Earning Freedom

by Daxisle

Mane Intervention

Mane Intervention

Macintosh stood in the circle of ponies, right between Pinkie and Sin. Applejack and Rainbow sat together glaring at the two stallions. Twilight stood a bit farther in the middle of circle with an uncomfortably forced smile, and Rarity and Fluttershy simply looked down in thought. Fluttershy more hid behind her hair trying to avoid looking at Sin more than actually thinking.

"Sin, when did Y'all get here?" Macintosh asked looking to the enigmatic stallion, shooting him a skeptical glance.

"Your friend Ms. Pie," Sin began, a small smirk given. "She is quite, tenacious when she wants a favor. Though I cannot figure out for the life of me how she discovered where I was."

"It's better just not to ask." A familiar voice called. Mac looked over to find Spike walking into the room, holding a quill and parchment. "Trust me, it's just better not to question it."

Pinkie blushed for a moment than cleared her throat looking to Twilight. The purple mare broke her concentration from the speaking of the stallion. "oh right, Umm, Big Mac." Twilight addressed, "Applejack says you have been acting rather strange as of late."

Mac cocked an eyebrow at his sister. "Has she told ya why? Or did she leave ou' tha' part to ya too?" His scolding glare never once leaving his sister.

"Well, she told me that you smacked her hoof away after she made you a salad, and teased you with it." Twilight explained prompting a snarl from the red stallion.

"Mind tellin' her the rest, Applejack?" Mac shot.

Applejack gave an unapologetic groan. "Yea, Ah think Ah will." She explained her bit of how Macintosh came home after he escaped from the guards who had arrested him, much to the disgust of Fluttershy and Rarity, she distinctly detailed the reason for his capture. She mentioned how worried she was that her one and only brother was hauled off by the Equestrian peace keepers, and emphasized that it was in front of her little sister no less. She informed them about when Mac came home, and the way he acted upon arrival.

"And ever since he's been back, he's bein' a lot more sensitive 'bout the smallest bit of patronage." Applejack accused, pointing to her brother.

"Hmmm." Sin put a thoughtful hoof to his chin and began scratching. "That is quite a tale. Ms. Rainbow, you said you had a similar experience as well?"

"Pft, I don't answer to you." Rainbow turned her nose up and away from the question.

"Than answer it for me." Twilight glanced up to her rainbow friend. "What happened between you and Macintosh?"

Rainbow shook her head, and reluctantly answered. "Well like I told you before, I was talking to Pinkie in the Sugar Cube Corner, and she told me that she had met a particularly strange pony." Rainbow pointed a lazy cyan hoof to Sin, "And told me that he had been hangin' around Big Macintosh. We had a few laughs about them, ya know, being special somepony's; and than Mac actually came into the shop. I made a joke and he took it way to personally!" He explanation finished with flared wings, and an annoyed stare.

"Would ya' like to tell the rest of it, or should Ah?" Mac offered in both a joking and aggravated tone.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and crossed her forelegs. Mac knew that her pride wouldn't allow her to admit that she had done wrong, so he finished her tale, adding in the part where he made it clear that he wasn't in the mood to be made fun of.

Twilight nodded in comprehension. "I can understand your frustration Big Macintosh, but I don't see how that justifies you stomping and yelling at Rainbow the way you did." She called sternly.

Mac's anger fell to a deadpan.

Spike let out a scoff as he took notes, "Pft, give me a break."

Twilight's eyes shot down to her assistant. "Excuse me?"

Spike cocked an eyebrow and gave her a sarcastic look. "Are you kidding me? You yelled at me for five minutes after I made the honest mistake of breaking wind on front of you."

Rarity scrunched her nose and condemned such a disgusting action in front of a lady.

"Don't worry, I'll get to you in a minute." Spike spat, shooting a cold look at his love interest. "But five minutes of yelling Twi', and the yelling was pretty bad, you used words that you smacked me for using. And when i confronted you about it, you said that i deserved it. Now you're going to sit there and say that Big Mac went too far?" His voice was calm and explanatory, but the scathing undertone was more than overt. "Sounds kinda hypocritical to me."

Twilight made an offended face. "You did deserve it, I mean who does that?"

