Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight
Sin quietly opened the door the Library entrance and swiveled his head around to see if anyone was outside. Nothing was to be seen but the typical empty streets for the wee hours of the morning. He chanced one last look at the clock to see that he had a full hour before Rainbow's threatened visit and walked out the door.
He smirked as he made it down the street without any complications and finally began to relax. She wasn't going to find him, she was probably still asleep, the pegasus didn't know where he worked, so all he had to do was get to White Tailwood and he'd be home free.
A sudden sound of trotting from behind froze him in place and set his ears into a swivel. He looked back to see nothing, and heard the trotting stop. That was never a good sign.
The Federalist turned around and began walking backwards for a little bit, knowing he heard the sound from behind and waited for any motion in his view. He made it another street down before relaxing again.
What is wrong with me? I'm acting ridiculous, I can just say no to her if she does find me.
'Yea, but you're not going to.'
What makes you say that?
'The fact you already know you can say no and are still creeping about to avoid having to do it.'
That was a fair point, but he really wasn't in the mood for confrontation either. Rainbow was a temperamental mare from what he'd observed, she was loyal to a fault but she had a type of arrogant personality he couldn't stand for very long. If he was going to stay in Ponyville for any length of time, avoiding her was within his bes-
His thoughts were cut short as he felt something pounce on him and suddenly lift him into the air. His breath caught and eyes widened as the ground below grew farther and farther away. "What the hell!" He wrapped his forelegs around the blue forlegs that held him aloft. "Ms. Dash!"
"You were going the wrong way." Rainbow chuckled. "My house was in this direction." Whether she didn't know of his intent or was being sarcastic Sin couldn't tell, he was too busy clinging to her for dear life as he was flown at least two hundred feet in the air over town. Soon he found himself on the ground again, just bellow a floating cloud house donned with small rainbows, olden style Pegaopolian pillars and even a Rainbow fall.
"Glad to see you up and about so early though, it takes that kind of initiative to get better after what you've done."
Sin glowered at the mare as she hoovered above him and began his argument against her but quickly found himself cut off. "Nope, don't care, you're going to fly."
'Ha! Nice.'
This was going to be a battle of wills, and Rainbow was stubborn with a capital S.
"Look, I would really appreciate it if you'd just help out, I'm already having a hard enough time with Fluttershy, I don't want to have to keep fighting you on this. Now take off your cloak and give me a few wing ups." She stared at him expectantly, but the Federalist didn't budge. He wasn't even sure he could lift his wings, let alone put his weight on them.
Growling in frustration, Rainbow readied herself to pounce again, but Sin was ready this time and though he knew he wasn't as strong as she was, he'd be damned before he gave in without a fight.
Though what he didn't take into account was her speed. "SHIT!" He sputtered as he was tackled, he tried to wrestle against her, but quickly found that she was even stronger than he originally thought. "Ms. Dash, would you kindly get off of me?" He grunted, attempting to stand as she placed the entirety of her weight onto his back. He felt her grab his cloak and struggled against the knot against his chest.
"Take off da Coak!" She growled as she pulled on it with her teeth. Sin grabbed the knot in an attempt to stop it from coming undone. He struggled against her pull until the fabric began to tear. "Itsh coming off un way er anover!" She managed before the an even louder tear completely ripped it down the middle.
"FUCK! ALRIGHT ALREADY!" Sin barked rolling the mare off his back. That was his last freaking cape! And she ruined it! He stood up and looked her in the eye, maintaining eye contact as he removed the remaining tatters of the tanned fabric as he planned his next move. He had no plans of letting her get away with such aggression.
"Good, glad you saw things my wa-"
TWAK!
She side stepped to keep her balance from the right hook Sin had lobbed at her cheek. Grunting, the now naked stallion stepped to her as she swiveled her head back to look at him blankly. "Don't ever do that again."
Rainbow merely stared at him, her face completely devoid of emotion. It was kinda scary with how expressive she usually was. "Are you done?" She asked, her voice just as blank as her face. Sin quirked a brow, he wasn't sure how to respond to the question. He was done, but... what?
