//------------------------------// // Subject 176: Sky Mission Part VIII // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “So you think it’s funny to coerce others into doing things just to make someone else feel bad for what they’ve done in the past, huh?” I flew closer to her with the intent of having her locked in here. “Oh shut it! This mare has gone through a lot of suffering without her family,” she screamed at me while she spoke in the third person. “You don’t know anything about what it’s like to have no support with a child!” Did she talk about herself? Why would she--of course! It had to be another Mimic that was in control of her body. How could I tell? I knew a lot about such monsters from tabletop board games. Not to mention the fact that I literally just fought some. But I never thought that they could be capable of straight up possessing other bodies...creepy. Okay okay, but for the moment I had to keep the suspect in check. A wounded enemy, whether hurt physically or mentally, was unpredictable. So I allowed her to talk to keep the situation calm so that I could get answers out of her. While I did wanna get payback on her for torturing Pale, I had to be vigilant and unbiased in my approach. Stay focused, dude--come on. “Really?” I asked with a dubious glare, “Mind telling me what exactly this mare suffered through? I’d like to determine whether or not it was worth having some creature take control of her body to accomplish it.” She took a step back with her mouth agape. I guess she thought I wasn’t smart enough to tell the difference or something. Joke’s on her. She shook her head, and went on with a bit of a rant. “Grrr...I--er, she was the one who put Trixie through Magic School all by mys--herself! Handling a pregnancy with her job and taking time off took such a toll on her body to where she couldn’t afford it on her own. So Spectacle had to do some...unsavory things for money. Things that she would never explain to just anyone. Which is why I decided to take over for a bit to help her out.” Ouch. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want anypony to feel as if they had to resort to bad things just to survive. But at the same time, I couldn’t condone her actions either. Though, I gotta wonder. Just how much influence did the mare have here if her body was being controlled? Maybe, just maybe I could separate the two and get a better idea of what was going on. Ergo, there didn’t need to be any bloodshed or unnecessary pain today. “I see,” I replied with a careful look in my eyes to make sure she didn’t try anything funny, “Look, you’re right. I don’t know what you’ve been through. But causing all of this...hate isn’t the answer. I know you might have some loyalty to a higher power--Grogar--but that doesn’t mean you have to force yourself.” I could see the hesitation in her eyes, and the way her horn flashed with a bit of fear. The soul of that mare was still alive and strong within her. Did she possibly have second thoughts? If so, that’d be really helpful right about now, because I wasn’t entirely sure if I could take her on. I flew a bit closer to her. “...Ma’am?” Against my better nature, I tried to reach out to her, “Come on. Let’s drop this senseless act and--” But she interrupted me before I could finish. “Alright fine! If you want to interrupt my efforts at revenge for her little girl so badly, then you’ll have to go through me and for me out of her!” Okay, this would be a stupid risky move. If this was going to work, then I had to be as careful as possible to avoid more trouble for all of us. The boss was practically incapacitated so I couldn’t rely on him for anything. It was my time to step up. I landed on the floor, and took a step back from her with my nose turned up. “No.” “No? NO?!” she screamed rather predictably, “What do you mean ‘no’?! I’m the one in control here! You need to do what I say!” It worked--so far, anyway. I had to continue that train of apathy if I wanted the reaction I fished for. “No I don’t,” I said in return as I turned my back on her, “I don’t owe you anything. I’m not the one who refused to do the right thing and get back in touch with her husband. I’m leading a responsible life. You need to reject that thing inside of you and realize that none of this is worth it, Ms. Spectacle. Trixie wouldn’t want to see you like this. How do you think she’d--hrrk!” She cut me off when she grabbed ahold of my body with her magic. A lot of pressure was placed upon my neck which she tried to crush with loads of force. And I started to choke from it. “Shut up! You’re in no position to talk to me in such a way! You’re far too young to understand anything! Ignorant like you deserve to be punished!” I couldn’t say or do anything. She tossed and flung me around the room. I was slammed and rattled into every nearby object like a ragdoll in a pinball machine. I endured many bruises from it, and she finally stopped with one of the nearby shards of glass from the broken vanity mirror pointed at my throat. “I’ll end you here and--! No, stop this! I never wanted this!” her voice changed mid-sentence. Did the real soul of the mare finally take over? If so, I could really benefit from it right about now. Oh and she’d be safe too. “Leave my body right now or else!” She turned the shard of glass on herself. She threatened to cut her own throat! “You fool! If you do that then I’ll...gah...it’s not worth it. I’ll get back to you later--don’t forget who you’re dealing with.” The presence of the Mimic left her body, and the unicorn fell to the floor unconscious. The magical aura released me and I could finally catch my breath. “AGH! Shit...where’d it go?” I looked around to see nothing. "Grr...no time for that." Guess there was nothing that could be done for the moment. I needed to get these guys to safety.