Earning Freedom

by Daxisle

Second Chance (Revised)

Second Chance

A red stallion sat on a wooden shelf being held up by two blackened chains, he looked around the dark and dilapidated stone cell that he had been forced into. The silence was only broken by his own breathing and an unseen stream of slow dripping water. He shivered at the chill of the night, with only the light was the half moon pooling in threw a the slim and only window of the room.

The pony stood up, his hooves meeting the cold and unforgiving stone floor, causing shivers to shoot up his legs in protest of the change from the wood his body had heated. A slightly blood stained orange mane fell over his usually somber emerald eyes as he limped to his cell gate. The red pony took a deep breath and with a forced confidence demanded to know why he was imprisoned.

"QUIET YOU!" A voice barked, "Or I'll ram this spea' where the sun don't shine!"

Discouraged and afraid, the red pony turned his back to the gate and went back to sitting on the wooden shelf that constituted his bed. "Why am Ah' in here?" He whispered lowering his head, trying to figure out what happened. A tear started to flow from his eye, not only from being trapped, cold and hungry; but from confusion. What did he do wrong? He couldn't recall anything to earn this kind of treatment.

The pony remembered himself and a light cream colored filly with a red mane were walking in his home town of Ponyville. On their way to grab some sweets for Granny Smith's birthday, from the aclaimed Sugar Cube Corner. He had no idea that what had started out as a warm and sunny day would end with a cold and lonely night.

After collecting the goods, he remembered being confronted by two Royal Guards who simply said "Big Macintosh, you are under arrest. Please come with us."

Big Mac never liked unwanted trouble, and even though they refused to give him a reason for his incarceration, he thought it best to submit. He informed Apple Bloom to have Pinkie Pie help her with getting the cake to the Sweet Apple Acres, and that he would be along after what ever misunderstanding he was in was resolved. To his surprise, the stallion was not only denied an explanation; but unnecessarily assaulted with impunity and thrown into a cell with absolutely no explanation at all.

The moon shown brightly through the window above, Big Mac thought about using it as a means of escape, but it was hardly big enough to fit his hoof through, let alone his body. "I hope ya'll er' doing alright." Said the pony, hoping the Apple family would make due with out him for a while. 'A while? Hmph, that's assuming they let me outta here at all.'

"Oi!" Barked a voice breaking Mac from his nihilistic thoughts."Alright mate, ya' free ta' go." Said a brown male unicorn, as he pulled a ring of clanking keys from his gold plated hips. Relief flooded over Mac as he leaped from the shelf, a smile claiming his mouth. He had been here for nearly seven hours, it was about time they let him go.

The unicorn smirked at the stallion before him. "What? You thought I was serious?" He laugh. His thick Manehattan accent making his words even more pretentious.

Big Mac froze in his tracks, uncertain if the pony was joking about keeping him in here, or about letting him out. "Am Ah free to go or not?"

"Nah." The unicorn waving a dismissive hoof. "I'm not sure. It depends."

Mac's mouth gaped. What did he mean by "depends?"

The cynical jailspony gave an evil grin. "You're the brother of tha' fine filly Applejack, right?" The guard pony's eyes lit up after he finished speaking.

"Y- Yep." Macintosh answered, unsure of what she had to do with this.

"Well then, I think I might just be able ta' let you outta' here." He put the key in the lock, igniting hope in Big Mac's heart. "IF! Ya' get her to come down here and uh... Pay for you."

Macintosh deadpanned. "And by pay, I don't think y'all mean bits." Mac may have been a shy and quiet pony, but he could tell when something was implied.

"You're smarter than ya' look." Mac's antagonist replied, his tone condescending. He placed his two forelegs on the bars of the cell and leaned in, yellow eyes peering under a furrowed brow. "You give me her, and I let you go."

"Buck you!" Mac called glaring. "Ah don't treat ma family that way!"

The cynical ponies smirk collapsed to a sneer. He coughed before standing up straight and removing the key from it's place. "Well, i guess time will tell on how you will..." He lifted his hooves and made air quotes, "'treat yalls family'." And with that, he laughed as he walked back down the hall way, his bellows subsided only by the slamming of a door.

Just as the harsh echo smacked into it's frame, the imprisoned stallion's heart sank. He couldn't sell his sister; but there was no other way out. Defeated, the pony returned to the bench again, and began to contemplate his options. Escape was no good, trying to convince them to drop the charges would be difficult, considering they hadn't given him any. And the last option, he didn't want to think about. He was stuck.

Trapped with no fight given, a wave of anger caused the stallion to slam his hoof down on the ground. 'Why? Why didn't I fight back? They didn't tell me what I was being dragged off. I should've known something was wrong then and there!' he screamed in his mind. "Why was Ah so blind?"

But he knew it wasn't being blind that made him lack resistance, it was fear. Fear had gripped hold of him, the fear of what the guards could do to him and his family. Fear of what his resistance would mean for them and the farm. Ironically, now the only one left to protect either was Applejack, seeing as Granny Smith was too old, and Apple Bloom too young.

And to top it all off, it was Applejack herself that the guard wanted, Macintosh questioned why the guardspony didn't arrest her instead of him, but dismissed it as him wishing ill on his sister to save his own hide.

