Sin's Cutie Mark
Sin's Cutie Mark
Blood.
So much blood.
Sin had to do it, though. He knew what they were doing, what they were trying to bring to Ponyville. The sickness and depravity of ponies never ceased to amaze and disgust him. It was always thought that mares were the kinder and gentler sex, that mares could be trusted over stallions because of their femininity...
Those who thought this would be very wrong.
The stallion sighed as he stood in the Everfree forest, looking down over the three bodies that still bled before him. Three mares, two unicorn and one earth pony. He knew they were dead, he'd smashed their skulls beneath his hooves until they were nothing but shattered bones and pasty brainstuff.
Yet, despite the fact their hearts had to have stopped, blood still pooled from the tears in their flesh. It defied all concept of logic and medical convention, but dreams had a tendency to go against the norm.
Was it all a dream, though? That much he wasn't sure about. When he was awake, he knew he'd seen these three... escorting two foals bound in chains. The two had run off during his attack and he'd yet to see either of them. Probably never would either, now.
Sin lifted his hoof to his head, smearing the blood onto his face as he scratched a non existent itch.
He could have easily summoned the intimidation aura and incapacitate the slavers, possibly even kill them, but he wasn't sure if the foals would bear any side effects, so he went with a more pin point method. The earth pony was the only real problem, anyways. He'd shot her first with the crossbow, following up with the quick load and killing the one of the unicorns. The final unicorn he'd easily taken by surprise with his magical immunity, leaving both to a physical altercation.
Luckily for him, she knew less about fighting than he did, and her reliance on magic had made the unicorn physically inept. Her death was not quick, nor was it painless. The bruising on her abdomine was severe enough to taint her light green pelt a sickly purple, and the stallion felt great pride in leaving his mark upon her.
He knew he shouldn't have, that it was the sign of the psychopath to do so, but he took a small bit of pleasure in their deaths as well. Not just in their deaths, but in the fact he was the one who killed them.
A small bit that was growing, a small bit of him he never wanted to remember again...
Sin sighed and the world around him began to twist and distort in a whirl of black and moon light green.
When it finished he looked to find the landscape had settled on an old sight from a long lost memory.
There was nothing here but a barren land of dirt and dead grass for miles around with a single square building off in the distance. Standing around were mannequin training dummies of bipedal and quadruped design in various positions, along with a target range and various weapons stands with all manner of lethal arms.
To his left stood a group of nineteen earth ponies and a single pegasi, clad in brand new, shiny, black leather jackets of the Triple M. Corporation. All standing in a straight line looking forward and awaiting their instructor to begin the day's training regiment. Every single one of them barley looked of drinking age, but each held a distinct fire in their eyes, the fire of determination and service.
A younger Sin stood among them, looking a little too excited.
Sin could remember these days less and less, but seeing it brought everything back to him. Zell and Crasus were still alive here, the former having been accepted at an internship for one of Triple M.'s news outlets in the city of Northwood, while the latter had moved to Unitas to find his purpose in life.
A purpose he would never find...
"LOOK ALIVE!"
The unit of ponies stood stock straight, eyes forward. A behemoth of a stallion bigger than Fancy Pants was tall and Macintosh was wide walked into view, his leather jacket much longer, covering his entire black pelted body. His single eye looked over those who'd survived the Triple M. physical entrance exams and looked utterly repulsed by what he saw.
Sin felt himself quake with rage at seeing his old drill instructor. His missing eye and scared snoot bringing back an old grudge he'd shared with the stallion. A grudge that came about through one of the most... unconventional means.
"My name is Sargent Buck." The pony bellowed in a friendly tone. "I want to get any and all questions out of the way right now. As of this moment, I am your god. I say jump, you jump as high as you can and I buck you in the fucking face if it's not high enough."
There were a few nervous gulps from the rookie earth pony squad. Sargent Buck was something of a legend in the Triple M. Corporation's Mercenary Division. He was on the notorious Alpha Squad, the very first combat specialists employed by Triple M. back when the Merc branch was added. The ebony stallion had been the third in command under his grandfather and father for his ruthlessness and tactics.
If Sin remembered correctly, Buck was also the reason Triple M. took over the policing of the Federation from the federal police force. The earth ponies relentless training and brutality was nothing compared to his tactical mind. Some thought he could analyze weaknesses of an individual or even an entire army just by looking at them. If the cross hair cutie mark on his flank was any indication, than Sin suspected it was more than just dumb luck.
Buck barked that he wanted everyone to line up in rows of two and observe what, in his humble opinion, the sad excuse of boot camp gave him to work with.