"Not the point Twi'," Spike replied blankly. "The point is, you were alright with yelling at me for something so trivial, but when Mac does it, than a line was crossed?"

"It's not the same!" Twilight cried.

"How? How is it not the same?"

"Because he's a boy, and Rainbow is a GIRL!" Twilight shouted, her face full of anger and frustration.

Silence washed over the room, they all watched the angered mare with surprised looks. Fluttershy now backed into the wall, and Pinkie and Rarity giving her sympathetic looks. A.J. and Rainbow simply stood with berating looks at Spike for his words.

"And so the truth finally comes out." Sin spoke, his words low and amused.

"What truth, what're you talkin' about?" Applejack demanded stomping her hoof on the ground.

Sin slowly turned his head to the farm mare, and stared for a moment before speaking. "I am not a dog, I do not take orders from you. Also a bit ironic, considering that is the exact action that put Macintosh in hot water with Rainbow Dash." He looked back to address the entire group. He cleared his throat and began to speak again. "When i first came to your country, i had noticed that it was a primarily matriarchal society. It's not just from the fact you have two Princesses who rule the kingdom as the supreme authority, but from my observations, the female ponies outnumber the males in this town by five to three."

The group thought about what he said, and nodded in the strange revelation.

"Furthermore, not only do the mare's outnumber the stallions in Ponyville, in such a way; the trend is a constant in other cities such as Manehattan, Trotinghamand Fillydelphia. Not to mention, that mares take up the leadership rolls in most of the towns and villages." Sin's words were calm and matter-of-factly. "Add to that, the fact that a great deal of your stallions are part of the royal guard, a subservient group of ponies, who's primary goal is to serve the princesses' and thier constituent's every command; it really stands to reason why you see male ponies in an inferior fashion."

"I don't see stallions as inferior" Twilight replied a little to quickly.

Mac and Spike rose their eyebrows and beamed at the purple mare, giving her an uncomfortable feeling in her shoulders and neck.

"That's it!" Applejack interjected, gaining the attention of everypony in the room. "Ah, have had it with this nonsense. Now y'all look here Big Mac." The farm mare walked up to her brother giving him one of the most stern looks her face could muster. "I'm givin' ya an ultimato."

"Ultimatum." Twilight corrected, groaning at her inability to hold back her urge of correcting her friend.

"Whatevah'!" Applejack rolled her eyes before returning to Macintosh. "Now, you listen to me. Ah want ya to keep away from that colt, he's a poisonin' yer mind, and makin' ya unkind to me n' yer' friends."

"Poisoning your mind?" Sin repeated at the silly way to phrase his influence.

"Shutup!" Rainbow yelled. "You have no right to speak."

"Really? Than why was i called here?" Sin quipped with a smile.

Rainbow gritted her teeth, "Why you little-"

"ENOUGH!" Barked Macintosh, bringing the incipient bickering to its end. His eyes darted at his sister. Her own gaze gaze loosing it's confidence, and giving way to nervousness. Immediately seeing the fear growing on his sister's face, Mac's hard expression softened to an understanding and sympathetic one. "Sis, Ah am sorry that Ah yelled at ya and smacked yer leg." Mac admitted, owning up to his side of the blame.

"Thanks Big Mac, Ah'm sorry Ah treated ya' like a filly and disregarded your word." Applejack smiled up at her brother. A sudden flash of realization crossed over he face. "But, i have to ask ya, don't hang around Sin anymore, please."

Before Mac could answer, Rainbow piped up. "Yea, he turned you into a real jerk."

Mac waited for Sin's response, but nothing came. He looked over to find the stallion looking down at nothing in particular. The oak colored pony finally noticed Mac's stare and forced a reassuring smiled, "I am a pony of freedom, Mr Macintosh. I have no interest in keeping you from the family you wish to be with."

A.J. placed a tender hoof upon her brothers face. "Ah just want my brother back, Ah just wan' things the way theh' were before."

