Drunken Conversations
Drunken Conversations
Sin sat in his room, over looking a manilla folder with an irritated scowl and strong fireball whisky on his breath, the half consumed bottle of alchohol sitting at his side as the afternoon sun sat lazily outside the window.
Today was not a good day to be him. First he was sent home from work because of his incompetence in preforming the menial task of placing a fucking log on a belt, then the receptionist at city hall said the council meetings were put on hold for all of this week and the next so the members could attend and emergency summit in Manehatten over the changeling attack, and finally he had been sent another letter from Celestial, badgering him for farther detail upon his plans for the Ever-wood mill and research facility.
A little known fact about the pony was that he was as bad a drinker as he was a gambler. He could maintain his cool with a few drinks out with friends, but he'd always stop once he felt the thirst kick up. He'd get buzzed to loosen up for social situations, but he'd never allow himself to get full on drunk around others.
Calling him a "mean drunk" would be a vast understatement.
Though, today was a bad day and he just wanted to forget it. Too bad his mind was conflicted on the issue and preassured him into trying to take care of his business with Fancy Pants. The letter wasn't urgent or anything, but with the destruction of a good bit of his property, the rich unicorn was looking for results faster than the Federalist was looking to give. He hadn't checked on the progress of the mill, but it couldn't be too much longer until it's completion, right?
Well, that was assuming that the construction workers hadn't been called upon to help restore the property damage in Canterlot, anyways. At least the government construction workers he'd been worried about would be busy for a while.
"Fuckin' thing." He spat, taking up the bottle and downing a few gulps, coughing from the strong burn in the back of his throat. It was pointless to continue reading, he knew that much, but the alternative wasn't much better.
Sin was in no shape to travel to the Federation. Fact was that if he couldn't even do his stupid job, what chance did he have of walking all the way up to Hooftrot and finding that port city he came in from again? Since the Federation was primarily isolationist, sending a letter wasn't an option and he knew of nobody in Equestria who'd be willing to make that kind of journey for him. He'd wished his grandfather would have told him of the plan sooner while Malich was still around, save him the headache of trying to figure this shit all out.
A slight movement out of the corner of his eye drew the stallion's attention the window, nothing was there now but he knew that something was. That's when it hit him, his muzzle twisting with a sickly grin, or better yet, someone. That griffon had been stalking him for months! He'd contemplated shooting her back in the Everfree forest on the grounds of the invasion of privacy but continually put it off due to how much hassle it would cause. Looks like that little bit of procrastination was finally going to pay off.
Excitement coursed through him but fell flat as soon as the stallion tried to stand. His hooves were still in pretty bad shape, and her being an agent of Triple M., catching her would be near impossible even if he was in peak condition. He briefly considered grabbing his cross bow, but that would either kill her or render her unable to make it to the Federation. Violence wasn't going to work in his favor here.
Of course he shouldn't be considering it as the first course of action anyway, but booze had a tendency to cloud his judgement. He'd need to wait until he was sober to do anything, but he could take solace in the solution that the universe had provided him.
Just then the door opened and Sin's ears perked. "Sin, you here, bro?"
Shit, Spike, he'd almost forgotten the drake was taking up residence with him. That might be a problem...
The drake knocked on his door and Sin invited him in. "How was work?" Sin asked after the typical pleasantries were extended.
"Fine." Said Spike, pulling a face. "Are you drunk?"
"As a pirate on Sunday."
Eyeing his associate skeptically, Spike shook his head and asked why, obviously not approving of the pony's decision to help pass the day away. "Reasons," he dismissed.
"Right. anyways, I stopped by the Library to see how Twilight was doing." Sin nodded and inquired to the state of Ms. Sparkle. She wasn't really his friend, but he viewed her more favorably than non-favorably as far as acquaintances go. He was surprised to hear that she was having feelings of revenge, but he shouldn't have been. From what Spike had told him, her anger was well passed justified. Being tricked into almost killing someone you love? He'd probably have already tracked down, tortured and killed the bug eyed bitch if he were in her position.
"Uppity also said something else while I was there." Spike said slowly, looking the pony over. "She said that your grandpa came to visit. Care to tell me why you didn't say anything to me about that?"
Sin's eyes narrowed beneath his goggles. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to tell her to keep her mouth shut about that! Great, well he wasn't about to tell the dragon the truth. Instead he asked, in an equally skeptical tone, what exact information she'd relayed.
