Earning Freedom

Author's Note will make up the vast majority of this entry.

I wont waste time in telling you that this story is officially canceled, I've lost passion and with the way the United States has been going, not to mention the rest of the world, I think it's fair to say that most of us have had other things going on.

With that being said, I HATE when a story I'm reading isn't finished, and all the questions I ever had were left unanswered. Hypocrite though I may be for not doing this sooner, I'll try my best to answer all of the questions and themes I'd been setting up for this story here to the best of my ability and may check back later to answer comment questions.

For those of you who've come back years after this story had stalled out after a passing thought, thank you for reading. This was really a passion writing project, and believe me when I say, I'm as frustrated that I couldn't complete it as much as you are.

I'll start with the premise of the story and admit, it was supposed to be a self contained story, stuck to just the first chapter with Sin helping Macintosh to escape false imprisonment.

I hadn't made the story with any real desire, nor intent, to continue on passed Mac escaping jail and meeting his captor. It was only about the one thing that had been bothering me during that time... I want to say early 2010's? The growth of the victim mindset.

I'd been seeing it all over the internet at the time, and worse yet, fell into it myself. It was so easy to play victim when I was a kid and teen because, well, it was easier. Life wasn't mine to make, it was something that happened to me; and as such to them.

To be relieved of the burden of having to actually get off my ass and do something, to take responsibility and deal with the risks of life was both liberating and constraining in a paradoxical way.

But, by the same token, it was one of the most depressing things in the world. To be powerless, listless, and without control; it's easy at the start, but what happens when you get older is either homelessness of institutionalization.

And that's what broke me out of it, my father telling me exactly what I was doing and what it would lead to. What I see today in the US as well as the western world.

Victimhood being treated as martyrdom. Making being a failure in keeping yourself safe as something to be glorified, praised, and protected at any cost.

When it finally dawned on me of what I was doing to myself, I got angry, very angry. Angry enough I had the first chapter made up in my head for years.

Then I finally put the thought to "paper" and wrote out a little story I was quite pleased with, and shared it here.

As stated above, it was meant to be self contained from publishing, but then something in my brain said: "Make more" and I found it all enjoyable to write.

I don't think I'm ruining anything when I tell you that the entire premise of this story was predicated on the modern social issues of today, with a ham-fisted libertarian/red pill message being the remedy.

From the way men are treated in society, as opposed to women, to government inefficiencies, to the toxic nature of stoicism and repressing emotion in favor logical intuition.

Macintosh was supposed to be the hero of the story, that was supposed to be the primary focus. Sin was supposed to be more a guiding figure, but that's not how I wrote it. Sin was more an interesting character because he's the character who I could do whatever I wanted with. As opposed to Mac who's moral compass I couldn't really mess with too much.

As such, he took over the story, and while he made for a more interesting protagonist, Sin was no hero. And I had no intention of making him one.

Sin was, at best, a sociopathic coward who hid behind his intellectual inclinations to hide from his emotions. From his part with (spoilers) Conno in finding the corpses breaking his mind, to his past with his father and grandfather, to trying to get rid of Scootaloo and Krystal at the end.

His whole point was that he was always pushing everything and everybody away, even if he didn't realize he was doing it.

Critic was his only sense of self reflection on that, and it's the reason I LOVED writing for him.

It may be lazy, but Critic knew everything about Sin, and he was the perfect foil to everything the stallion could ever argue in terms of that one argument Sin couldn't win. He may be able to lie to himself, but he couldn't hide from the Critic.

Sorry, turning this into a little bit of a gush session.

After I'd decided to keep writing, there was one goal in mind, and it was a for a conversation between both Malich and Sin at the end. A debate that would ultimately lead to whether Sin could accept the only real solution that would bring about the Anarchist world he wanted.

The plan Malich had was to utilize the Millstone, a device created to tap into the changeling hivemind wave length, and for the bearer to control a changeling queen. With that power, Malich would then discover that he could use multiple Millstones to control multiple queens, and then use a single Millstone to control the bearers of the other Millstones.

To which He'd offer the Supreme Millstone to Sin, to convince him to become the Tyrant of Anarchy. To utilize the vast Mega-Swarm of changelings to enforce anarchist rule, by forcefully destroying any government structures that may arise in any place at any time.

The conversation between them was a conversation I've had in my head for a long time. With Malich telling him that the Citizens of North New Equine (and the Federation as a whole) would always cling to their governments as much as possible. That the lack of order was a fear for the citizens, and that there was no possible way that they'd give up the idea of government willingly, and that it had to be forced upon them.

With Sin arguing that it makes them no better than true Tyrants if their aims are achieved if only by use of force. Much like how he can't stand the idea of a changling attack harming he Federation as recompense for its treatment of him, but is fine with Economic Collapse, Anarchy from pain and murder is a moral negative that doesn't prove his point about the moral good Libertarian ideals offer.

But he also can't deny Malich's point that Anarchy isn't something that can be embraced voluntarily. That so long as the people cling to their governments for what little security they CAN provide, while pretending to offer the illusion of so much more, then there was no point in advocating for it.

Sure, some individuals of a stronger mind may find the ideas pleasing, but what was the point outside of that?

If the world was just going to keep dragging down those who'd do better with freedom and liberty, then what was the point of advocating for freedom and liberty? To just be restrained by the lesser of the world? To have people like the two of them be shackled by the fearful and illogical?

Or worse, what happens when the foolish took over? Like the do nothing Senate and the dismissive Centaur?

This would have stumped Sin, as it was a question he'd long wondered himself. He brings up Bliss, and Malich laughs at him, stating how their prison was under the sea, far away from the Federation. That they'd likely be discovered at some point and Celestia would Annex the city.

That what Cyan had was a Libertarian Utopia with a time limit, existing in a world that didn't want it. No matter how well Bliss could defend itself, it was only in secrecy that it could exist peacefully.

And that's the major issue, safety.

That True, genuine anarchy could only exist in a high trust society, so high trust that it was almost without option. That the untrustworthy would need to be removed as quickly as possible without traumatizing the rest of society.

At which point Sin would take a more Stephan Molyneux position about parenting, and how children could be raised better to voluntarily lead them to Anarchy though strong upbringing and a willingness to fight against those who harm their world (as well as be good stewards of it) and how bad their parenting was and why they seem so attracted to violence as a means to solve their problems, and Malich would stand on his Utilitarian principals about how Parenting was important in the long term, but it was pointless to talk about in the short, Since most parents install more discipline and fear, than love and respect because that was how they were raised, and people do as they know. (RUN ON SENTENSE!)

But in the end, Sin would have to concede the argument to Malich because all of his ideas require voluntary acceptance of the population. A population that has been slowly, but surely turning away from those ideas.

By admitting that he failed to change their minds when he was in both the Liberty Syndicate and the Senate, all of his actions were rendered moot.

Despite everything he'd gone through, everything he'd suffered through out the story, everything he'd fought for, everything he'd accomplished... He was still right back where he started.

To this, as Malich offers him the Supreme Millstone again, as Malich can find nobody better and willing to do act as the Anarchist Tyrant, Sin seriously considers the offer.

Was it the only way? Could it be the only way? Realistically speaking, he couldn't argue it. Sin couldn't deny what his brother was telling him. And here, here was his one chance to create a truely anarchic world. A world where he could find any trace of governments creeping up in local communities and stomp them out before they could grow and convince the public to become reliant on them for anything.

It went against his principals, but what if he killed a few million to create a world where BILLIONS could thrive without the state in the future? It would be painful in the here and now, but when wasn't it? How many had he killed already? How many had died from state interference already? How many more would die during the collapse and reconstruction? What would the end of the reconstruction look like? A tyranny anyways? It's how dictators usually arose to power. A chaotic country begging for a strong man to raise up and bring order...

Did not the people allow this to happen, and in some circumstances, vote for it? Was it really wrong to stop them from selling out their children's futures as theirs were sold? Even at the costs of so many lives?

Would... would the ends justify the means? Could they? Would he be wrong to walk away from an opportunity like this? Did he owe it to the peoples of tomorrow to make the sacrifices of today?

And that's where my inner monolog ends. Sorry to say, I can't answer that question. God I wish I could, but I can't.

Speaking of collapses of economic orders, how's everybody enjoying the decline? TM Aaron Clarey. Everybody enjoying the tip of the Inflationary spear?

I have made no secret that the Federation was just a thinly vailed metaphor for the United States. The economic collapse is coming along a bit slower than I expected, but we'll get there in time.

It was a large missed opportunity for me to write about it, and part of me wishes I'd dedicated more time to the prophesies of the story. The inflationary economic collapse, the Zeborican migrants changing the culture through political division, corporate protectionism, radical leftist groups, reactionary right wing groups.

That's my biggest gripe with myself, especially right now. No one to blame but myself for failing to incorporate the issues of the Federation in this story more than I did. But, it is what it is.

What would lead up to that conversation, was that: During the crime investigations in Fillydelphia would eventually lead to the confrontation of Discord and Tierek, Sin would find the two as the confrontation happened and he would be intreagued by what Tierek was saying. Talking about how Discord had lost his freedom for the sake of friendship.

Sin would interject, seeing Discord slowly be swayed by the fell centaur's arguments and appeal to Discord's desire to not be seen as Celestia's lap dog. To which, Tierek would notice the Federalists cloak and mention how he'd seen the followers of his old friend Tapio wear the same thing.

At which point, Tierek would appeal to both of them, poking fun at how both agents of the crown and how unbelievable it was that either of them were remotely willing to follow her word, when they should be doing as they pleased.

"You think I didn't do for her what I did of my own accord?" Sin asked, smiling. "My assistance to Canterlot was done of my own volition, Dark One. My actions were the direct result of my choice to see Celestia and Luna upon the throne of a people they have governed with grace and morality for the passed thousand years."

"Well, one of them." Discord pointed out.

"The POINT," Sin snapped, glaring at the draconequus, "Is I didn't do it to be a lap dog, but for the good that I believe the two of them can do for Equestria."

"I see." Tirek laughed mirthfully, low and foreboding. "And what of you, Discord? What is it that you gain from helping her? Is it really worth your freedom? To temper your power for the sake of these puny creatures?"

To this, Discord would take offense, scoffing at the idea that he, the Lord of Chaos was any kind of tool for anypony.

"Then you agree." Tirek said, his old face smiling. "You are no dog of Celestia, you have no need of her chains controlling his movement and choice. You, Discord, are the king of his own destiny! Freedom in carnate!"

"Freedom from what though?" Sin asked, garnering a quirked eye from the centaur.

"Freedom from those who would seek to oppress, my boy." Tirek replied, as if it was obvious.

Sin quirked his own brow, seeing his worldview being called to task. He looked back to Krystal and Scootaloo, images of Macintosh, Spike, Celestia, the Black Market ponies... even Twilight and Uppity.

"Hmm, Hey Discord, would you say Celestia is 'oppressing' you?" Sin asked, taking the Draconeqiss to task.

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't phrase it as such. She does restrict me, though. Of that, I cannot deny." Discord replied thoughtfully.

"Is she? I mean you hang around here, in Equestria. Where the power of the Elements of Harmony are the only known thing that can imprison you. If you went to another part of the world and caused trouble, do you really think they'd hunt you down and turn you to stone again?"

Discord, holding a statue of himself, squinted and scrutinized the piece. "Hmm, I do think they would if I caused enough trouble."

Smirking, Sin pointed at him. "But how much trouble have you caused? Even though you know you can get away with a little of it?"