"What do I have to do to get you to at least try?"
He knew of one thing, but was it a good idea? He thought about it for a second and the look in her eye convinced the Federalist that she was going to fight him on this tooth and hoof. "I'll make you a deal, if you beat me in a gamble, I'll do whatever it takes to fly. Should you fail, you drop this whole business." He smirked, a game already forming in his head. She was a jock type, athletic types weren't known for their intelligence.
"Alright." Rainbow agreed, her ghostly expression in full maintenance. "What's the game?"
"Got any cards?"
Rainbow quirked a brow before disappearing into her house and reappearing with a full deck. Sin smirked and asked for three. He asked her to pick one card and he'd pick another. His card was the two of hearts while hers was the ace of spades, it didn't matter to him, though. Even if the third card was picked, she'd still lose she hadn't technically beaten him.
He turned around and shuffled the three together before turning around and presenting them faced down. It was a risky gamble, but it was two to one odds in his favor.
"Yes!" She chirped, having taken the middle card to find the Ace of Spades.
'HA! Owned.'
"Fucker." He mumbled under his breath. It was just then he realized what he'd done. The promise he'd made to himself all those years ago, he just placed that on a card game. Wow, that was grossly irresponsible. Why did he do that?
'Because a part of you does want to fly.'
That was... true. Part of him really did want to take to the sky. To fly where ever he pleased, the wind, the rush of air, the freedom to travel anywhere he wanted. Sin had denied his pegasus instincts and urges for so long that he finally stopped feeling them as anything more than background noise, but that didn't stop him from longing for the sky as every pegasus did.
All the same, he'd made a deal. His word and reputation were the only thing he had now and intended to keep himself honest. Well, as honest as he could.
"Good, make it twenty wing ups." The stallion groaned and tried to explain that he hadn't used his wings in much too long to even attempt such a thing. The flyer wouldn't have it though and asked if he could at least lift them. Deciding the pain of the argument wasn't worth it he sent the will into his body, but the appendages didn't give the desired response. They moved a little, but only ever to the point he moved them to wash himself. Moving above that point sent sharp cramps lancing through the joints and his spine.
He attempted the feat a few more times, slowly finding it a personal challenge to raise them just a little more each time, but the cramps continued to stop him. He quickly began to pant and sweat from both pain and exertion, but he did manage to get them half way up before Rainbow stopped him. "Give me a second." He growled, he wasn't about to be bested by his own fucking anatomy. Though a cyan hoof pushed his wing back down.
"Alright, take a break dude. You've been at this for an hour, you look like you're about to pass out." Rainbow said in concern. Sin shrugged her off and whipped his head off with a hoof. He immediately looked down at his now soaked foreleg, he had broken more of a sweat than he thought he had. Wait, an hour? Had that much time passed?
Rainbow nodded, pointing to the sky, which was now taking on the lighten purple hue that signaled an hour before dawn. That had to have meant it was almost five o'clock, how did so much time pass so quickly? He'd have sworn he was at it for only a few minutes.
"You really think that?" Rainbow asked, handing him a water bottle that she didn't have before which he took gratefully. "Sin, I've had time to get all my morning exercises in, watch you, and do my morning routine."
Really? He knew when he got into a challenge he could concentrate on it like no other, but that was just... wow.
He took a drink and quelled his parched throat, the burning in his wing joints beginning to become more pronounced as the muscles simmered, he was seriously going to regret this tomorrow morning. After the break, he began attempting to raise them again, moving just a little closer to a full stretch each time, but continually falling to the pain. To anyone else it would look utterly pathetic, but to him it was a grueling test of his own perseverance.
He'd managed to get them all the way to a 70 degree angle before Rainbow stopped him again, saying that the two needed to get down to the park so she could coach the rest of the town's pegasi. The water transport would take place within five days time, and she was going to whip all of Ponyville into shape.
