Earning Freedom

by Daxisle

Student & Master

"So, let me get this straight." Spike said, his brow narrowed in thought. Annabelle is Soarin's brother, and you have the hots for her while AJ has the hots for him." Macintosh nodded. "and you," he gestured to the buttermilk earth pony, "have confirmed that your brother doesn't have a genuine interest in Applejack and only wants to use her to get back at Mac. You both know this, want to tell her but don't think she'll listen?"

"Yes." Annabelle replied with a sigh of defeat. "It's a delicate situation that could end up with her being hurt very badly."

The drake put a claw to his chin and stroked it solomly. He could see the problem, even if both of these two went to tell her, she'd only see it as Mac holding a grudge and using Soarin's sister to do so. That's when a thought occurred to him. "Maybe you two should talk with Pinkie Pie. She and AJ are close, maybe she can help."

"Who's that?" Annabelle asked.

Spike smirked. "Somepony who doesn't give a feather about delicate situations."

Her frown deepening, Anna retorted that involving said mare would be the last thing that they would want to do. Though, Spike's thought pattern on the matter was more along the lines of exposing the truth as quickly as possible vs exposing it with tact. In his experience it was the better way to go.

"But honestly, I wouldn't do much of anything right now."

"What?" Both earth ponies said in unison.

"Well think about it. Soarin is just trying to get to Mac, right? So, if you two sit around stewing about out and getting all worked up, he wins." Spike replied bluntly. "AJ is going to get hurt, no matter what you do now. It's sad to hear, but that's the truth of the matter."

Grinding his teeth, Mac resigned himself to sit back on the lavender sofa. He didn't like it, but his friend was right. AJ put herself in a situation, and she'd have to face the consequences. It still didn't sit right with him though, it wasn't like her or any of the Apple family to so quickly and willingly forgive somepony who'd wronged their kin.

Annabelle let out a low groan and took a sip of coffee the drake had provided.

Twilight had left for the day to accompany Rarity and Fluttershy to the spa. Chuckling inwardly, the dragon couldn't help but feel some comfort in having a sense of normalcy back. Even if he did want it to end and go out on his own again.

"So, whado we do?" Mac asked.

Spike rolled his eyes and exhaled harshly. "C'mon Mac, are you serious right now?" He deadpanned, rolling back the snark when anger appeared in the red pony's eyes. "You've been talking about seeing this mare again since we left Hooftrot, now here she is stuck in your lap and you don't know what to do with her?"

Mac's eyes shot wide and his already crimson face somehow reddened farther. He loved Spike like a brother, but sometimes he just wanted to smack the boy upside the head.

"Oh my." Annabelle giggled. "Didn't realize that I was that important to you."

Mac wanted to reply right away, but found that he didn't know what to say. Fact of the matter was that the mare before him still initiated feelings of guilt for what happened between himself and Luna. That was enough to make him hesitant, let alone the fact he knew little to nothing about relationships and was a soft spoken introvert with mare issues due to how his family had treated him.

"Macintosh?" He looked up to find the mare looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn' mean to upset you."

Spike humphed and waved his claw dismissively. "He's fine, Mac likes to think alot. Don't worry about it." He turned his head to look out the window and find the sun still high over head. "Still pretty early, I'm sure you guys could find something to do. Maybe head over to the business district and find someplace nice to eat."

Mac thought the idea over and agreed. He did want to spend time with Annabelle, regardless of how he currently felt. It would hurt, but if he confessed what happened and why he felt so much guilt over it, maybe he'd feel better if she forgave him.

The two were about to excuse themselves but Spike held Mac back for a private word.

"You alright, dude?" Spike inquired.

Mac nodded in reply. He'd never told anypony about his feelings towards Luna. He didn't want them worrying about it, besides it was his business and his issue to deal with.

"Alright. Hey," the drake reached into a draw in the side table and pulled out a bag of bits. He carefully plopped a few into his hand and gave them to Mac. "Still had a bit in savings after that Griffin fiasco. Consider this my apology."

