Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 249: School of Hardship

So I gave Cheerilee my full attention so we could figure out what was wrong together. “Do you have a specific idea of who it is?” I asked, “From the situations we’ve dealt with so far, I’d be willing to wager the last possible individual we have yet to meet is Sweetie Belle--given who we’ve dealt with so far anyway.”

She rubbed her hoof against her chin as she gave it some thought. “I see...even so, we need to be cautious since we don’t know what the school has endured. For all we know, this could be a cleverly placed mirage to fool us.”

A mirage, huh? Just what could lie behind the veil of secrets that was juxtaposed over what seemed like a harmless establishment for learning?

“Let’s not waste time, then….” I picked up a small rock that was nearby, and flung it towards the water that surrounded the school.

Plip-plip-plip--plunk!

It hopped about three times before it sank, which indicated that gravity and the area around the school itself had been untouched by magic. Was it merely a scare tactic or was there a deeper meaning here?

Either way, we had to press on. If Cheerilee’s sense led us that way, then we’d go that way.

“Follow me,” I requested as I went onwards, “Things could change as soon as we get to that front door.”

Just like the last time I was here, I stepped across the rock path that led to the front door, and opened it up. Okay, first sign of suspicion: It was unlocked. Second: The handle was warm. Which indicated that someone had been here recently. Third: The wood in the door itself had splintered ever so slightly with bits of it flaked off. The glass panels weren’t damaged, but that was a telltale sign of a slammed door. Which could only mean one thing:

Someone was in a hurry to get in here.

Now, whether or not it was to get towards or away from something was up for debate, but I knew I was on the right track. I beckoned Cheerilee to follow and inquired more about what she could find with her own sensory abilities.

“This way. Do you feel anything?”

Cheerilee shut the door behind herself, and followed me in. “No. I...wait. Wait a second, I do feel something.”

“What is it?” I turned my attention to the various hallways next. “Do you have an idea of which direction it could be coming from?”

“Down the main hall,” she replied, and pointed towards the passageway right ahead of us, “I have a sneaking suspicion that Sweetie Belle is there.”

While it wasn’t much to go off of, it was all we had. So she and I took off down that hallway, but we came to a stop. The hall went in two different directions: left and right.

On the left side, I saw a few pink feathers. Cozy’s feathers!

But on the right, I could start to feel a magical disturbance of some sort. As if multiple signatures had morphed together into one horrid one. As if it was a distressed cry for help muddled under a sense of oncoming dread.

The answer was obvious.

“We need to go left,” I concluded, and started to trot down that path.

Cheerilee tried to stop me with her words. “Pale...are you sure about that? That could very well be a trap laid out for you in an attempt to hinge upon your desire to protect Cozy…”

I sighed, and stopped dead in my tracks. On the one hoof, I had a sneaking suspicion that she was right and that this was a massive ploy to get me to travel down a path that would lead to utter destruction. At the same time however, I couldn’t just ignore it. Rainbow Dash would never betray her fellow pony with false information--especially with how much Cozy meant to me. Amidst the quiet of the hallways, I gazed up at Cheerilee.

“What would you do, hun? If you knew one of your prized students was in imminent danger but it came across as a trap?” I turned around, and took a step towards her as I mentally put the pieces together. “Because that’s what this sounds like. They’re trying to lure us in with mental buggery to get us both.”

Her eyes went wide for a second before they drooped and stared at the floor. Realization of the rough patch that we were in must have hit her like a truck, because she too was unable to come to a decision at that moment either.

“I...can’t believe this,” she stomped her hoof on the floor out of frustration, “What kind of vile creature would force us to subject ourselves to this kind of...torture.”

“The fear of death is often worse than death itself,” I rubbed my left hind leg against my right, and took a deep breath, “To say that I’m not nervous would be a complete lie. I’m scared too, Cheerilee. Even if I don’t show it often...I’m no stranger to fear this raw. But we can’t stand here forever. We need to come to a decision, and take it on together.”

Cheerilee also relaxed with an exhale of her own. “You...you’re right. So what will it be then?”

Left or right?

Comments

[Neo4K]

Hmmm. Save Cozy or Sweetie Belle? I would say that a great tactical move would be to split up. One goes left to find Cozy, and the other goes right to the danger ahead and possibly find Sweetie Belle held hostage as well. Problem is, the enemy they are facing will likely expect this and would try to misdirect the duo. Whatever the case, they better get a handle on this and fast.

[Jmaster49]

10795447
Decisions decisions...

[Jmaster49]

10795752
Yeah that's what I was going for! The 1920s-1950s detective noire vibe. That's why I found it best to make him an earth pony since they don't really have any special magic and have to figure things out with their bare hooves and brains. Pale has gone through a whole lot, and genuinely thinks that Cozy Glow was imprisoned wrongfully. So he's going to do his best to give her a second chance while also dealing with the usual magical wackiness along the way.

Hope you enjoy it as you continue to read more!

[Neo4K]

10795859
Indeed. And where is Flurry Heart in all this? I was under the assumption that she was helping Cozy out.

[Jmaster49]

10795882
To be honest, she's so powerful that if she showed up to help too early it would kill the tension. She'll be here soon, though.

[Neo4K]

10795883
Uhhh-huh. Okay, that's good, I guess.