He had to run to keep up with her, but the two quickly made it to the outskirts of the park to find only two of the townsfolk had arrived. The sun was just peaking over in the east and Rainbow wasn't too pleased with the turn out. "Cloudchaser, Flitter, where is everypony? I said to meet in the park at dawn."
The two shared a nervous look. Both lilac ponies with white manes. One with her mane a spikey styled mess who wore a little too much eye liner and another who kept her hair more feminine with a pink bow, but also seemed the more timid of the, what he guessed were, twins.
"Sorry Dash, guess we're the only ones who showed up." The rougher pony replied, he sister keeping her eyes low.
Rainbow slammed her hoof against her forehead and gave the two an order to fly a few laps around the park. "I guess you should just keep focusing on lifting your wings while we wait for the rest of them to show up." Sin nodded and returned to what he was doing, he hated having to restart the exercise since it always left his muscles stiff and cold, but he'd felt worse before. "Hmmm, yea. You'll need some wing therapy at some point." She commented offhandedly.
It was true, if his appendages were ever going to lift anything, they'd need to be healed properly. Though, he wasn't sure how that would happen, since wings were supposed to grow with the ponies using them.
He continued his attempts to raise his wings, though as time went on, grew more self conscious over the growing number of ponies who'd come to the park. When it was just Rainbow and the two mares, all of whom were too busy with themselves to pay him much attention it was fine, but now there were dozens of pegasi around along with a few earth pony and unicorn spectators. He'd see their eyes wonder to his now naked form from time to time and talk among themselves.
At first the stallion tried to ignore them, but quickly found his self consciousness kicking in. They were judging him and he knew it, which prompted an end to his attempts.
Sin hated being judged, who didn't? Though that was the funny thing about him. He could take being hated, jeered and scorned by anyone. That he was used to, but to be laughed at? To have others continually looking at him and giggle to themselves and their friends, or speak with one another in concern? That was a different beast.
Ponies hating him was in his comfort zone, ponies laughing at him or pitying him was not. He pondered for a moment why that was, though. Why was he alright with some stigma but not another? Why was the thought of others snickering about him such a cause for duress? Try though he might to find a logical conclusion, he couldn't come up with one.
'Maybe it's because you're a little bitch?'
Was that it? Was it because he was just being a little wimp about it?
'Woah, you're serious? Damn, ummm, forget what I just said. Because it's humiliating maybe? I mean, hating you is one thing, but at least there's a respect required for it.'
Sin frowned as he thought the idea over. It did require a certain amount of accomplishment for someone to hate you. Hate was an emotion who's power rivaled love, those who hated him took him seriously, they knew how dangerous he was to their interests. Those laughing at him? They didn't even acknowledge him as a potential, he was just a joke in their eyes.
He hated being looked at as a joke.
"Ugh, Sin, have you seen Fluttershy?" She asked him in frustration. Sin shook his head, surprised she expected the timid pegasus to be here. Sighing, Rainbow beckoned him to follow, shouting some more orders for to the rest to continue working, threatening consequences for any who she found slacking off.
As the two made way for, what he assumed was Fluttershy's cottage, the oaken pony breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be away from the prying eyes of ponies he didn't know. Though he was still questioning why it bothered him so much.
"Hey, can you do me a favor and wait her a minute. No offense, but Flutters really doesn't like you." Rainbow stated bluntly before trotting up past the bridge that lead to the mare's cottage.
'Well, now what?'
Guess we wait until she's done with whatever this is and see what happens.
'Hmmm, interesting.'
Eh?
'It's not like you to follow someone else's lead like this.'
I made a deal and have to stick by my word.
"FLUTTERSHY! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" He heard her bang on the timid pony's door, demanding to know why she was avoiding Tornado Duty.
The door opened to reveal the desired mare covered head to hoof in red circles and looking awfully pathetic. Around her was a pink robe that added to her sickly appearance. Sin couldn't hear what was being said, but he had to bite his tongue to restrain from laughing at seeing Rainbow douse the poor pony in a bucket of water.
