Earning Freedom

by Daxisle

Failed Psychology

Failed Psychology

Golden eyes looking all around the room, vastly watching for any of the other six ponies to take action against him. Nothing, nopony moved. Nopony did anything but look at him with soft, gentle, smiles.

'What's going on here? Discord, what are they doing?!'

"As I've said before, dear boy." Discord's voice boomed in his head. "I told them what happened to you and they'll be taking a psychological evaluation to see if you're in need of mental help and if your trauma could be the cause for all the crimes you've committed."

No, no this was a trick! It had to be a trick.

"Starshade, would you come to the circle please?" The pink Alicorn requested, but the insane pony wouldn't move. He wanted to fly but the chains that bound his wings hadn't budged ever since he'd gained them upon arrest.

His eyes again, began searching the room for any exist he could find, but again his search lead to nothing, causing his already stressed sympathetic-nervous system to exacerbate farther in intensity.

Discord is his god, his entity his being! He doesn't work with the the government. If he worked with the government, than that means he likes the government, and if he likes the government than he likes order, and if he likes order than he doesn't like chaos as much. And if Discord, the god of chaos doesn't like chaos, than why didn't all lizards have shells like armadillos? Pancakes aren't good shells for tacos, the chronological consistency is far to sour for the texture pack of minecraft to process intrinsically.

It wasn't apparent to the pony himself, but to everypony else in the room, Shade's front hoof had reached up and began rigorously scratching his ear, while his eyes dilated and contracted at a rapid and ungodly pace as his body began to convulse from his inability to comprehend the situation he was currently faced with.

"Discord, what's going on with him?" Demanded Cadence as a sense of dread crept in her throat.

"Discord?"

"Oh my, I think he might be having a psychotic break."

Already put on edge by the situation, The alicorn cast her best sleep spell and missed as Shade flipped over the spell and landed infront of Pinkie Pie.

His eyes wide and a maniacal grin twisting his face, Shade looked at the pink mare's mane with psychotic delight. "Oohhh, Cotton BREAKFAST!" He cried before clamping down and attempting to eat.

Pinkie screamed and began running about, "Gaaaah! Gethimoffgethimoffgethimoff!" The mare cried, desperately trying to escape.

Though, her movements were counterproductive as Shade simply hung limply on her mane and was carried like a rag doll out of the paths of Twilight's spells. "Girls, get out of here!" She barked, opening the door.

"APPLES!" The psychotic pony declared as he bound off of Pinkie's hair and directly to Applejack's rump.

"Ho Nelly!" Cried the applemare, jumping just in time to save her keister from a four fanged chomp. "Anypony, Little help here!"

"I like apples, but I HATE oranges!" Declared Shade, his happy smile suddenly turning into a hate-filled scowl, licking his lips repeatedly. "I CRUSH ORANGES!"

Cadence flew in front of Applejack and used the projected trail to blast Shade head first with her magic, dropping the stallion into a chuckling mass of sleep on the ground.

Everything was quiet except her, Pinkie Pie and Applejack's labored breathing and the occasional cackle from the pony on the ground. They thought they were equipped to use the power of friendship to bring harmony and calm to the stallion who'd suffered so gravely.

They were all very wrong.

---

Sin breathed heavily as he finally started to come to terms with his feelings and began trying to repress them again. The pain and crushing depression wasn't as debilitating as it was a couple of days ago when it initially happened, but he still couldn't stand how much his logic and reason had lost control. This was a problem, a problem he had to solve if he wanted to get out of this mess and get his freedom back.

Of course there was a way out of this, there was always a way, but his emotions were clouding his judgement. It may be a long shot, but he could get out of this place if he needed to. He'd gotten out of worse before.

"You alright over there?" Valiar asked.

"Fine." Sin replied sitting up and taking a breath. Valiar shrugged and went back to his moping.

Another few hours passed and a vast amount of emotional control with it. Enough to realize that what he did was stupid and the method of slow release would have been better than going over bored.

"Valiar?" Called a voice as it entered the room. Sin looked to find Shining Armor and two guards accompanying him. He came to collect the crimson unicorn for interrogation.

Though once Valiar and the guards had left, one other pony remained. A familiar mare Sin had met before but couldn't quite put his name on.

"We meet again, Sin." She declared softly, stepping forward into his field of vision. Strangely enough, she looked differently than he remembered. Her once fazzeled and lilac hair was now much more kept and braided down her neck, her orange coat seemed much more vibrant and feminine without the suite tie and cuffs she bore last time.

Upitty.

