//------------------------------// // Subject 124: Family Ties // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// We all sat and talked together for a bit. I could overhear Cozy and Flurry speak at a the table next to us. “Ah, I see,” Flurry said, “You’re all looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and have some fun? Then we need to hit up the best place in Sire’s Hollow!” she proclaimed as she finished a sip of her hot chocolate. Cozy blinked and gave a hesitant response. “...Oh? And what might that be? “The snowflake museum! It’s going to open pretty soon, and we’ll get to see some of the most beautiful snowflakes that have ever fallen! Preserved by magic until the end of time.” The young alicorn leaned forward across the table, “Don’t that sound amazing??” “I...guess?” she replied as her eyes darted upwards and to the left, “I’ve...certainly never been to a place like that before.” Yeah, I could tell she wasn’t very interested. It sounded fairly mundane, and something that would take a bit of convincing for her to find excitement in. But of course, she refused to be rude to one of her current best friends, so she accepted the offer. I could only hope that she could find a way to enjoy herself. Anyhow, my conversation with Shining Armor went rather well. He and I had discussed our reasons for our arrival here. I was rather amused at his answer. “To be frank, the wife made me do it,” he muttered under his breath. Risky choice of words given that she was right next to us. “She was saying stuff about how we spend too much time in the castle and need to get out. I suppose she had a point because when I looked at our schedule, I realized that we hadn’t had time to ourselves away from the Empire in about...five years.” I nearly spat out my drink. I could not fathom the concept of five consecutive years of work without the ability to take even a brief respite. That sounded ludicrous even for me. “Five years?” I said with a doubtful, concerned set of eyes. “I can’t imagine…” “Eh...yeah, it’s not easy. But working to strengthen the security of the region from any threats--small or big--demanded my full attention. Especially as Flurry Heart got older.” Now that was something I didn’t consider. Just how difficult was it to raise an alicorn baby into foalhood then adulthood? “Oh? Was it particularly challenging.” “Look, don’t tell her,” he said in a low tone as he glanced at his daughter, “But I’ve been a bit...smothering towards her.” “How do you mean?” I asked. “Well...let’s just say if there was a stallion that she came into contact with on the way home, I’d demand to speak with him later. And grilled him on dozens of questions.” he put his hoof against his cheek as he recounted his past actions. “So embarrassing…” “I see. Do you have any idea what prompted this behavior from you.” His answer was swift. “Flash Sentry.” I didn’t know whether or not I expected that answer. “Really now? He seems like a model stallion to me?” “...he wasn’t always that way. When I first met him, he wasn’t exactly...the guard type. Certainly not somepony I’d trust in keeping watch over my little sister. When he started to show interest in Twilight, I came down on him without mercy.” I wasn’t sure how to react. Should I support or condemn his actions? “And how did that turn out?” He sighed, and leaned back in his chair. “Bad for us all. Sentry became afraid of me and Twilight got annoyed with me. But with me and my stubborn ways, it didn’t get any better once I had a daughter.” “Fell back into old habits, huh?” I asked with a friendly chuckle. “Yeah, you could say that. It hasn’t been easy keeping watch over her. But I know she can take care of herself. Still, it’s an instinct that I’m not able to just remove from my body. You get me?” While I had only known Cozy for a small amount of time, yes I could very well understand what he meant. Though it was a bit different since she was already an adult mare, and I didn’t exactly raise her. “I can sympathize a little. I’m doing all that I can to keep Cozy Glow happy. So far, things have been...alright. More or less. I still have to stay focused and make sure she stays happy while also giving her enough space so that she can grow into what she wants to. It’s...not easy.” He leaned forward and asked, “Want some advice from a father of 20 years?” Anything to gain knowledge from experience. “Absolutely,” I replied. “Give her enough space, and she’ll know when to come back to you to check in when she’s ready. It’s something Cadance and I have realized over time. She needs to experience the world on her own--we can’t hold her hoof forever, after all.” He levitated his cup of hot chocolate and swirled it around a little. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t guide them.” Just about the best thing I could do at this point. We watched as the young mares got up to leave for the snowflake museum that was located near the center of town. They were to return before nightfall because apparently something special was supposed to happen. What was it? I had no clue. Even the townsfolk of Hollow had no idea what to expect on that evening. After our chat, Shining Armor and Cadance headed off on their own as well. Apparently they wanted to go see the various stands and purveyors of souvenirs. They were both fairly passionate about finishing up a collection that they had going on back home. Something about a super rare snowglobe that featured a crystal alicorn that was possibly on sale that day. I had no idea, but they were both rather giddy about it. “See you both later!” Cadance called out as she left with her husband. Her gait was quick, but restrained as if she desperately wanted to run, but could not. “Shining, come on, we need to find this thing.” “I’m already on it,” he too had a fast-paced trot going. “We just need to hit up each and every stand they have and…” he levitated the brochure for Sire’s Hollow up to his face to read it. “...There’s going to be at least twenty.” “What?? Then we need to get going! Come on!” Cadance used her magic to drag him along as she galloped down the road, “That crystal snowglobe shall be mine!” “Cadey! Slow down!” the whitie unicorn cried out as he was forcibly pulled off into the distance with a pink aura around his body. Cheerilee chuckled as she watched them leave. “Aw...how adorable they are. Though, I never realized that snowglobe collecting could be so lucrative.” I almost laughed. Neither did I. Part of me felt like it was an old fashioned manufacturer’s scam in which they only make a limited quantity of ‘X’ amount of items to persuade rabid fans to go out and splurge on it immediately. How foolish. “Yeup,” I said as I finished off my hot chocolate. “So we apparently need to meet in the town square at nightfall for some kind of important thing. What should we do until then?” Cheerilee looked at the brochure. “Well, to be quite honest, there’s so much going on. But seeing as we’re going to stay here for two weeks, I’d rather get settled in our hotel room and unpack so we can be ready for what’s going on tomorrow.” “The skiing expedition, yeah?” I tapped my hoof on the itinerary, “Yeah that’s going to take a lot out of us. We need to be properly rested and relaxed before we get involved in something like that.” She folded the pamphlet back up. “Okay then, let’s head back to our room for the moment.” And so we did. The hotel was amazing. And the room service was beautiful. The food choices were off the charts. Even though we decided to relax, we could still experience this new location’s offerings. On our way back to our hotel room, though, we came across something that made us stop dead in our hoofsteps and cause our ears to twitch. “Uch! Are you serious?!” the powerful voice of Stellar Flare echoed from the end of the hallway. “What do you mean they can’t make it? Gah! Fine, fine, just...move the events around and we’ll come up with something else.” “Mayor Flare!” a blue earth pony mare came up to her with a stack of papers, “You need to sign these waivers or else we can’t open the ride!” “Mayor Flare!” a white unicorn mare with a pair of distinct purple glasses called out, “We need a decision made for the snowpony contest judges!” “Mayor Flare!” a brown earth pony mare with a standout green mane shouted from the other end of the hall, “We need more desserts for the--” The older mare nearly threw out her voice as she screamed. “CEASE!” Everything fell dead silent afterwards. “Everypony do your best to figure it out on your own. I need a drink…” “Yeesh,” I carefully worded under my breath, “She seems like she’s in a lot of trouble.” Cheerilee sighed with a pained twitch in her eyes. “I can relate. I know what it’s like to be surrounded by ponies that just won’t stop shouting your name. She needs a good break before she snaps.” “Definitely.” Then she looked up at me. “Do you think you can help her out?” My ear flicked again, and I turned my head to the earth pony mare, “What? Me?” “Of course. You’ve already been a great help to me, Cozy, Treehugger--why not give her some advice as well? Please?” she pleaded, “I’d hate to hog your negotiation talents all to myself.” Not my forte. But I suppose if my wife thought I was capable, I could at least do her this favor. “Alright, alright. I’ll see what I can do.” I was patronized by the mare petting me on the head with her hoof. “There you go! I knew you’d be up for it. And hey...I’ll be waiting for you until you get back, okay?” she said with a wink before she went into our hotel room. Well now, I was essentially destined to help Ms. Flare. So be it, I suppose. The unicorn mare walked past me with an annoyed, tired look on her face. I stopped her when I called her name. “Stellar?” “Hm?” “Wanna have a chat?” “A...chat?” she asked with hesitation as she turned to face me. “...Yeah?” I answered with an equal amount of hesitation. She rubbed the back of her head. “I’m sorry for that awkward response. Nopony has ever offered to just talk to me about something unless it’s related to work.” ...I pitied her existence.