//------------------------------// // A New Day // Story: Earning Freedom // by Daxisle //------------------------------// A New Day Big Macintosh awoke to a sound he hadn't heard in a long time, a sound he'd missed without even realizing he'd longed for it. Barking, the chipper barking of one recovered border collie named Winona. His wife shifted within his grasp, snuggling her head deeper into his neck in protest of the concious world. He smiled, looking down at the most beautiful face his blurry vision had ever beheld. A firm and hot headed earth pony who had his undying love and affection. She wasn't showing yet, but the early morning sickness had started a few days ago. Luckily, Granny Smith had just the thing for her, an old family secret that was hardly a secret. Hot Toddies. Macintosh was reluctant to allow Annabelle to consume even a drop of alcohol, but Granny swore up and down by the remedy. That both she and Macintosh's mother had used the drink to cure the ailment during their own pregnancies to help ease the burden. 'Which explains alot.' I know you're not talking about Pa. 'Nope. Just you.' His inner voice said jovially. But in all seriousness, the marshmellow green elder assured him that the foal wouldn't be affected. The liquor in the drink was no where near strong enough to cause harm, but even at her word, the stallion was still worried. Alas, it was Annabelle's decision to make, and while she shared his concerns, she trusted Granny's judgement. Mac leaned down and kissed Annabelle's forehead, earning a kiss on the neck for his efforts. "Morning." She said drearily. "Mornin'." Mac replied. Dawn had yet to approach, but with winter over, spring time care and inspection would begin. All of them would need to scour the orchard and investigate all of the trees, looking for diseases and pests, including the dreaded vampire fruit bats. The very thought was enough to send a shiver down Macintosh's spine. He remembered only once having to deal with the winged varmits, and once was more than enough for him. Letting out a long winded yawn, Annabelle streched out and gave her husband a proper good morning kiss, causing them both to grimace and comment on morning breath before sharing a laugh and readying themselves for the daily grind. It was kind of impressive how well the cream colored mare had taken to farm life. Even Applejack had no complaints to be made about her, honest sort that she was, Mac didn't dare attribute it to not wanting to hurt feelings. The two made way downstairs to find Granny up dark and early like she usually was, readying the family morning meal of eggs, hashbrowns, oatmeal and the ever present glass of hot toddie. "Well, look who's up?" The older mare commented, Winona conspicuously sitting besides here, and eyeing a lone, unassuming dog treat in Granny's hoof. "Thought y'all we're gonna sleep till noon again." Annabelle chuckled. "Nope, lazy time's over. Right Macintosh?" "Eyup." The stallion replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. He was still a little confused about everything, about losing Scootaloo, Sin, Social Justice, all of it, but Annabelle and he had talked about it alot lately. Scootaloo was gone, there was no help for it. He'd turned to drinking and that didn't help at all, he was still going through the grieving process, but each day was getting a little better thanks to the support of his family, especially his newly wedded. He'd thought about ending his life more than once, and if Annabelle hadn't been there to pull him out of the dark places his mind had gone to, he was certain he'd have gone through with putting the cross bow bolt through his brains. "Well, breakfast'll be ready soon. Applejack was feelin' a spell under the weather after the trip tah Appleloosa, said she'd be takin' the day off today, so you two r' on yer own." Annabelle's brow furrowed in concern. "Oh my, I hope she's alright." Mac did as well. It was the oddest thing, she seemed just fine during the train ride up, but ever since they'd gotten on the train back, Applejack constantly looked as if she was in deep thought. Yesterday was the first time she acted like her old and usual self, how could she have been sick? Well, it wasn't so odd. His sister had apologized to both of them too many times to count for her part in Scootaloo's disappearance. Annabelle saw her as responsible, since she was the one who pushed and convinced Macintosh to hand the filly over, but that was one of the things Macintosh and she had talked about. The apple stallion saw it as his own fault. How could any of them have known Scootaloo would react like that? He should have. He should have made sure she understood what was going on, he should have asked her again, instead of assuming that she knew, he should have been a better guardian, he should- 'Macintosh! Bring it back, you're trembling again!' And so he was, the memories of his failures causing his entire body to stress and muscles to stiffen up. The stallion let out a few slow breaths, relaxing himself away from his rage. There was no point in getting upset or angry now. Dead or not, Scootaloo wasn't here and if she wasn't lost to the elements, Mac had absolutely no idea where to look for her. He'd have a family to take care of soon, his own family. A family that would need him to forgive himself for his short comings and be the best father and husband he could be, to give his foal a good life and happy upbringing. A wave of depression filled the void that the rage left behind after it ate away at his small amount of contentedness and acceptance. Macintosh