PC Calling
Allowing a massive yawn to exit his maw, Spike wondered about the streets of Ponyville. His mind was a bit murky still from last night's four hour watch shift, the overcast sky muting the typically vibrant and jovial town in color and scope. Yet ponies seemed a little more lively today than they had in a while, many smiling and trotting around with a pep and purpose.
He sighed and tried to rub some sleep from his eyes as he passed city hall, large group gathering around the bulletin board. He didn't notice, however, Spike's mind was too jumbled by the lack of sleep and the thoughts of a mare he missed, Twilight. The letter he'd gotten from her stated exactly what he'd expected, that she'd be in Canterlot for a while longer and wouldn't return in the foreseeable future. Part of him wanted to take a trip to the capital just to check up on his mother and make sure that everything was alright, but the way the letter was worded, it sounded like she'd be swamped for a while.
Twilight was a smart mare, he knew that, but he also knew she wasn't well versed in Equestrian law. Uppity's condition had somewhat improved, she was awake now, but she wasn't talking to anypony. According to the letter, all she did was sit in bed all day, looking at the wall and eating when she was made to. It was depressing to think about, and Spike could see more than one tear stains on the parchment.
It sucked, it really did. As good as friends as the others were with Twilight, Spike knew that very few could ever meet the mare on an intellectual level in a way that she could really appreciate. When it came to Rainbow Dash or Applejack, the mare constantly had to reduce her vocabulary in order to hold a conversation, the same for all of her friends to lesser degrees, and almost none of them were interested in magical theory or sciences. Uppity and he were the only two who could meet her on that level, and sad for him to admit, he didn't give her all that much attention either.
He'd just stopped by Golden Oaks to make sure Owlicious and Pee Wee were fed and watered when he'd noticed a new book delivery. The new Daring Do book was finally out and he knew of one injured pegasus fan who could really use the read.
Whilst passing through the Ponyville Park, a peculiar sight caught the drake's eye. There, sitting on the bench, were two ponies he recognized but did not expect to see together. Blade sat upon a park bench, looking very uncomfortable as Pinkie Pie sat beside him, speaking in a subdued and quiet fassion. Spike decided to approach.
"SPIKE!" Blade yelled, happily, eagerly standing from the bench and making way for him. "Boy, am I glad to see you."
The drake grinned tiredly. "Hey Blade, what's going on? You on a date with Pinkie finally?"
The dark green earth stallion cringed, he gave Pinkie a smile and a wave, a gesture she returned, before allowing both to drop immediately. "Spike, I can't take it dude." The pony confessed. "This mare, there's no emotional consistency with her! One minute, she's all happy n' stuff, and the next she gets extremely depressed! It's driving me nuts!"
That was odd, usually ponies wanted to get away from Pinkie because she was always too happy, but apparently Sugar Cube Corner was undergoing one hay of a thrashing in profits, worse than the drake had thought. The financial strain had placed alot of stress on the establishment owners and made what was once a happy and loving business home into a battle ground with constant bickering and fighting. Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake were at constant odds on how to rejuvinize the establishment, with the former wanting a more practical approach in offering non-sugary baked goods and the latter believing that a delivery service was a better option, and that their lack of experience in low sugar snacks would ultimately work against them.
"Why don't they just do both?" Spike asked quizzically. It seemed like a smart enough solution.
"That's what I said, but Pinkie says they both have their reasons why not. One is that delivery would take Pinkie out of the kitchen and the other is that they wouldn't be able to bake well enough to justify the lost costs." Blade answered. "I feel bad, dude. I really do, but this is my lunch break, the last thing I want is to have to put up with this..."
That was not something Spike wanted to hear, Pinkie's life was falling apart, and she trusted Blade enough to tell him this, and his reaction to complain about being to tired to hear it? That just didn't sit well with him.
"Hey dude, chill out." Blade replied with a raised hoof. "I feel for her, I do, but with all the crap that's going on at the mill right now, I just don't have the patience, alright?"
"What's going on at the mill?" Spike asked.
Unsurprisingly, Sock was going on at the mill. The rumors about implementing stricter safety regulations were confirmed as of three days ago.
What was worse was that Sock wasn't alone... A new pony had come to town, well, a griffon apparently. Sock, while a sponge of stoic and lawful knowledge, was far too busy to be in surveillance of Jacker's mill. As such, he'd sent yet another subordinate to oversee the town's safety regulations, which officially had yet to be signed into law, but eventually would be.
Blade rubbed his head. "And that's not even the worst part."
"Really?" Spike asked, fearing for the answer he might receive.
