//------------------------------// // Subject 200: Night Terrors // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Meanwhile, in Ponyville… Mom and dad...it was so awkward, and yet it felt so nice to have parents that cared for me. So much so, that I was more than willing to do the same for them. In fact, just this past Hearts and Hooves day, I made Pale and Cheerilee a nice dinner that they could share together. It wasn’t exactly perfect, but it was still good! Anyhow...it was actually kinda hard for me to sleep that night. I felt something nag away at my mind. I could hear a voice...was it a vision or just a bad dream? “You know who you are, Cozy Glow...it’s only a matter of time until Pale and the rest of his friends find out.” I tossed and turned to try and get the voice out of my head, but it persisted. “Once everything falls into place, our power will return in full force to the likes of which no one in this world is prepared for. It is your destiny to follow the path that has been laid out for you since birth.” I shimmied and squirmed. I couldn’t tell where the voice came from, but it sounded eerily familiar. No...it couldn’t be! “No...stop!” I yelled in my sleep, “I rejected you once...I can do it again…!” “Oh? Can you now? I must admit, your new friends and family certainly are strong. But they still march to the same beat of the lower drummer. All this time, they have only proven themselves to be no different than those before them. Do you really think that they will actually be able to convince the common pony to be able to stand up for themselves? Or is it wishful thinking? Will there be more who grow to become like Trixie and Starlight upon their first impression? Or even worse? You?” “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” I woke up with a cold sweat and a feverish shiver that ran down my spine. “Ah...hah...hah…” I panted, and took a look around. My room was still the same as ever. Nothing changed. But just what was that? Was it… “Oh no…” I mumbled to myself, “This...this has to be...how did he manage to…” I took a moment and stopped. The answer came to me as I sat up. “The bell...he and I are still connected. That’s what his goal is. If he gets his hooves on me…” I couldn’t really sleep for the rest of the night. I was too afraid of seeing that...thing in my head again. I couldn’t even bring myself to speak his name. That’s how afraid I was. All I could do was hope that Pale and his friends continued to do their best with… What was I saying? I wasn’t some princess in a storybook! I needed to be able to stand up for myself! But how was I going to do that without deliberately putting myself in harm’s way? Gah...I needed to sleep on this a bit more. So I lied back down...and bam. That’s when it hit me. If we were still connected, maybe I could make use of that link for the sake of Pale and the others. But I couldn’t let him know that I knew that I had the potential to understand how to control it...or something like that. Basically, I needed to be careful with how I approached this issue from within my own soul. If I could do that much, then maybe--just maybe I could prove to myself that I wasn’t just dead weight that needed to be protected in an utterly helpless fashion. I just hoped that Pale’s friend that had recently gone out on a mission to a foreign land...what was his name--Flash Drive right? I hoped he wasn’t doing as bad as I was when it came to sleeping. Meanwhile, in South Zebrica… Well this was right fecked up, innit? I was put in a holding cell with absolutely zero explanation as to why. Granted, I had an inkling of an idea. It was due to who I was. A Trottingham unicorn that was also half-zeb was arguably one of--if not the most suspicious thing they could have come across. Needless to say, there was nothing I could do but wait it out. Unfortunately, it was about...4-5 in the morning? I wasn’t able to get some proper rest. I felt a tad helpless, honestly. But again, I didn’t want to do anything crazy or something that would be deemed improper. That would only make the situation worse and get me treated as an international crim...yeesh, couldn’t even think of it. Not to mention what my parents would think if I wasted my life in an attempt to correct something about dad’s home. “Bugger it,” I said as I lied down on the admittedly soft, and well-kept bed. Reminded me more of a hotel room than a cell actually. Was it possible that these cells were just an amicable precursor to the more sinister dungeons that were hidden away? There was truly no way to tell for the time being. That’s when I heard a faint tap upon the bars of the cell. I looked up to find another hooded Zebra, but this one wore nothing else but some saddlebags. However, as soon as that hood was pushed down, I immediately recognized her. “Flash Drive from Trottingham? It seems that you are in quite a jam,” she spoke in rhyme. I nearly leapt out of my bloody skin. “Zecora?! What are you doing ‘ere??” “I could sense a fellow zebra being put through some trouble, so I came here on the double,” she explained as she inspected the integrity of the bars, “Southern Zebras are biased and quite unfair. If you are not purely zebra, then they just don’t care,” she lamented with an annoyed scowl on her face. It amazed me to witness another zeb admonish the acts of these. “I agree,” I replied as I walked up to the bars, “But my options are limited. I want--nay, I need to find the source of the zebra abilities that are being misused on my home turf.” Zecora nodded, and pulled something from out of her saddlebag. It was a small pouched filled with what looked like some sort of blue powder. “I will set you free with this, but are you sure you’re ready to take the risk? Fighting those from the same land as you can’t be a simple thing to do.” She was right. Part of me hated the idea of crossing paths against individuals whom I might have been friends with in another life. But ultimately, I had more important things on my plate. And writing the injustices of this land was one of them. “I’m ready, Lady Z. It won’t be easy, but I know we can do this,” was my confident reply. “Well then..” The older zebra mare set the pouch on the floor, and took a step back, “Let us begin.”