Buck began walking down the line, inspecting each of the grunts for all they were worth. He scoffed at a few, nodded at others, ended up kicking one of the earth ponies in the chest for having his third button unbuttoned, and continued on. His walking stopped and he looked directly at the dream Sin, his brow furrowing as soon as they hit the stallion's flanks.
"No mark?" He asked, eyes narrowed. "Where's your mark, son?"
"I never got one, sargent." Sin replied, his face stoic and unblinking. Though, his right hind leg bounced nervously.
Buck saw this as an opportunity and smirked. "Ah yes, your Gemini's boy, aren't you?" He began to circle the stallion. "Yea, brown coat and mane, dead blue eyes, no mark. Your Sin Islander."
The sargent laughed a malicious and mocking guffaw. "Alright, ladies. It seems we've got a celebrity in our ranks. This here is a daddy's boy to our new President." No sounds came, but Sin could remember feeling thoroughly humiliated at the attention. The way he was feeling at that moment, the entire squad might as well have been pointing and laughing at him.
Buck stood back upfront and gave a faux face of sorrow. "But he ain't got no markin' yet. Ain't that sad?"
The younger Sin's leg began to twitch quicker, his anger quickly coming to boil.
Sin cringed as the sargent made a proclamation of getting Sin his cutie mark and elected him to be one of the first two to demonstrate ability in physical combat. Completely ignorant to just how prophetic his words really were. His younger self squared up to yellow stallion who'd also been elected to fight.
Back then, Sin wasn't as averse to physical combat as he was today. And now, he was remembering why.
The earth pony immediately swiveled on his front legs and tossed them back. A move the younger Sin, and anyone really, saw coming a mile away. The younger Sin jumped left before lunging forward and landing a down hook right onto his foe's head, slamming it down onto the dirt. Being a pegasus gave the younger stallion an evasive advantage, it cost him a lot in strength and pain endurance, but he'd learned it was much more effective to let an enemy tire themselves out by dodging an attack than blocking it, or getting hit by it.
The earth stallion shook it off and lunged at Sin and followed up with a leg swipe. The dream dodged with an ease and grace that betrayed how uncoordinated the pegasus was today. It was weird watching the memory through this kind of angle, the real Sin could believe how graceful and dexterous he was back then. Of course, he'd also trained a lot more than most of the other colts at boot camp as well.
As the "fight" continued on, the real Sin inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He didn't want to see it, he knew what was coming and he'd rather look at anything other than what he was about to witness.
Sin's decision to join Triple M. at this point came out of a desire for discipline and comradery he'd never gotten at home. His dropping out of school to go live with Mandylion had left the pony... wanting, in a way. The two stayed out in the wilderness away from the stupidity of the common citizen, but Sin wanted more. He wanted to change the world for the better, in a way the Liberty Syndicate couldn't offer. It was an organization dedicated to libertarian principals that he strongly believed in, but it's existence had accomplished so little that the oaken stallion had grown disenfranchised.
It pained him to admit, but he also didn't respect Mandylion. For all that his grandfather had taught to him, Sin realized that Mandylion was much too loving of freedom and "free roam" parenting, as he called it. There was seldom any discipline or structure between the two aside from firm lectures that Sin could easily brush off. In a way, it felt like his grandfather didn't care about him. Not in the way he wanted him to, anyway. He understood his grandfather giving him freedom to do as he pleased and learn at his own pace, but he wanted more. He craved structure, to given something to think about, to challenged in his thinking, to be told "no". But unless it was an aggressive action against the elder pony himself, Sin could jump off a cliff for all he cared. Knowing the stallion wouldn't do it out of common sense, but still...
TWACK!
The real Sin cringed as his younger counterpart was sent flying. The yellow stallion having executed a perfect arial spin that knocked him for a loop. It didn't do much physical damage, after all, Sin had lived out in the wilderness with Mandylion and gotten into all kinds of trouble in the mountains, but still, a blow had been struck against him.
A lot of things happened in the next few moments.
The younger Sin's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, his bloodied muzzle parted into a devious and vengeful smile that made the rest of the tranee's eyes widen with horror. The young pegasus licked his lips and spat it out into the yellow pony's eyes.
Then, with his opponent caught off guard, Sin pounced. There was no kicking, there were no moves meant to non-leathally or semi-letheally incapacitate his opponent. There was barely any movement on his part at all.
The real Sin looked up at one of the most shameful moments of his life. His younger self was straddling the earth pony colt, his eyes face full of emotional effort as his hooves bore down onto his exposed throat, with his enemy's legs thrashing wildly in an attempt to hit Sin somewhere and get him off.
Things were quite for a few seconds, Buck and the trainees waiting for something to happen, but Sin made no inclination that he was letting his opponent off the ground to continue the match.
