Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 145: Monster Of Truth

After a while, Nurse Redheart came to let me know that Cozy was awake and able to talk with us. Good thing, too. I had gotten a bit restless since this entire scenario started. So being able to actually see her would ease my concerns and my pain.

Guttersnipe chose to stay behind in the waiting room for the time being as to not cause any issues, which I respected.

So I went off on my own to the hospital room that Cozy was stationed in. Redheart opened the door, and there she was. The pink pegasus mare lied there with a few bandages on her head, but her EKG read a steady, but slow heartbeat.

Her eyes were opened ever so slightly as she greeted me. “Hey uh...Pale. Sorry for getting roughed up. I should’ve fought harder.”

I shook my head. “No. Those evil dastards shouldn’t have been there in the first place. As much as I hate to admit, I should’ve known something like this would happen when my back was turned. If only I could’ve…”

Cozy denied my point with one of her own. “No...I’m a grown mare. I should be able to take care of myself. In any case, I’m fine...so don’t worry yourself too much, okay?”

Easier said than done. I wasn’t simply going to stop caring about her state of being. But for her sake, and my own, I kept my internal emotions to a minimum. We--I needed to focus on the topic at hoof. That being just who attacked her and why…

“Okay, I can do that. But tell me, Cozy--just who...did this?”

“...Don’t hate me for this,” she replied slowly with a shaky voice, “but I don’t exactly remember. A-All I can recall is being knocked out and dragged up the stairs. Who exactly did it is something I’m not sure about. I’m sorry....”

Alright, while that did suck a little, it was understandable. Flash Drive was still at the scene to dissect any possible evidence along with the rest of my crew, so I wasn’t worried about her not knowing who attacked her. However, what I was curious about was the reason behind it.

“Okay then, can you think of a plausible explanation for why you might’ve been attacked?”

She sighed, and leaned back in the hospital bed. “...If I had to venture a guess, I think it’d have to do with the copious amounts of information I know regarding old types of magic and artifacts. That and, it could just as easily be somepony that dislikes the fact that I was released, so they decided to send you a warning by hurting me…”

Strange. If it was the latter, why would they attack her now of all times? She had more than proven herself to be a well-adjusted member of society that could easily live among everyone else. To attack her now would just make others look foolish. Unless...this move was calculated on the off-chance that I’d lose my marbles in pursuit of revenge. Hm…

“If that is indeed the case, then I’ll need to re-evaluate what my plans are.”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if it gets any worse than this, I may move you to a location where--”

Cozy interrupted me with a shaky tone of voice. “...N-no! Please. I...I don’t wanna leave all of my friends behind and live in solitude in some remote area!” she glared at me with her eyes ready to bulge out of their sockets. “Please, Pale. Aren’t we safer in the company of our capable friends and family?”

Yes, that was a valid point. Honestly, I had no idea what I was thinking. The sheer idea of forcing her to move away was ludicrous. Would it have helped? Maybe. Would it help her? That was debatable. For the moment, I shelved that idea in favor of something else.

“Alright then. I’m going to keep watch over you and make sure nothing else happens,” I proclaimed, “And once we figure out who was behind all of this, we’ll take them down to make sure you’re never hurt again. But is there anything else you have knowledge of that could have caused you to be attacked? Something dangerous that could jeopardize the plans of someone else?”

She stopped to think for a moment. “...Well, there is one thing.”

I leaned forward, eager to finally know the truth. “Yes?”

“Well, you know about Grogar, right? And the fact that twenty years ago, Discord pretended to be him the entire time?”

“...Yeah?”

“Well...I think he’s still alive.”

A shock to be sure, but not unexpected. Someone as devious as him would realistically think up an extremely convoluted way to gain all of his power back. “I see. Knowledge of the real Grogar is extremely scarce since Discord was impersonating him back then. Nopony has any real dirt on the guy.”

Cozy clutched the blankets of her bed as she looked away from me. “Well...I do. I know more about him than anypony else alive at this moment.”