"Nope, worst part is that-"
"Bladie?" Pinkie asked, walking up to the two. "Hey Spike, umm, what are you two talking about?"
"Just stuff at the mill." The earth stallion answered.
Pinkie frowned lightly. "Oh, I didn't know anything was going on, but umm, I need to get back to Sugar Cube Corner. Lunch is almost over."
Holding back a sigh, Blade nodded and bid Spike a goodbye. The drake wanted to know what "the worst part" was, but with how down Pinkie seemed, it was obvious which individual took priority.
Continuing on to his task, the drake passed Bon Bon's shop to find said two tone maned pony outside with a small group of ponies. What drew his attention was the lack of solemness the mare usually had when he saw her. Matter of fact, she was actually smiling, giggling even. The two weren't that close, so Spike continued on without giving the matter much thought.
That's when yet another face halted his litterary quest. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom wondered forth with a grayish unicorn filly Spike had seen wondering around town a few times. Each were carrying books of their own, a sight Spike was very unaccustomed to seeing, though the looks of perplexity was nothing new.
"Hey guys." Spike greeted with a smile.
"Hey Spike." Sweetie said, tearing her eyes away from the book held in front of her by her magic. The book, well, more of a small pamphlet really, read on the front: "A Social Justice guide to Inclusivity and Acceptance". The drake didn't know why, but the fact filly as young as they were reading something like that just didn't sit well with him.
"Mornin' Spike, umm, can ya help us out with somethin'?" Applebloom asked. She looked over Sweetie Bell's shoulder, her eyes searching through the page until she found the words she was looking for. "What does... In... inter... intersexteoin-" The fill grunted in frustration and gave the booklet to him.
His finger trailing the page, Spike was surprised to find just how advanced and confusing the vocabulary was within the text, this was a book meant for children, right? 'Systematic continuity of equine-centric and hetero-normative power structures'... what the hay did that even mean!?
"Umm... wait what?" Spike frowned, rereading a few paragraphs over and over. Many of these words he'd never seen before, and many of them he had seen, but were used in a context that baffled him. Like the phrase "inheirent problematic gender disparity in rulership". He knew what each word meant on their own, but put together, the concept stopped his mind cold turkey. Even when put into context of the full sentense, which was something about how females held the primary political power in most major offices, including the two highest thrones in the country, he didn't understand how this was an issue, though. Celestia was a great ruler, okay yea, sure, she'd made mistakes, but she was still a great princess... Sin had said so himself at one point, and he hated government...
Sin... Spike wished he or Twilight was here, they could probably explain this to him.
"Spike?" Applebloom asked, snapping the dragon from his reading and thoughts.
"Oh, sorry, umm. Yea, I really don't understand it either, sorry guys." Spike said, handing the pamphlet back. "Hey, who's your friend?"
Forgoing the reading, Sweetie and Applebloom presented the newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Dinky Doo. The presented filly blushed and shyed away a little, but Spike gave her a friendly greeting all the same.
"So, what's this all about anyways?" The drake asked. Apparently, the pamphlet was in preparation for a group of speakers who'd be presenting a "cultural diversity" seminar in Ponyville Park, and it was mandatory for all three of them to attend. Spike wasn't sure how that worked, considering most adults wouldn't understand the reading material and explain it to them if he wasn't able to. Not to brag or seem egotistical, but he would bet bits to gems he was much more learned and well read than most of the ponies in Ponyville, with only Twilight Sparkle herself surpassing him.
"Is Twilight back yet, maybe she'd know." The white unicorn filly suggested, but her hope fell when she learned of the mare's lack of presence. Still, he was interested to learn more about this "cultural diversity" thing. If it was required of the Ponyville youth, than it should concern him.
He offered to take the girls back to the library and help them to understand what all of this was, if not for their sake than for his own. He remembered what Sock had said during his talk with mask about the older generations being out of reach for their aims and how their appeals to the youth was a much better strategy. This must have been part of that strategy.
Munching on a few red delicious apples, Big Macintosh relaxed against a tree deep into the orchard with a pair of sheers beside him. He rubbed his stinging eye where a small partical of branch had shot in, happy that Annabelle was too busy on another part of the orchard to give him the "I told you so" look.
Be it a bit of bad luck or the universe conspiring against him, the stallion had suffered an unprecidented amount of orbital assaults during his time trimming the trees. As if the cosmose had launched a campaign against him in order for his beloved wife to be proven right in her concerns over safety. He was half tempted to indulge her methods, after all, it was a might dangerous to be cutting trees and having branch matter scatter about near one of the most sensitive places on his face... common sense dictated anyways.
