Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49


Subject 105: Uncomfortably Dim

“You really think she’d know about what’s going on, here?”

Cork continued to walk with me as we headed back towards the center of town. “Think about it, boss. Do you really think Neighsay is gonna be one-hundred percent honest with us? I mean, he could still skirt around certain details to make it seem like he’s telling the truth as a loophole in order to work behind our backs.” He put a hoof around my neck, “And...let’s be honest. She probably knows him better than we realize.”

I rubbed my hoof against my chin. He had a point about that. Though I still planned to question the old unicorn directly, there was a matter of what Cork said. Could she really help us? There was only one real way to find out.

“Alright, son. If you think she’ll be able to help us, then I’m with you. Let’s head to her place immediately.”

It was simple once we gave it enough thought. Cozy Glow had managed to successfully manipulate, and defeat the unicorn in her youth despite being far weaker and lacking any real magic to counter him. Her mental fortitude was beyond compare so if anypony could know about all he had planned, it was her. My only real concern was digging up old wounds from her...rather troublesome past. But I had no choice.

After a short walk, Cork and I arrived at the young mare’s home.

“Let me ask her first,” I said, “She trusts me and will listen more closely.”

He got the hint, and nodded. “Alright, Pale. I’ll take a minute before I jump in. You ask her as much as you can.”

I knocked on the door, and it didn’t take long for the cotton-candy-colored pegasus to open it up.

“Pale-pops?” she asked with an excited, yet concerned tone in her voice and look in her eyes, “This is a surprise. What brings you here?”

“There’s...something important I need to ask you about,” I said with a sigh, “Mind if I come in?”

As soon as I spoke, she became even more concerned, but stood aside to allow me entry. Cork remained outside for the time being to allow me some time alone with her so I can discuss the topic. Thankfully, things were able to go smoother since I was able to speak to her more personally.

We sat on the living room couch, and I gave her the rundown.

“...and that’s what we just found out. As of now, we want to know if you know anything regarding Neighsay’s procedures.”

Her eyes became disheartened as she looked away. “Procedures, huh…” Just as I expected, she did not want to be reminded of the point in time where she was truly lost to the darkness of insanity.

I reached forward and hesitated. But I decided to follow through on the action, and put my hoof on her shoulder. “I know that it’s not easy for you to harken back to. But it’s important. You outsmarted and took over the reigns of the entire school from him. Is it possible that you may have found out how he operates or if his work has killed others?”

She didn’t respond. Was she thinking about a possibility or two? Did she really know what happened in the past? The silence was deafening, but it essentially let me know that she did know something.

“Please, Cozy,” I pleaded with my hooves together, “We can’t afford to lose anything. If you know something, anything at all. Please tell me.”

After a few more moments of silence, she let out a small sigh and glanced at me. “I’ll tell you what I can. My memory is a bit foggy since it was so long ago, so hear me out. When I was little, and took over the school, I found something on him. A blackbook of some kind. It contained loads of names and other info, but that’s all I really remember seeing. Some marked ‘Canterlot’ others marked ‘Cloudsdale’ and ‘Ponyville.’ A few had the words mia marked off nearby also.”

As I expected. Her memory was sharp. Even if she didn’t have all the details, it was just enough for me to go off of so that I could keep going. But wait a second. ‘Mia’? What could that possibly mean? Unless...no, not, mia. MIA. Or Missing In Action. That’s what that meant. So he worked on some individuals that went missing. Sadly, this didn’t exactly tell me whether or not his experiments killed ponies, but it was certainly something.

For now, I decided to calm her down with a gentle hug.

“I see...thanks for helping me with that, Cozy. How have things been?”

Her expression softened, and became more relaxed when I pulled her in. Thank goodness. I didn’t want to see her stressed out any longer. “They’ve been swell, pops. I’m actually gonna head out today and speak with Silver Spoon.”

“Oh? About what?”

Now this was interesting. I knew her relationships with others had started to be rekindled in a slow fashion, but I was more than invested in what she was going to do. Cozy’s future was such a touchy subject that I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach it. But this...maybe this was going to help.

“About...possibly helping me get a job. I’ve started to love crafting and creating my own pieces of art for others to enjoy.”

That’s right. If memory served, Silver Spoon had inherited her family’s utensil development business. Not only that, but they also apparently blew glass and created figurines for things such as windows, vases, and other household items. There was a lot of creativity to be had from something like that.