"Well, none I suppose." Discord mused. "I mean, I've done a little here and there, but nothing to horrible. Fluttershy, bless her kind little heart, would never let me live it down until I fixed it anyways."

Sin's smirk grew even deeper. "Fluttershy, huh? Do you really care what that pathetic pony says? You could banish her to a distant realm with a snap of your talons."

Discord's amusement ceased, and with a dangerous red on amber eye, Sin felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He knew he was treading on a delicate matter, but the point needed to be made if his assumption about the two being close was correct.

"Or I could snap your neck like a twig and make you regret ever speaking of Fluttershy like that."

Perfect.

"Are you saying you don't want to be free of her friendship?"

Discord opened his mouth to reply but a sudden look of baffelment stopped him in his tracks. He furrowed is brows, his mismatched eyes darting around as he thought about Sin's words.

"What's the point of freedom?" Sin asked, turning his attention to Tirek. "You were one of the highborn. A dark god amongst my people. You were one of those who'd installed Libertarian values amongst the centauren. But one thing I'd never read about from your people was what was the point of freedom and liberty."

Tirek considered the pony for a moment. "Free from the oppressions of those who'd seek to oppress, naturally."

"And what of the oppression that we seek?" Sin asked. "Such as the oppression of friends and family? The teathers of culture and socioty? The grounding of acceptance and normality. Are those thing we are to be free of as well?"

Tirek grimaced at the thought, whether it was in disgust or incomprehension, the pony didn't know.

"Freedom for its own sake; is only the lost choosing what empty plane they can go to. To have no responsibility, to have no obligation, to have no tether, no purpose, no reason. Freedom for it's own sake, the freedom you speak of, is to have nothing."

Then Discord thought of Fluttershy and all of the enjoyable kindness that she'd offered him. The time with tea, playing with the laws of reality, helping her to get Angle Bunny to take a bath... It was fun. Oh, so was being a godlike deity who could do what he pleased with a mere click of his claw, but there was something more... fulfilling about his relationship with the timid pegasus... In all deep honesty, he couldn't deny that she had appealed to something in him. Something about the friendship with her had fulfilled something that all the power and freedom in the world never could.

Sin would look back to Krystal and Scootaloo, and even a little bit at Valiar as his mind thought about all the relationships he'd had in the past. Critic's words from a prior conversation sticking out in his head about how it was relationships with others that brought him real happiness. Much more so than his thirst for freedom did.

After, Discord would reject the offer and make an attempt to arrest Tirek, only for the fell centaur to use what little magic he had to fend off the Draconequess and, in so doing, alert the other centaur of his whereabouts.

Sin would take Scootaloo and Krystal to safety as the battle between the Dark One, Discord, and North Woodlanders commenced. Once safe, Discord would snap to existance infront of them, thanking Sin for his words, and that he'd finish his hunt for the Dark One with a clearer head this time, assuming the other High Born didn't handle him first.

After Sin and his team would find the Trotski in Fillydelphia, Sin would slip away in the middle of the night while Krystal passed out on her watch, as she's prone to do, and he and Valiar would search the pier that Professor Cook/Smart Cookie had told him.

Sin would find Puddinghead and Cook arguing about why his scouts hadn't seen the pegasus hunters, with Clover and Pansy watching on with irritation. At which point, Sin would consider taking his shot with two incendiary bolts and wiping all four of them out in one go.

But the Nightmare would mock his attempt, reminding him of his last failures to kill them in such a way. He'd argue with her for a bit, but the seed of doubt was planted. And at this point, the Nightmare has gotten to him emotionally enough that his aim starts to quiver, before reminding him of his previous plan to torture the three he'd hated most. Finding a quick death too good for them.

Sin looks down at his shaking hoof and sighs before lowering it and telling the Nightmare to enact the plan.

Critic protests, stating that he's both letting them get away, and that the suffering the Nightmare will install isn't what either of the girls would want.

Sin dismisses the Critic and slinks into the shadows to watch the Trotski bicker.

As he falls asleep, Sin has another dream about the Reaper, but this time, he's holding Critic by the mane. Unaware of his presence, the Reaper slams Critic into the ground with a crunch, growling with a hint of malevolence in his usually despondent voice about how Critic was responsible to taking everything from him.

"I was on the path to greatness, and you... you stole not only my future, but my life!" He'd cry, right before Sin would slam into the White masked pony and sent him flying.

He'd wake up there, and ask the Critic if he was okay and what that was about. To which Critic would tell him he was fine, and for the first time ever, tell Sin to stay out of the issue. Unwilling to, Sin would push him, and Critic would give a cryptic answer about how he needed to hurry and kill the Trotski and then Malich. That the Nightmare was growing more powerful than he could handle.

Sin would push down his anger, but agree to the terms. If she was causing damage to Critic now, he didn't have much time left to get his affairs in order and surrender himself to Luna for an exorcism.

A while later, the Nightmare would return to him with a pleased aura that she'd never had before. When questioned, she merely tells the two of them to marvel at her work. Before he can ask what that meant, the doors to a side part of the warehouse would burst open, revealing an angry Pansy, awakening a sleeping Pudding Head, and slapping him across the face. He'd look at her in abject shock, before another door opened with Clover also running out at him in a rage, her magic being used to grip him by the neck, demanding to know "what gave him the right?"

Nightmare would chuckle, explaining that she'd given both mares the dream that they'd both been molested by the earth pony, him putting a knife to their throats before having his way with them.

Cook would be watching from the sidelines, telling the guards to go back to duty outside and getting ready to break up the fight. Sin would watch with sadistic glee, knowing that, even if they'd escape this time, there'd be no unity amongst them this time.

(I did have a part here where the Trotski preformed a task where Clover the Clever and Private Pansy could ascend to the new Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane, to which the two would seek out Spitfire and another earth Pony to make them the new Clover and Pansy, and then having those new comers kill the two on orders of professor Cook, leaving only him left to take control of what remained of the Trotski and returning to their more non-violent ways, but that's taking too long to write out)

Taking Aim, Sin would shoot an incendiary bolt from both the primary and quickload. The first would strike between Panzy and Puddinghead, sending liquid fire to covor them both and ensure HE wouldn't get away again. The second bolt would be solely for Clover, who'd already deployed a magic shield that would stop the liquid death from consuming her.

Seeing his services needed, Valiar would go down to ground level and engage Clover in a mages duel, while Panzy, his lower half smoldering from the blaze he'd managed to put out of himself, tried to escape.

He'd crawl away from the mares, over to his grandfather, asking for help, only for Smart Cookie pinched his eyes closed and with a soft "I'm sorry", before walking away.

Sin would watch the betrayal with satisfaction before turning to watch Valiar skillfully dispatch Clover the Cleaver in a duel she was badly out classed in, and the now bouncing form of Pansy, who was slamming into the walls trying in a vein attempt to end the immolation.

He'd watch with a sense of satisfaction that he'd both ended a couple of nuisance to the world, and also avenged what they'd done to Scootaloo and Krystal.

He was also happy that, since only his lower half was burned, he'd have a little more time to play with Pudding Head, a chance he'd been denied with the previous Commander Hurricane.

Alas, as he was about to jump down from the rafters to indulge his own revenge, Sin notices how smokefilled the room is getting, not only from the now dead pair of mares, but also from the walls that Pansy had caught alight with her haphazard attempts to flee.

Cursing himself for going overboard, Sin grits his teeth and jumps down to finish Puddinghead once and for all, only to find the pony missing from his place.

Shocked, the stallion looks around in a panic, but the smoke has become to dense for him to track the stallion down.

The Nightmare chuckles softly, telling Sin that he needen't worry. She knew where he was going to go.

Sin and Valiar would return to the girls, he in a very good mood, and drop off some groceries in a shoddy attempt sell to them that the stallions were only out so early to get grocery shopping done. To which Scootaloo would point out the two smelled like smoke, and they'd look out the window to see a huge smoke plum outside.

All of them would turn to Sin and Valiar with expectant frowns, to which Sin would nonchalantly say: "Coincidence" before casting a serpentine eye to the window with a small smile on his face.

At this point, the girls have grown even more fearful of him, and begin to stay closer to Valiar. Who finds the display more than a little odd, as he was the one they were afraid of before.

The Nightmare tells Sin the secrets of the Trotski, explaining that she'd traveled between the dreams and discovered that their scheming was failing, that their efforts for recruitment wouldn't garner them the ponies they needed to "free" Equestria of their diarchs, so their ultimate goal was to lead a rebellion in the Crystal Empire and grow their strength there.

With this in mind, Sin would tell the rest that it was time to get to the Crystaline north, much to the joy of Krystal, who'd been told about it by her mother.

There would be a quick stop in Neiagrah Falls so Krystal could do some site seeing, where there was supposed to be a 4 part horror section in a haunted house. Where each of them were to be tormented by the guilt of their decisions, as the metaphorical demons became illusionary literal ones.

Krystal being tormented by her selfish side, hounding her about how cold she was for breaking her father's heart, and leaving her mothers' to look after everybody alone. Scootaloo by the Pink Pony chasing her around, manically trying to take her to the foster system, calling her a bad foal for hurting all of her loved ones, Valiar by the Mages of Antioch and the victims of his own murderous cleansing, Angel Bunny by Fluttershy, calling him a bad rabbit and unworthy of love; and of course: Sin, by Zell, Crasus, and the Reaper.

The first 4 would eventually confront their demons and dispel the haunted house' curse upon them, but for Sin, the Nightmare's Magic has kicked into overdrive, and the made the hallucinations tangible. As the Nightmare grows more powerful in his head, Sin would have to fight the 3 biggest mistakes of his life.

Crasus would be the first to fall, the two bantering about the fight they'd had in his head before and how Crasus would come out on top again, only for him to end up falling off a balcony to his death.

Zell would come next, a fight Sin was all too fearful of. Not that he couldn't win, but that he couldn't actually hurt one of the two ponies he'd admired most in the world. With a deep heart, Sin pulls the trigger and sticks a bolt right through Zell's chest.

Finally, he comes down to the Reaper, who congratulates Sin on his ability to finally overcome his conscience and kill those who he loved so much.

Sin would charge him in a fury, but unlike the other two, the Reaper was far more skilled in combat, and he'd dance around the stallion's wrath, voicing his disappointment that Sin wasn't ready for him yet. That there was still something that connected him. Then, they'd both hear Krystal and Scootaloo calling out for him, which the Reaper would then draw out his blade and say he'd "sever the connection" that made Sin unready for him.

Sin would then leap for his crossbow and take aim at the Reaper, only to find him gone. He's reunited with the girls, looking around in a great paranoia for the White Cloaked pony, asking Critic what the guy was blathering about and Critic giving him no answer.

As they're about to leave the building, Sin is tipped off by a quite "shing" before the Reaper jumps down from above. He pushes Scootaloo out of the way, taking the blade into his own flank. The Reaper curses and pulls back, turning his attention to the now terrified girls. Sin jumps him and eventually kills the Reaper by slamming his head into the wall repeatedly.

Before he dies, the Reaper says: "It makes no difference, so long as you live, so will I."

Valiar and Angel arrive at the end, having dealt with their own questionable decisions, and ask what happened; to which Sin says he'd dealt with the problem and they needed to move on.

During the rest of the ride up to the Crystal Empire, Sin would sleep and speak with the Critic and the Kid. Critic would be old again, his influence in Sin's mind waning because of the Nightmare's influence once again. The Kid would be asleep, bordering on dead.