"Apology?" Mac asked, his head cocked to the side.

"Well talk about it later. Now get going, don't want to keep your date waiting." Spike smirked knowingly before Mac offered his own smile of appreciation and walked out the door.

---

Sighing to himself, Sin gently rubbed the bit of gauze around his neck and looked at the bandages around his leg. He didn't expect to wake up again, he expected the wolves to follow him and finish him off after they'd rebuilt their moral. Yet here he was, his wounds tended to and a few canteens of water more than when he left no less.

Star Shade wasn't anywhere in sight now, Sin began to worry about the lunar pegasus. Not so much for the stallion himself, but for those around him. And those two lion looking things he had when he left.

Sin took a long drink of water than looked over to the collection of white rocks and shuddered. He knew what those rocks meant. His master had found him, and in such a pitiful state no less. The burning of tearing flesh and freezing of terror was nothing compared to the empty feeling of shame he felt.

The coming conversation was going to suck in more ways than the oaken stallion wanted to admit.

He hated when others pitied him, especially those who he looked up to. Though, it was bound to happen considering the way he'd left things last time he and Tyken had spoken.

Sin heard a swallows whistle from the trees in front of him and whistled in return, his grip on the new crossbow now relaxing. Sure and soon enough, a big, bulging and ugly as sin Griffon walked though the brush. He was still as tall and proud as the stallion remembered, though the grey feathers were a new touch.

"Ya look like shite, boyo." He called monotonously.

Sin chuckled. He couldn't help it, he hadn't seen Tyken in damn near three years and left with words of anger between them, yet he wakes up to his old master saying the very first he'd spoken to him when they'd met.

Finally able to calm himself, and feeling a little better Sin decided to indulge the nostalgia. "Yea, and you look like an oversize falcon rat." The two shared another small snicker. "So, how's Philena doing?"

"She's been fine. Had a visit from Cherib and her hatchlings 'for I came. She be in good spirits."

"Good to hear." Sin replied, his smile dwindling as the time for small talk came to its end. "How'd you find me?"

Tyken recalled a meeting with Captain Demos. Apparently the Triple M Corporation took the battle between theGonshinian and the Judgement as an act of war. The Gonshinian has been under constant assault from Triple M agents. Nothing major like sending another Titan Class airship after them, but small little jolts and jabs that keep the crew constantly on edge.

While the Bloody Sky Captains had sought out refuge in the Highscore Mountains, The Griffin and his family gave Demos and his crew a secure place to rest as well as plenty of food and drink.

Tyken pulled out a news paper and gave it to Sin to read. Sin's eyebrows shot up as he read the title. "Sky Pirates destroy Triple M. Aviation." A picture of the Gonshinian flying on the front page with the Judgement falling to the ground with smoke puffing from its rear end. He read the first few paragraphs of the article.

"It was another peaceful day in Equestria's Trottingham. At least until a behemoth class red and black Airship at least 200 feet in length loomed overhead. Followed by another ship, slightly smaller. The residents of Trottingham quickly stampeded home from the city, seeking refuge from the battle. Six were killed in the initial scramble, and dozens more wounded.

The Equestrians watched with awe and terror as the crews of the two foreign air ships collided in a mid air battle over the city. Bodies fell, casualties were taken in the unknown fight between the two. A few witnesses claimed that the Judgement's Captain demanded the surrender of the Gonshinian prior to the attack, others claim that the Gonshinian opened fire first."

Sin blew dismissively and skipped down to the final paragraph.

The question that must be asked from all of this is if the Triple M. Corporation, the entity that failed to stop a changeling infested troop of Zeboricans from touching down in Orval in what's become known as the Sigma III Scandal, who has now lost one of their most prized air ships to a group of rag-tag pirates, is really the corporate entity we should rely on for national security.?

He looked at the name of the already dead author and pay his respects, his father didn't take critiques very well. Though, no name could be found, only the letter Z.