Mac leaned into his sisters hoof slightly, his eyes shifting away from her. He thought about it for a moment. Could he forget the lessons he had learned? Could he cast away his own self indulging desires simply for the sake of allowing his families happiness? 'Are you kidding me?' That small voice quipped again. The great feeling of being truly alive and happy about it. And the power you felt when you had stood up for yourself. Now that you have a crying mare looking at you, you're going to throw all of that away? Simply for ponies who treated you badly from the start? You heard her, she wants things to go back to what it was before. You will be the melancholy and empty stallion you used to be. Do you really want that for the sake of making them happy? Those who ignored you, figuratively spat on your opinions and drove you you to silence? Are they really worth throwing away the feelings you earned?

"Big Mac?"

Macintosh gently pushed away his sisters hoof from his face. "Ah'm sorry Applejack." Macintosh apologized, his voice calm and rational. "Bu' I will do as Ah please. This is mah life, n' if Ah want to spend time with somepony, than that's mah business."

Applejack's eyes eyes began to well with tears, her body shook with suppressed sobs before her eyes found their way to a discouraged looking Sin. "You." She whispered turning her head to the dark stallion, anger forming on her features. "This is all YER' FAULT!" She made a dash for Sin, only to be met with her brothers leg holding her inches away from him. "Give him back! Give me mah brother back!" She broke down on the floor, tears falling freely from her cheeks.

"I think you should leave." Twilight said, her face a mixture of pity for her friend, and disdain for the one who caused Applejack's pain.

"Yea, Get out of town and never come back!" Rainbow Dash agreed trotting over to Applejack and placing a comforting hoof on her head.

"Of course, I don't like to be where I am unwelcome." Sin said with a small bow, he turned his back to the group and began to head for the door.

"If he's leaving, than I'm going with him!" a nervous voice proclaimed. Sin stopped in his tracks. The others laid their eyes on the green dragon who spouted the unbelievable words.

"You will do no such thing!" Twilight scolded.

"Spikey darling, don't tell me that ruffian's influence has gotten to you too." Rarity walked over to the baby dragon, and laid a compassionate hoof on his head.

Spike smack the hoof off with more force than necessary, causing a look of shock to erupt on the diva ponies face. "Ya know Rarity," Spike began as he walked over to stand by big Macintosh. He tossed the quill and paper onto the ground, and kept his back firmly to her as he spoke, "Big Mac asked me a question yesterday, one he said Sin had asked him. I thought about it, I thought long and hard, and i realized that; I'm not going to be happy if I stay here."

"YOU BASTARD!" Rainbow jumped up from Applejack's side and rammed the dragon against the wall. She panted heavily with tears running down her face, "Whadoya mean you aren't going to be happy? After everything we've been through and everything we've done for you?"

Spike released the flinch from the force of Impact and looked Rainbow dead in the eye, "Rainbow, I've been meaning to say this for sometime now, and I really think you need to hear it. You are not the bucking bad ass you think you are." he said with a blatant and apathetic tone.

Rainbow recoiled at the harsh words, allowing the dragon to fall to the ground. The remainder of the mane six gave audible gasps of horror. "Yea that's right, I said it." Spike picked himself up and addressed the bewildered group, "You wanna talk about what you've done for me? How about we talk about what Spike wants for a change?"

"DEAR CELESTIA WHAT DID YOU SAY TO THEM?" Twilight demanded, her tear ridden eyes focused on Sin.

Sin turned back to the group of ponies and smiled. "I merely asked them a question, Miss. Sparkle." He walked forward to address the party so they could all see him. "A simple nine words in an open ended and thought provoking format, nothing more."

"Well no bucking crap." Twilight cursed. "WHAT was the question?" She snarled.

Sin chuckled to himself at the pony's rage. "I'm sorry, it's just astonishing how nine simple words can bring about such unprecedented events. The question I asked them, i will propose to you: Were you put on this earth to serve another?"

Twilight quirked an eyebrow, as the anger in her face dropped to disappointed annoyance. "That's it?" She looked to Macintosh and Spike, who nodded in the affirmative. "That's all you did? Ask a stupid question that doesn't even make any sense?"

Spike and Macintosh shook their heads in a unison of disappointment. "And that's exactly why I'm leaving Twi'." Spike took a breath. "You just don't get it."

Twilight growled in frustration, "What they hay? Does he have some kind of mind control over you or something?"

