//------------------------------// // Subject 29: Chimeric Wake-Up Call // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “You mean you’re an Agent named Pale Vestige and you're the one helping work on that Earth Pony school? Why didn’t you say so to begin with, dummy?!” Limestone scolded me while I helped her push a decently-sized boulder from one end of the farm to another. “Admittedly, I was still in pain from the fall. Though if you wanted some help with moving a few rocks, I would’ve obliged without the--ahem, pushy dialogue.” Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention in the distance. Was that a hot air balloon? She furrowed her brow. “Uh-huh. Sure.” I guess she didn’t want to accept the fact that I would’ve been willing to help. “Right...anyway, if what you’re saying is true, then I may believe you. Holder’s Boulder was found in a dragon’s nest by our great-great--ugh. By our ancestor, Holder Cobblestone. This farm was built around it to bring good luck to our family.” Now that was something you didn’t hear everyday. Could it be possible that some dragons still held a grudge over the fact that such a legendary rock had been stolen from them by a mere pony? I needed to know more. “Well now...that’s quite the tale.” Limestone stopped, and suddenly leaned right into my face. “Tale? Are you calling me a liar?” she questioned with her aura of intimidation on full display. “No, not at all!” I explained quickly, “In fact, I’m...mesmerized.” “Hmph.” Limestone returned to pulling the stone from the front via a harness. I was at the rear, pushing the large rock. “But anyway, yeah. The fact that a dragon captured you and put you there just to piss me off...not crazy to imagine. But tell me something. Just why would he do that to you? Did you steal something from him?” I shook my head. “Nope. It’s a rather long story…” “You may as well spill. Anypony that touches the Boulder has to work in exchange for messing with it. Otherwise, the luck it brings will vanish.” Given that magic was as common as a blade of grass, I wasn’t about to deny superstition. Nor would I take the chance of messing with it. “I understand. Anyhow…” I explained to Limestone the state of what I had been dealing with lately regarding Cozy Glow and how the dragon, along with a few other hooded individuals were affected by her actions. By the time I was done with the recap, we had reached the middle of the farm where the rocks were mined. “I see...you’re playing a dangerous ass game, buddy.” “I know...nothing I haven’t been told before. But now you know my intentions.” We stopped, and Limestone got out of the harness. Then she handed me a pickaxe. “Start cracking.” I was surprised to see that she ignored my plight. “You...don’t have an opinion on my actions?” I took the tool between my teeth. I wasn’t too familiar with farming rocks, but I tapped on it to get a good idea of where to start. The annoyed Pie sister rolled her eyes. “Tch. If I worried about every ounce of political nonsense that goes on in this stupid world, then no work would get done. No offense, but I have more important things to worry about,” she stated with a flick of her tail and started to mine a nearby rock on a stump. “I see…” The rock farm was actually pretty important. It was where most of Equestria’s building materials for concrete and cement came from as well as pet rocks and rare geodes. I could understand why she was so fixated on it, however I do remember there being more of them here. “Is it just you?” “Yup,” she responded fairly clearly despite having a pickaxe between her teeth. “Mom and dad are retired in Silver Shoals now. Maud’s started a family with Mudbriar, Pinkie’s got a family with Cheese Sandwich, and Marble’s running a marble factory and has a date now, Double...I forgot his name so I called him Double D.” Ah, I knew who she meant. “Double Diamond, yeah? The guy that likes to ski?” “Yeah, that’s him. They hit it off pretty well and...I’m so happy for them.” And jealous. Very jealous. Or rather, envious and regretful that somepony didn’t treat her the same way. I didn’t normally like to do this, but… “Are you...unsatisfied with the way things are? Living here alone on the farm?” Silence. The mare kept pounding away at the rock until she cracked it open. A set of white crystals were hidden inside. After that, she spat out the pickaxe. “I’m not jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking. So