her have a connection with you?' Critic asked.

You know something, Critic? You're right, you're absolutely right. So, which story would you like me to tell her? That I'm on my way to Dodge to kill a pony who betrayed me and tried to have me killed, or the story of how I freed said pony? Going against the laws of the land due to my own moral compase and having that decision back fire so hard in my face, it made me a fugitive of the land, resulted in the mare I used to love betraying me and all around ruining my life here?

'Nice strawman, jackass. I was thinking more along the lines of maybe sharing a story about something else? Like when you talked about Tapio or the Federation? Something that, you know, doesn't traumatize children and make you out to be a gigantic, sociopathic, anarchist prick.'

... Have you met me? Hi, I'm Sinbad Von Islander: I'm the fucking definition of a gigantic, sociopathic, anarchist prick.

'Really? So tell me, 'sociopath', why did you save Macintosh from wrongful incarceration? Or conspire to save Spike's life if you found the Diamond Dog's judgement too harsh? Or help liberate those other diamond dogs from that dragon? Or, you know, make friends with any of them?'

Well... those were-

'Or better yet, 'anarchist' why did you: not only take a government position as Arbiter of city council in Ponyville, but also attend multiple events in which to defend the current government structure, one of which being an anarchist event itself?'

Okay, that's not fair, that was-

'Also, you're pretty short to consider yourself "gigantic", and being a prick? Seriously? You're anti-social and a-social. I'll give you that, but you're hardly a prick. Yea, you've been a prick in your past, but ever since you left behind the toxic environment of the Federation, life's gotten better and better for you. You're improved attitude, having genuinely happy relationships, and emotional acceptance was proof of that.'

Yea, right up until it all blew up in my face, if you remember.

'Oh for the love of Milikki, you'll just find any excuse to be miserable, wont you?'

Oh, I don't know, maybe that's because every time I have something good in life, the world has this funny habit of kicking the shit out of me for it? I try to piece together how to make the world a better place, the world fights me with everything it has and punishes me for my efforts. I become a Senator to try and help my country, the populace spits in my face and condemns my very existence, labeling me as mentally ill for my politics. I try to have a marefriend, she sells me out to ponies who want to kill me, there by making me a fugitive of the law for my crime, tricking my friends into thinking I'm dead and simultaneously hiding from the guard whilst also tracking down said pony to take revenge.

So to answer your question, my dear Critic: I don't think I need to "find an excuse" to be miserable.

...

"Hey Islander, whatcha thinking about?" The filly asked, noticing how deep in thought he was.

'Can you just try? Just try to be nice? If not for your own sake, than for hers?'

Sin sighed and scrambled for a memory that was somewhat decent to recount. There was a silent agreement between the two to leave family out of their conversations, which suited him fine, but friends were probably okay.

"Just, wondering how my master is doing."

"Master?" The filly asked, tilting her head.

The pony elaborated about the matter, telling Scootaloo about his survival teacher, Tyken, and the small adventures the two used to share. Survival and utilization of available resources was always the main focus of their little endeavors, but the two would often have side objectives to complete while out in the mountains or whatever terrain they were in. There was one instance the Federalist would never forget involving the Bloody Sky Captains.

While Sin and Tyken were out in the wilds, they came accrossed the pirate's airship Gonshinian, and Tyken had this stupid idea to sneak onto the vessle and steal some food. Sin, obviously, objected to the endevor, but the griffin argued that pirates stole things all the time, and that since they were thieves themselves, had broken the non-aggression principal and were subject to acts of aggression all their own. The stallion would have been more open to the idea, if Tyken wasn't so casual and upbeat about the idea.

Again, though, Sin argued that pirates weren't known for their hospitality and sense of decency. Conventional wisdom and common sense dictated that it was a stupid idea, that the two should have turned around and made way back to camp and pretend that they'd never seen the massive black and red vestle at all.

Tyken, for all of his brilliance, was anything but conventional though.

"So, no shit, there we were, hiding behind a couple of rocks. The ships teathered to the mountain side, and we spend a full six hours just watching and observing. Figuring out any paterns from the crew, seeing what kind of weapons or anything they had worth stealing, right? I'm sitting there, telling him how much of a bad idea this is, and Tyken just keeps giving me this knowing smile. He loved adventuring, danger might as well have been synonymous with fun to the guy."

He paused, watching Scootaloo's interest grow.

"Anyway, when night finally comes, he sees the patrols on the deck and outer perimeter of the gas bag. Two pegasi are paroling the inner perimeter, and four griffons are flying around the ship. Suddenly, and I mean: just out of fucking no where, he grabs me by the leg and tells me to run. So I'm scared shitless, praying to Tapio we aren't caught and flogged or worse. When we get under the ship, and by under it, I mean we were just barely far enough in not to be spoted from the port bow, he grabs me and flies us both up to the rails."