When asked what's happening, again, Critic doesn't answer. He only tells Sin that he needs to hurry up and get her out before she undoes everything Critic had been trying to do.

Confused by this, Sin figures he's talking about trying to help the oaken pony stay on the right path. To which, he's kinda right, but that'll be explained later.

When he wakes up, they are in the frozen north, approaching the shield bubble that surrounds the Crystal Empire.

Sin and group walk the streets of the empire, with the males keeping hoods up as to not be recognized by Shining Armor or Cadance, should they be out and about.

Eventually, Sin tracks down Pudding Head, who's sitting alone in the lobby area of a particular in, his body bandaged from the burns he'd received in multiple areas.

Sin would set up the girls with a tour of the Empire, then he'd tell Valiar that the Unicorn would fulfill his end of the deal then and there, and the two would go to the inn. After some quick recon, the two would surprisingly find the earth pony alone at the inn with no other Trotsky in site.

Sin would smirk, knowing the pony was finally too tired to run, and ask Valiar to keep anybody from entering the establishment while he went in and took care of the final leader.

When Puddinghead finally saw him, the earth pony would laugh. A hard but defeated laugh that Sin would be slightly unnerved by.

"Of course you found me." Pudding Head would say, laying his head back, a small tear running down his unbandaged eye. "You've taken everything else from me, outsmarted me, broken the organization my family had been maintaining for over a thousand years... why wouldn't you chase me all the way to the frozen north to finish the job?"

Sin would drink in the state of the pony, seeing that he was little to no threat at all after prior injuries. And despite the Nightmare's insistence that Sin kill the pony now, the Federalist would take the seat opposite Pudding Head and the two would share a moment of silence together, broken only by the small sniffles of the broken earth pony.

Sin would take this moment to ask the question that had been bothering him for so long: "Why?" --- "Why had the Trotski betrayed him? Why was it that, despite being more on their side than the Empire's, did Commander Hurricane, Prince Platinum, and He, elect to turn Sin into their martyr? Even after Sin had helped them, they'd still sought his death.

To this, again, Pudding Head would laugh a harsh and mirthless retort. "Because we had a chance!" He'd say: "We had a once in a life time opportunity! One year ago, Celestia disappeared as her sister returned from a one thousand year banishment and left her pupil and five random mares to clean up the mess, and then the princess herself was felled by a foreign invader who had, not only invaded Equestria, but her Capital. The stars had aligned to give the Trotski the perfect opportunity to destroy the credibility of Diarchs, and have Ponykind retake it's sovernty into its own hooves once again. How could we do anything less than whatever we had to do?"

Sin would grow angry at the answer, though he suspected as much.

Pudding Head would continue: "And the reason we sacrificed you? You were too loyal to her, and we couldn't understand why." He'd bemoan. "You, the Anarchist of a foreign land. One of the unsung hero's of the battle of Canterlot Castle. A pony who saw, first hand, as Celestia was bested by the Changling Queen in a matter of seconds. You still sided with her, knowing how weak and inept she really was when the time came!"

Sin would grit his teeth, knowing the stallion had a point, but the point wasn't rock solid.

"And if you and yours were in power, it would have ended differently?" Sin would reply.

Pudding Head would scoff. "If we knew a threat was coming, we'd have taken substantially higher precautions. Changeling threats are nothing new, and we would have had magical scans on everypony and anypony in the city, regardless of any protest."

To that, Sin would have to concede. The enormity of the power of the Alicorns are what has made Equestria the safe and prosperous place it had become, unlike the ponies of the Federation who, while still under the protection of the Centaur to some degree, did value their own ability to defend themselves... to a degree.

"Celestia's huberus and arrogance is what lead us to what happened during the invasion. The defense she'd mounted was inadequate at best, despite being grandiose and a spectacle." He'd smile over at Sin. "I've heard about your culture, a place where ponies take their self defense and determination into their own hooves. A place where the changeling invasion wouldn't have happened as easily as it had been here... Rumors were that it was actually your kind that held its own during the battle, before the Black Bat had taken to the sky and drawn away the bugs that lead to the population freeing itself... It's a shame, I'd love to have met them."

Sin anger would mix with his dwindling compassion, seeing how Pudding Head may have been a traitorous psychopath, but in some ways, he was far more like Sin than he ever wanted to admit.

"Had you not betrayed me, Puddinghead." Said said, a small smirk on his face. "I think we could have been friends."

Suddenly, the Nightmare would press him to kill Pudding Head, making Sin's anger flare in an almost incontrollable fury that the stallion would only barely suppress. She'd push him to to slaughter the stallion, regardless of the cost; reminding him that he'd put a hit out on Macintosh.

"Do it, kill him! KILL HIM NOW! DESTROY HIM!"

Sin would be concerned, far more than ever before, about her pushing so hard to kill Pudding Head, but the fact was, the pony deserved to die. Even if he was powerless now, it was far more personal than practical at this point.

Sin would stand and stretch, the conversation the two had shared lasting longer than he realized. Then, as he's about to finally finish the Trotski leader off, Critic suddenly chimes in, begging Sin not to kill him; arguing that the Kid has urged Sin not to do so.

Sin, understandably, is bewildered by Critic and Kid's interference. Why stop here? This pathetic pony was half hoof in the grave anyways, not to mention all of the grief he'd caused. So what was the point in letting him live?

Another wave of fury and rage would seethe up, the Nightmare pushing Sin to murder the pony again. Critic and she would engage in a battle of words, while Sin stood in abject horror over the feelings he had.

Cold. He felt cold fury. A cold feeling he hadn't had in a very long time, but a cold he did remember... A freezing hate that nearly cost him his very soul.

Suddenly, a new voice spoke to him, cutting through the Nightmare and Critic.

"Do it." Said the Reaper, his blank mask appearing behind the crying form of Pudding Head. "Do what you know needs to be done, Usurper. He does deserve to die, doesn't he?"

Sin's eyes would shift between his pale blue and serpentine turquoise. The aura bringing the distraught Pudding Head to a mumbling mess.

In a daze, almost drunkenly hypnotized, Sin's leg would lift up. His crossbow aiming at Pudding Head's face, and both Sin and Critic trying to stop the act, while the Nightmare and Reaper egged it on. The bow primed and hoof on the trigger, Sin would use every last ounce of his will to hold back from killing him, stopping the activation from a mere hair's breadth.

"DO IT! DESTROY HIM! END ALL OF THIS!"

"DON'T! DON'T GIVE INTO THEM! DON'T ALLOW HIM TO TAKE YOU OVER AGAIN!"

Take me over? What?

Suddenly, the door to the inn would be broken open, and a group of Crystal Guards would storm the common area, all of them setting their spears at Sin and his prey. The stallion would grit his teeth as he looked around at the sudden interference, damning himself for taking his time again.

"Sin... no." Krystal would quietly whisper as she walked in, Scootaloo in tow. Her angry eyes telling Sin that it was she who'd brought the guard here to stop him.

"Drop the crossbow, son." one of the guards would bark. "We know who this pony is, and we'll take care of him from here. Don't be a murderer."

Sin's eye would shoot to the guardspony, Sin taking a cold breath as the Nightmare enhanced aura that, unwillingly, emanated made the pony begin to hyperventilate. Sin's eyes would trail around to all present, his mind a strange mix of nothingness and absolute chaos as Critic and the Reaper battled their influence.

"They're getting in the way now." Said the Reaper, his mask floating again. "They're all protecting the problem, and as such, they are part of the problem. You know how to solve problems, don't you, Usurper?"

Again, he'd feel that involuntary control take his leg, and Sin would start hyperventilating.

Mistaking his distress over his lack of limb control as emotional conflict to listen to the guard over his grudge, Krystal would step forward, asking him to lower his bow and let Pudding Head live.

(I know this may seem a little out of no where, but during the proceeding chapters, it would be hinted that the Nightmare is what had revived the Reaper. As the Reaper is who Sin was going to become before he'd met Critic by choosing to embrace his emotions at the Fire Cult Compound rather than continue to push them away. Hence why the Reaper calls Sin Usurper. And as Sin was behaving in a manner more in line with the Reaper, and away from Critic, aided by the Nightmare's magic, Sin's personality was at risk of being replaced by the Reaper's.

It would have been stupidly convoluted to try to explain in the explanations above, since this is all abridged, but that's the basic jist of it. Years ago, when I'd planned all of this out in my head, I had a big old arc on the Reaper continually showing up, whispering things to Sin, showing him hallucinations, making his emotions run crazy and thus, forcing Sin to force them down again and thus, giving the Reaper more power... it was a whole ordeal I wish I could have continued.)

Krystal trembling from Sin's nightmare enhanced aura, would slowly walk towards the stallion. Scared, but having grown the courage to fight past the fear, to him and slowly reaching for the crossbow, pleading with the pony to not kill.

"Will the problems never end?" The Reaper said, his influence forcing Sin's foreleg once again.

Knowing the constructs intent, Sin would fight with everything he had to stop the bow from being aimed at Krystal, luckily for him, she'd start singing and steeling all of Sin's body's resolve to his mission. With a small smile before passing out, Sin would tell her: "Good job, kid."

Thus, with the immediate danger done with and Pudding Head captured, Sin's quest was over. Sin himself, as well as Krystal and Scootaloo, would be brought to the Crystal Palace to meet with Princess Cadance upon his awakening.

But while he slept, Sin would investigate what was happening in the Black Room, where he'd find Critic consoling the Kid, who was sobbing almost uncontrollably.

"That was too close." Critic said, sighing deeply, his hoof patting the Kid's back.

"What the flying fuck is going on?" Sin would demand.

It is then that Critic would fully explain who the Reaper was, what he was, and why he kept appearing and being used by the Nightmare to mess with Sin's mind.

Sin would question how he could deal with the Nightmare and now the Reaper, and if anything else could be summoned from his mind that would impede his free will again. Critic would be unable to answer, stating that he honestly didn't know.

The Reaper was a remnant of who Sin was. What he was going to/supposed to be in accordance with his own ideology. To bring about an Anarchist world by slaughtering all who would violate the non-aggression principal, and do so with such overwhelming force and brutality that it would deter any from commiting aggressive violence ever again.

Sin could remember his thought process back then, when he'd seen diplomacy as a useless tool to attain the Better World. Sadly, his opinion on the matter hadn't changed very much on that fact. The only way to bring about a truely free world was to eliminate those who would seek to rule others with force of violence.

He wished Reason could prevail. That the denizens of this planet could all just live and let live, and be okay and trusting enough in each other to allow it... but what right did he have to ask trust of others when he had so little himself?

"Then why do you fight me?"

Sin and Critic would turn to find Reaper standing behind them, the white cloaked figure standing there as if he'd had any right to be.

"You know I'm right. You've always known I was right, yet you would stop me from doing what was right? I thought you, of all ponies, would understand how hypocritical that is."

Sin would stand between the Critic and Reaper, remembering the dreams he'd had before. He wouldn't respond, however.

"How long do you plan to drag this battle out between us?" Reaper asked. "The Kid and I, I mean." He said before sitting down. "That is what this is, you know. Your general refusal to embrace the emotions you wish to be a fulfilled pony with vulnerabilities and connection, and the psychopath who does what needs to be done to get results."

"Isn't that what it's all about, Sin? Being factually right, and getting results?" The Reaper continued, a smile evident in his voice. "Isn't that why you look forward to the deaths of those who'd wronged you back in North New Equine? The ones who mocked you for trying to spread awareness of the Economic Collapse? The ones who abdicated responsibility? Wasn't their suffering a goal of yours?"

