Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 132: A Pep Talk

Throughout the rest of that day, I was stuck in a mental block more or less. I was too busy annoyed at myself as I contemplated whether or not I could have saved that stallion. The disappointment in that mare’s heart was palpable. I knew full well that things would be much different if I had managed to rescue both of the ponies important to her. Was she ungrateful? Absolutely not. The pony she loved was almost lost in an accident that was really no one’s fault. She had every right to be disturbed over what happened.

For the moment, though, I still had to wonder just what--or who caused such a thing. There were absolutely no signs of any avalanche, earthquakes, or storms that were set to occur on that day. The disaster that barreled down that mountain was manufactured. I knew it for sure. But again, the how and who/what is what evaded me.

Later that evening, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. Cozy and Cheerilee knew where I was going, so I wasn't worried and neither would they be. Where was I headed wasn't an exact priority. I just needed some time away from the craziness of the world.

The silence of the surrounding fields as my hooves crunched through the snow sent a chill up my spine. I had no idea what to think at that moment. All I could do was contemplate my actions and the fact that I was unable to save somepony. Granted, this was not the first time this had happened. And it surely wasn't going to be the last. I knew it was inevitable. Not everyone could be rescued from their predicaments no matter what I did.

And yet, I still felt bad. As if I didn’t set a very good example. I thought with emotion to save the child, rather than logic to save them both. Was I really in the wrong?

Gah, it was too much to think about. Here I was as I wasted my times with questions that couldn’t realistically be answered.

Anyhow, I stopped near one of the frozen lakes at the edge of the snowy landscape. I tried to clear my head of the doubts that swirled in my mind, but it wasn’t easy. The nagging sensation of “you could have done better” continued to erode at my psyche. It was almost painful.

That’s when I heard a familiar voice as hoofsteps trudged through the snow. “Hey, man. I heard about what happened.” I looked up to see Tree Hugger. She had on a white scarf and a pair of earmuffs to match. She took a seat next to me, and tilted her head. “Are you alright?”

My answer was both slow and uncertain. “I...don’t know,” I said with a defeated sigh. “Part of me wishes that I could have done more, but in the end, it’ll all have been for naught if that stallion doesn’t make it.”

As mellow as ever, her reply was relaxed with no sense of anxiety to speak of. “I’m sure he’ll be happy knowing his kid is safe. You did what you could, ya know. It’s not like you wanted that to happen.”

“Yeah...you have a point,” I mumbled, and skipped a stone across the frozen lake. “I just...feel as if my actions are going to be scrutinized no matter what I do. As much as I want to change the world through those actions, I don’t know if they’ll truly inspire others as I’d like.”

Just like before, Tree would take out a picnic basket, and nudge it towards me. “My man, you can’t reasonably expect everypony to take what you do at face value. There’s always gonna be someone out there whose vibe doesn’t vibe with yours.”

Which did indeed make sense. No matter what I did, or didn’t do, someone was always going to interpret my actions in some sort of way. Whether those interpretations aligned with the impressions that I attempted to give off or not was something I simply couldn’t control. Perception was a fickle mistress indeed.

“I’m aware of that,” I took a look inside of the basket and found freshly baked fudge cookies. They were still warm too. I took a few, and continued. “The annoying part is wondering what you should do regardless. Whether I like it or not, my actions will dictate the public visualization of not only myself, but Cozy Glow as well. Whether I do my job properly or not, it’s not something I can simply ignore.”

“Hmm…” Tree took a second to respond. She munched on a cookie, and got back to me once she was finished. “If you ask me, I think you should just be yourself, man. Even if you can’t completely ignore what others say, you still have the right to exist. Nopony can take that away from you, brah.”

Another sound argument. She was right. My life was my own, after all. I just wish certain decisions didn’t have to be so difficult. Then again, if life was easy, then it’d be quite boring, wouldn’t it?

Despite this, I was still a bit concerned in reference to the media.

“I get that. I do. But what if...I’m slandered. What if the public turns their collective tails against me, and refuses to support me? Can I truly call myself just when no one else considers my stance valid?”