Sin paused again to let the anticipation build, taking a slow couple of sips from his depleating cup. "Ah, good stuff."

"What happened next!?" Scootaloo cried, desperate to know how the rest of the story went. Even Angel was looking at him now, his rabbit ears perked forward and his eyes fixated on the stallion.

Sin decided to embelish the story a little bit. "Right, so we get on the railing of the ship, but Tyken miscalculated something, and we appear right infront of one of the pegasi. So were stay there for a second, us looking at him and him looking at us, both just too shocked to do anything, and suddenly, Tyken throws me at him before he can raise the alarm."

That's not what happened, they both just snuck into the ship undetected, but the look of exileration, anticipation and joy Scootaloo displayed made Sin feel better for lying. The point of the story was to be fun, nothing wrong with a little bit of embellishment, right?

What happened next wasn't a lie though. 







The two had crept into the ship with Sin on Tyken's back. Tyken was much more nimble and silent on his feet than the pony could ever hope to be, and the two made way to the cargo hold. It was a long process, filled with ten minute intervals of waiting and hiding out, jumping into any room they could if even the faintest echo of hooves or claws on metal was heard.

Finally, the two found the hold and rummaged through the multiple crates, barrels and chests within, Sin's inner foal kicking in and hoping to find some jewels or gold within. However, the Bloody Sky Captains plunder was anything but interesting. As the two inspected the cargo, there were no jewels to be found, not gold to be had, or pearls or anything of the sort. The cargo was just a bunch of random things like cloth, cloths, a few tools and other odds and ends. 

As disappointed as both the thieves were, there was something to be gained from their little infiltration. In one of the chests was a full weapons cache, swords, axes, lances, bows, crossbows, it was a mercenary's wet dream. Sin, having had his crossbow taken when he'd left Triple M, took one of the crossbows with vigor and began inspecting it. The projectile launcher was in perfect condition and he strapped it to his foreleg, enjoying the sense of having his weapon of choice back on his fetlock once again, and with a fair number of bolts to boot.







"That's... when things went bad." Sin pressed his lips.

"What happened?" Scootaloo asked with baited breath.





During their raid, the two hadn't realized just how much noise they were making. 

The door to the hold burst open and a troop of pirates came storming in, crossbows and magic at the ready. Sin, having already had his Triple M training at this point, reflexivly took aim and readied a shot, both the main load and quick load already drawn.







"And so there we were, right? I'm looking around, scared out of my fucking mind. Seven ponies and griffons, all pointing weapons and magic at me and him, ready to shoot and kill us both. As I'm sitting there, trying to figure out some way out, Tyken says, and I shit you know, he said it just like this, he says-"

Sin held up his hooves and gave a nervous smile. "Ahoy, ye skervy dogs, how are ya fellas doin' this fine eavenin'?"

Both he and the filly lost it, both breaking down into a fit of giggles at both Sin's preformance and the absurdity of the question. The filly giggled for a good twenty seconds before both of them calmed down enough to continue.

"Alright, so. After he says that, and I'm just blown away at the audacity, we heard a slow and rythmatic clink echo from outside the door. Tyken looks over at me and I look at him, I'm holding a crossbow and he's holding a sword, crates and chests are open... the crew knows what's going on, and I'm just sitting there saying my final prayres as the metalic thumping gets closer and closer."

Sin paused again, watching as Scootaloo's joyful expression shifted to uncomfortable anticipation.







Soon enough, another griffin, this one with jet black feathers and fur covering his body, with a white head came stomping into the room. His beady black eyes were cold, cunning and very accusitory. The griff halted in the middle of the hold, his imposing figure making Sin installing a sense of dread into Sin that the pony had never before experineced.

"Ahoy." he said with enough icy rage to freeze Sin's blood cold.

"Eavenin' Captain." Said Tyken jovially. "Nice ship ya got here, lad. We was just passin' through and stopped in for a bit of a parley, hope ya don't mind."

The captain didn't take the words well, his hard eyes shifting from Sin to Tyken and bearing holes into the giffin's skull. "Parley holds no sway here, thief." He snarled, drawing the guarded cutlass from his hip.

Sin turned his crossbow onto the captain and took aim at the griffon's throat, particularly the large artery within the neck. If he was going to die here, he was going to take at least one of these little fuckers out with him.

"Easy lad." Tyken said, slowly moving his claw to push the pony's weapon down, Sin's protests doing nothing to stop him. The survivalist griffon eyed the Captain's sword and then looked at the broad sword in his tallons. He gave the thing an experimental twirl, testing it's movements and then smiled. "I'll make ya a deal, Captain. You and me, one on one. If'n you manage to best me in a duel, me n' the boy here will be your slaves, no questions asked."