Finishing his apple, Mac looked down at the sheers again and shrugged.
"Ah'll get to it in a bit." He said to no one in particular as he stood and began wondering to town. There was another matter to think about now, tomorrow was the diversity seminar that Applebloom was mandated to attend by her school, and Mac had a few questions about it.
In short order, the stallion found himself in Ponyville proper, on his way to the elementary school house to speak with Ms. Cheerilee. The slightly dower mood the stallion had was hard maintained, for some reason the town seemed much more lively than it had in quite some time. He was wondering why, but wouldn't allow himself to be distracted from his aim.
It was as he approached the building that the fact dawned on him that Spring Break meant that there would be no teacher present and that he had no idea where to find the plum colored mare. Still feeling somewhat hopeful, he approached one of the windows of the school house and peaked inside to a strange sight.
Not only was Cheerilee present in the small building, but she wasn't alone. Five ponies stood around her, one of which he recognized as Zecora and another as Mask.
Hesitant to join such a crowd, Macintosh tentatively knocked on the door.
"Oh, hello Macintosh." Mask said cheerfully as she opened the door. "What brings you here?"
"Mornin' Mask, Ah was meanin' tah speak with Ms. Cheerilee 'bout tomorrow's event."
Mask beemed. "What a coincidence, we were just discussing that, please come in!" She opened the door a little wider, allowing the stallion in. The emerald eyed stallion took a few steps inside, internally shivering from all the eyes that watched his movements. Zecora gave him a happy greeting in the typical ryme she always did. along with Cheerilee, minus the word play.
The other three, however, while smiling, didn't seem as open or friendly. Especially the sole stallion of the room. It was a pony he'd heard about from Spike a few times and aroused less than friendly feelings. The orange earth pony stallion with a black fist holding a red rose, Sock.
Introductions were given between them: Banita StarKesian was an... off kind of earth pony, Macintosh wasn't really sure how to address the... mare? stallion? It wasn't him being rude, but the off green pony was just... androgynous. Though, it eagerly, almost condescendingly, dispelled any questions the apple pony had. Apparently the pony didn't identify with either male or female connotations, claiming she existed "outside of the gender binary" whatever in tartarus that meant. 'Xe', a pronoun Banita wanted to be addressed by, spoke in a manner of superiority and dignity. The creases on her face cold and impressed, giving her a more aged appearance than what she really was.
Next was a unicorn stallion by the name of Bronze Star. A darker yellow pony with an odd sense of mane grooming. Half of his mane was shaven off, yet the rest of it was left inexplicably long on the left side. Mac didn't get too much of a bad vibe from the stallion, but he also couldn't maintain the pony's glance for more than a second before the unicorn found something on the ground to look at.
The last pony barely gave Macintosh a sole nod of acknowledgement besides his name. Sock, the second, or first in command, of the Arbiters of Ponyvile City Council. Unlike the others, the orange earth pony didn't smile, his appearance was much more dignified and proper than the others, a black man neatly trimmed and eyes as cold and calculating as... he didn't know what, all Mac knew was the didn't like him, and had plenty of reason not to.
"What brings you here, Macintosh?" Cheerilee asked, her smile forced and small beads of sweat falling from her face.
As odd as the display was, Mac pushed passed it and explained his reason for coming.
"Oh yes!" Mask interjected, giving a brief recap of Ponyville's sins against the idea of social justice. "And that's lead us to put on the ceminar with the three speakers you see before you."
"Yea, Ah got that, Ah read through yer pamphlet n'... honestly, Ah couldn't make heads er tails of it." Macintosh replied.
A small shift in tone took the room, mainly from the outsiders of Ponyville. The smiles became strained and much more empty in their existence, like the upturned lips were hiding vicious scowls of indignation and malice.
"Like what?" Mask asked eagerly, her smile the only one offering no discomfort.
Mac cleared his throat and asked if they'd had a pamphlet on them, to which Banita, Bronze, and Mask each pulled one out as if they were just waiting for somepony to ask. Mac took one and opened up the booklet. "What is... systematic matriarchal beauty standards?"
"Matriarchal beauty standards are the social construct pervasive within Equestrian society as well as all other societies that hold capitalist and anti-divergent values and oppress those whom deviate from such standards." Banita said in a droll, slow tone. "Including, but not limited to, the idea that males must be tall, muscular, and subservient to female desires in accordance to the problematic trope of "male bad, female good" as well as the concept of the smart and strong female and dumb and recessive male. The male of the equation being systematically handicapped in order to farther the competence of the female by comparison, giving her an air of superiority and strength at the stallion's expense within such a dichotomy."