I had to hold back a horse-like wheeze. The fact that she apparently knew more about Grogar than anypony else in existence was extremely hard to believe, but also perilous. As I had mentioned, hard evidence and knowledge of that ram was almost non-existent. How could Cozy Glow--a filly that grew into a mare that had been imprisoned for twenty years--know more than Twilight, Sunburst, and Celestia on the subject?!

Before I asked anything else, I made sure to shut the door to her room as well as check to make sure all of the windows and vents were sealed. None of what she was about to say could leave this room, as it was dangerous info that could threaten our lives, as well as everyone around us.

“Okay, Cozy,” I sat down next to her hospital bed once more and got ready to listen, “Just how do you claim to know so much about Grogar?”

She sighed, and went on. “Well, I was imprisoned alongside Chrysalis and Tirek, as you know. But through the stone punishment, we were still fully cognitive, and could think and act for ourselves. I could also overhear the thoughts that they had.”

Part of me wondered just how aware she could’ve been while trapped in a rocky prison. However, I elected not to dwell on it further to avoid forcing more trauma onto her. “I see...and what did you manage to hear?”

“I heard Tirek talk about lots of things including how Scorpan used to know Grogar and fought back against him. Grogar was considered the ‘Father of Monsters’ and created all of the creatures we know of that roam Equestria. Chimeras, bite-acudas, hydras, bugbears, fruit bats, all of them and more--were his doing.”

Scorpan used to fight Grogar? Just how was that possible? Just how long did centaurs and rams live?! Questions for another time, unfortunately. “Okay, that makes sense. But what else do you know of Grogar specifically?” I asked.

“Tirek mentioned something about Grogar likely desiring to regain all of his lost magic. The Bewitching Bell allowed him to steal the magic of others, but when Gusty The Great stole it from him, he lost all of his power, and faded into obscurity as a complete myth. A legend.”

“Curious…” I mumbled, “Then just how is he alive now?”

She sighed again as she looked down at her sheets. “That is something I don’t know…”

Then we heard a knock at the door. “Cozy?” It was Nurse Redheart who called out, “It’s time for you to take a dosage of medicine for your head pain.”

There was no way we’d be able to continue this conversation with anyone else listening to us. At that moment, I chose to hold the topic until later. “...We’ll speak more on this soon, alright, Cozy?”

She nodded, and lied down once more. “...Okay, Pale. And I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be, kid. It’s not your fault…” From there, I opened the door to allow Redheart to enter the room. I left, and went back down the hall towards the main lobby.

Things just got a bit more crazy.

Comments

[Neo4K]

😌 Thank God Cozy's okay. 😟 Also, the real Grogar is alive? Jeez, I was hoping to be wrong. The fact that Cozy Glow has more knowledge of him is indeed a shock. Was Neighsay even aware of working with this guy?

[GamePlayer64]

COZY GOT ATTACK BY THE REAL GROGAR?! Weird... Sorry but to be honest, I thought Discord would be the 1st to get his ass whooped. Reasons; Pretended to be Grogar, used villains to help the confidence of an Alicorn and withholding his Bell. Also Fruit Bats? They natural animals. Now the Roc or that Bull-Naga is part of his monsters and Scorpan attack Grogar? No offense but he would be dead in an instant.

[Bubbly Toast]

Welp, i wasn't entirely wrong about it being Shang Tsung. Or the Equestrian version of him, at least.

[Jmaster49]

10614252
He is the Father of Monsters after all. XD

[Jmaster49]

10614119
Not exactly. She just knows about him via her imprisonment and overhearing Tirek.

[Jmaster49]

10614058
Who knows...but the fact that he lives is the most concerning thing at the moment.

[Frazikar]

Hmmm, well the original (or G1) was more of a lich so time would not be much of a problem (and he did rule his own pocket dimension that did time skips as well) ... though after 'Frienemies' I had hoped that the donkey minion was playing the master ...

[Jmaster49]

10614613
The real Grogar may be more threatening than anyone realizes...

[Greninken]

“Well...I think he’s still alive.”

Called it

[Jmaster49]

10625405
Things are only gonna get better!