"He did that!?" Scootaloo exclaimed. "That's not right, he can't make that kind of decision for you!"

Sin chuckled. "Oh he can and he did. The alternative was we both be killed or taken prisoner anyway. So, yea, it was a small and pointless gamble, but Demos took it anyways." Sin sighed happily. "Oh man, Captain Demos... Honorable guy, but he liked to think he was the best sword master in the world. No one, not pony, nor griffin, nor dog, nor minotaur could match him. He even fancied himself a better sword master than the centaur.

The filly was about to say something, but Angel gave her flank a shove and pointed to Sin, demanding he be allowed to finish the story.

"Right, so as I'd said, Demos agreed to the duel..."



 


"If you win, you and the colt go free. If you lose, you both die here and now." Demos said, giving his sword a quick once over. "Not that it matters, I've yet to lose a battle o' the blades." He lifted a claw, each of the crew members lowering their weapons and spells.

Tyken lifted up his blade and gave it a few experimental slashes in the air. Sin kept his leg tense, he had never seen Tyken with a sword, ever. Obviously this "Demos" wasn't the big deal he'd lead himself on to be, Sin had never heard of him, so maybe his master had a chance?

The two approached, holding their weapons out and at the ready. Demos had his hind legs streched and his front forward, obviously waiting for a chance to thrust, while Tyken stuck with a style that was more fitted to his own personality. Light, nimble, and ready.

The two finally met and the swords clicked together, the perfect trigger to send  Demos leaping forwards. Tyken, like anyone with eyes, could see the attack coming from a mile away, but instead of counter attacking as most would, he jumped away. His act paid off, as a hidden blade in Demos' hind leg stabbed at where the griffin had just been standing.

"Dirty trick, lad." Tyken complimented, watching as the bladed leg was retracted. "Actin' foolish and over confident to set yer opponent off guard. Not bad, but ya failed to take one thing into account."

Demos quirked a brow. "And that would be?"

Tyken's eyes narrowed. "Pirate captain's don't luck into their command."

In a flash, Demos was bearing down upon Tyken, his sword smashing in a downard thrust and barely caught with the older griff's own. 

"We. Are. NOT. PIRATES!"

Demos pushed back and brought his cutless in from the left, Tyken's blade intercepted the attack, and used both his nimble quickness and sword to redirect the trajectory for an opening on his foe's left side. The captain twirled entirely and cought Tyken's blow, parrying the attack with his own.

"For not bein' a pirate, ya sure fight like one." Tyken qupped, leaping upward onto one of the crate and taking the high ground. Demos took a hard slash at the survival master's legs, but Tyken jumped above the blade before it made contact, lowering his sword to catch the captain's own as he twirled around for another go. 

In a move Sin had never seen, Demo's wing extended quickly and knocked Tyken off ballance.

"I've fought them enough to pick up a trick or two."

Sumersaulting, Tyken regained his stance and began circling around to come in range of Demos once more. Their blades clashed again, and Demos abandoned his hard and solid style in favor of a more fluid one. "I also know I'm fighting one right now."







"Wait what?!" Scootaloo interjected.

Sin nodded his head. "Yep, Tyken used to be a pirate."

The filly's jaw dropped and Sin had to repress the urge to laugh.

"So anyways, the two were just going at it. I mean, they were fighting on the walls, jumping on crates, Tyken even jumped on Demos own crew members and crossed swords with him on one pony's back for the fun of it. It even got to the point where the two were fighting upside down on the ceiling. I'd never seen anything like it."

Sin went quiet for a moment, remembering the fight as if it happened only yesterday. Part of him regreted never learning to fly, but if he kept up with his wing exercises in the morning like he had been, then maybe he'd be able to one day... Assuming he wanted to fly anymore, that was.

"So who won?"

"Oh, neither did." Sin stated simply. Scootaloo's jaw dropped again, apparently expecting some kind of resolution to the climax. Unfortunately, for her, the truth was that the battle was interrupted by the ship's second in command. A light grey unicorn named "Shmee" had waddled in to ask what all the ruckus was about. To everyone's surprise, the unicorn recognized Tyken as an old comrade who'd saved his life on countless occasions when they sailed together.

It was actually Tyken who'd convinced Shmee to abandon the pirate life for all the pain and suffering their actions caused. Demos, holding great affection, not romantically so, for the unicorn, ended the conflict after that and explained that Tyken was mistaken in his assertion that the group were pirates.