"Private!" Buck yelled. "Private! Let him up, you're done!"
Still no movement.
This wasn't a sparring session any more, at that time, Sin had every intention on killing that poor colt.
To call him "messed up" and "confused" back then was an understatement. Sin had joined the Triple M. Mercs for one reason and one reason only, and that was to legally kill. To kill and end the lives of bad ponies who hurt others and committed aggression.
He had such a simple world view during his time with Triple M. He didn't know how to change the ponies in the Federation so they wouldn't fall to the gods of government. He didn't know how to break them of complacency, fear, apathy or yearning for dogma. So, if he couldn't get to the ponies themselves, he'd go after the next best thing, those whom committed aggression and made government necessary in the first place.
It was a simple solution, one he'd thought so righteous back then, back when he still cared about others besides his friends and family.
The sapient races were idiots, idiots who drove him crazy with their lack of desire for individualism and freedom. Sin resented them, but he also felt sorry for them and wanted to protect them. As he saw it, the citizens of the Federation were simple sheep, following the Gods and doing as they were bid. They weren't malevolent ponies, just foolish sheep who needed to be protected from the wolves of the world by ponies like him. Guard dogs who would need to kill and maim in the worst ways possible to show that aggression wouldn't be tolerated.
Sin watched with grave disgust as his youngerself was pulled off of his fellow private, leaving the pony gasping for air and almost in tears with how close he'd come to death. His youngerself was fighting against the others with everything he had, but the multiple earth ponies, while reluctant and some even fearful, could easily restrain a single pegasus.
A small, dim flash later and Sin's cutie mark appeared. It was a simple design, a white "U" shape with a vertical line running through the very middle of it, the symbol of psychology over a black shield. The main feature of it, though, was that the symbol was broken, as if cut in half at the horizontal middle and shifted to the right.
The symbolism was all too clear. A broken psyche, the symbol of the psychopath.
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Wow... Sin... was worse than before... huh. He seemed less like someone who was too broken and someone who broke further down... but apparently for him it's cycles of instability.
Jesus, the Triple M is the police force? Sin's brother really has no way he could say "how could I have enough power to destabilize the whole country" if they have the power of that.
6841908 Glad I put that bit in. Yea, Triple M. is the Federation's police force. They work to ensure the law and all, but yea. Just toying with a private police force idea, seeing how that works out. Obvious conflict of interests, buuuut suspension of disbelief. (And Gemini said he didn't have the economic means to bring down the country, but it was a lie either way.)
Sin is an impossible character to please. I guess, in a way, this is also a critique of the world of true Anarchy. People can't remain constantly vigilant as they would need to while living healthy and happy lives, especially if they wanted relationships. Constant mistrust, constant vigilance, constantly on the look out for con-men and what not.
Yea, it sucks to be him. Not sure if I'm going to give him a happy ending or not yet.
Next chapter with his dreams will go into how he became freedom obsessed. Lots of emotional repression going on
6841997
Sometimes, conflicts of interest are allowed to go forward if people are convinced it's somehow more efficient, effective, or something than one that lacks said conflict.
In related news, the idea of privately owned for-profit prisons terrifies me.
Well... everyone has the same kind of thing where they have to choose what they trust. Anarchy is not unique in that, except that they want a world that's more dangerous. Mostly my big thing is... Anarchy will probably very quickly really become tribalism. Or form into other forms of government. Trying to say "nobody's in charge" isn't going to put nobody in charge, it's just going to create a vaccum where someone else gets in charge. Whomever is the strongest, or the most charismatic, or something.
.. I would say that an important death, something heart wrenching but purposeful, would probably be a good ending for him.
That doesn't sound good.
Is he referring to sex trafficking, because if he is, I would agree that the practice is not exclusively practiced by males.
Jeez, up close and personal I see.
......Sin better not be turning into those insane freaks from "Outlast" *shivers*
Damn right it is.
So Sin had a deeper history with the Triple M than I originally thought. This raises many questions in my mind.
I think you meant "latter." And I remember these two. I'm surprised I know little about them.
It would have been amusing if his name was "Sergeant Fuck."
I forgot how Drill Sergeants can be condescending and offensive. Especially when they tell their recruits to treat their words like if it is a word of God. I don't take offense though, because I know they are doing it to toughen up the cadets to becoming better soldiers.
How much ruthlessness are talking about here?
So he is extremely authoritarian.
I feel for dream Sin here. I was very nervous when a sergeant screamed at my face back in JROTC. Those guys are very intimidating.
.....wow....what a way to demean someone.
Makes sense.
Sin is not alone in this. There are many individuals today who signed up in the military because they have nowhere else to go.