Now that, Sin could work with. "Their suffering wasn't a goal, so much as a needed consequence." He replied.

"But a desire none-the-less." Reaper countered, standing up and beginning to circle the trio. "A desire for a consequence that would alter behavior, correct? Of course it is. How else would they learn if reason wouldn't suffice?"

"Leave." Critic quietly said, glaring at the white masked pony.

"And you." Reaper replied, his emotionless gaze meeting Critic's. "You betrayed me. Reasoned this Usurper to cram me down and place me away in the deepest corner of his mind. I'll deal with you as soon as I reclaim what is rightfully mine."

"I SAID LEAVE!" Critic yelled. The Reaper disappearing where he stood, his voice promising his return.

Sin would look in disbelief at the Critic's powers in the dreamscape, before the Critic would remind him of where he was and that his actions today had more than likely earned him the attention of Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor.

Sin rubbed his head, thinking about how he was going to get them all out of this one and figured he'd better get back to consciousness to clean up the mess.

"For what it's worth, Thank you." The Critic said, giving Sin a smile. "I know you wanted to kill Pudding Head, but you fought not to. I know you also feared the Reaper, but you also didn't want to hurt the innocent. So thank you, Sin. From both of us." He said, motioning to the Kid.

Sin would awaken in the Crystal Palace infirmary, sighing at once again, waking up in some sort of medical facility.

Taking off the monitors, Sin would sneak out of the rooms and start his search for his group, only to find Valiar sitting in the waiting room, shame-faced and waiting.

"The girls are with the Princess in the throne room." The red unicorn proclaimed before standing up. "Luckily Shining Armor isn't here, but Cadenza wanted to speak with you when you had awakened."

Sin took a breath, there was no way he'd be able to keep his status of being a dead pony alive anymore.

"Remember our deal." Valiar proclaimed. "Captured or not, I've still got a score to settle with that Rot spreading bitch."

"You and me both." Sin agreed. Though, as he followed the red mage through the halls, Sin grew worried. He looked down at his leg, remembering what the Reaper had almost made him do. Before, the Nightmare had controlled him, and his own will was enough to arrest power from her. But the Reaper? His influence, mixed with hers, he'd almost killed Krystal there and then... and if she hadn't sung him to sleep, he very well might have before being skewered by the guard.

He began to ponder if he had enough time before his body was overtaken. Could he help track down Chrysalis, kill her, and still get back to the Federation and assassinate his father and brother before he went mad? Would his mind maintain control before he did something horrible to those around him? Those he'd cared about?

Was it fair to try?

He'd been lead into the throne room, Crystal guards turning their gazes upon the two stallions as they marched forth, to where Krystal and Scootaloo stood before a throne bound Cadance, speaking happily with the filly and mare, Angel Bunny sitting upon Krystal's head.

"I'm glad you could join us." Cadance said, smiling happily as Sin and Valiar approached. "Thank you for helping apprehend that terrorist at the Berkshire inn. Correspondence with Princess Celestia has noted your assistance in his capture."

Sin pressed his lips, seeing how he couldn't even bother asking her to keep his involvement a secret now.

Krystal would pipe up, happy to introduce the Princess and Sin, only to be surprised to find the two had met a long time ago before. Cadance mentioning how Sin was involved with the Battle of Canterlot, much to Krystal's surprise.

"You were at the battle? Why didn't you ever tell me?" the off white pegasus pouted.

Sin shrugged. "Didn't seem important at the time."

"You never tell me anything, though." Krystal replied, looking a little hurt.

Cadance would chime in. "Don't feel bad, he doesn't tell anypony anything." She gave Sin a hard look. "Like telling his best friend that he isn't dead, or that same best friend that his adoptive daughter isn't dead." Her eyes trailed to Scootaloo as well. Both ponies finding the ground much easier to look at.

"And then there's my own husbands friend who just up and abandons him when he needs friends the most." The pink Alicorn finished, glaring down at Valiar, who also found the grounds texture worth examining.

"HONESTLY!" Cadance barked. "After everything you all have done, I should have each of you imprisoned until Shining and Macintosh get here and give you all what you have coming to you!"

"But you wont." Valiar said, before Sin could interupt.

Cadance brow quirked. "Is that so? And why on my Auntie's Sun would I not?"

Valiar gave a smile. "Because, as soon as we're done here, we're going to go and hunt down Queen Chrysalis."

Cadance, speechless at the declaration, would stare a Valiar for a few seconds, her gaze turning to Sin for confirmation. who would nod in the affirmative, liking Valiar's appeal to her own sense of vengeance.

The pink princess would look from the two stallions to the mare and filly whom they held company. "And you'd drag those two with you?" She demanded with indignation.

Scootaloo an Krystal looked at each other than back to her and shrugged. "We're used to it."

"Frankly, I'd rather Scootaloo go home." Sin declared, earning a glare from the small filly. "But I gave her my word I wouldn't force her, and I intend to keep it."

"Yes, we were speaking about that a while before you came in." Cadance said, looking back to the filly. "Even he thinks you should return home."

Scootaloo glared back, standing stiff legged. "Well I'm not ready yet, and I wont go back until I am!"

Cadance took a breath, she'd heard about the orange filly's ordeal after Macintosh's wedding, and had thriced damned herself for not being there to intervene when she was needed most. Alas, of all ponies present and reported missing, she really wasn't the highest of concern.

"Be that as it may, I'm afraid it isn't you that's the most problematic pony here." Cadance said, looking down to Sin. "Princess Luna has informed me about your condition, Sin. And while I am indebted to you for your help in fighting off the changelings, I am still morally bound to hold you in custody until you get the Nightmare's possession removed from you."

Sin gritted his teeth, Valiar turning an eye to him. Sin wasn't sure how the stallion would take knowledge of the possession and had kept that little tid bit under wraps from him. Looks like that cat was all out of the bag now.

He took a second to consider himself. For as well as he'd maintained the Nightmare, Sin couldn't deny that his control over her was waning more and more every day. Her power was great and he'd utilized it to his benifit on more occasions than he wanted to admit. And worse, it had saved his life half the time at least.

But he knew what her endgame was with him, to revive the Reaper and live in his body until she could revive her own.

The stallion had considered turning himself over to Luna's Lackeys more than once, hoping she'd exercise the demon and let him leave if he'd promised exile from Equestria and return to the Federation to complete his mission without her powers in aid.

But any time he'd think on it too long, Nightmare would remind him of all the times he'd needed her help and how he'd be dead without her. He might be able to eliminate his father and brother without her, maybe, but he'd stand a much better chance with her if he could maintain control.

"Him not coming with me isn't an option." Valiar said, seeing that Sin wasn't going to speak. "We have a deal. I helped him to get rid of those rot spreading reactionaries, and he'd help me find the bug queen. He's coming with me, one way or the other." Small trickled of red electricity surrounded Valiar as his stones came to life.

The Crystal guard all lowered their weapons and horns, ready to engage the threat that the red mage had presented.

"Easy." Sin whispered, placing his hoof up and threatening to touch the stallion, ending his magical abilities. "We didn't come here to make war on the Crystal Empire."

"No, we came here to kill Pudding Head." Valiar whispered back, glaring at Sin. "But you decided to take your Celestia damned time killing him! Now, instead of being half way to the bog, we're standing in front of a freaking princess!"

Sin fought to maintain his temper, mainly because the Red Mage was absolutely right. If he'd just gone in and killed the earth pony as he'd implied, they'd all be on the fast track to their next target.

Yet here they were, stuck in the Crystal Palace.

"Fair enough." Sin conceded. "But still, are you really going to try to fight the entire Crystal Palace and an Alicorn? The wife of your best friend at that?"

Valiar gritted his own teeth, more red archs surrounding him in a dangerous display of power. Sin's hoof was still ready to touch him, even with the protection stone as close to his hoof as he was to Valiar's body, it would still be enough to disable to pony long enough for the guards to make an arrest.

"Listen, we've still got a chance to get out of this. If we didn't, we'd be in the dungeons already." Sin bargained, hoping he could reason with the pony. "Just keep talking about Crystalis, alright? Cadance doesn't deserve any of your wrath, so let's at least try to do this diplomatically. If that fails, then we'll fight out way out of here."

Valiar huffed and recalled his stones back to their pouches. The Red Mage bowed his head and apologized for his outburst.

Cadance, who for her part, was still sitting calmly on her throne, watched with a saddened look upon her brow. "Shinny misses you, you know." She said. "He doesn't blame you for what happened before, and he'll be glad to see you again."

For the first time ever since he'd known the stallion, Sin saw Valiar blush! Blush and turn away from the pink princess.

"He... he will see me, when I enforce justice for my sins and I can face him again." Valiar said, shame more than present in his voice. Sin didn't know the Red Mage that well, but he knew enough that having his free will stolen away and hurting those he cared for was a horrible thing for him. He was a more stoic and business driven sort, but a Pot knew a Kettle.

Sin would voice his support of Valiar, stating his loyalty to the word he'd given and after some deliberation with Cadance, appealing more to her altruism in hunting down a still very real threat to Equestria, more so than her own vendetta against Christalis, the Princess of Love would grant their request.

"Are you serious!" Cried Soarin, who'd been hiding somewhere in the throne room, watching them with bewildered irritation.

"You're just going to let them go? You know Luna has strict orders to arrest Sinbad by almost any means, right?" The former Wonderbolt spat.

Sin's troop would wearily eye the stallion for a moment, and Cadance would grow even more tense as Sombra joined the pegasus, smiling and bowing to the new rightful heir of the Crystal Empire.

Candance would engage the two in argument, stating how she knew the power of Valiar and the cunning of Sin and the two could, infact, bring the Changlings to heel.

Sensing a bargian in the making, Sin would make the two a deal they couldn't refuse. Offering himself to Luna with no fight what-so-ever, in exchange for the two helping Valiar and he eradicate the changeling threat.

'Are you sure about that?' Critic asked dubiously.

No, but time is not on our side here anymore. The quicker we deal with the queen, the quicker my word is fulfilled to Valiar and we deal with that bug eyed bitch. I'll easily slip away once she'd done with... besides, now the Nightmare has every reason to make life easy for me. Because if she doesn't, and those two end up capturing me, She's fucked.

Both Soarin and Sombra would consider the offer, speaking between themselves with an obvious bias between the two of Soarin against and Sombra for.

Soarin would glare at Sin with a sever and well placed mistrust, but ultimately agree to it, stating it was a pointless endevor. That the two stallions had no idea where to find the queen even if they wanted to.

"She's in Froggy Bottom Bog." Valiar said, explaining his actions after the battle and intent to find Chrisalis ever since she'd fled Canterlot.

After considerations and promises were made, the four would agree to work together.

Cadance would see them supplied and offer them train tickets dirctly to Froggy Bottom. Though, her hospitality had a price, and that would be her obligation to inform the princesses and her husband to where they were, so they'd need to use their head start to find the queen quickly.

During the train ride, Soarin would keep an eye on Sin and Sombra on Valiar.

In this, Sin would speak to Krystal and Scootaloo, saying that he wouldn't leave them behind this time and the two were to stay as close to the four of them as much as possible. He didn't trust Soarin and Sombra, or really even Valiar as far as he could throw them, but he did know the three of them wouldn't let anything happen to the girls if they could help it.