don’t think that. I’m perfectly fine the way I am.” I sighed as I smacked the large rock with the axe she gave me. “I have had...similar issues. Regarding explaining my feelings to others. I just want you to know that if there’s anything--” But Limestone wasn’t having it. She invaded my personal space once more with her nose against my own. “I. Am. Not. Jealous. Got it? Or do I need to drill it in you again?” I backed away. “Hey hey now...no need for that. I just wanted to get your opinion is all.” This was going to be one tough rock to break open. But if I had any hopes of returning home, I needed to play my cards right with this one. Hopefully my comrades would consider this as me taking another day off. We worked around the farm until about noon or so. Things were looking up. I didn’t mind some good old manual labor. “Alright. Stop.” Limestone commanded, “Get your flank in here,” she said as she opened the door. I followed her back inside, and there was a plate with what looked like a freshly baked calzone along with some lemonade. “Oh...is that for me?” “Don’t get the wrong idea or anything,” she tried to deflect any sort of thoughts I may have had, “It’d be unethical to make you work off Holder’s bad luck without giving you food. Now eat.” Without anymore words, she trotted over to the couch and sat down to pick up a comic book. At this point, I learned to be more accepting of such gifts. So that cheesy bread roll was gone within minutes. “Mm...that was amazing, the addition of hay really complimented the cheese. Where did you learn to make that?” “Picked up a recipe or two from Pinkie. Glad you like it, or whatever.” She buried her face deeper into the comic book. Clearly, she did not enjoy speaking with others. But wait...that comic. Was that? No… “...Power Ponies? I used to love reading those as a kid.” She glared at me with those judgmental, green eyes. “Are you calling me immature?” “No, not at all. It’s just been a while since I’ve read them. Tell me, which issue is that?” “Hmph.” She rolled her eyes, and positioned the comic to allow me to view it. “Issue #21. High Heel and Heavy Hoofsteps. It’s the one where she invades the shoe factory and replaces the soles of all the shoes with cement. That way, everypony will have to buy the brand she’s selling so she can make millions.” “Oh yeah, I loved that one. Heel was always one of my favorites.” Lime was confused. As if it was abnormal to state such a thing about the character. “Wait...what?” I nodded, “Oh yeah. I always liked how...commanding she would be. Everypony under her command listened to her because she was just that much fun to follow--even if she was a criminal.” An odd sort of grin appeared on Limestone’s face. In tandem with her aggressive eyes, she looked as if she had an arrogant smirk going. “Heh...damn right. She’s rough around the edges, but if you know how to deal with her, you can beat her. It’s a matter of knowing how someone like her works.” “Yup. Even as a villain, it’s nice to see somepony portrayed realistically. I think she even got with Long-face is a later issue, but my memories are fuzzy.” Her mouth was agape for the shortest of moments. “Shut up. That sounds cool. He’s the only other villain who tries to understand her. Granted, it’s cool to see the Power Ponies take them down, but it’s nice to get another perspective...or whatever.” She bailed from her final point. I decided to cut right down to it. “...Lime, you feel inferior because your sisters all have courted or are courting somepony while you don’t have anyone, don’t you?” She sighed. “Look. Don’t tell anypony. But...I might feel a bit annoyed.” “And why is that?” “Well, I just haven’t found the right guy who understands me yet. Everypony is so nice to each other all the time that I feel like I just don’t fit in.” That was true. The average pony was rather friendly no matter where you went. Cranky and mean ones were less common, but they did exist. Granted, I had a decent amount of friends, but I imagined those with more bitter personalities had a harder time in this world. “...I won’t act like I understand. Because I don’t. But know that there’s always going to be something out there for you if you look for it.” “Bah. Whatever. Keeping the family traditions alive is all I really care about anymore. Even if I don’t find anypony. Holder’s Boulder is more important.” “That’s completely fair, and I respect that. Just don’t be afraid of trying to hang around others. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find.” She remained silent as she went back to reading her comment. It was hard to tell if she did so out of annoyance, or if it was due to the fact that my words had resonated with her in some way. Regardless, I wouldn’t bother her anymore. I got up, and got ready to leave. But to my surprise, I saw someone out the window had paid a visit to the rock farm in a hot air balloon. They had a cowboy hat on along with a vest and holsters for weapons on each side. Aha! I knew who this was. They were A sky blue earth pony stallion with a shovel for a cutie mark. About two apples taller than me, and his mane and tail were a slick brown color. One of my other crewmates that was stationed in Appleloosa. They watched over Southern Equestria and managed areas as far as the Badlands. “Ghost ‘The Hex’ Ambush...what are the odds?” I approached him, but he looked...troubled. The balloon landed, but he didn’t exit the basket. “Howdy, partner. Ain’t got much time to explain. Appleloosa is under attack. I was sailing on my way towards Ponyville, but I happened to see ya way over here, so I figured I’d drop in since you were closer.” “Wait a second, what? Who are you?” Limestone had exited from her cottage to see what was going on. “And what are you doing on my farm.” “So sorry, little lady. But there’s somethin’ bad happenin’ in Appleloosa. Gotta git down there fast.” I hopped into the balloon’s basket. “Alright, take me back there.” Ghost nodded, but this left Limestone annoyed. “Hey, wait up, I’m coming too! You can’t hype something up and expect me not to follow.” The cyan stallion shook his head, “No dice. This is far too dangerous.” “Don’t worry, Limestone. I’ll come back to visit if I can get another chance. C’mon Hex. Take us up.” He activated the balloon, and it took us into the air. As we left, I could see the somewhat annoyed mare’s face slowly become saddened. I had to admit, I felt a bit guilty. But there was nothing that could be done. “I’ll show him...I’ll prove that I’m more than just some rock farmer.” “What’s going on, Ghost?” I tilted my head as we floated through the air towards the old Western town. “Something...nopony coulda ever predicted. Chimeras.” Holy hell. That was dangerous. It was a good thing I left Limestone behind. I would never be able to forgive myself if I let harm fall to an innocent civilian. Moreover, the fact that the town could even be invaded by such beasts seemed illogical. “Wait wait wait...just how did they get there? This doesn’t make sense…” “Ah don’t get it either, pard. But we’d better git down there fast. Everypony’s holed up in their houses right about now.” Ghost Ambush was a keen, shrewd sort of guy. Always ready with a strategy or some kind of plan. In particular, the weapons his pockets concealed always lended credence to his skill. There was a reason he earned the nickname ‘the Beast.’ It was about a fifteen-minute ride in the balloon. Once we got close, Ghost lowered the balloon’s pressure so that we would land just outside of the town. Appleloosa had developed lots since I last heard. What was once a small village of cowboys was now a bustling town of folks from all over, including some Bison. However, the situation regarding the Chimeras had caused things to change. No Ponies or Bison were around at all. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Your stereotypical tumbleweeds rolled on past us both as we entered the town. More silence… “Are you sure that--” “Shh…” He put his hoof out to halt my movements. His tail flicked. Ghost had picked up something. “This way.” With that, he started a brisk gallop towards the town square. I followed. This was very exciting to say the least. I felt like I was in an old cowboy flick. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” That’s when we heard a sudden scream from behind a building. “HELP! SOMEPONY HELP!” “Sounds like it came from the local tavern! This way, Pale!” I thought he was insane for a second before we heard that yelp for help. We pulled a sharp corner and ran into the root beer/cider tavern and burst through the doors. There it was. The half-tiger, half-goat monster with a snake for a tail. This one was completely feral, and none of the heads said a word. Across the room, we spotted its target. A turquoise mare with a fiery orangish-yellow mane and tail. I had only dealt with these sorts of monsters once. Never did I think I would come across it again. But before I could do anything proper, Ghost flicked his hoof. In that next moment, I witnessed a vial of liquid crack against the monster of three heads. It suddenly turned to stone, and the earth pony charged at it with all his might, and smashed it to pieces with nothing but his head. After a minute or two, the stone pieces would completely disintegrate. “RAGH! Pitiful creature…” he turned to the mare, “You alright, miss?” “Yeah, I’m fine. I would’ve handled that thing myself if you hadn’t showed up, but...yeah. Name’s Lightning Dust.” Oh man! That’s who that was. The mare who had endangered the life of Scootaloo--who was also fully grown now. Yeesh. I couldn’t have imagined what sort of punishment she had endured all these years for such an act. But more importantly… “Ghost. Just what did you use on that foul creature just now?” I suppose that his moniker of ‘the Hex’ was all the more fitting now that I saw him in action. “Can’t give ya all the deets, partner. But I will say, that it’s an experiment mah wife and I have been cookin’ up. She’s a skilled potion maker of a zebra. Now let’s git movin’. There’s more of these damn things out there.” He pointed to Lightning, “You.” “Eh?” “Lock this joint up and stay inside. Hide in the cellar until we give ya a signal to rise, understand?” She gave a half-hearted salute with her wing. When she did that, I noticed that her wing had some sort of beeping device attached to it. “Yeah sure, Sheriff….” “Good. C’mon, Pale. Let’s get moving.” He left through the doors of the tavern, and I would follow right behind him. “I’m gonna prove that I can still be cool...just you wait.” As we ran towards the inner part of the town, I had to ask. “Okay...just why is she there? Didn’t she try to endanger the life of a child many years ago?” “She’s under constrained arrest and is currently a server at that tavern. She’s not allowed to fly more than 20 meters into the air either. If she attempts to, we’ll know.” Ah, that was what the device was for. Well now that my concern was answered, I had to focus. “Okay...do you see anymore of those hideous beasts?” “Up ahead,” he called out and started to pick up speed. “Let’s move!” True indeed, there were two more of the disgusting tiger-goat-snake hybrids. I moved in for the one on our left. “Six o'clock is mine. You tackle three.” I lunged at the beast. It swiped at me with its claws, but I narrowly managed to avoid it. I slid beneath it and came out behind it. I jabbed the snake right in the eye with a pencil. It hissed, and sent a sharp pain through the rest of its body. The goat and tiger started to panic, and turned around. They charged me in a blind state of fury. I countered with a swift evasion followed by a spinning roundhouse kick that knocked some of the tiger’s teeth out and sent it into a nearby wall. Of a building. “Ha!” “YAAAH!” My eyes grew wide. Ghost had absolutely handled the chimera he was attacking. The snake tail was clenched between his teeth and he spun the beast around like it was a casual lasso! Then he let go, and flung it into the same wall where it landed on top of the one I had just dealt with. “Now to finish you disgusting beasts off.” From his pockets, he grabbed another vial. He tossed it directly at the wall above them where it broke and blue liquid soaked into both of them. They were suddenly turned into harmless, mouse-sized versions of themselves and they both ran away in a panic. “Hot damn...that was stellar. What other sort of curses do you have?” “I can only carry six at a time,” he explained and showed me the fact his pockets still cradled two more vials on each side. “But when they work, they work. Now we just gotta find the rest of ‘em and bring ‘em to the gallows.” Unfortunately, as he stood and talked, we were stalked. And eventually surrounded. A grand total of eight. Yes eight chimeras surrounded us on all sides. The biggest one would speak from its tiger head, “How sweet...fresh stallion meat,” it spoke in a deep, yet feminine tone. “Death by snack-snack to you to both!” Ghost and I stood, side-to-side. Our options were extremely limited as the eight monsters circled us. “What should we do, G?” And yet, he didn’t look intimidated at all, and tapped his hoof as if he was counting to a number. “...Got it all figured out, partner. When I give the signal, ya run like heck.” “What?” “3...2…” “Wait!”