Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49


Subject 195: New Mission

A few days later at the base located in the Crystal Empire…

Right then. So I pretty much knew exactly what I had gotten myself into from the get go. But then the news of what had taken place near the edge of Equestria was rather coarse, and hard to swallow. Why? Twas simple.

Guttersnipe had arrived to inform me of something dangerous that was about to happen. And how my fellow kin could be involved. It all lined up, it did. Everything from Quick’s injury to Pale’s suffering at the hooves at a possessed mare.

“...Drive. I don’t want you to feel like you need to beat yourself up over this. This isn’t exactly something that you could have predicted.”

I spun around in my desk chair to face her. She was always on point when it came to difficult tasks. But I knew that this situation did involve me...as much as I wished it didn’t.

“Thanks, Guts,” I replied, “But you know I can’t stand idle when my family’s styles of magic are being misused. My father would disown me if I allowed it to come to pass with the ability to put a stop to it. You know as well as I that you’d do what you could, when you could.”

The fiery red pegasus had a new set of wings. Apparently from the fact that the last mission she went on went so tits-up that she had to sacrifice both of her appendages for the sake of everyone else involved.

She looked down at those new wings of hers with a longing stare. “...Yeah, I suppose you’re right. There’s something...someone out there who’s looking out for me. Somepony important that I need to take more time to understand.” Guts turned her head back to me. “So...yeah. Do what you need to.”

I brought her in for a quick hug. Guttersnipe and I had known each other for a while, and we were good friends. It was nice to know that I had her support when it came to things like this. “That’s the spirit, mate. And don’t worry--once I get back here from South Zebrica, I’ll have some cool trinkets to give ya.”

“Uch--hey--” she wrestled herself free of my grip, “That’s nice and all. But please don’t let it be one of those creepy masks! I don’t need that haunting me!”

Oh bugger it. That was a far-reaching stereotype that the zebras worked hard to put off. But with the way she responded, I couldn’t help but chuckle a tad. “Hehe...no. I wouldn’t do that. Trust me. I’ll have something far more worthwhile for ya. But that aside, how’s our mate doing?”

“Pale, right? He’s...recovering slowly. Still taking some time off to spend with Cozy and the others. And honestly? That’s probably for the best.”

“Whatcha mean, by that?” she asked while she went over to her desk.

“Think on it, Guts. Who else could keep her safe?” I spun back around in my desk chair, and sorted through some files, “The only stallion in the world that can keep a proper lid on her while simultaneously protecting her. I mean...he did stand up to the Mad Tyrant Daybreaker after all. Doesn’t get much more capable than that, does it?”

She let out a fond laugh as we recalled the events of Nightmare Night. “Hahaha...yeah, you got a point there. But I honestly would rather he not get into another situation like that anytime soon.”

I cocked a brow upwards. Was Guts dismissive of Pale or was that a plea for his safety? “Hrm? What could you mean by that, friend?” I asked.

“I’m saying that if he manages to thwart another god-like threat, he’ll be labeled as a threat too. Some ponies are so overly...regressive that they’ll think that anything that opposes higher power is dangerous. Look at Neighsay.”

While she did have a valid point, Gutters failed to recall just what happened to the Chancellor. “Yes. And now he’s been offed by one of those powers. All because he made a foolish decision to ally with it. The phrase, ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ is a load of barmy dung, I tell ya what.”

“Then how would you approach the situation, Drive?” she looked up at the corkboard on the wall in front of her. On it were labels of all of the beasts that we had encountered thus far, and they were connected by push-pins and strings. “If you couldn’t beat them, what would you do?”

I got up from my desk. Now that I had finished with gathering everything I needed off my desk, it was time for me to head out. These crystalline walls and beautiful cyan floors were only going to be a fleeting memory once I headed to where I needed to be.

“If I can’t beat ‘em?” I turned over my shoulder to look at her one last time, “Then I can rely on my friends for help.” And I continued to trot onwards. “See you soon, yeah?”

“Alrighty. But if you don’t return in the next three days, I’m coming after you,” she stated from behind me. “The last thing I need is for you to go crazy trying to finish something on your own and lose something...important to you.”

Stubborn as an ox that mare was. However, I knew exactly what she meant by that. Having lost her original wings, and then needing another set of replacements for the sake of her friends, she would never abandon us--even if it meant her life was at stake. I could always count on her to follow like the mockingbird she was. Quite adorable in a way.

“Yeah, yeah, sure…” I rolled my eyes in a playful fashion as I took my leave. No way was I going to shed tears before I left. “See ya.”

“Bye for now, bud.”


And so I was off. Now that I had reason to travel to such a place, I was going to finally set things right by my family. However, there was a bit of a snag on my way there. I levitated my train ticket into my saddlebag, and boarded it. But as soon as I got there, I was met with a familiar face that sat alone in one of the passenger cars. Who was it?

Moondancer.

But she didn’t address me directly, but I couldn’t help but wonder why she was here.