put on his bravest smile to hid his feelings, but the phrase "fake it till you make it" just didn't hold up to its hype. He knew it would take time to heal properly, but he'd made a commitment to the process. Annabelle was strong enough to lose everything and trusted in him to carry her through until she was made to feel secure in a home she'd never known, and he planned to honor that trust as best he could. Spike sat alone in the Library with none but Pee Wee to keep him company. In one claw a cup of strong coffee, and in the other the morning paper. He'd been staring at the page for the past ten minutes, but retained not a single word printed on the page. His single eye staring in the middle fold of the thing as the conversation with Inquiry played in his head over and over again. Inquiry wanted his help. With Justice gone and the guards recalled to Canterlot, a few of the detective's old contacts began to approach him again. If what the stallion was hearing was true, than there was going to be a protected influx of red market products coming into Ponyville within the near future. A criminal organization known as the "Black Talon" had been trying to muscle their way into Ponyville for a while, according the pony. For years, Inquiry had managed to keep the organization from infecting Ponyville, the low population making the organization's efforts less than admirable, but after the Changeling attack in Canterlot, mixed with the breaking of the Blackmarket/police pact, a slew of activity came to the town. Mainly folks just passing through, but some had stuck around as refugees until Canterlot was restored enough for their return, and with that influx of ponies, a few new "demands" had propped up, and with demand came "supply". According to the sources, many of the Black Talon's customers had settled in Ponyville, and were in the market for more than a few illicit items. Weapons, drugs, pornography, illicit goods, and worst of all, sex trafficking. All things that were in the works that Inquiry had no way to stop when the time came. The detective tried to find Shady Oaks once he was out of jail and the heavy guard presence had been lifted from the town to devise some kind of plan to keep the Talon out, but she and the other black market leaders had long since abandoned the small settlement with only lone dealers and sex workers to pass on the message: Ponyville was on its own. 'Bucking cowards!' Spike's inner voice spat. 'Cowards, the lot of them! They were supposed to protect Ponyville! How could they just abandon us like this?!' Spike wanted to be angry, but he really couldn't be. Ever since his talk with Brute, the drake had noticed that his mind was coming to analyze things in a much more objective way than he had before. Shady Oaks and them were ponies of business and risk vs benefit analysis, not guardians. He'd seen the guard chase down multiple ponies around town, ponies suspected of racketeering and soliciting prostitution and other illicit work. If they had stayed, they'd have been fighting a war on two fronts, one against the guard, and another against the Talon. It only made sense that they would abandon Ponyville when the risks became to great and the costs just didn't justify the benefits. The drake took a sip of coffee, the warm brew burning as it made its way down his throat. Though he didn't like it, he could understand. It wasn't like the citizens they were "protecting" would care if they were hurt or not anyways. Cynical though it may be to say, the Ponyville population would be just as happy to see the black marketeers locked up as they would the Talon. Really, it makes more sense to question why they should be loyal to the town... 'Why they should- Spike, you're starting to sound dangerously like Sin did...' The voice warned. The drake took another sip to keep himself from cringing. Maybe he was... but what the stallion had told him the day he had his break down had bothered the drake far more than he cared to admit. Sin had abandoned his country because they didn't appreciate his work and turned their backs on him, the black marketeers weren't in too much of a dissimilar situation. He'd thought long and hard about drug use and prostitution, and while he didn't agree with them, he didn't know if using force and violence against them was the right thing to do. It was voluntary, right? It was hard to push past the idea of sex without marriage or emotional attachment, but he'd somehow managed to see it. Ponies didn't get hurt in the transaction, and what happened as a result was chalked up to personal responsibility. He was always told that drugs ruined the lives and families of the user because of the dependency and erratic behavior drugs caused. But... alcohol had similar effects, and yet that was perfectly legal. And didn't long jail time and harsh punishment ruin lives just as well? Why wasn't there concern over that? He'd been lectured on the detriment of drug use: Financial burden, dependency, addiction, bodily destruction... weren't these things punishment enough on their own? He'd come to see alot of things in a new light lately. Weapons, for instance, prior to meeting Sin, the drake wouldn't conceive of owning a crossbow, he believed such things only belonged in the military and police force. Yet now, he had one sitting in his house, and he had no fear of it what so ever. True he had no need of it... today, but against Sombra's shadow? It may have been the only thing that bought them the time they needed to reach the barrier erected by Cadance. The girls complained about it, condemning his decision to