He lay back on his bench, thoughts of Apple Bloom, Applejack and all of their friends eating cake having a good time, danced around in his head. If anything gave him peace of mind, it was knowing that everyone else was still safe and happy. He loved them all, though he scarcely expressed it; he did. And they loved him too, hopefully enough to listen to Apple Bloom when she told them what happened, and come look for him. Get him out of this hell hole.

Big Mac's eyes began to feel heavy, though the thoughts were starting to slow down, one particular idea kept popping into his head. 'I just wanna see mah family again'.

A small click startled Mac from his slumber, he rubbed his tear ridden eyes before he looked around to see what had happened. A second clank sounded and drew his attention to the window. Something withheld the moonlight for a moment before the obstruction fell to the ground with the moonlight refilling Big Mac's cell. Puzzled, Macintosh arose from his makeshift bed and wondered over to investigate the intrusion.

Before he could get a good look at the fluffy padding, something else started to obstruct the window. Mac recoiled on instinct and observed as a brown bag was slowly lowered by a rope down onto the the pillow, a bulky object within and a note tapped to the outside. Mac tilted his head, he had never been to jail before, but he was certain this kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen.

He walked over to the fully descended sack and pulled the note off, though the writing wasn't the best; Mac could still make out what it said:

Prisoner

Were you put on this earth to serve another?

You are where you are right now because you were weak that day in Ponyville. You did not fight back when you were unlawfully "arrested", and worse you are not alone; hundreds more have given up their freedom to ensure self preservation from those in authority who abuse their power. And I am of the belief that because of your willingness to give up said freedom, you are not worthy of it; and deserve to be in this cage, left to suffer for your ignorance of unquestioning trust in said authority.

However, I'm here to give you a second chance. In this bag, you will find: one cross bow, one mirror, and one bolt arrow. Though you may be farm folk, the weapon is relatively simple to use. Instructions will be included with the arrow if you need them.

Despite what you may think, freedom is not granted by your superiors. Not your Princess, not your Mayor, and not the head of your household. It is something you are born with that can only be taken away. And it can only be taken, if you are willing to give it. You were not charged by those Guards, thus they had no right to arrest you, but you gave them your consent and abide by them anyway. Do not despair in that now, this is your chance to make it right.

The tools i have provided for you, will assist you in your escape. Keep in mind, this is not a rescue. there will be no one to greet you at the gate with an escape plan, there will be no food, water, or active help of any kind passed what I've given here. This is as much a test for you of how far you are wiling to go to be free, as if you are in fact; intelligent enough to ascertain and maintain such an idea.

What will you do? Fight to take back the freedoms that life has granted you: Your family, your friends, your property and your happiness? Or submit, and remain protected from their wrath for the sake of calming your own fear, and potentially being trapped within these stone walls for the rest of your days?

What i have provided to you, i don't intend to see again. You may use them as you see fit for your escape and ascension from this state of control, or you can toss the bow and bolt out the window, shatter the mirror and rip up this note, thus living the servitude for which you have done nothing to deserve, save your own submission to it.

As i asked before: Were you put on this earth to serve another? Is that the epitome of your existence? Or, were you born into this world to serve yourself, and live the life YOU want to live, giving to those who you deem worthy or in need?

Make your choice.

(A/N. Meh, might continue depending on how the ratings are)

Comments

[iloveportalz0r]

dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/eenope.png

[Bronyhood of steel]

i hope you continue this it is a pretty interesting story

[Daxisle]

1005304 Seems to be getting a positive review so far, so i think i will.

Edit: And thank you for the kind words.

[Bronyhood of steel]

1005311 no prob if you do continue it i will look forward to it

[Doublesims]

Please keep going! This is going to be interesting

[Indieman]

Are you kidding me?! Why wouldn't you want to continue this. This story managed to enthrall me with a single chapter, and not to mention that awesome letter that mac receives. This is awesome, and so are you for coming up with AND writing it well.

[Daxisle]

1008427 Thank you, Not one dislike so far, so next one will be up tomorrow at some point.

[zsewqthewolf]

ok that last part made me have a taer

[Lucien Chance]

I'm interested. And I have to ask, how did you resist implementing the quote, "A man chooses, a slave obeys," into the note?

[garfan]

yuck

[Godiswithus3]

I am intrigued.

[Wind of the Skies]

Yess!! I I like it! And sidenote if anyone here read my recent comments I apologize as they were very uncalled for.

[MorgansPerspective]

In theory, anarchism/libertarianism is a brilliant and fascinating set of ideas. Realistically however, only a certain level of vigilance for the state and how it uses the legitimacy granted to it by whatever majority or popular opinion can be applied as a solution to the problem of the state. Unfortunately, too much ignorance, stupidity and inadequacy exists amongst people as a whole for a lack of authority to ever be sustainable. I can't see that ever changing.

Having said that, I'm glad there are people such as yourself who believe in anarchist theory. I've learned a lot from reading and listening to your work and I think if anyone else had tried to introduce me to these ideas, I'd have scoffed at them instead of finding them thought- provoking and enriching.

Also, the nostalgia. I was seventeen when I started reading this. Six years almost, Jesus.