"How are you holding up? The guards said you refused to eat anything since you'd gotten back." She looked at the old bandages around his neck, observing how old and dirty they were not only from the elements of the badlands, but small reddened pools that bled through the gauz. "What happened there?" She asked in concern.

"What are you doing here?" Was the oaken ponies reply.

It was an odd bargain, but apparently Celestia had appointed her to be his over-seer until his trial. Guessing it due to Uppity being the only pony who'd ever worked successfully with him.

'Aww, isn't that sweet? You're marefriend came to look after you.'

Eat a dick.

'Wow, that whole revelation about being more kind to your friends thing didn't last at all, did it?'

"And as your Over-seer, I'm giving you a direct order to eat. You'll need your strength if I'm to help you get out of this." The orange mare declared, summoning forth a cold plate of carrots and hey fries to her side.

"Alright, first of all. I don't take orders." Sin growled, lifting himself to look his care taker in the eye. "Secondly, I'm not hungry."

"Yes, yes I'm sure you're so tough and alone that you don't need need to eat." Uppity teased, lifting a bit of carrot up to his mouth. "Matter of fact, I bet you don't need to drink either. The simple fact that you're so awesome sustains you, doesn't it?"

'HA! Nice.'

Now he was getting annoyed. He didn't play himself up that much, yea he was lying when he said he wasn't hungry and thirsty, but he'd be damned before he was spoon fed like a freaking foal! He may be a pathetic wretch, but he still had a shell of dignity.

"Yes, those chains and not talking to anypony really showed them, didn't it? How independent and self-reliant you are. You don't need anypony at all, do you? Who's a cute little anarchist?"

Was... was she patronizing him?

All the stallion could do was look on in a mix between mild horror and utter bafflement. He'd never received this kind of treatment before and wasn't sure how to respond to it.

Uppity, however, seemed satisfied at the reaction and smiled proudly. "So, are you done acting like a petulant foal now? Or do I need to keep on praising you for how strong a stallion you are who don't need no pony else?"

Again, said stallion could only look on with absolute bewilderment. What was he supposed to say to that? Even the pragmatic part of his mind had trouble processing a response.

'Bwahahahah. I'm not! She's got your number, boyo. She's got your number and she's calling it left and right!'

After a few moments of silence, Sin finally reached out to take the carrot and jammed it into his mouth, for some reason feeling a great deal of shame and irritation for the mare before him.

Eventually the food was all gone along with the painful gurgling in his stomach. "See, was that so hard?"

With a sigh and shake of his head, the stallion inquired what she wanted from him. To his surprise, Uppity took a seat and stated that she wanted to thank him for the massive destruction he'd played against her during his trial. Apparently Celestia had wanted to see how the mare would handle such an impossible situation. To see if she'd snap from the betrayal or if she'd stick to the Law up until the bitter end.

Apparently, her mentor was more than pleased with her performance and even though Sin made her look foolish, maintained her position in support of the country's laws. Saying it was the laws that had built the nation and blah blah blah.

Sweet Tapio did this chick like to talk.

'C'mon dude, she's bearing her heart to you here. Can't you just and at least try to make her happy?'

It's not my fault that I find her meaningless drivel annoying. It's her voice, it makes my stomach churn.

'Why do you think that is?'

I don't know, she just has that kind of voice. I guess?

'Didn't seem to bother you when she saved your ass from those Occupy protesters. You know what I think? I think you resent her because you know that she might just be smarter than you'.

Preposterous! Granted Uppity was a very intelligent mare, one does not become the practical District Prosecuting Atorny for the crown by being stupid, but that wasn't the reason he resented her.

'No, it is. She's smarter than you and you find that intimidating. But it's also kinda funny that she actually wants to be around you too, considering how you treat her. Maybe she has a fancy for you? Is that a blush I detect on your cheeks? I think it is.'

His face was indeed turning red, but he attributed it more to irritation than embarrassment.

'Think what you want, but the cat's already out of the bag. You feel something for her. Don't try to deny it now! Heart rate increasing, breath growing shallow, face reddening. Good god man, get ahold of yourself before you become indecent!

I swear on all things liberty oriented I will put images of Lady Fatchitaz fucking a rhino in my head if you don't shut up!

"... and for that I wanted to thank you." She concluded her long winded speech that Sin tuned out half way through.

Crap, what was she saying? Gah, Screw it.

"Yea, sure." He replied dismissively.

"Hey, I'll be right back, alright?" She declared before leaving at a brisk trot.