They'd arrive at the Bog and Sin would begin looking for any kind of tracks that didn't seem congruent with typical animal tracks. Swampland wasn't his specialty by any means, favoring forests and grasslands, but he'd survived the badlands, he was certian he could figure out some means to track changlings in a bog.

After a two day failed search, Valiar's patience begins to wane and he starts to accuse Sin of over stating his ability to track the Changlings, leading to a small fight between the two that begin to gets more than a little heated, as the Nightmare and Reaper whisper their influence into Sin's ear, calling him to violence and the Red Mage works up his magic, a sudden rumbling breaks the two from their bickering and a giant 5 headed hydra breaks through the tree line, with none other than Star Shades sitting attop one of the heads and smiling broadly.

"Look Sin! I found Fluffy!" Shade said with the largest smile Sin had ever seen.

Huh, so he wasn't lying about the Hydra... neat.' Critic quipped.

Sin would introduce his long lost friend of Chaos, and Shade would not only join the troop, but give some information about some strange happenings at the border between the bog and the Everfree Forest.

En rout to the boarder, the troop would be confronted by Shining Armor and a dozen armored stallions at his back, leading to a slight stand off between Shining and Sin, the former demanding surrender, and Sin replying with a smirk.

"Shining, you've got twelve guards with you. We've got: the Red Mage of Anti-arch, the fell King, a world class Wonderbolt, the hero of the battle of Canterlot, a three story monstrosity, and me, the Nightmare possessed Survivalist." He listed with a smirk. "Do you really think you lot have a chance?"

Alas, his bluff wasn't to last, for Shining would call to Sombra and Soarin about them working to bring Sin in, here and now, to fulfill their oaths to Luna.

Feeling his smirk tighten with strain, the stallion was already three steps ahead, knowing the two had no reason to refuse the Captain his deal long before he even offered it.

Knowing that, even with Shade and Fluffy on their side, assuming the two would fight, Sin and Valiar wouldn't have a chance in taking the three stallions head to head, let alone the twelve extra Shining had brought.

Thankfully, Valiar was the one who spoke out, stating that it was his doing that Sin was here, and that he had no intention on leaving until he'd regained his honor by destroying the changeling threat once and for all. Shining would try to convince him to abandon the quest and come home, but the Red Mage would refuse; stating he'd fight alone to find the bitch if he had to.

A brief debate and time to consider later, Shining Armor would also join the party, and a deeper search for the changelings would begin. With Shining catching Sin by himself at some point and berating the stallion for not telling his friends about the pony still being alive... but that it was good to see the anarchist again.

While wondering to a valley, a few days into the search, Sin would begin to get frustrated with his failed tracking. Nothing. He'd found nothing that would indicate that anything other than the typical wildlife of the Bog was present here.

He'd slam his hoof down near a ravine and just sit to watch some bog water for a moment, a small ripple catching his attention as the site of a hog appeared out of the muck and then slunk back down upon detection. It's snout sticking up from the water for air as it wondered off down stream.

Sin would fall back into the bush and follow the snout, finding the behavior almost hilariously out of the ordinary.

Eventually the hog would lead Sin to the Queen, as it was a changeling, the rest of them would get involved and the battle to kill Crysalis would commence where she'd escape the cave she was hiding in and flee to the Ever Free Forest and then to Ponyville.

Sin, Krystal and Scootaloo would be reluctant to go into town, but the threat of Chrysalis being there would spur them on. Damn if Macintosh gave both of them what they deserved for what they'd put him through.

Shining would but the entire town on lockdown Marshall Law, and call his sister in to help detect any changelings who may still have been there.

At this point, the Nightmare would begin to hagard Sin, seeing that the deal he'd made with Sombra and Soarin would soon come to a close. Sin would reassure her that he had no intention of turning her over to Luna, and that her very much needed her to fight Triple M.

All he needed to do was find the Changeling queen and end her, and then he'd be on his merry way back... home.

While all of this is going on, Scootaloo would be trying to hide herself as she and Krystal stuck to Sin, who stayed closer to the industrial districts of Ponyville.

"You may as well go and see him." Sin stated, keeping his eyes about. "It's not like he doesn't know you're here."

Scootaloo cringed, thoughts of what Mac and Annabelle would say teasing and tormenting her ever since she figured out how close they were to home.

"He doesn't know, though." Scootaloo said. "He just knows I'm alive. If he knew we were here, he'd come and yell at both of us."

Sin snort laughed, much to Krystal's chagrin. "If this "him" is the Macintosh that you two keep talking about, than you should BOTH go see him." She chided. "Honestly, don't you two think you've put him through enough?"

Both Sin and Scootaloo's ears dropped at that, knowing damn well she was right... Well, for Scootaloo she was right. Sin? Well, it was best the two never see each other again.

Just then, a pink bubble of energy expanded from the center of town, a tingle going though them as the bubble encompassed everyone. A strange glow emanated from a few ponies around, before those glowing turned into changeling drones.

The drones would take to the air, but Sin would down one and Shade would intercept the other. "MINE!" He'd proclaim, before slamming the pony to the ground. "MINE MINE MINEMINEMINEMINE!" Splat. "Hehe, Mine."

A few more sounds of chaos would ring as the few exposed changlings were dispatched around town, but the it would quickly quiet down, as actually COMPETANT means of dealing with them were initiated.

Chrisalis herself would be locked in battle with Valiar, who would be using every bit of his magic to duel her. Blasting anyone who dared help him in a duel he'd been meaning to have.

"She's mine!" he spat to Shining Armor.

"Screw that, this thing impersonated my fiancé and left me with trust issues. She's MINE!" He retorted, sending a magical energy blast at her.

'Lotta changeling claims going on today, isn't there?' Critic chirped, Sin watching the duel with amusement. He double checked his crossbow to make sure both the primary and quick load had bolts in them. If the two stallions fucked this up, and the queen tried to escape, he'd make sure to snipe her before she got away.

He'd rather not give his position away, though, and silently slunk back behind a building, waiting to see the killing blow delivered so he could make his escape. Though, he noticed that Soarin was also present to watch the battle, and his eyes were never far from where he could watch Sin.

"Sin..." Nightmare warned.

Sin pressed his lips, so long as the Changling queen was alive, Soarin couldn't touch him, but still, with two of the most powerful magic users he knew, not to mention Twilight Sparkle also being present now, Chrysalis didn't have long to live.

"Sin, those three can handle this, we should take our leave." Nightmare urged.

Sin would give Soarin a sidelong glance, who'd glare was now entirely focused on the Federalist. Before he knew it, the white stallion was now right beside him.

"So, are you going to run?" Soarin asked. "Even though you gave me your word that you wouldn't?"

Sin closed his eyes, knowing he'd been caught.

Valiar struck Chrysalis down from the sky, her form standing up a little too slowly for Sin's liking.

"What if I said I was?" Sin replied, turning to Soarin.

The former wonderbolt looked passed Sin and furrowed his brow deeper, making Sin tense. He knew Sombra was behind him.

Taking a breath, Sin knew what was about to happen and readied his leg to take out the two ponies... sadly his quick load was a incendiary bolt, so even if the shot wasn't fatal, it was more than likely the second pony he shot would die.

"Don't do it, Soarin." Sin whispered, shaking his head. "Don't make me kill you."

"Surely you must know how dangerous the Nightmare is." Sombra said, much MUCH closer than Sin had estimated. "Surely her presence in your mind must have taken a toll in some form. What have you to gain from keeping her now?" He asked.

Of course Sin had an answer, but he partially feigned contemplation at Sombra's words as he considered his escape.

"I'm not going back to the dungeons." Sin replied, visibly relaxing, hoping to draw the two into a false sense of security. "The Nightmare is the only thing keeping me out now, if I turn myself in, I'll be locked up for Tapio knows how long, and I ain't doing that."

"But is it worth your soul?" The fell king asked, stepping forward a little so Sin could see him, but not so much as to give him an opening to run. "Doth the Nightmare mean so much that you would die for her? Or that you would keep her until your mind breaks? Do not deny her influence, we have seen her curse upon you when you don't think we notice."

Sin slowly turned to see the pony and saw a stoney faced poney glaring at him with a mix of fatherly wisdom, seething anger and... genuine concern.

Sin laughed bitterly. "You don't need to pretend to care about my wellbeing. We all know it's Luna's bidding that you're doing."

"Yes and no." Sombra replied, turning his attention to the battle for a moment, Chrysalis' holding a shield as Valiar used his stones in the formation that enhanced his magic blast. "Take it from one whom once had his own demon to be exercised, Sinbad. I know, too well, the pains and sufferings they cost; and the dreams and power they deceive in offer."

Sin maintained his calm, glaring at Sombra, a small bit of offense growing in him.

The Fell king, seeing Sin's response, allowed his own offense to show before asking: "Why do you keep her now?" He turned more, facing Sin head on. "Hath thou not stopped the Trotsky? Is not the Changling queen all but fallen here and now? We've known of your quest, of your reason, but still you seek to shelter her. I would like to know why."

Crysalis few back, her shield broken by Valiar's might, her smoldering, magically irradiated form crashing into the ground.

Sin gritted his teeth, considering his options. For what little time he knew Sombra, he came to appreciate the stallion's intelligence and refinement. He was a smart pony to be sure and one who had more than his fair share of years under him. But he didn't know Sin, nor the problems he had to deal with...

Nobody did.

'You know, you've never told anyone about needing to go back to the Federation.' Critic said thoughtfully. 'Maybe if you tell them you'll leave the country, they'll let you go.'

"NO!" Nightmare cried. "They know the danger I pose, Luna would never let you leave with me. You can't do this without me Sinbad! You know you can't! You need me and every advantage I can give to you!"

Of that, Sin was sure she was right. He needed her, he needed the abilities she gave him. He'd been mulling over a plan to get to Gemini and Malich in his head a little here and there, but most contingencies didn't satisfy his paranoia for them. He'd feel far more confident in his ability to take on the multitude of agents who'd more than likely be guarding his family if he had her with him.

"I have my reasons." Sin said, glancing back to the battle. Crysalis's heavy breathing and disheveled appearance signaling the fight was about to be over.

Sin took a side long look at the two stallions, both knowing what was about to happen.

Each were on opposite sides of him, so he couldn't get them both in his line of site for the Nightmare enhanced Aura to subdue them both at once.

He didn't want to kill either of them, but he didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.

He lifted his crossbow hoof up to his nose to scratch it, judging where Sombra was, and trying to judge how the bow would need to sit off of the vague idea of where he was. The incindiary bolt wouldn't demand precise accuracy, but it would need to at least hit the ground at his hooves. Then, he'd look at Soarin, only a second of hesitation was needed on his part for Sin to pull his bow and use the quick load to put the pegasus down as well; making easy his escape.

Perfect plan.

"Sin?" An all to familiar voice said, making Sin's spine turn to ice.

Sin turned, and for just a second, he saw Macintosh Apple staring at him. His green eyes full of disbelief and a slight hint of anger.

But that second... that one, small sliver of time Sin was caught off guard, was all Soarin and Sombra needed launch their attack.

And their attack couldn't have gone any better if the Federalist had just laid down and given up.

Soarin was first, pinning the pony down on his back with the lighting reflexes, both forlegs pinning Sin's own and holding him in place, while Sombra reached down and snatched the dragon scale necklace from Sin's chest.

"FUCK!" Sin swore, regaining himself and trying to kick Soarin off, but it was all for naught. The second he'd pushed the pegasus off, he was enveloped in a red glow and was lifted off the ground.