'HA! That was awesome! And look! Those circles are coming right off!'
Faking an illness to get out of a job? Wow, that's just sad.
'Hypocrite.'
What?
'Oh, I don't like to be judged or laughed at by others, but I'm going to judge and laugh at a mare I don't even know.'
Difference is that I'm not laughing at her.
'Yes you are, just not on the outside.'
He waited a few minutes, attempting to lift his wings to pass the time until a very cheereful Rainbow and terrified looking Fluttershy exited the small home. "Great news, Fluttershy is on board!" The former declared, holding her friend up and squeezing her dainty form in one leg.
'Yea, because she's going to be loads of help in... whatever the hell we're doing.'
'Damn, now I just feel like an ass.'
Why? You were right.
'Yea, but still, she got a score of like 0.5.'
Sin looked at the heart broken yellow mare caught in the middle of a large gathering of animals, who blocked Rainbow Dash from tending to her distraught friend. Sin wasn't asked to stay his place this time, but an extremely large grizzly bear glaring at him from the bridge to the meddow was an incentive to keep him where he was.
Yea, but to be fair, she slowed down at the end because she was being laughed at.
'Is... Is that pity I hear? By Tapio, it was!'
No, it wasn't pity so much as empathy. Sin had to admit, loathed he may be to do so, he understood where she was coming from. It was hard not to, tensing up and floundering due to stage fright and others laughing at you? Seeing your best attempt reduced to something to be scoffed at? He'd like to criticize, but he had no right to. In all actuality, he'd have probably done the same in the face of such humiliation.
He felt sorry for her, but in a place not out of superiority so much as a place of equal footing.
It took a solid half hour, but both mares approached him, Fluttershy desperately trying to hid her face in Rainbow's neck. "Alright you two, here's the deal. Fluttershy can't handle stage fright and you can't fly. So, I'm going to have you two work together for-"
"WHAT!" Both pegasi cried in distraught unison.
"Ms. Dash, are you sure that's the best idea?" Sin asked, being the first to do so.
"Yea, I mean, I don't like him one bit. No offense." She quickly apologized, pushing a special button that the stallion had reserved specifically for those who felt they should apologize for their opinions to avoid conflict rather than embrace it.
"Look. Both of you need to up your game, and neither of you do well around other ponies." She looked between the two of them and pointed out how she observed both of them displaying behaviors correlating to discomfort of public viewings and suggested that the two of them observe each other as a means to desensitizing themselves from the ensuing stage fright. At least, that's what Sin got out of he rant.
"But Rainbow please, he scares me and he's mean." She whispered a little two loudly.
It was true, he was scary and mean, but that's how he liked it. He attempted to argue his case as well, he and Fluttershy agreeing against her but Rainbow stood fast. It was at his point Sin finally came to a terms with the fact that this was going to be much more painful than he originally thought.
"Hello Uppity! Good to see you again." Twilight greeted cheerfully as she carried a fan like measuring device in her magic, though her cheerfulness quickly subsided as she took a closer look at the orange pony who'd just entered her library. Her mane wasn't the newly styled braid that Uppity had doned so perfectly last week. Now it was a mess of frays and dishevelment made mane and placed ontop of her head. Her eyes were blank and hollow, devoid of their usual playfulness and assertiveness.
"Good afternoon Twilight, It's good to see you again." She forced a smile. It didn't lack genuine happiness to see a pony she considered a friend, but it wasn't a smile that came of it's own accord either. "I'm here for Sin's check in."
Twilight nodded and mentioned that he wasn't here, but had been escorted to Fluttershy's cabin by Rainbow Dash after a humiliation the pink maned pegasus had endured. Uppity asked why he had gone along with them, to her shock Twilight explained that he'd lost a bet and was under obligation to appease Rainbow's requests.
She asked where the cottage was and made way out the door, her chest growing increasinly tighter. What bet had he made with her? Why was he at pegasus flight training. A small idea formed in her head, but she didn't want to think about it.
