//------------------------------// // Subject 218: Curse Study // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Alright. Once everyone had been brought to the agency building, I quickly locked the doors to make sure nothing unwanted could get in or out. After that, I followed Corkscrew into the hallway where the interrogation rooms were located. We had each of our three subjects in one room so we could quietly observe them until we saw fit to go ahead and question them. Pound Cake and Vinyl Scratch waited at the end of the hall on one of the benches. I’d call on them if it was deemed necessary. First, Corkscrew and I would observe them. “Alright, bud. What can you determine so far?” I asked as we stood in front of the room that contained Suri Polomare. We watched her through a one-way mirror in the wall. We could see her, but she couldn’t see us. “...Completely abnormal, sir. Her mental state is off the charts, and...I’m not sure how to approach her,” he replied with a nervous flap of his wings. “Argh...where’s Quick Draw when you need her? She’d be way better at dealing with folks like this.” Come to think of it, where was she? Last I checked, she needed to be treated by the other zebras for that curse she was afflicted with a while back. I hoped she would be able to make it through… BAM! That’s when the doors burst open. Speak of the devil herself... “Gah! I’m here, I’m here!” Quick Draw called out to us from the entryway, “Sorry, I got caught up and needed some time to heal.” The yellow earth pony trotted up to us with a bandage atop her head. “Quick! You’re alive!” Corkscrew took flight, and threw his hooves around her. He would have bowled her over if it wasn’t for the fact that she expected such a reaction from the stallion. “Are you okay? You’re not still hurting are you?” “Pfft,” she scoffed and put a hoof around his neck to assure him, “If I’m hurt, then you knuckleheads wouldn’t get anything done. We promised each other ever since we were little--we’re not dying until we all get old and have grandkids. Now what’s the deal here, brother?” she addressed me with that last bit. Yup. That was all the evidence I needed--at least for the time being. We had a lot of important things to worry about including the possibility of things getting worse. So… “This way,” I beckoned her into the hallway where the interrogation rooms were located. “We’re about to conduct some interviews here. We could use your help.” “What do we got?” she asked. I pointed out the three subjects to her. “We have a rattled musician, a roughed-up seamstress, and a wrecked baker’s daughter. Which one should we tackle first?” “Hrm…” Quick Draw paced the floor, and gazed at each individual through the one-sided mirrors. The observations we could gather were rather plain to the eye. Suri Polomare was still in a state of distress. She constantly rubbed one hoof over the other in a perpetual state of fear Her eyes darted from left to right as if she knew something was out to get her. Pumpkin Cake was still frozen in her seat. The young unicorn stared off into space without so much as a blink. I could feel my tail shiver from just how off-putting it looked. Lastly, Octavia Melody who had been recently brought here. Her head rested down upon the table in front of her, but she looked away. We couldn’t tell what or how she felt at that moment due to the fact that we couldn’t get a good look at her face. After all of that, we came to a conclusion. “Alright,” Quick started off, “Clearly, Polomare is the only one in a proper state of sanity right now. It’s probably best if we speak to her first.” “Makes sense to me,” Cork added, “And uh...I think I’ll go first.” I turned my head to the pegasus. “Cork...are you sure?” He nodded with a steeled gaze behind his eyes. “Of course. You’ve already dealt with a rather...disgusting experience thanks to a monster. At this point, I’m willing to put myself out there instead so you can be safe, bud.” “...Are you--” But before I could finish that sentence, I felt a hoof on my shoulder. I turned my head the other way and found Quick Draw--she glared at me for a second before she nodded her head once. This was something I needed to allow Corkscrew to do. I focused my attention on the stallion once more. “Okay...we’ll be right here if you need us,” I said to him as I opened the door to the interrogation room. “On it, boss. Don’t worry. I got this. Didn’t you say you had to be somewhere?” I slapped my hoof against my forehead. “That’s right! I need to go speak with Cozy. I’ll be right back, alright?” “We got this, boss. Don’t worry,” Cork said. “Yeah. We’ll interview them and give you our results when you get back,” Quick added, “Now hurry up and get going. She probably needs to hear that.” Without anymore delay, I left the building. I could only hope that their interviews would work out... Since the boss was on his way, I got ready to handle this. “Watch my back, alright, Quick?” “Got it.” I stepped inside the room, and made sure the door was locked tight so that nothing could escape. I kept light on my hooves, and slowly approached the mare who sat on one side of the table. “...Hey there, er...Suri. How has everything been?” I asked. Her response was...strange. “Who? Me? Fine! Everything’s fine! I didn’t do anything, I swear!” she blurted out and let out a series of deep breaths. One of her eyelids and ears began to twitch uncontrollably. Yeah this was now hella strange.