Mac pressed his lips as the information processed into his brain, Mask had used a few of these words before and he'd become somewhat accustomed to the language, enough so to make out a little bit of what Banita was saying. He wasn't really in a place to disagree either, after all, he knew what it was like to be on the short end of the stick in regards to females giving him flack through virtue of his gender.
"Alrigh, n' what about the: Introduction of affirmative action to combat the normalized equine-cent-er-ic" he pronounced, "views prominent to the den- den-izens of Ponyville."
A cleared throat caught his attention, it was Bronze this time. The unicorn stallion explained that Ponyville was a sheltered place, and that such sheltering gave the town a sense of close minded normality and anti-diversity. Through the lack of interaction with ponies of difference as well as other races, the towns attitude was problematic in regards to accepting a more tolerant view of the world. Evidence by the fact that the only pony of difference that the town had to offer was a reclusive "Zeborican-Equestrian" who was uncomfortable with living in Ponyville and chose instead to isolate herself by living in the most dangerous forest the country had to offer.
"I choose to live in the Everfree, because the desire is up to me." Zecora countered, a little off put by Bronze's generalization. "Even if Ponyville did accept, my presence there, I would not reject."
"I can understand that, Zecora." Bronze replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that you were discriminated against upon your arrival to Ponyville, does it?"
The zebra frowned and answered in the negative, but was unable to follow up her answer.
"And that is the problem, Mr. Macintosh." Sock interjected. "The fact that Ms. Zecora was unwelcome into the town could be seen as the reason she secludes herself within the forest. This is why affirmative actions is being pressed, for socioty to be diverse and accepting of difference and not bias against it."
Mac grimaced. That... made sense, but it also didn't feel honest. Zecora just said she lived in the forest because she wanted to, and yet it was that lifestyle that was the problem? Well, it was because it appeared like she didn't want to live in the town because of the way she was treated, but that wasn't the case.
"But we also have Cranky and Matilda." Cheerilee pointed out, finally adding her own voice.
"Two token donkeys do not make for a divers society, Ms. Cheerilee. To believe as such is a show of ignorance and a subtle form of racism." Banita pointed out, giving the plum mare a look. "You're not a racist, are you?"
The accusation sent Cheerilee into a fit of head shaking and decorations of not being a racist, as well as condemning the mind set in general. It was a disgusting sight for Macintosh to behold, but he also couldn't voice an argument against it. Two donkeys didn't make for a diverse society, but to call someone a racist for point out the fact as it was? That really didn't sit well with him.
Cheerilee quieted down and stared at her desk in shame at the accusation, leaving Bronze to explain another aspect. A griffon had come to town at one point and was reported to have stormed of in a huff over the treatment she'd endured during her stay in Ponyville during a visit to a friend.
"Yea, 'cause she was bein' rude n' very aggressive to mah sister's friends." Macintosh said pointedly, the memory of Gilda the griffon pushing its way into his thoughts.
"If her reception was anything like Zecora's, I can't say I'm surprised." Sock countered dryly.
"It weren't." Macintosh deadpanned, the tension between the two beginning to grow. "Mah sister n' her friends, as well as the town was quite welcomin' to her. It was her behavior that made ponies not like her."
"Were you there, Mr. Macintosh?" Bronze Star asked innocently. "Can you explain the events that occurred prior and during the catalyst that lead to the griffon's departure?"
Mac bit his lip for a moment. "Well, Applejack said-"
"No, no, sir. I'm asking if you were there and can give us a first hoof account of the matter." The unicorn interjected.
Frowning, the apple pony replied that he could not, as he was not there for the events himself. That it was a the recount of his sister and her friends that lead him to believe Gilda's behavior was anti-social and unacceptable.
"Unacceptable?" Bronze Star asked quirking a brow. "You do know that griffons have an enlarged medulla oblongata and are more prone to aggressive behavior, correct? To insinuate that their cultures and customs are not acceptable based on traits that they cannot control is a form of racism, correct?"
Mac was floored by the implied accusation, a feeling of urgency against the label pushing his heart rate to spike. "Ah ain't no racist, n' Ah'd appreciate it if'n ya'd not use the term."
"I didn't say you were a racist, Mr. Macintosh, merely that such a mindset is problematic and indicative to subtle racism." Bronze stated calmly.
True as that may have been, Mac didn't agree. It wasn't a direct accusation, but it might as well have been to anypony else in the room, just like with Cheerilee.
"What he's saying, Mac," Mask interupted, seeing the look of rage Macintosh was getting. "Is that since griffons are different from we ponies. That their more aggressive behavior doesn't make them bad, but it is a factor to consider in their integration into pony society."