"Doesn't matter, I wanna know why you didn't tell me your grandpa came to see you in the hospital."
"Why?" Spike tilted his head and gave the pony a hard look. "What would you have done with that information?"
"I wouldn't have done anything, we're friends aren't we? Don't friends tell friends when family from far away come and visit them?"
Now that was something the pony could work with without lying. "He'd already embarrassed me in front of Uppity." Sin chuckled. "Asking all kinds of personal questions and shit. Didn't think you wanted to be involved in that." It wasn't a lie, but apparently he was still wrong, Spike would have appreciated the chance to meet Mandylion. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright, so what had you so distracted last night?"
"My grandpa came to town?" Sin stated as if it was obvious. Though his bluff was called when a new little bit of information came to light, apparently Uppity wasn't content to just tell Spike about Mandylion's appearance, but about the altercation the two had as well. Sin tried to steer the conversation back to Twilight, but the dragon wasn't having it. Any detraction from his inquiry only fueling his need to know what exactly had the pony so worked up.
The conversation was quickly turning hostile and Sin did the only thing his drunken mind could think of.
"Leave it alone, Spike." Sin croaked with subedued warning.
Spike shook his head slowly. "No, I wanna know what you two talked about."
"I said leave it alone!" The Federalist barked, his muscles growing tense. Still Spike wouldn't let up, instead of backing down, the drake took a step forward. "Why are you asking? What would you do if with the information if I told you?"
"Don't give me that crap!" Spike shouted. "We're friends! When friends see that there's something wrong, they try to figure out why to see if they can help!"
"Help?!" Sin chuckled and shook his head. He scoffed and grabbed the bottle of whisky, taking a good gulp to calm his nerves. "You wouldn't understand, let alone help." It was true, Spike was a smart kid, but this was a problem who's philosophy was too deep for him to comprehend. The dragon still believed in Life Worship with no where near the thought needed given to understand the ultimate conclusion. Sin only came to said conclusion after years and years of introspective thought and emotional disconnect from the idea that life should be preserved at all turns. Fact was that Spike would be just as hostile and full of denial as he was when he'd first figured it out.
It was a sick truth, a sad truth in a world that placed so much emphasis on compassion and kindness. So many believed in the idea yet their actions spoke more than their words ever could. So many bitched and complained about things like the homeless and how ponies should be more caring for them, yet take no real action to help. That was the truth of the matter, the truth he was hated for telling, and the reason he never said a word, because he didn't help them either.
Most didn't really care about other ponies, they simply said they did because it made them feel morally self righteous and ethical. To them, that was enough, but to Sin? To a pony who saw results as all that mattered in the world? It was a sad joke.
The general public's ideas on how the world should work and how it does work were so far from one another that it would induce a state of cognitive dissonance on the believer and condemn any who tried to tell the truth as radical extremists.
"You're making a pretty big assumption about me." Spike called, breaking the stallion of his train of thought. "Don't you think?"
"Maybe." Sin replied after a moment of silence. Another tense moment followed as the stallion contemplated if telling Spike was a good idea or not. No, he would need to test him first, but how?
"Picture this" The Federalist starts, "a pony you don't know or have any emotional attachment to... is walking through the forest." He takes another swig of liquor. "In his or her projected path of travel, you see that he or she is going to walk right through a mantacore den. You tell them repeatedly that they are going to get seriously hurt or killed if they keep going in that direction, but they tell you that you're paranoid and that they will be fine. You point to the plethora of bones and other bits of evidence to your claim, but you're ignored. Eventually, you give up trying to tell them to stop and just watch, waiting for it to happen. Finally, the pony walks into the den and you hear yelling and cries for help." He paused and removed his goggles, giving Spike a hard look. "What do you do?"
Spike pulled back and made a face, taken aback by the question. "Umm, well I'd help them, of course."
"Would you?" Sin asked calmly. "The individual walked into a mantacore den, right after you told them what was going to happen. You would risk getting mauled by a group or single mantacore, most likely killed actually, to help someone who was too stupid to listen to reason? Why would you risk your own bodily integrity for someone so foolish?"
"Well... when you put it like that." Spike grimaced, he took a moment to think the scinario over in his head. "I think I'd still try to help them."