Though, as she approached the cottage, she couldn't deny what she was seeing. There, standing naked of his typical cloak, stood Sin dripping with sweat while he attempted to life his bandaged wings. A small creeping of indignation and betrayal coursed through her as she continued her approach finally coming up to him.
"Sin? What are you doing?" She asked, hoping that it wasn't what it looked like. Sadly her suspicions were proven right. The Federalist was stretching out his wings in a soon attempt to fly. The orange unicorn couldn't believe it, she'd been trying for so long to make him use his wings and he wouldn't budge, yet some other mare accomplished what she couldn't...
Was she... was she not good enough? What did Rainbow have that she didn't? The bet? Why in the world would he take a gamble on such a thing? Slowly, her indignation and anger grew, but her neutral expression remained the same. She was already upset with him over the cheat he'd made against her as well as his demand to be left alone. Both she saw as rejections against her, but this was enough to almost make her resent him.
"Did you need something?" He asked, breaking Uppity of her concentration. She took a, breath and retrieved a scroll and tossed it to him in her magic.
"I didn't get you what I promised about the Everfree, so I owe you one for that." She declared, her voice an erily similar neutral to the one Rainbow had a few hours before. "That order is from Princess Celestia herself, she's been informed about the Ponyville budget misalocations. You've been given authorization to investigate the current regulations and budgets as a delegated Treasurer to her majesty."
Sin stopped his exercise and reached out tentatively for the scroll. "You feeling alright?" He asked in his typical dry tone, underpins of annoyed concern present.
'No you idiot! I'm furious with you right now!' Uppity didn't reply to his question, knowing that Sin would probably just justify himself in some way that revolved around his selfishness like he always did.
"You've been ordered to appear at the Mayor's office tomorrow afternoon for orientation. Ensure you aren't late." And with that, the mare turned away and began walking to the train station. She kept her stone face until she boarded the train, once safely away from prying eyes, Uppity allowed the tears to fall. Tears of hurt, betrayal and inadequacy. She tried so hard to get Sin to open up, to get him to do what was best for himself, and where she failed, another succeeded with such little effort.
She felt the train lurch forward and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. Uppity may have been socially awkward, but she had pride and dignity. She wouldn't allow herself to wallow in pity, even if the emotional pain was one that made her sick to her stomach.
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Hm... poor Uppity.
All she wants to do is be important to Sin and inspire him.
I understand why Rainbow Dash would be more likely to inspire someone to work their wings out, though.
And how this is the end of a process for Sin, rather than a single moment.
6396365 Just so you know, I have no idea what I'm doing.
Another exciting chapter for me to comment piece by piece. The surprise pounce RD gave to Sin was very amusing to read. I would be scared if someone lifted me 200 feet high in the air all of a sudden. *shivers*
That wresting match between RD and Sin was interesting, though it clearly shows that RD can outclass Sin in a fair fight. He will need to fight unfairly next time.
RD is making me nervous now.
Perhaps, but I think she is smarter than what she is letting on.
oooo. Looks like sweet prospera has abandoned him this time.
A correct principle to live by.
Oi.
What is it this time?
Not very easy to ignore gossipers.
I can see the logic in that.
....I guess that teaches my that if the right people hate you, then you are doing something good and accomplishing it.
Ah. So the author is going to pay tribute to that episode. Let's see how this goes.
"
This should be interesting.
Yeeeaa. I would be scared too.
I know exactly how that feels. I can't stand individuals who try to butter me up because they are afraid that they might hurt my feelings. It's more insulting than if they just express their opinion to me.
ooo. What the hell happened to her?
Um
...Why is she upset?
*groan*
Now I know and I don't like where this is going. Crap.
Jeez.
I enjoyed this chapter.
6396645 Glad to hear, not so heavy handed, but still a little bit of conflict.
Sin isn't very good at hoof to hoof combat, never was. He always prefers to use manipulations and psychological warfare to win his battles, or his crossbow if things get violent. Brain over brawn, but sometimes, brains just can't cut it.