Sin immediately shot his head around, his Nightmare eyes trying to find Sombra, but all he found was Macintosh, looking up at him.

"SIN! SIN WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS!" Nightmare bellowed, but to no avail.

All Sin felt now was a long standing sense of dread and guilt. He overcame the Nightmare with frightful ease and dispersed the aura as he took in the sight of his friend.

"Sin? Is that you?" Mac asked, stepping forward, hot tears in his eyes.

Sin bit his lip, his eyes cringing once before taking a steeling breath and answered. "Y- yes Mac, it's me."

The Federalist kept his eyes down, he couldn't bear to look the stallion in the eye, he couldn't bear to see the gentle apple pony's expression of anger and betrayal. Fuck the Nightmare, Fuck the Reaper, Fuck Soarin and Sombra, Fuck Luna, Fuck Triple M... This red earth pony... was what he feared most at the current moment.

"Y- YOU BASTARD!" He yelled, Sin felt a long awaited swing slug him in the face that would have sent him to the ground, had it not been for the telekinesis holding him in place. "YOU BUCKING BASTARD! AH THOUGHT YOU WE'RE DEAD! AH THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

Sin fought his quivering lip as Soarin stepped forward to hold Mac back, which brought it's own issues to light between the 2 stallions.

"Macintosh, I know I'm the last pony who should even speak to you, but I need you to stop and-"

"BUCK YOU!" Mac screamed, slapping the pegasus with a force that Sin genuinely worried for the former Wonderbolt's safety.

Sombra tried to speak, but Sin doubted the unicorn would let his concentration divide enough to let him slip away. Mac didn't even bother replying, instead marching back to Sin and glaring balefully at the pony.

"Why?" He said, gritting his teeth. "Why didn't ya come home? Why didn't ya tell me yer were safe?! Do ya know how hurt Ah was? How guilty Ah felt? How torn up Spike was?! DO YOU?!"

Sin stiffened his lip, and took a breath, fighting to force himself to look Mac in the eye and answer. "I did it to protect you."

Mac's eyes widened and he smacked Sin again. "PROTECT ME!?" He yelled. "You pretended ya'll was dead, made me feel like Ah lost a brother, gave me countless sleepless nights o' cryin' and ya'll did it to protect me!?"

Sin didn't know what to say, he didn't know where to start. The reasons were obvious enough, but how would he be able to begin without getting hit again. Especially the part where Scootaloo was with him the whole time...

Guess he'd better rip that bandaid off.

"Well, since I'm getting my well deserved hits, I guess I'll get this one out of the way too. Scootaloo is alive, and she's been with me since your wedding."

That really took Macintosh back, making him gape in absolute shock.

Sin turned his head to find where the two could have been, his vision came back after the 2 knocks to the head, and he saw Krystal standing a bit away, her eyes fixed on the downed changeling queen, and the scarf ridden orange pegasis filly standing a few feet behind her.

Mac's eyes followed suit and his shoulders began to heave as greater sobs fight to escape.

"I met her in the Everfree forest as she was being attacked by Timberwolves." Sin said solumnly. "At the time, I swear I didn't know who she was to you, all she said was that she was running away from Ponyville because they were trying to put her in an orphanage. I didn't know she was your adoptive daughter until alot later on... I'm sorry for not bringing her home to you until now."

Sin watched as Macintosh slowly and emptily began walking towards the filly, not knowing if his words reached the earth pony or not. He couldn't turn his body to watch the confrontation/reunification either. Until the telekinesis of Sombra allowed him to.

"Thanks." Sin said, a small smile on his face as he watched on, Mac approaching a completely oblivious scootaloo.

Sombra gave him a smile and also bore whiteness as the stallion approached. Sin held his breath when Macintosh pulled the scarf down, taking Scootaloo by surprise and hoped on Tapio's Beard she wouldn't run away. That she'd just be too stunned to do anything but accept the embrace and life Macintosh and Annabelle would offer.

The two stared at each other a moment before Scootaloo backed up a little, sending Sin's heart on edge. "Don't run kid, don't run from this." He whispered.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the body language spoke volumes. Mac sat down, his hoof gently pointing at her. Scootaloo stopped backing up and looked to the ground, rubbing one hoof against the other foreleg nervously. They both looked up at each other and the filly's face became apprehensive a bit, but slowly began to sag into sadness and guilt, after another minute of talking, Sin's heart took wing as Scootaloo embraced Mac in a huge hug.

"There ya go, kid." Sin Said to himself, a rare and genuine smile crossing his lips. He was proud of her for not giving into the fear that had kept her away from home.

His promises were finally finished. Trotski, Chrysalis, Scootaloo, it was all finally done.

Now he could focus on his own problems.

"Damn he has one hel of a haymaker." Soarin groaned, rubbing his cheek.

"Yea he does." Sin replied, rubbing his own cheek. "Don't suppose we can get going before he comes back to chew the rest of my ass off."

The Nightmare would begin to thrash against Sin's inner mind as he was escorted to Canterlot that evening, both he and the Nightmare would do everything they could to escape, but Nightmare would find that she was bound to Sin's soul now, and that the only way to escape now was an exorcism.

As Sin was pulled to the main guarden, where Luna had secretly set up the same ritual she'd used on Sombra, Sin would reluctantly see the writing on the wall and take solace in the fact he'd be rid of the threat she posed to his mind.

Just as the ritual was about to be preformed, the Arbiter and her squad of Triple M. Agents would intervene, giving Sin both hope and dread at their presence. The Arbiter would step forward, thanking Luna for delivering Sin as she'd promised, to which Sin would shake his head, lecturing her again on her dealings with the Triple M. Corporation.

Luna would stay his surrender for a moment, demanding that she be allowed to exercise the demon in his head first, to which Sin would appeal to the agents to take him home... directly to his father and brother.

At this, Luna would counter that the demon in Sin's head was dangerous and would make him act unpredictably, perhaps even violently towards the Arbiter's superiors and that it would be in their better interest to allow her to preform the ritual first to ensure safety.

Despite Sin's plea to leave, Arbiter would allow the exorcism.

While Luna is preforming the ritual, Nightmare is running amuck, beating both the Kid and Critic sensless. Using every last bit of magic she has to inflict as much damage as possible before her extradition back to the void. With her energy exhausted, and both Kid and Critic unphased by her brutality, the former commenting on how adorable her efforts were, she screams in frustration.

A small bit of clapping from behind draws everybody's attention and the Reaper steps forward, thanking Nightmare for awaking him from the dormant place of Sin's mind and allowing him to take his rightful place as the foremost personality of Sin's body.

She decry him a traitorous wretch and unleash her wrath again, but unlike the other two, the Reaper didn't play along with her inane and futile attempts. He, instead, back hoofs her to the ground before taking out his cleaver and sticking it into her skull, commenting how her services were no longer required.

It is then that the exorcism is concluded and the Nightmare is extracted from Sin, leaving the black room down a Nightmare, but not without a threat.

Reaper would turn to Critic and Kid, both having their amused looks swapped out for genuine fear. With her gone, and a traumatic even the likes of an exorcism happening, the emotional fragility would be enough that Reaper could finally get rid of the only things standing in his way of personal dominance... Just as they had usurped him after the fire cult.

Fortunately, Sin returns to the Black Room in time to intercept the Reaper and take the two into the White Room, saving both Critic and the Kid in the process.

Luna, seeing Sin not wake up, dream dives into his mind, her close proximity to his body forcing passed his Occlumency and she enters into the Black Room where she sees Critic comforting Kid.

She asks Critic if he's okay, mistaking him for Sin, to which Critic says that Sin isn't alright. That he'd been dealing with something the Nightmare had awoken in him from a long time ago.

Luna is troubled by the fact Sin's inner child and consciousness exist in separate entities from himself, but she wasn't surprised. He probably saw both as weaknesses he needed to separate himself from in order to accomplish his twisted and murderous goals.

Luna searches Sin's dreamscape until she finds him in the White Room and finds two more Sin's fighting each other. One his normal self, and another clad in torn white rags covered in red.

While she'd only just arrived, it was clear that the normal Sin wasn't winning this fight. He was far more bloody and bruised than his counterpart, and what's worse was that; while the Reaper was fighting in a more calm and collected way, Sin himself was obviously afraid and desperate.

"You've taken the Nightmare, Princess. You've no more business here." Reaper states calmly. "Sinbad isn't your subject to attend to."

Sin spits blood. He wants to dismiss Luna as well, to tell her that everything is under control, but he knows that'd be a lie. And as okay as he was lying to get himself out of bad situations, he wasn't really keen to lie so he could finish a fight he couldn't win.

Luna landed between the two, glaring at the Reaper for a moment in warning; staying the concept in his place and seeing him for what he was; before speaking to Sin himself.

"Why do you fight him alone? You cannot beat him alone." Luna states, her eyes going soft as she gazed upon Sin's broken form. "You could never hope to beat him alone, you know that, do you not?"

To that, Sin would glare up at her in angry defiance, but he wouldn't dare speak. How could he? What would he say? I'm doing just fine, I got him on the ropes! But at the same time, he'd beaten him once before, he had to do it again. He didn't have a choice.

But this was his fight, and his fight alone. Whether he could win or not, what could be done about it? Especially considering it was in his own head.

Luna, legitimately flabbergasted by the stallion's beyond reason stubbornness, summons her patience and turns to look at Reaper, her glare making him take a step back in the first display of fear Sin had ever seen from him.

"You are not ready." Luna says, looking back to Sin. "If you fight him like this, you fight him on his terms and you shall fail. So, in spite of all the grief you have caused, I shall give you one last boon and stay this battle."

"NO!" Reaper yells, lunging at the Princess, only to be caught in her magic before winked out of white room dreamscape.

The threat repressed, she addresses Sin. "You have a darkness within you, one almost as dark as the Nightmare you have harbored from me. I thought you were the shadow of your mind, but I see now I was mistaken."

In another flash, Sin and Luna reappear in the Black Room, Critic and Kid looking at them in awe. She looks at the two, saddened by what she sees, knowing the disassociation and depersonalization it takes to make such concepts into separate entities.

A small debate ensues, where Sin is lectured by Luna about how his fragmented mind is the cause of his failure to fight his Darkness. How it was his belief in strength by leaving behind his vulnerability, had lead to his weakness to call for help when he crossed a problem that he couldn't handle himself.

Luna would quickly gain the Kid and Critic to her said, saying that she was right while Sin would have a logical and emotional split. Logically knowing she was correct, but emotionally denying everything she was saying. But Luna knew that would be the case, her eye catching the Kid and wondering about what had happened to him as a child to make him reject his own inner vulnerability.

(So I'll break the narrative here and say that this was as far as the concept came to me, save for one more bit about what it would all amount to in a bit.

Now, obviously, there'd be a ton more going on outside of what's written here. More clues about the Reaper and who/what it is, Scootaloo finding more comfort in returning home, Krystal enjoying the scenic views, Equestrian Culture, and her long awaited train ride, the reconciliation with Scootaloo and everyone else, and a little bit I didn't incorporate because I didn't know if it would work.

Like Grand Master Tykus finding his Grandson Conno in Equestria, which I had thought about them joining Sin's and troop earlier on, but scrapped that.

