Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 181: A Helping Hoof

I woke up to the wonderful sensation of one of my favorite dishes: beet and hay stew with apricot juice. Cheerilee had gone out of her way to get some fresh vegetables from the farm just to make it for me. I was beyond flattered. But then I remembered something she said to me before we fell asleep together.

“...Cheery, don’t tell me you’re still thinking of confronting them yourself. I’m flattered that you’re willing to go out of your way for me, but this is far too dangerous and I would rather you not put yourself in--hrk!”

She put a spoonful of the beets in my mouth, and giggled. “I knew you would say something like that, which is why I thought it over and decided to ask a certain someone for help.”

I munched on the red disks of juicy goodness, and glanced at her with an uncertain set of eyes. “Er...you didn’t put Cozy up to it, did you?”

“Absolutely not,” she said with a shake of her head, “However, I did run into her on the way home. She’ll be here soon with...something. She said she had to go shopping.”

I let out a sigh of relief, and took another bite of the stew. “Okay then…” I swallowed in between sentences, “I really hope she isn’t stressed out. But who did you request help from, if that’s the case.”

“Well…” she tapped her hooves together in a nervous fashion, “It wasn’t so much that I requested aid. It was more along the lines of being offered assistance. Flurry Heart was in town today visiting Cozy, Pound Cake, and her other friends. I saw her walking towards Cozy’s home, and she stopped me.” She leaned against the table, her cheek rested in the palm of her hoof, “She was able to tell what sort of stress I was in, so she offered to go seek out some answers for me.”

Oh Luna above. Now I just felt embarrassed. It’s not that I didn’t want the help of an alicorn or anything. Far from it. A part of me simply thought it was a waste of time on their end. Why would Flurry want to take time out of her busy, stressful princesshood to assist a regular-ass pony like myself? It just didn’t feel right. As if I didn’t deserve any of it. I wasn’t anyone special or important.

“Cheery...gah...why does she wanna help?” I stopped eating, and stared down at the bowl in front of me. “Doesn’t she have more important things to do? Isn’t she a princess with a job?”

Cheerilee took a more stern tone with me. Her face tightened up ever so slightly with a frown that pierced my soul. “There is absolutely no reason for you to speak that way of yourself. You matter to me, to Cozy, to all of us. But beyond that, what you have experienced is something so...completely bonkers that Flurry Heart desired to help us both. Why? Because you do deserve these things. After all that you have been through, the sacrifices that you’ve made--you are easily one of the most important ponies to have ever lived. So don’t forget your goal in life, okay?”

Really? I couldn’t imagine. As I said before, I was just a regular old guy who did his job. I wasn’t any different or special compared to anypony else. But maybe...I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge my accomplishments sometimes. After all, my goal was to make life better for others. So maybe I did do something right.

My goal in life…

In the end, I had to respect the wife’s decision. “...I understand. Thank you, Cheery. It’ll...take some time before I’m ready to head back out there, but…”

“Take as much time as necessary. I’ll be here to take care of you. And Cozy will--”

Knock-knock-knock!

Cheerilee turned to look at the front door. “That must be her now. She’s probably dying to see you.”

I took a deep breath, and nodded my head. “As am I.”

With my approval, she got up, and pranced over to the door. She opened it to find a nervous, yet excited pink pegasus on the other side. “Hello, Cozy.”

“Hey mom--hi, erm, uh--i-is Pale here?”

“He’s right over--”

“Thanks!” she shouted, and flew right over to me. “Dad...I...I heard about what happened. Are you okay?”

The disturbed frown on her face told me everything. She was afraid of the possibilities that involved me with the potential loss of sanity from trauma. But I...I wouldn’t lose myself. Not again. I was going to be strong for her, and myself.

“...No, I’m not,” I admitted with my head tilted downwards. But then, I rose up to glance at her, “However, having you here has made things better already.”

She flashed me a smile, and sat down next to me at the table. It was good to see her relieved for a change. “Okay...I’m glad you’re better. But I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You’ve...set an amazing example for me to follow. Even if I still desperately wanna be out there with you.” She let out a sigh. “Part of me feels a bit guilty knowing you’re going through so much trouble to protect me…”

If this was a little ploy to get me motivated, then it was working. Because I refused to allow her to feel that way about herself. “Kid...you shouldn’t get like that. I do what I do for the good of everypony out there. Not just you--though you do play a major role.”

“...what do you mean by that?”

I leaned back in my seat. “I’ve come to realize that my calling was something greater than simply saving you. It has more to do with how you relate to the world at large, and what we can do to keep each other safe without the need of divine intervention.”

Cheerilee had shut the door, and came back to the table to join us. “There you go, hun. That’s the spirit. You’re a shining example in achievement. You were a regular pony that managed to convince most of the population that one of Equestria’s greatest villains was never meant to be that way. You didn’t need wings and a horn or some ancient relic to tell you that, did you?” she said with a sly raise of her brow.

I couldn’t help but grin at her for that. “No...you’re right. Speaking of which…” I turned to Cozy, “Do you know about what Flurry Heart intends to ask Jackpot and Spectacle?”

Cozy’s eyes drifted upwards and to the left. Oh no. “Well…she’s currently at the Mayor’s office right now, waiting for them to be finished with their meeting with the Mayor. And...”

---

“Time to drill ‘em for answers until they break...with the power of love.”

Comments

[Neo4K]

With my approval, she got up, and pranced over to the door. She opened it to find a nervous, yet excited pink pegasus on the other side. “Hello, Cozy.”

“Hey mom--hi, erm, uh--i-is Pale here?”

“He’s right over--”

“Thanks!” she shouted

Why is Cozy so flustered about calling Cheerileee 'Mom'?

😁 And I won't comment on the rest since I already made my feelings known about the family dynamic.

“Time to drill ‘em for answers until they break...with the power of love.”

Of course Flurry Heart is gonna help. Yet, right now, I'm on the fence on whether or not that's good or bad. It would have been better if her mom got involved.

[Frazikar]

...with the power of love.”

Cue the music, for that song (thank you HL) ...

[Jmaster49]

10673194
Don't be afraid...

[Jmaster49]

10672743
They are a great family aren't they?

And don't worry. Flurry won't be too hard on them!