"Turns out, they were just a well armed transport and cargo ship. A group of pirates who'd grown a moral consciousness and abandoned their ways, collected by Demos and served under him as the Bloody Sky Captains... So, technically, they were pirates, just formerly so."

As anti-climactic as it was, it was the truth.

"So, what happened next? Did your master end up going with them? He was a former pirate, after all."

As far as Sin knew, Tyken never officially joined the Gonshinian nore ranks with the Bloody Sky Captains, he did keep in contact with them, though, much to his wife's, Philina, irritation. They may not be attacking ships or ports or small villages, but the crew was still a band of rabble rousers and swashbucklers. 

The story seemed to have the desired effect. Scootaloo seemed much happier having heard it, and Sin had to admit, it was nice having his mind in fixed on something that didn't inspire doom and gloom.

The sun was completely gone now, the story working itself well into the night. The badlands were much colder tonight than they were the night previous, but both needed to get some sleep. The two wished each other good night and laid down.

'Ya see?'

What?

'You do have happy memories and good times in your life. That story doesn't have a bad ending.'

That was true, after they'd left the Gonshinian nothing really bad happened. The two even got to keep their respective weapons as gifts. 

Alright, fine. What's your point?

'You know my point. You didn't get into trouble by letting your obsession with freedom and liberty get ahead of you in that situation, and it turned out alright in the end.'

Yea, after almost committing theivory from a civilian transport vessel.

'True, but it was a funny story to tell and it made you feel better just like it did Scootaloo. You can't deny that.'

Sin grimaced as he thought up a response, but then something hit him. Why was he so bent on being bitter and angry? Why did he want so desperately to be angry and depressed all the time? He didn't know, and the lack of knowledge was enraging him.

Whatever, I don't need to take this. I'm going for a walk.

'Yea, because that'll get rid of me, wont it?'

Sin dismissed the voice and began circling the perimeter of the camp. The Coyote's' howls had grown more and more faint as the eavening dragged on, but the sweep was more to set his mind at ease than searching for threats.

When he returned to camp, he found Scootaloo shivering and wimpering as she lay sleeping. At first he'd thought it from the cold, but small wimpers and quickened breaths told him the cold wasn't the only thing bothering her.

"Poor kid." He said, looking down at her with pity. 

She'd been through alot, her conscious mind may be able to fend off the things that had happened to her, but her subconscious was a different beast. Sin knew, all to well, that there was no escaping the hells that the sub-conscious mind wanted the conscious mind wand to see in dreams... 

She didn't deserve it, Sin may not have known her long, but he fancied himself a good judge of character. The fact she wanted to stop what she could of the pedophile ring instead of running away like he did spoke volumes of her to him. As did her demand to not indulge her victim-hood and move forward in life. 

He wanted to do something, to help ease her mind in some way, but he wasn't sure how. What could he do for her, when he couldn't even help himself?

'You could snuggle with her, isn't that what you wanted when you were young and afraid?'

Sin's face hued crimson.

Snuggle wi- are you out of your mind, Critic? She's a foal, a filly at that. I'm an adult stallion, do you realize how inappropriate that is?

'What? You did it a few days ago and she didn't complain.'

That was different! She was laying beside me for warmth and support because of Gorge, Lemmy and the coyotes. She's not being threatened right now, not to mention it would be extremely uncomfortable.

It wasn't like Sin had any sexual feelings for her, but the two were no where near close enough for that kind of thing... 

Though, her shivering and whimpering did hit the pony in a place that roused his protective instincts enough that they couldn't be ignored. Sighing, Sin removed his cloak and draped it over the filly, folding it over several times to make sure her body heat was conserved as much as possible. 

The cold night air was quick to point out the pony's nakedness, but Sin could handle that. The fruits of his labor were almsot immediate, the sleeping foal's shivering subsided drastically, as did her whimpers. Soon, her form went still, nothing over her moved but the short and deep raising and falling of her chest as her sleep became calm and peaceful.

It warmed Sin to see her like that, but it also reminded him of something else. Scootaloo didn't belong out here... out in the middle of bumfuck no where, exposed to the cold like this. She deserved better, she deserved a warm bed, hot food, and a family. One who could comfort her in her time of need, one who could cuddle her fears away, one who could kiss her good night.

'Projecting much here, Sin?'

You telling me I'm wrong?

'Did I say you were wrong?' Critic asked.

No, but there's a lot of similarities between her and I, and... I don't want her to go down the same road I did... She deserves better, Critic.

Sin shook his head and moved a short distance away before laying down and making a mental not to ask about Scootaloo's family. It would break the taboo, but the stallion couldn't stand seeing somepony suffering the way she was. He couldn't help her, but if her family was like anyone back in Ponyville, maybe they could.