"Fine, Ah understand that, but Ah'm not talkin' 'bout all griffons, Ah'm talkin' 'bout her in particular." Mac clarified. His frustrations growing with each passing moment.
His mood was non-plused when Sock added in that it was a characteristic of her race, and that with Ponyville's attitude towards difference, the orange earth pony summized that it wasn't as clear cut as her mere aggression that lead to the departure. "And since you are unable to give a first hoof recount of what happened, how are you so sure that what your sister told you is what happened?"
"I have seen griffons respond very kindly and openly to ponies who greet them in kind." Banita said before Mac could speak. "I have friends who are griffons, and none of them acted aggressively or unkindly to others unless it was others who had started it" Xe finished.
Mac understood what... xe? Was getting at, but they weren't talking about Banita's friends, they were talking about a single griffon who he'd been told by a reliable source that-
"Mr. Macintosh, is it possible that, due to your sister's Pony and Mare Privilege, she may be mistaken in her assumptions?" Mask asked innocently. "You remember our conversations about Mare Privilege, right? What you said when your grandmother and sisters ganged up on you and had no idea how they were treating you was wrong and acted scared when you spoke out against them? Isn't it possible that the griffon may have had a similar experience? Leading to the same conclusion you had to leave the town?"
Mac was left stuttering for a response, his mind going into overdrive over the fact as it was. No, no that was different! It wasn't... but many ponies saw Gilda acting... wait what?
"No, no that wasn't... she-"
"You said your sister was personally involved during the griffon's stay, correct? And that the event transpired prior to your leaving?" Mask said soothingly. "Your sister, Applejack, had already shown signs of discrimination and oppression, is it really so hard to believe that maybe she held company with like minded mares and unintentionally oppressed said griffon in the same way she oppressed you?"
Seeing Macintosh unable to reply, Bronze placed a comforting hoof on the confounded stallion's shoulder. "That's what were here to fight against, so what happens to you and her doesn't happen again." He said, his voice dripping with heart wrenching compassion. "I understand you love your sisters and mother and grandmother, but you must see the privilege that mares and fillies enjoy when compared to stallions, colts and different races. Mares are assumed to be good by virtue of their gender, that's not right, is it?"
His body betraying him, Macintosh shook his head. No, that wasn't right...
"Discrimination based on race isn't right either, is it?"
Again, Macintosh shook his head. It was simple to say racism and sexism were bad things, and he liked the simplicity of that, that made sense to him, he could easily argue it. He didn't think stallions were bad or dumb by virtue of their sexual organs, far from it in fact, and he didn't think ponys should treat others badly because of their race either... nor did he think they should be given preferential treatment.
But that's what mares did, wasn't it? They gave preferential treatment by virtue of their privledge and in group preference... Mayor Mare, the entire city council, Celestia and Luna, they were all mares! That was how they'd gotten office wasn't it, because mares were seen as good and smart while stallions were seen as dumb and bad... NO! No, that's... well, it's kinda true, but there's more to it than that! There had to be! Simple was easy, but the world wasn't simple! Truth and facts weren't that simple!
Feeling a headache coming on from everything he was trying to figure out, Macintosh excused himself from the school house.
"Are you okay?" Mask asked in concern.
"Fine, jest, gotta migrain." Mac replied. he felt a hoof on his shoulder and halted.
A pair of lavander forelegs engulfed him from the side. "If you ever wanna talk, I'm here for you, okay?" Mask whispered into his ear. A shot of hot discomfort shot through the stallion and cleared his throat, the gesture making the mare relase him.
He thanked her for her concern and trotted out of the door, his head now even more a mess than what it was before.
The entire ordeal punctuated perfectly by the Mask calling out to him and stating that she looked forward to him attending the seminar tomorrow.
Mac didn't even want to think about that, his head was too full at the moment. Concepts of mare privledge and how what had happened to him might have happened to Gilda. She was female, so they probably treated her better, but she was also not a pony, did that mean AJ and her friends automatically treated her differently like she had him? Did that stand to reason to think? Spike said she was acting insufferable, but... what if he'd just said that to keep favor with Applejack and Twilight? Mac had observed how Spike was treated like little more than a servant and secretary under Twilight's hoof prior to leaving. He didn't think much of it before the two had departed Ponyville, but looking back on it now... How much more had the two unconsciously put up with on virtue of their gender? And how much influence had that mindset of normality played on the way AJ and her friends had interacted with the griffon?
Maybe... maybe there was a bit more validity to Social Justice than the stallion was willing to give credit for...