Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 182: Plugging In

While my mate Pale was focused on his healing, Corkscrew was likely busy at the office, and Quick Draw had been given another mission, I knew it was my scout’s honor to come back in and assist wherever I could. Even if I did run the risk of catching weird looks here and there, I needed to be steady. My brother Neon was back home still getting his leg replaced. Because of that, it was on me to handle whatever came up in his stead.

I had to wait patiently outside of the Mayor’s office. The mare known as Spectacle was here. The one who had been possessed by some disgusting creature known as a Mimic. If I could just have a good look at her, and ask her a few things, I could ascertain where the beast originated, and destroy the source. That way, we wouldn’t have any more of them running around.

“Hi, are you Flash Drive?” said the voice of a young lass near me.

I turned and faced her. “That I am. Is there something you need?”

“Oh, no--well, sorta. You work with Pale, right? That’s going to make this a whole lot easier.”

Easier? Hm. Just what could this little bird be up to? I took a stab at it. “Oh? Are you perhaps here to speak with Trixie’s parents also?”

“Indeed! Good guess. You’re pretty smart, you know that?” she threw out a rather deft compliment at me with the biggest smile that she could muster. “And you’re, uh, so tall too! And muscular!”

I rolled my eyes, and shut the book I had patiently flipped through for the last five minutes or so. “Get to the point, little lady. You want something, don’t ya?”

“Okay, you caught me,” she let out a dramatic gasp of air, “I just wanna help you out. Cozy is a good friend of mine, and I’ve offered to throw my hat into the ring if you catch my drift.”

Part of me wanted to tell her off immediately. The battlefield being no place for a child and such. It was rather foolish, but I saw no point in a debate. At least for the time being. “You are aware that my mate Pale is one of my friends, yeah?” I asked with a tone of dissent, “This isn’t a game. It’s going to be hard with some challenges that you may not yet be ready for.”

The alicorn spread her wings with a proud grin. “Sir, don’t count me out. I know that I’m more than ready to face anything. Like I said, Cozy is one of my closest friends. One of the few ponies that have treated me like a regular...pony instead of some uptight princess.” She hit me with a sympathetic set of eyes, “...I’m sure you know what that feels like, don’t you? To desire being treated regularly?”

While our circumstances were...vastly different, I couldn’t deny that the young mare had a point. Despite being half-zebra, half-unicorn, I did indeed wish to be treated with the same amount of common decency as anypony else. Where my father was from...it didn’t exactly go that way. So in essence, I had enough respect for Flurry to allow her to tag along. For now.

“That’s right. You and I both have a common dream. You may do as you will for the moment." The last thing I needed was an upset alicorn...yeech. That was not a memory I needed to relive.

Right then. Where was I? There we were. We waited in the Town Hall’s lobby. Nice and quiet on the inside, it was. The only thing to listen to was Madam Inkwell hole-punch and staple a document or two. It took about another half an hour or so before the pair exited the room, and trotted out.

I saw the opportunity and took it.

“Sir, madam,” I addressed them both as I approached, “If possible, would you care to answer a few questions?” I showed them my officer’s badge--hated doing that, but it was for the sake of formality.

The mare--Spectacle--nodded once. “...If I can, sure.”

Jackpot agreed as well. “Sure, kid. What do you wanna know?”

Good. I tucked away the badge, and went on. “Alright then. First off, what I’d like to know is some information regarding your relation to Trixie. There are no records of her parents in any of the Ponyville databases. Any idea why?”

“Well…” the older stallion stood aside, “It might be better if she explained it.”

When he moved out of the way, Trixie took a few steps forward. A spitting image of her father right down to eye color. It was insane. “Hello,” she looked at me with an awkward expression of shame on her face, “...and yes, I fudged the documents regarding my parents. I didn’t want anypony to know that I came from a set of parents who barely knew each other out of a fling. It was too embarrassing…”

Spectacle put a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry, Trix. I should never have lied to you about your father being missing. I was also too afraid to admit that I...had a rather promiscuous evening in Las Pegasus.”

Jackpot spoke up next. “Had I known that I had a daughter, I would have done my best to find her. Honestly. I know this may sound like empty words….but it’s all I have. There’s nothing we can do to really change the past.”

I decided to offer a bit of wisdom to mend the situation. “Maybe not, sir. But if you work towards a better future…”

“Uhm…I’m not so sure…” Jackpot took a step back, “I have to be honest. I don’t really...love this mare like I thought I did all those years ago.”

Spectacle also chimed in. “As much as I hate to admit it, it’s true. I don’t have any real feelings for him that are mutual either.”

“It’s fine, you guys, really,” Trixie took a stance on the matter, “You don’t have to force yourselves to get back together or anything. I’ve been perfectly happy with my friends for the past twenty years or so,” she said with a hopeful smile in an attempt to ease their tensions.

Before they could mull over the topic for much longer, Flurry Heart finally entered the conversation. “Ahem...if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a question. That Mimic...when it took over your body--did it, by any chance talk about where it came from?”

Spectacle rubbed her head with her hoof as she tried to remember. “Hrm...I don’t exactly have all of the details. But I remember hearing something about it being enchanted with some sort of Zebra power?”

Well slob on my knob and bend me sideways...were some of my kin allied with this bugger?

Comments

[Neo4K]

When he moved out of the way, Trixie took a few steps forward. A spitting image of her father right down to eye color. It was insane. “Hello,” she looked at me with an awkward expression of shame on her face, “...and yes, I fudged the documents regarding my parents. I didn’t want anypony to know that I came from a set of parents who barely knew each other out of a fling. It was too embarrassing…”

Spectacle put a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry, Trix. I should never have lied to you about your father being missing. I was also too afraid to admit that I...had a rather promiscuous evening in Las Pegasus.”

Jackpot spoke up next. “Had I known that I had a daughter, I would have done my best to find her. Honestly. I know this may sound like empty words….but it’s all I have. There’s nothing we can do to really change the past.”

While I can understand Trixie, that doesn't excuse Jackpot and Spectacle. Fling or not, they should be there for their daughter out of unconditional love. What they did was irresponsible and selfish to a degree. Surely, they're aware of what happened with Trixie years ago that almost ruined her good name.

“It’s fine, you guys, really,” Trixie took a stance on the matter, “You don’t have to force yourselves to get back together or anything. I’ve been perfectly happy with my friends for the past twenty years or so,” she said with a hopeful smile in an attempt to ease their tensions.

While this is noble of Trixie to say, and I'm really happy for her to move on with her life, it's kinda sad. Especially when you consider that this is almost the exact situation that Cozy went through with her bio-parents, neither of which having any choice or say in the matter.

Well slob on my knob and bend me sideways...were some of my kin allied with this bugger?

Sounds to me like Zecora is the next destination.