A moment later, the mare reappeared with a white tin case with a small red cross on the front. Uppity carefully placed the tin onto the bed and opened it, retrieving multiple rolls of guaz and disinfecting agents. Sin reached for the dressing but was refused with words that he wouldn't be able to reach all the way around himself. Already irritated from his internal conversation, the stallion snatched away the medical supply and undid the bandages around him.

A disgusting smell of his ruined flesh made nearly gag. The bite mark on his neck wasn't a bite mark at all, it was cauterized shut. If he was lucky, the pelt would grow back, but he didn't care about that. What he cared about was the infected and yellowing of the flesh along the scar. It wasn't as infected enough to incapacitate him, but it did help in explaining his lethargy. He was sick, no denying it anymore.

"Sweet Celestia! What happened to you?" Screamed Uppity, covering her snoot with a hoof.

"Timber wolves." Sin stated simply, applying the disinfectant with a harsh hiss at the sting. It was at that moment he discovered just how debilitating the wound really was, he couldn't lift his hoof at the angle he needed it.

Deciding she'd seen enough, Uppity took the gauze in her magic, and proceeded to wrap it around and encourage proper medical treatment.

"I've had worse."

"Worse? What could be worse than having a chunk of flesh ripped from you?" The orange mare deadpanned, still holding her nose as she worked.

Sin briefly debated telling her, knowing it would serve no purpose; but she'd likely find a way to annoy it out of him anyways, might as well make it as painless as possible. "Broken leg for six weeks in the worst of winter."

Looking up at the stallion in disbelief, Uppity questioned what on earth had happened to lead him to being in the wild for so long with such an injury. Sin just smirked and explained that it was a test, a kind of coming of age and title. Of course, it was only he and his grandfather who's every done it, the later not having a broken leg; but the point was survival. To be able to persevere in the unforgiving elements and even prosper should he ever need to be away from civilization... or want to.

The fresh bandages finally wrapped properly, Uppity smiled at her work and pushed down on them for good measure, causing Sin to stiffen up his muscles from the touch. "Sorry, did I hurt you?" He shook his head in reply. "I've heard you live in the Everfree forest? Why? You seem much to pragmatic to live in such a hostile environment for no reason." She pushed his neck to emphasize her point.

"Because I don't like other ponies." He replied bluntly.

"Yes, but... why? What did they do to you?"

Again, the stallion debated about explaining, but felt an odd sort of excitement about telling someone about the way he... felt.

'Awww, you're finally going to talk about your feelings? See Sin, we're making progress!"

Fatchitaz. Fucking. Rhino!

'OH SWEET GODS IN HEAVEN! I'LL NEVER TALK AGAIN!'

After a long winded speech that had to have lasted at least an hour, Uppity sat with a mixed look of fascination and consternation. Morality, Non-aggression, truth, honesty, corruption, sentient disillusionment, anger, fear. She didn't know how to take it all.

She'd heard many stories in her life, about why so many ponies had done things, lead to lives of crime and the philosophies that went with them. But this was one of the most disturbing reasons of sociopathy that she'd ever heard. It was no wonder he was so angry and standoff ish. The stallion only saw the worst that ponies had to offer the world, so one sided and misguided.

His grandfather sounded like a starch anarchist who focused so much on the bad things that it made her almost want to cry. To live a life so dedicated to standards that nopony could ever live up to. To hold philosophies that would damn her very mentor and everypony else in the guard. All because they wanted to keep peace and rule over Equestria and keep their little ponies safe. He made it sound as if every single national leader was a tyrant just waiting to pounce.

"You don't think Celestia is a bad ruller, do you?"

Sin took a breath. How was he supposed to answer that? Honestly, he'd found the liberty and freedom in Equestria to supersede that of the Federation by leaps and bounds. And they had a monarchy! But the matter of the Windago's still remained, as did his suspicion as to their involvement conveniently during her rise to power.

"She's one of the better I've seen." He replied honestly. Fact of the matter was that Celestia was above his typical critique of the typical rulers. She was an immortal being who's reign had lasted at least a thousand years and in that time she'd accomplished quite a bit of good for her followers. Her experience and wisdom were far beyond the average and... maybe that gave her right to rule? He wasn't sure, never thought about her in particular before.

Both stayed quite for a time, though it wasn't long before Uppity instructed that she'd be retiring for the night and demanded the stallion stay in bed until the doctors gave him permission to walk again. He protested at first, but only found the orange unicorn's dismissal.

He didn't know why, but he was starting to like her.

Author's Note:

Comments are always appreciated.