I sympathize with Sin here, especially when one wants to change the world for the better.
What has been said here is very, very, VERY true. If a child faces no discipline from the parent, they start asking themselves "do my parents even care?"
He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
Proverbs 13:24
Uh oh.
Oh no.
.......
.......hmm
....I think I'm starting to see who the Triple M represents in this chapter.
I ain't falling for this. This has to be that Alicorn witche's trick here. Nope. Not falling for this.
Well. Maybe it is just my interpretation here, but it appears that the way Triple M is described here in this chapter, as well as the motivation for why Sin joined these mercenaries, is very similar to how the United States Military is described today. And the motivations for why individuals join the US military is similar to Sin's motive: to protect the civilians in this country and kill the those who wish to unleash terror or aggression against the innocent. Kill and maim the aggressors in order to protect the lives and freedoms of your countrymen.
Since Triple M as whole is a blood thirsty organization that pretends to fight for the people when they are only fighting for their self-interests. Am I to understand that the United States military is viewed the same way........?
Well, it certainly is not the first time I have encountered this view. While I am not ready to swallow this wholly, it does give me a lot to think about......Beyond this, I'm not sure what t say except JEEZ, WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH YOU SIN????!!!! YOU ALMOST COMMITTED MURDER!!!!!!!!!!
6842534 actually, for all the symbolism, triple m and the US military have nothing to do with each other. Well aside from the phrase "just following orders" of corporate owned political puppets.
The middle man government is just cut out.
And no. Sins psychopath cutie mark is legit. The alicorn is just showing him the past.
6843339
........I'm at a loss of words at that.........
6843431 It'll make a lot of sense in the next chapter of his.
Been re-reading earlier chapters; whole story's just so damn colossal.
Know commenting on a four-and-a-half-year-old chapter thread is kinda bizarre but I must say, for perhaps as much as the latter half of the experience, Sin's really been what's kept me following all this time and I think about here is where it really clicked.
Just the sheer panoply of inner demons grappled with by such a troubled but also clever and idealistic mind - which genuinely seems to also strive for purpose and belonging, grimly so in fact.
Makes me wonder if either he or... something about what his character represents had been what drew me in to begin with- like, he'd always been sort of the omphalos for the intellectually-heavy details of the story but now I'm thinking just the dynamic between him and almost everything else within the world here has been crucial in some way.
Could just be getting into the obvious given that he's the titular OC but I hadn't really discerned it until I got to see the innards of his mind and past.
10368716
Sin's primary representation is the intellectual dilemma of the "Libertarian solution" of freedom in two worlds. The world more akin to ours on earth, and an idealistic one in Equestria.
Really, it's a way for me to vent my own frustration about how ineffective it is to advocate libertarianism when people don't want it, in the deonteological sense of liberty and leaving others alone, but do want the consequentialism based results (Of economy and prosperity). The inner conflict of idiological conflict, much as I'm loathed to use the word, is... a journey.
>To start in a curious examination of why paper money works
> ascertain the ideas of economy there in,
>find peaceful and voluntary as the supreme method of interaction,
>become confused as to why it isn't universally adopted (government programs and taxation), Observe the wolves
> become irritated as to those infringements being defended by the masses, Observe the sheep
>understand the reason why those who defend those infringements do so, Understand the sheep
>argue to no effect,
>determine they are intellectually inept and would rather see instant gratification through virtuous intent rather than long term consequence,
>feel inner conflict about utilizing violence to make a change for the better or do nothing and stand by principals,
>try virtuous violence as a way to cultivate change, try to protect the sheep by being a good guard dog
>fail in garnering results there in,
>grieve about failure,
> accept that the individual cannot make the desired change world wide, settle for changing other individuals when possible. Question why the sheep should be protected and encourage more dogs
> Leave those who want others to control their lives to suffer. Abandon the sheep. Especially since they'd morph into wolves if it suited them. (Bit black and white, but results generally are. Reasons may be grey, but undesirable consequence isn't.)
10369225
Yeah, that more or less sets the lineation for Sin's basic progression from past to present. Interesting to note how many of those steps involve a certain, I guess embroilment, with his more emotional make-up. Perfect recipe for inner-conflict.
It doesn't always seem like he's successfully consummated it into himself that those of insufficient action and responsibility should just be left to their ends but what's fascinating is he seems so hell bent on believing he has.
Gonna have to make sure I re-visit pages I leave comments on to check for replies, notification still has its shortcomings it seems.
10369424
Unfortunate.
But bear in mind that it's always been Critic or Kid that's made him act in most altruistic ways. Macintosh and Spike being exceptions.
Is that cheating? To have an inner voice of morality make him act better?