Mac began to speak, but he was cut off by the stallion responsible. "There is no point Big Mac." A genuine sigh of disappointment escaped the downcast and disappointed Sin. "If she doesn't understand it now, she will not understand it until she figures it out for herself."

"I've had it." The enraged cyan mare exclaimed rushing for where Sin stood. Macintosh wrapped his forelegs around her and with held the fury that was now Rainbow Dash. "You monster, I don't know what kind of psychosomatic, whatever you put on Mac and Spike, but You'll pay fo-"

"Tell me Ms. Dash." Sin interrupted the mares words, his face only inches out of reach of her hooves. "Are you so selfish and full of pride that you believe your desires outrank that of your friends?"

Rainbow ended her thrashing against Mac and growled at Sin. "What the hay is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you believe your desires to have your friends stay here with you, should be considered more important, than what they wish to do with their own lives?" He noticed Rainbow relax her body, a shallow look of guilt on her face as she mused over the question for a moment; and took the opportunity to step closer, a small snarl on his face. "Do you truly think your friends are so incompetent and weak that; your opinion of what they should do with their lives is the best? Making them into nothing more than your slaves, doing only what you allow? Do you really hold that much disrespect for them and care so little for what they want?"

Rainbow looked up, a hurt and confused look on her face. "They don't really want this?"

"And how do you know that?" Sin replied turning his back to the mare. "You were there when they both made their case for not wanting to stay here. Or did you just dismiss that as idiotic banter?" Rainbow Dash's mouth gaped at the accusation. She couldn't very well reply, due to the fact that the pony was right. She did more or less disregard their opinions out of the shear emotional contempt for them.

"I shall depart Ponyville at seven A.M. tomorrow morning. If you two still desire to come with me, I shall be on the western bluff outside of the market district." And with that, Sin walked out of the farm house, and closed the door gently behind him.

Pinkie Pie shook her head. "I knew this would happen."

Hmm... Yea, i probably put in more dialog then there should have been, but can ya blame me? To those who found this chapter too androgynous because of the fact; I do apologize. Most chapters wont have this many "quotation marks" but for this chapter, it was kind of essential. Question for the chapter: Am I focusing to much on Sin and not enough on Macintosh? and a second question: Does the addition of Spike give or take away from the story?

Comments

[Bronyhood of steel]

i say keep spike in it they are both make this story

[Aiovas]

Another bucking awesome chapter!! I think that the focuse on Sin was a good prospective on the story because it showed a bit more of how wise he was and brings more depth to the story and as for spike I beleve that it adds tremendously to the overall plot.

[Linkerman]

Y'know, chapters like this are completely fine if you time them right.
After all, if you put too much of one thing in a certain place, it'll become boring.
You'll want more.
Of course, there won't be more, since you've already maximized what you could get.
Now, add in this sort of chapter...
It'll make these kinds of chapters AND the action chapters more appreciated.
Anyways, I have no idea what I'm rambling on about. I just think that these sorts of phylosophical chapters are fun to have.
Well, those that make you think and actually have believable characters.
*Cough*Not soap operah.*Cough*

[Brony of the Revolution]

the furry that was now Rainbow Dash

cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wat_grande.jpg?113123
It should be fury.

[Daxisle]

2865923 Thank you, fixed.

[Thebravenorse]

That's right Spike! stand up for your self

[Veylon]

I now I'm, like, two years late to this but, is no one going to call Celestia to account on this?

A couple of guards used her borrowed authority to kidnap Big Mac at least in part as a hostage in order to rape Applejack? Even if they don't care about Mac, no one is outraged or offended for Applejack's sake? Even if they don't directly accuse Her Highness (and they probably wouldn't, as unquestioned authority seems to be a key point of this world), they'd at least want her to know so that she can descend in righteous wrath on the evildoer, thus justifying their continued obedience to her. As things stand thus far, there's a glaring flaw in their worldview and I'd think they'd want to address that.

[spiketheking]

oh my god twlight is a sexist lol big itme i knew it the whole country is sexist and spike gives to the story

[psychosis]

2865923 good catch, that extra 'r' changes that sentence a whole lot.