"Pretty big guts to print this story." He sighed, knowing that the publisher and the entire firm were probably already dead.

Tyken nodded solemnly. "Aye, the building went up in flames. Claimed it was a malfunction of the printing press."

Shaking his head, Sin placed the news paper in his bag for later inquiry. Sigma III sounded like an interesting story, considering how much pride Malich took in the efficiency of the blockade around the country.

"So, I guess that brings up the next subject, why are you here?"

Scratching his crest, Tyken replied, "I came tah ask ya to come back to the Federation."

"Thought as much. Hate to disappoint you, but I can't go back, and I have not interest in returning if I could."

"You know they've napped Windmane, Aye?"

The stallion let out a sigh. He knew this was coming. "Windmane knew that becoming friends with me was a bad idea. I warned him of my plans to challenge the Citizen's gods of Apathy, Fear and Dogma, the very thing that leave's the corporate elite's control of the government unimpeaded by the populace. Windman knew to leave well enough alone."

"Aye, just as ya did Zell?"

Sin's neck twitched a little, but he remained calm. "I told him to leave Unitas the moment that I came into the Senate. I knew that my father would try to use my friends as a means to sway me into his political gains. I offered him plenty of money to start a new life somewhere else, but he refused. His death was not my fault."

"BULL CRAP IT'S NOT!" Tyken shot back, causing Sin to flinch. "That unicorn was nothin' but short a yer brother, he left into the mountains tah find ya n' bring ya back after he heard I abandoned you there. If it weren't for him, you'd be dead and ya know it!"

Clamping his jaw, the former federalist's nostrils flared and for the first time in a long time; his ear twitched in annoyance. "I went to challenge the status quo of the Senate. The gods of Apathy, Fear and Dogmatism. Zell's sacrifice was to show that my opinion would not be swayed by violence an-"

"Zell shouldn't have been sacrificed at all!" The griffin bellowed in frustration.

And that's when Sin heard something deep within his mind snap and every last bit of patience he had suddenly abandon him.

"AND WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO!? Huh? Become the political puppet that I'd set out to eliminate from the Senate!? Submit to my father's political agenda and do his biding while disregarding every thing you and my grandfather had taught me?! WELL FUCK THAT! I did what I thought was right! I stood against Gemini and his plans. Something no other Senator would do besides Windmane! I knew there'd be sacrifice, Zell knew it too but instead of being smart and going into hiding, he decided he was going to be a big bucking hero and martyr himself to show that he wasn't afraid, HOW IS THAT MY FAULT!?

Smack!

Sin's face was now looking right, his left cheek burning profusely with small and warm droplets dripping down his cheek. He sat for a moment, looking at the ground. There was silence around him and all that could be heard was his and Tyken's labored breathing.

After a few moments of a blank mind, Sin's senses slowly came back to him. He wanted to be angry and beat the crap out of Tyken, he wanted to exact vengeance for the breaking of the Non-Aggression Principal, he wanted to show that what his master had done was by no means acceptable...

Except it was, and deep down, the stallion knew from the crushing guilt he'd been repressing since he'd heard the news of his friend's death that he deserved it.

"What happened to you?" Tyken whispered softly. "What happened to the colt I knew who'd helped that rabbit free itself before the wolf ate it? When did he become this apathetic ta the suffering of others?"

The stallion spit out some metallic tasting blood from his mouth before turning his head to face his old friend. His face was neutral and steadfast as were the words that came out of his mouth. "When he challenged the gods, Tyken." He blinked away a tear at the corner of his eye and sniffled. "When he challenged the gods and lost."

Author's Note:

Comments are appreciated.

Comments

[TheStratovarian]

Rather nice finality to end it on for this chapter. Still rather curious how much you plan to elaborate on the zebrica changelings too.

[Godiswithus3]

.....

That last line is something I can very well relate to. I am slowly becoming apathetic because of the battles I have lost in the political arena. Which lead to the apathy of other's feelings. I am as wrong as Sinbad.

[Daxisle]

6290716 You're not the only one.