Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 293: Casual Meetup

And so, I got myself ready. It might not be much of a shock, but I was no stranger to ceremonies. They were often held within the agency, and given to various agents and officers to acknowledge when they did a good job on an assignment. I actually hadn’t received any medals or awards yet--a few badges but that was about it. So I was curious to see just what would happen on this day.

I put on the best suit that I had for such an occasion. A brown suit jacket that was given to me by Miranda Rights when I was younger. It held a special sort of sentimental value to me for obvious reasons.

---

“...My father used to wear this every day to all of my school plays and talent shows when I was little. One day, I hope you can pass that same familial kindness onto somepony else, kiddo…”

---

It was a small gesture at the time that would have a rather large impact later. More than she could ever realize thanks to the fact that I had also become a sort of father to someone under me. Stallions played an important role in our culture that often gets ignored due to the imbalance of the sexes within the population. Fatherhood was something I never thought I would be involved in, but now I see it as one of the most important things in this world since the protective, and stalwart sense of accomplishment from the well-to-do fathers was something that usually went unnoticed. But I didn’t fail to see it.

Saffron Masala and her father Coriander Cumin, Trixie and her father Jackpot, Flurry Heart and Shining Armor, and even mixed families like Quibble Pants with his wife’s daughter Wind Sprint. Even if they weren’t perfect, they were shining examples of what should be celebrated in today’s culture for fathers since most stallions are so overworked that they can’t spend time with their families due to being tired. Yet good men like these still made as much time for their home lives as they could. It’s something that I would do my best to embody for Cozy--even if I wasn’t her biological father, she was still my daughter.

Pfft. What am I saying? It’s not like I could have that much of an effect on the world at large, right?

Regardless, I made sure that I had everything that I needed. Including a document and a tiny box that I intended to save for later on.

And that’s when I arrived at Ponyville Town Hall.

“...Holy shit.”

Everyone was there. Well, not the whole population of the world, but pretty much the entirety of the peoples/creatures that made up the army that drove out Grogar last week. Seems that everyone had recovered nicely because they were all dressed up in some sort of suit or dress to look snazzy for such an event.

And before I could even get over there, I was flanked by my crewmates behind the Town Hall.

“He’s made it, lads!” Flash Drive appeared with a white tuxedo that clashed nicely against his jet black body color, “We knew you weren’t dead, right bruv?”

Neon had on a bright red suit that somewhat contrasted with his blue-green body. “Indeed. Today’s a good day, my friends. Now where are those other two fools?”

“Dammit--my tie is killing me!” That voice was known to me from a mile away. Corkscrew had been hovering in the air as he used one of the windows like a mirror to get a good look at himself. His suit was a normal black one. “Why did we have to dress up for this? We don’t even wear clothes normally anyway!”

“This is a high profile event organized by the Mayor herself to congratulate us. That’s why. Now come on, hurry up,” Quick Draw lectured from the ground below him, “You’re taking forever.” Her purple suit clashed nicely against her yellow body color. Complimentary colors after all.

“Ah, there they are. Hey you two,” I waved at them, to which they reciprocated with waves of their own. “But where’s Guts?”

As if on cue, we heard her voice from above us. “Sorry I’m late, guys. Had to make sure I could get this thing on right.” Guttersnipe landed in the midst of our group wearing a short skirt-like dress with red and black which alternated and matched with her color. “I hope to god there’s gonna be booze here. Award ceremonies always make me fall asleep.”

“Oh sure,” Flash Drive interjected with a wry grin, “More like you pass out entirely once you get drunk off your arse, eh?” He hoofbumped his brother Neon who snickered in response to the joke.

Guts scrunched her face up before she replied with a huff. “Oh come on! It was one time! Besides, you know that I don’t drink that often.”

Quick Draw suddenly entered the conversation from where she stood. “Don’t start laughing, Neon. You know you can’t resist the fruit bars that are often at parties. Especially the fermented grapes.”

“Hey now, it’s better than wanting pony blood, innit?” the batpony protested, “You know I could always revert to my more primal instincts at any time yeah?”

Quick rolled her eyes as she leaned against the side of the building while standing on her hind legs. “Jeez. It was just a joke, Dracula. Calm down.” But even she wasn’t completely infallible because she giggled at her own joke.

I decided to throw my own two cents into the ring. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve been hitting the bakery more often, Quick. You seem to be jiggling more than usual with each step.”

“Say what?!” The yellow mare’s eyes shot open, and she turned to look at herself in the reflection of one of the Town Hall’s rear windows. “I know I’m not that pudgy--oh god dammit!”

I nearly snorted, and burst out laughing before Corkscrew spoke up. “While that may be true, at least she won’t sink like a rock boss. You know that muscle weighs more than fat? Isn’t that why you couldn’t last swimming in the ocean near Casabronco on that one mission?”

“H-hey! There were sharks in that water and you knew it!” I hastily defended myself as I rubbed a hoof behind my head. “We all get the jitters in different ways you know.”

Guttersnipe giggled to herself. “I still remember how he completely lost sight of the mission we were on at PonyCon.”

Corkscrew was next to defend himself with a huff. “In my defense--getting an autograph by one of my favorite cosplayers was a problem in an of itself! Don’t even get me started on the genuine creeps who stalk ponies!”

We all had a good laugh at each other--and ourselves. Flash Drive summed up our relationship as a team fairly well once the conversation was finished.

“Nothing like being able to take the piss out of each other and laugh to keep us motivated, eh?”

“AHEM!”

All of our heads turned in unison. The Mayor had come out the back door of the Town Hall to greet us.

“If you kids are done with your schoolyard antics, everypony is waiting for you onstage.”

The six of us exchanged looks with each other, then nodded.

It was time to put ourselves out there.

Comments

[Neo4K]

Ah, the humorous banter between friends. 😁 And now, the award ceremony will begin. BTW, did that curse on Quick get lifted after Grogar's defeat? It wasn't entirely brought up.

[Jmaster49]

10865206
Oh yeah, that'll be addressed. Don't worry.

And yes. Good friends can laugh with each other. 😁