"Why?"
"Well, because they're a pony in trouble, I guess." Spike shrugged. "And it's the right thing to do."
"Is it?" Sin smirked, causing the drake to frown. "How stupid does someone have to be to walk into a mantacore den? How utterly fucking retarded is said hypothetical individual to unwittingly waltz right past a perfectly good warning and into their own gruesome death? You'd help them? You'd save them from the fate at the risk of your own suffering to preserve that kind of stupidity?"
Spike opened his mouth to retort, but fumbled over his words. This pleased Sin greatly, he may have still been a Life Worshiper, but at least his logic was being accepted. Of course, the primary difference between what he was doing and the analogy was that he was that the pony was given several hundred warnings and he was stopping another pony from standing in front of the traveler and baring entry into the mantacor den.
"Now picture this. That same pony walking expects you to come and help them. Let's say you do, let's say you somehow get both him or her and yourself out alive. Instead of thanking you, they complain about how irresponsible it was for everyone else to let them walk into the den and go on and on about how someone should have stopped them. Decrying any who say they should have stopped themselves as 'victim blaming'."
"After that, they start walking towards a sign that reads 'Danger! Quick Sand'. You try to tell them not to go near the quick sand, but they dismiss you, saying your paranoid. Would you still help them then?" Spike frowned, giving Sin a sidelong look. "Would it be what you call 'right' to stop them from killing themselves yet again?"
"What are you getting at?"
The drakes tone was laced with uncertainty and apprehension, both things Sin wasn't sure if he wanted to hear or not. It was simple what he was getting at though, the world was full of idiots who do stupid things. The Federalist believed that the idiots of the world should suffer for their ill gotten decisions while Spike thought they should be protected.
"So am I making a bit of an assumption about you, Spike? Yes. Yes I am. Now, are you going to tell me I was wrong?"
"Okay, what would you do?" Spike asked pointedly. Sin's smirk intensified, he knew exactly what he'd do.
"Shake my head and walk away." He said simple. Spike's jaw dropped from the blunt honesty. "Either that or point and laugh as Darwin took it's due course."
Spike stood looking absolutely horrified. Sin could practically see the thought process written on the dragon's face. How cold and cruel he was, how much of a monster he had to be to not only allow another pony to die a painful death, but to take a sense of satisfaction in it.
"Now... picture this." Sin said, his smirk fading to an serious frown. "That pony has the power to make others as stupid as they are by touching them. Once they touch another, they become their victim's leader with no limit to how many followers the pony can have. They never question, they never disobey, they never stray from the path and continually see themselves as incapable of walking away. The leader continually promises peace and safety for all his followers, reinforcing their ridiculous belief in that leader, no matter how foolish his or her actions. What few individuals stay away from the leader when they see his or her power are pulled into the fold by the followers against their will or are killed if they resist. The followers, believing they have no choice or will be better off for it, all march to a cliff-"
"Stop." Spike said, his breath barely above a whisper.
"A cliff that's a good three hundred foot drop, assuring all of them will die when they hit the bottom-"
"Sin, I said stop!"
Sin regarded the dragon's clenched fist, heavy breathing and tense jaw. As expected, he met the scenario with hostility and denial. That was okay though, anyone who wasn't a deranged sociopath would become angry and scared if they'd never thought the entire situation through before.
He sat in silence, waiting for the dragon to calm himself down.
With out another word, Spike turned around and quietly walked out of the room, stopping for only a moment to look back at his room mate before gently closing the door behind him.
Sin sighed, it was a gamble to try and explain, he knew Spike wouldn't be receptive, but it still didn't make it any easier to be hated. Though, that last look the dragon gave him before he left, that gave Sin hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd see where the pony was coming from.
"The pony who leads them," Sin whispered, finishing the story. "Is Complacency, and they want you to follow them. Even if it's to your death."
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I wonder what is eating Sin this time.
Did you honestly expect things to go differently?
Well that sucks, no more political bickering anytime soon. I actually find those entertaining in this story.
ooo.
Yeah, I can definitely understand why Sin is irritated now. He has my sympathies.
I am so glad these obstacles are in his way. Hopefully by the time the obstacles are removed, his friends will reason with him to abandon this vengeful crusade.
An eavesdropper or a stalker? If it's the latter, I am very interested now.