bring "death machine" on a train where it wasn't legal, but that was the thing: not everypony had "legal" means of protection. Had it not been for the unicorn magic of Twilight and Shining and the Alicorn Cadance, all of them would have been completely defenseless. What then? Would Rarity's complaining about "legality" have spared them from the shadow's wrath? Would Fluttershy's lecturing Sombra about how hurting others was "illegal" and "immoral" have stopped him from covering them all in blackened crystals? Would Applejack's bucks have been able to hit smoke? Spike was not inclined to think so... Yea, it was the dragon scales that helped more than the crossbow, but still... Morality was slowly losing it's black and white dichotomy to the drake. It used to be so simple, but now? He didn't know. On one claw, the black market ponies provided services that he didn't find ethical, but on the other, their business was at least voluntary and they helped keep out even worse business practices. Inquiry said there was an influx of criminal arrests, some being taken to Canterlot to face imperial charges for large drug smuggling. The stallion did what he could for many of them, under the books, but Ponyville itself wouldn't dare stand up for them... despite the good they did. If the citizens of Ponyville weren't willing to protect the good side of the underworld, what reason did the underworld have of protecting them? 'Because it's the right thing to do!' His inner voice cried in frustration. Spike would like to believe that was the case, but... how could he? How could he find it in himself to say it was right to protect those who'd would throw you in jail at the first chance they got? All because they didn't like the things you did, despite the fact you didn't hurt anypony in the process. Sin had once asked him if he'd save a pony from walking into a mantacore den because they were too stupid to stop and see that they were walking into it. Spike immediately answered that he would have helped the pony, despite his or her stupidity. He still liked to think he'd help out of a sense of altruistic good, though, he was becoming more and more thoughtful over the scenario. Adding in the variable of his being hated by the pony for doing little wrong and hurt as a result of his trying to help. A couple of knocks came from the door, breaking the dragon from his thoughts. He stood from the table and shooed away Pee Wee from trying to look through the peep hole. "Hey Spike." Applebloom said glumly, Sweetie Belle behind her. "Can we come in?" Frowning, the drake nodded and allowed the fillies inside. He hadn't seen the two often, but when he did, both looked absolutely miserable ever since Scootaloo... Yea. He offered the two a seat before making way to the kitchen and fixing up some hot coco. "How are you two holding up?" He asked, dispensing the drinks. "No so well." Sweetie Belle answered. "Rarity kicked us out of the the botique, she said we need to get out and about for a while, that sulking wasn't good for us." Spike nodded in understanding, making no farther comment. "So, what brings you here?" The apple filly shrugged and said that there wasn't anywhere else they wanted to go or could go. With the ban on sweets to minors, Sugar Cube Corner wasn't an option, and without Scootaloo around to interject more dangerous and extreme ventures for crusading, neither of of them was particularly fond of the idea of crusading today. "We haven't crusaded in a while, actually." Said Sweetie, taking a sip from her cup. "It's... it's just not the same without Scootaloo here." Spike could empathize, he didn't know the filly all that well, but he did know what it was like to lose somepony close to you. Applebloom sniffled, her mug completely untouched. "It's not fair..." "Applebloom." The unicorn filly sighed. Her ears drooping and the giant pink ribbon deflating along with them, the apple filly cringed her eyes and sniffled again. "Ah'm sorry... it's jest... Everypony 'round the farm's been actin' strange n' Ah know it's cause O' Scootaloo... Ah, Ah jest don't understand why she ran away..." A small pang hit the drake in his chest, added pressure by tugs at his heart when Sweetie Belle hugged the tearful filly, doing what she could to offer her friend comfort. "I wish I knew how to help, but..." Spike stopped, realizing there was no words he could say that wouldn't sound bad one way or the other. It was just like with Twilight and Rainbow Dash a few days ago, he didn't need to offer advice, just show that he understood and was there. The three sat in silence for a time before Spike finally realized that the two were sulking again. Rarity had kicked them out to get them to stop, and his allowing of it only encouraged them. As insensitive as it may be, he didn't want to let them continue indulging their own pity and misery. He offered to take them to Sugar Cube Corner so they could discuss a few cutie mark ideas. "But... yer not an adult, Spike." Applebloom pointed out. "Yea, we need an adult to buy sweets now." Sweetie agreed. Spike, seeing an opportunity, placed a claw to his chin. "Well, I have a job, I have my own house and buy my own food. So... how am I not an adult again?" Both girls brightened up slightly at the revelation. Spike, while not yet matured to the point of teenagerdom, let alone adulthood, could easily argue the cakes or Pinkie into allowing him to purchase their goods. Besides, he'd seen the legislation with his own eyes, the law applied to "ponies", not dragons. "Come on, guys. Let's go and have a milkshake." Spike offered with a smile.