“Ah. Know that you have my full support in your endeavors, kid.” I rubbed her mane with my hoof. “It sounds like you have some great potential under your wings. I gotta get back to work, though. But tonight, let’s watch a movie at Cheerilee’s home, okay?”

She nodded, and pushed my hoof away. “Yeah yeah, no problem. I’m actually excited to show her how I’ve been doing. So that sounds amazing.”

I got up off the couch. “Alrighty, then. I won’t keep you any longer. Tell Silver Spoon I said hello, alright?”

“Of course,” she replied, “I just have to go get ready. See you soon, pops!”

“See ya, kiddo.” I waved as I left the home, and walked outside to meet Cork. “Alright, I got some ideas.”

“You know what we’re doing next, boss?”

“Not we,” I shook my head, “I need you to stay behind and make sure Cozy is okay. I’m headed to Canterlot.”

I could’ve almost predicted his reaction. He sighed, and looked away from me. “Boss, are you sure about this? Some of the times you’ve left alone you end up injured. If I’m there with you, I can help you out.”

I put a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “I know that, son. But don’t worry. Quick Draw is still up there, as well as Twilight Sparkle and her court. I’ll be fine.”

The young stallion worried about me so much that I couldn’t help but feel at ease knowing he cared enough to speak his opinion. He turned to face me with a determined glare. “Alright, but you’d better come back by tonight or I’m coming after you. Understand?”

Well, there was no way I could argue with that. He had every right to worry about me, given the circumstances of all that I had endured in the last six months to a year. “No argument from me, bud. I’ll be back before sundown.”

“What are you going to Canterlot for, anyways?” he asked.

My answer was obvious. “The last name on the list…”


Dad really had done a lot for me. Wow, calling him that still warmed my heart each time I said it. I was so happy with the knowledge that somepony else out there cared about me and what I wanted. I no longer had to fish for attention or affection. I was loved unconditionally, and it still felt strange. Hehe. How strange was that?

Anyway, I gathered up my things in my chess-patterned saddlebags, and headed out once I locked the door. Silver Spoon’s place wasn’t very far. Just a short walk. It was a nice little townhouse surrounded by beautiful hedges that rested on a hill near the Northern edge of Ponyville. It wasn’t as big as Diamond Tiara’s home, but noble and prideful all the same.

I knocked on the front door, and the gray mare would answer with a smile and a hug.

“Oh, Cozy!” she said as she embraced me, “What’s going on?”

I held on tight, and smiled at her once she let go. “Hey! Um, I was wondering if you’d help me fund my newest project idea. It’s…”

She interrupted me with a rather unexpected question. “Yeah sure, but first. I wanna ask you something. What’s your relation to that detective stallion?”

“Oh, Pale?” Guess I never gave it much thought until now. Now how exactly was I going to answer this? “...I guess he’s like a father figure to me. He’s courageous, smart, kind, and though he can be a bit of a stubborn mule sometimes, I like him the way he is.” I tilted my head, “Why do you ask?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I was curious. My dad was never really around much, so I wanted to know what it’s been like for you these past few months. You two really seem to have a cool father-daughter thing going on,” she paused and turned to trot inside, “that I was just wondering how it felt for you.”

I took it as an invitation, and followed her in. “Well, yeah it’s...new, for one. Having somepony actually care about what I do with my life--it’s a strange feeling,” I replied as I closed the door.

“Heh. If only my mom was anywhere near as capable,” Silver Spoon said with a roll of her eyes. She adjusted her glasses with her hoof, and scoffed. “Hm, always too preoccupied with her smoothies and paperwork to help me with my homework. Now I’m running the family business mostly by myself. How hoofed up is that? You’re lucky, Cozy…”

Yikes. I had never considered how her life had been. As a power-hungry filly, I didn’t care about anypony except myself. But now...things were starting to become clearer as I experienced other perspectives on life. It made me feel even more stupid for the decisions I made when I was little. But I had to put that behind me. My past does not define me. My past is not today.

I took a deep breath, and walked up to her. I put a hoof around her neck to comfort her. “Hey...I’m here for you, Silver. And so is Diamond, right?”

Her annoyed scowl melted into a smile. “Yeah...you’re right. So what is it that you wanted help with?”

“Oh yeah!” I reached into my saddlebag for some documents, “I have some ideas on some glass sculptures I wanna create.”

Silver took one look at my plans and squealed, her hooves excitedly danced against the floor. “Ohmigosh! Yes! This is exactly what we need!”

Now that...that felt good.