Wow. It's been SO many chapters since I had last seen that annoying Griffin spy. For a moment I thought the author was like screw it, I'm not writing her anymore. Looks like I was wrong. Now I am very curious to see what happens next.
That's an interesting analogy.
Hmm. Interesting.
I have a feeling that this is going to be a nasty argument. I wish I had popcorn. Where is Pinkie's randomness when you need her?
He's got you there Sin.
Spike seems to have the ability to look past the bullcrap and get to the heart of the matter, refusing to give up until he gets the info he is seeking. I really like this characteristic of Spike.
It's escalating.
I really do love Spike's intention in all of this.
That is actually true, how is Spike gonna help him here....
unless....
I believe in the same things as well. Murderers and attempted murderers have forbidden their right to life for their crimes. I would extend this to rapists, but that's only because of my gross dislike for them.
I know the feeling. I can't stand that kind of contradiction from others.
VERY true.
Hmmm. It's almost a reasonable assumption, but Spike has a point regardless.
I would expect Spike to give that answer.
I would have likely give the same answer.
I know that situation too well. Ungratefulness makes it VERY hard to keep doing what is right. I'm not gonna lie. Those individuals cause me to second guess every time.
Another I like about Spike. Getting straight to the point.
oooo. Sin has the dragon cornered now.
Oh? There's a pony version of Darwin?
Is he from earth? If so, how did he get here?! 
When will the humans appear? 
Oh the possibilities!!!!
....to be honest, I only reserve morbid satisfaction from evil people suffering, not from idiots suffering. I don't feel satisfied when I see fools suffer. I feel pity.
True.
Well, that could have gone worse.
6697832 could have and ultimately will.
Now what was that unless you were talking about with spike helping sin?
6697905 To answer your question, which unfortunately I cannot say in a few sentences:
The way I see it, I see where Sin is coming from. When individuals make foolish or evil decisions, they should pay for their actions. I can see the validity of that argument. If an individual is insistent on pursuing the foolish course, after you warned him/her not go, I see no problem with saying "Okay. I tried my best to help you, but since you don't want my help, you're on your own." I have no problem with that view. While it can come across as callous sometimes, it is still an understandable POV.
What Sin is planning to do is what I object to. He's not content with letting nature run it's course and letting the ponies in the federation suffer for complacency. He is deliberately trying to sabotage a rescue operation. And what is the reason Sin is doing this? he wants to satisfy his selfish lust for revenge against those who did him wrong. If he goes through with this, he will be indirectly responsible for the deaths many, including the innocent foals who don't deserve what is coming.
I know Sin will respond to me by saying, "life is not fair." I would have accepted this argument from him if he wasn't trying to cause the deaths of others, almost contradicting his Non-Aggression Principle when one thinks about it.
The way I thought Spike might help is to relate to Sin's lust for revenge. Spike's quest for vengeance led him to aggressively attack the diamond dogs, who turned out to be innocent since the guilty ones were not around. What Sin is proposing to do will indirectly lead to the deaths of both the guilty and innocent.
Spike and Sin can relate to how the quest for vengeance can lead to unfortunate consequences, both to the victims and the revenge seeker. Sin is clouded by bitterness and revenge, which is something that Spike would be fully aware of since he experienced it himself.
Even though the two circumstances are not the same, they both carry the same principles: the guilty are not the only ones who suffer from vengeance, and vengeance is not justice.
6698082
I've seen "life isn't fair" around a few times lately... it's true because it is. Life isn't fair. There are a lot of times when someone says "but that's not fair" that can be answered with that.
But it's hardly a justification for being a total dick, and often it's used to mean "it's okay if I'm making things worse for people, because life isn't fair, after all!"
No. Life's not fair. No, you don't have to be fair yourself. But that's an excuse for callousness, not cruelty.
6698082 before the end I'll address this argument, I like how everybody hates sin now. But what fun is a Mary Sue oc?
6698266 True.
6698266
^ Implies my opinion has changed on Sin, when I've always hated him.
But, seriously. My opinion on him hasn't changed. Not really. He's always been a sympathetic asshole. The more we learn about him the more broken he seems, but he's still smart enough that it's impossible for someone like Spike, who doesn't understand rhetoric or debating or really had his anything contested that much, to be able to fight him, intellectually.
6699275 damn, 1/4 the storey in one day? Well done.