For the first time since I met her, she scoffed and gave the slightest roll of her eyes. “The public isn’t unintelligent, Pale. You’re a bit too concerned over what others are thinking and you can’t stop and smell the roses.” Her speech picked up ever so slightly, as if she had become motivated in an attempt to motivate me. “Yeah, so what if they wanna slander you? Prove that you’re not worth the slander and it’ll make those who tried it look twice as silly. Actions speak louder than words, man.”

My heart skipped a beat. For whatever reason, I felt a pang of...intimidation when Tree Hugger rose her voice by just a few decibels and started to speak with a quicker pace. Nay, it was outright scary. I did not want to envision what it would be like if she were genuinely vexed. Ghg…

“...You have a point,” I responded after a moment of silence.

She must have realized how much different she had sounded. Tree Hugger leaned back and returned to her more mellow state. “I mean...do what’s right, ya feel? Nopony else can dictate what you should or shouldn’t do. Even if you can’t save everypony...do what you can for those of us who are still alive. Ya feel?”

Yet again, a good point. The ghosts of those who were behind us would continue to haunt us if we allowed them to. It was important to cherish those moments with the ones we had while we lived. Conversely, if we don’t care about someone while they were alive, then why should that change once they die? Such a curious concept indeed.

I wasn’t going to let that ruin my vacation, though. While it was quite the learning experience, it was ultimately something I had to live with. “I understand now, Tree. Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem brah,” she said as she gazed at me with that lazy smile of hers.

I figured now would be a good time to make small talk. “So what brought you here, anyhow?”

“I was just here relaxing in the cool weather. It’s so nice when you can feel the aura of all the animals and plants--even beneath the cold. I could even sense you,” she pointed a hoof at me, “And how negative your emotions were.”

Wow. Her abilities must have improved if she could sense me from afar like that. “Wow. I...never realized I gave off such a foul aura.”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, bro. In fact, it’s helped me a lot since I’ve been teaching the earth pony foals out to feel their surroundings through their own senses.”

Oh yes! The earth pony lessons! Wait. Wasn’t she supposed to be teaching them while Cheerilee and I were away? “Hold on a second, what are--”

“Guess you’ve noticed, eh? Limestone was getting worried about how you were both doing so I decided to sneak away for a bit and check on you. Don’t worry, I’m headed right back to Ponyville as soon as we’re done talking,” she explained with a slow blink of her eyes.

Well I suppose that answered my question. For now, I just wanted to take a break away from things. Cheerilee and Cozy needed a day to themselves, and I felt like I simply hogged the entire spotlight. “Alrighty then.” I finished up the cookies, and stood up, “Thanks, Tree. But make sure you get back to the train station as soon as possible so you can catch it.”

She waved as I left. “Don’t worry about me. I got my ways, hahahaha…” she laughed a casual sort of laugh, “See ya, Pale.”

“Goodbye for now.”

With that out of the way, it was time to put my plan into action. I was going to spend the entire day near the hotel and its facilities while Cheerilee and Cozy enjoyed themselves. We all agreed to more or less do our own thing and have fun from here on. Because of that, I could be at peace with myself for a while.

Well, I was. Until I got back to the hotel.

On my way through the lobby, Shining Armor approached me with a newspaper held aloft by his magic. “Oh, you’re here. You need to take a look at this.”

Comments

[Neo4K]

That’s when I heard a familiar voice as hoofsteps trudged through the snow. “Hey, man. I heard about what happened.” I looked up to see Tree Hugger. She had on a white scarf and a pair of earmuffs to match. She took a seat next to me, and tilted her head. “Are you alright?”

😁 I didn't know Treehugger was vacationing.

On my way through the lobby, Shining Armor approached me with a newspaper held aloft by his magic. “Oh, you’re here. You need to take a look at this.”

😟 Uh-oh. That shutterbug must've posted his photo to the press.

[GamePlayer64]

Is there a law where you cannot smash some cameras and burn the newspapers from the press?

[Jmaster49]

10593602
She's still managing the school in Pineville but decided to come check up on them for a bit.

And let's hope the paper didn't do anything to smear...

[Jmaster49]

10593651
That may not go over well. 😂