A few more movie based chapters like Shaw Shank redemption, IT maybe, take a chapter to interact with Star Light's equality cult, that might be fun, and a return to Bliss, where Sin would find the place in a more Rapture-esqe state and be based more on the game play of Bio-shock as opposed to just using the Underwater Libertarian Utopia concept. To have him find Value Cyan, who'd been locked away in his office. A science experiment gone wrong and releasing a maddening gas into the city that drove everyone insane against their will.

Now, I'll be frank with everybody, there's clearly a lot of commentary here. Some veiled thinnly and others veiled not so thinnly.

My intention was to go back and address some of the straw men I'd thrown up all over the place. Like for Social Justice, who I'd just thrown out of town for chasing away Scootaloo.

I was going to give her a back story about how she'd seen the signs of an abused foal, but had overlooked them because the foal had clung to the parents once before, and the parents killed the foal the next day. Explaining why she was so adamant about why she wanted to take Scootaloo into protective custody.

Give her a reason to do what she did, rather than just a McGuffin to get the plot going.

Mask and Soc were supposed to be a commentary on Feminism and Socialism (Obviously Mask the reverse) and the concepts of them, both detriment and merit.

Mask to show the continual degradation of males in society, using rhetoric to show males as both independent and strong while also helpless little victims who constantly need laws to "make them equal to females".

And Soc, who was going to be an argument against prosperity by citing the Mouse Utopia Experiment. That her argument against Capitalism wasn't so much based in it being a more prosperous system all around, but that too much prosperity and the avoidance of suffering would lead to a population collapse via the imbalance of nature stress that Ponies had evolved in, creating a kind of madness in the world that explained alot of why people (real people) behave so irrationally in prosperous countries. (An argument I've been having with myself.)

I know it wouldn't make much sense in the magical world of Equestria vs Earth, but just roll with it.

After that, there was the absolute missed opportunities with Spike, who was a work in progress the entire time. Unlike Macintosh and Sin, I shoe horned in Spike more than I'll ever care to admit... Going so far as to give he and Sin almost parallel inner demons to fight.

So, to the Spike fans, I apologize. The best I knew to do with him was to make him the New Sin in Ponyville to handle the Black Market vs Red Market, and really, he deserved better than that, but by that time, I'd had nothing else for him to do.

Macintosh would try to live his life as best he could with Annabelle and his family, navigating with Mask the victimhood mentality he was trying to install and coming to terms with the idea that someone with good intentions was trying to do something bad to him, while thinking it was in the moral good.

Shade... Well, Shade was just what he always was. The goofy, psychotic 8 ball that would serve the plot as he needed to. His erratic actions just his own dopamine chase, mixed with a large desire to appease his god.

As for Sin, well, I'll finish the story with a concept that I've been struggling with ever since I'd considered it.

The concept of ATTAINING a truly stateless society. A world without government, without a state monopoly on violence, without an organization deciding everything for everyone else...

While all of the Equestria stuff is happening, Malich's plan starts to come to fruition.

He'd tamed the Zeborican Changeling Queen Imperatrix, and with the use of the Triple M. Mercenary division, they began work on how to tap into the changelings communication frequencies via radio waves, after finding the correct frequency, they magically amplify it in order to try to take control of Imperitrix's mind directly, which itself fails, but after some experimentation, and forced birthing, they do find a way to pacify Imperitrix's mind, and make her suggestable to order through the waves. Commanding her spawned drones to do as the suggestions demand.

More Zeborican's themselves are brought in, to act as hosts for the parasites and begin to amass a changling army, with Malich at the head of it.

His plans to force and anarchic world are coming along, and he knows its perfect enforcer.

He develops the MillStone, a magical item that connects Impiratrix's mind (and the minds of all her drones) directly to the bearer of the item, effectively making the bearer the new queen (or king) of the changelings.

The following conversation happens as Sin returns home and confronts Malich in his office, his foremost intent to murder both Malich and Gemini for their crimes against the world.)

Sin stood with wide, horror filled eyes at the unyielding chasam before him. His mind going completely blank from shock at the shear magnitude of the numbers he was facing, and his knees trembled from the terrible power that Triple M had at its disposal. He squinted slightly, yet still couldn't see the end of them.

There, a few stories below him, were rows upon row, hundreds upon thousands of glowing, yellow stasis chambers, suspending large, pony sized black masses within. Their dim, sickly glow contrasting heavily against the dark and blackened hall in which they sat, farther intensifying the dread and godly fear the stallion was currently facing.

Were those... changelings?

'Sweet mother of Milikki.'

On and on the fields and crops of chambers went, with nothing but the odd terminal of some sort to break the sea of monotony. It took the stallion a sold two minutes to get his mind functioning again.

What were his father and brother planning? What possible use could they have for this many changelings? They both had money, power, control. They were pretty much the owners of the entire Federation! Was it war? Did they plan to attack another nation? No, no this couldn't be happening, Sin wouldn't let it. He didn't have the power to destroy each one individually, but perhaps he could get some explosives and blow the roof down, crushing the... creatures that lay within.

"How do you like it?"

Sin gasped and jumped from the sudden noise and spun around at neck breaking speed to find Malich standing on the platform with him, a smug smile adorning his face, his chest puffed out with pride. "I was hoping to show it to you as a surprise."

"What is this?" Sin asked quietly, regarding Malich cautiously.

The ashen pony chuckled. "This, dear brother, is the solution." He walked forward, staring straight ahead, leaning upon the steel guard rails and spoke in a commanding tone that exceeded his typical conviction into damn near dogmatic proclamation. "This is the solution to the problem that you and I had run into so many times in creating the Better World."

Sin stayed silent, still too struck to form a coherent sentence.

"How many times have the Centaur had their efforts foiled by the Gods of Government?" Malich continued, turning his back and adorning a mask of bitter resentment. "How many times did the citizens of the Federation decry the tyranny of their rulers destroying their country through debt and servitude, only to beg for it once again when they saw short term benefit, blind to the longer term consequence? Not once, but twice. Twice, Tapio Bearking, Ruler of the Forest, had broken the Gods of Fear, Dogma and Apathy, only to have those he freed bind themselves back into it in emotional expedience. Taking their children back into the clutches of statism and the wage slavery known as taxation."

"I've thought long and hard about how to bring peace and freedom to the state of North New Equine, Brother. I've considered everything you've taught me. About all of the races, about my studies of mob psychology, about the continual cycle of revolution and tyranny, of empire and collapse, and about the desire of security of Sentient beings and their free will." He turned and smiled genuinely. "About how you thought it impossible for a truly free and peaceful society to exist."

"What are you getting at?" Replied Sin, his senses slowly coming back to him.

"What I'm getting at, Sinbad, is that I've found a way to bring about the stateless society that you and I had dreamed of. A world without Dogma that others offer in the name of security. A world without Fear of others coming to attack, rape and pillage, A world without Apathy to the goings on of those whom impact other's lives. A world without unyielding Complacency and meaningless hatred and bigotry."

Stunned was an understatement for how the former senator felt at the incredible claims his brother was making. The death of the Gods? That in and of itself was a claim that far exceeded his own ability to comprehend. But to end Hatred and Bigotry as well? That was impossible, his brother was talking absolute insanity!

"How!" Sin croaked, taking a look back at the army of stasis tanks. "How do you intend to bring about such a world with changelings?"

To this question, Malich chuckled deeply, mirthfully. As if he'd heard a rather amusing joke. "By creating an environment that nurtures Individualism, Morality, and Character, while destroying Collectivism, Obedience, and the very concept of the greater good in their entirety."

"Governments all over the world have failed to garner the results necessary to claim that their ways have achieved longer term sustainability with freedom and the individual liberty in mind. They try and try, yet all end up at the exact same conclusions. Liberty, a little taxation here, a little taxation there, a few benefits here, a few benefits there." Malich's face turned into a scowl. "Right up until those benefits are no longer an evil doing good, but an entitlement. An entitlement of taking from one to give to another, with the populace growing more and more greedy and wantful until finally a nation cannot financially keep up with those demands and tyranny arises from a collapsed economy. With through that tyranny, Revolution. Liberty, Tyranny, Revolution. Wash, rinse, repeat." Malich stated matter of factly before giving his brother a sidelong glance. "Why do you think that is?"

"Because the corrupt seek more and more power." Sin replied, trying to just buy time to process his own thoughts.

Again, Malich chuckled mirthfully, causing an unknown kind of irritation to Sin. "That's half right, that is why government's will always become corrupt in the first place, but not why government exists. It is because the citizens desire a higher being, something they can shrug responsibility onto to deal with the unreasonable and aggressive rather than dealing with it themselves with the violence required, something they can call on for security and order. Despite it's repeated history of exponential growth, corruption, tyranny and destruction."

"All sentience, not just ponies or griffins or minotaur, are affected by this desire for the illusion of absolute security, the crutch of government." Malich smiled again. "I'm simply creating the atmosphere in which to break them of the desire for that crutch." The executives smile dropped, slowly growing into a scowl. "The desire they wish to quell through such little effort of "voting". The use of the state's monopoly on violence, to have agents do their dirty work for them. To take money from the productive via police and threats of being put in a cage to those who don't comply and give it to the unproductive on the basis of need. That those who were foolish enough not to save for times of hardship should survive off of the life blood of those who did"

This was the issue, it had always been the issue. The toxic compassion of mortal creatures. That those who were in need should be provided for, despite the resource drain they presented. Government programs that were intended to only temporarily supplement for a social safety net of citizens down on their luck were ultimately abused and used by those who needed them instead of leaving them to rot after seeing their lack of initiative to do better.

After all, if the benefits weren't provided, the needy would starve and die. Who would be the one to step forward and say 'then let them die'? What politician in their right mind would dare utter such a thing? That wasn't politically expedient, no matter how much better off society would be on an economic level in the long term.

This... this always lead to higher taxes, to more money being thrown at a problem, and ultimately, the needy and unable creating too much of a burden to be sustained. Collapse of such a system was a forgone conclusion, and the needy seeking alms would find nothing at all then, and be left to die off as they were going to anyways, as they should have. The only difference is that they took an entire country with them, and whatever off spring they produced along the way.

The two who should have been left for dead, created one more, and then two, and then five. Each child giving leverage for demand of more money. Then those five, with perhaps the exception of one or two, would go onto repeat the cycle. To create more and more dependents and parasites.

Where the death of one or two would have sufficed, now it was the deaths of hundreds or thousands to correct back to sustainability.

The vice president shook his head in disgust. "They see themselves justified at the accusation of civility. That a government is required, nay essential, for civilization when all it does is antithetical to what those very same beings would call civilized."

"Cut to the point, I'm already aware of the immorality of government." Snapped the oaken pegasus, close to the end of his patience.

"As you said back in Equestria, it is because of the citizens that government exists." Malich turned away. "In order to get rid of government, to bring in the Better World, we must create an environment where the citizens no longer want it. An environment where they understand that the welfare rats and the entitled who are unproductive leaches will ultimately lead to the very problem we face today. The inconvenient truth that their existence which is sustained only through force and theft, will always lead to them outbreeding and out weighing those who are responsible and have foresight."

"Do you remember what you told me about Life Worship? How everyone was so romanticized by the idea that all life was to be treasured and held sacred?" Sin cringed, remembering exactly what was said. "You were right, it is one of the most damning missteps we as a country have ever taken. To preserve life at all costs for no other reason than the fact that life exists, that life is owed as a right beyond being left to fend for themselves. Healthcare, food, clean water, entitlements upon entitlements, for nothing but the mere fact they draw breath."

The younger brother scowled, looking down at the monolithic army below. "They're so willing to sacrifice the privileges and freedoms of the strong, those willing to fight for themselves and make the races stronger and better, for the weak and inept. That's what has held us back, shackled us to the chains of government and ruler ship. The weak, demanding they be uplifted as equals of the strong, preying on guilt and toxic compassion with notions of equality." He scoffed, spitting the bad taste out of his mouth. "They are only equal because they've convinced the strong to provide for them a system that allows them to be weak, that tolerates their frailty rather than challenge them and either force them to grow and become strong or die as the weaklings they are."

Sin rubbed his head. He knew there was a great deal of merit to his brother's words. Consequentially speaking, in a world of Anarchy, those whom weren't given to voluntarily would die if they were unable to support themselves. Yea, there'd be a few who'd give out of pure good nature, but how long would that last among a populace who felt entitled to it?

It all came down to one fundamental fact about life. There was really no such things as "rights". "Rights" as they were often talked about, were inalienable ideas that every single individual was owed. Not be tortured, treated with dignity, allowed a trial and so on and so forth. What made these things not exist as absolutes, but merely thinly veiled privileges was the fact that these so called "rights" were impeded on on almost a daily basis.

So many believed that governments and organizations like Triple M. would protect their "rights". Of course that was a Utopian notion, how many "rights to life" had Sin ended with his own crossbow? Twenty that he knew of at least, he'd taken away "rights" in the blink of an eye, and he'd thought nothing of it beyond the lessons it served him.

Yet so many believed in them and failed to realize that such privileges were only awarded to those who were willing to protect said rights. Protected by themselves. They didn't like thinking about the abstract concept as anything other than an absolute, despite seeing how frail it was in news articles and sometimes with their own eyes. It made most citizens have a moment of cognitive dissonance, a disconnect from their state induced fantasy that terrified them to even consider.

It was the greatest way to breed the victim's mindset, and victims, as Sin knew, were nothing but the devil's play thing, when all was said and done. Victims would never help bring about a free society, hell he'd scoff at the notion that they'd bring anything less than the full on socialism N. Equine had today with demands of unearned respect and resources.

It was one of the biggest break throughs that Sin had come to see in the evolution of his philosophy. Pity was like power, those who demanded it most deserved it least.

"I know you said that compassion was one of the bigger gateways to the state, but I'm of the opinion that there is something to be said about discerning between positive and negative rights." Malich mused. "It will require a commitment to education, but with what I have planned, education will be first and foremost on everyone's mind."

"And the changelings?" Sin growled.

Malich's smile took on a much more sinister twist. "They are integral to ensuring that no government ever arises again." The executive looked back down at the rows. "They will be the government that ends government as we know it."

This was insane, what Malich said made no sense, the changeling queen controlled the changelings, she alone dictated their actions, only she could control them. And what of the parasites they produced? How long until the parasites had infected every last citizen in the Federation and absorbed them for food stuffs? Even his "strong" types would eventually be devoured.

"Come. Allow me to show you." Malich called, walking along the cat walk.

Sin wanted to do anything but that. He wanted to find something he could use to destroy the unending sea of abominations below him and cease whatever madness he'd just listened to, but a small part of him was curious. Malich wasn't stupid, far from it in fact, maybe, just... maybe he was right? Maybe there was a way to bring about the society the two talked about when they were younger.

'Are you out of your mind! You're seriously considering this insanity?!'

To end the world of the Gods, that was insanity.

But how many times were revolutionary ideas that made the world better decried as "insane" before? Yea the method may be intimidating and incomprehensible to him now, but Sin also knew that basing decisions off of emotion without logical followup or understanding had been a major problem in the world. If there was a way to make the world a better place with lasting results, rather than the continual cycle of liberty, tyranny and revolution, than he was willing to give it at least some consideration.

The two walked for a good amount of time, Sin's head was still swimming from the revelation, but he'd gained enough thought process back to retake his rational thoughts and reason.

Malich opened a dark red metal door, lead Sin up the uncharacteristically vibrant and cosy stairway. Complete with polished wooden walls and a high quality red carpet.

Sin heard music at the top, and as they entered the main room it was culture shock all over again. The dim, black and eeri void not twenty feet below them was contrasted heavily to the soothing, homey room the two currently stood in.

The tops of walls were painted a fine shade of manila, with detailed gold trimmings running along the middle of it, separating a lower royal red. A miniature golden statue of a Centaur stood on the dark mahogany desk at the front of the room, complimented by the bright double Edison bulbed lamp to it's right. Paintings of battles and stand alone figures laced the walls, along with a giant safe and a few plants for both scent and decoration.

And of course, the turntable that sat on it's own tall and lengthy pedestal, playing it's comforting and fitting symphony from twenty years ago.

"Like my FMR office?" Malich inquired pleasantly. "I went for a more soothing and inspiring atmosphere rather than the hard and upfront business of my office back at head quarters. Much more comfortable, wouldn't you agree?"

Sin nodded his head, enjoying the ambient and comfy feel of the room, but maintaining his reservations.

"Tea?" His brother offered, a large cup with a rather delightful aroma permeated Sin's nostrils, reminding him that he hadn't eaten or drank anything since he'd arrived.

The two settled into the table in two cooshins, opposite each other over a table that matched the desk. Finding the atmosphere much more calm and inviting, Malich offered to give any explanation his brother wanted.

Sin nodded in agreement and inquired as to the exact reason he'd been brought here from Equestria. He understood crashing the economy for the sake of destroying the old world and its rules, bringing about the years of chaos and uncertainty and using the psychological break of the loss of such certainty and it's part to play in the necessity to open the minds of the citizens.

All of that made sense, but how did the changelings play into this? How on earth could they help in the creation of a better world?

"As I've said before. They were going to be the enforcers of it." Malich repeated.

"Aye, I got that, but that would still be a form of government." Sin replied, finding his argument to be completely incontrovertible. To his small satisfaction, Malich agreed, stating that, for a time, a government would be necessary, but not one of desired control, but control out of necessity.

"Alright, and how do you plan to control the Changelings? They only answer to their queen."

Malich nodded, stood up and waltzed over to a safe with three key locks and three turn dials, where he turned and dialed for a good five minutes before he finally extracted a rather large, silver, spherical helmate from within. Small wires protruded from the helm with connectors leading down, looking kind of like hair.

That piqued Sin's interest.

"This will be how I do it. I give you my greatest invention, the fruits of my labor and investment in Project New Wave: The Millstone.

"Millstone?" Sin gawked as he looked at the device.

"With this, the Changelings will follow the wearers every command as if it is given by the queen herself. The early experiments for its prototype were disastrous, one even erupted every neurological pathway of the volunteer we had." He said sadly. "Though, through proper testing and neurological implants into the brain, using the Millstone has become a safe and even pleasurable process for the individual wearing it." Malich laughed, going into farther explanation that the wearer first had to engage a single changeling, acquire the needed neuro-reactions in the brain to trigger response and such.

Again, shock and awe over took the stallion. That kind of power, the power to control thousands upon thousands of changelings to do their bidding. Followers who obeyed without question, killers who killed without a second thought. No betrayal, no compassion, no hope, no love, no regret, no guilt. The pure, unadulterated power to bring a nation to it's knees, if the bearer used them correctly, was terrifying. The scenarios grew worse and more terrible as Sin's mind comprehended just what such technology was capable of.

"This..." Sin croaked, drawing Malich's attention.

"Yes, it's quite amazing, isn't it?"

"This thing is an ABOMINATION TO EVERYTHING WE HOLD DEAR!" Sin snapped, causing his brother to take a step back. "You've developed a way to enslave the entire world by creating an army of bugs incapable of thinking for themselves! How does this help bring about the 'Better World'?!"

The ashen pony didn't speak, waiting for his brother to finish.

"This kind of power, this is the True God of government magnified ten fold! Complacency, complacency without complaint! Without even the ability to think about complaint!" The stallion was fuming, hot in rage. He'd never been so angry or disgusted in all of his life.

A few tense moments passed as Sin calmed himself, calculating how he could stop this madness from progressing any farther. That device, it was key to this whole thing, if he could-

"The best time to start a new society is at the death of an old one." Malich started calmly, placing the Millstone on his desk. "When chaos and panic are at their highest, citizens are at their most vulnerable. When they're broken, and lost everything, they're so much easier to lead."

"The problem with trying to do away with governments during the death of the old world was always that ponies and the like would form their own, smaller governments. Tribes at first, bands of brothers and sister who'd fight to protect themselves and their families." He said sagely, closing his eyes. "But where the real problem lies is in that these tribes eventually grow, begin to war or ally, merging into larger and larger structural systems. Giving promises of protection and provision for the desperate and the fearful."

"Historically, when there isn't a plan in place set for such an event, dictators rise to power. Individuals who know so much, and start out with such good intentions but quickly fall to their own greed and desires for power." Malich opened his eyes again, looking into Sin's own. "The Federation had Tapio Bearking to bring order and avoid that issue, but not every landmass has a Tapio Bearking. That is the Anarchist's Paradox. The populace will always demand security and safety, accepting a life of servitude and knee bending in order to get it." He placed his hoof onto the Millstone "But with this, with this we can stop that from happening. With the Millstone in our possession and the power to stop the fascist's raise, belay the interference of the Highborn, destroy governments before they even begin, and monitor and guide the entire country into the greatest revolutionary direction the world has ever seen, we can create the Better World."

Sin shook his head, trying to take in everything he was hearing. "And what makes you so sure that you wont become the dictator you speak of, Malich?" Sin inquired, finding a logical loop in his brothers thought. "What you are proposing is the very thing you're condemning. Dictatorial rule over what remains of our people. Using force of violence to herd them away from eachother and into isolated camps. Squashing their free will and forcing them to conform to a world without government."

Malich smiled and offered a two part answer. Firstly, the citizens had no right to enact the government due to the fact that their own offspring would be forced to live under its rule. Them not being born, let alone not being old enough to give consent, was an aggression on the parents part.

"And as for the dictator problem." He smiled and picked up the changeling controlling helm, offering it to his brother. "Who better to oversee the assurance of the better world than the one who would know how what to look for? The one pony who doesn't want it?"

(And guys... that's where the argument stalls for me.

I've written 3 various dialogs of how this interaction would go, and this is the oldest one (4 years old) and is, by far, the best one.

By Libertarian principals, Sin would, of course, not take it. But by the principals of reality? He'd consider it. To bring in a truly anarcistic world? One rid of government? This is the best way I could come up with, and it truly sticking long term.

Yea, the people of today wouldn't want it and would likely fight it, but what of the people of tomorrow? Or the next generation? Or the generation after that? What would a few generations look like where any sense of government was assassinated before it began? Could it be done? Or would the Changelings themselves be seen as an invisible government of some kind?

But this... I'm sad to say, is the biggest argument against Anarchy as a working concept.

Fact is, people want government. Oh, they don't want the taxes and to be told what to do, but they do want the answers it offers. The security, the tragedy of the commons, public space and works, and all manner of complex issues that people just can't seem to agree on for voluntary interactions.

At this point, it's a choose your own adventure game, does Sin accept the Millstone and attempt to break the cycle? Does he destroy it and kill his brother and father and then destroy the changling army, knowing he's continued the cycle, but stopped a greater evil in the world? Does he die trying or go back to Equestria?

That's all up to your imaginations, dear reader.

Well, that wraps up "Earning Freedom". I know it isn't the satisfying ending you were all wanting, but I do hope I have given you all SOMETHING of closure with it.

Thank you all for reading.)